Let’s say you had to choose between owning a laptop or desktop. This would be your only computer. Which would you choose?
We started talking about this at the office when we saw a story about how laptop sales recently surpassed desktop sales for the first time. Reuters reports:
“It was yet another sign that the former dominance of desktop PCs is fading as wireless advances and lower prices make laptops the preferred option for millions of PC users around the world.”
Personally, I am a laptop kind of girl. I like to take it to coffee shops and on trips. The downside is that I run the risk of becoming a hunchback, but I am working on a better laptop set-up.
What do you think? Are you a laptop or a desktop? Leave your comments below and tell us why. Extra points if you include a cute lolcat caption for this photo!
original photo by Kevin
Because I work in Kingston but I live in Ottawa, and because I commute by train, I need a laptop. As I am on sabbatical right now, my laptop lives on my desk, true, but it simply does not make sense for me to have more than one computer, one at the office and one at home, when I spend nearly four hours on the train getting back and forth where I cousl work too. So a laptop it is. For me.
When anyone asks me if they should get a laptop, I ask them whether they depend on the computer’s mobility for their livelyhood. If the answer is not, or even I don’t think so, I tell them to get a desktop. For most students and most academics, a laptop is the best choice. However, for almost everyone else, for anyone who has a computer for work at work and need not bring work home, for 9 to 5 people, for anyone that does not require mobility for work, as well as for gamers, there is no reason to get a laptop. It would be not only counterintuitive for them to do so, it would be an expense they do not need to make, since desktops are so much cheaper than laptops.
In my house we have 3 Computers. 1 desktop, and 2 laptops. I am an avid gamer and I would not use a laptop for any serious gaming. You get a better price for performance from desktops. When it comes to gaming, or anything seriously graphically related, performance is key.
It is a lot easier to do things like use your computer as a PVR/music player, and plug in things like a scanner, when you dont have to worry about moving it and accidentally unplugging something. The less you have plugged into a laptop, the better (They’re supposed to be MOBILE!).
That being said, I also love laptops! Especially for general use that doesnt require a lot of computing power. My most common use for them is sitting on the couch, watching tv while i check my email, facebook, etc… I also use it to pull up recipes online and have it showing on screen in the kitchen, so i dont have to waste paper printing off a recipe that i might only use once. Another good use is when i am cooking, if it is a long prep time, I watch a movie on the laptop while i cook.
A question I often ask myself. Laptops use less power, are a lot more mobile, and as prices go down the power/$ you get out of your laptop is getting closer and closer to desktops.
But, the main reason I love my desktop is that I can customize every piece to what I need or want. I want a new video card, done. Another hard drive, BAM. No customization on laptops, you get what you get. If one part breaks on the laptop more often than not your laptop is gone until repaired. Desktop, quick and easy replace, less time down. Plus all laptops look the same to me, Sure people put stickers on them and such, but they are all in brick form (boring!!!). To me the individuality is more important than mobility and convenience.
My only current (set up & functioning) computer is a laptop. The mobility and the common availability of wireless internet hotspots – or even the Roger’s rocket cellular network portable internet – makes it a hands down winner.
I agree that the laptop isn’t a gaming engine, stereo component, PVR, or a file/web server like the desktop CAN be, but these roles are better served by XBox, Squeezebox, PVR, Network accessible drive box, and network printers anyways.
The “swiss army knife” flexibilty of the high end desktop is being replaced by a cluster of specialized wirelessly networked devices, with the laptop being the “personal computing” component.
I’m with Andrew MacPherson on the pleasure of tricking out your own desktop computer with new bits & pieces.
That said, in my household, we’re looking at getting a low-end laptop for kitchen surfing, so we don’t have to troop all the way up to the 3rd floor office just to check something online. There’s enough out there in the right price range that this is now a viable option. A couple of years ago, it wasn’t.
I’m a total laptop guy. I have a stack of them beside me, I’ve been laptop only since college. Part of it was because the internet was faster at school so I could download stuff there. Now laptops are so close to as fast as desktops, why not? I do have a big monitor and external keyboard/mouse at work to get a bit more space but…
Interesting discussion!
@Tournevis, my sister just bought a new laptop when she was visiting me, and I wondered whether laptop or desktop made more sense for her, but she’s an academic and the mobility thing makes total sense.
@Iain,
I just did a hit with Peter Nowak, CBC’s tech journo at CES. He was talking about netbooks being everywhere on the show floor. I could totally imagine them in the kind of context you’re talking about too.
