If you would prefer Apple, you could look for a used MacBook or Mac Air. (New Mac Air starts at $1k now so out of your budget).

Payback comes IME with longevity. My MacBook is early 2015, still used everyday. The one I bought for my daughter when she started college 7 years ago is still in use today.

I prefer 2012 non-retina MBP, it's still updateable to the latest osx, you can get it from $300-400, change to SSD & upgrade the memory to 16gb, voila, it's pretty fast for most college needs. The only downside is the battery.

Maybe it's because you treat and care for something that is that expensive more carefully? I am typing on an Acer laptop that is well travelled and acquired in 2012 (and also have another similar-format Acer acquired in 2011). Also have creaky old Intel Core2Duo desktops of 13+ year vintage still working and in use.

Maybe, but I use it hard. I travel a lot too.

However, with Apple's switch to ARM, I think a vintage like mine may have a limited life remaining since it may not get included in the compatibility for later OS releases.

i don’t know. I’ve had, over my career, a few “real” thinkpads, a couple Dells (one of which was a pricy Alienware) a couple HPs, a Toshiba and finally. MacBook Air (2013) and a MacBook Pro (2019). With the exception of my older IBM and early Lenovo thinkpads (I have an x201 that still works) nothing I’ve bought has had the build quality and longevity that my Macs have had. Has little to do with how I treat them. I throw them in the same bags I’ve used for years and schlep them around the world on work trips and vacations just the same. The Dells both broke just passed the warranty. One has two failed keyboards and the other had a failed optical drive.

The HP just decided to stop working, the motherboard went in the first one turning it into a brick and the second one the case just popped open because the cheap plastic they use cracked.

my 2013 MAcBook Air is STILL a perfectly serviceable machine and works as well as the day I bought it. The only reason I bought the Pro was because I finally hit the point where I needed more horsepower for virtual machines and photo editing.

YMMV of course but my first Mac has out performed and out lasted everything else I’ve ever owned as far as laptops go.

I am still using my 2016 Retina MB Pro but when I decide to move on from this machine, I am thinking of getting a iPad Pro with the keyboard/mouse as when I look at my every day work, in most cases I am not so sure if I really need a laptop. I have an old Windows laptop that sits permanently upstairs tethered to the cable modem which I can VNC into when I need something with more complex software installation capabilities.

When I look at my usage pattern for this machine, I am basically at 95% web browsing, email, MS office docs, and a little photo editing. I can install the entire Office Suite for IOS and get what I need for the most part, and do any more complicated design work on Canva.

Do I really need a laptop? I am just not so sure.

Thoughts on this laptop?

https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/conten...l/NX.HN1AA.004

Not recommended.

Acer is a great brand for budget computers, but not performance computer. I would pick any other brand over Acer.

Also, it is not the cheapest. As of the time of posting, there is a cheaper Dell with a faster i7 but 4GB fewer memory.

Last but not the least - Dell has better support.

I've had bad experiences with Dell including XPS. Dell is out of the question. I don't do gaming. Mostly internet and some pictures. Occasional use of word and excel. How about this:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

(When I looked at this weekend it was on sale for $1K).

Stay away from Acer. I've seen too many of them come across my repair bench over the years. They're built to meet price points, at the expense of good engineering. Also not a fan of HP consumer laptops.

The office I work at now used to be all Dell, and yes, Dell has very nice on-site support if you pay for it. The repair techs were very nice and knowledgeable, BUT, I was constantly seeing them. One Dell Latitude went through 4x motherboards, 5x power supplies, 1x case, and it sat on the guy's desk all day long, never leaving the office. Went Lenovo (IBM) Thinkpads and never looked back.

Re: the Lenovo Yoga UA Fan linked to, we do have a Yoga 910 in the office that Lenovo gave us at a substantial discount, and it's been a good laptop, but is nowhere near as rugged as a Thinkpad. Costco has a Thinkpad X1 for a little more $: https://www.costco.com/lenovo-thinkp...100467548.html

The reviews are quite poor.

I've been displeased with Dell products for the past decade+, with multiple copies of personal, business, and pro/engineering-class laptops. Their recent and current products are solid, and dare I say the best on market.
Also have a Lenovo Thinkpad now that is good in many ways, but is also poor in many ways.

Those 2 along with Microsoft Surface (if they ever get their port selection right) are the only 3 credible selection in the Windows world, IMO.

Depending on what the new Mac look like though, I just might be back in the warm embrace of Apple.....

Another annoying feature of my Dell XPS is the lack of the old USB ports.

I'd stay away from Acers Aspire laptops - unless they're going to be pretty much stationary. Though I have 2 Aspires from 2011 and 2012 which are both still working, the plastic used for the case is cheap. Though I've never (hard) dropped either computer, the plastic especially where the screen hinge attached to the main case has irreparably cracked/broken. Still works but I have to take extreme care opening and closing the screen.

Acer warranty support is terrible too.