Which laptop to buy?

[monkeytalk]

I need to buy a laptop for my yr 12 ds. Don’t know to get an apple MacBook or others. Though we all use iPads and iPhone but I never have an apple computer before. Over 25 years ago where i worked my department was the only place in the company used Apple Mac. It was a pain because our software was never compatible with the rest of the company. So we always had problems with other people’s documents etc. I haven’t had an office job for almost 15years now. So I m very ignorant about today’s the ITC market though I was once a very competent user. Just wondered if the compatibility situation has improved a lot since. Do people often still get software or other compatibility problems with apple computer?

Mainstream programs are available now on both Windows and MacOS and can read each other’s files. You will get good integration with your family phones and pads if you get a MacBook. If you find yourself needing to run Windows you can run Parallels in your Mac. On the other hand you could save yourself some money and get a cheaper Windows laptop, or spend a similar amount and get a Surface hybrid.

What software does the school use and does that matter?

What will it be used for?

15 inch Macbooks are now silly money, but lovely engineering and screens.
PCs range from cheap to as much as a MacBook,
and then there are the cheap chromebooks.

I'm thinking a chromebook might be best for my mum because she just uses it for web-browsing and basic word processing / spreadsheet stuff. I just bought a window 10 laptop because I need something with some grunt and capability in the house, but couldn't justify the cost of a MacBook.

Thanks ladies for your responses. If I get an apple MacBook do I need to get antivirus? I use iPad and i got the basic Microsoft office from App Store. I assume you can do the same with the Apple MacBook? If it is the case then at least I will save some money. My dc is not doing programming or anything computing subjects. So a basic Microsoft office will be enough for doing assignments. Just that an apple MacBook has a long lifespan than a pc according to many peoples experiences. So it s a lot more expensive but it also last longer. I like to hear more constructive discussion, please.

We have an Apple iPhones and so got an Apple computer and hate it! Don’t find it intuitive and it’s really slow. We bought 17 inch dell laptops instead

Lenovo Ideapad 330s is what I bought for my son. Very pleased with it.

Thanks again ladies, will look into the suggested models.

Hope I'm not too late to this but if you get a MacBook, you can get discounts for students (and also teachers). I tried to order online from the Apple store but don't have an account with Unidays (I think) although DDs do. I did the online chat and someone rang me back within a minute to talk me through it all. I had to supply either an education email address or copy of work ID. I got my 5% off and it arrived 21 hours later.

Thanks Malbecfan, it s useful to know.

Dd has an Apple Mac that we bought her 3 years ago for her 16th birthday. She’s just turned 19 and it’s still going strong. It survived 2 years at boarding school, was constantly chucked in overnight bag for weekends home, used for A level work (3 essay subjects) taken on holidays,etc and is used for many, many hours every day.
It still looks as good as new, and will be going off to uni with her in the autumn, no need to replace or upgrade.
Compared to her 2 brothers who both wrecked the laptops they had at 16 by the time they were 18, the Apple Mac has really proved itself.