You just got a new job and your boss approaches you with your first major decision: “Would you like a laptop or a desktop?” he asks. Which would you choose? Before deciding, you go through the pros and cons and ultimately decide to get a laptop — you can take it with you wherever you go which will be much nicer (although, that does mean work can come home with you). With more and more businesses these days issuing laptops to their employees to use, it almost seems that desktops are moving out and laptops are moving in. Even though laptops may be more “popular,” there’s still a rather long list of things that could cause you to end-up hating your beloved computer.
Computerworld recently published an article titled “10 things we hate about laptops” in which they went through some pretty valid reasons. Here’s what they came up with:
- Battery life still bombs
- Laptops get banged up and broken
- They’re tough to fix, and they die young
- They get lost
- They’re difficult to secure, digitally and physically
- Security precautions make users nuts
- Wi-Fi is still the wild, wild, west
- Laptops spawn a new breed of uber-entitled user
- They’re too big or too small
- Software performance just ain’t the same
Out of that list, are there any that really stick out as being a reason you’d avoid getting a laptop, or one that would make it fall short of being a perfect computer? Topping my list is battery life. Sure, many laptops have a decent battery life, but my problem has always been that the batteries don’t keep their full charge for long enough. Another big one while I was a student was that it got banged up pretty easily from carrying it around everyday, not to mention the worries of someone stealing it if I didn’t keep my on on it at all times.
Reader Question: Do you prefer a laptop or desktop, and is there anything that you’d change to make it the perfect computer?
I was a long time desktop user and never thought I would like a laptop. Then I landed a position where a laptop was just a smarter choice because of the portability. Let me tell ya, its been 4 years of using laptops and I will never go back. In fact I just ordered a brand new and much more powerful laptop. Can’t wait to get it.
I have a small business servicing computers in general. For the most part, I recommend against laptops, because of all of these reasons. But, beyond all that, a laptop simply costs more. So, you get more expense for a lower quality “system” as a whole.
Sure, there are a few reasons that portability requires a laptop, and there is no argument against that. However, do most people really NEED a laptop? The real answer is no. My favorite is the student that says they want to use a laptop for school – what a waste. As mentioned, battery life sucks, and no one takes notes in class on a laptop… if you do, you’re in the minority. I’m a very fast typer, and I won’t use a laptop in a class even to this day… I have better note-taking with my Palm PDA, even though I’ll admit it’s not the best way to do it, but it beats paper anyday.
Laptops are a fad and are “fashionable”… you can’t argue with that “logic” either.
Lastly, laptops simply have terrible performance compared to a desktop. And don’t even talk about gaming – yes it’s possible to game on a laptop, but it’s such a waste in expense.
i love my mac laptop but the thing is i have a daughter and she likes to play games and download them but with the mac they don’t download so that’s a problem. And your right desktops are better but my daughters got a very bad virus that shows really bad things on websites. And my battery goes like a lion in a forest fire.
Price #1
Or, turned around, reasons to hate a desktop/tower:
1) Battery life blows, it only works for the CMOS
2) It gets banged up a lot when you carry it around
3) It’s big and clunky. Especially burdensome for small spaces like dorm rooms
5) They’re not portable
6) They require a desk
7) Rat’s nest of cables
9) External microphones and speakers
10) They’re clay-colored eyesores
11) They repel women
It really depends on the class. I used my laptop in some classes all the time where the materials being used in class were mostly text. I can type way faster than I can write, and most of the time people were coming to me wanting my notes since I was one of the few people who could keep up with the professors.
That’s one of my big issues with laptops as well, but they are rapidly dropping in price. Heck you can get a decent laptop on Black Friday for $350, although you’ll probably have to put up a fight to get it.
Never really looked at it that way. Does that all of the single guys out there are laptop owners?
I like laptops for the fact that you could bring it anywhere you want. I don’t like laptops because I’ve been experiencing laptops slowing down on me (Toshiba laptops). Desktops however, are much simpler to upgrade. You want a new video card? RAM? It’ll be much harder to change those with a laptop. I don’t like the idea of bringing my computer to a technician. Our university technician destroyed my friend’s PC. Just because he can’t fix it. He even said, “I’ll tell the admnistration that I fixed it and I have no knowledge that its inoperable again, good day”…
When I killed my computer last month, I thought about getting a notebook/laptop. The main reason I choose not to was I had already spent a bunch of money a few months back a on really nice monitor. Plus, I never cared for the touch pad or those annoying mice built into the keyboard (j-mouse). Lack of being upgradeable (although the hard drive solution for my desktop would likely worked with a laptop). Just in general I get more for money with a desktop than I would a laptop. I also have no practical need for a laptop. It is not like I am in school (and when I was, I lugged around this 14-pound behemoth which had a battery life about the same as Microsoft’s yet-to-be ZunePhone).
Topping my list is:
9. They’re too big or too small
Either too small to be easy usable over a longer time or too big (and too heavy) to be carried around.
Well, both (and all the others of the top 10) don’t really matter to me. I do not need highest performance and my nearly 4-year-old Centrino notebook sits most of the time on my desk just like a desktop computer – with external TFT and keyboard. Nonetheless I enjoy having it: taking it with me being somewhere else for a week I don’t have to care about forgetting anything important and I really hate fan-noise since I have it and just don’t hear it most of the time as no fan is running (and it has low power consumption).
