Should we get a MacBook Air for our 8 year old daughter?

My wife and i were thinking - we have to buy a new Macbook Pro but because we can't wait and didn't want to buy the current model we were thinking of buying the MacAirBook for the daughter.

We would then give her Macbook Pro to my wife to use. I already have one myself which is the Alienware m15x.

Do you think it is a good idea for us to get our eight year old daughter the best Mac Air Book? Will it be too flimsy for her? The MacAirBook felt really flimsy - i have tried talking my wife out of wanting one for the past 4 months already.

We ended up with an Alienware m15x which back fired on me - the hinges broke off damaging the LCD cover and the computer cover aswell as the AlienFX lights no longer operable.

 

yes it will be nice and light for her to carry around.

 

i think it is too much...

 

same, it may be better investing in a netbook for a child of that age as you never know what they are capable of

 

That's what we thought - the most important advantage is the weight. She will find it much easier to lug around on her back. She had complaints of her back being sore from carrying the laptop on her back.

 

When you say the 'best' Macbook Air I'm assuming you're talking about the solid state version? If so I personally think it's a waste of money, if she really needed an apple notebook I would go with getting her a base model Macbook, she doesn't need the solid state harddrive and the physical size doesn't really effect her as she doesn't take her notebook everywhere?

I bought a notebook for my 14 year old son recently and ended up buying the Asus EEE 901 PC, why? They don't need the processing power of a normal notebook it's not like they'll be doing any designing, photo/video editting. If they were gaming the MBA wouldn't be a good choice anyway and the EEE PC is a quarter of the price.

 

Most of the kids that go to her school have Mac Air Book or High End Toshiba. We have to keep up with the jones.

 

No, there is a lot more expensive computers out there for children, I'd go with one of them. I mean think about it dude, get real, an 8 year old kid with a mac book, all the kids will make fun of her, and ruin her childhood experience, now isn't the time to be thinking cheap.

BTW, heres a great deal for a kids bike, she will need to ride to school in style, if you no what i mean. http://www.netkidswear.com/mf1kidsmoped.html

 

One of the main reasons why we never even considered the EEE PC is because it looked gimmicky besides most of the kids at her school all have either Mac Air book or Toshiba.

She does carry it with her where ever she goes - the new age kids live to live on their portable powerful pcs that also look uptodate and classy.

Time has changed my friend.

 

Most of the kids at her school use mac air book or mac book or mac book pro or toshiba.

We will never let her walk home from school or walk to school by herself. We guard our daughter with our lives.

The world is full of pedophiles - I will never ever let her walk to school or ride to school lol. We drive her and walk her from the car to the teacher and pick her up from the teacher and walk her to the car. We even check the teachers criminal history before we even let them go near her.

Yeah i know we are very very strict but we only got 1 daughter and she is everything to us.

 

The macbook air is obviously not for children. Now I don't know why an 8 year old child would even need a laptop in the first place, but if you must, just get her a MSI Wind. It will be perfect for her uses, and it's only around 500-600$.

 

I guess I might be wrong, sorry. I didn't know 8 year olds used notebooks and such at school these days. I thought having a 14 year old having a notebook was early enough

I mean it's up to you now, as a parent, do you want to spend that much money for your child? I mean not trying to argue with your parenting styles/techniques or anything, but for me, I've always thought if you bought them something expensive they're going to ask for it again, my wife always seems to give into our son buying the newest and best items for him and it always seems that I am the bad guy by not giving him everything he wants in life as he's only 14.

If size really matters then the MBA is a good choice then (if money isn't a problem) personally I just think with products especially with first generation items they become redundant quite quickly when an update/refreshed model is released. Have you looked at any other brands? Did she want (or you want to buy her) a full size notebook? HP 2133?

 

This is ridiculous.

 

But you do not have to be unreasonable while keeping up. It makes much more sense to get an average price notebook for much less.

 

We are blessed with an Angel she knows value and always look after her toys. She has not once broke any of her toys except for her stupid friends that come over.

They always make her cry when they break her stuff.

 

Yeah, I understand that, And really it is a shame where there world is going.

Still, I can't imagine why a child needs a laptop, let alone a laptop costing thousands of dollars. Buy her a cheap laptop, let her learn humility, you be doing her much more good in the long run, and hey, with the left over money, give it to charity.

 

The bullies at her school would make fun of her I couldnt do that to my daughter thanks for the info though.

 

I have this line of thought too but my wife is the goodie angel that wants the best for her daughter. So i am forced to buy the best things for my kid.

 

where do you live?!

no offence, but buying your daughter a mac book air just because her classmates has them is not an example of good parenting. you don't want to spoil her.

 

Although there are many reasons why I am confused about your question, I think the most important one is this (if you don't mind me asking):

Why does your daughter need a computer?

Furthermore, why need it be one of the most expensive ones out there? If you insist that she *must* have a laptop, save your money and sensibility by buying one that merely meets her needs. The MacBook Air is by all means an excessive buy for an 8 year old.

 

LoL yeah i know we bought her the Alienware m15x when it first came out because we wanted her to have the best things but that turned out to be a bad move.

Didn't realize how heavy it was till we picked it up.

 

Buying the best is one thing, spoiling a child is another, you say you love your child, than do whats right. theres a reason God says the wife is to submit to the husband.

