I want to buy a laptop...
 

... and I'm clueless.

The only things that I do know:

- I don't want to spend more than $1500
- I want a medium-sized screen and nothing too bulky
- I'll mainly be using it to occasionally access my work desktop while on the road or when working from home, to search the web, upload some pictures, and maybe watch a DVD here and there

I'm going to start looking this week, and I just want to kind of be pointed in the right direction before I aimlessly wander in the stores and buy something that I shouldn't.

Does anyone have any ideas?

What brand do you prefer?

As far as PCs go, I've had a Dell and a HP…the HP was better than the Dell. Gateway's not bad. Acer is, from what I've heard, excellent.

I can't imagine life without my MacBook Pro now, though—and you can get one for under your budget…I'd see if your local Best Buy carries them (some do, some don't) or if you have an Apple store local, that's probably a good place to look.

The internet is also a good resource…Computer Shopper could help, they do reviews for many different brands as well as of software and accessories, and have guides for buying a new computer.

I have a Dell that I got for less than $750 after customizing it (I think the base price was like $500). It works excellently, is lightweight, does everything I want it to, and the display makes for awesome movie watching. The only drawback is that Dell batteries tend to wear out quickly. Some people have no problems and some have their batteries crap out after a year.

I have a Dell (it was the 2nd from the top of the line at the time) that I think I paid $600 for. I've been very happy with it so far and it's 2 1/2 years old now. I did have to rebuild it once, but dropping it more than once isn't the laptop's fault!

I would check Best Buy (or similar) online and get down to 2 or 3 choices, then do as I did and ask your favorite geek for a final opinion. I didn't ask my husband because he would ALWAYS say buy the more expensive one. My favorite geek said the 2nd one was perfectly fine for my needs and it was/is.

If you're torn between Mac and PC, one thing I would keep in mind is laptops by their very nature have a shorter shelf life (see above about dropping mine more than once) so the durability of a Mac may not be worth it. In a desktop I think the Mac is a very good choice because you don't have to replace them every 3 years or so like you do with PCs. On the other hand, I don't own a Mac and Mac owners are militantly loyal. There must be a reason! I was strongly considering the big switch, but the travel agent software I have isn't very gui so I thought it unwise to test its limits on a different OS.

My Macbook Pro is still great after 3 years. Every other laptop I've had (Toshiba, Dell, HP) I've wanted to throw against a wall after 1 year.

Both of my kids have MacBook Pros and talked me into getting one. I love the service I have gotten from Apple. I definitely paid less than your $1500 budget. They do have an educational price of approximately $100 off. I have no problem alternating from PC to Apple. Still have to use the desktop for printing since my printer is old and not wireless.

DaffyKD

I'm not sure - this is why I'm here asking all of you fine people! I've had the same Dell PC since the summer before my freshman year of college (9 years ago). It's all I've used, so it's really all I know.

I've heard that Acer is good, but I don't really know anyone who has one.. So I'm not too sure about that.

I did look at the MacBooks. What I'm not really understanding is the difference between a laptop and a notebook. The obvious difference is the size/weight, which is why I would love to get a notebook. But from what I can gather, there isn't a DVD/CD drive in a notebook.. Not ideal, but not a deal breaker, either. What other differences are there, if any?

Also, I've never owned a Mac and have only used one for maybe a total of 5 minutes in my life. I wasn't a huge fan. But I keep hearing about all these converts, who claim they thought they'd never own/like a Mac, they took a chance, and now they love it. Does that describe anyone here?

I've never actually used "the Geeks".. But maybe I'll have to try!

There will be VERY little "real" difference between brands of laptops - most will use similar components (there are like 2 parts manufacturers that OEMs use) and offer similar features.

The main things you'll want to consider:

-RAM drives the train for most of the 'everyday' uses you listed. Pay a little extra and upgrade now, it'll save headaches on the back end.

-Processor upgrades can be extremely expensive in laptops - an older, dual-core processor should still meet your needs for the near-future and save quite a bit of money over an i3/i7/etc.

-Look for something that meets your size needs first, then fit it to your price point (and for $1500 you can essentially go top-of-line if desired, but you can get a solid box for half that). You'll be much happier if the form factor gives you what you need.