I’ve been strictly a laptop user at home for years now. I tend to carry it around the house with me so that I can play music or check our recipes in the kitchen or have it sitting on the couch when I’m reading or whatever.
I don’t think I could go back since I’m sure by now I associate a desktop psychologically with my day job
For me, the ideal solution is a desktop at home (a large screen iMac) and a cheap netbook for when I am on the go. I do different things on each of them, so I don’t feel I am compromising.
I bought a desktop a few months before I started university and it’s carried me through so far – I graduate in April and it’s still in good condition.
However, my next computer will be a laptop. I like that you can take them anywhere and use them anywhere. I hate being tied to my desk and would love to spend some time sitting at the dining room table, on the couch, in bed at night, etc.
It’s also convenient to have my own files at school so I’m not constantly e-mailing myself files between computers.
(my apologies for hogging the forum with a second post)
It also occurs to me that there are more than the two choices presented. High end “smart phones” like the iPhone and competitors – especially when coupled with Web 2.0 services and websites – might represent a platform choice all their own. Spark itself has pointed this out in past segments that have discussed primary internet usage through cell phones in the developing world and Asia.
Additionally, “cloud software” like Google documents might be viewed as an attempt to bring us “hardware agnostic” computing: a platform which we can access anywhere, regardless of what the hardware is, or even who owns it.
I’m with Andrew and Iain. I’ve found that laptops are less expandable or customizable, and also come with more oddball proprietary pieces that simply don’t work longer-term with a variety of software. Even if you manage to get the right driver combination today, everything soon stops working.
I have laptops, including an OLPC XO — but if I were forced to only have one machine it wouldn’t be a much more locked-down laptop. I’m even less likely to consider one of these so-called “Smart” phones which we may pay for and possess, but with the foreign locks applied to them can’t really “own” (very few exceptions like the Openmoko phones).
Charles makes an important point, which is that the artificial “pick one” is the opposite to where we are headed. We will have more less powerful computers in our future, not fewer more powerful computers.
I have a Rogers Digital Cable box and a Fido locked Sony/Ericson not-so-smart phone. The fact that they are tethered is frustrating, but I can still plug them into unlocked computing (IE: I can play MP3s on the phone and talk to it over standard USB. I can plug my Neuros OSD PVR into the Rogers cable tuner). If I had to pick one device couldn’t mix-and-match and have standards based ways to interface with them I would simply have to reject all tethered devices and “unplug” from that foreign world entirely.
Desktop by far unless they come up with a 24″ screen in labtops.
Desktops as you can change and update component easily. Also the size of the screen matters to me. I need at least 24″.
Caption for the picture of the cat “Where’s the mouse on this thing?”
I have a desktop, a decision I made because like others have mentioned, I am a gamer. But if I was buying today, I am not so sure. I’m likely to have several devices to meet my needs, and the cost is going to be similar to that of the one, main device I got a couple years ago.
Smartphones and netbooks are relatively new to the market and hit a price point that is accessible to a lot more people. I think classic laptops and desktops are both in trouble when compared with these cheaper ‘net appliances’. One could theoretically get everything they need from a netbook and a gaming console, for example. Is it really worth it to invest thousands of dollars into a single device anymore or does it make more sense to invest the same into multiple, purpose-built devices that do their jobs very well?
Ever since I started buying my own computers ten years ago I’ve been agonizing over this decision. I really run my machines into the ground, so their speed has always been very important.
However, this year I agonized no longer with my latest purchase of a MacBook Air. It’s the first time I ever bought a computer that was *slower* than the last one. But I realized that computers are so fast now that speed is no longer the prime consideration. It’s very strange to see how much form factor now matters, even to a person like me who never used to think about it.
Oh, and here’s an LOL cat using a laptop:
http://miscellanea.wellingtongrey.net/2007/10/15/the-real-lolcat-attack/
I was linked to this article by a friend, after I grumbled yesterday about laptops.
Since the end of 2005, I have owned two laptops. The first was an Acer aspire, and I had major issues with that model. I was told a manufacturing defect meant that the hinges were too tight, and this caused the casing to crack, and after a while the left side of the screen broke away from the base. I sent it to Acer, and after a month of them having it, they sent it back to me, fully repaired. Except the same problem happened again, much faster than before, and that resulted in the screen coming away from the base completely. Acer refused to fix, claimed they’d never fixed my laptop the first time, and said that there was no manufacturing defect. Hmm.
