The demand to have immediate access to information as well as the ability to use and edit that information at any location has been a driving force in the ever increasing prevalence of laptop and notebook computer systems. Manufacturers have picked up on that demand and, with advances in technology, have helped to realize price decreases making those desired systems even more affordable.
When laptop computers made their debut, they were heavy, slow and expensive. A typical laptop in the early 1990’s cost in the neighborhood of $3000 and weighed upwards of 15 pounds. Battery life was restrictive in the sense that users needed to plan their work carefully in order to finish the most important work before they had to plug back into the wall.
With mobile processors now offering similar computing power to desktop units, it becomes very tempting to choose a laptop that can act as a desktop replacement. In the world of small business, there’s a lot to be said for simplicity and efficiency. If a user can have a single machine to act as their central repository of both data and applications, there’s less difficulty in tracking and maintaining data, not to mention the devices which store it.
Certain applications seem to lend themselves more to desktop-style computers rather than their mobile counterparts. Video editing and production is one such example. Another might be CAD due to its intensive processing requirements as well as the inherent need for large and multiple displays. Since most laptop systems use a sharing technique to manage video memory, high-end graphics are still more efficiently operated on a desktop system with the appropriate graphics card.
However, the trend has been definitely in the direction of portable systems as evidenced by recent sales figures comparing notebook and desktop systems. The share of systems sold for notebooks has increased from less than 20 percent in 2000 to more than 35% in 2006. Projecting forward, notebooks will become gain a majority of new systems within a couple of years.
Naturally, pricing has had a great effect on the marketplace. As notebook prices fall below the $1000 mark, many small business users can easily justify the extra $200-300 premium for portability. With the affordability of wireless internet access, both from wi-fi hot spots at home and on the road, as well as the ability to use high-speed internet via cellular technology, the opportunity to work from almost anywhere is coming into focus for a great deal of the business population.
Naturally, the small business environment requires some special attention as to what type of laptop is selected due primarily to the limited expansion capabilities of these portable systems. Another key criterion is the choice of operating system as many small businesses need to be able to access domain-based Windows servers.
To make the most effective selection for your small business, contact a Responsive consultant at 866-767-8300 or 888-RNS-isIT.
