[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Ditch Your Desktop for a Laptop here

[Toulinwoek]

No thanks. I can build a kickin' desktop for much less than what one of these "power" laptops would cost, AND I will always be able to further customize it.
Not that I doubt the power of these new laptops, but customizing/upgrading is of prime importance to me. I will have a laptop, but never as a replacement for a desktop, at least not in the foreseeable future.

[tonyatn]

Ridiculous. You can't replace a desktop with a laptop. You need both in case one computer goes out you have the other.

[art209]

No thanks. A laptop with a big screen is a lousy desktop computer and an unwieldy laptop computer, and even a low power laptop gets too hot. Get a small screen laptop for portability and a large screen desktop for power usage. Another option is a truly portable laptop and a desktop monitor and keyboard setup for docking.

[gardeneyes]

I agree with the article. I have been using my laptop exclusively for almost 3 years and would never go back to my desktop. I use my for combined work and home and always have my files available to me. I don't do gaming so a high-power system isn't necessary. I love being able to work from anywhere!

[nevertooamazed]

Pfftt...no way!

I can't handle having the laptop sitting on my desk, taking up room. With a tower CPU, I can stick it on the floor out of the way. All those cables are out of sight with my desktop pc, not dangling from the top of my desk where the laptop sits. I've tried substituting a laptop for a desktop and it didn't work.

You have to open the laptop up in order to keep it ON. If you have a nice big monitor hooked up, you now have two screens looking at you. Yes, you can turn off the laptop screen and use your nice big monitor but the laptop still has to be open with its display sitting up there looking like a sore thumb.

I love to open the desktop tower case and "fiddle" with hardware, replacing drives, adding drives, etc., etc. That is not an easy job, and is often close to impossible, with a laptop. Desktops are much CHEAPER to upgrade, too.

Try to plug in two USB devices (e.g. a transmitter/receiver for a wireless mouse and a flash drive...or your digital camera) side-by-side on your laptop. Laptop USB ports are too close together to let you use them simultaneously. Hence, you have to purchase a USB hub, producing another source of clutter on the top of your (computer) desk.

Obviously, I'm a neat-freak. I vote for keeping the desktop pc on your desk top and use your laptop for travel purposes. I use MY laptop strictly for travel and that's not often. Worried
about having your data on both computers? A flash drive (or two...) does a great
job transferring files from one computer to another, so why torture
yourself with using a laptop for your desktop computing?

[piyushsingh]

A laptop can never be powerful , a high end laptop is a waste , ther are heating problems, sound problems , get an extra keyboard for racing , plug in a USb mouse for playing , a desktop is ten times better. customize it ur way with half the price . laptop is portable thats only plus point. a laptop only suits official work and for that u dont need a high end system.

[adrianxtian]

Nowadays, if you are an IT person, you need both in your home. I use my desktop for gaming, for program testing and for backup of my important files. Somehow it acts as a server when I work at home.

[RastaMon]

{quote}You have to open the laptop up in order to keep it ON. If you have a nice big monitor hooked up, you now have two screens looking at you.{quote}

Not all laptops need to remain open in order to be on. Both the MacBook and the MacBook Pro will work with the lids closed. Previously, the PowerBook could operate in a lid closed configuration. With a hack, iBooks could also have this functionality.

Since all of the above (the iBook required a firmware hack) also supported extended desktops with a second monitor, having the laptop open offers the option of a second screen with different windows than the first (eg. not screen mirroring). Most people find dual monitors to be a handy feature.

Personally, I haven't felt the need for a desktop for over three years. I replaced my desktop with a faster, more powerful laptop, and have not looked back. I do have to admit that I have been considering another desktop lately, but it will be a secondary machine, while my laptop is the primary box.

Laptop + wireless internet connection = life changing technology

[compguy]

$4000 for a laptop is seriously insane. For that money I could build my own blazing desktop with alot more options, and alot more speed. My 15.4 inch laptop is just fine for what I need it for.

[RastaMon]

{quote}$4000 for a laptop is seriously insane. For that money I could build my own blazing desktop with alot more options, and alot more speed. My 15.4 inch laptop is just fine for what I need it for.{quote}

True, but could you build 2 or 3 or more desktop equivalents with automated syncing software for that price? Oftentimes laptops don't replace one desktop, they replace two or more desktops. For the money I spent on my MacBook, I could have purchased an iMac with a little bit more computing power, a much bigger screen with higher resolution, a bigger hard drive, a much better GPU, more USB ports and a FireWire 800 port. In other words, it would have been a much better machine for the money. But, I would need at least three iMacs to replace my MacBook.