Backstory/Context: My wife is an aspiring writer and wants to self-publish a novel that she’s been writing. Currently she’s typing on my old Asus ROG gaming laptop that I no longer use. It’s (barely) running Windows Vista, it was built with Crysis in mind (really shows you how old it is), it’s bulky & heavy, and the battery is completely dead (no longer charges)
Originally, I wanted to get her a MacBook because she can switch between MacOS and Windows (via Boot Camp) to get the best of both worlds, that’s until I found out Boot Camp no longer works/exists. I also felt sticking with the Apple ecosystem might be better in the long run, allowing her to sync her iPhone, use iMessage/FaceTime/iCloud etc… when she’s not near her phone, better laptop design & portability.
I’ve been using MacBooks since Leopard-era and have experience with Apple computers before (candy colored iMac and 5200LC) so I know my way around an Apple keyboard & the shortcuts.
She, on the other hand, has only used Windows.
Definitely looking for laptop recommendations in general. Sure, it might be bias to post this in an Apple community but as an Apple user, I’d like to hear other opinions. Maybe there’s a Windows laptop with a similar feel/design of a MacBook? Perhaps the MacBook is the better choice?
Might be worth mentioning that I’ve heard horror stories about people finding spyware on Windows laptops (I think Dell/Alienware was the big one) and I’m totally out of the laptop game.
My previous laptop was a MacBook. It lasted me 10 years and had barely any issues. I’ve never owned an iPhone, but I imagine the integration features are quite nice for those who do.
While MacBooks are overall reliable and the user experience is good, there’s no denying they’re pricey. If all she is doing with it is going to be writing, I would get (at the most) an entry-level MacBook Air, and maybe only with a discount if you can manage one.
Otherwise, something cost-efficient like a Chromebook would be more than sufficient, as basically anything can act as a good text editor. George R R Martin famously writes all of the A Song of Ice and Fire books using Wordstar on a DOS PC from 1987 (though given how long he takes between books, maybe that is a bad example after all).
With that in mind, the decision is ultimately dependent on your own situation. If it doesn’t break the bank to get the MacBook, sometimes getting something nice that costs a little bit more is better than getting just what you need. But for the situation you described, I’d say just about any laptop would do.