Choosing a laptop
15 Jan 2013
Laptops have advanced in leaps and bounds over the past decade, becoming smaller and lighter, with longer lasting batteries. Which of the new breed suits you?
The biggest benefit of a laptop over a desktop is that, owing to its size and battery power, it can be used almost anywhere. Whether you are on a plane, train or automobile, you can switch on your laptop and start working.
Battery power is a definite advantage in the case of power outages or surges – although rare occurrences in most major cities, they’re sure to happen at the most inconvenient times. If you are working on a desktop computer, tackling an important document and the power fails, you will not be able to keep working, or save the work you have already done. However, a notebook user will have the luxury of the computer instantly switching to battery power, allowing the information to be saved and, if fully charged, continue working for a long period of time.
Another advantage is the power consumption of a notebook. With the typical laptop being several times more efficient than a desktop computer, you could save hundreds of dollars over the space of a year.
While in the past a low-budget computer may have been extremely slow, technology has advanced to the point where even an inexpensive computer is fast enough for the average computer user.
Of course, there are downsides. Due to their size, laptops do not pack the same performance as desktops. While it is possible to purchase a powerful notebook computer, you can expect to pay significantly more for the same performance found in a desktop.
The notebook also has a disadvantage with upgradeability. It is often easier and cheaper to purchase a brand new notebook than to upgrade the individual components of your old one.
The biggest downside of a notebook is the durability. No computer is made to be dropped or have food or drink spilled on it, but most owners of a laptop will be guilty of at least one of these over its life.
Trends
While notebooks have been the major area of growth in computer sales over the past several years, annual growth in notebook sales slowed from about 40 per cent to 10 per cent last year, according to analysts at Gartner.
This is due in part to a switch from traditional notebook devices to tablets and smartphones.
Features
When purchasing a notebook there are numerous factors that need to be considered. You need to make sure you are covered for the long term with a computer that will not become obsolete for your needs, can be replaced without high costs if there is a fault and, perhaps most importantly, looks good!
For most people, key features to look for include a minimum two-year warranty, 4GB or more of ram and a high-resolution screen.
Do you prefer a laptop or a desktop? Continue the conversation on our Facebook page.
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