Laptops vs Desktops

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i'm long overdue for a new computer. i'm a freelance web designer and work from home most of the time. i'm deciding between a shiny new 15" Powerbook or a fancy pants G5.

i've never owned a laptop before and almost all of my friends swear by them. i guess the portability and ease of working from where ever you are is nice. i could take a trip and do my work away from home - but who really wants to work when they're on vacation i ask?

i've never really liked typing on laptop keyboards, but figure i could hook it up to an external keyboard and mouse (and even my current monitor), but then am i just turning my laptop into a desktop?

another thing i'm concerned about is i have a pretty bad RSI (repetitive stress injury) from working at the computer and wonder if working at a laptop is going to create some poor work habits (posture and stuff) and would put me in pain.

― JaXoN (JasonD), Sunday, 28 December 2003 23:47 (twenty-one years ago)

help

thanks

― JaXoN (JasonD), Sunday, 28 December 2003 23:47 (twenty-one years ago)

You think too much.

― Dante-Cubed (Sean3), Sunday, 28 December 2003 23:49 (twenty-one years ago)

if i'm gonna spend 2500$ on a new computer, i'd like to figure out what's best for me, bud

― JaXoN (JasonD), Monday, 29 December 2003 00:09 (twenty-one years ago)

If you don't really need the portability, you'll get far better value from a desktop machine. And the times I've used a laptop for any extended period, I've ended up aching.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Monday, 29 December 2003 00:25 (twenty-one years ago)

IF you have the room for a desk and desktop, the desktop does give you more value for the money. Since I live in a studio, having a PowerBook is boon; I couldn't afford the space a desk would take up. Also, as a consumer lust item, the PowerBook is tops. It just feels so good to use it. But yeah if you plan on doing your design job on it, I'd go for the desktop. As a print media designer, I find the PowerBook screen inadequate for my needs (although otherwise it's great, I just like seeing more of a document up at one time), although designing for the web is different, and this may be seen actually as a benefit as the screen size may more closely match the end user's.

― Sean (Sean), Monday, 29 December 2003 02:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Did that make sense?

― Sean (Sean), Monday, 29 December 2003 02:56 (twenty-one years ago)

The G5 is going to have a longer useful life than a G4 Powerbook (a year until G5 laptops?), and if you don't need the portability/space, be a better value.

(That said, I'm lusting after the 12" Powerbook, which is about half the weight of my current PC laptop)

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 29 December 2003 03:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, re 12" vs. 15", I used to have an iBook, and really appreciate the additional screen real estate. If you can afford it is always the proviso, but I'd get the 15" if you can.

― Sean (Sean), Monday, 29 December 2003 03:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Damn, this thread reminds me how much I need a friggin' job.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Monday, 29 December 2003 03:18 (twenty-one years ago)

I have the 12" ibook, and the only complaints I have are are IT'S TOO HEAVY (my other laptop is a 2.9 lb evo, which is nice & weightless) and the lack of screen space (tops is 1024... which really doesn't hold much..when I'm coding on it, half the stuff I want to see is always buried under something else, or scrolled off the screen)

That said, I've been on laptops for years; I like working on my sofa.

― lyra (lyra), Monday, 29 December 2003 06:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I'm using a 15" Al Powerbook and couldn't be happier. I use it mainly for video editing work and haven't had any problems. I do indeed swear by the laptops now (this being my first). In fairness, though, I probably would have weighed a desktop more carefully had I not needed something that could easily travel internationally with me. However, no complaints with the Powerbook. I'd say go and get it, because if you need the extra screen size, you can always pair it up with an extra Apple screen (or any other nice LCD'er). Yes, it's G4, but I'm assuming (?) that most graphics work will do fine on a system that can handle video editing robustly.

That all being said, if you want the G5, get it.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Monday, 29 December 2003 18:20 (twenty-one years ago)

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