FOR PARENTS ONLY: is a Mac *BAD* for Pre-School Kids?

[SoundsGood]

The new Mac's natively run Windows OR OS X, so your child can be proficient at both. Kids are smart and adapt well. My little cousin gets around a PC as well as a Mac (his dad uses PC's, his mom uses Mac), and he's all of 3 years old.

I think running both may be the best bet.

What's the minimum Mac Mini setup you would suggest for running Parallels and Windows XP? How much RAM, etc.?

 

[dtravis7]

With Parallels and XP I would suggest getting as much RAM as you can afford but 1GB at least.

 

[yogi]

Looks like it's settled. But I reflected on this and here's my opinion:

Don't let your son become a switcher. Make things easy for him. When I think back at all the things during grade school that went wrong because we had a Windows box, I shudder. In terms of being a productive student, a Mac is the best.

Schools use Macs mostly, as has been stated above. What the main point here is, is whether your son will be able to work on a Windows box when given one. Right now, the web sites he uses are same on Win and Mac. I think that was said before.
Other than that, your son might use Office for his early school years, and more of the Internet. No problem.

Making life easy for him is one thing. But once he's older, make sure he gets exposure to Windows, knows how to work on Windows as well, if possible expose him to Linux. I know it helped me find my way around computers, because every computer is different. The iMac G5 at school is different from the iMac G5 at home. I had to use a OS 9 box last week and was somewhat lost at first. But having used Windows and OS X and linux, I found my way around because essentially all these OSes behave the same most of the time. It's not that much of a difference.

 

[SoundsGood]

Making life easy for him is one thing. But once he's older, make sure he gets exposure to Windows, knows how to work on Windows as well...

I agree. I grew up on Commodore 64, TRS-80 and -- eventually -- an IBM XT. (I'm an old dad with a young kid. :headphone)

Due to a lack of exposure to Apple, the Mac is foreign to me. I'll try to not let that happen to my son.

 

[dtravis7]

I agree. I grew up on Commodore 64, TRS-80 and -- eventually -- an IBM XT. (I'm an old dad with a young kid. :headphone)

Due to a lack of exposure to Apple, the Mac is foreign to me. I'll try to not let that happen to my son.

Another fellow Commodore 64 user from the past!! :spook:

I first used the Commie 64 then went on to the Atari 8-Bits, ST, IBM XT/PC and Amiga before I was able to get a Mac. It's been great ever since!

 

[Kash]

I agree with yogi. Getting a Mac for your child is a great parenting decision. You provide your child with an environment where he spends more time working and learning and less time getting stressed out because his program just froze for the third time in the past hour, causing him to lose precious work and time.

Getting a PC instead of a Mac would actually be giving your child a DISadvantage. Having him know how to use Mac OS X and Windows gives him an edge over his peers in that they don't know squat about OS X, and to be honest, probably know very little about Windows as well.

Do the right thing. Get a Mac :black:

 

[Amen-Moses]

I'd ask the question the other way around myself. :bone:

Amen-Moses

 

[NanoBite]

IMHO, there's never been a better time to check out Mac OS ...

 

[Digger]

I agree. I grew up on Commodore 64, TRS-80 and -- eventually -- an IBM XT. (I'm an old dad with a young kid. :headphone)

Due to a lack of exposure to Apple, the Mac is foreign to me. I'll try to not let that happen to my son.

we had TRS-80's with the cassette drives in our classrooms in 7th grade. man, I'm old. my Com-64 had a 5.25 floppy drive the size of a shoebox.

we went into our Apple store about three years ago to buy my first ipod. my daughter was ten at the time. she had never sat in front of a Mac before, her schools have always been PC. we found her sitting in front of an iMac in the kids section, playing away.

she's got her own Macbook now, and is comfortable with XP and OS X. we still have a PC as a third machine, and she has no problem jumping back and forth.

 

[cwa107]

Interesting thread. I'm the parent of a 2-year-old, who's not quite ready to play with a keyboard or a mouse (at least not without smashing them). My take on this issue is that at this age, just getting them used to a keyboard (typing skills) and mouse-driven operating system will be enough background to use any computer. The idea is to teach literacy skills, which any modern GUI-based operating system will do well.

Those skills translate into any platform, the specific quirks of each are fairly easy to pick up. I certainly wouldn't be concerned that going with a Mac would stunt your child's ability to use a computer in any significant way regardless of what they use in the schools.

I, like you, started with a C=64 and the skills I learned with GEOS easily translated into using an Amiga, which in turn translated into using a Windows machine, which in turn translated into using a Mac. I know during my formative years, I seldom (if ever) had to pick up a manual to become proficient with any of those operating systems. It's a little different if you're molding your youngster into a techie, where knowing the nuts and bolts of an OS are important.

