Hi Guys:

I'm finally going to break down and get a laptop but need some recommendations.

I'm looking to spend no more than $1000.00 and need it for word processing, some spreadsheet and internet.

Any recs? And I'd appreciate any feedback from Mac users.

Thanks.

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Michael Masztal
Ruling Elder, Chapel By The Sea, ARP
Melbourne Beach, FL

If you're only going to use it for the above uses, you do not need to spend anywhere near $1,000. You can get what is called a "netbook," which does what you want, or something slightly better. A $1,000 machine nowadays would be more capable for gaming and other memory-intensive applications, which is not what you indicated. You should be spending no more than $600-700, I'd say.

I've had Dell and HP laptops with mixed success. Consumer Reports did a recent study on customer service, and they weren't too good. Apple and Lenovo (formerly IBM) were high, but you'll be spending much more for the service and warranty.

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Mitch
Presbyterian Church of Coventry, CT (PCA)

I love my Mac...however, depending on what you need, it can be a bit over $1000. Check out Amazon, for their pricing, and Mac's sites too. I received an email recently from Mac, about their "back to school" sales...seems like they did have one for about $960.00?? Mac does have "Word" software for Mac-users, usually around $100.00, or so. However, Mac has its own version of "word," which I have found very comparable to "word." It runs around $70.00, best I can remember. Again, check online, or maybe at a local "Mac" store.

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Seeking Godly Wisdom,

Melissa
Baptist>Seeking Reformed Church Home
Louisville, Ky

If you can qualify as a student in any way I would go with a refurbed macbook and spring for the 3 yr warranty. The shortest time I have ever had a mac last me was 7 years and then it was just the dc to dc converter that went out, but I went ahead and bought a mac tablet from axiotron. (not a recommendation apple = good, axiotron = kludge)

but a 13inch macbook refurb with a 3 year warranty at student pricing gets you very close at $1083 If you are asking is the 183 worth it for the warranty, I have to say that if you ever need the warranty it is definitely worth it. Every once in a while you get a lemon. A pastor friend of mine got one and after having the motherboard replaced 4 times and sending an email to Steve Jobs public email he received a brand new laptop 2 years newer than his old one.

Oh and with regards to software, get Open Office. Looks like MS Office, works like MS office, reads and writes MS Office and is 100% free Thanks to Sun Microsystems (the guys who invented Java), IBM and the opensource comminity

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Robert K. "Kelly" Brumbelow
In Inquirer's class at Grace Presbyterian (PCA) Cedartown, GA
Cedartown, Georgia

Dear Lord and Father of mankind, Forgive our foolish ways;
Reclothe us in our rightful mind, In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise. - John Greenleaf Whittier 1807-1892

I too, purchased the warranty...forgot to mention that, but it is definitely a most valuable and worthy purchase..."IMO."

I also heard someone say they were able to get a $300.00 rebate on one, I think they may have been a teacher, though.

I love my MacBook Pro although I didn't buy it so I don't know how much they cost. I have the 17" which is very nice when having two or three apps open at once. However, it is a little bulky.

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refurbished without a warranty that will start around $1949. But you are right the extra real estate is nice.*

I really like my MacBook. It is fast, easy to use, and very durable. Mine has outlasted the armoured PC notebook I used to run in the same environment.

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Lawrence Underwood, Jr.
Pastor - Providence Family Fellowship / Mobile, Alabama
1644/46 LBC
My Blog - Imprimis

If you're going to be staring at the screen a lot don't get a netbook. It will kill your eyes.

I'm another happy mac user here. Although I'm having really bad problems with the mac kernel system on my first revision macbook air. They should have fixed it by now. By and large the mac platform is pretty solid.

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Ewen
1689 LBCF
Assemblies of God Bible College
Singapore

I have 4 Dells laptops in my house, and I have had hardware issues with 3 out of 4 of them. I am pleased with their performance, but stuff seems to go wrong with them. The poster who recommended a netbook - that's a good suggestion. My oldest son bought himself one (a HP) and he has been very pleased with it.

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Rich Brown
Deacon/Webmaster
Aisquith PCA
Parkville, MD

I have been using a Toshiba for the last 2-3 years, and it has been very reliable. It came with Vista, but I have had no problems at all with that. The one hardware issue I've had is that a key broke on my keyboard and I had to have that replaced. The laptop wound up costing around $500 after a rebate.

One BIG caution about Netbooks -- the Missus has one (cost under $300), and she loves it. But it is not, imho, of a design that most men will like. I do not have large hands (though I do have long fingers), and it is very difficult for me to type in the ordinary manner on it (I have to resort to the single finger method). My suggestion is that you try out the keyboard in a store before committing to that. I would not be happy with a Netbook as my "only" laptop.

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Tim Phillips
Pastor, Midlane Park Presbyterian Church (ARP)
Louisville, KY
Husband of Scottish Lass
My Blog: Gairney Bridge
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"Wherever the gospel is preached, it is as if God Himself came into the midst of us." ~ John Calvin

IMHO a used refurbished Mac is better than a Windows machine of any ilk.
a simple MacBook can be found starting at $599 here... Parts and service for iBooks, and all Mac Powerbooks
i have a Mac desktop I bought from them and have been using for 3 troublefree years.
Gregg

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Gregg
East Texas
Member Heritage Baptist Church
"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way
be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so
that now, as always, Christ will be exalted in my
life." Phil 1:20

Only problem with buying a reefer from someone other than apple is not getting the apple warranty

Would this be a 21st century example of "Reefer Madness"?

