laptop to pair with iMac? (laptops, desktops, keyboard, email)

[Droppin By]

Hi all, looking for a good portable option for graduate school. I have an iMac that I'll be using at home and for the majority of my work. What is the best option to pair this with? I don't have an iPad or Apple laptop (well I do, but it's a 2006 model Macbook that isn't super functional) and can't afford a new one. Been looking at cheaper Windows laptops and Chromebooks. I use the Chrome browser quite a bit and have moved a lot of things into my Google Drive cloud, so the Chromebook is appealing.

Portable device will mainly just be used for being able to collaborate in class with other students, access docs on the go, check email and browse the web during down time. Maybe some note taking, but I generally prefer to do that by hand.

I also read somewhere that I can remote access my iMac with a Chromebook -- so if I had something on my iMac at home and needed access to it on campus, I could access it?! Is that correct? What specs should I be looking for?

A decent Chromebook might be good enough given that you already have a computer.

Yes you can use Chrome Remote Desktop.

Specwise I'd probably go for a Celeron-based unit to get better performance than you're likely to see in an ARM Chromebook.

[davebarnes]

You already know the answer.
You just don't want to fork over the money.

[SD4020]

MacBook without a doubt. My favorite Apple retailer, locally owned, has a MacBook Pro. Having a hard time justifying it. I have an 21.5" iMac which I love and just picked up an iPad Air 2. I like how it all ties together.

[everwinter]

Originally Posted by Droppin By

Portable device will mainly just be used for being able to collaborate in class with other students, access docs on the go, check email and browse the web during down time. Maybe some note taking, but I generally prefer to do that by hand.

Based on this ^ I vote for a Chromebook. I bought my wife one for her birthday, & we're constantly sharing/using it even though we both have higher end pc's or laptops & tablets. All-day battery, very light, thin, loads very quick, updates take about 5 seconds. I splurged and got one with a beautiful screen (1080p) & good sound & it's perfect to watch netflix while lying around.

It's amazing how decent of a laptop you can get now for around $200. Heck, I played around with the Hisense Chromebook at Wal-mart yesterday & was impressed at how decent a $150 chromebook felt (keyboard, trackpad, construction).

Edit: Sorry, forgot to comment about Remote Desktop. Yes, you can have remote access to your iMac. Basically, you install an extension through chrome on your chromebook & an extension on your Mac & that's all there is to it. Macs do not have audio support for some reason though with remote desktop. Windows desktops do, so not sure why it doesn't work for Macs.

Something else to consider is if you do group projects & your classmates use Microsoft Word. Everyone of my classmates use Word & there are lots of group papers & powerpoints we work on. You can use the web version of Word on a chromebook, but I've found that it doesn't format well with the offline full version of Word. For quick access & light usage on the go at school though, you'd probably be fine.

[Droppin By]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

You already know the answer.
You just don't want to fork over the money.

I'm aware that I "know the answer". I stated in my first post that the obvious choice is a MBA or MBP or some other Apple product, but I just can't afford it. It's not just a matter of not being able to fork over the money, it's a matter of not having $900 extra laying around. $200? Yea, I can swing that. I'm trying to avoid using loan money for a computer that will go through upgrades and improvements in two years.

Originally Posted by everwinter

Based on this ^ I vote for a Chromebook. I bought my wife one for her birthday, & we're constantly sharing/using it even though we both have higher end pc's or laptops & tablets. All-day battery, very light, thin, loads very quick, updates take about 5 seconds. I splurged and got one with a beautiful screen (1080p) & good sound & it's perfect to watch netflix while lying around.

It's amazing how decent of a laptop you can get now for around $200. Heck, I played around with the Hisense Chromebook at Wal-mart yesterday & was impressed at how decent a $150 chromebook felt (keyboard, trackpad, construction).

Edit: Sorry, forgot to comment about Remote Desktop. Yes, you can have remote access to your iMac. Basically, you install an extension through chrome on your chromebook & an extension on your Mac & that's all there is to it. Macs do not have audio support for some reason though with remote desktop. Windows desktops do, so not sure why it doesn't work for Macs.

Something else to consider is if you do group projects & your classmates use Microsoft Word. Everyone of my classmates use Word & there are lots of group papers & powerpoints we work on. You can use the web version of Word on a chromebook, but I've found that it doesn't format well with the offline full version of Word. For quick access & light usage on the go at school though, you'd probably be fine.

Thanks for the insight. I wondered about Word compatibility. I know there's Office Online for free on Chrome as well. Going to a couple stores today to look at different options for computers.

I'd rather pay $200-$300 for a Chromebook now, use it for the 2 years I'm in school, and be able to get a better spec'd and updated MBA or MBP after I graduate rather than by a MBA or MBP now and have it be a bit outdated in 2 years.

[everwinter]

Compatibility issues I've run into with using Word online -

Word online doesn't display rulers or gridlines. This is huge to me, because indentations & bullet points will be off & I always use the ruler feature to fix it. General spacing will appear different. For example, I'll type a document in the regular version of Word on my Windows laptop & later open the document on the Chromebook from Microsoft Onedrive using the Word online version, & the spacing will appear all messed up.
Now if you have Microsoft Word on your iMac, then you'll probably be fine for light Word access on a Chromebook until you get home.

If Word is really important, there's always the HP Stream 11, which comes with Microsoft Office. Also, Acer is coming out with a Cloudbook with Windows 10 in Mid August.
Acer Aspire One Cloudbook with Windows 10 coming in August for $169 | Windows Central

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by Droppin By

Hi all, looking for a good portable option for graduate school. I have an iMac that I'll be using at home and for the majority of my work. What is the best option to pair this with? I don't have an iPad or Apple laptop (well I do, but it's a 2006 model Macbook that isn't super functional) and can't afford a new one. Been looking at cheaper Windows laptops and Chromebooks. I use the Chrome browser quite a bit and have moved a lot of things into my Google Drive cloud, so the Chromebook is appealing.

Portable device will mainly just be used for being able to collaborate in class with other students, access docs on the go, check email and browse the web during down time. Maybe some note taking, but I generally prefer to do that by hand.

I also read somewhere that I can remote access my iMac with a Chromebook -- so if I had something on my iMac at home and needed access to it on campus, I could access it?! Is that correct? What specs should I be looking for?

A 2006 was Core Duo, a first generation. It was way underpowered when it was new. A slightly newer (last five years) MacBook or MBP will be more functional and run the current OS. Why not look for one on eBay, or Craigslist?

[Francis_3]

Originally Posted by Droppin By

Hi all, looking for a good portable option for graduate school. I have an iMac that I'll be using at home and for the majority of my work. What is the best option to pair this with? I don't have an iPad or Apple laptop (well I do, but it's a 2006 model Macbook that isn't super functional) and can't afford a new one. Been looking at cheaper Windows laptops and Chromebooks. I use the Chrome browser quite a bit and have moved a lot of things into my Google Drive cloud, so the Chromebook is appealing.

Portable device will mainly just be used for being able to collaborate in class with other students, access docs on the go, check email and browse the web during down time. Maybe some note taking, but I generally prefer to do that by hand.

I also read somewhere that I can remote access my iMac with a Chromebook -- so if I had something on my iMac at home and needed access to it on campus, I could access it?! Is that correct? What specs should I be looking for?

For remote access you can use tools like Chrome remote desktop, Logmein, Gotomypc, R-HUB remote support servers, Teamviewer etc.