Devices for school: A buying guide for parents

As originally featured on stuff.co.nz on 11 Dec 2021

For most of us, mince pies and Christmas carols appearing at the supermarket are the first reminders that Christmas is around the corner. For me, it’s the inevitable flood of inquiries from friends, customers and other acquaintances about what devices they should be buying for their kids for school next year.

Like me, many of these acquaintances stuff next year’s device into this year’s Christmas stocking to make that stocking a bit fuller and, I guess, to make the device feel a bit less like a grudge purchase.

I love the fact that computers are such an integral part of learning at most of our intermediate and secondary schools. We don’t teach nearly enough technology literacy in our schools, particularly to girls and to our Māori and Pasifika students. The fact that more and more students are learning on computers like the ones they’ll be using for the rest of their lives in the workplace is, in my humble opinion, a positive thing.

But make no mistake, these devices can be expensive and buying them can be stressful.

We face pressure from our kids to buy them much more expensive devices than they actually need. Peer pressure at school is relentless. Not just to have the flashest shoes, but devices also.

We typically face pressure from the salesperson at our local computer store to buy a more expensive device than our kids need to. Remember that “back to school” is one of the biggest sales periods of the year for computer retailers and competition for the parental dollar is fierce. Many computer retailers train their staff to up-sell parents to more expensive devices and upgrades that your kids simply don’t need, in order to maximise profits. It’s a feeding frenzy that plays out in computer stores around the country every year.

As a result, many of our kids end up using flasher laptops than we do. This is ridiculous and unnecessary, particularly given the risk of loss, theft or damage as those laptops try to make it through at least a couple of years of rough and tumble in a school bag.

But help is at hand. Here are a few simple rules that will help you save money and minimise the stress of buying devices for school.

Check the school rules

Most schools will allow kids to use any type of device, whether it’s running Windows, MacOS or ChromeOS, to school, but some do require a specific device type. Check this out first, as there’s no point in shopping around for a Chromebook if the school requires them to be using iPads.

Make it a Christmas present

My kids know by now that, if a device is coming, then they’re going to get it as part of their Christmas present. It’s given in addition to what they’d normally get for Christmas, so they don’t feel as if they’re being disadvantaged as a result of getting it.

Despite the fact that they know it’s coming, it genuinely makes receiving the device more fun than getting it at the start of term. It also means they have a new device to use over the Christmas break.

Retailers often have “back to school” specials in the new year, but I find the extra enjoyment they get out of the device over summer is worth the extra $50 or so it might cost to buy it in December. Also, Covid-related supply chain issues are still having a massive impact on device availability, meaning there’s the very real prospect that affordable models could be sold out if you leave it to the last minute.

If you can, start with a Chromebook

If the school allows it then make your kid’s first device a Chromebook.

Chromebooks are generally inexpensive, reliable and, because they run the stripped-down Chrome OS, require much less parental support than Windows or Mac OS.

Of course, your child will howl that they couldn’t possibly do their life’s best work on anything less than a Macbook Pro (and that ALL the other kids will have one), but don’t listen to them. They’ll be just fine with a Chromebook at least from years 1 - 9, or throughout their school lives if you’re budget-conscious.

Buy a name brand, but go for minimum specs

Your child’s learning is important, but they don’t need the fastest CPU or vast amounts of memory to do their schoolwork. I recommend shopping online to avoid pushy salespeople, who will invariably try and up-sell you with upgrades you don’t need. Buy a name-brand device, but minimum specs will do.

I would not recommend that business customers use a laptop with the cheapest CPU and only 8GB of RAM, but for school kids, this type of configuration is just fine.

Avoid secondhand computers if you can, but if the budget won’t stretch to a new machine then ask the seller for a 90-day money-back warranty in case it breaks down soon after purchase. Also, your school may allow students to learn on a smartphone, but I wouldn’t recommend it - a notebook or tablet format is best.

Never buy extended warranties

They’re a rip-off. Don’t be suckered into buying a more expensive device simply because it has a three-year (rather than one-year) warranty either, as this is just an extended warranty by stealth.

In New Zealand, we have solid consumer protection laws and any device you buy at retail has to be fit for purpose. If it fails (due to a manufacturing or parts defect) within its first three to five years then you have a strong case for warranty repair.

Shop around

Give yourself time to research what’s out there and shop around on price. Bear in mind that, due to those pesky global supply chain issues, devices that are in stock today may be sold out tomorrow, so you may need to be patient to find the right deal.

If you’re going to finance the purchase then investigate alternatives to the finance offered by the retailer. Retailers often get a margin on finance deals, so it’s often cheaper to get your finance elsewhere.

Drive a bargain

It never hurts to ask the retailer to shave $50 off the price and/or to throw in a free bag or additional charger. The worst that can happen is they say no, but they’ll usually do at least a little to close the sale.

Donate old devices to charity

The digital divide between the haves and the have-nots is a gaping chasm in New Zealand. Rather than let that old laptop or iPad gather dust, why not donate it to charities such as Digitautua, who can redeploy it to students in need. Just remember to securely erase your child’s data from it first - there’s lots of advice online for doing so if you google it.

What I do

WIth four kids I find I have to be extra careful, as any precedent I set with the eldest will no doubt have to be continued through to the youngest.

My kids first need a device when they start intermediate and they get an entry-level Chromebook.

When they start college, and if they’ve done OK at intermediate, they get an iPad, otherwise, it’s a new Chromebook. So far thankfully it’s been all iPads, but I buy the previous generation to the latest (no, they don’t need the latest and most expensive iPad, no matter how much they tell you that they do). Always buy a rugged case with your iPad and make a rule that it stays on at all times. I buy a rugged case with a Bluetooth keyboard built into it, which makes it much easier for the kids to type up assignments.

By year 11 they need something a bit more serious than a tablet. If they do well in year 10 then they can expect a MacBook Air, otherwise, it’s a Windows laptop, and this should last until the end of their high school years.

— Damian Funnell, Choice Technology Founder