What is best laptop for the money
 

My desktop is so slooooooooow!....Ready for another one...Basic needs, e-mail, downloads, skype, blue-tooth for printer

laptops
 

go to dealnews.com

pc
 

woot.com has a factory refurbished hp 17inch laptop for $ 350

I love Apple products. My husband uses the MacBook Pro and I use an IPad connected over WIFI. Much faster than any other computer that I've tried, but more costly.
Here's a good comparison chart of 13 top rated laptops. If you scroll down, you can compare features side by side. MacBook Pro came in second but it has a larger screen and better resolution than the laptop that placed first. Just look for the features that you need...like speed and bluetooth.

Laptop Computer 2013 | Best Laptop Computers | Compare Laptop Prices - TopTenREVIEWS

Been through a variety of Dell, HP, Gateway, Fujitsu, Panasonic and Toshiba! Finally got an iPad and its hands above all the others. I'd recommend anything Apple!

Best Buy usually has some good deals.

Z

I bought my first Toshiba laptop in 2008, and replaced it with another Toshiba laptop 4 months ago. I have been happy with both machines. My computer needs are fairly basic -- web surfing, e-mail, Word, Excel and Powerpoint.

Last year I also bought (second hand) an original iPad from 2010. While I enjoy the iPad, I would not be without my laptop as I occasionally use my laptop for real work when I take work home with me (reports and spreadsheets). I could not imagine trying to write a lengthy report or work on a spreadsheet using an iPad, but that's just me.

My sister in Cincinnati swears by her Apple MacBook Pro which she bought in February, but I didn't want to spend $1,100 on a laptop.

open box at best buy

also meant to ask
 

What is the average life of a laptop vs. desktop?

MacBook Pro, I love it! Had others, but none compare. All of the kids, nieces and nephews have Apple products and love them too.

We have a 27" self contained 3.4 Ghz iMac desktop, a 13" MacBook Pro, my wife has an iPad Mini and I have an iPad and an iPhone.

I wouldn't buy anything other than an Apple product.

If you have a Mac, it's nice to not ever worry about a virus or any sort of malware...just doesn't exist.

Apple costs more, but [I believe], still a better value.

I had my first Toshiba laptop for 5 years, but it was running Windows Vista, and I don't want to get too many operating systems behind, so I replaced that laptop 4 months ago. My new laptop has the dreaded Windows 8 on it, which I got used to using pretty quickly.

My previous desktop computers all lasted about 5 to 6 years. I bought my first home computer in 1997 with a 28K dial up modem. I think that cost about $2,000.00.

A decent laptop or desktop should each last for at least five years. The difference between the two is that laptops are portable and more vulnerable to abuse. The machines keep running but up till now they have become obsolete in about five years and often their software is no longer supported by the manufacturer. Apple seems to be slowing down this obsolescence schedule, making older machines useful longer.

You can figure 3 years for a lap top and 4 for a desktop. This is what the company that I worked for used as a refresh period for over 1500 lap tops and over 2000 desktops. Now the lap tops will also depend a lot on the usage. Using an external keyboard will add life. Things like how often the unit is opened and closed will also have an impact. Parts for lap tops start to get harder to find even from the manufacturer at about the 3 year mark. The technology changes and the companies want you to buy new.

Also with Windows 8 if you want touch screen you are looking at about $200.00 added to the cost but that is starting to come down.

Another thing to ask yourself is do you really need a lap top? Do you travel and take the computer with you? Lap tops have their place but in my opinion will never totally replace the desktop. Also with a desktop you can get a much larger screen or even two or more screens.

What people do with computers today is far different from just a few years ago. Many people just surf the net and do some e-mails and a tablet will suite them just fine. Gone are the days when everyone had to have a word processing program, spreadsheet program etc.

VG