Best Buy Launches Laptop Line for Students

The back to school 'buying season' is one of the hottest for computer sales – laptops especially – and Best Buy hopes to be one of the premier choices for shoppers.

Best Buy today announced a new line of exclusive, customized laptops manufactured by Toshiba, Dell, HP and Sony that cater specifically to students.

The electronics retailer said that its computing team worked with students to identify most desirable features in a laptop, with these six characteristics emerging as the most important: extended battery life; low weight and portable design for easy transport; personalized design, yet professional; full virus protection; preloaded with necessary software (specifically a full version of Office Home and Student); and an affordable price point.

“Best Buy is in a unique position to listen, learn and apply what we hear from people as they interact with technology,” said Kelley Noreen, senior merchant computing. “With college students, we learned that while they notice a laptop’s appearance first, the design, portability and functionality are just as important. These students definitely taught us a few things and reinforced we are focusing on the things that matter the most to them.”

The four models feature battery life ranging three to six hours, weights no more than six pounds, a 14-15.5” screen size. While the hardware specs are all fairly standard for consumer laptops, the preloaded software is what will be of value to students. Each laptop comes preloaded with a full version of Microsoft Office Home & Student and 12-15 months of anti-virus protection

The laptops are priced from $649.99 to $799.99. Find out more on Best Buy's comparison page.

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
  • griffed88
    eww...dell
    Reply
  • cekasone
    a $250 netbook from newegg is more than enough for school work.
    Reply
  • mrkenan
    While the hardware specs are all fairly standard for consumer laptops, the preloaded software is what will be of value to students. Each laptop comes preloaded with a full version of Microsoft Office Home & Student and 12-15 months of anti-virus protection

    WOW!!! I cannot get over how valuable that would be as a student! Not really though. I can get Office Enterprise from my school for $20 and AVG for free...which would be times better than the Norton or McAfee that is preloaded on those.
    Reply
  • griffed88
    Yes, McCrapfee and Norton are almost like virus's themselves. lol
    Reply
  • Hanin33
    wot everyone above said plus... um... how are they personally customizable or rather, how are they more so than a standard laptop?
    Reply
  • scook9
    i guess students don't like playing games on their laptops...ya right
    Reply
  • Aoster87
    I am a student and I have been looking at laptops and I won't buy a single one of those piles.

    MSI laptops are superior in terms of price / performance / cost.

    Look at newegg and you can find a Centrino 2 / ATI 4350 laptop for $650.
    Reply
  • captaincharisma
    scook9i guess students don't like playing games on their laptops...ya right
    umm..........yea anyone who is into PC gaming knows laptops suck for gaming


    Reply
  • lifelesspoet
    Laptops aren't meant for high end gaming, they are meant to play solitaire on the couch, at least that is what most people need a laptop for in my expirence.
    Reply
  • megamanx00
    Yeah, you're just going to buy that laptop ........ but what about Viruses!? Get our Norton Security Pack or we'll cry!Oh, oh, you have to get our data back up plan, and useless doesn't cover anything warranty, and laptopbag usbsticks burnablecdsmousemousepadandevenmorelaptopcrap!!!!!! *breath* that will be a whole lot of money sir. Thanks for shopping at best buy.
    Reply