So my laptop is dying...

[FurnaceFace]

I'm suffering from the Acer white screen of death on my current laptop. It's 5 yrs old and owes me no favours so I'm looking to replace.

Main use would be photo editing and the like and some minor video editing.
I'd also perhaps use for some documentation, Internets, email, and such.
I no longer game.
I have always been a Windows user but could move to Mac if compelled.
There is a possibility I'd travel with this were it light enough though I am pretty exclusive to my iPad air when I leave the city.
I'm in IT and while I'm a PM I still have some of the old tech support me left and am comfortable tinkering a bit.

I like the concept of the MBA. The form factor feels good. There are some other options out there like the Samsung ATIV which are intriguing. The barrier to going Mac is partly my ignorance of the OS.

Give me some options CP or sell me on a Mac.

Edit: as for price I could stomach the $1700 or so that it would take to get me to an MBA with 8gb ram and a 512 SSD. Cheaper would be better. The MB's all see like overkill to me.

[To Be Quite Honest]

What video editing program are you using?

If you are using Adobe but you are doing minimal video editing you only need an i3. No need for an i5 or i7.

Also get an nvidia so you can use the cuda cores. They will help a lot if you're using adobe.

Stay away from Acer. Thay are frickin' cheap. Last week Memory Express had an Asus on sale last week...

Oh my - http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX51637

Forget everything I said. This is a good deal. One left in the NE.

[underGRADFlame]

Go with a refurb and save a few bucks http://store.apple.com/ca/product/G0...-intel-core-i7

[Diemenz]

What do you use to edit photos and videos. If you have already put down the money on pc Adobe Photoshop or similar your not going to want to break the bank buying it again for Mac.

I went with a surface 3 because I mostly do picture editing (and editing with a pen on screen is amazing) web surfing and office stuff. I had already purchased abode suite and office on pc so I wasn't changing. I personally think the surface is an amazing device because of the versatility.

[FurnaceFace]

I meant to come back and mention the Surface. It's also been intriguing me. I was strongly debating before Xmas. Had my laptop died then I'd have one I'm sure.

My editing tools are mostly Adobe. When I don't really give a damn or just have some basics I use Picasa. The question of investing in Adobe isn't a consideration as...someone else paid for the copy I use.

On the video editing side I don't do anything massive. I trim videos mostly and I have an app I use to create slideshows with some motion to them. It all runs on my old laptop so anything new would be fine. I have visions of splicing up video and pics of my trips into something similar to say the montages at the dome but I'm unlikely to get that far.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Google some reviews of the new Dell XPS 13. This thing is siiiiick. Makes the current Macbook Air look portly and aged. 13" in display in the body of the 11" MBA. Decent if not good battery life. Carbon Fiber sexyiness.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/laptop-...3-2015-review/

That said the new Macbook Air is expected out in the next month or two. Rumors are it will has 1 USB-C port only, and be super thin, coming at at cost of less connectivity, and processor power.

It's taking all of my willpower not to pull the trigger on an XPS13 until I see this new MBA. That and I think Dell prices will come down a bit once the MBA gets announced.

I had a Surface Pro but am going to an Ultrabook. Too heavy to be a tablet. Too floppy to be a decent laptop. Master of None.

[EldrickOnIce]

Not an Apple guy, and never thought I would ever get a mac, until I did. Now I would never go back to a windows based PC, or at least not until Windows OS is something different than it is now.

[dfsflamesfan]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

Not an Apple guy, and never thought I would ever get a mac, until I did. Now I would never go back to a windows based PC, or at least not until Windows OS is something different than it is now.

I also never was an apple guy either. Then I got an Air in my first year of university and my tune changed quickly. 3 years later and it's still amazing and running strong.

[pylon]

Absolutely love my 2013 Macbook pro retina. SSD is a permanent fixture for me now. And the display is beyond ridiculous. However, for work, I simply have to have a PC laptop now , as banking software won't run properly on a Mac, and I don't want to use bootcamp. After humming and hawing, I found the best route, is to order direct from Lenovo's website. I ordered the maxed out version of the flex 2:

http://shop.lenovo.com/ca/en/laptops...ies/flex-2-14/

I ordered the one on the very far right on the second page, basically the maxed out specs: Core i7 4510 2.0 GHZ / 8 MB of Ram / 256 SSD / and touch screen for $849. Less another $20 coupon I found online. That is pretty awesome value for the specs, with the added bonus of touch screen/convertible mode. I paid almost double for my Macbook pro with almost identical specs, less the touchscreen. I plan on doing a lot of powerpoint work with it, so combine with a Chromecast, it should make for a heck of a presentation device.

However, I was sooooooooo tempted to order the maxed out version of this one, I actually had it in the cart, then came to my senses on what I was actually needing it for:

http://shop.lenovo.com/ca/en/laptops...series/y40-80/

They have a i7 5500U / 2.4GHZ / 16GB Ram / 512 SSD / w dedicated GPU version for $1049 if you scroll to the second one from the right. That is awesome specs for the money, but I just can't see myself gaming on a laptop. The only reason I got the Flex was for the touchscreen, as it will work awesome for me when I am throwing a power point onto the flatscreen on the wall of my office.

Anyway, I looked at a million different options over the last few days, and you simply can't get a better deal than ordering direct from Lenovo. And the machines always have a fantastic reputation for quality. The only issue is the 3 week wait for delivery. I'm in no panic, so I can hold out.

Hope this helps.

Edit:

Also, having owned a Macbook Air, and 13" Pro Retina, don't even waste a second of thought on the Air if you are planning on going the OS X route. The new pro retinas are so thin as it is, for only a few hundred more, you get a machine that will destroy an Air, and doesn't feel ultra fragile. In fact, for true laptop computing on the couch, or in bed, I find the Pro more comfortable and less awkward than the Air. The air feel too sharp and 'cutty'. The only Air I would consider is the 11" as I can see the appeal or having such a tiny machine for travel. But If you are going 13" the Air only serves as a vanity machine, as the Pro Retina will walk circles around it, even in base trim. The display alone is worth the $250 difference. Retina looks like glowing paper.

And lastly, if you buy a Macbook right, by speccing it out in mid to high trim and buying on new release, the resale is ridiculous as long as you keep it in mint shape. I usually bail out of them every 2 years, and end up getting about 70% of what I paid. $200-250 depreciation a year and getting to use a flagship notebook is cheap when you consider how Windows machines depreciate.

[Telgip33]

If you are still thinking about the Surface Pro, Future shop (and I think all other retailers of the Surface pro) are having a 1 day only sale today, up to $200 off.

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-ca/microsoft/surface.aspx?icmp=homepage_20150210_s0_one_day_sur face_en

Might be worth checking out if that's the way you are leaning