As for laptops, there are
a few key parts to think about that go hand-in-hand with the brand.
For personal use where a
laptop is used, say 3 to 5 times a week for short bursts of time, Windows-based
brands such as Acer, Asus and HP are all fine. For students who use a laptop
well over 20 times a week and sometimes for 3 hours or more per time, a more
industrial device is needed.
Windows-based laptops
such as the ones above tend to look and perform great at student-level use for
around 18 months then they look and perform rather shabbily. While they can continue
and limp on for another 20 months, the likes of the keyboard, trackpad and
especially the battery begin to stutter.
Therefore, I always
advise going for Lenovo, Dell or Microsoft's own laptops (Surface line). Or, the metal-bodied Macbook Airs.
Why? Support. The laptop
will be dropped, damaged or have sugary liquids spilt on it. In
this case you need immediate, fast support and, unfortunately for Acer, Asus
and HP, the support is 2nd or 3rd grade with Apple being the gold standard and
Lenovo close behind.
What is your budget and
what will the cost be long-term? Lenovo, Apple and Dell (the XPS line) will see
you through from Year 6 to Year 13 on two devices due to the high build
quality. The others will see you buying three due to breakages, poorly cooled
internals and materials used.
Where to buy? 4th floor
on Fortune Town on Rama 9 MRT.
Lenovo and Dell can be
upgraded easily too without breaking warranty (if you're looking for the
14" and 15" respectively as in the Acer Swift 5) giving them a longer
life. With Apple, you need to buy minimum 8Gb model at checkout. Mind, you can
apply Apple Care+, which, if I was buying for my child, I'd add on knowing
he's definitely going to drop it. But, cases are 10 a penny for Apple products.
Lastly, my preferences
for Student devices: Apple MacBook Air (8Gb 2020 model), Lenovo X1/ IdeaPad,
Dell XPS with Apple and Lenovo offering student and teacher discounts.
I would also
like to take this opportunity to remind you that all students from Year 6 to
Year 13 are required to have a personal laptop to support their learning. The
laptop must meet our minimum
specifications and be registered
with our IS/IT department. Please use the link below to navigate to the
required areas. Any questions or queries please contact helpdesk@patana.ac. While this laptop
can also be used at home for leisure activities, it should primarily be thought
of as a device for learning at school. Further details about our Laptops for
Learning programme can be found on our website: https://patana.fireflycloud.asia/technology-for-learning/laptops-for-learning-students.
Once students
have a school email account, they can book a time to setup their laptop with
our IS/IT department following this link: https://patana.fireflycloud.asia/technology-for-learning/laptops-for-learning-students/laptop-registration-for-students
or by
visiting the IS/IT department in person. Please note that setup will be
available from the first week of Term 1 onwards for new students.