It just seems strange how many friends have reported that their laptops have been giving them trouble lately. Then, another friend and partner Kelly McCausey said something about not buying laptops anymore because they don’t last. That brought me to a realization, why I work exclusively on a desktop that I’d long forgotten. Every time I tell people I work on a desktop they tend to look at me like an alien so I’ll explain.
First of all, I never really got the hang of the laptop keyboard. I like the numeric key portion of a standard keyboard and use it a lot, every single day. I know where the digits are much like touch typing. Entering numbers across the top is so strange for me. So yeah it’s a habit and I don’t see a reason to break it.
Second, I like working at a desk. Many people love working from their couch or bed or any place that is not a desk or office space. For me, the desk and office keeps me centered, focused. I’m working. The couch is for relaxing, enjoying the family and when I’m at the park. I’m at the park having fun.
Third. It could also be partly because of what I do. If I were a writer or a graphic artist, I can certainly see why it would be great to work on a laptop. You get inspiration to write or draw out in the sunshine and fresh air. But me, I need to have multiple tabs and browsers running to check for cross-browser compatibility, I run a web server to develop applications and test them and I need to be constantly connected to the Internet to look up code, find solutions, test a web site, constantly uploading and downloading.
Yes, the laptop can do all of that but often with less muscle and I cannot stand waiting around especially when you’re testing applications, you want feedback quickly so you can tweak or fix issues right away. In our office, we build our own desktops and we often build it to very high specs to last us a couple of years and we build in plenty of fans to keep the computer cool. To build something of the same configuration on a laptop would cost a fortune and with the packed configuration, limited space and all that, a laptop is just not meant to work hours on end like a tower can. It builds heat too fast, putting it on a cooler feels awkward or the fans are too loud. And heat, is a computer’s worst enemy.
I think that’s why many fellow entrepreneurs find their laptops failing long before time. Because it’s put to work for too long. I know new technology now the laptops today are miles ahead of the ones in the past. I admit that but they still aren’t the work horse a desktop is meant to be.
And a Mac? Yeah, I do have an old Powerbook. It started making crazy noises only after a year. Granted it is nothing severe – I think it has something to do with the sound card or the speakers but the guys at the Apple store couldn’t help me and told me to send it to California. Well… I think I’ll pass. I am pretty disappointed with it though considering the hype everyone gives you about Apple. One day I will get another Mac replacement, after that last incident, I just can’t say when.
Meanwhile, this home built PC of mine has been chugging along faithfully, over 2 years, getting on 3 years now. It’s still fast, robust and kicks butt.
Image courtesy of John Evans