I really don’t need any kind of jumbo superpowered I-Can’t-Allow-You-To-Do-That-Dave computer. My needs are simple: Internet, Word, iTunes. I do a little bit of artwork and photo editing but I’ve only ever used the freebie programs that came installed on my computer when I bought it almost 11 years ago… so, yeah, my needs are pretty damn simple.
I’m sure that I’d be fine with a laptop instead of getting a new desktop but I hate using a laptop for one and only one reason: the keyboard.
It’s not just the keyboard in and of itself, but also because I have to look down at the screen (because the screen is attached to the keyboard).
I very much prefer the feel of a full size keyboard and I like having the monitor up higher, raised from the surface of my desk.
If I just go ahead and get a laptop, will I be completely content after hating and cursing it for the first month or two?
Has anyone else here resisted a laptop for the same reasons but later found it to be no big deal after a period of adjustment?
I understand completely. Whenever I can, I use laptops with docking stations and external monitors, etc., but this is a significant additional expense.
There are laptop supports (basically like a plastic wedge) that tilt the back of the laptop up a few inches. This raises the screen significantly and reduces the problem. Heck, you could just make something out of wood or scraps that would do the same thing. And some people feel the tilt of the keyboard makes it easier to type on (which I believe is their intended purpose).
I got used to it. Now I don’t want a larger keyboard. There’s no way to tell if anyone will adjust or not, just be prepared to add a full size keyboard if you can’t make the adjustment.
I haven’t started pricing my options yet, but I’d been holding on to the (mistaken?) assumption that desktops would be more expensive compared to a comparably functional laptop. Again, I haven’t begun looking at actual options yet and I bought my last new computer 11 years ago, so I’m really coming at it from a point of complete ignorance at this point. If I don’t have to worry about price differences, then I suppose that’s a concern wiped from the slate.
I didn’t know that this was an option but I suspected it was an option. I just end up picturing a screen that is now two keyboard lengths away from my face- which is unappealing.
I suppose if the laptop were propped up higher in such a way that the additional keyboard could be placed partly underneath it…?
This is commonly done. Some people in my office simply stack up a few reams of copy paper and use that as a support for the laptop. Gets the screen closer to eye level and allows them to place a third-party keyboard in a more comfortable position.
I’ve kept my desktop and added a tablet. I’ve found that I spend most of my time on the tablet, and use the desktop for specific tasks. I hate laptops.
I’m in the office, typing on a USB keyboard (with a USB mouse), staring at dual 22" monitors, all connected to a docking station on which is connected my notebook computer. In short, at my desk, the experience of using a notebook computer is no different than using a desktop computer.
Me too (well, sorta) - one of my monitors is my laptop screen, which is sitting on a riser stand that places it level with my main screen.
You can achieve mobility between tablet/desktop/laptop by keeping all your work in the cloud, but the key advantage with having a docked laptop is that I can undock and walk off with it - and the open documents move with me, remaining in their open state (they’re in the cloud anyway, so in theory I could move to another machine and open them again, but this is a bit easier).
I use my work laptop in the office w/ external full=sized keyboard, mouse, and 2 screens. At home I use it as a laptop. w/ external mouse. I have no problem switching back and forth. I’m a little slower on the laptop , and make more mistakes - for example, accidentally hitting caps lock. But that degree of speed/accuracy of typing does not hugely impact my work production. My preference is a full keyboard, but it really isn’t that big of a difference. I find the touchpad rather than mouse more undesireable.
Data point - I’m pretty technologically inept, and basically type w/ thumbs and a couple of fingers on each hand - but pretty darned accurately and quickly.
Assess your needs and buy accordingly. My home laptop is a desktop. I never have a need/desire to access it other than at my desk. My wife’s is a laptop. She enjoys being able to use it in any room of the house (if the wireless isn’t acting up! :rolleyes:) If you think you might want flexibility, get the laptop. You can get a cheap keyboard to plug in, and situate the laptop at whatever height/distance you want.
Anecdotally: I just learned to (touch) type a few years ago. It was easy on the desktop keyboard but a bear on the laptop. So I got a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse and every time I’d use them, I’d hear the songs of the heavens. Then I got tired of shuffling the KB and mouse around and just started using the computer’s keys and trackpad. I’ve not fired-up the wireless keyboard in months… maybe even > than a year.
Yes, this is a mistaken assumption. You still get more bang for your buck with desktops assuming portability is not a requirement. This is especially true if you are reusing external components like monitors, keyboards, etc.
