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Since I've been traveling extensively I have started using a laptop also. The downsides are the obvious extra cost for the laptop. Less obvious is the maintena

Since I've been traveling extensively I have started using a laptop also. The downsides are the obvious extra cost for the laptop. Less obvious is the maintenance. Every few years I will spill a drink on my keyboard. If it's an external keyboard I can repair it or replace it easily. If it's a laptop it could be catastrophic failure. Yes I know I can attach keyboard to laptop. Then there's the laptop screen, it is easily damaged when traveling. Sometimes the damage is minor. My laptop screen recently started having problems, sometimes it works, sometimes it flickers, sometimes it's just a black screen. External monitor is currently attached, but that's a poor mobile solution. Replacing an external monitor is cheap. So, I found a website that can sell me the replacement monitor. I have to decide is it worth repairing or should I get a new one. Cost of repairing is about 1/3rd the cost of a brand new equivalent laptop.

f1refly 5y ago
Sounds like you need a thinkpad. New screens for my x220 are 40 bucks on aliexpress, a new keyboard is like 15. In addition, the keyboard has drainage holes, I use it routinely with dripping wet hands and the keyboard survived a coke spill + cleaning with flowing water.
laxmin 5y ago
Add to your list, Flexgate. Macbooks have become notorious for industrial design faults that come up late in the lifetime of a laptop.
falcolas 5y ago
Two more downsides I'd like to add to your list: - A laptop will never have greater compute power and heat dissipation than a similar tier desktop. - Current laptop models will often consume more power than can be provided by their included power supplies (one culprit is USB-C's 100 watt limit, the other is simply cost). Thus, their compute endurance is hampered by the battery. I see this when merely running Google Meet.
- Moru 5y ago
  My first run-in with this was a customer that complained that their computer was slow. When I had a look at it, it was an HP laptop about 10 years ago. While booting I noticed a funny message in the direction of "For full capacity please buy this external power supply from HP". Looked at the power lump and it was about 60 W and the computer had a bad battery so could not keep up at all. They sell expensive laptops and expect you to throw away the power supply and buy a new one?
  - falcolas 5y ago
    Yeah, I've seen it justified (by users) as "most of the time I don't need the full capacity and I don't want to pay for that extra capacity when the battery can make up for it". A lot of assumptions wrapped up in such statements - one of which is the one you found: Batteries are typically among the first components to die.
    - Moru 5y ago
      I always used to unplug the battery when I'm not traveling so it would last longer. Can't do that any more if you need it the whole time.
      - nyanpasu64 5y ago
        Nowadays batteries are non-removable and sometimes even soldered in. I miss old laptops.
        Moru 5y ago
        They still exist but you have to look for them specifically. Usually gaming laptops around 4 kg though :-)
- Mo3 5y ago
  1) My M1 MacBook begs to differ 2) My M1 MacBook begs to differ again I feel like you are talking about laptops that should not have been laptops in the first place here
copperx 5y ago
> Every few years I will spill a drink on my keyboard I thought this only happened in movies. I always have drinks around my laptop and desktop, and it hasn't happened to me even once in the last 20 years. In my opinion, the 1/1000 chance of a spill happening in a given year shouldn't guide your purchasing decision. > Then there's the laptop screen, which is easily damaged when traveling. How does this happen? Do you drop your laptop often? Do you take it to the beach and does it get full of sand? I always travel with a laptop and cannot picture the screen getting damaged, unless I place the laptop in checked baggage.
- piyh 5y ago
  I had a mug handle break, shatter my trackpad and spill all over my keyboard. I now treat any mug with a level of distrust.
- SomeCallMeTim 5y ago
  Not the OP, but I just lost a keyboard to a spilled drink as well. Not all of us have perfect dexterity and spatial awareness at all times. I haven't lost a laptop screen to dropping it, though I have had a laptop screen spontaneously fail--two in fact. Both were HP laptops. Not buying those any more.
  - slx26 5y ago
    This reminds me of people who always forget their keys. I always thought: "nah that doesn't happen to anyone", and then I discovered it happens to a lot of people. Different brains work very differently, and there are some common bugs that affect some people but not others. See also those who can't stand watching a video to learn about a subject, versus those that can't stand reading. And that's even without getting started on personality disorders. It's really hard to internalize it if you are not "weird" in any of those ways, but we should all be more aware of it.
    - SomeCallMeTim 5y ago
      Exactly. I spill drinks periodically, but I don't ever forget my keys. I don't ever let them leave my pocket, of course, so I'd need to forget my pants to forget my keys...but we did agree not to get started on personality disorders. ;)
Mo3 5y ago
To be quite honest that sounds like you problems and not laptop problems. I have never managed to spill anything on my MacBook and I travel 24/7 and it is in prime condition. Speaking about condition, it seems to me like you really just have to condition yourself to not place any liquid near it and always keep it in a good protective bag.

