Is it worth taking my US laptop?

On the keyboard issue, remember that it's not just the pound-sterling key.  There are other layout differences between U.S. and U.K. PC keyboards, such as the at-sign and double quotes swapping places and the backslash being inconveniently placed between the shift and Z on a British keyboard.

That might weigh against the convenience of having a £ key if you're used to the U.S. layout. 

On the keyboard issue, remember that it's not just the pound-sterling key.  There are other layout differences between U.S. and U.K. PC keyboards, such as the at-sign and double quotes swapping places and the backslash being inconveniently placed between the shift and Z on a British keyboard.

That might weigh against the convenience of having a £ key if you're used to the U.S. layout. 

If you're a handy and don't mind a bit of additional investment of time and money, you can swap out the keyboards. It's pretty easy on most dell laptops nowadays, though most people prob won't bother.

And the warranty does actually transfer, though it defaults to the most basic. So if you have at-home version in the U.S. it'll become a post-and-return here. Also, Complete Care doesn't transfer countries.

I agree.  It's sooooo much cheaper to get one in the US.

Although this is usually the case, I found that my Dell laptop was much cheaper in the UK when I bought it last year (originally I was going to wait until I moved to the US to buy it). It came with a 3-year McAfee subscription as well as other offers and in total, I paid £430 for it (although I did get a discount through work), but the same spec on the US site (with the McAfee subscription - which wasn't free) was $1300.

On the keyboard issue, remember that it's not just the pound-sterling key.  There are other layout differences between U.S. and U.K. PC keyboards, such as the at-sign and double quotes swapping places and the backslash being inconveniently placed between the shift and Z on a British keyboard.

That might weigh against the convenience of having a £ key if you're used to the U.S. layout. 

Actually, the @ and " switch places between my husband's Mac keyboard and my son's PC keyboard, too.  I can honestly say that, having spent 20+ years typing on typewriters and PCs in the US, I had no problems typing when I moved to the UK.

I guess I never noticed the difference in the keyboards when I was in the UK for 6 months a few years ago.  I would never have thought to look at that.  As far as price goes, we only need a basic, basic computer that can use the internet and mostly word documents.  Our laptop is having a few issues that if it will die in a year, I don't want to pay to ship it.  The screen flickers and sounds like a light bulb that is going to blow out!  I'm glad you all have lots of info for me to check into!  Thanks!

I can honestly say that, having spent 20+ years typing on typewriters and PCs in the US, I had no problems typing when I moved to the UK.

I was originally very screwed up typing on the UK keyboard, because I don't look at the keys when I type (typing class in high school was one of the most valuable courses I ever took!).  However, now that I spend all day typing on a UK keyboard at work, when I get home and type on my macbook (that I bought in the US)- I am putting my fingers in the wrong place again!  Haha- but my brain can switch quickly now, just only screw up once and it remembers...

I have been a touch typist for almost 30 years...like I said, I never noticed having any sort of problem.

I'm jealous! My brain just forgets, but after one screw up ,I'm fine.
Just a curiosity factor, you use a lot of characters in your typing?  I'm consistently using special characters, and I just forget its in a different place.  However, since I use both a UK and US keyboard everyday, it gets easier and easier to switch. 

The PC keyboard layouts have always been something of a mystery, and to me it seems as though IBM has never quite gotten it right for everyone.

Many older ASCII keyboards had " over 2 and ' over 7 to match up with some typewriter layouts and for hardware reasons (if you look at the ASCII table in hexadecimal or octal you'll see why).   This goes right back to the electromechanically generated ASCII on old teletypes.

The original (American) IBM PC keyboard in 1981 adopted @ over 2 and " over ' (middle right) from the standard IBM Selectric typewriter layout.  That's understandable given the original market for the PC and the fact that the Selectric had been widely used in offices for a good many years.  Why they decided to swap @ and " for the U.K. version of the keyboard is unclear though, since the Selectric was common in Britain too.

That backslash key is another oddity.  Both the original British and the original American PC keyboards had it located between Shift and Z.   Nobody seems to know why they chose such an odd place.  The awkward position was not popular, so when the revised PC/AT keyboard was launched around 1983 or 1984, the \ key was relocated to the upper right on the American version, but for some reason they left it next to Z on the British version, where it has been been ever since.

The enhanced keyboard (now the "standard" one with the extra cursor and function keys) was much improved in its U.S. version, but made the mistake of moving the Ctrl key below Shift.   It probably isn't that big a deal for the average modern-day computer user, but it seems a peculiar move for the mid-1980s given that a generation of programmers using IBM machines hooked into mainframes made heavy use of the Ctrl key, as did all the office secretaries who were touchtyping with WordStar and were used to it being somewhere to the left of the A key on just about all other keyboards.

About the price issue- I found that my Dell PC was surprisingly cheap here in the UK, even when converted to US prices.  For a full kit of everything (including flat screen monitor and medium-high specs), it was £350- and that was with delivery.  Without delivery the whole package would have been £290.  I might have paid slightly less in the US, but the difference wouldn't be that significant.

The awkward position was not popular, so when the revised PC/AT keyboard was launched around 1983 or 1984, the \ key was relocated to the upper right on the American version, but for some reason they left it next to Z on the British version, where it has been been ever since.

Not on my British keyboard! It's on the right, between the shift and the fullstop.

But, honestly, I had to look to see where it was. It's nothing I've ever really paid much attention to. After a minute or so of looking to see what changes there are, one keyboard is pretty much like another. And I type pretty quickly!

I'd be much more likely to use cost as a determining factor.

Not on my British keyboard! It's on the right, between the shift and the fullstop.

Are you sure that is not / between shift and full stop?  Paul is referring to \ which is next to the z.

Vicky

Are you sure that is not / between shift and full stop?  Paul is referring to \ which is next to the z.

Ooops, nope I was talking about the \, but gave the wrong location! It's still on the right, but is between the space bar and the INS. Nowhere near the Z.

Thanks! 

About the price issue- I found that my Dell PC was surprisingly cheap here in the UK, even when converted to US prices.  For a full kit of everything (including flat screen monitor and medium-high specs), it was £350- and that was with delivery.  Without delivery the whole package would have been £290.  I might have paid slightly less in the US, but the difference wouldn't be that significant.

That is what I'm thinking.  If the cost isn't that different and by the time you tote it back, is it really worth it.  I clearly have some thinking to do on this one!

It's still on the right, but is between the space bar and the INS. Nowhere near the Z.

Is that a laptop keyboard?  They can vary considerably as the manufacturer tries to cram all the extra keys into the small space. 

But on a regular full-size U.K. desktop keyboard, the \ key is still between Z and the left shift key -- Right where you keep hitting the darned thing every time you aim for the shift key when you're used to typing with (a) all but the oldest American PC keyboards and/or (b) just about any other keyboard ever made.