Apple Reviews, Ratings, and Pricing
Established in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is the most valuable tech company in the world, in terms of net worth. Originally called Apple Computer, the company switched its name to Apple, Inc., in 2007 to reflect its increasing focus on mobile devices and consumer electronics.The company, headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., is best known for its category-defining iPad tablets, iPhone smartphones, and iPod music players. Its Mac laptops and desktops represented 13 percent of the laptop and desktop market in 2011.
Apple is noted for revolutionizing the music industry with iTunes, a media browser and online store that allows users to purchase and download music and video files. In 2008, Apple also introduced the hugely popular App Store, and in 2010, the company’s Mac App Store brought the app experience to laptop and desktop users. The company operates approximately 300 retail stores in 10 countries.
- Web Site: http://www.apple.com/
- Tech Support: http://www.apple.com/support/
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AppStore
Reviews: Apple Laptops
Reviews: Apple Desktops
Reviews: Apple Software
Reviews: Apple Peripherals
Reviews: Apple Tablets
Reviews: Apple Mice
Other laptops:
There's been a surprising number of good budget laptops available recently, and a lot of them are Chromebooks. Since the release of the first Google CR-48 prototype in 2010, each batch of Chromebooks has gradually improved to the point where they can cater for most day to day demands and unless you really need full HD playback, video-editing options and gaming chops they generally do fit the bill. You'll also note that some of the budget portables now have touchscreens as the line between what's a laptop and a tablet continues to blur and will ultimately not matter anymore very soon.
1. Dell Chromebook 11
The
Dell Chromebook 11 is an affordable machine that does not feel or look
like it was made on a budget. Compared to its competitors, this Dell
falls in line with the specs already set by other Chrome laptops on the
market.
At the same time, it also has two USB 3.0 ports. What sets
it apart, though, is its impressive longevity, which makes it perfect
for anyone who wants to get away from the outlet with a mobile hotspot
in tow.
We even recommend checking out what Dell has on offer
before the Acer or HP offerings. For school and/or leisure, the Dell
Chromebook 11 is a no brainer. For now, Dell leads the Chromebook class
with the best-looking and longest-lasting Chrome laptop yet.
- Read our Dell Chromebook 11 review
2. Asus X102BA
At this price point, the Asus X102BA is surprisingly good. We fully expected a similar performance to that of its closest rival, the HP Pavilion TouchSmart 11,
but it betters it in almost every respect – its in-Windows performance
is better, the screen is superior and it's much lighter too.
It's
not the ideal option for business users, but for students or young kids
this is almost the perfect device, thanks to its ability to function as
both tablet and useable laptop when needed.
Your only dilemma now,
thanks to competition from Acer, is whether you buy this or go for the
almost identical offering – both in spec and price - in the form of the Acer V5-122P.
- Read our Asus X102BA review
3. Acer C720 Chromebook
It
comes as no surprise that the first and most affordable budget laptop
we're highlighting is a Chromebook. If you're after something that will
handle basic word processing and spreadsheets, browsing the web over
Wi-Fi and watching YouTube clips then the Acer C720 is a steal.
At
this price you also have to expect compromises: the 1.40GHz Intel
Celeron processor and Intel HD Graphics are up to a lot of tasks, and
also help to secure 8.5 hours of battery life, but can't cope with
intensive tasks such as video editing. Storage is scarce too: a 16GB SDD
is supplied, but then you're expected to embrace the cloud and suck up
the 100GB of free Google Drive space that comes with the purchase.
The
11.6-inch TFT screen is also on the dull side with a limited viewing
angle, and the keyboard refuses to offer decent feedback. But these are
to be expected and the overall package is a bargain.
- Read our full Acer C720 Chromebook review
4. Toshiba Chromebook
Surprisingly,
the build quality on display from the Toshiba Chromebook is impressive,
managing a sturdy build in a plastic frame with even a bit of style. So
the lid is a tad wobbly with its two plastic hinges, but what do you
want for under $300? Besides, the keyboard and click pad don't
disappoint – something that's common in the budget space.
Even for
such a low-power system, 6 to 7 hours of endurance is longer than most
Windows laptops can claim. Another plus is how quickly this Chromebook
charges, meaning less time tethered to an outlet overall. As far as
software goes, Chrome OS has an answer for almost all of your everyday
apps and services. The Chrome Store is slowly growing to meet needs
beyond that of the general user.
