Laptops Go Mainstream in College

Every generation is known for something. In 1970 it was the "Hippie" days, and in 1980 it was the "Punk Rock" times. This generation today of 20 to 25 year olds must be the laptop generation. The past couple of years desktop computers have been declining in sales, not because of business people looking for portable workstations but because of a younger crowd.

At this point in time it is almost unfashionable to have only a desktop computer, a laptop puts you in the running, and having both must be great. Everybody everywhere seems to either have a laptop or be using a laptop, these things are everywhere. Laptops have become so popular that even some colleges now require freshman to have a laptop. Along with requiring freshmen to have a laptop, some colleges with this idea are also phasing out the ever popular "school computer center" and bringing wireless networks campus wide.

Laptops are becoming cheaper and more abundant. Although desktop computers are going to rock bottom prices, this generation with portability in mind has their eyes set on laptops. If you walk into a computer store today you will notice the ratio of laptops to desktops has shifted to a majority of laptops.

Although there are still many desktop options available, it seems that there is even a higher offering of laptops. Once laptops were stereo typed to business professionals, now the demand within the market has helped bring them to the masses. Some companies offer nothing but laptops, while every company that produces desktop computers produces laptops.

Laptops, although popular, have their limitations. As it stands today the lack of technology is limiting the production of laptops with higher "power" and lower heat levels. Desktops are cheap to upgrade in comparison to laptops and with a pile of money, free time, and the technical know how, you can build a desktop computer with 4 times the power of any current laptop.

Power issues aside, laptops have taken the market by storm and college officials have taken notice. The one issue that officials have not taken into account is the problem of seating. Not the normal seating that use to be available. Student Unions have plenty of seating from when they were originally created. The type of seating that I am referring to is what I think of as plugged seating.

With every laptop comes the power cord to charge it. As you may well know laptops do not have the longest battery life, these laptops need charged regularly especially with regular use. Every time I look around, people with laptops are trying to seat strategically to be within reach of a plug in so that their laptop do not go hungry.

If college officials are going to swing their technology base to portability, laptops, and student owned laptops, then college officials must also change their availability on "plugged seating". Once school computing centers are eliminated or drastically toned down, it may be to late for a quick fix on "plugged seating".