Best Mac For Art Students
The best Mac for designers on a budget is the Mac mini. Realistically, any modern Mac is broadly suitable for the majority of design work - it's just that less powerful machines will slow you down.
Even on sale, a new laptop can be a significant investment, so it is really important to pick out the right model. In practice you're going to be tempted to buy the cheapest because you've got all the other costs of being a student to consider. However, a cheap Mac that struggles to do what you need is no saving. AppleInsider examines your options to help you decide what's the best option to spend your money on, and how to save the most on that purchase with. Take your time. When you first go on Apple's website, it looks like there are ten portables to try to pick from.
In truth, it's really only four main models with some quite small extra options. This is the machine Steve Jobs famously pulled out of a regular inter-office mail envelope and wowed us all. That was ten years ago and today you'd struggle to find anyone who still uses those manila envelopes or is quite so wowed by the. What was impossibly slim then now looks oddly old and not only when you put it next to a newer MacBook which is somehow even slimmer. Yet it's not as if the Air has swelled up into being thicker than it was and instead what's happened is that the price has come down. True, this is a less powerful portable Mac than any of the other ones available but it's also the cheapest: even without any discounts you can get the MacBook Air from $999.
That is only just squeaking in under a grand and there is reason to spend more: if you pay retail $1,199 instead you get at 256GB SSD. Having an SSD instead of a traditional hard drive is what made the Air's slimness possible but these Solid State Drives are more expensive so they tend to be smaller. Which means you'll have to be conscious of how much you store on your MacBook Air. It's not going to be roomy or powerful enough to do video editing, for instance. Then there is the question of the display: it is the poorest of all Apple's current portable screens. It's the only one that isn't Retina quality.
That said, this is also the only model that has older hardware such as an SD card for photographers and familiar USB sockets. It's also the only remaining portable with the once-lauded MagSafe power connector that will simply disconnect instead of breaking when you accidentally knock it. Of all the laptops, the MacBook Air also happens to have the longest battery life, reaching 12-13 hours. That is about 3 hours above the others. With current sale prices, anyone can get into an Air for if you shop around. If you're a student or working in education then Apple itself is selling the Air from $849. Pros Portable Most Affordable Greatest range of ports like USB MagSafe Longest Battery Life Cons Non-retina screen Least powerful option Target user: Students who want an affordable and portable Mac that is able to handle most tasks that they throw at it.
If portability is the most important, then Apple's is a great choice. It is super slim, and has the smallest overall footprint. Even with its diminutive size, the screen is only an inch smaller than the 13' MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. This is probably the most ideal machine to tote around campus, easily fitting on undersized desks and in bags without adding much weight.
Apple paired a beautiful Retina Display with this miniaturized design, which is great to check out any photos you've taken with friends. In order to achieve such a small, lightweight, and fan-free design, the processor and graphics power here is a bit lacking. It will still be able to easily handle any task targeted at a student but video editors should look elsewhere and gamers probably must. This isn't to say that it is slow, not by any means: it has quick flash memory paired with a Core M or i7 processor to make most tasks lightning fast. As long as graphics-heavy applications aren't necessary, the MacBook is a solid option between super-svelt design and reasonable price, at least in the Apple world. Current discounts at Apple authorized resellers knock the base model, bringing the entry price. Pros Blend of affordability and portability Super slim and lightweight Beautiful display USB-C Cons Not as much oomph as the MacBook Pro Target user: Campus traversing students who like to always have their laptop with them (and not even notice), without sacrificing design or display.
If price weren't an issue, this is what you'd get. It is heavier and thicker than either the MacBook or the MacBook Air but it's still light and thin.
Plus while there is a little range in power and features, overall any model of the MacBook Pro is the fastest, most powerful and outright best Apple portable you can get. Plus as the flagship of the range, it has recently been updated.