Anyone else dislike notebooks like me?

[archcommus]

Honestly, I'm around them at work, I use them at work, I repair them at work, and I really dislike the things. They're uncomfortable to use, even the fast ones (1.8+ Centrinos) feel slow, and so many are plagued with issues later in their lives, and of course the warranties suck (like one year) unless you spend hundreds more for an extended warranty. And when something goes wrong out of warranty, you're screwed and can't even do much yourself.

All that, and they cost more than desktops and are weaker!

I'm glad I'm getting a Tablet PC, but only because it's Tablet PC and will be very useful for that function. Don't intend to use it for a whole lot else save for some internet browsing and such.

Sorry, just had to vent.

/rant

 

[pookguy88]

have u ever tried IBM thinkpads?

 

[cy7878]

I hate tomatoes.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: pookguy88
have u ever tried IBM thinkpads?

Nope. I'm sure they might fix some of my reservations, but certainly not all.

 

[vtohthree]

I agree that laptops are uncomfortable to use, the limited viewing angle, keyboard, and touchpad mouse to be specific. However, they certainly serve their
function as a portable computer. I couldn't live without one any more. As for power, I was coming from a 1.8gighertz Williamette desktop to a 3.06gighertz Northwood with HT, thus my laptop was tons faster than my stinkin' desktop, but I would imagine a different story for AMD's.

 

[hopejr]

Until I got my iMac, I was using my iBook almost exclusively for months. I got used to it, but now, I find it hard going back to it when I'm on the go, because the screen is so much smaller. Apart from that I don't mind, but I can see where you're coming from.

 

[archcommus]

My biggest annoyance with them is the fact that they usually come with only one-year warranties, and any kind of extended warranty costs many hundreds more, usually not an expense most people want to have when they're already spending a grand on the notebook itself. For something proprietary, that can't be worked on yourself (save for many an HDD or memory replacement), and for something with that many parts that have a chance of failing, that warranty is simply ridiculous.

So you buy a new HP or whatever and enjoy it for a year, then on the 366th day the screen fails you. Wow, all of a sudden you have to throw away your one-year-old notebook or pay almost another grand to replace the screen.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Originally posted by: archcommus
My biggest annoyance with them is the fact that they usually come with only one-year warranties, and any kind of extended warranty costs many hundreds more, usually not an expense most people want to have when they're already spending a grand on the notebook itself. For something proprietary, that can't be worked on yourself (save for many an HDD or memory replacement), and for something with that many parts that have a chance of failing, that warranty is simply ridiculous.

So you buy a new HP or whatever and enjoy it for a year, then on the 366th day the screen fails you. Wow, all of a sudden you have to throw away your one-year-old notebook or pay almost another grand to replace the screen.

Nobody said owning a notebook was cost effective. I never recommend someone to buy a cheap machine unless they don't care about it. My buddy bought a $700 Averatec w/no extra warranty 'cuz he just wanted the convenience and could afford to drop $700 w/out caring if it died later w/out warranty. For those who want to INVEST in a laptop, you will spend more than $700 on the machine itself and YES, several hundred on the warranty. What if all cars today came with 1 year warranties and to get the 3 year or 5 year you had to spend extra? Would you buy a car or just say that cars are ridiculous and ride a bicycle?

What is manufacturers started bundling 3 year warranties but raising the price by $200-$300? Would that make you feel better?

I understand your complaints, particularly about the ergonomics. But the cost issues are not a "problem," they are the nature of the technology. If you can't/don't want to afford it, then don't

edited for grammar

 

[beatle]

I can't take my desktop on a plane.

 

[archcommus]

I'm not denying their usefulness, just stating their MANY annoyances.

The cost is not a "problem," however the warranty is. A 2-3 year warranty should be standard, without the price of the notebook being any higher than it already is. That's how it is for other products, why shouldn't it be that way for a laptop, too? That just shows you how unconfident the manufacturers are in the long term reliability of their notebooks.

 

[Banana]

Originally posted by: archcommus
I'm not denying their usefulness, just stating their MANY annoyances.

The cost is not a "problem," however the warranty is. A 2-3 year warranty should be standard, without the price of the notebook being any higher than it already is. That's how it is for other products, why shouldn't it be that way for a laptop, too? That just shows you how unconfident the manufacturers are in the long term reliability of their notebooks.

"Other products" seldom come with more than a one year warranty. Unlike you, I believe that laptops are sturdier than desktops. Try putting a desktop through the rigors of a laptop's usage and it will probably give you more trouble than a laptop!

