Student user

Students prefer cheap notebook computers with portability. Since students have to carry their notebooks from one class to another, they prefer notebooks that are light in weight with low-power systems. However, this means that the notebooks have smaller screens and single-core processors. They also lack optical drives. Sony VAIO M series, HP Mini 210, and some models of ASUS are typical examples that have long battery life and sleek design.

Dual-core options are also available for students who are engaged in research. These cheap notebooks also have optical drives that allow saving important information. Apple’s 13-inch MacBook is an example.

Apple MacBook Pro MB990LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Price: Too low to display

Business traveler

Business people move around from different places for conducting business. What they prefer is a cheap notebook with good computing experience, data storage, access to management tools, security options, and easy connectivity.

Lenovo’s ThinkPad and Dell’s Latitude fall in this category. These notebooks offer good security features, software and hardware components that complement the operating system. The RAM is around 2GB to 4GB, HDD is 160GB or above, display screen from 12 to 15 inches, and a port for mobile broadband modem.

Photographer and Videographer

Photographers and videographers are those who work with high-definition videos and high-resolution images. This category of professionals require huge storage space of up to 8GB RAM, 500GB HDD, and tools that assist in photography and videography.

Apple’s MacBook Pro notebooks are among the most popular in this category with better display, FireWire, faster processor, and SD-card slot. All this put MacBook Pro in the cheap notebook category. The Final Cut software, widely popular video-editing software, is available only in Macs.

Gamer

PC gamers generally prefer desktop because of their sturdiness. However, gaming notepads have come of age with faster components, greater flexibility, and better cooling. Both high-end brands and budgeted brands are available for an aggressive gamer. Gateway’s P-series is an example of a budget-minded notebook. It uses slightly older components but overall it is good.

Home user

From adults to children, notebooks find use at home for watching a movie to playing games to gathering data information. Several brands are available for home users that are equipped with Core 2 Duo processor of Intel, 2GB of Random Access Memory, 250GB or above HDD, and a DVD burner. One can buy cheap notebook for less than $1000 in this category.

To get a pay monthly laptops with credit card started you must create an online account with the vendor of your choice. Once you sign up you can choose your laptop and check out your order. Once the account has been finalized and your item has been placed in the check out basket, the company delivers your laptop to the address you provide. You can pay from your paycheck or credit card.

Some of the pay monthly laptops with credit card offers give you other alternatives. You can pay off the computer with your plastic cards, or you can make comfortable monthly installments by choosing the flexible finance options.

These types of offers however require that you fill out an application. IF the offer does not say bad credit can get approved, you may want to check out other offers if you have bad credit. The more applications you fill out for financing the more it goes against your score. If you have good credit then fills out the application to get approved. The APR on financing is high most times, e.g. you might pay 24.9% in APR rates. You may want to wander around the Internet to find lower interest rates or even no interest offers. That interest rate could lead to you paying more for a computer.

Types of computers to finance

You can also buy Macbook Pro computers through the pay monthly laptops with credit card stores. This is one of the top computers sold on the market today. Macs tend to be more stable than common computers, especially laptops, so if you are looking for a computer for business you may want to see if you can finance the Macbook. There are many name brand computers to consider as well. Toshiba is more reliable than some of the leading brand computers and you can save money through the pay monthly laptops with credit card stores.

There are three members of the Apple Macbook family:  the lowly Macbook, the Macbook Pro and the Macbook Air.  The basic Macbook starts at $999, the pro at $1199, and the air at $1499.  The Macbook is aimed at the basic user, the pro at users with more demands for power and the air at fashionistas.

Obviously, these price tags take even the Macbook out of the range of many consumers.  Macbook and Macbook Pro pay monthly schemes are therefore highly sought after.  Unfortunately, no credit financing is very difficult to come by.  If you have some credit, on the other hand there is an option to make monthly payments on any Macbook for no additional cost.

To take advantage of this offer you need to take out a Barclaycard Financing Visa credit card.  You can only use this offer once.  For your first purchase over $900, you will get 12 months same as cash financing for free.  You also do not have to put forward any down payment.  This means that you could buy the Macbook in a year for $83.25 per month; a much more affordable option.