-The Mac/PC differences are a little exaggerated nowadays - they're pretty similar platforms now (from chipset to OS). That means it's not particularly hard to go from PC to Mac if you'd like, but also means the perceived advantages to Macs aren't quite as pronounced as in the past. Only you can tell if you'll be a "Mac person" - try out a MacBook, and see what happens ... the other advice will still hold true(-ish).

Also, no difference between "notebook" and "laptop" - just different marketing terms.

However, there are MAJOR differences between a "notebook/laptop" and a "NETbook" ... netbooks are basically built for extreme portability and serve as internet machines with incidental computing ability. They usually come in 7" to 10" size (way smaller than a normal laptop), have very specifically neutered hardware (an Atom processor and 1GB RAM, just enough to surf and open Word), very long battery life (>8hrs) and no CD/DVD drive.

If you're mostly using the computer on the couch at home, most people prefer the notebook/laptop - they're way easier to use, bigger keyboards, etc. I have a netbook, travel a TON for work, and almost never use it, preferring a full-sized laptop almost every time.

My mom just recently got a Netbook,, and while it harvests her Farmville crops just. fine, that's about all it does.

I got a Macbook from being in an education pilot program and while I would not have paid to switch over, now that I have I doubt I'll ever go back. I've had a Compaq (got a virus, couldn't be saved), an HP (LCD screen inverted the colors, couldn't be fixed), and my mom has an Acer (still works but is slow and the hinges broke) and Mac has surpassed them all.

I have had issues with the headphone jack (sometimes it doesn't register that I've pulled the headphones out and so there won't be sound until I put them back in and wiggle it a little) and the LCD broke (but that's because I was an idiot and dropped it), but other than that it's been smooth sailing, and I got it used. Next time I think I'd upgrade to a Macbook Pro because the casing is more durable (Macbooks are plastic, which can break/chip) but I really love it. It feels more intuitive than a PC, and it seems to run smoother, in my opinion.

However like I said I would not have believed it until I had one for awhile, so maybe try out someone else's for a bit and see if it feels better? They are significantly more expensive, but for the reliability that I've experienced, it's worth it (since both my other computers only lasted me 1-2 years before dying and this one, despite the LCD issue, is over 2 years old and going strong). Best of luck whatever you decide. I was a skeptic, but now I'm a convert, haha. :)

I was a skeptic. I bought my HP and was very happy. My husband wanted a laptop and made me go buy my Mac so he could have my laptop for the lab. I didn't want it, but he thought we should try out a Mac. It didn't take long for me to become a convert. We now have a iMac (desktop) and two iPads, too.

I meant your favorite person who IS a geek, not one of the many companies who use geek in their name. In general they are not very highly reputed, although I'm sure there are some out there that are fine.

I agree with all of this. I recently switched back to a desktop from a laptop because I realized I am way too hard on laptops. I constantly dropped mine. And although I will miss watching DVDs on long train trips, my blackberry is just fine for the internet. I may get a tablet one day, though.

I too, went kicking & screaming into the Mac world. I got a baseline MacBook about 6 years ago and I still have it. Had one hard drive failure about 6mos ago (so, after 5+ years) but had a wonderful external backup. $150 later, I was back up & running completely (and with a larger hard drive!).

We will be Mac users for life in my house!

Apologies for the double-post, but thought I would also through an additional plug in for Apple. The Genius Bar at the Apple store is...well...genius! The fact that you can go sit with a LIVE person and get help for free is wonderful! They have all sorts of classes you can take to get you on your feet as well.

The other thing I love is that my 70 year old Mom can go in there and they do not talk to her like she's a moron. Which, she would be the first to tell you that she IS, in fact, a moron when it comes to computers. :)

Haha oh, ok. I thought that because you mentioned Best Buy and geek within the same sentence that you were referring specifically to their Geek Squad. I think one of my friends actually used to work for them anyway (and while I think he's one of the smartest people I know, I wouldn't call him a geek :) ), so maybe I'll ask him.

And what is the difference between the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air (besides size, weight and price), that would relate to my needs in a laptop?

(Btw.. I should have also mentioned that while I'm very good in dealing with the software side of computers, when you start talking about things like RAM and GBs, I need you to talk to me as if I'm a 5-year-old)

That would be perfect for me! Lol

The only real difference is that you don't have any drives. If you don't plan to use any CD-ROMs or DVDs, then you shouldn't have a problem. I've never looked to see if it has a USB drive. (I would think it's too thin for even that.) BTW, HP is getting out of the laptop game.

