When we get back to SA I’m going to get a new laptop, I’m sure all the brands in other members countries are exactly the same as what we have available in Australia . I’ve had 2 Dell laptops over the years and they never lasted / way too slow/ poor screen quality / colour I wanted a good quality when I bought my old one in 2016 as I used to do a little digitising embroidery patterns, or resizing designs and a good quality screen was needed to see the fine parts of digitising DH bought a fairly expensive Dell ( not sure if you can still do it on dell , you could go through and click extras you’d like in the build ) DH laptop cost him over $3.000 some time ago , and he had issues with that as well and ended up having to have a new hard drive installed , so I’m staying well away from Dell There is no sense in me buying one to suit my sewing machine embroidery programs now as they wouldn’t work on a newer laptop. The main thing that annoyed me with my previous LT is the time they took to be ready to use ….right from new the one I still have with my sewing programs on took about 10 mins to be ready before I could use it Ive tried looking online and just got the run around on what laptops are best for general everyday use ,without the hassles of do you want it for gaming …ect ect ….no I don’t …I don’t want to watch movies either / just want have a reliable computer. So what’s the best brands ?
My current laptop is an HP. I've had it a long time and it hasn't given me any problems. I would recommend going to a computer store like the Best Buy we have here and look at the different brands on display which are turned on. The screens were different between them and some of the colors weren't true.
What about a MacBook, @Kate Ellery ? It will sync right up with your iPad, so you will always have everything on all your devices, and Apple is top quality. Apple laptops are expensive, but even a refurbished older one (2020 or newer) will do everything you need, and not give you all of the problems of a Windows device, and all of the time they take to update and load up every time. When I used to have a Dell, I hated that. I have a MacBook Pro that my kids gave me, it is a 2019-2020 (can’t remember which), and it does way more than I need it to do, and has all my photos and info from my ipads and phone on it, too. Apple sells refurbished ones , I think with a warranty; so you might check that out. My next option that you might like , would be a Chromebook. They make them from really cheap ones, to expensive ones, but since they do everything in the cloud, you are not paying for an expensive hard drive, and they are perfect for someone who just wants to go online , send emails, chat, and all of the casual stuff we do online. There is a great YT channel all about chromebooks and what they do and how they do it. If you are interested, I can give you the link for that channel. chromebooks are easy to use, and have a wonderful built-in anti-virus that updates fast; so you never have to worry about that with a Chromebook, either.
I have been happy with my chromebook although I refuse to link stuff and am angry when they up date and link stuff after I have not. I will say something about computer technology now, after my family reunion last weekend. Mother calls up the stairs and tells daughter to strip the sheets on her bed. No response. Calls again, no response. Father gets a big grin on his face and says to me to Watch this. This is how to get instant response from the kids. He shuts off the router! Kid appears out of nowhere!
Yes a link to chrome book would be appreciated thank you @Yvonne Smith , I’ve looked at MacBooks a long time ago ( new ) in Apple stores but like you said I may be able to get a refurbished one as they are quite expensive new
Thanks @Ed Wilson yes we have huge stores ( in the city ) I’ve briefly looked at the dozens on display but they are commission sales people and mostly just want to sell you something , then go onto the next customer , and with my issues with Dell , I paid $2.500 for and it was a complete waste of money , even the battery only lasted 6 months ….after the warranty ran out I was thinking if it was in fact a second hand LT polished up to look new …bought online from Dell .the very reason I’m being cautious what I buy this time I live 2 hours drive from the city so I can only look while down in Adelaide ( South Australia ) We only have agent for Apple iPads in our area and he’d be the very last person I’d buy anything from https://www.harveynorman.com.au/computers-tablets/computers/laptops
Here is the guy who has the expert Chromebook (and all things Chrome) YT channel. This video is from an expo where he is showing some of the newest models just coming out, @Kate Ellery . One thing that I think is awesome about the newer Chromebooks is that they have a touchscreen, so they are similar to using your iPad. I have a chromebook, but mine is an older model, and it does not have the touchscreen; but if I were to ever get a newer one, I would definitely go for one with the touchscreen. A Chromebook uses the apps from the Google store, so there are lots of apps you can use with a Chromebook, too, maybe more than you a use with a MacBook.
Macs are expensive compared to low-end PCs, but they last a long time, and once you learn not to overthink them, they are pretty straightforward. There's none of the dread involved with updating the OS that I always felt while updating to a new Windows version. After 10-12 years, you will probably find that a new version doesn't support your old Mac, but the Mac will continue to work just fine. Unlike some here, I like to update to new versions of an OS, so I replace my Macs when a new version doesn't support them, but even a 10-year-old Mac will have resale value, and I've only had one Mac quit working, and that was probably a screen problem, but since it was old anyhow, I just replaced it. On the other hand, Chromebooks are a whole lot cheaper, and several people here seem to like them. I've only had one Chromebook, and, while it wasn't one of the cheaper ones, I hated it. I bought it just before going on vacation to our timeshare and bought a new MacBook in Virginia because the Chromebook was useless to me. I gave it to my sister-in-law, and I guess she liked it well enough. I hate touchscreens. I can tolerate them in a Kindle, but I preferred the older ones with buttons. Fingerprint smudges on my screen annoy me. I clean my screens often.
I have Chromebook OS Acer brand. Same that is used I the schools here. I like it, very little bloatware, easily removed. It is hard getting use to not having Windows. Works good fore me. Updates weekly for some reason - only until 2029. It is not compatible with my 2004 HP printer, and I don't have much to print anyway so not a real big deal. Was on sale at Amazon last year $176. I used the Dell my BIL gave me two years- it was pretty good even it was old.
I have been using an Acer 315 Chromebook for about 4 years. It is my go to laptop out of 7 laptops I own (mostly Dells). It has treated me well. The sound seems to be cleaner and louder than the Dells. Good for music listening. Screen is big and color is alright. It recently has been acting up, so I ordered another new one, same model. They are priced very reasonably so makes sense to go new rather than have it repaired. Hope this helps. Edit.... I also own a refurbished Thinkpad which I ordered as a backup unit. I use it daily, along with the Acer 315. I am very happy with both. The Thinkpad is a smaller unit, good for travel, etc.
Great advice thank you to all …. We won’t be heading home till July 17th …won’t get home till at least July 21 st ……so all the end of Financial year sales will be I full swing to get a laptop at a good price . Meanwhile a photo of the Sunshine Coast where we are hanging out right now …..no …not Gold Coast ..we will be back to GC on 7th July …..200+ km away from here