So, my second laptop was/is a Dell Inspiron 6400. I’ve had it nearly two years now, and a few months ago, the same thing started happening to it. The left hinge is too tight, the screen is wonky, the casing is coming away on the right side, and it’s hard to shut. The owner of a local electronics repair shop told me that he gets a lot of laptops in with this problem. He quoted me £100 to fix.
I told him I’d be back to give him the parts for my laptop, after I buy a Mac desktop in a couple of months
I’m very willing to sacrifice portability for decent hardware. I don’t need to take my laptop places any more, so it seems like the best alternative.
Three people living in 540 square feet. Three people who need computers for work and school. Doing the math, laptops make the most sense. As Wellington noted, laptops are plenty fast enough for most tasks – Internet, word processing, etc..
Plus, there’s something very pleasurable about doing e-mail on the couch. Try that with a desktop!
I enjoy the convenience of my laptop but I just can’t seem to get the power out of it that I’d like. I decided this past fall to buy a desktop for the first time in 7 years. I’m really happy with it because now I can work at home at a real desk and not hurt my back any more. I think that the only difficulty right now in having a laptop and desktop is keeping my files and such synced between the two. If I had to choose only one though, I’d still go for the laptop since I can take it wherever I go. That’s the sort of society that we live in now, a portable wireless society. Instead of going somewhere to get connected, we now take our connections with us. The network, facebook, twitter and email go with us instead of us going to them. We let the computer tell us what it believes that we want to know; we no longer ask the questions we just receive the answers all day long (like facebook on my blackberry).
Hi- that’s my cat Simba in the photo and I wanted to give you an update on him. Last summer he decided to give up both desktop and laptop and is now happy with his iPhone.
Right now I can’t afford either. My main computer is a 0.55 GHz Pentium III box and even that’s borrowed.
Nobody makes my dream computer, which would be about the same shape as a Cambridge Z88 or Tandy 100, but with enough OOMPH to run unix or Linux. It would have WiFi and probably an SD/MMC slot and a USB port or two.
I am a geek.
My current setup is a Compaq Armada E700 (with 500Mhz PIII, running Mandriva 2009) for a laptop and a Dell Dimension 4600 running Novell’s OpenSuSE 11.0.
I like carrying the laptop for portability, with wi-fi access through a Linksys Compact-G adapter (RT73 chipset) and a D-Link AirPlus ExtremeG (DWL-G650 with an Atheros 52xx chipset).
However, I like using the desktop better as it is setup for any kind of task from website development to digital photography (I have a Canon EOS Rebel XS for a film camera, and a Sony Cybershot DSC-H10 and Hewlett-Packard Photosmart M22 for digital cameras).
If I were to replace all of this, I would go with a laptop, but not just any laptop, one that has the power of my desktop, and runs the latest OpenSUSE distribution, for the utmost in security and safety on the Internet.
As for the caption on the photo:
Gee, I did not know that cat(1) meant to type the contents of a file on the screen. I thought it was just a furry creature to be loved and fed.
My laptop feels attached to me like an umbilical cord. I leave the house and am dragging my roller case behind me. The odd time I don’t have it, I find myself wondering what I’ve forgotten – much like a single parent who occasionally leaves the child with a sitter. Part of this is because I’m a consultant, so am always moving between home office, downtown office, client sites, and so on. The airport scene is frighteningly familiar: get in line, remove laptop. I think I travelled once sans laptop, because I was supposed to be on vacation, but I was at the time share’s communal desktop every day checking on my business and putting out the worst fires. So, while I appreciate the power of a desktop, I definitely have to go with laptop on this one. Now, I’m working on cloud computing to sync my two laptops.
A Father’s approach to the subject at hand:
1) Switched from desktop to laptop when my son reached the “terrible two’s.” (i.e., shut lid and move to higher ground)
2) Freely admit I have dial-up at home (the horror!). Take laptop *to* the source of high speed (a.k.a. local library)
3) Unit is easily moved out of the way to clean.
4) The only ‘gaming’ done here is with analog Lego’s, Playdoh, and a train track set. No water cooled CPU’s needed.
5) As long as I can pull down an RSS of Spark on my dial up, I’m good to go with either system.