Personally, when the time comes, I plan on picking up an old notebook and popping Edubuntu on it, minus any Interent access. I learned how to use and love computers without the Internet, I see no reason to give access to the Internet unsupervised until my little guy is old enough to handle the content.

 

[Nagger Pumper]

i say get a mac, that way you can get boot camp installed on it. what ever os you want your son to work with you just boot up in that mode.

 

[scifone]

I used macs all through elementary school and high school. We had pc's at home. I'm pretty proficient with both. Kids learn very fast and it doesn't really matter.

 

[iBeldar]

Start him young. I don't know if this has been suggested, I didn't read the whole thread.

Get any Intel Mac Mini or some Intel Mac you want. Have OSX and Windows XP loaded on it. When he uses the computer, alternate OSX and Windows every week. One week have him use OSX, another have him use XP. That way he will get used to both and he won't have any problems.

 

[Digger]

the way MS keeps stealing it's 'new ideas' from OS X for new Windows versions, they're coming close in looks. it should be relatively easy to bounce back and forth, even at an early age.

 

[peat]

Of course it is.

You don't seem to realize a young mind can adapt much easier and faster to situations. Learning different ways to do things at a young age makes them mentally agile.

thats the point that i would have made. its exactly like teaching children more than one language from very young.

i would get the opposite of what they have in school for my child. at home they can work on one os and at school the other. i think this will put your child at an advantage not a disadvantage.

 

[yogi]

IMHO, there's never been a better time to check out Mac OS ...

Excellent point. Keeping the future in mind, having a Mac won't be as obtuse as it is today. Mac users will be "legitimate" members of society, if you know what I mean.

 

[Kyomii]

Get a Mac mini, and a KVM switch to hook it up to the same keyboard, mouse and monitor and use both the PC and the Mac.

Then, if you are comfortable with the Mac, ditch the PC and load Windows on the Mini (windows can be purchased from your PC sale), if not, you can sell the mini without having to go through the process of purchasing Windows, and without losing much money.

My children have PCs - mainly because they love to game, but my daughter has had pcs, and converted to Mac a year or so ago when she saw me using mine.

The HUGE benefit of this is she is knowledgable in both systems (she is 13), and a couple of her teachers now own Macs and she helps them like she does with those using a PC. The school has also now invested in four Macs (amongs severasl PCs).

In UK schools, most (if not all schools) use PCs over here. However, conversion is slowly starting to take up as some schools are now equipped with both systems, and a handful fully converting to Mac.

My daughter's couple of gripes about the Mac are MSN and using a webcam - I would have to m ess around getting a standard webcam working and then again to get MSN to work with it. Yes, I know there are ways around it such as using ichat instead, or aMNS (still requires messing around with standard webcam), but she only wants to use MSN.

Her other minor gripe (and I fully agree) is the inability to connect a headphone/micorphone set without needing to buy either a powered USB headset or Imic.

I think this is ridiculous TBH, and my powerbook that I paid over £1500 for, still needs a powered amp solution such as Imic or a powered USB headset - this is my big gripe

Not sure about the latest minis in the headphone/mic stakes, or the latest powerbooks, but I would have hoped that Apple have addressed the issue.

 

[SoundsGood]

Then, if you are comfortable with the Mac, ditch the PC and load Windows on the Mini (windows can be purchased from your PC sale), if not, you can sell the mini without having to go through the process of purchasing Windows, and without losing much money.

Good plan. In fact I just requested a CD copy of Windows XP from Dell.

Let me re-ask this question, just to double-check:

How much RAM is needed (minimum) on the Mini Mac to run Parallels and Windows XP?

Thanks.

 

[cwa107]

Good plan. In fact I just requested a CD copy of Windows XP from Dell.

Let me re-ask this question, just to double-check:

How much RAM is needed (minimum) on the Mini Mac to run Parallels and Windows XP?

Thanks.

Make sure that copy of XP is NOT a Dell OEM copy. You need either a retail or non-branded OEM copy to install it on Parallels or with Bootcamp. Dell OEM copies are tied to a specific product ID that must match the BIOS on a Dell machine to work.

As far as your question in regard to RAM goes - the absolute minimum is 512MB, but you'd be better off going with 1GB at the minimum to see decent performance in either OS. Personally, I'd go with the least amount of memory possible and then upgrade the machine myself with a decent aftermarket brand of memory (I like Crucial.com myself). Apple charges exuberant prices for their memory.

 

[SoundsGood]

Make sure that copy of XP is NOT a Dell OEM copy. You need either a retail or non-branded OEM copy to install it on Parallels or with Bootcamp. Dell OEM copies are tied to a specific product ID that must match the BIOS on a Dell machine to work.

Well, they've agreed to send me a copy, and the order has already been generated. Once it arrives, how can I tell if it's a Dell OEM copy (or not)?