Laptops – MacBooks and Windows! And Chromebooks and iPads? Parts 1-5

This was originally published in 5 parts. I've maintained that separation here.

Part 1: General information

Last week we wrapped up our journey into making a “smart home” with a survey of some of the less common smart devices. I hope you have a good handle on the range of available devices and the terms you’ll need to understand to “smarten” your home!

This week I’ll begin to break down the pros and cons of various laptops and laptop replacements (iPads anyone?). I’ve owned and used ALL of these alternatives over the years and I have my preferences but it’s based on how I use them. You may have a completely different take on things! So, I’ll do my best to present an honest, unbiased survey in hopes that it will help you make the right decision for you, I encourage you to read ALL sections of this column regardless of which type of laptop you think might be for you as I may bring up things you didn’t know, or realize about a particular type of laptop and those things might change your opinion as to what you’re interested in. And I might just raise a question or topic that could change your mind entirely!

I’ll start with some things that are common to most laptops – screen size, aspect ratio, processor, and storage as well as some tips as to size, weight, and keyboard.

Screen size applies to all these devices and is very much a personal choice. I prefer a smaller screen simply because it reduces the overall size and weight of the laptop. I find 13″ to be just about perfect for the laptop I use on a daily basis. I have laptops with smaller screens – 10 and 11 inches – but they tend to be devices that are for casual use – browsing the Internet, Amazon, Best Buy, eBay, etc. You might prefer a 14, 15 or even a 17 inch screen so it’s important that you visit a retail store and try them out. A larger screen generally will give you the ability to make the things on the screen (e.g. text) larger without necessarily losing a lot of context but it also means a larger and heavier laptop so if you plan to move your laptop around or take it with you when you leave the house, please take that into consideration. If you find a screen size you like, visit a retail store and try picking the device up and see how you feel about the weight and size.

Now, display size and aspect ratio. Display size is, like keyboards, a personal issue. You might prefer a 14 or 15 or even a 17 inch screen. But remember that the bigger they are the heavier they’ll be. Aspect ratio is the ratio of width to height. You’ll typically see 16:9 and 3:2. I prefer 3:2 because those displays are taller than the equivalent 16:9 displays of the same size – and I want more vertical space on my display so I can see more of the thing I’m viewing. You should know that 16:9 is the ratio for most current TVs – your 55 inch HD TV screen, for instance, is probably roughly 48 inches wide and 27 inches tall (16×9) so if you plan to watch a lot of streaming videos, you might consider a 16:9 display. A 3:2 display will likely have black bars at the top and bottom of the video so it fits on your screen. But, when it comes to displays where I’m primarily viewing text (e.g. web pages), a 13 inch 3:2 display is narrower by about half an inch but taller by almost an inch than a 13 inch 16:9 monitor (11.3w x 6.4 tall 16:9 vs 10.8w x 7.2 tall 3:2). A handy calculator for these dimensions is available at https://go.ttot.link/AspectCalc (scroll to the bottom of the page).

All Macbooks are what’s called a “clamshell” (i.e. a device with a hinged cover that must be opened to be used). Other laptops can take several different forms. There are “detachables” where the display and keyboard can detach from each other. Without the keyboard, you will see an on-screen keyboard, not unlike what you see on your phone, and you can use the display in its laptop orientation (called “landscape”) or rotate the display 90 degrees so it’s in what’s called portrait mode. Confused as to what’s portrait and what’s landscape? Portrait is the orientation you see with notebook paper — 8.5 inches wide and 11 inches long so it’s longer than it is wide.

