I need a new laptop, a PC. Help me pick the perfect one!

You say price is no object, but can you still set us a budget to work on?

Well my first piece of advice would be if, all you need to run are the word processor and voice recognition software, that you don’t need a fast processor or a lot of RAM.

However if price is no object then get a MacPro ($2200) and run Windows 7($100) in boot camp.

Budget…hmmm…1500 to 3500 U.S., maybe?

I do like the display on a Mac but the keystrokes make me insane.

Honestly, you could spend $400 and get a laptop that meets the requirements for the software you mention.

I know what you mean about Mac keyboards. The chiclet keys are no fun for a touch typist.

If touch-typing is important to you, try as many models as possible in person. There is a huge variation in keyboards. Even if the keys are shaped right, the whole board can be flexy.

The best keyboard I found was in the Lenovo T400 (except they don’t have a numeric keypad which I needed).
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/notebooks/thinkpad/t-series

If the keyboard is an issue then you can always get an external USB keyboard.

The new-ish iMacs are beautiful and HUGE! $1200 to $2000 depending on the specs. Boot Camp is included on all Macs, and Windows 7 can be bought for $100, as previously mentioned. However, you can buy Dragon for Mac and iWork and throw away Windows forever.

The biggest weakness of every laptop I have owned is where the power supply plugs in.
Every one ends up getting bumped and the inside connection breaks off at the motherboard rendering the computer useless.

We have a 7 month old Dell in repair right now. Sure repair is under warranty but it is a pain to be without it for a week or more.

I have two more PC laptops with the same issue that are out of warranty and useless. (one is an awesome powerhouse that cost over 2k new and I would love to use it if I could afford to repair it but I can’t and so it sits. )

If you had to purchase a PC do research on the plugs.

We bought a MacBook 2 years ago because of the magnetic charging connection that does not stress internal components and it is still going strong and has travelled the world.

I have had enough good luck with Toshiba that I would recommend one to others. They have a decent keyboard (at least I like it) and a good reputation for reliability (better than Apple and Sony; only bested by Asus) and longevity, so I like them.

While my $500 T135 could easily run what you want to run, it has since been superseded by the T235. If you want big power in a small package, the M640 is a nice 14” model. It starts at $699 with a Core i3–350M, but you can get it with an i5–520M, up to 8GB RAM, Blu-ray burner, and other goodies.

The Portege R700 is a bit spendier ($1109 base with the i5–520M and 2GB RAM) but can take an i7–620M and the 128GB SSD is an option if you don’t mind trading a little storage space for something far faster and more reliable than a regular hard drive.

If you want to compare brands though, you might want to look at this. You pretty much want to go with Toshiba, Sony, Asus, or Apple; don’t consider the others.

@Dog Watch it with those things. They are prone to frayed cords and other problems, some of which may lead to fires. I know of at least one class-action lawsuit regarding Apple’s magnetic connectors.