Laptop for middle schooler

[britfish]

DD asked for an apple laptop for Christmas, which is most definitely not in the budget. A friend suggested a chrome book because they use them at school. is a chrome book better than a regular lap top? Any budget or Black Friday suggestions?

 

[tarheel618]

following I don't think Chromebooks have as much functionality as a regular laptop.

 

[havaneselover]

I'd get an inexpensive dell. My sister gave me a $250 one last year and it works great.

 

[monarchsfan16]

Chrome books are pretty much exclusively for accessing the internet. If your daughter ever does school work in Microsoft office, that won't be an option. She'll need to use the Google suite (drive, etc).

 

[britfish]

Chrome books are pretty much exclusively for accessing the internet. If your daughter ever does school work in Microsoft office, that won't be an option. She'll need to use the Google suite (drive, etc).

Good info! Is the google suite something I will need to purchase and add to a lap top?

 

[Psychodisney]

We bought our DD a chromebook when she started high school. Her high school uses google docs for everything so it works perfectly. You can't download anything to it so no I tunes. That is her only complaint.

 

[descovy]

My teen bought herself a chrome book. When faced with the choice between a cheapie laptop, and a decent chrome book she chose the chrome book.

It's light, and the battery lasts a long time.

Google Drive is an online application, nothing to load to a machine. Anyone can access it on any computer, tablet or smartphone. Students just log in to Google. It seems that schools are headed more that way because there's no worry if someone has the "right" word doc.

Mind you we have a "real" computer at home for things like Photoshop and ITunes.

Unrelated to that, we just helped my mom shop for a new MacBook Air. Was $899.

 

[ozziejen2000]

No Chromebook here. Very hard to use for school due to not being able to use Office. We are getting our middle schooler a Dell with office. She has had a lot of complaints with the chromebook that she gets through school. I don't want her using our computer, so time for her own. We got one for $ 400 thru Sams on their pre Black Friday sale. The chromebook sometimes does not always print

 

[ellie05]

I would check Black Friday ads. I got my mac book pro for $800 Black Friday a couple years ago this year we are getting a MacBook Air for DH for under $600.

 

[tarheel618]

I would check Black Friday ads. I got my mac book pro for $800 Black Friday a couple years ago this year we are getting a MacBook Air for DH for under $600.

Where are you getting for 600?

 

[ellie05]

Where are you getting for 600?

Military exchange will have it for $589. I have not really looked through all of Black Friday ads because we don't really need anything. But most of the time they have the same deals as other stores in town.

 

[mjkacmom]

Dd15 has had a chromebook for a few years, and it's fine. The schools all use google, so it works.

 

[angierae]

I would check with your child if google docs is sufficient. In a lot of schools, it is. You can save the files, print - everything, and it's free, while Office is expensive and the schools know that not all the kids can afford to buy it.

(I haven't used Office in I don't know how long, and I got through five years of college using Google Docs just fine.)

What kind of laptop will depend on what your child wants to do with it. Do they just want it for internet browsing and such, or are they going to want to play the latest and greatest games on it?

 

[LynnTH]

I would check with the school also. Both DS17 and DD15 have Chromebooks for school. The school recommended them as they too use Google Docs for everything. They don't use Microsoft Office at all. Once DS starts college then we will get him a MacBook.

 

[Hikergirl]

We use Open Office which is free, so if you do get a laptop you do not have to have microsoft word on it.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

bfads.net has a laptop buying guide for Black Friday. This might help:

https://www.bfads.net/Black-Friday-2016-Laptop-Buying-Guide

 

[monorailsilver]

My older 2 have a small dell that is a touch screen, and it can turn into a tablet/screen flips all the way back.

We got it at Walmart for around $350.

My younger 2 have school issued chrome books (oldest is in 10th grade so they didn't hand them out to 10, 11th and 12th graders). My youngest (5th grade has to keep hers in school, my middle can take his home as all the work so generated on it/google docs. But we as parents are responsible for breakage.

So when home he uses his dell.