The point about security, repeated in the next point about security driving users nuts, isn’t really true. Granted, for the average user, it’s confusing, but for those who know how, it’s not difficult to secure a laptop to the point where if it’s stolen, it won’t mean crap to the thief. i.e. the chance of data recovery being possible will be next to zilch. Just use full Disk Encryption, or at least containers.
Laptops a fad? That’s funny.
Can’t argue with your “logic”?
Even funnier. Thanks for the laugh.
Regarding my point #11) They repel women, think of it this way:
There are 2 guys. One has a “LAN party special” with a custom carrying sling, plastic windows in the sides, neon lights and chrome fan grilles that look like a snarling demons, goofy round “gaming pad”, keyboard, mouse, monitor and a bundle of cables.
The other guy has a laptop.
Who do you think has the better chance of meeting a woman worth being met?
To put it in guy terms, which type of bag is more appealing on a woman, a small stylish cluth or a shoulder-mounted mommy tote-all?
OK, ok, I know, the answer is the woman with the larger _____.
Thank you, thank you very much. Be sure to tip your wait staff, I’ll be here until Thursday.
My reasons for not being fond of desktops:
- too many freaking wires and cords
- too much external crap needed
It seems pretty simple to me:
If you *need* portability and thus *must* sacrifice usability = laptop.
If you *need* usability and thus *must* sacrifice portability = desktop.
Using a laptop as a desktop is just silly and nevertheless you see it all the time. This, I think, is because of what Fred Thomson, suggested: somehow laptops are sexy, and thus people buy them even when it’s not a logical choice. But ergonomically and (if you’ll allow me to invent an adverb) productivitally speaking, a laptop on a desk is a nightmare. If you’re, say, a sales rep and you’re on the road all the time, well you’ll just have to accept the tiny keyboard, tiny screen, noisy fan, etc.
However, I do admit that desktops are not very esthetically pleasing in your living room. The problem being the screen, which is, by its very nature and despite all efforts, coyote ugly.
When is someone going to invent the folding desktop flat-panel?
Computers such as the Dell XPS 2010 or the HP Pavilion HDX are getting close, but they’re still technically speaking laptops, therefore difficult/impossible to modify and of course, WAY to expensive!
Yup. Glad you got a laugh, but it’s true. The only reason people buy laptops is because they THINK they can do all these neat things with them while being portable. I know that 90% of the people who use laptops are STILL tied to desks and power outlets. So much for portability.
They are a “fad” in the sense that they are a fashion statement, more often than not. Just like the iPod, there are many better-value solutions out there, but it’s “cool” to have a laptop. The hopes and dreams of most people are dashed when they realize that battery life still sucks, and they don’t like touchpads
(so now they are carrying around mice and crap.)
Which speaks to the other comment above – that the user doesn’t like desktops because of “all ‘dem wirez”. When you’re carrying around a power brick, a mouse, an extra battery… are you really as portable as you thought you were? Sure, the screen, speakers, and keyboard are integrated… but it’s a desktop… it’s not like you usually see or have to deal with the wires.
What’s with this generic “hatred” of wires? Wireless sucks… it’s convenient for web browsing, but for any heavy load requirements, or in “noisy” areas, it simply sucks. And when it breaks, it’s a pain to troubleshoot back into operation. Wires are good. They are 100% reliable. I have already dealt with 2 brand new laptops which barely work on wireless, because of Vista drivers and other dumb issues. Sure, I fixed them, but what a waste of time.
@Michael Dobrowsky
So right you are to laugh at some comments!
Within five years, laptops and notebooks will be still much more numerous, that’s a fact all companies know.
But it’s for a lot more difficult to deal with a notebook than with a desktop machine. That’s a main reason they’ll never avow(desktop users, not companies).
Anyway, donkeys stand on often a long time on their positions…
Moreover, the base article is of those ones obiously calling a fivty-fivty answer.
That’s the only reason I hate about laptop. Other cons, I could live with it.
Having a laptop means there is no excuse to not work from home.
There are specific reasons to hate and love a laptop. I tend to believe that in spite the growing popularity of laptop, they w2ill not be able to completely replace desktops
Some seem afraid to own a laptop (…no excuse to not work from home…).
I didn’t hear about that! In the insane eventuallity it would be the case, who asks you to sing around at work you have your own?
And in the case your boss “gives” you one, the remark has nothing to do here!
That’s just wrong! Too bad there wasn’t something you could do about that.
That’s, well, one way to look at it. I didn’t know neon lights and custom cases were a chick magnet!
The same could be said for a laptop as well. Some people need external drives, hook up monitors, plug in a real mouse, etc…
That is really true, but that’s mostly if the laptop is provided by work. I have seen people deny work-related gadgets for that very reason.
I still think that the main reason is that desktops are cheaper, not because they are easier to manage. If laptops were the cheaper solution I’m sure that would be the primary choice for many households, especially since they save so much room. It’s not like a lot of families game or anything on the computers.
Desktops repel women? Oh, come on! I’m a woman and I don’t like laptops. I own a 50 pound Dell XPS 600 Desktop and I LOVE it and I love guys who love my computer.
Laptops are for sissies.
Yes. True. Prices. But regarding many desktop configs, can’t it be said they now tend to cost less, at equal services?
I of course don’t speak about the kind of desktop machines which won’t soon disappear, servers and all.
Neither about “DIY” machines.
I think the whole thing about repelling women really comes down to the guy using the desktop! They’re the actual repellent!