<p>Unless you are doing video editing, engineering that requires heavy modeling, or you want a gaming machine (in which case you should look at desktops), you really don’t need the latest processors. Although, one benefit of the new intel processors is the lower energy consumption.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>There may be a lot of different brands on campus. But, if you have a non-trivial problem, the schools IT help desk may only know in-depth the recommended computers - Why do I get this error message when I install this software for the class? I’m getting this error message when I boot up, what does it mean? </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I don’t see the great benefit of a touch screen. I hear that Microsoft is going to make Windows 8 have the ability to function more like Windows 7, so less of a benefit of a touch screen.</p>
The way we use laptops/desktop is changing. Most likely next decade everything will be done by a more advanced version of touch. That’s one benefit. Another would be that you can cut down usage of the mouse and if you usually use smartphone/tablet, touching will be second nature.
Is this about the Windows Blue/Windows 8.1? If anything that interface is going to push more into touch era.</p>
<p>Touch screen laptops are not the future. Hell prior to a recent update the touch screen on windows 8 laptops only worked half the time because the drivers weren’t that great. (And it still craps out if used for more than 30 minutes).</p>
<p>That’s what Microsoft was hoping for, but they seem to forget that their main clients…corporate/institutional customers aren’t very enthusiastic about the radical GUI change for the following reasons:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Substantial costs of retraining personnel and reduced efficiency/downtime from it.</p></li>
<li><p>Windows 8’s Metro UI makes many common workflow tasks less efficient and more time consuming compared with prior Windows versions. I’ve heard this complaint from every office IT person and corporate/institutional worker who works on corporate workstations/notebooks. </p></li>
<li><p>Most corporations/institutions just completed the migration from XP to Win 7 sometime around 2011 after SP1 came out. They’re not going to be eager to start another OS migration…especially when they feel it’ll not only have little/no value added…but may even be a net minus when accounting for the added inefficiencies/training issues that will come with Win 8. Not to mention the expense of another Windows license…whether separate ones for individual workstations/notebooks or an Enterprise-level site user license. </p></li>
<li><p>Considering many users tend to not wash their hands regularly before using their computers…especially corporate/institutional ones in my professional experience…I can just imagine the added headaches of keeping screens clean or worse yet, replacing damaged screens due to damages from users using too much force, pointed objects like pens/fingernails, etc.*</p></li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li>I’ve seen damaged LCD screens due to people accidentally scratching them with pens while using them to point to certain icons/text. Also, I can just imagine the fingerprints and smudges from finger oils, lunch remnants, etc.</li>
</ul>
<p>@Cobart: I agree with all your point but of course for number 4, Schools are already using Ipads/tablets- which demonstrate the best of touchscreen- as a mean of teaching. And want about Do-it-yourself’s Touchscreens in grocery store and ATM machines that also receive a large number of traffic per day?
I can imagine the only solution is to adapt; create screens that can’t be scratch or create a different version designed for heavy usage by a large number of people per days. </p>
<p>I don’t want to make another thread for this (I already made like 8 lol)
So here it is:</p>
<p>Basically the point of this thread was to see which laptops of the four would be ideal. I went with Asus and compared it with my other choices that were not on that list HP, and Lenovo.</p>
<p>I’d strongly recommend you buy your computer with a CCard that gives you an extra years of warranty. Our S had a Vaio that stopped working after 2.5 years and D’s fried after 1.5 years. Both had CC pay for them to be evaluated and declared to be beyond repair. CC paid ll costs, including shipping for evaluation and gave full refund. We used a Costco AmEx. </p>
<p>Our kids got tired of lugging their computers around campus and replaced the laptops with desktops + net books. They found that worked much better for them. They even bought extra monitors for their desktops.</p>
<p>Nearly all newer laptops exceed the minimal requirements my school recommend so I don’t expect any issues. I could always use the school lab for a program or whatever.</p>
<p>Tablets are designed specifically for the purpose of being portable and to use a touchscreen interface. However, no one is going to use them as substitutes for corporate office workstations due to interface and other limitations. </p>
<p>As for supermarket self-checkout and ATMs…those are single-purpose computers with far less complex software/hardware configurations than would be the case for corporate/institutional computer workstations with a wider variety of software for different purposes. Apples and bananas. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It’s your money, but based on my experience examining and repairing countless HP machines…HP machines have serious issues with QC, overheating, and build quality. </p>
<p>Incidentally, one friend who failed to follow my advice and bought a very similar model HP notebook has already had to send it back multiple times in a year and after the warranty ran out…constantly whines about the problems while I have to restrain myself from telling him “I told you so”.</p>
This newer model curb the heating issues. Newer W8 HP w/ intel are generally cooler than their older counterparts. Also I see nothing wrong with the build quality of the HP I’m using right now.</p>
<p>If all the newer laptops can handle it I don’t understand why you would want something so heavy. I understand that you don’t like smaller PCs like the Macbook Air and Zenbook but why not find something that weighs less than that HP?</p>
<p>15 pounds??
Weight doesn’t bother me until it get to 40 pounds. I’m not going back in there (laptop searching) just cause a weight is a little extra.</p>
<p>@barrk: For some reason I think the 15 pounds is a typo.
But regardless I’ll be getting the 17 inch version. I’m not expecting any problem except with getting use to Windows 8.</p>