Laptops are actually outselling traditional desktop PC’s today – prices have dropped continuously over the last few years, making laptops the first choice for consumers these days. There are numerous factors that affect the price: brand, build quality, components and size to name a few.

What to Consider Before Buying a Laptop

The first and most important question facing you as a laptop buyer is what you will be doing with it. Are you the type of computer user who uses it (only reluctantly) to check your email and pay the bills online? In that case you probably don’t need an expensive gaming rig with all the add-ons and the fastest graphics card. Save your money for a budget machine that lets you do all those things just as efficiently.

PC or Mac?

Apple is doing a better job than ever in stealing users from Microsoft Windows to their proprietary Mac platform. Windows Vista on the other hand has received a lot of bad press since its launch. Does that mean everyone should get a Mac? Not really, but it makes sense to at the very least consider and compare the Mac when shopping for a new laptop.
Since Apple switched to Intel processors, Mac hardware will run Windows just as easily as it runs Apple’s OS X. Then again, most consumers buy a MacBook for the sake of using Apple’s operating system OS X, which is currently at version 10.5 ”Leopard.” It’s a very stable, nice-looking, and easy to use operating system, but its software base is not as large as the PC’s. This means that finding free programs for this or that purpose is a lot harder for Mac users than it is for Windows users.
At the same time, many of the arguments against Windows Vista are exaggerated. Vista is not a ”bad” operating system or necessarily problematic. But it does consume more resources than its predecessor XP and requires a more powerful PC to provide a pleasant experience.
Moreover, the fact remains that you have to pay a little bit more for equivalent hardware when you buy a Mac.
With the respective companies’ new operating systems on the way – Microsoft’s Windows 7 and Apple’s OS X ”Snow Leopard” – the Mac vs. PC battle won’t be over any time soon. The choice ultimately boils down to personal preference. If you are inexperienced with both Vista and Leopard, read up on the differences and try them both out to find out which suits you best.


The Laptop Buying Guide For 2009

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