If you want true no credit financing for a Macbook, you are going to have to look much harder.  Look for lease to own schemes offline as well as on the internet and if you do manage to find one, make sure the company is genuine and reputable.  Also, be sure to read the small print as it is bound to be more expensive to go down this route.  Find out what down payment you have to make and what percentage interest will be charged; what will you be fined if you make a late payment?  If the deal still seems good once, you have found this information then this could be a great way for you to get yourself the Macbook you have been craving even without a good credit rating.

In summary, for those of you with any chance of being approved for the Barclaycard, this is probably the best way forward.  If you do not have credit then things are trickier and you will have to look hard for a scheme to help you.  If not you will just have to save until you can buy one outright.

Firstly, Apple technology is largely proprietary and kept locked down.  This means that they favor a business model where they only sell their equipment through their own Apple stores, online, and through authorized Apple dealers.  When looking for a credit option with no money down, it’s important to ensure you’re purchasing from a recognized Apple dealer to ensure that your credit information is safe and also that you have somewhere legitimate to return the equipment in case there are any problems with it.

If you do need credit, the best place to purchase the computer from is actually Apple’s own website.  However, you should first check what your credit rating is like – if it is poor, unfortunately, you will find it difficult to obtain the credit necessary or, if you do obtain credit, the interest rate is likely to be very high.

If your credit rating looks good, then go to the Apple website.  On the website you can fill out a form to apply for credit – their credit service is currently provided by Barclaycard.  The great thing about this particular way of financing the purchase is that, provided the purchase is over $900 (which the MacBook Pro range is), all finance charges are only applied to the account if it’s not paid off within a year (provided the minimal payment is made to the card each month).  This means that you can have a MacBook Pro no money down credit agreement, provided that you pay the balance by the end of the initial 12 months.  If you are unable to do this, after the 12 months, you will simply start to incur interest payments in the same manner as any other credit card agreement.

One of the easiest and most straightforward options for financing a MacBook is with the Barclaycard Visa Card. This is Apples credit card that they offer through their online store and retail stores. The application process is easy and can give you an approval decision within 30 seconds of submitting your application. They do have a disclaimer saying that this can take longer in some cases where further analysis of your application is needed.

The whole process of using the Barclaycard Visa Card to buy a MacBook Pro has been made to be easy. They have three different ways for you to be able to apply for this credit card. You can apply online, you can apply by calling 1-800-MY-APPLE, or you can apply by visiting an Apple retail store. Whatever option is most convenient for you should be the one that you choose. There is no difference in what option you choose as far as the whole application process is concerned.

After being approved for the Apple credit card you then are free to buy your new MacBook Pro. There is no reason to wait until your card comes in the mail because they have set it up to allow you to make purchases right away. If you are making your purchase online all you have to do is sign in to your Apple online store account. At checkout your new Visa card account number will automatically be sent to you can use it for payment.

Apple currently has two different excellent financing offers that will allow you to make monthly payments for a MacBook Pro. If you plan on spending more than $900, which you should be if you are buying a MacBook Pro, then you can get 12 months same as cash financing. This will allow you to make monthly payments over a 12 month period and not have to pay any interest on the amount that you have financed. If you plan to spend less than $900 on your purchase you can receive a six month 0% financing offer. Either way both of these offers allow you to make monthly payments on your purchase and avoid having to dish out all your extra cash and savings to buy a new laptop.

If you do not get approved for the Apple Barclaycard Visa then you can try contacting your current credit card company and asking them if they have any special financing offers. If they do you can still take advantage of receiving low interest financing and paying monthly for a new Apple Computer. The MacBook Pro pay monthly options listed above will help you to be able to buy that new computer today.

It is important to keep in mind that only a select number of authorized dealers can legally sell Apple laptops, desktops and other products. If you are considering a store on the web, make sure that they specific that they are authorized to carry the products in which you are interested. Without this seal, you cannot be sure that you are getting a first quality, new item. Because of the tight dealer regulations associated with Apple products, customers will find that there is less price variability from store to store. Keep this in mind if you think you have found a great deal. In most cases, if the price is considerably lower than the suggested retail price, you may not be buying the computer you think you are.

