(By Info-Tech Analyst James Quin - Printed with permission from Processor magazine www.processor.com)
So, a little over a week ago, I had to buy a new laptop. “Had to” is a bit of a stretch I suppose, since my existing machine was serviceable, but it was older and slower and the battery just didn’t have the legs any more. So I’d convinced myself that a new one was in order. As someone who analyses the IT market for a living, it probably comes as no surprise that I did some homework before heading out to pick up my new machine. I knew what features I wanted and which ones I didn’t, which brands and models I’d consider and those that I wouldn’t.
In the end, I selected a machine from a tier one Wintel vendor that was smaller and lighter than the one I had been using yet was still faster, had greater memory and disk space and ran for nearly twice as long on a charge of the standard battery. Isn’t Moore’s Law grand? I returned home pleased with my new purchase, ready to spend the rest of the day patching, and patching some more to ensure I had the latest BIOS, drivers and security updates.