Here is the thing. I will be in Mexico in the month of June or perhaps July, shortly after WWDC. I intend to buy a new laptop for my girlfriend during the trip to Mexico. Yes, to Mexico. Just an explanation: I live in Brazil, not in the U.S., and prices of consumer electronics here are just out of this world due to extremely high taxes charged by the government (especially import taxes). So, yes, a laptop in Mexico costs almost half of a laptop in Brazil, even bein more expensive than a laptop in the U.S. (just for the sake of comparison, a low-end 13-inch MacBook Air costs US$ 1,099 plus taxes in the U.S., about US$ 1,250 in Mexico and about US$ 2,280 in Brazil). And I do not have any planned visit to the U.S., so I will probably buy this one in Mexico.
She bought an 11-inch Asus VivoBook in a Best Buy Store in the U.S. last year. Although I am not absolutely sure, the laptop has an Ivy Bridge low-voltage Intel Core i3-3217U 1.8 GHz processor, has 4 GB RAM and a 500 GB 5400 RPM HDD. It weighs about 3.1 lbs. Although she thinks her laptop is small enough to be carried around (and she likes it), she complains that the laptop is too slow (and perhaps a little small) for use at home. Therefore, she is thinking of selling her laptop and buying another one, perhaps one with a larger screen (she has not decided yet, but she is willing to go with a 13.3-inch screen) and faster. The obvious decision is probably an ultrabook, a better one.
If Apple releases the rumored 12-inch MacBook Air with a retina display in June at WWDC, then this is the one she is going to get. However, we can never be sure of what will happen, and the latest rumors point out to the release of this revamped Air in the end of the year. As I will travel to Mexico right probably after WWDC, there will be not much time to choose a different laptop if Apple does not release the 12-incher.
Long story short, as a plan B, I am looking for recommendations on which laptop to buy if Apple does not revamp the Air. My girlfriend has never used a Mac before (just used mine for a while) and she does not know if she will get used to it (but she probably will). I would like to know which ones you would recommend, having in mind that the laptop must be readily available in stores in Mexico, and not in the U.S. I do not even know which laptop stores exist in Mexico City, so it would be nice if you could help me with that as well.
Some obvious choices would be the current 13-inch MacBook Air (or perhaps even the 11-inch model); and the 13-inch MacBook Pro with a Retina Display. Besides that, I could go for the Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus, the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2 Pro, the Asus Zenbook Infinity, the Sony Vaio Pro, the Acer Aspire S7, and other premium (or at least good) ultrabooks. They must have a faster processor, a good screen (preferably IPS), an SSD drive, a good and confortable keyboard and trackpad (she does not need a touch screen), and be very light.
Which ones should I look at?
Thanks in advance.
She bought an 11-inch Asus VivoBook in a Best Buy Store in the U.S. last year. Although I am not absolutely sure, the laptop has an Ivy Bridge low-voltage Intel Core i3-3217U 1.8 GHz processor, has 4 GB RAM and a 500 GB 5400 RPM HDD. It weighs about 3.1 lbs. Although she thinks her laptop is small enough to be carried around (and she likes it), she complains that the laptop is too slow (and perhaps a little small) for use at home. Therefore, she is thinking of selling her laptop and buying another one, perhaps one with a larger screen (she has not decided yet, but she is willing to go with a 13.3-inch screen) and faster. The obvious decision is probably an ultrabook, a better one.
If Apple releases the rumored 12-inch MacBook Air with a retina display in June at WWDC, then this is the one she is going to get. However, we can never be sure of what will happen, and the latest rumors point out to the release of this revamped Air in the end of the year. As I will travel to Mexico right probably after WWDC, there will be not much time to choose a different laptop if Apple does not release the 12-incher.
Long story short, as a plan B, I am looking for recommendations on which laptop to buy if Apple does not revamp the Air. My girlfriend has never used a Mac before (just used mine for a while) and she does not know if she will get used to it (but she probably will). I would like to know which ones you would recommend, having in mind that the laptop must be readily available in stores in Mexico, and not in the U.S. I do not even know which laptop stores exist in Mexico City, so it would be nice if you could help me with that as well.
Some obvious choices would be the current 13-inch MacBook Air (or perhaps even the 11-inch model); and the 13-inch MacBook Pro with a Retina Display. Besides that, I could go for the Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus, the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2 Pro, the Asus Zenbook Infinity, the Sony Vaio Pro, the Acer Aspire S7, and other premium (or at least good) ultrabooks. They must have a faster processor, a good screen (preferably IPS), an SSD drive, a good and confortable keyboard and trackpad (she does not need a touch screen), and be very light.
Which ones should I look at?
Thanks in advance.