Nowadays detachables tend to have thinner, less robust keyboards (see the Surface Pro 8 at https://go.ttot.link/SurfacePro8). I find these types of keyboards not great for anything that requires a lot of typing because they tend to flex and move about. They’ve gotten better over the years but they’re still not my favorite. However, if I am looking for a laptop that is small, light, and easy to carry, I’ll compromise and go with them. There are other detachables with a rigid keyboard like you see on non-detachable laptops but all of the ones of which I’m aware are older machines with what would be considered inferior components by today’s standards. Microsoft used to make a detachable with a rigid keyboard called the Surface Book (https://go.ttot.link/SurfaceBook3 for an example – note it has a 10th generation Intel processor and Intel is currently selling 12th generation). 2-in-1s are laptops with attached keyboards that can be folded back to act as a stand, getting the keyboard out of the way if you want to use the touch screen and not the keyboard (to watch streaming content, for example) or all the way around so that the keyboard is folded up against the back of the screen and the whole thing resembles a tablet. When it comes to keyboards, it’s always best if you actually try them out – the feel of a keyboard can encourage you to type more or just put you off typing entirely so I encourage you to put your hands on the keyboard of any laptop you are considering.

How much memory (also known as RAM) should you get on your laptop? For iPads, you don’t really have a choice but for the others in our discussion you do. I tend to never buy anything with less than 8GB of RAM. It seems to me that every recent device I’ve used with less than 8GB has tended to often be unbearably slow so I recommend a minimum of 8GB. Will you need more? If you’re a casual user who doesn’t have a ton of apps and websites open at the same time or don’t edit large videos, 8GB will likely serve you just fine.

How about storage or disk size? Again, a personal choice. If you’re a pack rat and never delete things and never offload things to the cloud or an external drive, you’ll need more storage. I tend not to go below 128GB on any device if I can help it because your disk often needs to store not only your files and pictures but also your apps and operating system. For me, 256GB is the sweet spot and my preferred storage size. If you’re unsure, more is better.

That pretty much covers the common elements. Next week we’ll begin to discuss specific laptop types, Windows, Macbooks, Chromebooks, and iPads (no, I don’t intend to discuss Android tablets because I don’t think they’re a reasonable laptop replacement). Next week we’ll start with Windows laptops. Again, I encourage you to read ALL sections of this column regardless of which type of laptop you think might be for you as I may bring up things you didn’t know, or realize about a particular type of laptop and those things might change your opinion as to what you’re interested in. And I might just raise a question or topic that could change your mind entirely!

Part 2: Windows laptops

Last week we covered the things common to just about all laptops. This week we’ll begin to discuss specific laptop types, Windows, Macbooks, Chromebooks, and iPads (no, I don’t intend to discuss Android tablets because I don’t think they’re a reasonable laptop replacement). Again, I encourage you to read ALL sections of this column regardless of which type of laptop you think might be for you as I may bring up things you didn’t know, or realize about a particular type of laptop and those things might change your opinion as to what you’re interested in. And I might just raise a question or topic that could change your mind entirely!

Windows laptops come in all the forms we discussed last week – traditional clamshells, detachables, and 2-in-1s, Most of them come with touch screens and webcams and some come with fingerprint readers. They are priced anywhere from really cheap to phenomenally expensive. But a good laptop for home use should run anywhere from about $400 to $800. If you’re purchasing a new one and you want it to perform adequately well over the course of a few years, get one with a newer Intel processor, at least 8GB of RAM and as large a hard disk as you can manage – at least 256GB but if you are like me and never delete anything, more is better. You can always copy less often used files off to an external drive or a cloud service like Google Drive but many don’t bother (even though we all should – having a 2nd source, or backup, for important files, pictures, licenses, etc is a very good idea). I would recommend an 11th or 12 generation Intel i3 or i5 processor. More than 8GB RAM is fine but IMHO (in my humble opinion) 8GB is an absolute minimum. Buy brands like Microsoft or Dell or HP or Lenovo or ASUS or Acer or any of the brand names that are available at sites like Best Buy or Microsoft’s own storefront (https://go.ttot.link/ShopMicrosoft) – yes, Microsoft’s online store sells computers and accessories from many different manufacturers (also called OEMs which is short for Original Equipment Manufacturers). And make sure you try the keyboard and are happy with the weight and size and clarity of the display!

Microsoft Hello (https://go.ttot.link/MicrosoftHello) is available on most, if not all, Windows laptops. You can login with your password or set up Windows Hello so you can login with your face (via the camera), your fingerprint (via the fingerprint reader) or by a short number that you choose, called a PIN. For comparison, some Macbooks and Chromebooks and ALL iPads provide fingerprint readers to ease sign in. PIN sign in is available on some Chromebooks and all iPads.

