Need advice on new Macbook

[DrewDCarter]

So I am looking at switching to a new macbook. I would love to get the baseline Macbook Pro but I love the price of the 13-inch Macbook Air. This will be my only computer and I plan to use it for web research, Microsoft Office, and some light music recording as I have a 2 input USB audio interface.

Part of the issue that I am running into is that I can afford the Macbook Pro until I start adding in Apple Care and Microsoft Office suite, with those additions I would have to wait a little bit and I am getting impatient.

Thoughts?

 

[chas_m]

The MacBook Air should be able to handle everything you've outlined here, so you could use that. If you really want a MacBook Pro, you could defer most of the cost of the Microsoft Office suite by signing up for a year of Office 365, which usually costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $70 to $100 a year, depending on where you shop.

Office 365 provides for a download of the full Microsoft Office for Mac suite as part of your membership.

 

[pigoo3]

Part of the issue that I am running into is that I can afford the Macbook Pro until I start adding in Apple Care and Microsoft Office suite, with those additions I would have to wait a little bit and I am getting impatient.

Thoughts?

Budget can be an issue. Many of us want things that cost more than we can afford. We either make compromises…or we wait till the budget is larger.

FYI. You don't need to purchase Applecare right away. You can purchase the extra Applecare anytime within the first year of purchase. BUt the one thing you do lose if not purchasing right away is free phone support. If free phone support is not important…then you could definitely wait on the extra Applecare coverage.

Regarding MS Office. You could use free alternatives such as Open Office or Libre Office.

- Nick