This is a really big question, and very hard to accurately troubleshoot in this kind of question-and-answer format. Here's some things to look out for though:
They're both good, depending on what you're looking for. Inkjets are comparitively cheap to buy, and tend to be much smaller. They are almost always able to print in colour. Laser printers are bigger, usually use more electricity, but are cheaper to run, usually with lower per-sheet costs. However, unless you're prepared to spend more money, they usually are black-and-white only.
Laser printers usually last longer than inkjets as well - there are 15-year-old laser printers still going strong, and printing quite acceptable pages.
Google searchOver the past 5 years or so, the trend has been heading towards more mobile computing. Mobile phones are turning into computers, and computers are becoming smaller and more portable.
The problem with laptops, however, is that they don't usually offer the same "bang for the buck" as desktops do. Technologically, they tend to lag slightly behind the capabilities of comtemporary desktop computers. Also, becuase they're smaller and portable, they're more in danger of being broken.
Now that mobile phones have turned into computers and tablet computers are relatively cheap and usable, an interesting possibility has arisen: use a cheap desktop for the office, but use a smart phone or tablet when you're on the road. With good synchronisation software and "cloud storage", you'll be just as productive on either device.
Google searchThe CPU of a compter can be considered the "brain". A common misconception is that the percieved speed of a computer is completely dependant on the measurement of this one component. In fact, a computer is a complex system with many interactions betwen its component parts. Measuring just one of these components in isolation doesn't really paint the full picture of computer speed. If all you're doing is writing Word documents and looking at web pages, the difference between a 2.5GHz computer and a 3.2GHz computer will be lost on you. Save money with a "slower" computer, and get a nicer monitor, or a larger hard drive.
The hard drive is the place where all your files are stored. It's a small metal component, slightly larger than a deck of cards. It's the thing that makes the clicky noise you might hear when your computer is starting up, or busy with a task. It's one of the few pieces of a computer that's actually a mechanical object: things inside that box are moving - a bit like a little metal record player. Therefore, try not to move or jar the computer while the hard drive is churning away. Hard drives come in many sizes - and a few different speeds. Even though speeds aren't publicised much, they matter a lot. The faster your hard drive is, the faster the computer will seem to be. Most desktop hard drives spin at 7200rpm, and most laptop drives spin at 5400rpm. The bigger your hard drive is, the more you can fit on them. Hard drive sizes are measured in gigabytes, or sometimes terabytes. There are 1000 gigabytes in one terabyte. Therefore, a 1TB drive is the same as a 1000GB drive.
Memory, or RAM, is what the computer uses to actually use programs. When you launch a program, it transfers the program's information from the hard drive to memory. This is why there's usually a bit of a delay starting programs, and is part of the reason why computers generally take a while to start up. The more RAM you have, the more your computer can do. Like hard drives, RAM is measured in megabytes and gigabytes. Since RAM is (much) more expensive than hard drives, it's highly unlikely that you'll see terabytes of memory in your computer for at least a few years. There are 1000 megabytes in a gigabyte, so a computer with 1000MB of RAM is the same as one with 1GB.
Attention pedants: The actual difference between mega- giga- and tera-bytes are actually 1024, not 1000, but hard drive makers and people who are lazy at maths seem to be changing this.
For more information about this complicated mess of sizes, please have a look at our article about RAM, hard drives and CPUs.
Google searchWhile it's true that Macs can run Windows (and Linux) programs at full-speed, you do need some additional software to do this. They range from free to about $100 (and most require you to buy a "real" copy of Windows at additional cost), but work remarkably well. Have a look at our virtualisation article for more information.
Many pieces of Mac software are able to open and save files from Windows computers. Microsoft makes and sells a version of Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint and friends), plus other Mac applications can open and save Office files as well. Be careful, as there may be incompatibilities with fonts and formatting when moving back and forth.
Google searchDoing IT Better is a social justice initiative of the Centre for Community Networking Research (Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University) and the Victorian Council of Social Service, generously funded by a foundation.
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