Looking for a new laptop? Get what you NEED. And for the love of Pete get what you can afford. I’ve been through the mill with these digital must-haves. Now, I will admit upfront, I buy Apple. But before you accuse me of being in the tank for Steve Jobs let me just say I’ve tried the full gambit of personal computers and though Apple can sometimes seem like nothing more electronic furniture, I come by my brand loyalty honestly. In the past 10 years I’ve had a Commodore (jigga what?) a Dell, a Toshiba (in college – very solid!), and an Acer – Oh my! I even broke a laptop when I buckled under the stresses of hosting a live TV show for kids. It was the Acer. It was cheap ($300) so I didn’t cry about it. And if you’re gonna be my lappy you better be able to withstand a proper beating. One thing that I’ve learned about laptops is to never cut corners. If you are a writer, a videomaker, or a creative type you need something that doesn’t crap out when you ask it to perform an array of functions.
That’s why my choice is the MacBook – because it’s purdy – and because they have such exceptional customer service. You can even get free how-to classes for all apps at your local Apple store. My laptop is a very simple Macbook. I only need it for writing and to occasionally distract me on transcontinental flights. She’s not light – weighs about 7 pounds and makes me long for a Macbook Air which clocks in at a light-as-gossamer 3 lbs. I detest schlepping my MacBook from coffee shop to library to bookstore and home again. By the end of a long day, it feels like you’re carrying around a bowling ball. For me the intersection of light, durable, and dependable is the way to the go. If you can say all that about your laptop, pull double click.
