Which laptop?

[rainbowriver]

Buying our first laptop after having a home PC.

Is it worth paying the extra for an Apple? Would like to use it for word/excel/powerpoint (for school work) and internet and email.

Our home PC is so, so slow.

Are there any makes to avoid or look out for?

Thanks

I converted to Apple after 20 years of windows several years ago. I don't regret it.

I use it for the same as you and find they last much longer and so are worth at least some of the extra.

Having said that, the premium for Apple is very high so you could take one of two approaches:

1. buy a "refurbished" MacBook from the Apple website to save a bit of money. I did and they looked as new. If you're feeling a bit braver, look on eBay for a well kept slightly older model. You can upgrade memory very easily DIY (see Crucial Memory) so don't worry too much about that.

2. get a cheap windows net book for a third of the price and bank on replacing it three times over 6 years. If it lasts better, you're quids in.

Remember that for both options, you will need to pay extra for Microsoft Office (£100?) unless you are willing to give OpenOffice a go (free and a bit like MS Office from about 5 years ago). It works on both Apple and Windows. You can try the free option and if it isn't good enough, but MS Office later.

I disagree with MuswwellHillDad. I can't, for the life of me, imagine why you'd spend £800+ on a Mac as a home computer. Yes, they're trendy and pretty and reliable(ish) but they're ridiculously overpriced. I think that an awful lot of people who have 'gone mac' over the last couple of years will head back the other way as they discover that they've effectively doubled their computer costs for no appreciable gain.

Have a look at Misco.co.uk . They have a range of laptops, and if you want you can get Windows 7 instead of Windows 8.

Look for something with an Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB RAM or thereabouts. Some of the laptops are offering a 3 or even 5-year warranties as part of the bundle.

You can cut the costs of your Office ( I think ) by buying an education licence. Software4students.co.uk had some bargains, last time I looked.

We just bought a chromebook which suits our needs perfectly. Takes a bit of getting used to after Microsoft but its really intuitive.

Flatpackhamster

So when I said that a) Apple is expensive and b) you could buy a cheap windows PC, you disagree? Strange as that seemed to be the point of your post.

Not that I'm defensive or anything

One of the main problems with a Mac is you cant use any Windows SW on it. You have to buy new Mac compatible SW. I have a MacBook Pro and loaded Parallels 7 on it, then purchased Windows 7 so I could use all my old Windows SW. This WAS NOT CHEAP but I looked at it as a once in a lifetime purchase. Is a Mac better than a PC? The hardware is, the SW? not realy. I prefer the Windows related SW, but fed up with the pc's falling apart and getting soooo s l o w.
Not much help I know, but if money is tight, get a PC and be prepared to replace every few years.