I do not understand this at all. I am on Medicare and have a SS account and all my kit and caboodle health accounts and I don’t have any trouble accessing on my iPad. Why would an iPad be less secure ? Because it’s easier to lose? I’m perplexed 
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I bought a laptop recently. A PC.
Why? Because I can get excel on it. My husband insisted.
I wanted something that had windows 11. We had an ancient desktop.
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I have an Acer lapptop that was highly rated in the budget section, cost $250 about 6 years ago and have never had any problems at all. Great visuals.
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I have an iPad and a Chromebook. A few years ago, I realized that a Chromebook could do everything I used my laptop for since I’m not a heavy gamer. As a teacher, we use Chromebooks at work and we rarely have issues with viruses or failures. I ended up with an Acer Chromebook and it’s more than enough for my needs.
For everyday scrolling, planning, and app integration, I tend to use my iPad more and more. I’m finding there are lots of app based things I use it for that just don’t exist on a PC like my contractors app, an integrated notes app, or my workout app. I could use my phone for them if I had to. I still prefer to do “work” tasks on my Chromebook. Simply because I like having a keyboard and function keys. I suppose I could solve that problem with an iPad keyboard, but for the price of a Chromebook, I like to have both.
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Good point about having an iPad keyboard. To me that’s essential and I wouldn’t have an iPad without it.
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I’ve used both in the workplace environment and I’m iOS all the way at home and now at work (self employed WFH). IPhone iPad laptop desktop. I buy the Microsoft Suite as I prefer Word and Excel over Pages or Numbers. And I hate Mail. But the operating system is so much more intuitive to me than a PC. I can easily figure out anything I don’t know how to do.
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I don’t use Google Drive…for anything.
Was just offering a simple solution. 
I use a windows laptop with a Microsoft office suite. I do use Excel frequently because I am a retired accountant and I set up excel spreadsheets for everything. Rather than use Quicken (which we had tech issues with) I set up a simple spreadsheet in excel and use it as a rolling check register. If I want to see how much I have paid a certain vendor or for a specific thing, I just do a sort. (I include columns for expense category). I pay everything I can online.
I have other excel sheets for to log my reading, track fitness activity, do my packing lists and have a password document, etc.
I also use Word. I am currently working on a comprehensive document with instructions for my kids when I die, It’s easy to update. I create other documents as necessary.
I realize reading this that I don’t sound like a person who is fun IRL, but I swear I am!
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Good tips and realistic uses for the laptop.
I have no doubt you’re a barrel of fun - AFTER you put away the excel sheets! 
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Although I use an iPad the most, I need a (laptop)computer for doing taxes, spreadsheets, word documents, keeping and editing mailing lists, both electronic and USMail. I often write a long email in word and then copy it into an email on a PC. I keep financial documents, scan documents to printer when necessary. I can see more detail on some outside portals on a PC. Most used spreadsheets include asset lists, trip planning by day, passwords, other financials. Doing some tasks and file management is more efficient for me on a computer.
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Check out the MacBook Neo - very affordable for an Apple laptop
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There are things my phone won’t do, which is very frustrating (it’s giving me fits when I try to highlight and copy a few lines) and there are things available on websites that aren’t on apps (and in some cases, like delta airlines, vice versa). But I find it easier to access websites on my laptop than my phone or iPad.
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Seems that many Tableau based web pages do not render properly on mobile phones.
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It is such a personal decision that it is hard to advise. Both of my retired parents use their iPads 95% of the time and rarely touch the laptop and desktop computers in the house –there just doesn’t seem to be much use for them now that they are no longer working outside the home.
I am a little confused by posters who seem to suggest that one can’t use the Microsoft Office on an Apple laptop. I’ve owned both Windows computers and Macs over the years. I have always used Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc on both platforms. I dislike subscription based software so if my work has not provided it, I’ve bought the download. Has something changed so the Office suite is no longer available for the Mac?
Anyway, I do a lot of graphics work with software that is only available on the Mac or runs better on the Mac so I tend to lean towards Apple when given a choice. However, some jobs have required that I use Windows so I have often owned one of each and switched between the two depending on the task. I don’t think it is that challenging to go back and forth between the two ecosystems though the integration between iOS and a MacBook feels more seamless. PCs tend to be less expensive to purchase though I still prefer the Mac.
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15 years ago my family all used Dell, but we experienced blue screens often (had t re-install operating system) or something would just crash. I switched everyone to MAC and we haven’t had any problem since. I assume Dell and other PCs have resolved a lot of those issues since. But MAC is very integrated with my iphone and ipad., so it is just easy.
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Our D has used PCs almost exclusively through school and now work. Regardless of the brand, she seems to have to change it out every 3 years because something major dies. I had my last two Macs for over 10 years each. The last laptop lasted 12. So the upfront cost may be higher, but IME the cost of ownership is a lot lower because they last so long.
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My current Mac is 6-7 years old. It still works well and doesn’t freeze or spin on me.
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I’ll add that my husband has a PC laptop - it is here in a pinch but I never use it and if I have to help him with it, I dislike the way he has it set up!
A pet peeve for me would be sharing tech equipment - I do not want to share my tech except on rare occasions!
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I use based on comfort and familiarity. I use my pc laptop with a separate keyboard for all my “serious” computer work - financial management, minutes for the organization I’m secretary of, creating social media for same organization, more in depth internet searching and shopping, longer emails, etc. I can just think and type so much faster on an actual full size keyboard and see it better on a laptop screen. Especially compared to my phone. I use my iPad for less involved stuff (CC for example!) and my phone only when out and about.
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