10 Reasons Why You Should Own A Laptop

Nik Read more November 3, 2018

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.