Relative is looking for a new laptop for under £350, which is Acer territory apparently. Usage is just Office and Internet.
As their primary criteria is reliability, then personally I would have gone second hand and be looking at a Lenovo or a Macbook.
Now I rate Lenovos as reliable because I've got an old one and it still works, but I've noticed a lot of 2011 i5 Apple Macbooks on eBay under £500
Are they still a reliable choice for a 2011 laptop?
They seem OK being a solid casing, and I'd anticipate having to replace the battery anyway. But I know nothing about them or what the failure rate is.
I'm assuming that anything with an i5 is "fast enough"
What would you buy, something shiny new but mid range, or a second hand Macbook for slightly more money?
As their primary criteria is reliability, then personally I would have gone second hand and be looking at a Lenovo or a Macbook.
Now I rate Lenovos as reliable because I've got an old one and it still works, but I've noticed a lot of 2011 i5 Apple Macbooks on eBay under £500
Are they still a reliable choice for a 2011 laptop?
They seem OK being a solid casing, and I'd anticipate having to replace the battery anyway. But I know nothing about them or what the failure rate is.
I'm assuming that anything with an i5 is "fast enough"
What would you buy, something shiny new but mid range, or a second hand Macbook for slightly more money?