As a new purchaser of a 4th generation 13" Mac Book Air I thought I would share my thoughts on its use, verses a windows pc, in a classroom. I have been looking at one of these for a long time and finally pulled the trigger, and I am happy I did! Physically its a beautiful machine, the aluminum body makes it light, and its so thin! The key board is comfortable for me to type on and my speed is the same as it is on my expensive (to me) usb keyboard.
If you are an OSX fan already then there is no reason for you not to buy one of these. If you're only familiar with windows there will be a learning curve, but nothing a quick google search can't remedy. In reality there isn't much technological advantage to having Mac over Windows if all you do is make Microsoft office documents. If you have an iPhone or iPad then then being able to automatically sync your devices over the cloud is a great feature.
Also if you teach technology and your school has Macs for student use it can be a great resource for making lessons that will be 100% compatible. These days Mac to Windows (and vice versa) compatibility for documents and files is, pretty much, never a problem. Especially since Microsoft office and apple alternatives are easy to come by on a Mac book. I recently saw a meme that said:
If you are an OSX fan already then there is no reason for you not to buy one of these. If you're only familiar with windows there will be a learning curve, but nothing a quick google search can't remedy. In reality there isn't much technological advantage to having Mac over Windows if all you do is make Microsoft office documents. If you have an iPhone or iPad then then being able to automatically sync your devices over the cloud is a great feature.
Also if you teach technology and your school has Macs for student use it can be a great resource for making lessons that will be 100% compatible. These days Mac to Windows (and vice versa) compatibility for documents and files is, pretty much, never a problem. Especially since Microsoft office and apple alternatives are easy to come by on a Mac book. I recently saw a meme that said:
"I'm a PC"
"Im a MAC"
"And if all you do is get on Facebook, then we're the same thing!"
This is absolutly true. If all you use it for is basic web browsing and office document editing, and the Mac user experience isn't important to you, then save some money and buy a PC. Myself? I wouldn't go back for a million dollars…… well yeah I would. Then I would use some of that money to buy another Mac.
In the end all it comes down to which experience you prefer. Go into an apple store or, if you live in the middle of nowhere like me, find a friend with a mac and play with it. Don't spend $1200 that you'll end up not even liking. My opinion is that Apple products are better built and stay relevant longer, due to very little fragmentation of versions and the fact that the hardware and software are made by the same company. But my moneys already spent. Good luck!
Any other apps, devices or websites you need help incorporating into a certain objective? Or an objective you want to link to technology? Follow and let me know via twitter @Techno4Teacher
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