A friend of mine is in need of a good laptop ASAP. Here is what she says she must have: 1) A large screen is a must (16" or bigger) since she is getting up there in age and is used to getting her work done on a desktop connected to a 20" monitor. 2) A thin profile/light laptop that will be easy to carry around 3) a long life battery that will give her at least 4 hours of continuous operation 4) She will making presentations from time to time so she must be able to hook it up to a portable projector (I am guessing a standard VGA and composite ports would do?) 5) Price: must be under $1000 Unfortunately, I am not all that familiar with the newer models out there so I figured it might be wise to consult with some of you guys. Just please keep in mind the 5 "must haves" listed above, those are not optional, it is the minimum. She doesn't and would never do any gaming on it, so don't get caught it up in screen 'clarity' or resolution or HDMI or any of that stuff, it is a small business workstation. She also doesn't have a particular brand in mind, just the above criteria.
Over your price range, but a 13" MacBook Pro has... 1) Awesome battery life 2) Intuitive touch controls that I've found older folk find easier to use (my mom, dad, and aunts/uncles love it) 3) Screen/font/display is easily enlargeable using said touchpad controls, awesome for bad eyes 4) Very thin/light 5) Almost certainly good for presentation purposes
One reply, and it fails both the price and screen size tests. I don't know much about laptops, tigermission (and the one I use is too expensive) but I'd check out cnet. Lots of reviews and you can sort by most of those criteria you've listed. Here, I did a search for you and it came up with 2: the Sony VAIO VGN-NW180J/S and the HP Pro 4510s. Both meet the price, screen size, and weight requirements you've listed. You can't search by battery life, but looking at the specs the Sony has a 4 hr life and the HP 4.5. The review for the Sony specifically lists a HDMI port out, and both have the standard VGA you'd need.
Thanks so much dude, this is very helpful. Donny, I appreciate your enthusiasm for the Macbook, but if you notice my criteria pretty much exclude anything made by Apple. A PC-based system is pretty much a given here (it is also the only thing she is familiar with).
He said it needed to be 16" or greater because she has bad eyes, in case you didn't notice, one of the things I pointed out is that a MBP doesn't need a big screen because you can enlarge the display at will very easily. People with bad eyes don't have a problem with it. And I pointed out that it was over his price range. (unless he gets it used) I love how you completely ignored the fact that I did not ignore 2 major conditions in his initial post.
I own a 13" MBP, and I disagree with your screen argument, and 200$ is a large amount of $. That being said, I love my Mac.
Wow! I just came across this from Walmart...seems too good to be true in that price range, but it has everything I listed and then some (up to 8 hour battery). http://www.walmart.com/Acer-15.6-La...7&sourceid=23256147012671830213#ProductDetail What do you guys think? I am still trying to figure out if it has a VGA or a composite port so that she can hook it up to an outside projector, so I need to find a detailed specs sheet for it.
Maybe you need to learn how to use the multitouch? My blind-as-a-bat-complain-about-everything-small-print parents love the fact that they can manipulate the resolution of the screen to read everything so easily.
It's a GREAT time to buy RIGHT NOW. The reason is, many stores have their computers on CLEARANCE to get rid of their stock that has Vista installed on them. You get a FREE windows 7 upgrade. I work at Staples as the Tech, and all of our laptops and desktops are at clearance prices, ranging around $150-300 off their regular prices.
How about a 13 inch MacBook Pro? It might be a tad over your price range though. 1) Great for presentations 2) Slim design 3) Nice touch controls 4) Easy for older people to use 5)They have great battery life.
While I do think most people would be happier with Macs, she's looking at buying a laptop like buying a Ford -- comfort features before functionality. That's fine -- no one should be forced into buying a computer they're not comfortable with. And I'm the guy who works for Apple. I do think it would be work making a personal shopping appointment at your local Apple Store just to see -- it's free, and we don't work on commission. Apple's market share has been steadily increasing for darn good reasons; Macbooks are worth checking out. That said, if there's no interest, there's no interest. As always ask me any questions you want. And if you go to the Houston Galleria store, I'm more than willing to let you know when I'll be there or who to talk to if I'm not. We do have One to One -- $99, we transfer everything from your current computer. Then, you get a year of personal training -- we teach any Apple product in existence. My mom, sisters, and 72-year-old grandmother are all switchers.
You are late on that one bro. Read the rest of the thread. EDIT: Unless you were being sarcastic, in that case, kudos!
Just let us know what you guys are doing between Black Friday and Christmas. I'll be looking for a new laptop.
Toshiba Satellite with 16" screen, and 10-key on the keyboard for $399 at Best Buy. Very good bang for the buck. Bought one for my wife.
