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After years of repairing them, I have developed a strong opinion
on what to do and what not to do when buying a laptop.
Here's the dark side of laptops first. Because laptops are
made to be lightweight, they are inherently fragile. They get
carried around, picked up, put down, and dropped occasionally.
Some parts, like the battery, have an even shorter lifespan than
the normally short lifespan of some computer parts (the disk
drive). So laptops get "old" fast. Unless you are extremely
careful and lucky, you're only going to get 3-4 years out of
your laptop max. This is as opposed to the 4-5 years you'll get
out of your desktop, and more if you upgrade it. So, in one sentence,
a laptop is going to cost more and die sooner than a desktop.
On the other hand, a laptop works in places a desktop cannot,
and that's why you want one.
So if you're going to buy a laptop, here's my advice.
There are three words to remember when buying a laptop: toe
she baa. Say it again: Toshiba. Buy any Toshiba laptop you
can afford. Sony and Dell are also good. Avoid everything
else. Not to mention names, but if it isn't Toshiba, Sony, or
Dell, do not buy it no matter what the cost, especially
if the cost is low. It's cheap for a reason.
There are others who have different opinions, but in my experience,
the combination of technology and tech support in a Toshiba makes
them the best.
In the Macintosh world, Apple laptops are great.
When you buy a laptop, you're paying for low weight and bigger
and brighter screens. The lighter the weight, the more you'll
pay, and the bigger and/or brighter the screen, the more you'll
pay. An 8-½ pound laptop will cost you $700. A 2-½
pound laptop will cost you $2000.
Performance is probably not an issue as most people do not
need all the computing power their laptop can do, but higher
performance costs more too.
Having shopped around many times, the best deals are at Costco
and newegg.com. But shop around. Check out Toshiba's web site,
and Best Buy. Look for "open box" specials. Having
said that, go to Costco. They usually have one or two Toshiba's
for sale. Buy the one you like.
Laptops come loaded with a lot of pre-installed software
you do not want or need. The first thing I do when I set up a
new laptop for a client is go through the Add or Remove Programs
control panel and take out all the "salesware." This
includes McAfee or Norton antivirus, and AOL (unless you are
an AOL user). Toshiba's also have dozens of Toshiba utilities
pre-installed. I pull them all out. However, when in doubt, don’t.
Get a good padded case for your laptop. Staples has
them. Padding is essential, especially on the bottom. The laptop
should fit tightly in the case and not move around.
Your laptop is a target for thieves. Get a plain case. Avoid
any case that draws attention to itself. This is especially a
problem for Apple laptops because Apples tend to have "fashionable"
cases, the kind of case that just screams, "Steal
this laptop!" to a thief.
Laptop batteries are around $100 to replace (plus $25 shipping,
they're heavy). They will wear out and die after 3,000
"recharges," give-or-take. Un-plugging the laptop,
using it, and re-plugging it in is a "recharge." To
maximize the life of your battery, run the battery almost dry
before you plug it in again. The battery’s still going to
last only two years.
Find a good place that will recycle the old battery. Many
cities and towns have a "hazardous waste" recycling
day. Keep the dead battery until then and dispose of it properly.
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