hello! I am currently on the hunt for a new laptop. I really only need it to type essays, research, music etc. since i am a political science major. I don’t know if it should get a mac book ( it’s more reliable) or if i should get a dell or lenovo. I need something that will last and not burn out on me.any help would be appreciated because I don’t know much about laptops. thanks!!
Mac is more reliable, Windows is cheaper. Actually, if you only want to do the kind of stuff you listed you might be best-served with a Chromebook. They’re cheap, lightweight and much less vulnerable to viruses than either (if you need to turn in a .docx you can download Google Docs as docx).
Most modern computers should have no difficulty lasting for four years; it’s just a matter of how responsible you are using it (which especially applies to Windows, and a little bit to Mac as well).
I wouldn’t compare MacBooks to Windows when considering reliability; reliability is mostly a hardware issue, so it really depends on the manufacturer of the computer. Macs are not immune from problems. Both of my roommates with MacBooks had serious problems with pregnant batteries on their machines (which is actually dangerous to the user and caused further damage to the computer, including a cracked trackpad). Both Dell and Lenovo make some high-quality laptops and some cheap, less reliable ones. I’m not really familiar with Dell’s lineup right now to know what’s good, but for Lenovo go for a ThinkPad instead of an IdeaPad. They’re more expensive, but much better quality.
Whether to get a Mac or PC I think is a matter of personal preference is you’re not in a field with specific software requirements.