Considerations when Buying a Laptop

Do you need/want portability?

• Laptops generally cost more than desktops and they often are not as powerful as desktops due to their smaller size.
• Not everyone needs portability but some like the idea of traveling with their laptops whether that’s across the country or world or from their couch to their deck. Many people don’t want to be tethered to a desktop.

• Inexpensive laptops and/or tablets/netbooks will be less than $700 generally but more powerful laptops (ones that are faster and have the latest features) may cost between $1,000-2,000.

• Tablets and netbooks are generally more consumption oriented devices than production oriented devices. In other words, people use them for surfing the ‘Net and reading email. If that’s all you need and portability’s important for you, you may want to consider a tablet or netbook.

• Depends on your budget and needs. Speaking generally, Macs are more expensive than their Windows counterparts. Macs, though, are typically more secure from external threats like viruses, malware and Trojan horse programs. In fact, there are no known viruses for the Mac.
• Are their any Windows-only applications that you need that may not run natively on a Mac (e.g. Microsoft Access)? If so, you may want to consider either buying a Windows laptop or buying a Mac that can also run the Windows operating system through a third-party program like Parallels or VM Fusion.
• If you’re currently a PC user using Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7, you may want to look at Windows 8 before deciding on Mac versus PC as Windows 8 is much different than its predecessors.

• Wirelessly (e.g. Apple Time Capsule)
• Wired (e.g. external USB-based hard drive)
• Cloud (e.g. Carbonite or Mozy)
• Thumb drives

Tags: Considering a Laptop?