Of course, if you purchase a new Windows laptop it’ll be running Windows 11 which, in my opinion is a nice update from Windows 10 – more polished with improvements to the control panel and their included apps. There are tons of apps available, both from the Microsoft Store and from sites all over the Internet. You have your pick of browsers although Microsoft favors their own Edge browser which is based on the Chrome engine but it’s definitely NOT Google so if you have a desire to stay away from Google, Edge is there for you. That’s not to mention the other browsers that are a simple download away – Firefox, Brave, Vivaldi, you name it.

Of course, Windows has been around a long time so there are loads of apps available, not only from the Microsoft store but also from independent software developers. When it comes to apps, I’ll ask if you really think you need an app? No, seriously, please think about it. If you’re into serious music or video editing, an app might be what you need. If that’s the case then you need to be reading other articles because that kind of work often requires different or special hardware that is beyond the scope of this column. Windows 11 can run Android apps! Follow https://go.ttot.link/AndroidOn11 if you’re interested. And it’s been able to run Linux for a long time – see https://go.ttot.link/LinuxOn11.

But how many apps are just windows onto the developer’s website? Think you need a Spotify or Instagram app? Bet you can do as much if not more on their website! And if you prefer to have the website APPEAR as though it were an app, most browsers will let you turn the website into a psuedo-app (i.e. the website will appear in your apps list but will really be an instance of your web browser opening on to the website). Chrome and Edge support Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) as well as installing “shortcuts” to websites so they appear in your Start Menu/Desktop. Desktop Firefox does not natively support them but Apple’s Safari does and, oddly enough, so does Firefox for Android. What is a PWA and a shortcut and why would you want them? A PWA is platform independent – it can run on Windows or Mac or Android. A different version doesn’t have to be created for each platform which lessens the amount of work a developer has to do and makes it easier to install. Since a shortcut is just a link to a website, it too is an easy multi-platform choice. How do they differ from one another? A PWA can run and do some work without a connection to the Internet, a shortcut cannot. How does it do this? Without getting into a lot of technical detail, a PWA is more than just a link to a website – it is code that is downloaded from the website that can do some amount of work on it own (if you want more detail, see https://go.ttot.link/WhatIsAPWA).

Next week we’ll move on to Macbooks, Chromebooks, and iPads. Again, I don’t intend to discuss Android tablets because I don’t think they’re a reasonable laptop replacement right now. And I encourage you to read ALL sections of this column regardless of which type of laptop you think might be for you as I may bring up things you didn’t know, or realize about a particular type of laptop and those things might change your opinion as to what you’re interested in. And I might just raise a question or topic that could change your mind entirely!

Part 3: MacBooks

Last week we discussed Windows laptops and i gave you some ideas and tips that I hope helped you get an idea of what’s available and what to look for. This week we’ll discuss MacBooks, As I’ve said before, I encourage you to read ALL sections of this column regardless of which type of laptop you think might be for you as I may bring up things you didn’t know, or realize about a particular type of laptop and those things might change your opinion as to what you’re interested in. And I might just raise a question or topic that could change your mind entirely!

Whereas many folks make Windows laptops, Apple is the only company that makes MacBooks. It simplifies things in that only one company is interpreting the design but, in the process, it reduces your options. For instance, MacBooks only come in one form factor – the traditional clamshell. Today there are no detachables or 2-in-1s, Many have fingerprint sensors and, as far as I’m aware, all MacBooks have webcams and touch pads.

Cost? A new MacBook runs from about $750 (on a great sale) to well over $3,000. Why so expensive? Well, in my opinion it’s three things:

1) Apple is the only manufacturer so they can set the price to what the market will bear. Why will people pay so much?2) Apple’s image carries a lot of swagger but, for normal people like me3) they last a LONG time!

I know many MacBook owners who’ve had their laptop for 6, 7, and 8 years with no or very little trouble. And if there ARE problems, they go to an Apple store where they can hand their laptop to a “genius” (Apple’s term for their techies) and have it taken care of, sometimes for free (if they are still under warranty or have purchased and maintain Apple Care+ https://go.ttot.link/AppleCarePlus) and sometimes for a fee.

