Hey guys
I've got a computer question for you savvy folks out there. Pardon my ignorance but here is the situation:

I'm tasked with picking my wife's new laptop and things have changed since the last time I shopped. She uses it for her business so mostly excel, word, and email. She wants a 2-in-1 type that flips over so it can be used as a tablet in a customers office. Trouble for me is that none of that type that I have seen comes with a cd/dvd drive. No problem you say. Who uses that anyway? The problem I am concerned about is how do you load a big program like Office when you can't read a disc? We have over the air cellular Internet that is very expensive and limited to only 30 GB per month. No high speed available where we live so downloading over the Internet seems like a problem. Should I just buy an external cd/dvd drive or what? Also, any particular brands you guys prefer for a laptop? Asus, Lenovo, HP, Dell. I'm looking at Costco since they have a good extended warranty program. Any help is greatly appreciated. Also, do the newer programs actually come on discs or thumbdrives, or what?

You can use an external disc drive that hooks up USB. You can pick them up pretty cheap.
That's what I use when working on laptops with no disc drive.

I hope that helps in your decision making.

Thanks for your reply, Salem. Is it just me or are the new versions of Office not even available on a cd? Everything I've seen looks like a download.

You can usually purchase a 'backup disc' from Microsoft. You will have to contact them directly.
You may also be able to use any Office disc as long as you have a valid key code. It would have to contain the Office suite you want (ie 32 or 64 bit/Home/Student/Pro etc.) Microsoft does that a lot on operating systems, the discs are not locked to a certain key code. The software will ask for your key code and verify it online to activate the program.

They know there has to be physical media for a lot of folks who want to use their product but don't have internet access, or any way to download a huge file.

As others have said USB DVD drive is the way to go.
From what you describe as her needs...

Intel i5 processor at minimum (I would recommend i7)

MINIMUM 8 Gig RAM (12 or 16 recommended)

Touch screen (the only way a flip mode is useful)

Built in Bluetooth (for Keyboard and mouse)

Wireless (AC with N is what I would consider a business minimum)

Built in Gigabit ethernet may be important to her.

Without a better idea of her storage needs, I would say 500 Gig drive (generally, the bigger the better) I would stay away from SSD (Solid State Drives) due to very high cost and reliability issues.

The ONLY brands I have had issues with are HP and Toshiba. So many problems I won't even recommend to clients anymore (watch how much bitching this one starts.)

Try for one with quick replaceable batteries (hard to find and very expensive in "flip type" systems)

As to software... Most of the models are download's with the option to buy recovery disc's. I would recommend you look into the "yearly subscription" models. For $99 a year you get the latest versions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, and other programs (Office 365 Home) That would probably cover what she needs and then some. Adobe, Google, and many other SW providers also have options like that.

Good luck

The other option is to go someplace that has "free wifi" to do your updates/downloads. If you get Win 10 Home you cannot turn off updates like you can with Win 10 Pro. You can tell it that your connection is "metered" so it will not update on the cell connection. Not sure that it won't force it to update at some point though, if you never connect with Wifi. An external USB Bluray/DVD player

I have an Acer Flip 5 from Costco that works pretty well, it has the latest generation upper end i5 with 8gb ram and 256g SSD drive. It is quite speedy and was on sale for $500 at the time. The regular disc HD's are cheaper, but the SSD's are eons faster and with no moving parts have better reliability, especially in a laptop that is getting moved and jostled around a lot. USB 3.0+ is a must on your new computer to go with an external drive if you get it. I think it will generally be easier to just go to Free Wifi spots though for getting programs, since getting the actual DVD's anymore is getting to be a rare thing.

Thanks for the help yall. A good bit has changed since I bought my last computer. Looks like I need to do some serious comparison shopping. Of course the two models I liked at Costco have sold out. That's what I get for computer shopping at Christmas time!

Disc drives have become nearly obsolete because the entire sofware/app industry has began SaS ( Software as Service),, layman's terms . One pays a monthly fee to utilize software/app vs paying a one time fee & owning the software/app. The software industry sales pitch is that your data is safer in the cloud because it eliminates lost data due to personal computer/ device hardware failure. IMO, the entire purpose for SaS is to generate monthly reocurring revenue. Email is even going to the cloud via hosted exchange. With all due respect, I wouln't put too much emphasis on a disc drive.

Yeah I've about given up on the disc drive as a requirement. But I refuse to store any of my info on "the cloud". So I'll look for the biggest hard drives available within our price range, which is preferably below 1000.00. It is a business expense, but we still have to fork out the cash to get it.

I have been looking at these tablet/laptops for a while now, only reason is that I MIGHT be needing one for work soon. For my uses the microsoft surface pro seems to fit my needs the best. I have looked at these at Costco and have not been able to find one with specs even close to what I want. I would suggest a store like Best Buy for shopping, as they have a lot more options to look at than Costco in that arena. Also their extended warranty program is just as good if not better and you get In Store service should something happen to it. They also have IMO excellent customer service, if the model you want to buy does not have the Office suite you want, with purchase of the computer and the software, it is likely they can load it up for you In Store before you take it home.

Merry Christmas
Rod