Laptops were scarce this summer. At the low-end of the market, supplies are still limited: Dell’s affordable Inspirons, for example, aren’t available until October. However, an old computer can be just as good as a new one (especially for students).
10 Things to Do BEFORE Buying a Used Laptop!
MacBooks were out of stock for weeks at the height of the pandemic, and cheaper Chromebooks favored by schools were also in short supply. While MacBook Airs are now available with normal shipping times, Amazon’s Chromebook inventory is still hard to come by. For school boards that have to buy in bulk, the outlook is still bleak. But for individuals, the easier answer is a used computer, which can be just as good as a brand-new one. Many people also prefer to hold on to their old equipment.
“Recent data shows that more Britons want to repair rather than replace their smartphones (47%), rather than buy a new one (45%),” nonprofit tech-repair advocate The Restart Project wrote on Twitter. “For laptops, a large majority (58%) would prefer to repair rather than replace.”
Your kids may not want a second-hand computer, but if you have a recent vintage notebook to spare, they should take it because you know its history. Computers don’t change that much from year to year. Even a five-year-old laptop can do everything except the most demanding video editing or 3D gaming.