I've traveled with laptops for many years and they've never 'broke.' Heck, I even dropped a Toshiba onto concrete from 3 to 4 feet height and it worked fine! ONly thing that was damaged was chipped case and broken plastic clip.

 

[archcommus]

Other products come with plenty of warranty. My motherboard, processor, video card, and power supply all have three-year warranties. My hard drive has a five-year warranty. My memory has a lifetime warranty. My monitor has a three-year warranty. For something that expensive, a three-year warranty should be standard.

 

[Banana]

Originally posted by: archcommus
Other products come with plenty of warranty. My motherboard, processor, video card, and power supply all have three-year warranties. My hard drive has a five-year warranty. My memory has a lifetime warranty. My monitor has a three-year warranty. For something that expensive, a three-year warranty should be standard.

Now that you mention it, components do come with longer warranties, but pre-built systems don't? I was shocked to learn that some major-brand desktops come with 3 or 6 month warranties.

Here's a solution for you: Buy your own components and build a laptop

 

[archcommus]

If I could I would, buddy.

 

[corkyg]

I'm on my 5th laptop since 1993, and I have never needed to use a warranty. They keep getting better. I use them only for travel - at home and abroad. The last two have been exceptionally reliable and have never caused me a problem - have not had a crash or freeze-up since about 1999. They require different care and handling than in-house systems (desktops or floortops). Proper maintenance of the OS and programs eliminates most problems.

Since 1997, I have always kept a spare, cloned HDD for every laptop just in case. Maybe that intimidates problems?

 

[archcommus]

That's good to hear, but it's just the fact that since they're so proprietary, if anything DOES die short of a hard drive or memory, you're stucking bringing it to some kind of overpriced shop, or shipping it back to the manufacturer and being without it for a week or two.

That's crap.

 

[railer]

I don't like TV's. They're proprietary, and only have 1 year warranties. Also big to lug around on a daily basis. Especiallly the 32" and above models. I especially hate them.
I just bought a jack for my cars. It has only a one year warranty. I hate that too.

The used car dealership down the street only gives a 6 month warranty on cars. I hate it.

....uh.....so I don't know what your point is...if you haven't gotten my drift.
ANY desktop you buy <Dell, HP, Gateway, etc) is going to have a 1 year warranty.
Don't like it? Too bad. By a service contract, or go out and buy a spiral bound notebook and a $10 calculator and give up this whole computer thing.

My laptop has made my desktop obsolete. Wanna buy that clunky old desktop? I'm not giving you any warranty on it tho.... Make me an offer: Athlon 3200, gig of pc2700 ddr, 160 gig HD, Radeon 9700, tons of pron, and a big old 60 lb. NEC 19" CRT.

 

[Vageetasjn]

Originally posted by: archcommus
That's good to hear, but it's just the fact that since they're so proprietary, if anything DOES die short of a hard drive or memory, you're stucking bringing it to some kind of overpriced shop, or shipping it back to the manufacturer and being without it for a week or two.

That's crap.

I've heard numerous accounts that with IBM's repair service, the customer usually has the comp back in their hands within 3 business days. And sometimes even 2 business days if they can repair it and ship it back in the same day!

 

[vtohthree]

Originally posted by: corkyg
I'm on my 5th laptop since 1993, and I have never needed to use a warranty. They keep getting better. I use them only for travel - at home and abroad. The last two have been exceptionally reliable and have never caused me a problem - have not had a crash or freeze-up since about 1999. They require different care and handling than in-house systems (desktops or floortops). Proper maintenance of the OS and programs eliminates most problems.

Since 1997, I have always kept a spare, cloned HDD for every laptop just in case. Maybe that intimidates problems?

May I ask what brands have you used, or live by?

 

[fbrdphreak]

Originally posted by: Vageetasjn

Originally posted by: archcommus
That's good to hear, but it's just the fact that since they're so proprietary, if anything DOES die short of a hard drive or memory, you're stucking bringing it to some kind of overpriced shop, or shipping it back to the manufacturer and being without it for a week or two.

That's crap.

I've heard numerous accounts that with IBM's repair service, the customer usually has the comp back in their hands within 3 business days. And sometimes even 2 business days if they can repair it and ship it back in the same day!