No I think you would need to at least make a commercial about buying reefer PCs to make it a morality tale in line with the venerable exploitation film "reefer madness"

Yes I know you were trying to be funny and likely made a good show at it, I am just more on my Aspie side than my humour side right now

Aspie side?

Come on. You live in Georgia. Everyone from Georgia is supposed to get my humor!!!

Oh I get the humour, sorry. rather than go with an original explanation here is a short one from What are the Main Symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome in Adults?

Asperger's syndrome is a neurobiological disorder considered to be part of the autism spectrum. The exact cause of the condition is unknown, although many experts believe there is a hereditary component. Asperger's syndrome can affect people of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds, although it is three to four times more common among men. The condition is sometimes called Asperger's disorder, Asperger's, or AS in medical texts.

People with Asperger’s syndrome may show symptoms throughout their entire lives, but most are not diagnosed until adulthood. People with Asperger’s syndrome were often bullied as children or mocked for their highly unusual interests. However, since many children experience these difficulties, the extent of the problem is seldom recognized until much later.

Essentially, Asperger's syndrome causes behavior that can best be described as “quirky.” Bill Gates, Woody Allen, Bob Dylan, Keanu Reeves, Al Gore, and Garrison Keillor are some of the many notable public figures who experts believe show symptoms of Asperger's syndrome. There is also some evidence to suggest that Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton suffered from the condition as well.

Impaired social reactions are a key component of Asperger's syndrome. People who suffer from this condition find it difficult to develop meaningful relationships with their peers. They struggle to understand the subtleties of communicating through eye contact, body language, or facial expressions and seldom show affection towards others. They are often accused of being disrespectful and rude, since they find they can’t comprehend expectations of appropriate social behavior and are often unable to determine the feelings of those around them. People suffering from Asperger's syndrome can be said to lack both social and emotional reciprocity.

Although Asperger's syndrome is related to autism, people who suffer from this condition do not have other developmental delays. They have normal to above average intelligence and fail to meet the diagnostic criteria for any other pervasive developmental disorder. In fact, people with Asperger's syndrome often show intense focus, highly logical thinking, and exceptional abilities in math or science.

There is no cure for Asperger's syndrome, but cognitive behavioral therapy, specialized speech therapy and counseling can help alleviate many of the condition’s more troubling symptoms. If they learn to develop the appropriate coping mechanisms, people with Asperger's syndrome are quite capable of getting married, having children, becoming gainfully employed, and leading independent lives.

In recent years, many of the people who have been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome have come to call themselves “aspies” or “Aspergians” in an attempt to reduce the stigma associated with their condition. In fact, there are a growing number of websites dedicated to celebrating Asperger's syndrome as an example of neurodiversity instead of an illness in need of treatment.

Ah, yes, I am familiar with Asperger's. I just did not get the reference/nickname. We actually have a young boy in our congregation who is an "Aspie", as you called it. He has some behavioral problems (mainly "acting out"), but they are getting much better as he matures, and he is very, very intelligent.

Al Gore an Aspie? Don't know if I'd claim that.

I was a math teacher for many years, and as part of a Masters program had to take a class on the history of mathematics. We learned much about Isaac Newton's "quirkiness." He was described in that book, though, as being a "typical" absent-minded genius -- the kind who was so intense in concentration that he was often unaware of what was going on around him. Like the time he was walking alongside his horse, which got away from him, leaving only the reins in his hand. Newton kept walking along and when he finally returned from his deep thought, he tried to mount the horse (which was no longer there). I'm not sure that's Asperger's in action, though! Newton seems to have been one of a kind.

Just as a note: I am not claiming "The inventor of the intertubes and saviour of teh world from Global Warming" to be an Aspie, the article is. Though it would explain much.

(spelling is intentional)

Back on topic:

Buy a Macbook!

Maybe Al Gore invented the laptop. If so, we should PM him to ask his opinion!

Note: this is my meager attempt to steer this thread back on topic, which I derailed with my "Reefer Madness" post.

If that's all you need, you ought to be thinking in the $400 range. I'd stay away from the netbook unless you are going to be carrying it as a second laptop. Most folks still want a DVD drive on their laptop these days.

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Edward
Deacon
PCA
Texas

I love my macbook and dread the day when I move to a new job that uses PCs. My wife has even recently swallowed the Apple cool aid. Now she waits for me to bring my macbook home from work to use the computer. Our Dell laptop just collects dust now.
If you can find a macbook in your price range I think you'll be very happy with your purchase.

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Nate
Protestant Reformed Churches in America
Ann Arbor, MI

Thanks, guys. I think I'll have to extend my budget a tad and go for the Macbook. I look forward to saying goodbye to Windows-- especially Vista. My wife uses Dells (which her company buys) and they are really poorly built. Keys fall off, the lettering on the keys rubs off and the case hinges are weak. This is not good considering she gets the ostensibly higher quality models with all the bells and whistles.

Yes, I also highly recommend buying a mac! I bought mine refurbished through Apple (less than $1K) and I got a free printer as well! Seriously, you will not regret it....its been the best investment that I've ever made! I honestly don't think I'll ever buy a Windows-based product ever again!

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Yvonne
Reformed Presbyterian
Currently seeking a Church

"A man's most glorious actions will at last be found to be but glorious sins, if he hath made himself, and not the glory of God, the end of those actions." -T. Brooks