 

This is absurd....Just buy an Asus EEE or something comparable. 8 year olds have no buisness having their own laptops. What is she going to do with all the power of a new macbook? Look at myspace or something?

 

I'm not going to comment on whether she should have one or not, as that is ultimately your decision . In regards to whether it is a good notebook for her, if you don't mind the price, absolutely. It is lightweight and not a large notebook so that will be easier to take out.

But have you also considered a Sony VAIO TZ? Its footprint will be a bit smaller and it is slightly lighter than the MacBook Air. Considering her age, that might help.

 

We live in Perth the riches city in Australia but it's full of pedophiles, rapists, murderers, and drug addicts. That's the reasons why we guard our daughter like Goddess.

 

.......The bullies make fun of her for not having a macbook air? Well........if money isn't an object to you, and you want her to show off what she has, you might want to check out VoodooPC.com and look at their Envy line.

 

Wow, Perth, great city! I'd love to really visit Australia some day.

Anyway, another + to a Mac for her, I would consider Mac OS X to be much more logical to understand and need less maintenance, so that's a plus for someone younger.

 

God didn't know then that women do run for the country now

 

haha, thats no good, is it.

 

My wife and daughter prefer Mac OS X that's why we are buying the Mac product. Her school insist on getting Mac Air for the kids.

 

Then I think you're set. The MacBook Air, other than the high price, will be a good notebook to carry around and use!

 

LoL my wife is also my boss

 

Thanks that confirms out intention. We want the Mac Air because her school insists on it. They said it's less likely to get virus and spyware, it's light weight so it would be a lot easier on her back. They also said the Mac OS X is a lot easier for the kids to work with.

 

What's the name of this school?

 

Someone mentioned that to me before .... the Voodoo but my daughter doesn't even play games on her Mac book Pro, she only use it to play My Doll Game where she could dress up her doll character online.

 

I don't think anyone here has any right to question the OP's parenting skills. He didn't ask anyone's opinion as to if he's being a good parent by buying his 8 year old daughter a Macbook Air, he just wants an opinion of the machine being durable enough for her?
The Macbook air has got to be the most durable consumer classed notebook I've seen to date. The build quality size and weight is second to none. It's by no means flimsy. The aluminum construction is stronger than any of Apple's other aluminum notebooks and it's very difficult to bend the screen bezel.
I love the Macbook Air, it's light on features but it's high on durability.

 

The new Voodoo Envy 133 isn't a gaming machine. It's designed to be sleek. Look it up and you'll see it has a nice sleek look, quick start up interface, and it just looks sexy. It definitely isn't for gaming - yet. If price is no object, I suggest you get a voodoo. The macbook air is a good choice, but it shouldn't be chosen just because it has less chances of getting a virus etc. If you keep antivirus on it and update it often, a PC will have no differences with the Mac when it comes to viruses.

 

On the other hand, the practicality of such a purchase for an 8 year old is extremely questionable; thats why some of us are asking unanswered questions such as:

1) Why does she need a laptop?

2) If she must have a laptop, it need not be a +$2000 machine. Why purchase something that is far more powerful or functional than she'll ever use in the computer's lifetime?

In all honesty, such a purchase borders on stupidity, and is either the result of bad advice from NBR members OR poor research on the buyer's part. I think its both.

 

Penrhos College

 

Honestly, I don't think it's our business to know if he doesn't tell us. He made this thread about a notebook, not about what his daughter gets and why. Hell, if he has the money and thinks it's right, who's to stop him? I wish my mom was rich lol. I don't even have my own notebook right now and I'm already 15.

http://www.voodoopc.com/personalize_envy/ColorAndInk.aspx

 

Ok i'll go check it out thanks for the info. I dont want to confuse my angel too much besides she is very stubborn she will end up with what she wants in the end.

 

Thanks the Macbook Air is what we should have gotten her, she and her mom both love the look of it. It was my stupid choice to alter the Mac line by picking the Macbook pro. But having said that i think my wife will end up with that laptop and my daughter is going to end up with the Mac book air.

 

I think the MacBook is a more reasonable choice for her. The MacBook Air is a watered-down, smaller version of the MacBook that costs more. Next month, Apple is releasing new Macs that are supposed to be redesigned, faster, and include better features. It's probably best to wait to see what Apple does before deciding.

 

Sounds like a good idea thanks for the tips. But we cant wait anymore

Maybe we just have to it's best to wait and get the latest stuff.

 

Does Apple offer a 30/31 day return policy where you live? You could just buy her a new MacBook or a MacBook Air, then return it for one the new laptops, if you can't wait anymore. The new laptops are supposed to be launched early September, but it might be at the end, so you might need to return the MacBook before the new ones come out, if you want one of the new ones.

 

within 30 days you may exchange for the newer version if their is a refresh, but you have to pay a restocking fee.

 

No unfortunately

 

I know how you feel brother, I was in your shoes a few years ago.

You'll work your way to magic someday good luck bro.

 

Personally I thought the original poster created the thread to ask if buying a MBA for his 8 year old daughter was a good idea, but many of us give us our thoughts but I guess he's already made up his mind so there's really not much point to this thread.

 

OMG 8 years old? When I was 8 all I wanted was a bumble ball. I thought this thread was a joke, but I guess it's not, man this world is changing fast :|