A few days ago, I went to buy a new computer. My old laptop has entered 2024 presidential candidate territory — it’s slower than it used to be, the fan seems to run continuously, it takes longer to wake up from sleep mode, and I just no longer trust it to go the distance.

“This is probably the one you want,” said the guy at the Apple Store, pointing to a MacBook Pro with a large screen and a gigantic memory capability. “It has the fastest processor, can do pretty much anything. It’s really the best.” It was also north of $2500, which would be acceptable if I needed “the best.” But what I really need is something in the “it’ll do” category.