Though Apple does not offer a rent to own program through their website, they do offer financing on all the computers that they manufacture. This financing program is run in partnership with VISA and approved applicants may pay as little as $46 dollars a month for a 15” MacBook Pro. Do keep in mind that this credit option will require a credit check, so it may not be available for those with bad credit or no credit. In addition to being offered on their website, applicants may visit their local Apple store for more information about the company’s financing programs.

If you are have no credit, rent to own options may be the only options that are available to you. When considering a rent to own MacBook Pro deal, make sure that you fully understand the terms and conditions of the contract. Rent to own offers will end up costing you more in the long run, but they typically require no money down and few credit checks. However, if you are signing up for a monthly payment plan that you cannot afford, be aware that one missed payment may result in losing your computer and all the money that you have paid thus far. Always talk to the representative at a rent to own store about their policies on repossession and interest accumulation.

Many local rent-to-own stores do not carry electronics. If this is the case in your area, there are a number of businesses that operate primarily online that may be able to serve you. For those considering finding a rent to own 15” MacBook Pro online, make sure that you look into the reputation of the rental company before signing anything.

The debate is ongoing between Apple computer aficionados about what Mac laptop is best for gaming, and while the best gaming apple laptop may differ for different users, there are some Mac laptops that do lend themselves to game playing better than others do. However, Apple computers have not enjoyed a good reputation in the past among the gaming crowd that is changing considerably thanks to machines like Apple’s MacBook Pro, and the PowerBook laptop computers.

The Apple MacBook Pro is a probably the best Mac laptop for gaming. With the Core 2 duo 2.8 GHz processors, and plenty of RAM these computers have the connectivity, power and performance of a desktop computer in a portable laptop. This computer is powerful enough to run Crysis, a game notorious for having high graphic content and needing a lot of power to run. The MacBook Pro Unibody handles gaming exceptionally well because of the GeForce 9600M GT DirectX 10 graphics card. This is an integrated as well as a discrete mobile graphics card that allows the computer to speed through the high graphic content and keep a game operating smoothly. The system uses a NVIDIA GeForce 9400M that has 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM and also the NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT, which has 512MB of DDR3 SDRAM. In Mac OS X, although it is a trade off between battery life and performance, a person can, though there is a log out in between, switch back and forth between these two units. The fast new laptop, the MacBook Pro is certainly up to the job of taking serious gaming on the road.

If a MacBook pro does not fit into a person’s budget, Apple also makes a 12-inch PowerBook laptop computer that offers a fast processor as well as a high-grade graphics card, a clean design, and a complete assortment of ports and connections. These amenities are packaged neatly into a slender case that is just a hair above four and a half pounds. The same computer in 15 inch and 17 inch sizes cost upward of $2000 though, so some people insist that the best deal for gamers is to purchase the 12-inch laptop and hook it up to a bigger display at home or while at the office. For gamers who want the portability for their gaming, the larger laptop version of the PowerBook may well be a good bargain.

Apple offers a program called Boot Camp that allows Apple computer users to run Windows programs with Windows XP or Vista. The addition of this application allows Mac users to take advantage of the man games that are created for PCs. One of the major complaints against Apple systems was that they were incompatible with so many of the games that gamers enjoyed playing. Thanks to this program, newer Apple computers can now run the PC games.

While there are many Apple laptop computers that can run games, some of them are particularly great at it and the best Mac laptop for gaming is probably the MacBook Pro followed by the PowerBook.

Websites offering a free laptop have a number of steps that you need to follow and complete before you see anything in the mail.  After filling out a form containing personal contact information, you’ll need to complete a number of “offers” on their website.  Usually they break up their offers into three categories:  “Top”, “Prime”, and “Premium”.  Most websites offering a promotional free laptop require you to choose two offers from each category.  These offers range from offers have everything including those from skin care companies, credit score checks, to movie rental.  With each offer you sign up for, you sign some sort of monthly agreement with each individual company.  After the promotional period (typically one month), you start getting billed for the regular price.  If you fail to cancel your subscription, you can quickly find yourself being charged $400 to $500 per month for the services you signed up for for the free laptop.  Once you’ve finally completed the offers from each category, the website will verify your subscriptions.  Once they’ve verified that you’ve done everything, they will send you the free laptop.

