I am looking for some advice on what I might get to replace an aging HP Chromebook (14x-101nr) that my wife uses. The battery is totally dead and it’s pretty slow. Most of the stuff she does is pretty simple: web browsing, e-mail, some spreadsheet work, watching movies –
I am not too familiar with the older/used Macbook and Macbook Air, but I’m assuming that something there might work for her – I don’t want to spend much (<$350?), but also don’t know how to evaluate how old I can go, or what processor speed/RAM I would need to make sure it is sufficient for her needs and I don’t end up getting something WORSE.
Why not an iPad? A 9.7" can be purchased new for $329.00. It sounds like it would handle all the tasks your wife has. I had a netbook computer when I bought my first iPad in 2012.
If that doesn’t suit her, I’d vote another Chromebook.
I would get an iPad too but since she is doing email she might want a real keyboard. Unless she’s used to typing on glass or interested in learning stick with chrome book.
I seconded getting another Chromebook. Just picked one up for an older family member and they love it. I was quite shocked at how well they work as a guy who only buys Macs. The thing boots quickly, wakes up super fast, and just seems to work. The only issue I had was the screen is not as good as my rMBP but still its not that bad.
I kind of want to buy one for myself as a second computer to take with me to the coffee shops or when I travel. Kind of like a throwaway computer and not worry about losing my MacBook.
Thanks for the advice… a newer Chromebook might do the trick, but I did leave out some details. Sometimes she needs to edit Excel spreadsheets and I don’t think that is possible on a Chromebook. She also used to have a Macbook and is used to how it works – the Chromebook is “frustrating”. (She’s not very tech-y at all).
I’ll think about the Chromebooks ,but how do the older Macbook and Macbook Airs perform in this price range?
Afraid I’ve no idea about the performance of older MacBooks etc however, I believe that you can use excel on a chrome book, apparently MS has a ‘web’ version of it’s office apps which should run ok on a Chromebook (I’m not sure if you need to subscribe or if it’s freely accessible). There is also a free office suite called Libreoffice which you can get for most platforms, Chromebook included I believe. I’ve used LibreOffice on Windows & Mac, it’s pretty good (and free!). Its compatibility with excel files isn’t too bad, I’ve not had any major issues with it yet, only minor formatting issues in my own experience. Depending on the level of compatibility you require with genuine excel files, that might open some options for you.
Note that the Google Sheets app has long allowed you to open, view and edit Microsoft Excel files directly on a Chromebook. The application saves your edited Excel files to Google Drive.