I can second that. They sent me a box. I shipped out the box, it got there the next day, and I got it back the day after. :thumbsup: And that's IBM's basic service
Dell is actually okay too for support. The place I do IT work at uses Dell exclusively :roll: and their top of the line support is sufficient. On-site support is always nice

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: vtohthree

Originally posted by: corkyg
I'm on my 5th laptop since 1993, and I have never needed to use a warranty. They keep getting better. I use them only for travel - at home and abroad. The last two have been exceptionally reliable and have never caused me a problem - have not had a crash or freeze-up since about 1999. They require different care and handling than in-house systems (desktops or floortops). Proper maintenance of the OS and programs eliminates most problems.

Since 1997, I have always kept a spare, cloned HDD for every laptop just in case. Maybe that intimidates problems?

May I ask what brands have you used, or live by?

First was a SoundBook. Then 2 WinBooks, then a Gateway, and now a H-P. I look at them all and go for value and reliability. The big Gateway (9300cx was a solid performer - had it two years and relied on it on many trips abroad. It never once crashed or froze up. I upgraded it from 98SE to ME to XPpro, Sp1, then Sp2. It is still rock solid, and it goes to my daughter-in-law. It was just too big and heavy (15.6-in LCD, about 9.5 lbs.)

The new H-P has only been with me for 4 months, but has yet to even hiccup. Everything works as advertised - including the DVD +R/-R/RW burner and the built-in Wi-Fi and LAN capabilities.

 

[archcommus]

That's great to hear about the IBMs. Like I said, I don't really deal with IBMs or Dells, mostly Gateway, Toshiba, HP, Sony, a few others.

I know that almost all products are proprietary like laptops, and that many other expensive items also come with one-year warranties, for example TVs. But those products with crappy warranties don't make me any less mad! We're just not discussing them in this thread, that's all.

Laptops do have a advantage in mobility, which is why they exist and are useful. If you need one for that purpose, of course it's good to get. I'm just expressing my dislike towards companies that don't back up their products with a confident warranty, and I fail to understand why people purchase a laptop for the purpose of replacing a desktop. I sell so many laptops to people that only want to put it on their desk and never move it, and plan to get rid of their desktop. Why? All you're doing is sacrificing comfort and losing the ability to swap out individual parts in the future if necessary, and you're really gaining nothing, if it's simply replacing your desktop.

The last thing to note is the size. A nice, thin laptop like some of the Vaios are what a laptop should be like, for true easy mobility. Some of the Toshibas and Gateways I deal with are barely any thinner than my very old Compaq Armada 1700 I just sold a few months ago. I know that can't be helped, and a Pentium 4 or Athlon 64 notebook is bound to be a bit thick, but I just expected the tech to be farther along than that by today.

 

[DragonMasterAlex]

I used to have a huge hate for NB's, but you know, the past couple of years they've really started to come into their own in terms of capability, expandability, etc. Soon as I can get one with a 10,000RPM SATA drive, an upgradeable video card and a 19" widescreen, I'm buyin' one

Jason

 

[railer]

For me, laptops are much more aesthetically pleasing, and have exactly the same functionalitly as a desktop. We use the laptop down in our family room, where it takes up a ton less space than an equivalant desktop, yet performs all of the same functions. The ability to take it out on the back deck in the summertime is a nice bonus. I guess I probably would never replace the "spare" desktops that I have with laptops, since desktops are so much cheaper to maintain and upgrade. But for high visibility areas in a home, I can see why people choose laptops.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: railer
For me, laptops are much more aesthetically pleasing, and have exactly the same functionalitly as a desktop. We use the laptop down in our family room, where it takes up a ton less space than an equivalant desktop, yet performs all of the same functions. The ability to take it out on the back deck in the summertime is a nice bonus. I guess I probably would never replace the "spare" desktops that I have with laptops, since desktops are so much cheaper to maintain and upgrade. But for high visibility areas in a home, I can see why people choose laptops.

I still can't. In your example, you occasionally like to move it, so it makes sense to have a notebook. But if its position is completely static, there's really no point. You're hurting yourself by having that instead of a desktop in case something ever goes wrong (more expensive, harder to fix), you're making it less comfortable to use unless you get a docking station or simply hook up an external mouse, and you can get a perfectly asthetic desktop that, when you get a small tower and an LCD, still takes up barely any space at all on a desk.

And do any notebooks today really have decent gaming power? I think the best video I've seen in a notebook is a Mobility Radeon 9700 Pro. And even if you get one that can handle games at the time, in 18 months it won't be able to, but you certainly won't want to ditch the notebook that early.