Why I bought a LapTop Computer?
It was a choice not taken lightly, nor did I buy it blindly.
I had spent country nights dreaming about my soon to be laptop.
I spent a long time reading many magazines that were devoted
on the subject of lap top computers. As I learned more about
them and about their different features, I had to decide which
ones were most important to me. I asked myself would it need
to play DVD movies or just have a fast cd player. I liked the
idea of being able to play DVD movie on a computer so my answer
would be of coarse. My laptop would need to be able to process
graphics and have expandable room to add Ram memory when needed.
The hard drive had to be no smaller than a 2 GB. Since my computer
tower came with a 2 GB hard drive and over a short time was filled
almost completely with just software applications. My last thought
was that it needed to be able to handle firewire and the latest
USB connections. All the above on a limited Canadian dollar budget
of about two thousand, could it be done? Honestly "No"
Prices go down
Over the last three years I have watched lap top computers come
down in price by several thousands of dollars. I remember several
years ago looking at a top of the line laptops which cost seven
thousand dollars, ouch on the pocket book. I can not remember
how fast it ran but those computers of yesterday are now considered
way to slow and limiting in the on board ram and video capabilities.
Choosing one of two operating platforms
Those of you who have been following articles written by me,
know that I presently own a Macintosh clone tower. Now that is
another story at another time. I like both platforms and grow
up on using both. So here I am having to decide which platform
my computer would use. This would decide basically what the computer
would be used for as well. A Macintosh lap top was way out of
my budget range last year. The PC Intel computer was getting
cheaper but the DVD increase its price well over the $3000 mark.
Than the Macintosh came out with a new redesigned laptop called
the 2000 series. Last years model cost buyers in Canada roughly
$5000 which was way beyond my budget price. The new 2000 model
cost way less and is packed with features far and beyond my dreams.
Mind you they did take out the SCSI connection which now makes
Mac's of 1999 and older, like my tower almost obsolete. I fixed
that by installing a USB PCI card into the last slot at the back
of my desk top tower. Both PC and Macintosh magazines gave the
new laptop 2000 series top rating for features and cost. Now
you have to realize that all my software presently is for the
Macintosh platform and so logically the new laptop sounded reasonable
to buy with the cost reduction and features. But with that said
I am still watching the market and PC laptops priced in the same
category come with a DVD and all the other hardware that came
with the Mac. Both platforms have become cost effective and processors
are fast enough to handle most graphics and video especially
from the internet. So just do your homework before you go out
and spend a few thousand dollars.
Back to the chosen platform
The Macintosh had lots of room to increase the on board ram.
I liked the idea of being able to upgrade ram to 512 MB, and
the video cards was equally impressive using a 128 ATI with 8
MB of ram. The lap top that I did purchase came with a 400 mhz
G3 processor, a six gig hard drive, 56K modem, but best of all
a large 14 inch screen. For options you could remove the DVD
player and replace it wit a second battery, which allowed for
ten hours of fun in the sun. The DVD player, hard drive and even
a bright screen eats battery power. No I was not thinking about
battery consumption before I bought this lap top so keep that
it mind. But it is now always in the back of my mind when I use
it. I wont use he DVD player with out first plugging in the power
adapter. I programed the hard drive to spin down after two minutes
of no use. The monitor dims or better yet shut off after ten
minutes of no uses. I'm really glad I bought the lap top even
if I now use it like a desk top computer. I still use the slower
desk top cause it still works and does a good job at most things.
The laptop will be used for what it was ordinally designed for
and that would be digital video and complex graphics.
My final remarks
I can not stress the importance of doing your homework before
buying. Read reviews on line and in magazines. Talk to people
who know about computers and are not out to sell you for a commission.
When your ready to buy you should know exactly what you want
and why you want those features. Believe me you will learn a
hold bunch more after you buy the laptop too. Whether your final
purchase is a Macintosh or a windows based computer is based
on what you plan to use it for. If it is games or you own a lot
of microsoft software stick with the same platform. If it is
designing graphics or ease of use go with the Macintosh. Buy
from a store where you can bring it back if your not satisfied.
If the store sells both the Macintosh and the Windows based computer
you maybe able to try them both. The computers of today have
fast cpu processors, large hard drives and most of the bells
and whistles that you will need. The prices are continually falling
and there is a computer out there with your name on it. They
are versatile and can be used as a home desk top and carried
to a friend or bussiness with little fuss and muscle strain.
If you have any questions or are looking for some help with your purchase send me an email to
info@waymorewebs.com attention Steven.
Bye for now.