OK, so what models are there and what do they cost? On the low end there’s the MacBook Air. When I say “low end” you have to understand that Apple has traditionally been a platform for professional video and audio editors so, while a low end laptop probably can’t do a lot of fancy video editing it’s more than capable of handling everyday tasks like email, web browsing and some games.

Apple has recently moved from using “standard” silicon computing chips from Intel to chips they (Apple) make. Last year they came out with the M1 chip family consisting of the M1, the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, each of which is more powerful than the previous in that list. They used the base M1 chip in some of their new iPads and the whole family in different models of their MacBooks (more about this later). This year they released the M2 chip (no word yet on whether there will be other versions such as an M2 Pro). The M2 chip is newer and more powerful than the base M1 chip but you’ll pay several hundred dollars more for it. Really, for us casual users, the decision to be made is not whether to get a MacBook Air with an M1 or an M2 chip but whether we want a 13.3″ display with a 720p webcam and stereo speakers or a 13.6″ display with a 1080p webcam and 4 speakers. The former retails for $999 on the Apple website, the latter for $1199.

The MacBook Pro comes with screen sizes of 13″, 14″ and 16″ but currently only the 13″ have the new M2 chip. The 14 and 16″ MacBooks have older M1 Max and M1 Pro chips. Prices are $1299 for 13″, $1999 and $2499 for 2 configurations of the 14″ model, and $2499, $2699, and $3499 for the 16″ model. Yeah, I’d stick with the Air. More information about all of the Macs, not just MacBooks, including cost and configurations, is available at https://go.ttot.link/AppleMacs. Really, though, I can’t see paying another $1000 just to get a 14″ screen but, right now, that’s your only option if you must have a laptop with a screen larger than about 13″.

The MacBooks have access to an app store which Apple is quite proud of (https://go.ttot.link/AppleAppStore) for they have strict guidelines as to what the app developers have to tell you and what information an app has access to (among other things). Apple says they review all apps in their store to make sure they follow their guidelines but some apps can’t follow all those guidelines for one reason or another (or they just don’t want to share the revenue they receive from an app with Apple) so you can also get apps directly from developers or other sellers. Interestingly, if you have a MacBook with a chip from the M1 or M2 family and a newer iPad, some of the apps that you use on your iPad will also run on your MacBook. It’s a nice feature that can help if you have a lot of time or data invested in an iPad app.

Which brings up the concept of an “ecosystem.” If you have an iPhone and/or an iPad, Apple provides a lot of “stuff” to make it easy for them to all work together. You use your Apple id to sign in to your phone or iPad and if you use that same Apple id to sign in to your MacBook then Facetime and iMessage will automatically sync between them all. If you’re working on your MacBook and someone tries to Facetime you, you’ll get the notification and can pick it up on your MacBook. Same for messages., And if you use Safari as your browser on your iPhone, your browsing history and pages can be available on your MacBook, too. While some messaging, calling, and browser apps will provide the same capabilities, each of them has to handle their own synchronization. Apple does it for you automatically.

Yes, I own a MacBook Pro that I got on sale for a great price. But it’s not my favorite laptop. Next week we’ll move on to Chromebooks, and iPads and I’ll tell you what I use on a daily basis. And I encourage you to read ALL sections of this column regardless of which type of laptop you think might be for you as I may bring up things you didn’t know, or realize about a particular type of laptop and those things might change your opinion as to what you’re interested in. I might just raise a question or topic that could change your mind entirely!

Part 4: Chromebooks

Last week we discussed MacBooks and I gave you some ideas and tips that I hope helped you get an idea of what’s available and what to look for. This week we’ll discuss Chromebooks. As I’ve said before, I encourage you to read ALL sections of this column regardless of which type of laptop you think might be for you as I may bring up things you didn’t know, or realize about a particular type of laptop and those things might change your opinion as to what you’re interested in. And I might just raise a question or topic that could change your mind entirely!

Let me say right off the bat that my main laptop is a Chromebook. Why? Hopefully that will become apparent as we go through the particulars but if it’s not, drop me a note and let me know – I’ll write back with my reasons. If I get enough email, I’ll elaborate on the reasons in my next column.

