Laptop Computer Advantages and Disadvantages

Standards

Some laptop components (optical drives, hard drives, memory and internal
expansion cards) are relatively standardized, and it is possible to upgrade or
replace them in many laptops as long as the new part is of the same type. Subtle
incompatibilities and variations in dimensions, however, are not uncommon.
Depending on the manufacturer and model, a laptop may range from having
several standard, easily customizable and upgradeable parts to a proprietary
design that can't be reconfigured at all.

In general, components other than the four categories listed above are not
intended to be replaceable, and thus rarely follow a standard. In particular,
motherboards, locations of ports, design and placement of internal components
are usually make- and model-specific. Those parts are neither interchangeable
with parts from other manufacturers nor upgradeable. If broken or damaged, they
must be substituted with an exact replacement part. The users uneducated in the
relevant fields are those the most affected by incompatibilities, especially if they
attempt to connect their laptops with incompatible hardware or power adapters.

Intel, Asus, Compal, Quanta and other laptop manufacturers have created the
Common Building Block standard for laptop parts to address some of the
inefficiencies caused by the lack of standards.

Advantages

Laptop computers are portable and can be used in many locations

Portability is usually the first feature mentioned in any comparison of laptops

versus desktop PCs. Portability means that a laptop can be used in many places not only at home and at the office, but also during commuting and flights, in
coffee shops, in lecture halls and libraries, at clients' location or at a meeting
room, etc. The portability feature offers several distinct advantages:

* Getting more done - using a laptop in places where a desktop PC can't be used,
and at times that would otherwise be wasted. For example, an office worker
tackling his e-mails during a hour-long commute by train, or a student doing her
homework at the university coffee shop during a break between lectures.

* Immediacy - Carrying a laptop means having instant access to various

information, personal and work files. Immediacy allows better collaboration
between coworkers or students, as a laptop can be flipped open to present a
problem or a solution anytime, anywhere.

* Up-to-date information - If a person has more than one desktop PC, a problem
of synchronization arises: changed made on one computer are not automatically
propagated to the others. There are ways to resolve this problem, including
physical transfer of updated files (using a USB stick or CDs) or using
synchronization software over the Internet. However, using a single laptop at
both locations avoids the problem entirely, as the files exist in a single location
and are always up-to-date.

* Connectivity - A proliferation of Wi-Fi wireless networks and cellular broadband

data services (HSDPA, EVDO and others) combined with a near-ubiquitious
support by laptops [28] means that a laptop can have easy Internet and local
network connectivity while remaining mobile. Wi-Fi networks and laptop programs
are especially widespread at university campuses.

Other advantages of laptops include:

* Size - laptops are smaller than standard PCs. This is beneficial when space is at
a premium, for example in small apartments and student dorms. When not in
use, a laptop can be closed and put away.

* Low power consumption - laptops are several times more power-efficient than
desktops. A typical laptop uses 10-30 W, compared to 60-300 W for desktops.
This could be particularly beneficial for businesses (which run hundreds of
personal computers, multiplying the potential savings) and homes where there is
a computer running 24/7 (such as a home media server, print server, etc.)

* Quiet - laptops are often quieter than desktops, due both to better components
(quieter, slower 2.5-inch hard drives) and to less heat production leading to use
of fewer and slower cooling fans.

* Battery - a charged laptop can run several hours in case of a power outage and
is not affected by short power interruptions and brownouts. A desktop PC needs a
UPS to handle short interruptions, brownouts and spikes; achieving on-battery
time of more than 20-30 minutes for a desktop PC requires a large and expensive
UPS.

Disadvantages

Compared to desktop PCs, laptops have disadvantages in the following fields:

Performance

While the performance of mainstream desktops and laptops is comparable,

laptops are significantly more expensive than desktop PCs at the same
performance level. The upper limits of performance of laptops are lower, and
"bleeding-edge" features usually appear first in desktops and only then, as the
underlying technology matures, are adapted to laptops.

However, for Internet browsing and typical office applications, where the
computer spends the majority of its time waiting for the next user input, even
netbook-class laptops are generally fast enough. Standard laptops are sufficiently
powerful for high-resolution movie playback and light gaming. 3D gaming, video
editing and encoding, and number-crunching software (databases, math,
engineering, financial, etc.) are the areas where the laptops are at the biggest
disadvantage.

