Purchasing a Laptop and Leaving Behind an Ancient Desktop

I cannot count the times that I have been on a trip and needed to access the Internet, but there was no computer available with which to do so. There have been many other times that I have been at work or at friend's house, and I desperately needed a file or other item from my home computer. I need more portability.

There was a time when laptop computers were synonymous with business executives, computer engineers, or otherwise high-tech, high-paid members of the American workforce. Furthermore earlier models were not nearly as portable as they would later become and there were limitations to their performance. Desktop systems, on the other hand, greatly outpaced laptops in performance capability, affordability and ubiquity. It seemed that laptops were a mere novel available only to an elite, almost aristocratic, class of personal computer users.

Today if the average consumer were to look around he would notice a trend in personal computers' form factors and prices. First there is the Mac Mini manufactured by Apple. This entry-level Macintosh is only 6"x 6" and stands a mere 2" high. It's small footprint and Then there is Dell's Inspiron Slims. Though its form factor is not as impressive as the Mac Mini and still retains the traditional look of a tower, Dell has continued the trend of creating small footprint desktops that can easily be taken on the go if absolutely necessary. However an easier way has emerged.

Seemingly without much notice, because it has happened so gradually, laptops have increased in performance and affordability. And counterintuitively, as they have increased in performance and hard drive capacity, they have also decreased in size. Amazingly today's laptops are some of the thinnest and lightest ever. Furthermore the booming age of computers has not only decreased the price of desktops, but also laptops are more affordable than ever. Many entry-level (Windows-based) laptops start at around $400 US. In 2006 PCworld.com reported a tremendous drop in the average price of laptops thus creating a spike in their sales. Today the capability, availability and affordability of laptops rivals that of their desktop counterparts.

So when the time comes for you to purchase a new computer system, do not shy away from going totally portable by purchasing a laptop. They are more powerful than ever and the wonderfully large hard drives coming stock in today's laptops are more than sufficient for the average user. There are too many factors up for consideration and it would be cumbersome to attempt to cover them all here. However there are a few high points that I will mention that may help you.

Most laptops come with hard drives and RAM capacities that are comparable with desktops. As with any computer consideration make careful projections about what your hard drive space needs might be. Do you plan on having a large music library? In the modern age of iPods and other portable music players, more and more users are storing their music on their PC's. Next, think about what size screen you will need. It may not be worth it to get the largest screen available since this will add to the size and possibly decrease the portability of your laptop. Apple's Macbook touts a 13" wide screen. This may seem like a small size, however the width, clarity and brightness of the screen more than makes up for any lost screen real estate. Finally, as with all computer purchases, consider which operating system is best for you. Windows XP (and now Vista) continue to dominate most of the business market and a large chunk of the home user market. However you may see fit to switch to Macintosh. It is said that if you have used and like iTunes, then you will like using the Mac OS. One final tip: be sure to get a laptop that will allow you to connect a CRT or LCD monitor to it in the event that you need a larger monitor for watching movies or working in Photoshop or the like.

Those of you in the market for a new personal computer no longer have to worry about giving up performance and power in exchange for portability. The computer industry has made awesome strides in bringing the power and reliability of a desktop to a machine that fits right on your lap. So cut the wires and go portable, it's easier now than you might think!