I started using computers from 1995. My job also based on computer. But till now I dont have laptop computer. Sometimes I need to travel. Still I could manage without laptop.
Whats the problem with the laptop? This is just personal. Its not to reduce you, or blame you or anything. Just stating my opinion about it.
- Laptops are costly. With same money you can buy 2 desktops.
- In desktop you can select its components. But on laptop you have to buy whatever they sells.
- Laptop components are costly. Desktop components are cheap.
- You can yourself do maintenance of desktop.
- Lot of space in desktop, so can expend configuration.
- Laptops have less life and more maintenance. I am using 7 year old desktop. one 10 year old too.
- Laptops are extra luggage. where ever you go you have to take it with you.
- Laptops need more protection. You cannot sleep well while traveling with it. Fear of theft.
- Since laptops are small they can be easily moved to different places. So people may use on bed while laying down, or congested places like train etc without caring ergonomics. This damages user’s health. Desktops are stationary thing on top of a table, it will promote user to sit in a better position. This will improve health.
- Laptops have more embedded energy, so more environmental damage. Every year we buy 16 – 20 crore laptops. Most of them are replacements. To build one laptop 3,010 – 4,340 megajoules required. So total 480 to 868 petajoules are needed for this.
- If laptop is getting overheated, its CPU slows down for cooling. This is not good for hardware. Since desktop there is good ventilation this is not an issue.
- Laptops are custom made by the computer companies. Everything is designed for that specific model including its driver softwares. This makes it difficult to configure Gnu Os distributions. But desktops are general purpose devices. So installing Gnu Os is easy there.
- Laptops more ads increasing cost on us.
- Laptops are products from single corporate, means more concentration. A lot of desktops parts are local and core electronics are from different corporates, means more distributed wealth and more power to user.
- Laptops are for single person use mindset. desktops are shared device. So Desktop will be placed in common place in house. That is good.
- Since laptop promotes private use, it encourages selfishness and individualism. That is not good for social sense.
- Desktops are more secure than laptops. Because of that Edward Snowden said in an interview that he uses Desktops.
- With laptops surveillance is easy, means all your communication comes from single machine. but in Multiple people will be using desktops. So your communication comes from multiple device making extra work for big brother. Let him pay some extra money to do that work.
- Most people who owns laptops use it just for watching movies. so its a symbol of silly use.
- Laptops are a show of power and wealth. Its a vanity show. You may not have the behavior. But the public conscious is that.
And there are lot more to say….
Question we should ask is do we really need a portable computer?
Can we change our schedules so that while traveling we can read books, listen speeches on phone etc and use computer when we are office or home.
I use usb pen drive based installation while i travel out. If its for more days then i rent desktop and use the usb card. Otherwise ask internet cafe or shops and boot from my usb card. This is not an easy thing since society is conditioned for laptops.
I dont know your situation, sometimes it may be required if you doing sales person kind of work. I work as a consultant.
I am not telling a common theory. you are free to do anything. And this not my final decision.