Yes. The keyboard was my main reason for not wanting a laptop, but I very quickly bonded to it. It has a very nice firm feel to it, since the keyboard is the weight of the whole laptop.
Ive had mine for two yeas and no problems yet, but I’ve seen laptop keyboards with keys missing, and I can see hoe that happens. The depth of the physical key is quite shallow, so I sometimes feel the edge of the adjacent key scraping my finger tip when released, so it concerns me that the key could pop off.
I do like the absence of the (absolutely useless) number pad, which means I can keep my mouse about four inches closer to the functioning strokes on the keyboard, which is great advantage. I always hated the mouse-reach on a standard desktop keyboard, and wanted to saw the number pad off.
I passionately despise the trackpad, and I tape a piece of paper over it, so a slight finger rub on it doesn’t sent the cursor scooting up and down the page in text-entry. I can even put notes on the paper pad-protector, and change it as often as needed.
There is nothing that equates to a proper console, with separate screen(s), keyboard and pointing device. Everything else is a accommodation to space or portability.
It doesn’t matter if you can pack a supercomputer into a laptop skin, it’s still a limiting and ergonomically bad decision, and should be made ONLY if the portability and all-in-one compactness is paramount. Even the best has absolutely terrible keyboards (compared to a good desktop one - and I mean “good” by old standards, not “good” by “we put a laptop keyboard in a 1/4-inch case 'cuz it looks rad”) and a far more limited screen than is possible for $100 on the desktop. And let’s not get into the shittiness that is “touchpads” and the like.
I think the idea that “no one buys desktops any more” has permeated a large part of the market that it should not have - if you basically never move the computer off of one work surface, a desktop will be a better, probably cheaper and certainly more ergonomically efficient choice.
(I understand why the backlash came against desktops - when they were the only choice, or the only cheap one, a large market segment that really could have used a laptop or something equally moveable and compact were stuck wtih the big 3-box model and hated it. But just because there are now sports cars doesn’t mean pickup trucks are obsolete.)
Don’t buy a laptop unless you really - really - need what a laptop offers, and nothing more.
I have a laptop at home. And that laptop is plugged in to a USB keyboard, a USB mouse, and an HDMI monitor. 85% of the time I use it like a regular desktop, with the laptop monitor as the second monitor so I can have my messaging/bullshit open at the same time I’m working on something else.
But 15% of the time I use it at the coffee shop, or at the kitchen table, or whatever. I almost always take a mouse with me, because I fucking hate the trackpad.
It certainly is true that you pay a bit more for a laptop with the same specs, and forget about most upgrades. But the days when you needed to upgrade or replace your system every other year are over.
If you have an existing monitor that still works, you can plug it in to your new laptop for instant dual mon. If you have an existing USB mouse or keyboard, just plug those in as well. Although if your existing system is really really old you might have a PS2 mouse and keyboard. And most new laptops have HDMI out, so if your old monitor is VGA (the little blue kind) or DVI (the bigger white kind) you might need an adapter. Although looking on Amazon there are still new laptops with VGA. The point is, if you want to use your existing monitor for a dual monitor setup, make sure it can connect to your new device before purchase.
Nah. All things being equal, laptops are more expensive. For one thing, you’re paying for a keyboard, battery, monitor, etc that you don’t need. Also, the components are more specialized and typically less powerful due to size and heat considerations. The only reason to buy a laptop is if you intend to take it places or just don’t have the home space to keep a traditional set up.
Seconding this. If all you’re replacing is the computer itself, not the monitor for example, and having a portable computer would occasionally be helpgul, go ahead and get the laptop. When you’re at home, you can easily plug in a mouse, your monitor, and a keyboard. Voila, you’ve got your monitor where you like it. Unplug when you want to be mobile, and you’re good to go. You can get docks that make all of this very simple, but you don’t need them.
If you don’t need portability, desktop computers do exist and aren’t that expensive.
Also, while we’re chatting: do some reasearch and get a keyboard you like (it sounded like you didn’t have one that you did like yet, but I could be wrong). Ditto on the mouse. You might as well be happy and comfortable while using the computer.
If you don’t need a portable computer, and you have room for a desktop, just get a desktop, or an all-in-one (desktop integrated with a monitor, like this). You’ll have a larger display, any keyboard you want, and cost less than a comparable laptop.
Isn’t there a setup option to disable it? I agree fully with you on the uselessness of the trackpad, and I’d certainly disable it if that could be done! Otherwise, yeah, physically block the darn thing.