Thank goodness. I had an HP that I bought in 2001 that I loved, but the one I got in 2008 died just after the 1 year warranty ran out. The computer ran a bit hot (which was normal according to HP support) but it ended up frying the motherboard. Same thing happened to my husband's. We've both switched to Macbook Pros and we're ridiculously happy. We got the Pro for the aluminum body, DVD-ROM, and USB and memory card ports. It took my husband about 2 days to get used to it (he'd never touched a Mac before, aside from one at elementary school in the 80s). We'll never switch back.

At my office, we just purchased Acer laptops that we dock during the day. It's a bit heavier than my Macbook, but I've been happy with it for the past 3 months. I switch back and forth between the Mac and Acer with no issues.

I believe the MacBook Air does have at least one USB port—and the good thing there is that if you really need more than one when you're at home, you can get a decent USB hub to plug into it. I have a hub for my MacBook Pro 13" because two USB ports isn't always enough for my mouse, printer, external hard drive, iPods, and my Droid phone. :o

My mom had the same experience with a Dell. She got one for her birthday. Took a long time to boot up. Never worked well. Ran hot. Fried the motherboard. They actually replaced it. After a year, it died again. I think my dad bought her a different one and bought more than just the basement model. I think she barely uses it now between her iPhone and Kindle.

That's impressive. It's pretty dang thin!

I use the term geek with only the most love and affection. As an honorific if you will.

It's got 2 USB ports and a Thunderbolt, as well as an SD card slot.

I was shying away from the MacBook Air because it didn't have drives--but this is sounding better and better. :)

I've only known one person with an Acer and she wasn't impressed. It wasn't a bad computer just everything (the OS, the speed, the display, etc) was mediocre. After the pop and sizzle of other computers, mediocre = torture for her.

In a lot of ways, you should consider the MacBook Air in the same vein as a netbook ... unless you're a "power user" you'll be using it in basically the same way.

Like most Apple products, it's smooth as hell though.

I prefer Dells and Acers to other brands personally. I have a hard time dealing with Macs at all. I am firmly a Windows or Linux person but that's due to familiarity, I'm sure. I just don't know how to do anything on a Mac and I don't find it intuitive. If you need to interface with a work system, be sure that if you do decide on a Mac, that you can do what you need to do for work. Lots of people I worked with at my last job were very upset when they spent $1500 on a Mac to find that they still needed a Windows based laptop to work from home.

I'm a very, very heavy user and my Dell laptop is doing phenomenally.

ALL laptops these days run hot. I was told that's why they started calling them notebooks. You cannot use it on your lap or on a soft surface because you'll block the air flow for the fans for the processor and it will fry. Fast processors are hot, that's life.

I have always appreciated that they do not treat me like a moron when I go in with a problem of some kind. I have always been a windows advocate but the change over was really very easy.

DaffyKD

I'm both a mac and PC user, and only have portable machines. I have had one problem with my Mac in the almost three years I have had it, and it was fixed quickly & easily. I had a Dell laptop from 2005 that the Mac replaced in 2008, but picked up a Dell netbook with some crazy rebates & deals about a year and a half ago for about $100. I have a monitor, wireless keyboard, and wireless mouse I can use with both machines and swap them out at home depending on what I'm working on.

I love the netbook for traveling, especially in the field as space and weight are a concern. As mentioned it has no CD or DVD drive, and I didn't purchase one as I can just use my portable hard drives to transfer anything by using another computer, even my Mac. I figure since I paid so little for my netbook, if it gets broken or lost I've gotten more than my money's worth. They keyboard I use is also great for portability, it is the Microsoft Arc, which is very light and flat, comes in a little case, and is great if I want to work elsewhere.

The reason I have both is the work and research I do is easier to accomplish with both machines. When I'm manipulating and cleaning up images, the Mac is amazing, but for some GIS uses PC is the way to go. I'm constantly using MS Office programs and documents between the two with no problems, but I have easy access to the newest versions due to my University affiliation.

