Protecting Your Laptop

With any investment, it is important that you protect it to ensure that it will provide the service you wish it to for the investment you have made. On this page, we have developed some resources to help you think through all the ways that you should protect your child's laptop and your investment.

Student Responsibility

1 to 1 studies show that the more ownership the child feels towards the device, the better care they give to that device. We highly suggest that you employ strategies to evoke ownership in your child. Whether it is a hand me down from mom and dad or your purchasing a brand new device, consider requiring your child to work for their laptop. If they have to raise the money to cover a portion of the cost or even the total cost, the device is more likely to be respected and cared for by the child using it. We also encourage this rule for if the device should be damaged. If the child understands that they will be held responsible for covering the cost of repairs or replacements, their respect for the care of the device is higher.

When you sit down to read through the Responsible Use Policy with your child. We encourage you to create a responsible use policy within the home as well. Have a candid conversation with them about the expectations you have for them at home and the use of the computer. Make sure that there is a clear understanding of consequences for their actions that fail to meet family expectations.

AppleCare Protection Plan

All Apple hardware comes with a one-year limited warranty and up to 90 days of complimentary telephone technical support. To extend your coverage further, purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan to extend your coverage to three years. Visit the AppleCare Website for more information.

Label Your Device

We encourage you to label your child's laptop using an adhesive name tag, permanent marker with clear tape over it or you may want to even consider something more permanent like engraving the metal case to deter from theft.

Protective Gear

Dress it up before you take it out! This is important for a few different reasons. Purchasing protective gear for the laptop will help protect it from the daily use. It will also make it easier to identify which device is your child's since so many will have the same model of laptop.

There are three common styles for laptop protective gear.

• Hard shell case - These snap onto the laptop frame to protect the laptop and provide minimal shock absorption if dropped. The benefit to this one is it is attached, so it is always protecting your device whether your using it or not, but it isn't exactly bullet-proof protection that is for sure. The company Speck offers some nice versions of this cover and they come with a 1 year warranty. Try their website for more information.
• Sleeves - These are not physically attached to your device, but instead you slip your device into them when you are not using them. When in use, they provide more protection than the hard shell case, but leave the computer unprotected when the computer is out for work. They come in a variety of materials, some more protective than others: neoprene, foam, canvas, leather, and fabric. The company BUILT NY makes a nice sleeve, but you could probably find others that provide more protection.
• Bags - Like the sleeve, these are not physically attached to your device, but instead you slip your device into them when you are not using them. When in use, they again provide more protection than the hard shell case, but leave the computer unprotected when the computer is out for work. The advantage to the bag over the sleeve are the handles for carrying and the ability to carry other things like books, pens, and other essential school tools. The draw back to using only a bag is that the other things you carry in the bag with the laptop could cause damage or wear and tear on the laptop. Look for bags that have a sleeve sewn in to section the laptop away from the other articles in the bag. They come in a variety of materials, some more protective than others: neoprene, foam, canvas, leather, and fabric. The company Targus is a leader in bags for portable electronic protection.