Is your child using the computer to compose music as part of his/her college course work? If so, I would suggest you check with the school’s music department. They may have specific requirements or recommendations. My son’s school did (Architecture Department).
Also, you may already know this but Mac has the reputation of being superior in the fields of art and music. When we bought one for my son, they were offering special pricing for students and a free printer and/or i-pod (which we sold on e-bay to recoup some of the $). They have not started this promotion but probably will late May/ June.
Why do I know this? I am about to send *another* one off to college and she needs a laptop.... sigh.....
Good Luck!
Yes, our child is majoring in music, and will be using the laptop with a focus on this major. I’ve already contacted the music department and they do not have any specific requirements other than what is listed on the colleges Notebook Guide page.
We have worked in the music industry for decades, but never used a Mac. I know that Mac’s are now the industry standard in film and music composition. I’m not sure we’ll be able to afford the ideal Mac for our child’s purposes. I was encouraged to see that the college did not recommend the Mac, which indicates that they’re able to work with what students have, provided the meet the minimum recommendations on their notebook hardware/software.