Why you should buy a laptop for college….

I just read This- it’s entitled “Why you should not buy a laptop for college. Ok so this post isn’t why you should, but I’d like to help shed some light on the situation. I have both a laptop and a desktop. I built my desktop. I’m a computer geek. However, I find my laptop incredible useful for school and otherwise. Let’s take this guy’s post point by point.

Price Issue: A laptop will cost considerably more then an equally matched desktop system… While this is true, most students should by laptops because they don’t need a really powerful machine. Something that can run MS Office (Word, Excel, etc.), AIM and a web browser (use FireFox) really should be sufficient. My laptop (Averatec Tablet PC) was $1300, is very small, and is currently running gAIM, Firefox, a notepad clone, Excel, Word, Windows Media Player and Adobe Photoshop as well as Gmail Notifier and Windows Updates. and it’s running fine. if your laptop breaks down you will nearly always have to send it to the manufacture to get repaired. That’s if you are still covered by the warranty… In my experience, the same thing will happen with a desktop. Most people are afraid of the inside of a computer and don’t want to deal with it. Depending on the damage, no matter what you have, you will b e sending it back. and ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS get the extended warranty. At best buy, it will extend it to 3 years.

Portability Hype: Not all locations on campus will support wifi… This is true, so you will have to find out if you school does, and where. My school does and is expanding it throughout campus. And if your school doesn’t offer it, chances are someone living just off campus did no configure their wireless router correctly, and you can mooch off them. Sitting in a parking lot on campus, i found 16 WiFi connections. Also forget about using your laptop as a notebook… This one he’s pretty right about. But it’s good for those times where you want to bring it to class for other reasons, because you are giving a presentation or something- I’m a programming major, so I find that bringing my laptop to class helps sometimes. But, what our friend didn’t mention is those times you go home for the weekend or breaks. The Laptop is definitely great for this. You aren’t going to lug your desktop home for a weekend. It would take to much time and effort and probably not pay off. Also, those longer breaks- laptop breakdown is much easier. Since I am often in need of My computer- because of certain resources- I find myself bringing my laptop all over the place. Plus, Laptops are great for commuters who often spend the whole day on campus because why drive back and forth in between classes.

Productivity Hype: Your going to be as productive as you want to me. He mentions online research and distractions- that is true. But you will be able to get the internet anywhere on campus. If you want to do online research at the library you can do it on their PCs, but it wouldn’t be a hassle to bring you laptop there and connect. Either way you will have those distractions, might as well be comfortable, web wise.

Durability & Security Issues : hey are more easily prone to getting nicks, dents and scratches and a bad fall could just spell the end. Also unlike desktops, laptops are more likely to getting stolen or lost…. This is where being a responsible adult comes in. Keep an eye on your laptop, get an nice case for it for when it’s not in use and you will be fine.

I hope this has been helpful and I would be happy to answer an questions on the issues for anyone. Just leave a comment or email me (Joe@Casabona.Org). Later!