Everybody should own a laptop computer. Back in the early days of the PC revolution, laptops were big and heavy and the performance compromises that had to be made compared to a desktop system made them a specialty computer, only for business travelers. But things have changed a lot since those days, and now laptops are in many ways the ideal computing solution. Here are ten great reasons why your next computer should be a laptop.
1. Better resale value.
Desktop PCs hold little resale value – but laptops hold a lot more. Even old and obsolete laptops in good condition are worth some fraction of their original value, whether you have a PC or a Mac, whereas desktop machines tend to go to zero resale value much more quickly.
2. Portable.
When I say portable I’m not necessarily referring to sitting in Starbucks and click-clacking away with their free wi-fi (although you could). Portable can mean just being able to take the computer into a different room of your home. Watch movies in bed, be productive in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee, or veg on the couch with a game – things you just can’t do with a desktop PC and which are limited by the small size of a tablet or phone.
3. Space-saver.
One of the real joys of having a laptop is setting up a work area on your computer desk and realizing all the space you just reclaimed. All you have is the laptop and possibly an external mouse and pad – and a bunch of newly freed-up real estate.
4. Energy-saver.
Laptops use far less energy than desktop PCs do. Whether you’re concerned about the environment or just want to keep your electric bill at a reasonable level, a laptop has much less energy footprint.
5. More ergonomic keyboards.
Laptops use short profile keys with a scissor-style spring underneath. Your typing speed will increase almost instantly. After using one for a while, going back to a desktop keyboard feels old and clunky compared to the super-easy laptop keys. Additionally, the place where the trackpad is serves as a built-in wrist rest, so it’s also ergonomically sound.
6. Better screens.
Laptop displays tend to be of the very highest quality, and more often than not the LCD screen on a laptop is far superior to your desktop LCD monitor. The colors look more true, gradients don’t “fuzz” and it has a crisper picture.
7. Easier to access the internals.
If you need to get into the machine to replace or repair something, most laptops only require taking out one connector to remove the hard drive or RAM. After that it’s literally pop in/pop out to upgrade. It doesn’t get any easier than that.
8. Proprietary architecture means everything works better.
The vast majority of laptops are intentionally designed and sourced to use a certain set of hardware components. That is, a given make and model of laptop will usually be designed around the same components, meaning there is no guesswork as to whether those components will function together as a unit. Operating software like Windows or Linux, designed to work on a wide variety of hardware, runs into fewer conflicts and problems when it runs on a standardized set of hardware.
9. Easy-access USB.
Most laptops have 4 USB ports (two on the side, two on the back) which are in easy reach.
10. It’s always on-hand.
With laptop models getting smaller and lighter than ever, they are literally go-everywhere computers. This means you will usually have it nearby, even if you didn’t plan to use it – which makes using it that much easier.
Laptops have never made more sense as a primary computer instead of just as a backup for road warriors. So go ahead, get that laptop. You’ll be happy you did.
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21 thoughts on “10 Reasons Why You Should Own A Laptop”
i’m not saying laptops are bad, i’m just saying, that at least for me, they arn’t better then desktops, i’d say that they are on an equal playing field because when i go to a customer’s house to work on there computer, its better to bring my laptop then my desktop to service there computer.
Gaming!
I use my laptop for simple computing ie surfing, word processing and low end programming. It’s generally a backup for my main machine. My laptop has a 12.5″ screen, so it fits in my bag, and allows me to leave the office.
A laptop should only replace your computer if you only do basic computing, like word processing and surfing and maybe a few games, otherwise I would suggest a laptop as a second computer, and a Desktop as your main one.
The consensus here seems to be that the advantage of owning a laptop is that they are portable. That’s it! All the other dozens of factors favor the desktop.
The consensus here seems to be that the advantage of owning a laptop is that they are portable. That’s it! All the other factors favor the desktop.
Point 1, The resale value of (at least PC based) laptops generally revolves around the entry price for laptops (regular laptops, not netbooks) still being higher than desktops, so people are willing to pay more for a used one. Laptops are also usually sold earlier in life because, due to the lesser power and more complex hardware, they generally have a shorter useful life expectancy, at least to the first owner (more on that in counterpoints 7 and 8).
Point 2, When laptops are left as laptops, then yes, they are obviously far more portable than any desktop. However, when people try to use a laptop as a replacement for a desktop, by the time they are finished plugging in their power cord, printer, scanner, external hard drive(s), and in some situations, keyboards, mice, and external monitors, the “portability” of the laptop has been almost completely voided.
Point 3, See point two. Generally yes, a laptop as a laptop doesn’t take up nearly as much room as a desktop, but when used as a desktop they take can up just as much space, if not more because you pretty much loose the option to put the laptop on the floor.
Point 4, This one is true. While a high powered “gaming” and desktop replacement laptops can use as much power as a modest desktop system, for the most part a laptop will use less power than a desktop.
Point 5 is completely a matter of opinion. For the most part, yes, easier to press keys will help with RSI, though this can be achieved on a desktop keyboard with mechanical switches. But, in either case, it won’t necessarily help you type faster, and definitely not immediately. A lot of people have a trouble adjusting to the different feel of laptop keyboards, and generally end up getting an separate keyboard anyway. Also, how ergonomically sound it it is depends more on how your sitting and holding your wrists then how the keyboard is designed. A laptop keyboard with the “built-in wrist rest” isn’t necessarily any better than a desktop keyboard with a wrist rest. Also, In order to get a number pad on a laptop keyboard, you generally need to get a fairly large laptop, which starts to affect portability.
