How often have you found yourself in this scenario:
You wake up on a bright morning, feeling energetic, optimistic, and ready to take on the world. You head to the office or your workspace and every part of you is itching to kick off with the days' task. Finally, you're at your desk, face to face with your laptop, and a cup of coffee at your side. As you take a sip, you power your laptop and the booting begins… 20 minutes have gone by and you still haven't started any work.
You think to yourself, "Why is it taking so long to boot?!"...Suddenly the wait is over and the icons come out of hiding. At this moment, you're dying to get started. You click an icon, as you stare eagerly at the screen; some minutes go by with no response...you doubt yourself and click again, this time, harder than before. 1...2...3......10 minutes later, still no response!
Now you're furious, as you click hastily like you're playing a video game. Urgh!
This is what a lot of entrepreneurs go through daily. The anger, the frustration, and time wasted are things that can easily kill productivity in a flash. One of the most frustrating things an employee or an entrepreneur can face in the workplace is having to stare at a loading screen for several minutes while trying to open software, type, connect to the Internet, or do important work.
This can ruin your entire day and leave you feeling unmotivated.
For you to be productive while working, certain things need to be put in place, one of which is a quality laptop that encompasses speed and durability. One that has features that can adapt to the growing needs of working processes in the 21st century, as well as your business needs. This will consequently lead to a smoother and faster working process.
Investing in a quality laptop with business-grade hardware could save you a lot of time and money. The consequences that come with a low-quality laptop could cost you more than you can imagine.
So why rush to get that cheap low-quality laptop that will likely slow down and start dying in a few months, when you could spend more to give your business stability for years to come?
This article focuses on the importance of a good laptop as a business tool. It will be informative and help you when it’s time to make a decision about purchasing your next laptop.
Why your laptop is an important tool for business
Investing in hardware is one of the most important decisions an entrepreneur will make when starting a business. You must also be smart when it comes to allocating the IT budget for your business. However, with so many options in the market, it is difficult to know which is the right laptop to go for. It is possible to buy laptops, workstations, desktops, and now, with the mobile revolution, tablets, and hybrids.
The first step should be to define the type of equipment your business needs. Especially at start up time, the vast majority of companies should have laptops as their main tool. A laptop allows for mobility, as well as being efficient enough to handle most tasks with ease. What's more, almost every corporate executive should have one. Laptops, due to their characteristics, are perfect for entrepreneurs who require a computer while on the go, if they need to make presentations, share files, or access emails or the Internet anywhere. As it takes up little space, a laptop can allow you enjoy more freedom than the desktop, giving your workspace a better view and a spacious touch. Portability, easy access to ports, and low power requirements allow laptops to meet personal, academic, and business user needs.
The benefits of a laptop for business include:
- Portability: Modern laptops are characterized by their small size and low weight, allowing you to work on the go from anywhere. At 11-15 inches in screen size and 2.9-6.4 in weight, it is a perfectly built mobile machine.
- Durability: With a lot of entrepreneurs and workers constantly on the move, durability is one thing that laptop manufacturers have started to pay more attention to. From metal to plastic to rubber cases, manufacturers are coming up with better ways to keep laptops protected and help it withstand the shocks that could come with frequent movement.
- Large storage: Laptops provide quality storage for all your business files, reaching capacities of up to 2 Terabytes. So if you're someone who frequently makes use of large files for your business, you certainly have nothing to worry about.
- Battery Life: One great advantage of using a laptop is your ability to continue working, even when disconnected from the power source. With a quality laptop with business grade hardware, you can go through an entire day of work on a single charge.
- Performance: Business-grade laptops offer amazing performance, as they are fitted with fast processors, large RAM's and integrated graphics cards, that allow you to multitask smoothly.
- Increase in productivity: Tasks like checking your business email, making a video conference with a client, or sharing a table with other colleagues while you're on the go can be done from a laptop without waiting to be seated in your office.
A Laptop or a 6-inch Subway?
FOR A FEW BUCKS, YOU’D RATHER EXPAND YOUR WAISTLINE THAN OWN A ROCK-SOLID LAPTOP – REALLY?!
When investing in a laptop for your business it is very important to understand that a laptop isn't just some random piece of equipment. It is a critical tool that acts as an engine for the smooth running of your entire business process. A quality laptop with business-grade hardware could be the difference between a smooth working process and a frustrating business.
Some business owners or workers tend to lean towards cheaper laptops with low-quality hardware, without considering if it suits their business needs, as well as its durability and performance. There's always a struggle in a lot of people's minds in deciding if that extra money is worth it for enterprise-level hardware, or if they should go with the cheaper low-quality option. Back to my headline – for the sake of a subway a week you’d prefer to compromise on the quality of your laptop?
