<p>I expect the first time they lose everything because they don’t have a backup, they will then find 5 min to do so for the next time.
It’s what you call logical consequences.
If they haven’t discovered how that works by now, it’s probably time.</p>
<p>The handful of small word processing/spreadsheet/presentation files that one works on during a semester can quickly and easily be emailed to one’s self as an emergency backup. A primary backup does not really need to be done more than twice a year for most people.</p>
<p>It comes in handy if one’s laptop is stolen or badly damaged in transit, most often when dealing with TSA/Homeland Security types who make you take your laptop out to place on a conveyor belt, then hold you up as you try to walk through their gate. No one pays any attention to your laptop after it comes out of the scanner. Once mine was pushed off the end of the conveyor and onto the floor; having someone grab the unwatched laptop during your delay is also not out of the realm of possibility.</p>
<p>@mcat2 - I do not get what you think needs to be done. The word here is automated. I purchased the auto-backup three years ago. Took 5-minutes to setup, and I have never done one thing to it since. It runs silently in the background.</p>
<p>A plus is I can access my files from anywhere if needed, and my computers need not be on to download a file. </p>
<p>Time machine is a physical hard-drive back-up that can be stolen or crash, and everything is gone. We are talking a virtual back-up here. </p>
<p>With important college papers and work, to not back-up is very risky, if that computer is lost, stolen, or just breaks. </p>
<p>My kids’ computers auto back-ups every day at 2AM. Or, if a super real important paper or work is done, they click the icon and it does a back-up of the work in the background right then and there, as they continue working. </p>
<p>There is no effort or anything to remember to do, but it sure gives peace of mind.</p>
<p>I work in computing support for a college. You might think about waiting to find out what your child’s college recommends and supports - or if it’s easy to get support for the computer in the area. Also check with their college about software discounts - for example, we offer a student version of Microsoft Office that’s inexpensive and there aren’t translation issues that we’ve seen with other programs (i.e. Open Office and Pages) when a paper is submitted to a professor who generally does have MS Office. I agree with awcntdb regarding automatic backup. I’ve seen many students who don’t backup at all, then are very sad when their thesis disappears because something happens to the computer. Also, even though AppleCare has its limits in terms of what it covers, it’s better than nothing and extends the computer warranty from one to three years total. Just keep in mind that it doesn’t cover anything accidental - so spills, drops, etc. won’t be covered by warranty. </p>
<p>I would purchase MS Office from their University store or anywhere else where they get a student discount. If you are buying a Mac anything, you can afford another $100 for software that not only will be useful in university but they should be very familiar with once they enter the workforce where so many companies do use MS office.</p>
<p>I support everything @BTMell says.</p>
<p>I am not too sure you even have to wait to find out about which computers are recommended and supported. That was listed on my son’s college website and even told him what set-up of the MAC works best. </p>
<p>So, check the college website for “Supported Computer Laptops” or “Supported Operating Systems” and the answers of which computers might be there now. </p>
<p>The easy to get support in the area is also important to find out. However, if college is remote, guess that is a moot point.</p>
<p>check out the student bookstore pricing. It usually comes with 3 year Apple warranty, and MS Office. (And unlike the others, I strongly recommend Office. Assuming that the college grad will be looking for a job in the future, MS Office is the de facto standard. Might as well be able to say, ‘Proficient’.)</p>
<p>Also, suggest a PowerBook instead of Air. While most dorms are officially wireless, coverage can be spotty --block walls are not known as repeaters – so having a built-in ethernet jack is handy. (Otherwise one has to carry around a dongle.)</p>
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<p>I’m pretty sure the new MacBook Pros (with retina display) no longer have ethernet ports; my son bought the high-end 15" Pro when it first came out and I’m pretty sure he needed to get an adapter for those days when wifi wasn’t working quite right. Not a big issue – he leaves it in his room.</p>
<p>I personally use Pages, Numbers and Keynote on my home computer (which is a MacBook Air). At work, I use Word, Excel and Powerpoint. The only issue I’ve had pop up is in Word, and that’s only because my work uses a lot of letters with backgrounds built into the Word templates. But for a college student, they’re probably not doing a document like that. </p>
<p>I can export into Word, Excel and Powerpoint with few issues. I can also print them as pdf’s. </p>
<p>I’m not a big fan of Windows or its products. The only reason I have it anywhere on my machine (partitioned using Parallels) is because the Mac version of Quicken sucks so bad….</p>
<p>Pages, Numbers and Keynote are now also web-based and viewable on any computer, should you ever have a problem exporting a file. Buying MS Office is no longer necessary, but if you want a copy anyway, there’s a buy-it-now offer on eBay for a downloadable Mac version selling for around $34.</p>
<p>Both daughters’ schools required, yes, required, certain assignments to be submitted using Excel or Word. Not something like excel or word, but using that specific software. One course required a specific version of Excel which we hadn’t purchased. She had to use the computer lab until we were able to get it (we can get it very cheaply through our company, but they mail the disk to us). </p>
<p>The colleges usually have somewhere on their website what they expect computing-wise. Programs, like business schools, may have even more detailed requirements. </p>
<p>Both daughters have done fine with MacBooks. #1D upgraded to a MacBook Air when she graduated last year. </p>
<p>The new MacBook Pro retina displays don’t have built-in ethernet or internal CD/DVD drives either but you can purchase both as external add-ons. The ethernet dongle runs around $30; the CD/DVD around $80. Our college is in a remote location but we’re fortunate to have a campus computer store that provides sales and also service. I personally like the MBP/retina display better vs. the MB Air - it’s more computer for the money and it’s not that much heavier vs. the Air.</p>
<p>You can get an ethernet to thunderbolt adaptor for under $30. I don’t even think about what ports exist because there are adaptors for everything. </p>
<p>You can buy any size external drive but my observation is few kids bother to connect them, which means any backup or other use to another physical thing is occasional at best. </p>
<p>A lot depends on the nature of computing at the school. I mean some schools have computers all over and some don’t. At one of my kids’ schools, my kid almost never bothered carrying a computer, just a flash drive. At the other, nearly every document could be stored online and accessed from any computer with a login so the computer was more for working where there was coffee or someplace apart from people, like an empty lounge. One used to email stuff so it could be retrieved from anywhere. The other used a document management system the school had. This functions as a backup for most schoolwork. </p>
<p>Like I said, check into printing. Some schools give you x dollars - or make you pay x dollars no matter what. And so on. That drives the decision about buying a printer or not. And in one case, the printer was a contribution from my kid while the TV came from the roommate. </p>