Need help

[JeeperCreeper]

Go for the MacBook for sure. The Roomba isn't worth it really. If she's anything like mine she would be happier to see you just use the vacuum for 20 minutes. That little vacuum won't clean your floors better than you can with your current vacuum, I can guarantee that.

[flyweightnate]

Oh yeah... cable ties are your friend if the Roomba can get to a desk or near A/V stuff.

[Cyberpyr8]

I bought a Roomba and it is awful if you have anything on the floor except dust. I have three dogs and the stupid Roomba is forever flipping out because it is jammed with chewed up bits and pieces of anything the dogs found interesting it will even jam up with dog hair. They are basically vacuums for houses that are always clean.

You have to clean up dog toys and stuff like that before they run, for sure. I have 2 working Roomba's and even the older model does great with the dog hair. I have 5 dogs in the house and 4 cats plus 6 people. It does a great job on the carpet and hardwood floors(mostly wood floors now). My one dog sheds a small animal's worth of hair everyday and I was amazed how much the Roomba gets even after using a Oreck vacuum. It also can get under things that the traditional vacuum can't. I run my Roomba once at night to get the living room, dining room and entryways. Then I run it in the morning to get the kitchen, entryways again and breakfast area. I run it at noon to clean up by my doorways again after all morning of running dogs out. It keeps it really clean.

I bought the I7 with the docking station that self cleans. I did the select program, which is kinda like a lease but I get the vacuum and dock plus free supplies for 3 years for $99 down and $29 a month. But as much as I run the vacuum, it will end up being cheaper than buying one and the supplies. I use mine to death and getting free bags, rollers and filters, plus an upgrade to the newer version in 3 years was worth it to me. Plus they monitor it so I don't have to do anything to get the supplies. They know when it needs something and send it to me automatically. Basically, I replace parts as they come in and it does the rest without having to think about it or deal with it.

My old 690 still runs but it needs a new battery. I might just replace the whole thing eventually. It does a good job on cleaning but it doesn't have enough juice these days to finish the rooms. It has run through dog poop and been taken apart and cleaned. It has been through it all. I just don't like how it runs randomly. The I7 runs in patterns and doesn't need electronic barriers to block off areas.

[Seajay]

Wife wants a new macbook since her current one is dying after 10 years of usage... .

Well, good news for you, any new Macbook 2020-2022 model will be a significant step up in performance. Pick one that fits the screen size she wants and that is in your budget.
The tech leap itself should be enough to make her happy

I know nothing about roombas lol.

[Tarsun2]

Ive had a few roombas over the years. they are kindda work but work best on hard floors. you "can" do carpet but it kills the battery and the suction just isnt there.
you have to make sure you dont have ANYTHING on the floor though. power cords, floor mats with frilled trim, floor mats with rolled edges, cell phone charger cords... anything it can suck up.

they are a little on the loud side and wont replace the vacuum but they are neat, fun to watch, and good to keep the floors looking good between cleaning.

[chrislognshot]

i know people that gotten laptop or desktop as birthday or x-mas gift not sure which one. but did not get person what they needed. since thought this would be good enough for them.

[Jello78]

yeah makes sense. I just wanted to surprise her with the Roomba and i got a card and will write, lets get your computer after a date night out. I hope she likes that.

[chrislognshot]

I’d agree with letting her pick out the computer she wants. She’ll have it for years so might as well get exactly what she wants/needs.

you do not buy someone computer you have go with you and let them pick one out. since you will not know what person really needs to have

[Cdn_Cuda]

I’d agree with letting her pick out the computer she wants. She’ll have it for years so might as well get exactly what she wants/needs.

[Agglet]

The important thing is that you got her something.

[Jello78]

I went with the Roomba got the S9+ and id figure i would deke her out with the macbook for christmas. I dont think she will expect this as a present. Worst case, she can return the Roomba if she doesnt like it, and get whichever Macbook she wants. Or i can get her the Macbook too but i want her to pick it out. What do you guys think?

[Cdn_Cuda]

Depending on what she uses her laptop for and if she like touch screen an iPad Pro is an option as well. I have one with the Mac keyboard, which works well. You can use the keyboard or the touch screen. It does weigh more than an Airbok though and apps are more limited (Word in particular was disappointing on my iPad). There are some really neat apps though such as Reflector which allows her to share her screen on other devices etc.

[BlindFaith429]

Laptop.

My parents bought a roomba, but gave it to me because they didn't like it. Didnt clean well enough and always got stuck.

We use it, but it constantly runs around and doesn't go back to the dock, causing it to run out of battery somewhere in the house.

Not knocking the rooms, I'm sure there are places where the roomba works well, but we didn't have much luck.

[Agglet]

I bought a Roomba and it is awful if you have anything on the floor except dust. I have three dogs and the stupid Roomba is forever flipping out because it is jammed with chewed up bits and pieces of anything the dogs found interesting it will even jam up with dog hair. They are basically vacuums for houses that are always clean. If she is invested in the Apple ecosystem you could buy her any new Mac and it will be an improvement over anything ten years old. If she's OS agnostic you can get a really nice Lenovo or HP for a fraction of the cost of a Mac book and still have money left over for a Roomba.

[flyweightnate]

I've noticed the weight is going to be a lot more important than the specs, where my wife (also a teacher) is concerned. Touchscreen actually is useful in a classroom, too (where, as an engineer, I think it's a waste of money).

Most computers now are just absurdly powerful. PowerPoint and browsing will never require a quad core, 2gHz processor with a gig of graphics memory, but an SSD and 8-12GB of memory will make things noticeably more responsive.

The USB-C thing is quite the nuisance, so plan for it. I got a hub for my HP that pushes HDMI, USB-A, and Ethernet all through one C port, which is cool; not sure if Mac has similar but I'd expect they do. If she then brings it to school... she'll need a second set of adapters, whether from you or the school.

Roombas are nice but finicky. My former boss had 7 in his house because his wife hated the noise, so they all went nuts every time the house was vacant then hid when she got home. The ones in the office would get lost in the dark and never make it "home" to their docks, leading to a lot of "Billy got drunk again and passed out in the hall". Nobody I've ever talked to has been 100% satisfied, but it really does take the edge off if you're all short on time and don't want to clean.