<p>I agree with so many of you. Kids, especially teens, just want to not stand out. I’ve seen comments over the years from people who think low-income kids who ask for things on wish trees and the like are being “greedy” asking for brand names or electronics, but I think most of them just want to NOT wear whatever someone donated to their family and to not have to wait in line to use the free library computer, or to listen to an iPod just like their friends. And boy, yes, picapole, a computer opens so many doors! That’s why D’s school helps families with borrowing school laptops and arranging for free or low-cost internet at their homes. </p>
<p>“busdriver, what is it that makes your laptop garbage? I’m typing on a cheap HP laptop that hasn’t had a second’s problem in the 2 years I’ve owned it, and I use it daily. Kids in HS need a computer that they can take notes on and do word processing, upload homework, and update social media. You don’t need a ton of bells and whistles. I think you’re also the person who said above that Chromebooks are crap too. That’s actually the type of computer some of D’s teachers use, as she does, because most all of their work is done on Google Docs. They aren’t meant for hardcore gaming, or any of that, but they boot up instantly, aren’t prone to viruses. and and the work you do on them is in a cloud so even if you lose or break your laptop, the work is saved”</p>
<p>I have an acer Aspire that I bought at Best Buy for less than $300. Thought it was an awesome deal, but it has plagued me with so many problems that I will get angry if I even start talking about them. It is a constant irritant, but I have learned to take a deep breath and deal with all the bugs, at least I know how to get around them. My kids can’t even fix many of them. I should just get a new computer, and I have had many, but never with so many problems. There was a reason this laptop was massively on sale, and if I would have read the reviews instead of just going for the deal, I would never have bought this.</p>
<p>I am not the one who said that Chromebooks are crap. I don’t even know what a Chromebook is. Maybe I should get one, can’t be worse.</p>
<p>I think, though, that if one is going to buy a laptop for a kid, it should be a decent one. Maybe there are some inexpensive ones out there that work well, but I would be careful about buying something just because it is cheap. The kids will use it for gaming and downloading, that’s for certain. I think it would be better to pool with someone else, maybe 2-3-4 people sponsor one kid and get something that works, as opposed to getting one that might be a curse. Like my laptop.</p>
<p>“Imagine if you had no laptop and no near future prospects or resources in the future to get one. If that was me,I’d be thrilled with a used one. (Screened by the previous owner so you would know it wasn’t crap”</p>
<p>I do think kids nowadays really need laptops. There are many schools that see this need and are providing them to the students. But if you are going to get a used one, screened by the previous owner—you might want to know and trust that owner…because usually people get rid of their old ones because they are crap. They don’t ditch the trusty, used laptop that works well.</p>
<p>That’s what I meant - “screening” meaning consider the source of the laptop. I actually do know people who regularly update their laptops just to have the latest and greatest. One persons old is another person’s “new”. Being it is the “season” with word of mouth out there, OP might find someone who has a “gently used” laptop that they might be moved to “gift” to this student. </p>
<p>The school district is getting new computers because they’d have new tests that require latest software.
I wonder what they do with the older ones.
Boeing used to have sales of surplus equipment, the school district buys so frequently that they should have a surplus warehouse too.</p>
<p>Sure they do, busdriver. Our family of three shared one laptop for awhile. Then D got her own for school, H decided he preferred his iPad, and he got me a new laptop because I don’t like being tethered to a desktop. So we had a perfectly good, if slightly older, slightly heavier “good” laptop just sitting in the closet. A young lady that I mentor had posted several times about the struggle to manage schoolwork, child care and job-searching without a computer of her own. So we restored it to factory settings and I drove it over to her. She was ecstatic. She doesn’t care that it isn’t the latest, greatest, fastest or has the newest possible software. It have given her dozens of hours of extra time and she really appreciates it.</p>
<p>Especially in Seattle.
I apologize if I am stereotyping here, but I know lots of engineers , not even computer techs, who have to have the newest thing. They donate their old stuff if they don’t have any kids or partners to take it.</p>
<p>I also bought an Acer netbook at Costco but it was frequently freezing up. I found it very irritating, so returned it to Costco. I am happier without it and use the iPad mini as well as my desktop and smartphone instead. I don’t need a device that freezes up.</p>
<p>We had the same problem with an Acer. Fortunately there are other lower-cost brands that work very well. I love my HP and both D and my adult son are thrilled with their HP Chromebooks. H is an iPad person now too.</p>