f1refly 5y ago

Sounds like you need a thinkpad. New screens for my x220 are 40 bucks on aliexpress, a new keyboard is like 15. In addition, the keyboard has drainage holes, I use it routinely with dripping wet hands and the keyboard survived a coke spill + cleaning with flowing water.

laxmin 5y ago

Add to your list, Flexgate. Macbooks have become notorious for industrial design faults that come up late in the lifetime of a laptop.

falcolas 5y ago

Two more downsides I'd like to add to your list: - A laptop will never have greater compute power and heat dissipation than a similar tier desktop. - Current laptop models will often consume more power than can be provided by their included power supplies (one culprit is USB-C's 100 watt limit, the other is simply cost). Thus, their compute endurance is hampered by the battery. I see this when merely running Google Meet.

Moru 5y ago
My first run-in with this was a customer that complained that their computer was slow. When I had a look at it, it was an HP laptop about 10 years ago. While booting I noticed a funny message in the direction of "For full capacity please buy this external power supply from HP". Looked at the power lump and it was about 60 W and the computer had a bad battery so could not keep up at all. They sell expensive laptops and expect you to throw away the power supply and buy a new one?
- falcolas 5y ago
  Yeah, I've seen it justified (by users) as "most of the time I don't need the full capacity and I don't want to pay for that extra capacity when the battery can make up for it". A lot of assumptions wrapped up in such statements - one of which is the one you found: Batteries are typically among the first components to die.
  - Moru 5y ago
    I always used to unplug the battery when I'm not traveling so it would last longer. Can't do that any more if you need it the whole time.
    - nyanpasu64 5y ago
      Nowadays batteries are non-removable and sometimes even soldered in. I miss old laptops.
      - Moru 5y ago
        They still exist but you have to look for them specifically. Usually gaming laptops around 4 kg though :-)
Mo3 5y ago
1) My M1 MacBook begs to differ 2) My M1 MacBook begs to differ again I feel like you are talking about laptops that should not have been laptops in the first place here

copperx 5y ago

> Every few years I will spill a drink on my keyboard I thought this only happened in movies. I always have drinks around my laptop and desktop, and it hasn't happened to me even once in the last 20 years. In my opinion, the 1/1000 chance of a spill happening in a given year shouldn't guide your purchasing decision. > Then there's the laptop screen, which is easily damaged when traveling. How does this happen? Do you drop your laptop often? Do you take it to the beach and does it get full of sand? I always travel with a laptop and cannot picture the screen getting damaged, unless I place the laptop in checked baggage.

piyh 5y ago
I had a mug handle break, shatter my trackpad and spill all over my keyboard. I now treat any mug with a level of distrust.
SomeCallMeTim 5y ago
Not the OP, but I just lost a keyboard to a spilled drink as well. Not all of us have perfect dexterity and spatial awareness at all times. I haven't lost a laptop screen to dropping it, though I have had a laptop screen spontaneously fail--two in fact. Both were HP laptops. Not buying those any more.
- slx26 5y ago
  This reminds me of people who always forget their keys. I always thought: "nah that doesn't happen to anyone", and then I discovered it happens to a lot of people. Different brains work very differently, and there are some common bugs that affect some people but not others. See also those who can't stand watching a video to learn about a subject, versus those that can't stand reading. And that's even without getting started on personality disorders. It's really hard to internalize it if you are not "weird" in any of those ways, but we should all be more aware of it.
  - SomeCallMeTim 5y ago
    Exactly. I spill drinks periodically, but I don't ever forget my keys. I don't ever let them leave my pocket, of course, so I'd need to forget my pants to forget my keys...but we did agree not to get started on personality disorders. ;)

Mo3 5y ago

To be quite honest that sounds like you problems and not laptop problems. I have never managed to spill anything on my MacBook and I travel 24/7 and it is in prime condition. Speaking about condition, it seems to me like you really just have to condition yourself to not place any liquid near it and always keep it in a good protective bag.