Upgradeability

Upgrade ability of laptops is very limited compared to desktops, which are

thoroughly standardized. In general, hard drives and memory can be upgraded
easily. Optical drives and internal expansion cards may be upgraded if they follow
an industry standard, and all other internal components, including the CPU and
graphics, are not intended to be upgradeable.

The reasons for limited upgrade ability are both technical and economic. There is
no industry-wide standard form factor for laptops; each major laptop
manufacturer pursues its own proprietary design and construction, with the result

that laptops are difficult to upgrade and have high repair costs. With few
exceptions, laptop components can rarely be swapped between laptops of
competing manufacturers, or even between laptops from the different productlines of the same manufacturer.

Some upgrades can be performed by adding external devices, either USB or in

expansion card format such a PC Card: sound cards, network adapters, hard and
optical drives, and numerous other peripherals are available. But those upgrades
usually impair the laptop's portability, because they add cables and boxes to the
setup and often have to be disconnected and reconnected when the laptop is
moved.

Ergonomics and health

Because of their small and flat keyboard and trackpad pointing devices,
prolonged use of laptops can cause RSI. Usage of ergonomic keyboards and
pointing devices is recommended to prevent injury when working for long periods
of time; they can be connected to a laptop easily by USB or via a docking station.
Some health standards require ergonomic keyboards at workplaces.

The integrated screen often causes users to hunch over for a better view, which
can cause neck or spinal injuries. A larger and higher-quality external screen can
be connected to almost any laptop to alleviate that and to provide additional
"screen estate" for more productive work.

A study by State University of New York researchers found that heat generated
from laptops can raise the temperature of the scrotum, potentially putting sperm
count at risk. The small study, which included little more than two dozen men
aged 13 to 35, found that the sitting position required to balance a laptop can
raise scrotum temperature by as much as 2.1 C (3.8 F). Heat from the laptop
itself can raise the temperature by another 0.7 C (1.4 F), bringing the potential
total increase to 2.8 C (5.2 F). However, further research is needed to
determine whether this directly affects sterility in men. A common practical
solution to this problem is to place the laptop on a table or desk.

Heat from using a laptop on the lap can also cause skin discoloration on the
thighs.

Durability

Due to their portability, laptops are subject to more wear and physical damage
than desktops. Components such as screen hinges, latches, power jacks and
power cords deteriorate gradually due to ordinary use. A liquid spill onto the
keyboard, a rather minor mishap with a desktop system, can damage the
internals of a laptop and result in a costly repair. One study found that a laptop is
3 times more likely to break during the first year of use than a desktop.

Original external components are expensive (a replacement AC adapter, for

example, could cost $75); other parts are inexpensive - a power jack can cost a
few dollars - but their replacement may require extensive disassemble and
reassembly of the laptop by a technician. Other inexpensive but fragile parts
often cannot be purchased separate from larger more expensive components.
The repair costs of a failed motherboard or LCD panel may exceed the value of a
used laptop.

Laptops rely on extremely compact cooling systems involving a fan and heat sink
that can fail due to eventual clogging by accumulated airborne dust and debris.
Most laptops do not have any sort of removable dust collection filter over the air
intake for these cooling systems, resulting in a system that gradually runs hotter
and louder as the years pass. Eventually the laptop starts to overheat even at
idle load levels. This dust is usually stuck inside where casual cleaning and

vacuuming cannot remove it. Instead, a complete disassembly is needed to clean

the laptop.

Battery life of laptops is limited; the capacity drops with time, necessitating an
eventual replacement after a few years.

Security

Being expensive, common and portable, laptops are prized targets for theft. The
cost of the stolen business or personal data and of the resulting problems
(identity theft, credit card fraud, breach of privacy laws) can be many times the
value of the stolen laptop itself. Therefore, both physical protection of laptops and
the safeguarding of data contained on them are of the highest importance.

Most laptops have a Kensington security slot which is used to tether the
computer to a desk or other immovable object with a security cable and lock. In
addition to this, modern operating systems and third-party software offer disk
encryption functionality that renders the data on the laptop's hard drive
unreadable without a key or a passphrase.