The laptop you can get for free with these promotional websites range from the popular Apple Macbook Pro to basic laptops from Toshiba or HP.  The values of these laptops can range from $400 to over $1500.  Of course, if you want the more expensive laptop, you’ll have to sign up with more offers.

Now, let’s discuss how these sites can cheat your money out of your money.  First off, there is no such thing as “free” anything.  There are no such thing as free laptops.  Someone has to pay for the laptop and that someone is ultimately going to be you (plus interest).  When you sign up for those offers with 3rd party companies (aka Netflix, Experian, Club Furniture, etc.) you have either make a minimum purchase or sign up with a monthly program.  Depending on the company you sign up with, you can up having to spend a minimum of $1600.  I don’t know about you, but $1600 plus other monthly payments is greater than $1500 for a “free” Macbook Pro.   Surely, if you wanted a free laptop, you wouldn’t want to have to spend more than you needed to.

This of course isn’t the worst of it.  While paying for products/services that you probably don’t want or need is bad, what these websites do with your private information is worse.  Any website that has to list:  QUOTE: “Your information will be shared with our marketing partners.” is bad news for you and spam emails/snail mail.  Read the privacy policies of sites offering a free laptop computer and you’ll be shocked what they share with their “marketing partners”.  This is list taken from one of these websites of what they do with their information:

We use all of this information in the following ways:
1. to provide you with personalized marketing information via electronic delivery, telephone and/or direct mail;
2. to send you targeted advertising via electronic delivery, telephone, SMS text, and/or direct mail;
3. to contact you for feedback and surveys via electronic delivery, telephone and/or direct mail;
4. to send you general and administrative information about your membership via electronic delivery, telephone and/or direct mail;
5. to provide your contact information to our marketing partners to allow them to send you special offers via electronic delivery, telephone and/or direct mail. This most often occurs when you request that we do so such as when completing an online survey; and
6. to deliver products to you for the purpose of incentive redemptions, contest fulfillment or product review and testing.

I don’t know about you, but I imagine a whole heap of spam email, text messages, and letters in my mailbox from this company.  Like getting phone calls during dinner?  You’ll get them after signing up for your free laptop. I seriously have better things to do than sort with than telemarketers and emails offering services I don’t want.

In conclusion, there is no such thing as a free laptop.  Websites promoting free laptops and stating “it’s easy!” are lying straight at your face.  Besides the fact you’re paying more for your free laptop than its worth, you’re also signing yourself up for a tidal wave of spam mail, email, phone calls, and texts.  If you’re thinking about getting a laptop, you should think about an alternative method (like financing one or paying outright with cash).

Before you begin to explore your monthly finance options, you will need to settle on which Macbook you want to buy. You choice should consider how and where you will use your laptop and how much you are willing to spend for your purchase.

Reputed to be one of the thinnest notebooks on the market, the Macbook Air can fit inside of a manila folder with ease. The lightweight thin feature of this notebook, however, comes at a sacrifice. It was made with the frequent traveler in mind, but designers had to make some performance sacrifices in order to create a machine that could be almost wafer thin. Its ultra-portable quality means that it is the one Apple laptop that seems to be satisfied with not being powerful and not being chosen as the primary computer for its user.

On the contrary, the high-performance Macbook Pro does come with enough power to be the primary computer. Its $1,200 to $2,500 price tag makes it a prime target for monthly finance options. The Macbook Pro battery can last about 7 hours and be charged up to 1,000 times. Typical charge life for a laptop is about 200 to 300 hours. However, not as thin as the Macbook air, the Pro is lightweight since it is carved from a single piece of aluminum and avoids the standard practice of assembling multiple parts (and multiple weights) to make a single computer.

The Macbook is the baseline laptop priced at about $1,000 and weighing 4.7 pounds. Many Mac users opt for this laptop because it is the most affordable among the three families of Macs. It comes with the Multi-touch trackpad that is able to detect whether the user is using one or two fingers and based on this detection can offer right-click and two-finger scroll functions. The thumbscoop in the place of a latch avoids the hassle of have to fight to open the laptop.

