Recipe For A Successful Laptop Purchase

PC Magazine: Recipe For A Successful Laptop Purchase

Lance Ulanoff doesn’t talk about features but qualities – things like stability of image (consistency from one laptop to another to simplify management), security, robustness, etc.

“Like almost everyone else I know, I spend an inordinate amount of time talking about cool, new sexy gadgets. Yet, when I think about how I spend my day and how I get things done, I realize that most of it is spent with a laptop—a business laptop to be more precise. It’s time to face facts: The Apple iPhone and iPad, Motorola Droid X, and HTC EVO 4G are all exciting, but they’re not business devices. MacBooks can work for business, and the enterprising worker might be able to convince his boss that the Alienware M11x is a perfect business laptop, but the reality is that businesses tend to choose more pedestrian-looking (and affordable) fare for their business laptops. Think Dell Vostro 3300 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 15 and you get the idea. In talking with system manufacturers, I’ve learned that there are six crucial elements every business laptop must have, and none of them have to do with good looks or entertaining, time-wasting apps.

1. Stability of Image
Businesses—large and small—need to manage desktops and laptops in the most efficient way possible. When they buy a laptop, they need to understand it fully from the get-go—and then not think about it again. In other words, every laptop of the same make, model, and configuration they buy from a manufacturer has to stay that way a good long while. Why? Companies don’t want their IT resources to waste time trying to understand why, for instance, a graphics driver has changed. That matters because something like a new video driver can conflict with the office’s standardized security software. The pre-installed software should remain consistent. There should be no surprises like unwanted bloatware or apps that the business needs going missing. The operating system version needs to be the same, too.”