Why a MacBook is ideal for school or study

MacBook for school or study

As a student you need a laptop, but do you choose a Chromebook, a Windows laptop or a MacBook? Many students choose a MacBook and it is the most popular laptop among students. For many people, a MacBook offers more ease of use than brands such as Dell, HP and Chinese brands such as Lenovo, although that is of course also somewhat subjective. Do you want to convince yourself or your parents that you really need a MacBook? Then we have listed the most important arguments for you.

• User friendly
• Design
• Durable
• Value stable
• Education discount
• Powerful
• Portable
• Versatile
• Trustworthy
• Long battery life
• Suitable for Word and Excel
• To buy?

These are the most popular MacBooks to choose from:

• 13-inch MacBook Air with M1 or M2 chip, recommended retail price from €1,219
• 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2 chip, recommended retail price from €1,619
• 14-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Pro chip, recommended retail price from €2,249

You can find many more prices and more specific models in our overview of buying a MacBook.

#1 MacBook is easy to use

If you already have an iPhone or iPad, you know how easy Apple products are to use. From young to old, everyone can get started with it. This also applies to a MacBook and thanks to iCloud everything works together seamlessly. Log in once with your Apple ID and all documents are available on all your devices. This also applies to photos, videos and music. With functions such as Handoff, you can effortlessly switch between your iPhone, iPad and Mac during work. Because hardware and software are so closely matched, you work more comfortably than on a combination of iPhone and Windows PC. A study MacBook is therefore ideal.

If you’ve been using a Windows PC since forever, a Mac may take some getting used to at first. You may even dread mastering the new controls. But we often hear that people don’t want anything else afterwards. Especially if you are already an iPhone or iPad user, you will notice that a MacBook is slightly more pleasant.

#2 Design is timeless

Walk past the laptops on display at MediaMarkt and you will immediately recognize the MacBooks. The products all look slightly sleeker and more luxurious than the (often black plastic) laptops from other brands. Apple chooses lightweight aluminum and pays attention to the smallest details. For example, there is no slider on the MacBooks to open the lid and that has been a conscious choice since the first models. This means you can always open a MacBook with one hand. You don’t have to be a design student to appreciate the attractive appearance of a MacBook.

#3 Sustainability comes first

A MacBook is sustainable – and we mean that in several ways. First of all, Apple is one of the greenest tech companies in the world. The shops and offices run on 100% green energy and the environment is also taken into account during production. Apple is one of the few companies that prepares an environmental report for every laptop model, for example below for the 13-inch MacBook Pro. This shows you exactly how much CO2 emissions are required for production, use and transport. The MacBooks are even made from 100% recycled aluminum.

This is, for example, the CO2 emissions of the MacBook Air with M2 chip. It is estimated that a total of about 149 kg of CO2 is emitted in its lifetime:

• Production: 69%
• Transport: 8%
• Usage: 22%
• Processing after use: <1%

A decade ago, the total emissions from the 13-inch MacBook Air were about 320 kg of CO2.

#4 Value stable

But Apple is also sustainable for another reason: a MacBook lasts a long time and is therefore a good investment. MacBooks retain their value for a long time and last a very long time, making them ideal for purchasing second-hand or refurbished. A MacBook may be a bit more expensive than another laptop, but if you look at the depreciation and residual value after 4 years, you are better off with a MacBook. In addition, a MacBook will continue to look like new if you handle it properly. Due to the timeless design it will never look dated. Still suffered a dent? With a few stickers, no one will notice and you suddenly have a trendy, personal laptop. Do you want a different laptop after a few years? Then your old MacBook will yield a few hundred euros, thanks to its high trade-in value.

#5 You benefit from an education discount

Apple is not the only one that offers an education discount or student discount. But it is a bonus that you are hundreds of euros cheaper than the prices you see in the Apple Store. While you get exactly the same service as customers who pay the normal price. You even get an extra discount on AppleCare+, so you can count on the certainty of a longer warranty. During the Back to School promotion you will also receive a decent gift voucher of up to €150.

