I’d love your recommendation for a laptop. I currently have a Toshiba that’s lasted five hard years of being used for hours every day, having paint splattered on it, being lugged to the UK and back and general battering.
Any suggestions? I am not ready to go the Apple route yet, so PC suggestions!
Thanks so much!
I love my little MacBookPro
ReplyDeleteBut I do understand growing up with Windows and the PC world.......however now that I have crossed over(23 months ago) I will never turn back
I am an Apple user now Meg....take the plunge, you won't regret it! xv
ReplyDeleteI have a Fujitsu that I got for about £350 and so far it seems to do everything I want - videos, blogging, whatever. My main problem was in switching to Microsoft 7 and the 'starter' programmes that it came with. Also, found that my printer and scanner no longer were compatible. Apparently other companies are tired of updating their peripherals to keep up with Microsoft so they make new models so they, too, can cash in. I also have a Sony Vaio - smaller than the Fujitsu, but about the same weight. I bought it about 7 years ago and paid $3,000 for it, I think. I was working then, so it seemed affordable. I've never connected it to the internet however - too paranoid about viruses and such, which is probably silly of me.
ReplyDeleteI've tried a Mac and wasn't really that impressed with it; they say it's 'intuitive' but I didn't find it to be so. I think they are very expensive and would only buy one if I were desperate to look 'cool'.
My suggestion would be to decide the features you want in a computer and then just go shop with an open mind. I'd never heard of Fujitsu before, but I'm happy with my purchase. The only thing I'd choose differently next time is to be more stubborn about the size. I'd like to be able to close my desk and this one is just too large for that. My own fault for caving in...
Good luck!
A P P L E is the way to go Meg! Don't hesitate...please. And when you do be sure to purchase the $99 a year option to visit the store for instructions. I have been going for about 3 years at least once a week and I just love it.
ReplyDeleteWhy aren't you "ready" to switch to Apple? When will you be "ready"? I just got one a few months ago and I love it. People think "intuitive" means it's going to be magic. It's not magic, but you don't get all kinds of gobbledygook messages when things don't work. I'm tinkled pink to be rid of those "microsoft has encountered a problem send don't send"dialog boxes! ps I don't look cool. Mine is at home and no one sees it.
ReplyDeleteMeg, I too moved over to an iMac a couple of years ago, but you clearly say you're not ready to go to Apple, so no sense trying to push you ahead of time. [It was a struggle for me to break from what I had "grown up" on and was already used to, but I knew I wanted OFF the laptop and back ONto a desktop; my posture had gotten all hunkered down to accommodate the low position of the screen on a laptop, but the high position of the screen on the iMac has brought my head back up where it belongs, my neck loves me now].
ReplyDeleteYou said you'd gotten many good hard miles from your Toshiba, that's a very good recommendation, so why not try another T? My husband got his T at Costco, he's very pleased with it. From what I've heard, just be sure it doesn't have the Vista platform installed on it, boo hiss.
-Flo
I basically went from no experience at all to my Apple and I love it because it truly is user friendly! I can't speak to other brands except I know a couple of people that had problems with Toshiba (mechanical). If you're not sure you want to switch to a Mac, why not go to the Apple store and try them out?
ReplyDeleteI'm always amazed at the resistance to Apple. But since I didn't 'grow up' with a PC or any computer I never settled into one or the other. My Dell laptop lasted for two years of heavy use. My Mac has lasted five. I use it all day, six days a week at my shop. It's been dropped, it gets pretty grimy in a flower shop, it gets moved around a lot by it's lid by our drivers. It doesn't get viruses. I'm getting ready to buy a MacBook air and take my old Mac home, because we just dismantled our virus laden PC.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I'm with Flo. If you liked your Toshiba, that's a good endorsement.
My next step for a computer is into the Apple store!
ReplyDeleteHi Meg, I have got to join the chorus of Macbook aficionados. My son switched me to a Mac 2 years ago--I was resistant as I am a computer technophobe and was afraid to change my way of doing "that cpmputer thing." But now my daughter wants my current mac and is pushing me to get a bigger laptop (which I need because of my bad posture) and I think I'm going to go for it. There is simply no comparison between the two systems----I LOVE MY MAC. Mary
ReplyDeleteIt's Mary (again)--all of your PC files can be downloaded to your new Mac without any problems--there is a program that does the conversion. Mary
ReplyDeleteI'm adding my voice to the Mac chorus. Contrary to what @Shelley says, using a Mac has absolutely nothing to do with 'looking cool' and everything to do with having a computer with a brilliant OS that doesn't let you down and is so much easier and faster to navigate than Windows.
ReplyDeleteI would recommend a Dell or Hp sice you do not want the MAC yet. I have had an HP for 5 years and it is still working. Great customer support
ReplyDeleteDells are cheap, HPs have been very good (not sure they remain so, as the company has had all sorts of problems), so if you want to go that route, be sure to read reviews online. Apple products are expensive, but they are truly wonderful. You can get refurbished ones (macmall is great), and the Apple folks at the mall can walk you through anything. My kids each have ancient Mac laptops that just now need to be replaced, and I'm ditching my Dell for a Macbook pro as soon as the holidays are over.
ReplyDeleteI have a 15 month old HP laptop. Big mistake. My plan is to go apple in 2012.
ReplyDeleteI bought my daughter a MacBook because she intended to major in computer science... i now have the original, her technology grant was spent on a new Apple laptop --the purchase of an Apple Product well there is great deal of research and development and is it not a deductible business exspense??? fewer virus worries too am I right
ReplyDeleteGet an Apple; I'm a writer-editor and use my laptop constantly. My G4 laptop lasted eight years---and worked perfectly despite being slung off a moving car once. Adobe products were designed for Apples and work much more easily on one. I have a MacBookPro now. Once you have your Mac, you'll wonder why you waited so long.
ReplyDeleteI bought myself a Lenovo based on a Which magazine article who placed it top int eh price range c.£400. Lenovo used to be IBM. I must say, so far, so good.I run my shop, blog, edit with Photoshop copious amounts of photos, correspond, email and even watch movies and stream tv programmes, all fast and without issues. Would deffo consider it amongst your cohices. I always tend to google reviews for laptops in your certain price range. It always returns some good hits to review sites.
ReplyDeleteGood luck Meg. I know it's a minefield out there and you never know if you are making the right choice. Only time tells, you'll get there.
How are things in your neck of the woods. Raining hard yet again in Cardiff.
Much Love
Di
x
Another vote for a Mac. If you're near an Apple store they have a free class on how to make the switch. And you can find great prices if you order a refurb from their webite.
ReplyDeleteI like Dell laptops and I am planning to get a green one soon. As for Apple and Macs, just say no!
ReplyDeleteI bought a Lenovo this summer and have been very happy with it. I've used it for streaming, for spreadsheets, for images and its been great for me. I also bought an HP desktop two years ago that was a big improvement on my older PC and Mac's. My motto is buy as much RAM as you can afford, and check consumer ratings first; file storage is so versatile that being able to handle large tasks is the real issue with any computer now, PC/or Mac. Macs are very nice, but always seem to be three times the price for the same power to me, and I am pretty used to either platform for programs (you're likely running Microsoft Office on either).
ReplyDelete