Need to choose a laptop for a mum. Has to be from Good Guys for convenience, here they are listed by price
Just looking at the reviews of the cheapest ones are not promising. I'm out of the loop on budget laptops, and am leaning more towards a last gen iPad with keyboard/trackpad case, would be cheaper than any of these.
But anyway, which of these laptops is the cheapest and won't actually be frustrating to use in the years ahead?
Email, photos, Facebook, websites. Usual mum stuff that can all be done on an iPad.
A laptop would be a way better experience unless there are specific Apple apps that she wants to use.
You must be joking.
If everything she does can be done within a web browser, and she has no need to run any specialised x86 software then an iPad with M1 chip + Keyboard combo will still get the job done. Or even a Chromebook. Note some of the Chromebooks being sold are quite old models, try to aim for one with at least an AMD or Intel CPU.
For Windows laptops, I'd look into a refurbished machine. It would cost you half the price of some of the cheapest options at the Good Guys.
e.g this $499 piece of junk Acer with N100 and 4GB RAM is vastly outclassed by any of the $259 refurbs from this deal in terms of build quality and performance.
I gather from seniors who travel the cruise ship crowd is largely travelling with iPads
I take my phone, tablet and laptop when I cruise..
I've been travelling for years without my notebook; can get by with just my iPad. But I'm neither a creator nor or gamer. I would say for OP's use case an iPad may be fine unless the user is into spreadsheets and is migrating from a redundant notebook.
I use it as a hotspot
@BendBridge: tried to message you couldn't find your name in there list. I will reply if you message me first.
do you do stand up?
If you can wait a bit closer to Black Friday, you will likely find a i3/ i5 with 8GB ram close to $500
Anything Pentium or Celeron - NO.
What's the budget?
As cheap as possible, that won't be a pain to use for the years ahead.
As per the usage given for you mum the cheapest will do.
As for a real answer get a CPU with at least 2 CPU cores and 4 threads with at least 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD/HDD.
Screen size will be a BIG issue as the font size will be small for 99% of the cheap (<$1K) laptops due to the screen size.
May be better to get you mum a second hand PC with a 21" to 24" screen.
eMMC storage + 4GB RAM + 1366 x 768 HD 15inch display = not great value.
Minimum should be ideally 8GB RAM (16GB preferable) and at least a 1080p display.
Preferably not slow eMMC storage too, but once you get past the $500 budget the laptop is high end enough that it doesn't use eMMC and will have a proper SSD.
Your options are limited if you're buying from The Good Guys — they have to make a margin on sales so many of their items are not great value. Recommend waiting for a Black Friday sale or an increased cashback promotion before buying.
I would strongly recommend a Chromebook. Around 12-13 years ago I transitioned my Dad from a windows machine to Chromebook. It was a big change at the time because of less web browser acceptability e.g. yahoo messenger but in the current times, I would say it is a no brainer.
If they already use an iPhone though, wouldn't iPad make more sense? It's familiar and compatible, everything will sync. Instead of learning the Chromebook interface from scratch.
You've obviously convinced yourself iPad is the way to go (I'm not saying you're wrong), why not try to convince your mum the same? Let her use yours for a bit or smth.
Well it just seems cheaper and easier. But, I'd like to compare it to the minimum viable touchscreen windows laptop. Which is looking to be like $800+, iPad 9th gen is half that, minus the keyboard case.
@AustriaBargain: Skip the keyboard for now, likely she won't use it. I do tech support for a senior who used to have an iMac, iPad and iPhone. She's 85 and now only ever uses her iPhone (and Watch for fall detection and ease of taking phone calls); if it breaks I'll get her a Max-sized display
@AustriaBargain: Do you provide the tech support? You can convince her to get an iPad by reminding her you can provide better remote support to it. You can Facetime between your own Apple devices and hers, and she can share her screen via Facetime. iPad to iPad you can apparently remote-control it via FT. I help my old man all the time, but usually with his iPhone which you cannot remotely control.
Chromebook interface is really just Chrome browser. If your mum knows how to operate a Chrome browser she'll have no problems using the Chromebook, since all the apps it runs are web-apps, and a mix of Android apps.
