Hello New Jersey TSA,
This is Paranjai Patil, your New Jersey State Parliamentarian and I am incredibly excited to kick off the 2022-2023 school year with the first blog of the year.
Today I’m going to look at a question that I have had to deal with recently, and that question is what truly is the best computer for a high school student to buy. There are obviously a lot of factors that go into buying a computer, and each computer has its pros and cons so I’m going to explore a few of the top options and ultimately give my opinion on what computer incoming or current high school students should consider purchasing.
Macbook Air
The Macbook Air is currently Apple’s best selling laptop. It is light for its capabilites, weighing just three pounds which makes the laptop easy to transport. Its battery life lasts over 15 hours, and the laptop has great storage capacity as well. It also has incredible processing power which allows for Macbook users to be incredibly efficient while working. The Macbook Air is certainly one of the top options on the market, the only downside is that many models can cost upwards of $1000, which is extremely expensive.
Microsoft Surface Pro
Just as the Macbook Air is Apple’s top selling laptop, the Surface Pro is Microsoft’s best seller. It weighs just two pounds, even less than the Macbook. The keyboard is detachable, and combine that with the fact that it can function as a tablet and it’s easy to see that it’s one of the most portable and flexible options. It has an impressive processing speed as well as high quality graphics. One downside is that the storage space for a Surface Pro is not upgradeable, a tradeoff for the tablet capabilities. Another is that the battery life is just around 8 hours, which all things considered isn’t terrible, but is also the worst out of our options. The cost is also $800, which is still considerably pricey.
HP Chromebook
While the other two options were on the expensive side, HP’s chromebook is more affordable at around $500. The Chrome OS is able to load up incredibly quickly, and it is also very consistent. They have decently long battery life at around 10-12 hours, and they are also light at just around two and a half pounds. The downside of owning a chromebook however, in my opinion outweighs the benefits. They have extremely limited capabilities when it comes to downloading programs and using storage space. This is fine if you’re planning on only using your browser; however, if the time ever comes where you feel the need to run other systems, your chromebook has very limited capabilities.
Conclusion
Overall I’d say that the best computer for you truly depends on your situation. If you have the money to spend, and you are looking for a computer that does everything well, especially in terms of battery life, then you probably want to buy the Macbook. If you care more about flexibility and portability with your computer, then the Surface Pro might be a great pick. If you are looking for a cheaper option and are not too concerned about the computer’s capabilities outside of the standard browser a chromebook is probably the best option for you.
I hope that helped some of you perhaps gain a better understanding of the computers currently on the market, and the potential benefits and pitfalls of each type.
Best Regards,
Paranjai Patil
New Jersey TSA State Parliamentarian