Job Discussion Forums

Ref Deskolnikov · Joined: 24 May 2010 Posts: 4 Location: USA

A zillion pardons if this newbie question has been around too often, but the technological environment in China must, I assume, be always evolving.

Ans ESL vet I know - but of service 10 years past - said bring your own PC to China. Don't buy there. It'll be cheaper state-side and you won't risk buying a counterfeit. Also, I can't read Chinese, so I'm not sure I'd find one with all documentation in English. Ah, but the pain of trucking it over, etc.

Advice born of recent experience sincerely appreciated. (I don't have my own laptop now. I'm thinking Lenovo NOT because it's Chinese but because it gets good grades in the States.)

Xie xie,
Ref. Desk.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Have you posted this in the China forum where it will get more traffic from people who are already in that country?

powerrose · Joined: 14 Apr 2003 Posts: 119 Location: Shenzhen, China

We bought all our laptops from Tiger Direct, and had to lug them over. We looked a lot in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, but couldn't find anything satisfactory. Hong Kong laptops are really expensive!

Ariadne · Joined: 16 Jul 2004 Posts: 960

I'd recommend bringing one with you. Get a small one so the 'carting' part won't be such a pain.

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evolving81 · Joined: 04 May 2009 Posts: 135 Location: Tampa

Aren't laptops made to be portable? I'm assuming you are "lugging" more than a laptop to China.

Mrguay84 · Joined: 03 Dec 2009 Posts: 125

How big is your laptop? Surprised

nickpellatt · Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 1522

Do not buy in China. Buy at home and bring with you...chances are it will be cheaper, and you can be sure the software installed is genuine.

In my limited experience, China is more expensive, or at best similar, in terms of price when it comes to buying high end technology. Sure, you can buy rip off 'Opple' MP4 players cheap, but the real thing is still pricey.

Low end laptops are fairly cheap in the UK now, and netbooks even more so. I bought a �350 Dell before I went to China last year...320 GB Hard Drive, 3k Ram...more than enough for email, storing photos and listening to music etc. I think you would struggle to find the same spec in China at that price.

Gerund · Joined: 09 Feb 2003 Posts: 80 Location: Amerika

How much can a laptop weigh? Isn't that the whole idea? If you buy one there it's going to be more expensive and full of all sorts of strange foreign language software which you won't need or want.

gaijinalways · Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279

Wait a minute, I have that already, but I bought mine in Japan. Shocked

Mrs McClusky · Joined: 09 Jun 2010 Posts: 133

Take it with you............. How do teachers afford new lap tops on China salaries anyway

mmacmu1 · Joined: 27 May 2010 Posts: 3

I can't speak specifically to China, but when I was living in France I remember not being able to find a laptop that had an American style keyboard... English documentation is not the only issue. Besides, with the number of netbook options out there today (personally, I would recommend the HP mini), bringing a computer shouldn't be too big of a pain. They are super cheap also (I spent $300 on mine, works great).

powerrose · Joined: 14 Apr 2003 Posts: 119 Location: Shenzhen, China

Saving money is really easy in China. Not like when I lived in Japan....

Josef K · Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2010 9:23 am Post subject:

I have been thinking about the same thing and comparing prices on Macs.
Macbook's are more expensive in China than almost anywhere else unless you hop across to Hong kong and save the sales tax - 1200 rmb on entry level MBP. And the keyboard is in English Cool

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

I really like having the local keyboard layout. Of course I have studied the local language most places I have been.