I know nothing about computer specs. So hopefully someone can help me out.
My needs are pretty basic . Surf the Internet, make cover. Letters and update my resume and apply for jobs online. The old lady would probably use it to for some basic excel / word files. No gaming or streaming.
MacBook or MacBook Pro and never look back. Off the shelf model will be just fine. Wife uses a MacBook Pro for her work inputting patient notes to her work server. Uses it for all the above you’ve stated also. It’s fast, from power button push to fully up and running in 17 seconds.
That’s pretty quick. Are the MacBook Air any good? I see they are on sale everywhere.
They are okay but for 250-300 more you get a whole lot more. Better display, processor etc. Plus apple finances now if you need that as a option.
I like my work provided MacBook Air, but they are $$$ overall. I feel like I could spec out a comparable/better Windows laptop for less. We also utilize HP’s, and the Folio series is really nice.
Since we got our 14" chromebook 2 years ago I think I’ve booted my core i5 HP win7 laptop up just a handful of times. For basic internet, word processing etc it’s so much better than anything running Windows. It boots in a few seconds, it never lags, I’ve never seen it crash and when it needs updates it takes less than 10 seconds for it to reboot, install the updates, and be ready to use again. Google Docs (free) is fully compatible with MS Office. You’ll get similar stability and boot up performance from a Macbook but instead of paying $1k + you can snag a good chromebook for around $200. At that price I’m not worried about my kid using it either. Sure, in processor intensive applications the Macbook will crush it but it doesn’t sound like you’re doing that.
What he said, if you just need a basic machine to do browsing, word, excel, etc type work a Chromebook with Google Apps is really is the best option and so cost effective.
Now if you need something more 13" Macbook Pro or 12" Retina Macbook are my first recommendation, but if Apple and MacOS are not your cup of tea then look at these in no particular order:
For a budget model Acer Aspire E5-575G-53VG
For a Ultrabook Dell XPS 13, Thinkpad X1 Carbon, or Thinkpad T460
For gaming, don’t buy a laptop, just get a damn desktop.
I have nothing but good things to say about my Surface :tup: