laptops.desktops In the world of desktops and laptops, there are innumerable choices, from stores to online retailers, to eBay, with matching price ranges to boot. Which one is right for you? There are a number of factors contributing to my recommendations below. Please remember that these recommendations are given in general, and each purchase must be evaluated individually.

laptops

When a person is ready to buy a laptop, the first thing I ask them is,

"What are you going to be doing with it?"

This is a great diagnostic question because generally you should buy based on your personal needs or the needs of the position you are filling at your organization. You should never buy on whim or because something is a "great deal." For example, if you are going to be editing video or making DVDs, then you have significantly different needs than an average person.

a standard

For businesses, it is very important that you set a standard for your computer buying. Typically, it is easier to stick to a single brand. Our office has chosen to stick with IBM ThinkPads, specifically, the R, T, and X series. There are many reasons that we do this, but perhaps the greatest reason is reliability. Reliability is so important because you cannot service your laptop easily like you can a desktop. If a video card stops working in a desktop, I can buy a $50 replacement locally and put it in myself. Not so with a laptop. Here are a couple of links about IBM's legendary reliability:

• The Legends of ThinkPad
• PC World's Top 15 Notebook PCs

We also have a standard for video editing, the Apple. IBM actually manufactures much of the processors and internal components for Apple computers, so you know they are good. There are a couple of reasons why the Mac is preferred for graphics work:

• Ease of Use
  All Apple machines come with a super-stable Operating System that works much more reliably than Windows, in my experience. But also is bundled Apple's iLife suite of products which provides easy-to-use interfaces for video editing and dvd production, two of the more complicated tasks that people want to perform. And iLife performs these tasks very, very well.
• A Different Theory of Design
  Oddly enough, there are different mathematical designs for computing. Two of these are found in Windows-based computers (called the x86 platform) and in Apple computers (PowerPC platform). These two theories dictate how a computer schedules and performs every command it is given, whether it is a Shut Down command, or Apply a Fade Out Here command.
  
  Windows computers are designed to do many things very fast. It is a wide theory of processing. This is why they are great for business. As I am writing this, I have 7 different windows open in 6 programs. That is great for business and casual use.
  
  Apple computers were built a little more like servers, do the same set of commands a million times. In fact, many high-end servers are built on a PowerPC-type platform. For example, video is captured on your digital camcorder at 720x480 resolution at 29.95 frames per second, the standard for NTSC in the US. Say that you want to apply a 2-second Fade Out at the end of your movie on your computer. To do that, your computer calculates the effect for each pixel each frame for each second, and then performs the effect. If my math is right, then that is
  
  720 x 480 pixels = 345,600 pixels/frame
  345,600 pixels/fram x 29.95 frames = 10,350,720 calculations per second
  10,350,720 calculations per second x 2 seconds = 20,701,440 calculations to Fade Out
  
  So, you can see why Apple's theory of computing makes sense in the world digital video and 5 MegaPixel (5,000,000 pixels) digital cameras.

desktops

Unlike laptops, Desktops are a much easier proposition. You can get them serviced nearly anywhere. Since 90% of our staff members have laptops, we have no standard desktop, except in the office, where we continue with IBM Desktops for ease of administration and because they provide a familar interface and set of applications for both our permanent office staff and visiting field staff.

questions

Contact me.

thinkvantage technologies

One large advantage to IBM computer is what they call ThinkVantage Technologies. IBM has held and continues to hold more patents than anyone else by far. Almost 40% of those came from software, which is now collected into what is called ThinkVantage Software. There are many things here you can do if you have an IBM laptop, so check it out! Also check out the ThinkVantage Design, how IBM Research builds and designs their award-winning computers.