The one really dumb thing on my netbook is the port for the monitor cable doesn't have any holes for the screws to attach, so I only use it on my little stand. I use the same stand for both machines, it doesn't fan capabilities but it keeps it cool. I love having dual screens for working, and my biggest issue is keeping my cats off the table/desk. I know quite a few people who have netbooks and think they are the bee's knees, and they actually stream netflix to watch movies. I had both the netbook and Mac hooked up to my television before I bought a new DVD player & netflix streamed through it fine.

Last thing I thought of, make sure to get a good case when you buy it. If you plan on toting it around, I have found Built NY bags/sleeves to be great, and though they have a high price point I found mine on sale at Staples, and REI, and I've seen them in discount places like Ross & TJ Maxx. I'm a huge fan of The Hoodie as you can slip the cords & such in the pouch and there are no zippers. I did get a great one from our campus store, but that was just because they had a sale, a coupon, it was the last of the older style, and it was VANDALIZED.

I might have considered the MacBook Air over the MacBook Pro, if the prices had been a year ago what they are now. I've only had my MacBook Pro about a year…but considering I use CDs and DVDs quite a bit, I probably would have still gotten what I did—I got the cheapest MacBook Pro, and have no complaints a year later. I also know quite a few people who've had Mac notebooks of some sort for 3-4 years who have no complaints, either. I mean, like any computer, you're gonna have things happen that may be due to wear and time, but I've heard nothing but good things about Apple's service.

I actually still have my HP notebook—I've been letting my dad use it for the past year since I got my Mac. I do agree with your assessment of making sure the Mac is able to do the necessary things if it'd be for work purposes—especially if it's going to be the only computer you have.

I actually find now that I'm so used to my Mac that using a Windows machine requires more thought when it comes to shortcuts. :rolleyes: This could also be because quite a few of my courses utilized Macs, as well, and I was using them in those before I even had one of my own.

I'll add my voice to the others singing the praises of Apple's customer service. Last year, I dropped my computer right before all of my final papers were due. Distraught, I went to the store, knowing my warranty didn't cover that kind of damage - and they performed what should have been an $800 repair for free. Getting things repaired and replaced is such a simple, hassle-free process with them, and in my 8 years of Mac ownership, I've only ever once had a technical problem - some kind of worn wire - that was easily rectified. I'm definitely one of those die-hard converts

Ugh, ok… I ended up with a Macbook Pro, and this is going to sound so stupid, but… how do I change the name of a file (specifically a picture file)? I go to File > Open File, but I can't change anything about any of the pictures there.

Where do I go and what do I do?!

While I love my Mac some days, there are other days that I hate it. I find it so frustrating that I can't figure out how to do some of the easiest and most basic things on it :mad:

Select the file you want to rename (it should be highlighted in some way- probably in blue). Click on it once more. A text box should appear where the current file name is. Enter your new file name, and you're done. Do not open the file first- if the file is open, you won't be able to rename it.

^^I just bought a Macbook Pro - OSX 10.9.4 and I am able to rename open files. If the file is open, locate the name of the file (at the top of the window) and double click the name. A dialog box will appear that will allow you to change the file name.

When I open a picture, it opens in a separate browser window as a .jpg. There isn't anywhere to rename it...

You can rename it from that window. Just click on the name at the top of the box (there may be an arrow on the right hand side). It will open up and you can change from there.

I got my Macbook Pro a little over a year ago. The learning curve was steep (ha- have you figured out spellcheck? That took me forever!!) but I love it now. Plus you can google any of your questions and the help sites are numerous.

Still confused…

When I open a picture, it takes me to my internet browser and displays the picture in the same way it would if I right-clicked on a pic on Facebook and selected 'Open Image in New Tab'; no name is displayed and there aren't any arrows that I can see.

And the only reason I came here to ask this was because I searched high and low through Google, and I couldn't find anything about how to change the name of a single picture file. Where are all of these help sites?

I'm so frustrated… grrrrr.

You shouldn't be opening the picture at all. Find the picture in the Finder- follow the folder paths until you get to it (the two tone blue icon with the smilie face). Then try the steps I gave you above.

Ahhh, thanks! I missed your comment above! I've figured it out now.

Aaaaaand I just learned what the Finder is. Yes, I had to use Google to figure out where to find it, and when it said in the 'Dock', I had to figure out what the Dock was, and then I used Google Images and entered 'Finder icon' to know what the heck it was.

I hate technology. lol