Of course there is no 'continuity' feature between Chromebook and iPhone, there is no AirDrop, Auto Unlock and HandOff etc, nor will your photos and media sync wirelessly between Google Drive and iCloud because they are competing cloud storage services. There's no iTunes client for Chrome OS either.
If any of that is an issue, then it's easier to just stay within Apple's walled garden and buy an iPad or Macbook Air.
If you want things to 'just work' and sync automatically with little user intervention an Apple device is your best bet.
I bought my mother in her 80s the Lenovo Ideapad 15.6" Ryzen 5
Are you the father?
I use a chromebook in the bedroom. At the moment, I have it on split screen one has 32 open tabs and the other the other 28. Still runs ok.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 MediaTek is only $417 when you click the price match. Chromebook
I've personally had very good experiences with Ideapads regarding durability and quality.
It's a Chromebook, which contains an operating system that has an easier interface for the less tech-savvy. So it should be perfect for social media and just simple web-browsing. It also would allow her to get into the habit of saving her photos onto the cloud where it is safe & secure.
It also doesn't contain as much 'junkware' and isn't as vulnerable to malware in comparison to Windows machines.
I sometimes get the notion to buy a Chromebook but then I look at the specs. They are always overpriced compared to what you can get in a Windows laptop. That Chromebook has $200 specs.
Yeah, I agree. It has some weak specs and outdated hardware, even for a Chromebook. She is limited if having The Good Guys as the store of purchase is non-negotiable.
She should wait until black Friday in all honestly.
I went with an iPad for my mum. Join your local library and get their free apps. That iPad has saved so much money from being able to read magazines on the iPad that its paid for it self over. Being lite weight it gets used every day. I also put one of the free slot machine games on there and seen it get played a lot too.
Any recommendations on apps for the iPad?
Press reader, Libby and Borrow box if your library has them. FaceTime, Safari and chrome so gmail works too. Kindle if you have an amazon account same with its video app and store app. Luckyslots for the slots, it's a time waster but keeps her happy. iPads come with books/photos and podcasts is worth a search. And youtube of course. Depending on interest there are others, but all these should get you started.
My parents are in their late 70’s and both use iPhones and iPads. They had a laptop and didn’t like it because they found it harder to use than the Apple stuff.
go a chromebook - if you go to theinsidersnet they’ve got a 60% cashback on select recently released models. i’ve been hounded with emails for weeks so i’m sure they aren’t getting through their cashback offer.
Terms of getting cash back are that you provide an honest review including photos
I am an old grandmother that pretty much does just the basics too. I recently needed a new computer when the battery in my old macbook swelled up and completely wrecked it. I didn't know this because it was hidden as it was always used as a desktop with a screen in front.
This is what I did and found. First off I tried with an ipad and a keyboard mouse setup. That didn't last long and frustrated the crap out of me. Next I bought a refurbished desktop (Dell) off amazon which cost way under $200. I can't remember how much but thinking it was just over the $100. It was fine and it still goes fine around 2 years on and it still gets used a bit today by other family members. I would still be using it only I was and am still hooked into the Apple ecosystem.
I ended up buying a MacMini and I am well and truly happy now but of course it is Apple although you did mention ipad which is of course using IOS.
Does your mum use a laptop or does she (like me) enjoy the big screen and keyboard with a full sized mouse.
I helped an elderly with a laptop, he hates it, uses it a just a few times a week for banking, email etc.
It always want to do something other than he needs to do, a windows up, MS login information, Adobe update, Anti-Virus updates and scans, chrome updates etc etc
Its a hard one.
Chromebook or mac or tablet - basically non-windows is a better user experience.
I get asked this a lot. (tech support)
If you just want to do the basics - get an iPad the largest screen you are comfortable with - but that comes with a price tag. The beauty of the Apple ecosystem is that all the updates get rolled in together, so as long as you keep it updated, your are 95% there. Fantastic build quality, long lasting battery, easy to seek/install/configure/applications, and compact/light which is an important factor as we all age.
If you actually do some typing, and need the full PC functionality, get a laptop/SFF desktop. But you may find the screen is too small for your mum, so you'll need a external monitor - which is not costly. However, most of the consumer grade laptops are tending towards garbage, build quality wise. They really unimpress me, and give the impression they won't have a long service life. But they are cheap!
What will she be using it for?