The Toshiba Chromebook is the
perfect Baby Boomer laptop, not to mention the mileage students would
get out of this machine. Looking for an incredibly affordable mobile
computer that does, well, what you do most on the computer? This
Chromebook is a wise choice.
- Read our Toshiba Chromebook review
5. HP Chromebook 11
Even if you're used to high end computers such as the MacBook Pro or Samsung ATIV Book 9, every time you pick up the HP Chromebook 11 you get a little jolt of pleasure.
It
feels solid – light yet sturdy. The keyboard is genuinely very good.
The IPS screen's colors are rich and vibrant. The styling feels fresh,
simple, clean and friendly. It feels, in short, like a beautifully made,
simple to use computer.
Our only major complaint was about power.
It's not unreasonable to be demanding a full eight hours' use from a
laptop today, though the microUSB charging is a nice touch. It's a
quarter of the price of even the cheapest 11-inch MacBook Air and it's far more than a quarter as lovely.
- Read our full HP Chromebook 11 review
6. Acer Aspire V5
Looking
at the quality build of the Acer Aspire V5-122P, it's easy to fall into
the trap of comparing it to the Aspire's high-end siblings and end up
grumbling over its performance. Its budget limitations are squarely
reflected in the internals: AMD's A6-1460, which includes Radeon HD 8250
graphics, backed by 4GB DDR3 RAM and capable of dealing with HD video
playback, basic productivity tasks and some simple editing software, but
not much more.
Equally, the 1,366 x 768 native resolution of the
11.6-inch TFT screen is, as you may have spotted by now, pretty standard
on budget laptops and in this case benefits from a bright LED
backlight.
Yet again, battery life rears its ugly head and only
briefly, as the Asus achieves a measly 92 minutes against our Battery
Eater test, and slightly more respectable two hours of general use.
The
Aspire V5 is a stylish looking budget portable but very much a mixed
bag. Ultimately, it's an adequate budget laptop running Windows 8 and,
therefore, worth considering.
- Read our full Acer Aspire V5 review
7. HP Pavilion 15
Sports
car manufacturers might disagree, but its yet to be proven that the
colour red will make a thing go faster on it's own, but it does make the
HP Pavilion 15 stand out from other less stylish laptops at this budget
price.
Make no mistake though, this is a budget laptop powered by
an AMD APU, which combines both the graphics and the processor into one
chip.
The overall experience is still peppy in Windows 8, and
unless you plan to use it for video editing, the Pavilion 5 will handle
all the usual document and spreadsheet work, film watching and web
browsing you can throw at its way. It will also give you a respectable 5
hours of battery life in the process.
The 15.6-inch TN display
isn't going to make film watching an earth-moving experience, though and
the keyboard, as is often the case at this price, isn't very
responsive.
Take a look, if you're looking for a tidy portable on a tight budget and need a full Windows 8 OS.
- Read our full HP Pavilion 15 review
8. Asus V550CA
The
Asus V550CA does a good job of balancing power and price, and at this
price It's no surprise the Intel Core i7 packed isn't the latest: it's
an Ivy Bridge, which means its last gen but still very capable.
There
are no frills here in spec terms as it's designed to be a
straightforward laptop for covering the needs of office work with good
storage, web browsing and a bit of casual gaming.
You shouldn't
expect to use the V5550CA for anything more as the integrated Intel HD
Graphics 4000 are mediocre befitting the low resolution of the 15.6-inch
TFT screen on offer.
But this a capable laptop with a nice
brushed aluminium lid and a generally appealing style, if you want
cutting edge performance, you'll need to pay more.
- Read our full Asus V550CA review
9. Lenovo G500s
Lenovo has a habit of pumping out similarly named products at a brisk trot and the G500s is essentially an update to the Lenovo G505.
The
G500s comes with an Intel Pentium 2020M processor, 8GB of memory and
integrated Intel HD graphics, which means it will handle Windows 8 and
day to day use smoothly enough, along with the likes of HD video
playback on it's sizeable screen.
That's 720p HD, however, not
full 1020p HD as we're still looking at a native resolution of 1,366 x
768. Demanding tasks are firmly off the table, though. You won't be
playing games like Titanfall on this portable.
The G500s isn't the
most portable of devices at 2.5kg, which amounts to hefting around a
small bag of potatoes, which makes it more suitable as a stay at home
device.
We also didn't find that keyboard gave much feedback when
typing, which caused a bit too many mis-types for our liking. But
overall, this is a steady but mundane workmate with a good battery life.
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