Should I replace a MacBook Air with a Windows laptop?

Esther's MacBook Air has died and would cost too much to repair. She's thinking of buying a more affordable Windows laptop to replace it, but which one should she choose?

My first ever laptop was a MacBook Air. However, the logic board stopped working, and Apple was going to charge $600 to fix it. Technicians have told me it is not worth fixing.

At this point in time I cannot afford to buy a new MacBook, so which PC laptop would you recommend? I am a third year social work student, and I won't really be carrying it to class: it will mostly be used at home. I don't run any special applications, and my budget is less than $1,000. Esther

If you have $1,000 to spend, then you can probably get a new 11in MacBook Air for $899 or a 13in MacBook Air for $999. You could even get a $1,099 13in MacBook Pro for less, if you look for discount offers on Amazon or at a local store. Or you could get a Mac Mini and add your own keyboard and screen for less than $1,000, though you would lose the portability of a laptop.