Featured article by Michael Hart, Independent Technology Author
Laptops are becoming increasingly powerful and feature-rich to help users work or play in the most productive way possible. Alongside this, the high competition in the PC industry means buying a new laptop is increasingly a buyers’ market. The continuous development of components and the price to produce them also drives this cost downward.
With laptops for sale onlineand in store, sales and discount offers are common. Even with smartphones and tablets occupying more share in the overall devices market, laptops are still an important component in the mix.
Laptops combine portability with performance in a way that smartphones and tablets cannot accomplish. Choosing a laptop is all about deciding on your use case, and what you need your computer to do.
Thinking about a new laptop
Although the amount of choice on the market means consumers can get pretty much a spec and price point for a laptop, this can also make for a daunting selection process. This article gives you a few tips to help that choice a lot easier.
Cheap laptops are easy to find and buy. Getting the best cheap laptop to fit your needs within budget is a tricker challenge. But with laptops for sale from a variety of online and offline sources, approaching your search with an open mind but a clear plan is a guaranteed way of optimizing your valuable budget.
Think about your preferred operating system
Before you think about the hardware, take into account which OS you prefer. Windows PCs are the most common, with the Office 365 tools providing everything you need to work and play. Windows machines also come with integrated security provisions to protect data, identities and other sensitive files.
Collaboration tools are common in the Windows suite, and the Windows Store provides downloadable apps to solve any number of business and personal challenges. Processing speeds continue to improve, and upgrading to a faster device with the latest processors can significantly improve productivity. Users are also becoming increasingly enabled for self-help with tasks such as password resets.
MacBooks are the high-end option, and macOS is the preferred OS for many customers. With its specific design to integrate the hardware and the OS, the MacBook experience is slick.
Productivity apps are what MacBooks are built for, and seamless synchronization is enabled across all macOS devices with iCloud.
Shopping at the lower end of the market makes Chrome OS an option. While Chromebooks can be relatively light on functionality, they are built to work in harmony with the Chrome OS.
This means limited budgets can be put to the best possible use. Even with the Chrome OS’s limited functionality, it can still easily handle basic functions such as SD video streaming, email and web browsing and simple document creation and sharing.
Putting it on display
Screen resolution and size are two of the most important factors to plan in advance of your purchase. The size of the screen will depend on how and where you plan to use the device. In simple terms, the larger the screen the heavier the device. But compromises can be made, and mid-range screen sizes can still be practical travel companions.
Larger screens are useful if the device will mostly reside in the same place, or if you do not plan to travel with it too often. But for certain professions, gaming or intense video streaming, larger sized screens are likely to be one of your main criteria.
The perfect touch
Touchscreens on laptops are popular with many users as they go some way to replicating the popular smartphone experience. For some, touchscreens are a preference for navigating menus and options. For others such as artists or designers, touchscreen can be an essential tool.
Memory and storage
You will also need to factor in memory and storage when making your choice. Deciding on your required CPU will be determined by what you plan to use your laptop for.
For storage, cloud applications offer the perfect way to limiting the requirements at device level. The hard disk drive is best kept for downloads files and day-to-day documents. Cloud storage or a peripheral SSD are almost certainly better solutions for more permanent storage and archiving. This is especially true for users working with a lot of large files such as video or audio clips.
Whatever your requirements for your new laptop, doing a little homework may seem like a chore, but it will pay in the long run. It enables you to get as close to the perfect spec laptop as possible for your needs.