Point 6, if by “Better” you mean lower dot-pitch, then yes laptop monitors are generally “better”. But for the most part, a halfway decent desktop LCD monitor will trounce a laptop monitor in response time, color reproduction, backlight uniformity, viewing angle, and, of course, size. Also, using a super high resolution laptop screen set to it’s highest resolution can be really hard on your eyes and the penalty switching to a non-native resolution on an LCD screen destroys any picture quality gained by the lower dot-pitch. Because of this, a lot of people end up using their laptops with external monitors anyway, which also voids the benefits of point 3.
Point 7, sure if all you want to do is change your RAM, hard drive, or CD drive a laptop is marginally easier to work with than a proprietary desktop. But, usually changing anything else means dismantling half the laptop. What if your monitor dies, what if the CPU fan stops working, motherboard or processor fries, etc… All of those scenarios are much more easily fixed in a desktop. Also, what if you want to add another hard drive to your laptop, upgrade your video card, add a sound card. It’s pretty much impossible to do any of that in most laptops. A lot of DIY desktops are much easier to work with as well, with tool-less PCI slots, hard drive bays, and 5.25″ drive bays, not to mention cases that have removable mother board trays.
Point 8, Most of the reliability problems I have had can be traced to a specific piece of hardware or a driver problems, not usually the interaction between them. I have had these kinds of problems in both laptops and desktops. In my experience once hardware problems are worked out, both laptops and desktops are extremely reliable these days. And, on an individual basis, quality desktop components are generally more reliable than their micro-sized counterparts, thanks to heavier gauge wire, thicker traces, larger electrical components, and heavier duty mechanical parts, which all comes together to give them longer life expectancy.
Point 9, Most LCD monitors have USB hubs built in, and almost all desktops have front or top USB ports that are easily accessible regardless of if your computer is on the floor or on the desk.
Point 10, While a lot of people do simply dispose of or sell their old desktops (and laptops) when they are finished with them, desktops are far more powerful than laptops, which makes them more versatile later in life. When combined with the more reliable parts, easier maintenance, and longer life expectancy, desktops are far easier to re purpose as a file server, HTPC, guest computer, computer for kitchen, etc….
I’m not saying people should not own laptops, but I don’t think they should really be used as a primary system for most people. Laptops are really good when used as a laptop, such as light usage while laying on the couch watching TV, moving around the house, or traveling. But if your going to do even remotely heavy computing, it’s generally more comfortable to work at a desk with a desktop-style setup.
Anyone who doesn’t own even a laptop can’t really comment to the contrary b/c they’ve never known what it is they’re missing out on. Laptops are not meant to be powerhouses for dual graphics cards, high end gaming or whatever – as per the points mentioned in this post, laptops are not meant to be a PC replacement.
Additionally, proper typing requires that your wrists are higher in the air than the keyboard itself — using the touchpad area as a wrist rest doesn’t do this, so that is of little medical benefit for carpal tunnel concerns.
Some examples:
– They cost twice as much for the same performance
– Difficult/impossible to repair due to components integration
– Difficult/impossible to upgrade for space reasons
– Memory, HDD etc upgrades are also more expensive
– Hard Disks are usually slower
– More difficult to find Linux support for the hardware
– Worse, not better LCD screens. And smaller.
– After the 1st year, batteries become a problem.
– And batteries are an expensive replacement
– Fewer USB, serial and other connections available
– Impossible to build your own
…and so on…
This is the best joke I’ve read for a long time.
I really don’t understand why such things all over like laptops, mobile phones, tv ( yeah i think the tv one of the most stupid things that exist in any house!! why should u need it anyway) and not to forget pepsi/cocacola ..etc drinks .. many many things are all over coz of ???? i don’t really understand why they are all over everywhere
That can usually take days or weeks (Best Buy)
If you don’t buy the expensive warranty, then you end up paying expensive fees, for example, on the monitor, you will most likely pay 400us+ to get the replacement plus any labor fees.
If you want to do it yourself, the parts are delicate and hard to access.
There is also the problems with getting video card drivers, well for Windows anyways, where if your driver has a problem, you can’t just go to Nvidia’s site and download an updated version. You must wait for your manufacturer to update it, this is for everything, like BIOS and other essential drivers that on a desktop, you can normally find easily.
That is why between work and home, I use a LAN party computer, the Sugo SG05 case, with the Zotac 9300 Mini-ITX motherboard and slot loading drive. I have a quad core CPU and 4 GB of RAM. Also using a laptop drive. And it has a handle and is very light.
I’m not saying this thing does not have any disadvantages and that laptops are bad, but unless you get an HP or a Lenovo Thinkpad, in my experience, you are going to have a lot of trouble. Stay away from Gateway (bad drivers, sorry build quality) Acer (overheated for my brother in law, has to open up every month to blow out dust accumulations from bad laptop design).
1. They are not upgradable, not like a desktop.
2. You cannot fit two high end graphics cards in SLI in them.
3. I enjoy building computers. You cant really build and totally customize your own laptop.
Sorry to be a stick in the mud but there is another side to the story.
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