Tablet for a 9th grader?

Winuser · May 27, 2026

jvickers said:
I think this would work. Many schools are Mac schools, so an iPad might serve her better.

My wife and I wasn't going to tell her until graduation but decided to see what she wanted. She does want a Apple computer. The problem is she wants a laptop instead of tablet. The price of the tablet is within our price range. So far the cheapest Apple laptop I've found is way over want we're willing to pay. Unless her parents and/or grandmother wants to cover the extra cost she going to have to decide between the iPad or a Windows laptop.

Winuser · May 27, 2026

I want to thank everyone that replied. Our niece wants a Apple laptop but unless someone else pitches in to cover the extra cost she's going to have to go with the iPad or a Windows computer. She really doesn't need it until September so it shouldn't be a problem if she gets her graduation present early or not. I'll post back and let everyone know want we decided to go with.

jvickers · May 27, 2026

Winuser said:
My wife and I wasn't going to tell her until graduation but decided to see what she wanted. She does want a Apple computer. The problem is she wants a laptop instead of tablet. The price of the tablet is within our price range. So far the cheapest Apple laptop I've found is way over want we're willing to pay. Unless her parents and/or grandmother wants to cover the extra cost she going to have to decide between the iPad or a Windows laptop.

Have you looked at the MacBook Neo laptops? Their price point is a little more tolerable. The MacBook Neo is $599. The MacBook Neo Pro is $699. You can find them on Apple's site or on Amazon.

glasskuter · May 27, 2026

@Winuser The standard Surface Pro 7 does not have a removable or user-upgradeable internal SSD (it is soldered to the motherboard). However, it does feature a built-in microSDXC card slot under the kickstand for expandable storage

spapakons · May 27, 2026

badrobot said:
128GB storage will not cut it for a Windows OS device. Not even for Android.

Why? If you don't install games on it, you can have over half the disk free. Windows and some applications don't need more than 60GB, maybe less. Don't compare a mere tablet with your desktop PC.

spapakons · May 27, 2026

Warning: Apple MacBook Neo CANNOT be upgraded as both the RAM and storage are soldered on the motherboard. And it only has a couple of USB type-C ports. No standard USB (type A), no HDMI, so it is pretty useless unless you also buy a USB type-C hub to get some standard USB ports. And a rather expensive USB type-C to HDMI adapter and type-C earphones (no audio jack). Also like I said in my previous post the hardware and software compatibility of a Mac is too small compared to Windows. I don't care how popular they are and how nice they look, I consider them wasting your money. With the same amount you can buy a MUCH better Windows laptop. If you are willing to do some advanced "hacking" you can even dual boot Windows 11 and Mac OS 26 Tahoe on it, if she really wants a Mac. Besides there is no need to run Mac OS. If it is about look, there are many slim Windows laptops that look like a MacBook.

XxXxX · May 27, 2026

if you are thinking of trying to upgrade an iPad then this maybe of interest
and its not for the faint hearted.

SOLVED: iPad 9th's SSD repair PopQuiz question - iPad 9 Wi-Fi

Well... this won't be easy as you need to fully remove the logic board to then take the shield lid off to get to the NAND (flash chip) here's the guide iPad 9 Logic Board Replacement. And here's a view of the board (I've highlighted it in Yellow) You need a very steady hand to heat up the...

www.ifixit.com

best of luck Steve ..

spapakons · May 28, 2026

Much harder and much more expensive than upgrading a Windows laptop. Girls prefer Mac because they value appearance first. They don't care about specs or cost. As you know buying electronics based on appearance only is a recipe for buying something expensive and useless. That's why it's better to buy them alone and not with a female company. And of course you avoid asking a girl before buying. Almost always she will pick something that looks nice to her without good specs and it's always more expensive than something with better specs but not that nice. Beauty vs practicality.

bobkn · May 28, 2026

Winuser said:
My wife and I wasn't going to tell her until graduation but decided to see what she wanted. She does want a Apple computer. The problem is she wants a laptop instead of tablet. The price of the tablet is within our price range. So far the cheapest Apple laptop I've found is way over want we're willing to pay. Unless her parents and/or grandmother wants to cover the extra cost she going to have to decide between the iPad or a Windows laptop.

If she already has a smart phone, a tablet is a little redundant. It mainly has a larger screen. (IMHO.)

If she needs a device for schoolwork, a laptop (or convertible tablet/laptop) may be the practical option. I doubt that she'd want to mate a Bluetooth keyboard with a tablet, even though that would make the tablet much more computer-like.

Do schools offer recommendations for computers? I wouldn't know. When I was in the 9th grade, no one had walked on the Moon yet. 8 bit microcomputers didn't become common until 1977.

TraderGary · May 28, 2026

spapakons said:
Much harder and much more expensive than upgrading a Windows laptop. Girls prefer Mac because they value appearance first. They don't care about specs or cost. As you know buying electronics based on appearance only is a recipe for buying something expensive and useless. That's why it's better to buy them alone and not with a female company. And of course you avoid asking a girl before buying. Almost always she will pick something that looks nice to her without good specs and it's always more expensive than something with better specs but not that nice. Beauty vs practicality.

Where's @glasskuter when we need her?

spapakons · May 28, 2026

TraderGary said:
Where's @glasskuter when we need her?

I might sound a little sexist, but you know I am right...

Bree · May 28, 2026

Winuser said:
If I do decide to go with that one I would swap out the SSD for one of my spare SSDs. That is if it's not too hard to take the back off.

If you do decide to go for that one you might like to have the service manual.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/lit_files/856726.pdf

There's a little door to access the rSSD, the most difficult part is that you'll need a 3IP (Torx-Plus) screwdriver.

spapakons · May 28, 2026

You can buy a Torx screwdriver set for a reasonable price. You can even buy a bigger set combining Torx, plain and cross (aka Philips) screwdrivers so you can service laptops, tablets, mobiles and other small devices.

PS: Yet another reason I prefer Windows laptops. All you need is a small plain and a small Philips screwdriver to service most of them. Try opening a MacBook with over 4 different type of screws.

trevo · May 28, 2026

spapakons said:
I might sound a little sexist, but you know I am right...

A ridiculous generalization in my opinion.

spapakons · May 28, 2026

Well, maybe there are some girls out there that check the specs before buying a laptop or tablet, but they are few. The majority though wants something that looks nice and makes their friends jealous. They don't care about specs or cost. That's partly the reason why Apple products are so popular among girls and also so expensive. Compare men clothes with women clothes. The latter are always more expensive.

Tablet for a 9th grader?

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