In the past year, laptops have finally overtaken desktop PCs in sales. There are many reasons for this momentous change in consumer preference:

• Prices for laptops have continued to fall steadily, and value is now extremely competitive with desktops.
• Laptops now offer outstanding performance combined with portability – there is no longer a real difference between the performance of most laptops and most desktops.
• People are increasingly doing their computing on the go, and need a machine that can keep up with them.
• The increasing availability of wireless networks ensures that laptop users will never be far from a connection point.




Contents

• What to Look for in a Laptop
• Popular Laptop Brands

What to Look for in a Laptop

PC vs. Mac – PCs have been the dominant operating system for over two decades, but Macs are quietly making inroads and attracting new users. PCs offer a robust platform with abundant software and hardware resources, but require a more powerful computer to run the bulky operating system smoothly. Macs are known for their easy-going performance, but it may be more difficult to find a wide range of compatible hardware and software. Each platform has its adherents, and increasingly the difference is not based on performance, but personal preference.

CPU/Processor – This is where the raw computing activity of a computer takes place, measured in GHz. 'Dual-Core' processors offer roughly twice the computing power of standard core processors. As performance goes up price goes up as well.

RAM – 2GB is standard, and enough to deliver acceptable speed. 3GB of RAM offers a big leap forward in performance, particularly for multi-media and Internet-centric uses – luckily for consumers, prices continue to drop and better-performing laptops are very affordable.

Hard Drive – This is the primary storage device of a laptop. Entry level models will generally feature a 60GB hard drive, 160GB is a standard size, and larger hard drives provide 320GB of storage and more. If you anticipate storing numerous pictures, movies, MP3 files, or others memory-intensive items, you will want a larger hard drive.

Battery Life – This is an important consideration for many users, since the main attraction of laptops is the ability to take and use them anywhere. In general, less advanced models are more energy efficient and allow for longer battery life, while more powerful models gobble power will require more frequent charging.

Screen Size – Buying a laptop used to mean putting up with a tiny screen with a dim, washed out display, but that is no longer the case. Most laptops feature screens in the 15”-17” range, and today's LCD displays are bright and vibrant. Large screen (17”+) laptops are now available, but do come with diminished portability and battery life.

Popular Laptop Brands

Dell is popular for taking an á la carte approach to laptop sales, and have established themselves as a sales leader – you can select any number of options for each component and literally 'build' your own computer. Lenovo (manufactured by IBM) is a popular brand for no-frills models that combine low cost with outstanding durability, as well as more advanced models that are loaded with all the bells and whistles. Sony Vaio is a popular brand for advanced users looking for a more upscale computing experience. Toshiba is known as a very workmanlike brand, with well-received models at mid-range prices. Acer has established itself as the place to to go for bargain models, as they offer several laptops that give you the most computing bang for your buck.

If you want an Apple, there are a number of different MacBook models that offer varying levels of sophistication and performance.