I just be wondering if there are any other outcasts in the computing sphere that use a 🖥 Mac?

I ended up trading my Airbook for credit which was applied to a new Airbook with the new M2 chip. As I muck about with audio and video I will see what this new puppy can do.

Apple devices have their pros but can't imagine justifying the price.

Our most recent laptop, now a few years old, was purchased with work and homeschooling in mind. So the screen is a bit bigger than the minimum, as was the processor.

We bought one from Dell that came with Ubuntu Linux preinstalled, but we ended up installing our favorite, standard Linux Mint (MATE edition) on it. It still works great. Hopefully it will provide many more years of good service.

It seems like a number of you have recommended the Acer and Asus brands.  What are your thoughts on Lenovos?

IMO Lenovo is better than both. It's a good brand, they make good hardware and I love their keyboards. Can be a little spendy, especially if new, but worth it if ones willing to pay. 

Good to know!  There is one that I see at Costco that has very good ratings but there are only 44 or so reviews [I typically like to see hundreds of reviews]: 

Lenovo Ideapad 5

The online price is $799, but as a Costco member I can get $150 off of that.

What do you all think about this one?

 Earlier this year I replaced a three year old Surface Pro (which replaced a Fujitsu laptop with Windows Vista) with a Lenovo YOGA 9I, Intel Core i7 processor, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD hard drive, 14” touch screen 2-in-1 (the screen folds around to the back of the keyboard to make a tablet).  It was on sale at BestBuy for $1,000.  Costco had some good values at the time also.
 
One of my primary criteria was a lighter weight.  For the last 5 years I’ve lived on the family farm with DSL internet coming over ageing rural phone lines.  It works okay for e-mail, looking in on a forum, looking stuff up on a site that isn’t too graphically intense.  I do not watch videos or movies at home.  Zoom meetings can be hit and miss.  When I want to download a large file or a new application, or watch a video, I go the library in town.  I can also reserve a study room there when I need to be on a zoom meeting.  So, I don’t want to lug around something big and heavy.  In my shopping, both three years ago and last spring, I discovered that as with camping gear, the lighter and more compact the laptop the more expensive, usually.
 
I liked the Surface Pro, and especially its thinness and that it weighs less than two pounds.  However mine had a 128 SSD hard drive that was getting full and only 8 GB RAM, and seemed to be getting sluggish.  While useable, the detachable keyboard wasn’t my favorite thing.  The Lenovo was a nice upgrade at a nicer price than a new Surface.  I don’t mind the smaller screen, but there is always the option of connecting a larger monitor at home if one wants.

If the laptop is rarely, if ever, going to move off one’s desk, than size and weight won’t matter.
As others have said, if one is a Costco or BestBuy Total Tech member you can try out a laptop at home and have 90 or 60 days to return it if it’s not what you want.

If this is the one, I think it looks like a great deal. Another huge plus is that you can take it back within 90 days no questions asked if it give you any problems. But it should do whatever you want it to do nicely.

Yes, this is it.

You will be very happy with it I bet, Windows 11 supposed to be very similar to 10.

Got it!

Nice!
A few hours of getting it set up, updating windows, redoing bookmarks and etc. and it should do a good job for you, hopefully for years!