#6 Powerful performance

MacBooks regularly come out on top in benchmark tests and each model performs better than its predecessor. For example, the M2 chip in the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air is faster than its predecessor. Apple is one of the few manufacturers that can closely coordinate hardware and software and therefore tries to get the most out of it. Since the arrival of the Apple Silicon chip, software and hardware have been even better coordinated. You can even install most iPhone or iPad apps on it. They also don’t make empty promises. If Apple promises that a battery will last 15 hours, then you will achieve that.

You decide which upgrades you add compared to the basic model and you can go very far with this. For demanding applications such as video editing, you can also connect an eGPU, an external graphics processor that makes everything run even smoother.

#7 Portable

A heavy school bag is outdated; Nowadays we prefer to do everything digitally. Because a MacBook is lightweight, you can always take it with you and have everything you need for your studies digitally at hand. You also don’t have to take a mouse with you because the large trackpad works just as easily, regardless of whether you are doing a study assignment or want to watch a movie.

This is what the different models weigh:

• MacBook Air M2: 1.24 kg
• MacBook Pro 13-inch: 1.38 kg
• MacBook Pro 14-inch: 1.61 kg

#8 Versatile

On the Mac you will find all the most important apps you need, such as Notes, Reminders and Mail. Also check out our guide to the standard Mac software. You can also install Microsoft Office and other third-party apps effortlessly. If you are looking for a replacement Calendar app or Mail app, there is plenty of choice. Moreover, you don’t have to worry about viruses and because everything is automatically synchronized via iCloud, you don’t have to worry about losing papers and theses. It is no longer the case that you are on an island with a MacBook. MacBooks are so popular in education that all major software makers are taking them into account. Whether it’s Skype, Spotify or 1Password: there’s an app for that! Apps that you need for your specific study often also have a Mac version. Think like data processing programs like SPSS.

#9 Reliable

A MacBook runs on macOS, the operating system for all Mac computers. Because hardware and software were developed by Apple itself, everything is perfectly coordinated. macOS is also stable: you don’t have to worry about your laptop suddenly crashing when you are working on an important assignment. There is less need to install antivirus and other security software on your MacBook, because good protection against malware is already built-in as standard. Also good to know: new versions of macOS are always available for free to anyone with a suitable Mac. Anyone can install the update once it’s released. So you don’t have to wait until the manufacturer of your laptop has a suitable update ready.

#10 Long battery life

How many hours a day do you spend in lectures? Probably no more than five or six hours a day. The latest M2 MacBooks easily last 17 hours or more, so you can also work on a project in the University Library afterwards without having to immediately look for a power socket. The latest MacBook Pro has a battery that lasts up to 20 hours. Do you need your MacBook for a long time for your studies because you still have a deadline to meet? Then that is no problem. If you use heavy applications, the battery will of course run out faster than if you only do some word processing.

#11 Suitable for Word and Excel

You may be afraid that you will no longer be able to use all the prescribed software such as Word and Excel if you switch to a MacBook. That fear is understandable, but at the same time unnecessary. You can simply install Microsoft Office for the Mac and documents created on a Windows computer can be opened on the Mac. Everything works as you would expect on a PC, but better for Apple users. With the free Apple software Pages, Numbers and Keynote you can also effortlessly open and edit files created on a Windows computer. This gives you an advantage over Windows users, because they have to put in much more effort to read a Pages document.

If you need software that only runs on Windows, you can use a virtual machine to emulate a Windows PC on your Mac. Please note that this is only possible on older MacBooks with an Intel chip and not on the latest Apple Silicon models.

But you also have to take this into account

Despite the advantages, there are certainly some points that you should take into account. For example, the entry-level MacBooks only have a USB-C connection. Borrowing a USB stick from someone and plugging it into your MacBook is not that easy. You may also need an adapter if you need to connect your MacBook to a projector or other screen. But don’t worry: there are all kinds of handy MacBook hubs and docks that will help you with this. Do you want all the handy ports? Then go for the 14-inch MacBook Pro.

Convinced?

Then take a look at our MacBook comparison to see which model suits you. We also have MacBook purchasing advice with all prices and models.

We have many more interesting articles for students and pupils:

• The best MacBook for students
• Study apps for iPhone and iPad
• These school supplies will help you get through the new academic year
• The best iPhone apps for high school
• Find a student room with apps
• The best iPhone apps for first-year students