So it's not a secret that I've been pining for a new laptop for a while now. Mine was slow, and froze all the time, and was generally super annoying to try and write with. I filled the void by using Adam's computer and using my babysitter time to go to the library, but I was itching for a replacement. I didn't want to spend a ton, so I tried to exercise patience and scoured the "back to college" sales.
Then Adam found a deal online! Hooray!
The only issue was that it wasn't a traditional "laptop". It was a 2-in-1 laptop/tablet hybrid. Functions as a laptop, but you can detach the screen and use it as a tablet as well.
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| Looks like a laptop, right? |
I wasn't sure. I mean, I have a phone, I have a Kindle, we have two iPads in the house, and I have a tablet that Adam handed down to me that I literally never use. Ever. I don't need a tablet. I need a laptop.
But it was a laptop...kind of. And it was a really good deal. So I did what made sense to me. I went to an actual store to check it out before committing to an online purchase. I went to Best Buy because I figured they were the most likely to have something at least comparable to what I was considering. Plus, even if it isn't always true, there's at least a good chance that the person you're talking to knows what they are talking about.
So I went to Best Buy. I skulked around for a while, looking for what we'd seen online. But should I look in computers? Laptops? Tablets? Crap. I was stumped by the first step.
I finally found what I was looking for, so I started playing around. I wanted to make sure I liked the keyboard, and that it felt like a laptop and...
Enter salesperson.
SP: Can I answer any questions for you?
Me: Sure! Can you tell me about the 2 in 1 models?
SP: long speech that sounds like either a press release or a Best Buy script. Or both. Function of a laptop with convenience of a tablet! Intel processor! Battery life! Blah, blah, blah, I read all this on a Amazon already.
Me: I guess what my real issue is that I like the size and the price. The laptops I'm looking at seem huge and really expensive! But I don't really need a tablet. I liked my laptop. Will this feel like a laptop?
SP: Oh I get it. We find that a lot of older customers like to stick with what they know and...
Me: totally tuning out because OH MY GOD DID YOU JUST CALL ME AN OLD LADY????
SP: ...I mean, right now, it's a lot like desktops were a few years ago. A lot of people resisted laptops because they were so comfortable with what they knew! But these are really the way personal computing is going and...
Me: still not listening because OH MY GOD you did call me old!!! Geez, I just want a freaking laptop that opens and closes and will work when I sit in my bed at night or try to write at Starbucks! STOP ACTING LIKE I'M A TECHNOLOGY DUMMY!
SP: Do you have Netflix? You can detach the keyboard and watch all your favorite shows..
Me: Ok, thanks. I'm going to think about it.
Sorry, but do I seriously look like I haven't heard of NETFLIX? I mean, clearly I'm not eighteen, but come on! I was done.*
Then I left without continuing to play with it because I really didn't feel like being patronized anymore. And I came home and we ordered it on Amazon because I am NOT OLD and Amazon Prime never makes comments about my ability to embrace changes in technology**.
I've had it for a few days now and I'll admit, there's a bit of a learning curve. So far I have not attempted to detach anything, so as far as I'm concerned, it's a laptop and not a tablet. I'm aware that it has a touch screen, but I haven't used that either. The biggest issues for me are the way the weight is distributed (the bulk of the machine is in the tablet screen, which makes the keyboard very light, which is totally backwards from what I'm used to) and the storage. You are never more aware of how much space an OS takes up until you are working with limited storage.
But I am embracing the change because I am NOT OLD and I can totally handle changes in technology.
So there, Best Buy.
* It is entirely possible that the Best Buy salesperson was not calling me old, and simply explaining shifts in personal computing. This insult to me could have been completely in my head and a result of my own frustration about not being able to find exactly what I thought I wanted.
** It is 100% certain that Amazon Prime didn't call me old. In fact, given the TV shows and toys they suggest to me, based on the videos we watch and what we order, they think that I'm a 5 year old girl. So they still win.
