Laptops became popular at the start of the 2000s. For around ten years, everyone wanted to have a laptop, and PCs were in serious decline, but today laptops aren’t that popular, and people aren’t excited about having them.
That’s partly because laptops have become widely available and everyone could get one. In the past, when the computer industry was still developing, the prospect of fitting all the components of a PC into a much smaller package was very appealing.
However, the numbers still show that laptops are leading in sales compared to desktop PCs. In fact, over 100 million laptops more were sold in 2020 than PCs, but that’s because they are available and there isn’t a big difference in price between them and personal computers.
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Reasons Why Everyone Buys a Laptop
Even though it might seem illogical, laptops are still the most popular computer devices if we don’t consider smartphones. However, they aren’t seen as revolutionary at all – they have become a common thing. That’s why we feel that it’s important to understand why most people buy laptops today.
First of all, the main advantages people see in laptops over desktop computers are their portability and weight. Most modern laptops weigh around 5 to 6 pounds. They are compact and can easily fit in a bag so that users can carry them along on the road.
How do people actually use their laptops? Most people use them as regular PCs, and they don’t need any significant hardware power. They play simple games and browse the web. The main reason why they get one is that it’s smaller and can be carried around.
Others use them for more specific reasons, including:
- Video editing
- Music production
- Word processing
- Gaming
- Accounting
- Writing
- Work in general
Even though these are the main reasons why people get laptops, it doesn’t mean that they are right. In fact, most people get laptops for the wrong reasons. Now let’s see which devices can be used for these purposes and give better advantages.
Tablets are More Portable
One of the greatest business minds in the tech world, Steve Jobs, said back in 2010 that the PC era has ended. He said that the emphasis would be on portability, making PCs more irrelevant in the future.
Even though laptops might have triggered this different approach to computer devices, tablets were the first significant change in this direction. Tablets are more compact than laptops, and they are lighter. At the same time, they are cheaper than laptops.
Their whole design is based on portability that doesn’t require the user to do anything. With laptops, batteries die really quickly, while tablets can run for as long as smartphones and get charged really quickly.
On top of all that, tablets have almost all of the functions that laptops have, making them much more portable and easier to travel with. Tablets also have better cameras than laptops and offer modern touch input.
When you look at all of these things, it seems obvious that tablets are a better option if you need portability. Sadly, most people don’t realize this, and they use tablets as glorified mobile phones instead of what they are intended for.
Desktop PCs are Better for Work
Before we start talking about desktop computers, we should mention that tablets can also be used as portable workstations. All tablets support keyboards that you can plug in and use to work while on the road.
At the same time, tablets support Styluses for drawing, making them accessible for artists and designers. However, most people use laptops for work while they are stationary – they put their laptops in an office and never move them.
If you plan to do work on a computer at the office or your home, it’s probably a better idea to use a desktop computer. There are some compelling reasons for this.
Better screens
Today there are laptops with larger screens, but they still can’t compete with desktop monitors that are much larger and offer superior graphics. Screen size is essential when you sit in front of your computer for 8 hours.
More screen space gives you room to offer multiple tabs, switch between apps, and understand what’s going on. At the same time, if you are doing any kind of visual work, screen quality is very important, as you need to see all the details of your designs with sharp colors.
More comfort
Laptops are small, and they sit very low. While working, that will cause a lot of strain on your arms, neck, and back. Computer monitors and keyboards can be adjusted at a comfortable height, and you can move around keyboards until you find a comfortable spot.
All these things matter when you’re working on a computer, as they prevent all kinds of health issues and make your job less stressful.
More value for the money
A PC and a laptop with the same configuration have different prices. More specifically, desktops are cheaper, and they will also likely perform better. The industry might claim otherwise, but that’s a fact – miniaturized components affect the device’s overall performance.
Laptops have limited cooling performance, so the GPU and CPU can’t clock as high as the ones on a PC can. On top of that, laptops use batteries as a primary source of power, and when they aren’t plugged in, their performance is hindered.
Actual Reasons Why You Should Use a Laptop
It’s true that many people buy laptops for the wrong reasons, but it doesn’t mean that laptops have no value. After all, they wouldn’t be so popular if people didn’t find them useful. There are still some benefits that laptops offer, and you can take advantage of them.
Moveable storage
Most modern laptops offer the storage of at least 500GB. On the other hand, to get 128GB of storage on a tablet, you would have to pay for a more expensive model. Laptops also allow you to move much more data and transfer it faster.
You can upgrade your laptop with an SSD hard disk to get even greater speeds. In a way, your laptop can act as an external hard drive without carrying another device around.
Laptops come with disc drives
Even though DVDs and CDs are quickly becoming outdated, they are still used in business. Lots of companies need to install new software, share videos, load configurations, and so on. If your work demands this, then going for a laptop is a good idea.
Laptops have a variety of peripherals
Laptops offer lots of different peripherals and can be connected to basically anything. The factory version has lots of options, but you can also buy connectors that let you use your device for various needs.
You can connect a laptop to car stereos, HDMI devices, USB sticks, printers, phones, other computers, and so on. That’s something you can’t do with tablets.
Good resale value
Compared to desktop PCs, laptops hold their resale value much better. A PC that’s just two years old will lose over half of its original value, but a laptop will hold its value, and you can get up to 70% of what you paid for it originally.
How Are Laptops Likely to Improve in The Future
As you might realize, laptops have failed to fulfill certain original promises, but the industry is aware that laptops are slowly becoming outdated. That’s why it’s important to add something new into the mix and improve their original design.
High-performance on batteries that last for a whole day
One of the weaknesses laptops have is their batteries – you can’t use all the hardware power of your laptop while using the battery.
Even worse, batteries today don’t last very long, which limits the portability of the device. That being said, new battery technologies have shown that the industry will make some big advances in this regard.
Ability to repair a laptop
Everyone knows that laptops can’t be repaired. Any issues that are more than replacing the keyboard or fixing the charger cost a lot of money. It makes more sense to buy a new one than to repair your current one.
Newer laptops have better designs and have higher repairability scores, and the industry is trying to create a new standard that allows users to repair their devices more easily.
Conclusion
Should you buy a laptop? Absolutely, if you do it for the right reasons. You need to assess your needs and consider the things we mentioned above. That’s how you can reap the benefits of owning this kind of device. Don’t just buy one because everyone does – you can use your money for something much more useful.
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