Like Windows laptops, many vendors make Chromebooks and they come in as many configurations as Windows laptops – traditional clamshells, 2-in-1s, and detachables. Almost all but the least expensive have touchscreens and many come with a stylus. Chromebooks run ChromeOS which runs just ONE native application – the Chrome browser. While this may seem like a really strong argument AGAINST a Chromebook, consider how many applications you actually need to run that DON’T have equivalents on the web, Spotify https://go.ttot.link/SpotifyWeb Youtube? youtube.com eBay? ebay.com. And many of these sites can be “installed” as Progressive Web Apps (PWAs as discussed in my column from September 29 – https://go.ttot.link/Laptops-2). Not to mention the apps available to the Chrome browser in the Chrome Web Store at https://go.ttot.link/ChromeWebStore

But that’s not all. You can flip a switch and your Chromebook can also run Android apps! Yes, the same apps you run on your phone, complete with the Google Play store. Depending on how the developer wrote them, the apps can run in a phone format or a tablet format and many can be freely resized and not limited to phone or tablet form factors.

Price? For the most part, a decently powerful Chromebook, one that will likely last you many years, will cost between $300 and $700. What configurations? I recommend 8G RAM memory and at least 128G of storage. But Chromebooks are meant to be connected to the Internet and use the Google cloud drive so you can store your files there as opposed to taking up storage local to your laptop so, if you’re a big cloud user, 64G of storage will likely be enough.

Startup from power off is quick and it runs a security check on the operating system every time you boot it so you know your laptop hasn’t been infected with malware. And if, for some reason, you want to wipe your machine and reinstall ChromeOS, that’s quick, too. Since all your Android apps, Chrome extensions, and PWAs are saved in your Google Drive, they are reinstalled automatically once you sign back in.

Another switch will let you run a full version of Linux!! While Linux may not be your cup of tea right now, you can easily flip that switch and experiment to see if it’s for you. See https://go.ttot.link/InstallLinux for some help for beginners on why you might want to try it as well as help doing it.

Google has committed to providing ChromeOS updates for 8 years from initial availability date (called the Auto Update Expiration or AUE) so you can be assured that your new Chromebook will have OS updates from its initial availability date. Note that this isn’t the date you purchase it but the date it was first available. so be sure to check out https://go.ttot.link/AUE for your prospective purchase.

Chromebooks, like Windows laptops, come and go with new models introduced several times each year. I bought my Chromebooks last year so the ones I bought are somewhat hard to find now in new condition. I have an 11″ detachable that comes with a stylus – the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3 (https://go.ttot.link/Duet3) 8GB model which lists for $429 right now on the Lenovo site. The keyboard isn’t bad for a detachable and is quite serviceable for email and similar light typing. The stylus attaches magnetically to the body and recharges via that magnetic connection.

Chromebooks are equipped with either an Intel (or Intel compatible like from AMD) chip or an ARM chip (ARM chips are what are in most Android phones). Personally, when I’m looking at Chromebooks, I prefer Intel chips. They tend to be more powerful and also more expensive. But a Chromebook with an ARM chip (e.g. Mediatek or Qualcomm), as long as it has 8G RAM, is more than acceptable if you’re on a budget. If you’re interested in the difference between ARM and Intel, take a look at https://go.ttot.link/ARMvsIntel. Check out TechRadar’s list of best Chromebooks for 2022 at https://go.ttot.link/BestChromebooks – they list Intel and ARM Chromebooks but be careful! Some of them only have 4G of RAM. Note that “best” is subjective but the article will give you an idea of what’s available for how much.

My main workhorse is the Acer Spin 713 a 2-in-1 which has a 13″ display, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage, and an 11th generation Intel i5. I got it on major sale last year for around $500. Now, an Intel i5 is really overkill for casual users, an Intel i3 or even an Intel m3 is more than enough. Another good 13″ 2-in-1 is the Lenovo Flex 5i with an Intel i3, 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, which is currently going for $429 at Amazon (https://go.ttot.link/Flex5i).