BEING OVERLOOKED:
One thing being overlooked is energy efficiency. Myself, living mostly on solar power, am very aware of the power draw of all electrical items, I have to be. My desktop now sits unused, replaced by the laptop. Why? How about a ten times power reduction! 20 watts for the laptop, or 200 watts to run the desktop. Something we should all be thinking about. Especially all those people who leave their desktop turned on 24/7, a rather expensive way to hear one’s home.
I use my lap top with a separate keyboard and I have a standing desk.That is designed for my height, so I can sit on a stool and the height is just right, or when I am aware and I tuck in my chin and tske up my full height then I am not bending over and wrecking my posture.
Love your show!
There are a couple of points to consider when choosing between a PC and a laptop: 1. the power usage; 2. the portability. The laptop wins hands down. As far as ergonomics goes, the smaller keyboard was a problem at first, however, going back to a split ergo keyboard and changing to a trackball mouse cured nasty wrist pain. If you have an old ergo keyboard, you can buy a USB to PS/2 cable converter. I bought one online for $3.99.
As far as posture goes: for 2 or 3 years now I have used a 62-cm big red ball, pumped up to achieve a right angle at the knees. The best part about the ball for me was that my back problems disappeared. Unlike an expensive chair, you keep moving your hips around on it constantly (exercise+++) – the constant slight body position adjustments strengthen back and leg muscles. If you need to use the laptop in another part of the house, you can kick the ball (more exercise!) to wherever you want it.
I figured I would ring in here with my top choice. I would forget about the costly laptopin favour of a netbook or cheaper end smallish laptop and buy a desktop the can be used in the living room with a large monitor for entertainment (media centre) and for the odd bit of home office type of tasks.
Hi Spark …
“Go Desktop Go” … I am extremely anti laptop.
I rely on “remote desktop” for all of my work the requires mobility. At work I am always connected to my home PC … and at home I am always connected to my work PC.
Aside from my primary reason here’s some others:
- laptops are heavy and a complete burden
- parts are not standardized and expensive
- laptops are fragile
- laptops are awkward to commute with
Jim
ps I’d probably be a fan of bootable usb keys containing my OS, Apps, and files …
The laptop is the only computer for those of us who wear bi- or varifocal glasses. With desktops we either have to tilt our heads back to read the screen (getting major cricks in the neck), wear trifocals, or buy another set of glasses just for the computer. The screen on a laptop is at the perfect angle for using the reading (lower) part of our glasses without having to bend our necks. I wouldn’t be without mine, even though I rarely move it from my desk and the smaller screen took a bit of getting used to.
Great topic, and great posts, everyone. Like Geakz, I have to commute to get high-speed for my (work-owned) laptop and iPod touch. My home desktop is stuck with dial-up. Any downloads (like the enhanced podcast) are conducted elsewhere, then transferred via USB memory key if necessary.
Just listened to episode 62, and have a comment about the poor ergonomic design of laptops, and Ms. Lallani’s suggestion of a laptop with a telescoping screen mount to bring the screen up away from the keyboard; what ever happened to that mid-90s ideal of ‘Virtual Reality’ headsets? How about a pair of glasses instead of a display? Could that beat a 24″ desktop display?
I am pretty much having this exact debate right now…in my mind.
I have pretty much bought a desktop every 4 years for home and have had desktops to work on at work. The things I like about a home computer is a large screen and a lot of storage. The idea of having a computer in-between has never been much of an issue and I handle syncing issues by using mostly web based apps. Even Drop Box has pretty much gotten me out of dragging around a USB Flash drive. Basically, living off separate desktops has made me embrace the web even more for work related things, like Gmail, Google Documents, FreshBooks, Harvest, Basecamp, etc.
The one mobile element I have added to my process is an iPhone and I find that is the exact mix I need on the run. I don't need something for really "working" on the go, but being able to handle e-mails, twitter, todos, surfing and the odd game is great. This also solves the issues of not being able to drag around pictures, songs and movies. Sure I can't drag them all around with me, but the iPhone gives me enough to keep me happy.
If I wanted to carry everything around with me (tons of music, thousands of photos and tv/film), a laptop capable of having a 1TB drive would be the answer. The idea of external drives for anything other than back-up doesn't appeal to me, but the more I read about the Drobo, the more interested I am. Plus, if you look at Apple's latest reports, laptops sales are way up and desktops are falling down.
So, long story short, I am waiting for the next revision to the iMac before I purchase my next computer.
I think it totally depends on your intended use.
First of all, it would differ between personal and business laptops.