For instance, if a laptop with crappy hardware goes for $1350 and an enterprise-level laptop goes for $1699.This can leave some people thinking, "Why spend an extra $349?"
Some people tend to convince themselves that the cheaper laptop is good enough for their immediate needs, without considering how it could affect their business in the long run.
To them, they've just saved a whooping $349...but in reality this is false economy. Considering that a quality business-grade laptop can give you 3 solid years of optimum performance, while a cheaper option can start to break down and run slow after a year or less, spending that extra money could save you more in the long run than keeping it in your pocket.
Let's do some math: There are 156 weeks in 3 years, now $349 over 3 years is equivalent to $2.23 per week (349 ÷ 156).
So what such a person is saying is that he/she doesn't see the benefit of spending an extra $2.23 a week to have his/her business run like a well oiled machine.
Let's assume this same person buys a 6-inch subway sandwich once a week for 3 years (156 weeks) at $6.95. That would be $1084.20 spent (156 × 6.95). Or maybe he/she treats himself/herself to a cup of Starbucks Mochaccino at $4.95, twice a week for 3 years. That would total $1,5440 spent (156 × 9.90).What this analogy is saying is that someone would rather spend $1000+ gaining unwanted fat over 3 years than spend $349 over 3 years to keep their business laptop running like a well-oiled machine.
The question you should ask yourself is, "Why compromise quality for a few bucks?" The cheapest option might not be the best solution. So don't save a few dollars that could end up costing you dearly in the long run.
Why has my laptop gotten so slow? Is it age? What can I do?
Most of us have observed that the longer we use our computers, the slower they become. The problem is so common that people assume it is inevitable and just part of a natural "aging process" of computers. But the reality is that your computer does not slow down due to aging components, rather, the root causes of performance degradation are almost always related to a key set of common problems.
What causes the performance drop?
Some root problems are generally known to technical experts. However, others are more elusive and have only recently emerged as a result of complex changes in the way modern operating systems and programs work and integrate. By focusing on these critical areas and using the options provided you can reverse the digital aging process and experience better overall performance and reliability from your laptop. With this regular maintenance, your system and programs can stay as fast and reliable as the first day you used them.
- Your Laptop memory is full: This is one of the main factors that can cause a considerable decrease in the performance of your laptop. If such a situation arises, it is advised that you free up space by either deleting or moving some files out of your laptop to external memory or the Cloud.
- Hidden Malware: Malicious software and viruses can damage your laptop to a large extent, while also reducing it's processing speed. The best way to eliminate them is with an antivirus, which allows you to deep scan your laptop for an infection.
- New software on old hardware: With each major software release, you need a little more hardware. You need little jumps, like an extra couple of gigabytes, or an SSD to speed things up. If your budget doesn't help, choosing the right operating system and programs can be the difference between a smooth experience and a sluggish laptop performance.
- You need a system update: If you realize that your computer is lagging, one of the first steps to follow is to check the latest updates for your system. A lot of people take system updates for granted and end up spending hours searching for solutions elsewhere when the answer is staring them right in the face.
- Hardware failure: When your hard-drive becomes weak, it can contribute to the sluggish performance on your laptop. It is advised that you always go for the best hardware, and in this case, a Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) Solid-State Drive (SSD) is the better option, as it is faster and more durable than a hard-drive.
- Memory: If your business needs require you to do heavy multitasking or the use of heavy software, you will need to upgrade your RAM size if you notice that your laptop lags when you work. Go for laptops that offer between 8GB to 16GB RAM at least.
- Several applications starting simultaneously: To solve this, simply enter the Task Manager, go to the Start section of the top row, there you will see all the applications that start when the computer is turned on and you can disable those that you do not use and only delay the startup.
- Lack of maintenance: Preventive maintenance is essential for optimal computer speed, and much of it is handled by Windows in the background, but the rest is our responsibility. Delete the programs you do not use, look for lighter alternatives and free up space on the hard disk.
Dwindling performance in computers is an enemy with many faces. The relationship between hardware, software, and the user is very delicate, and once the balance is lost, the results are inevitably negative. Undoubtedly, preventive maintenance, the use of efficient software, and occasional hardware upgrades will save you a lot of headaches, allowing a smoother working process in your business. All taking into account: go for business grade hardware with enough capacity so you can be sure the tool works for you even in the next 3 years.
Hopefully this will help making the right decision. Perhaps this is an interesting article for you: What is the best business laptop in 2020?
Why is my laptop slow?: Get better value with business-grade hardware