Part 5: iPads

Last week we discussed Chromebooks and I hope I gave you some ideas and tips that helped you get an idea of what’s available and what to look for. For a look at a range of alternatives have a look at CNet’s recently published 7 “best” Chromebooks for every budget (https://go.ttot.link/CNetChromebooks).

This week we’ll discuss iPads. Why when we’re talking about laptops? Well, some people use an iPad in place of a regular laptop for just about everything!

I have owned iPads for a number of years. Personally, I’ve found the iPad to have great battery life and a good selection of apps that make good use of the extra screen space. You can get just about any mobile browser you like and pretty much every major company has an app, not to mention games! The broad availability of apps means you can likely accomplish just about anything you need to do on a daily basis. Your bank probably has an app. Your grocery and drug stores likely have an app. Want to do some light photo editing? There are plenty of apps for that! Social media? Yup! And pretty much any site that doesn’t have an app, you can use the browser. But the browser on an iPad is a mobile browser which means you don’t have access to the extensions or plug-ins that are available on a true laptop so extensions such as those that make sure you’re getting the best price or that look up coupons aren’t available. By default most browsers request a mobile site when you visit a web site but you can request the site to display the full desktop site if you’re missing content. But, again, you’re not getting the full laptop/desktop browser version so be aware. If the site has an app you can often replace missing functionality by using their app but there are some sites or sections of sites, like Amazon’s Vine, that just simply aren’t available in their app (in this example, the Amazon app).

There’s a full Microsoft Office suite available for the iPad so you have Excel, Word, Powerpoint and the whole shebang available. But you need a license to use the full versions on any iPad that’s 10.1 inches or larger. And if you aren’t tied to Microsoft, you can still get similar function from Apple’s Pages (Microsoft Word), Numbers (Microsoft Excel), Keynote (Microsoft Powerpoint). While not identical to their Microsoft counterparts, they provide nearly equivalent function.

Lets not forget Apple’s other apps that are either already installed or can be downloaded for free from the app store. There’s Calendar, Photos, Contacts, Clock, Maps, Videos, Notes, Reminders, Mail, and News which all provide their expected functions. And there are apps that provide basic photo and movie editing (Photo Booth and iMovie) plus a music making app (Garage Band). The above isn’t an exhaustive list, there are more but it should give you an idea of the range of apps provided by Apple

iPads have an on-screen keyboard much like your phone and the default keyboard is quite serviceable but if you’re coming from Android and prefer the Google keyboard, it’s available from the app store as are any number of other keyboards, including keyboards that offer the full desktop keyboard layout (e.g. Typefinity https://go.ttot.link/Typefinity). And, of course, there are physical keyboards available from keyboards that are part of a cover to external keyboards (https://go.ttot.link/iPadKeyboards).

All iPads have touch screens. Some iPads can make use of the Apple Pencil (https://go.ttot.link/ApplePencil) while others can use capacitive styli (https://go.ttot.link/iPadStyli) which can help with drawing or more precise location and highlighting. Regardless, your finger always works. But you can also use a bluetooth mouse or touchpad or even a keyboard with an integrated touchpad if that’s your preference.

You might be an Android user and wonder why invest in an Apple product if you’re so firmly rooted in Google and Android? It doesn’t have to be all or nothing – I’ve had no issues mixing iPad use with Android phone, Windows laptop, and Chromebook. There are quite a few apps that work on multiple platforms making it possible to run the Android app and the iPad app and see the same information in both. Google’s Gmail is a good example.

Like MacBooks, Apple is the only company that makes iPads. The full range of current iPads is shown at https://go.ttot.link/Apple-iPad along with accessories such as the Pencil, keyboards, and covers. But older versions are available thru other retailers like Best Buy and Amazon, and used iPads are available as including refurbished directly from Apple at https://go.ttot.link/Refurb-iPad.

That’s it for this week. Let me know what you’d like to discuss next week.

As always, my intent is to help you understand the basics and equip you to search for more detailed information.

Please feel free to email me with questions, comments, suggestions, requests for future columns, to sign up for my newsletter, or whatever at [email protected] or just drop me a quick note and say HI!

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