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So I will be entering law school in the fall and I have a mac book air, first generation. It will be 3 years old this summer and the airport card stopped working last month and I need a new charger. Here is my question, should I shell out the $1,000-$1,200 to get a new mac book pro (can't afford another 13 inch air) or just fix my 2008 air? It will probably be about $250 to fix. At first, I just wanted to get a new computer for these next three years, since my air is getting up there in age and Im not sure what else will go on it in the future. Plus, the mac book pros seem a lot more sturdy than my air which I likely will be carrying every day. Now, Im thinking the $250 sounds a whole lot better, plus the thing is only 3lbs while the pro would be more. At the same time, I think the new computer investment might be worth it. Also, I'm aware of the constant pc vs. mac debate, but I'm set on a mac, either way. Any advice?

Fix the Air- buy the shiny new laptop after you graduate

CSI...college student insurance is perfect for these situations. Although possible, I guess its considered insurance fraud if you open a policy now and claim your macbook air. I dropped my old macbook down my stairs about 6 months ago and they sent me a check for 1200 within a week, minus my $25 deductible. It's only $60 a year for a $2000 policy.

If I were you I'd just fix the macbook air and take out a policy for any future problems.

i say fix the air now, get a new pro in 2012 (when SSD drives will be cheaper and you'll be able to get the most of Lion OS (coming this fall), assuming the specs upgrades/macbook redesign)

Id put the cash out and get yours fixed, and then buy a dookie new one when the semester starts and add it to your COL loans and pay for it later (when you graduate), when you make some money.

When life gives you a tough decision, dont make one.

thanks for the replies! I guess I was just concerned that more things on the air may shit the bed (and I could totally see this happening near exam time) and I don't have apple care, maybe that college student insurance would be a good option.

bport hopeful wrote:Id put the cash out and get yours fixed, and then buy a dookie new one when the semester starts and add it to your COL loans and pay for it later (when you graduate), when you make some money.

When life gives you a tough decision, dont make one.

I cant see how this could be a bad thing!

You can take an increase in student loans to cover a computer purchase at some law schools. Once you're accepted and dealing with financial aid services, you can ask them about this. They may not make you wait until school starts to buy the thing, you might be able to get it during the summer.

Also, rumor is new MacBook Airs are coming over the summer. You might want to wait until then. And you can "afford" it if the school is going to loan you that much more money.

yea I believe my school will adjust COL if I buy a computer after July 1st. But the idea of adding more debt only to be paid back later isn't that cool to me.

knotoftoads wrote:yea I believe my school will adjust COL if I buy a computer after July 1st. But the idea of adding more debt only to be paid back later isn't that cool to me.

If you're going to take out $170K in debt, what's the problem with taking out $1,300 to make sure you have a reliable instrument critical to that three-year, $170K education?

I had a similar q with my macbook pro, because it randomly crashes sometimes.

Ultimately, I think I'll just fix it. I do have a fear of what if it crashes during an exam, but you can always just rent a school's laptop for the actual exam.

Also, you don't need a macbook pro for what you'll be doing in law school. I only got the pro, because I used to do video editing to pay rent, and other computers can't handle the disk space or video editing software.

Fix the old, sell it, and use that money towards a new one.