Once you have decided what your purchase will cost by choosing a Macbook that is right for you, it is time to consider financing options. If you are purchasing your Macbook online, one of the first financing choices to consider is the online Bill Me Later program. The program is an open-end credit account used by participating merchants to extend a credit line to buyers. The account is subject to a 19.9 percent finance charge and late charges.

There is also the Barclaycard Financing Visa card, which is directly connected to Apple Computers and that you can apply for through the Apple store. If you spend less than $900 with this option, you get 6 months of financing with zero percent interest.

If your purchase is more than $900, which is very likely if you are purchasing a Macbook, you get a 12-months same-as-cash choice. If you pay the balance off in full in the year that is allotted for the card promotion, then you pay no interest. There is no annual percentage rate, and the card can be accepted at any point of sale that accepts Visa. Another Barclaycard gives iTunes reward points for purchases in addition to the features of the standard Barclaycard. This card is best suited for those who love to download music through the iTunes application.

If you make your purchase through Amazon.com, there are more financing options. The terms for the credit card offered there depend on how long you take to pay off the balance on your purchases. If it only takes you 90 days, there is no interest and no payment for 90 days. The same applies for six-month, 12-month and 24-month purchases.

You must buy at least one single item that costs $149 or more to take advantage of these offers. The offer is also not good for items purchased from third parties who list products on the Amazon site. The Amazon card also protects you from fraud by not requiring you to pay for unauthorized purchases. Amazon has a credible showing of iMac computers, and specific models like the Apple MacBook Pro MC118LL/A or the Apple MacBook MC240LL/A.

The last financing option to consider is leasing. While a leased Macbook is not officially your computer, having it will make it easier to upgrade or get rid of the computer when you have outgrown it or need something new. Unlike other financing options, there is a minimal upfront cost. You simply are required to set up a monthly payment for the life of the lease. The one drawback to leasing is that over the long haul, buying is much less expensive. Lease options come with an inflated monthly fee to cover administrative and maintenance costs and insurance fees. With buying the computer outright, here are no more fees.

Perhaps exploring these options will not help you easily answer the question: “Can I afford to buy a Macbook on monthly finance or not?” If the acquisition of a Macbook is a pressing need rather than just a luxury buy, it is best to make one of the options work for you or save enough money over a few months to pay cash. Some notebook users have only ever used a Mac, whose interface is slightly different than that of a PC notebook. Familiarity and comfort count, too in the purchase decision. If your need for a new Macbook is not immediate, you should get serious about saving for one. If you need it now, special credit card financing or leasing choices might reveal to you that you really can afford to buy a Macbook on monthly finance.

If you’re not entirely picky about which laptop you want, you should consider a rent-to-own place like Rent-a-Center.  At Rent-a-Center, they make getting a laptop payment plan easy.  You don’t even need to have a credit check if you decide to sign up with them.  The one unfortunate thing with Rent-a-Center and other rent to own companies is they don’t have a very large selection.  So if you’re looking for a gaming laptop or a touch screen tablet, you may not find one with them.

If you do have a specific brand of laptop like HP, Dell, or Apple that you want, you can choose to finance through their respective websites.  Each company offer different financing specials with their laptop payment plans including 0% interest and same-as-cash financing.  If you choose to finance with Apple, for example, and get a Macbook Pro, you can enjoy 12 months of same-as-cash financing through their Barclaycard partner.  So if you’re wanting a specific laptop, check out the manufacturer who makes it’s website.

In store credit cards are also a great choice for people needing a laptop payment plan.  Almost every retail store that sells laptops, computers, and electronics has some sort of credit card you can sign up for.  Each credit card (and their associated specials) are usually different and so you should make sure to check out your options.  Sometimes one retail store could have much better financing plans (lower interest, longer same-as-cash periods, or cash-back rewards) than another so you should talk with the sales associates of different stores before making a decision.

There are a great deal of places to look for monthly plans for laptops.  If you’re uncomfortable with one option, you should definitely check out some of the other choices.  There is an almost endless amount of options if you shop around.