For personal … is it shared between several people? Are you using it just for downloading music? I prefer a laptop for personal use because I like to be able to carry it around the house (in front of the TV, in the kitchen, in the bedroom, etc.).
I actually originally bought a laptop to take with me to school to take notes, but now that I'm out of school, I don't even want to return to a desktop.
For business, although I may be a bit biased (I work for a company that leases business computers called No Panic Computing), I believe laptops are becoming more and more common due to the fact that many people have to travel for work, and the lines between business hours and personal hours are starting to blur.
If you are a graphic designer or video editor, you will probably require a desktop (maybe even with multiple monitors), but for those who travel for business, often work from home, or even just want the portability of bringing your laptop into your weekly meeting, a laptop is the only option they'd consider.
I’ve just finished reading all the posts on this discussion, and each has been very considered and helpful, thanks. The common focus on practical issues (electricity requirements, processor speed etc.), with a few exceptions about environment (posture, bi-focal glasses, as well as the obvious one of portability), made me realise that my own dilemma is psychological: one of the posts mentioned the psychological association of the desktop with ‘work’ computing. I also have that problem, and even though I’m an academic, the majority of the computing I do in my office on campus is administration. I wrote my Phd on a desktop as well, so perhaps the trauma of that has taken its toll…! Since then I’ve really only used laptops, sitting at home on the couch, to write research papers and lectures. Those are the tasks that require ‘thinking’ time. For me, the laptop’s lap/screen/hands/eyes/brain distances feel intimate and relaxed, whereas those of the desktop feel formal and suggest obligation to work. So, that’s my perspective on the debate! Does anyone out there know what I mean…?!
Great posts!
My first was an HP desktop PC in 2006. Still runs great, never had a problem. I use it offline and only for a serious photography hobby, not much else. I get basic updates via the sneaker net, USB transit. You need a desktop monitor for photo work. I went to libraries with my USB to share photos on web sites like flickr and by emails. Over 3 years I added 2GB more RAM and a second hard drive and better keyboard. But my desired internet time increased and wanted more web access. So in 2010, I weighed the options. Best Buy offered 18 months no interest for $500+ purchases. A $35/month internet connection x 18 months = $630. That gets you a laptop a bit beefier performance wise than my HP and with the new Windows OS. Laptops cost no more than desktops anymore. Actually I thought the equivalent powered desktops (tower+keyboard+monitor) on display were slightly costlier but close. My apartment has tenants with wireless already there, I can deal with them on that, or I can go two blocks away to downtown to the library for free Wi-Fi, there are outdoor Wi-Fi hot spots here too, also a campus a couple miles away has it free too. So no pressure to buy stuff as in an internet cafe'. I'm single so getting out is good…sharing internet or whatever with neighbors is good too. I don't hog bandwidth, no video streaming etc. So the options looked this way. Option 1) Buy internet access for my Desktop and put my hobby PC at risk of getting viruses. Option 2) Buy a laptop and use its mobility possibilities to find internet service wherever I can, and have two computers for no more money than option 1. I went for the laptop. However I don't feel good about the stories I hear regarding poor laptop mechanical durability. I hope it has improved just as the internal laptop performance has.
As far as one or the other being more fun, I get fun or serious on either unit.
Last week I was looking to buy a laptop computer desk for the refurbished laptop computer in my home office but I’m noticing that I can get significantly cheaper prices online instead of driving down to the local electronics store, in many cases 50%-70% cheaper. The only bad part is that I have to wait several days to get it delivered.
Acer has launched the new range of Acer Aspire computers that are targeted for both home and business consumers. The best part of this series is its starting price that has the prime objective of undercutting all market competitors. The Acer Aspire One laptop is currently enjoying the patronage of many global customers who are already deeply satisfied with the Acer Aspire One MSI Wind and the Acer Aspire One Windows XP offerings.
Laptop definitely. I could never going back to using a desktop. I HATE being tied to a desk/chair. I move around a bunch, go to coffee shops, lay in bed, watch tv etc. I also meet a bunch of clients. I actually had a nice desktop and monitor but decided to sell it as I used it so sparingly. Maybe once a month tops. That isn't enough to warrant it IMO. Sometimes it would be nice to have a giant screen, but besides that… I have no use for them. Laptops have caught up to desktops in speed and usefulness. I think around 2005 was the tipping point for me. It is somewhat a catch 22, I might be able to work slightly faster on a desktop… But I can also work from *anywhere* from a laptop so the few I minutes I might have saved are more than made up in convenience.