Notebook or a laptop? Which is a better buy? What should I avoid when buying a computer, common mistakes?
By Ginny from Bryan, TX
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
The choice really depends on what you want to be able to do.
The main drawbacks to notebooks are their screens are small in detail, they have no outputs (USB, printer ports, many don't have audio in/out puts), hard drives are limited in size and there is some software unavailable.
The advantages are their portability and some have longer battery capacity than laptops.
The laptops are just about opposite of everything I just listed for notebooks.
What I would suggest is listing every feature for both separately. Don't be concerned with which model has what, just make a list for each.
For example, I have stayed away from notebooks because I have yet to find one with USB ports to be able to easily transfer data from the notebook to a PC/laptop via thumb drive. You have to send things out to the internet with the notebook and then fetch it from the PC. That would be terribly inconvenient for me.
I went from a PC to a MacBook (Apple laptop) in 2010 and have never regretted the switch. I looked at notebooks but the laptop was the final choice-a laptop has everything a PC or iMac features, but in a convenient, portable, compact unit. My screen is a good size for me at 15", and it has several USB ports and two headphone jacks. I didn't see any notebooks with decent sized screens or any ports-since back-ups and upload ability are important to me, going with the laptop was practically a no-brainer once I got a look at both. I can even play DVDs on my MacBook.
Another huge plus, I took it to the US with me in the spring of 2011 and had no trouble using it there-used a transformer with my UK power cord, my son set me up on the wireless, and I was sending emails back to the UK within hours of my arrival to the US:) I was able to plug into his printer too. I think the storage on a laptop is far superior to a notebook as well.
I think a laptop is going to weigh a bit more than a notebook, but not by much. I can slip my MacBook into a messenger bag and carry it comfortably or I can use the wheelie bag-lovely for travelling to sewing and crafting meet-ups because the bag holds my MacBook (with my crafting files handy:) AND my crafting supplies.
I love my laptop so much I will never go back to a desktop unit again, even an iMac (my husband loves his but doesn't hesitate to 'glom' onto my MacBook when we travel, LOL!)
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
