Chromebook or Windows 8 laptop...?

[gino_76ph]

Hi.

I'm buying my wife a new computer in place of her old 2011 Macbook Air. What she normally wants & does with a computer are as follows:

1. A computer with an SD card slot so she can upload her photos on Facebook

2. A computer with a Word-like software and compatibility (like Open Office) where she can make documents, save them (on the hard drive for future editing and to send those documents via email or printing

3. A computer with 2 x USB ports so she can connect a USB stick or portable hard drive in one and then connect her phone (or tablet) on the other to transfer music or videos

4. Be able to watch videos on Youtube or some 3rd-party streaming websites

5. Be able to save her documents and other important files in the cloud via apps like Dropbox, etc.

6. Be able to wirelessly print to any wireless-enabled printer of any .doc, .jpeg, pdf files.

Will a Google Chromebook be sufficient or a Windows 8 laptop be the better option?


Please help.


Thanks.

 

[slpdLoad]

Can you have her switch over to all Google Apps for a month before you make a purchase decision? You can basically try before you buy.

Based on 3, and maybe 2 and 6, I would say basic Windows laptop.

 

[gino_76ph]

My fear is that she is not that tech savvy. The way i see it she wants something that is very user-friendly and very easy to use. The Mac OS X on the Macbook Air was ideal for her as its not too technical and she can just do things easily.

My other fear is that a Chromebook might be too "cloud-based" for her and that she wants something she can do stuff offline and not having to connect to the cloud to access her files always.

 

[mikeymikec]

What's wrong with her MacBook Air?

The cloud-only question is only one you can ask her and see how she feels about it. How/where does she typically or sometimes use her computer?