Laptops and tablets are likely to be big sellers this back-to-school shopping season as more and more classrooms incorporate them into lessons.
High school students Kira and Morgan Ross know all too well back to school shopping is more than just stocking up on pens and paper.
“A lot of kids are lazy, they don't want to write out their notes, so they use their laptops,” said Morgan, who is going into Grade 12. “They'll bring their own, we can use our own in the school.”
Sales specialist Chan Paranaque said the lightweight Toshiba P-50 laptop is perfect for students. It has a fast Intel processor, 16 gigabytes of RAM, and comes with a built in graphic card. It retails for $970, but Paranaque said it’s worth the price.
"This one if very affordable, but at the same time, it's very powerful," he said.
If you're in the market for a tablet, there are some innovative options beyond Apple's iPad. The Sony Xperia waterproof tablet for $500 is designed for clumsy students prone to spills while studying.
"They're so smart, all the ports, they've enclosed them here, so it won't ever get wet," said Paranaque.
Not sure if you want a laptop or a tablet? Some models give you both options.
An attachable keyboard turns the Microsoft Surface Pro into a laptop, while the Lenovo Yoga laptop has the flexibility to be used as touchscreen tablet.
"It’s pretty good, because of the touch screen,” said Paranaque. “Now you can play around with it and interact with the computer more."
To get the most bang for your laptop dollar, Paranaque recommends models with 8 to 16 GB of RAM, a hard drive with 500 GB to one terabyte of storage, and a graphic card to run games, movies and high-end software.
For more information about the laptops and tablets featured:
- With a report by Karen Rocznik
