Around lunchtime today, Fluffy and I saw our former colleague (and buddy) at the lobby of our company's head office. Not being able to talk with him for a while, we urged Lei (let's call him that) to eat with us at the building's canteen. Apparently, he's already with our company. The last time I heard about him was when he updated us about when he'll be starting in his new job. I was the one who submitted his resumé to our recruiter. 
(So, I get the referral moolah heh~)
It came as just a little bit of a surprise when he told us about his stolen laptop. Techie gadgets such as laptops and small computers these days are easy targets for thieves. What's more disheartening to know was it got lost inside his apartment. Someone broke into his room and voila! Sad, isn't it?
So our talk this noon wasn't just about our jobs and our lives. It came to a point when we're already recommending laptop brands to each other.
I recommended Toshiba. My four-year old laptop Toshi (which was once my ultimate love) is such a tough one. Until now, it's still running on its old Windows installation. For a long time, it satisfied my learning and gaming needs, and supported my artistic endeavors. It's one of those old laptops where you can play Warcraft III and DoTA. (Most of my "artworks" and WordPress themes were rendered there. This site's current layout itself is Toshi's product!) Now, are there anymore reasons for me not to recommend it?
Fluffy, on the other hand, dislikes the brand because their laptop (an older version of mine) didn't turn out to be as useful as Toshi. He instead goes for HP. I don't know why. Hehe. IBM laptops are perhaps best known for their sturdiness. My bro's laptop, a hand down from my aunt is already around 6 years old and what can I say? It's still usable.
Lei's laptop was a second hand Toshiba. A good buy he admits but he also considered buying a used MacBook Pro before. I won't question his choice 'cause I've also been wanting to get my hands on a Mac. I just don't know if he'd consider buying soon after he lost that one.
In any case, like Lei, you might also be considering to buy pre-owned laptops and computers, particularly a used mac, you may want to see the DV Warehouse site. It provides mac users and enthusiasts (like myself) a place to find affordable computer parts and accessories, as well as services. You know, once I've dreamed and wished that macs would be as easy to modify, upgrade and complement as PCs. Now, this is no longer just a possibility with DV Warehouse.
I don't really see myself craving for yet another more technically advanced computer. But, that's not equal to saying I've given up on an Apple computer, be it pre-owned or a new one.
Finding the right tool isn't always about buying the new one. Basically, I would consider buying a used one when I'm really tight on budget and my need is quite urgent. Lei spent around 35,000 PhP (~900 USD) for his 5-month old used computer. Not bad, specially if we're talking about known brands. I'm just not sure how much a used mac costs in the local market these days, I don't even know if there's a local supplier of used macs in the country. But at DV Warehouse, a Powerbook G4 (the closest predecessor of MacBook Pro I can think of) costs 680 USD. And that's even 200 USD lesser than what Lei had to pay for his laptop. ;^^
But again, it's just sad that his laptop just had to go.
