LAPTOPS

WORK & PLAY

F
O
R
THE DIFFERENCES THAT MATTER
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aptops come in many flavors
thin-and-light, convertible, desktop
replacement, portable workstationbut all
of them fall into one of two main categories:
consumer and business models. Laptop
manufacturers label some systems for
consumers and others for business. While
both incorporate similar components and
run the same operating system, business
laptops can cost twice as much. Why the high
price tag? Primarily its because businesses
demand computers that are built to last and
easy to maintain. Once you understand the
dierentiators, you can decide what best ts
your computing needsand your budget.
BY JON L. JACOBI / I LLUSTRATI ONS BY CHI BI RMI NGHAM
Which is right for you, a
business or consumer laptop?
Well help you gure it out.
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ompanies expect business laptops to
remain in service much longer than a
typical consumer notebook does, and to withstand
at least a little rough handling. As such, business
laptops normally rely on especially strong
materialsaluminum or magnesium, for
instanceand rugged design specications.
Consumer laptopsespecially budget models
make copious use of plastic.
Most businesses standardize on one or a few
laptop models, and they keep the machines in
service for at least three years. This stability
reduces the tech-support burden on the
companys IT department. When a manufacturer
introduces a new business laptop, it often commits
to keeping that model available for between 18
months and ve years, so its corporate customers
can supplement their fleets down the road.
Business systems
like Dells Latitude
6430u are made of
rugged materials.
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Business buyers also expect replacement parts to
be available over the laptops entire service life. That
means the manufacturer must maintain an
inventory of parts it might never actually sell. The
price of the notebook reimburses the manufacturer
for some of that cost.
Consumer laptops tend to have much shorter shelf
lives. A given model might be available for a year or
even less before a newer model replaces it. Toshiba
initially manufactured a limited number of its
luxurious Kirabooks, for example, and switched to
Intels fourth-generation Core processor when it
produced the next batch.
Consumers are more apt than businesses to
replace rather than repair a failing laptop.
Sometimes this decision represents the most
sensible strategyor even the only strategy, as
manufacturers may run out of crucial replacement
parts for models in their consumer product lines.
Other times, this approach gives consumers an
excuse to buy a new model with all the latest
fripperies. Businesses cant aord to change
models on a whim, as each switch incurs costs
beyond acquiring a new machine: testing, training,
software licenses, and more.

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Businesses cant change
models on a whim, as each
switch incurs costs beyond
buying a new machine.

Only Apple
uses these
screws on
business
systems.
usiness laptops are generally easier to
maintain and x than consumer models.
You wont nd Torx screws or Apples ridiculous new
Pentalobe fasteners on a business machine (unless
its a MacBook Pro).
With many business laptop models, a common
Phillips screwdriver should be the only tool you
need. And with a machine like HPs ZBook 15 (go.
pcworld.com/hpzb15) mobile workstation, you
wont even need that. Slide open two friction locks,
and you can remove its bottom panel to reach its
memory, storage, Wi-Fi adapter, battery, and more.
User-serviceable components are increasingly
rare in consumer-oriented notebooks, as they have
become disposable commodities.
With many business
models, the only tool
youll need is a Phillips
screwdriver.

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he port selection on consumer laptops
usually depends on the price tag: High-end
machines sport the newest technologies early,
while budget machines lag behind. These days,
many I/O technologiessuch as USB 3.0 and
HDMIare ubiquitous on consumer laptops. Very
advanced technologies, such as Thunderbolt and
Thunderbolt 2, have caught on more slowly.
Business laptops usually lag in oering the latest
connection technologies because corporate nickel-
nursers dont want to pay for something that isnt
yetand may never bemainstream. And legacy
technologies like VGA hang around on business
laptops because users need to connect their
systems to aging video projectors.
Today, wireless networking is de rigueur in both
classes of laptops. An integrated 802.11ac Wi-Fi
adapter is your best choice, but 802.11n adapters
are cheaper and more common. Some business
laptops also permit cellular connectivity via a SIM
If you spend a lot of time
at a desk, but still need
laptop mobility, a docking
station can be a godsend.
HPs ZBook 15 has almost every I/O port you can think of.

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card that users can install inside the laptop or plug
into an external port.
Smart card and ExpressCard slots appear
exclusively on business laptops. Smart cards prevent
unauthorized users from gaining access to the
computer while it is powered up but unattended.
ExpressCard is a legacy interface that replaced the
even older PC Card and PCMCIA technologies.
Many business laptops come with docking ports;
consumer laptops almost never do. If you spend a
lot of time at a desk, but still need the mobility of a
laptop, a docking station or port replicator can be a
godsend. You hard-wire your peripherals to the
docking station, and then physically connect the
laptop to the docking station. Push one button (or
disconnect one cable), grab your laptop, and go.
You dont have to buy a business laptop to use a
docking port. Third-party devices such as the
Targus Universal USB 3.0 DV (go.pcworld.com/
uniusb3) deliver similar functionality via USB and
DisplayLink technologies. And the WiGig wireless
technology eliminates the need for a physical
connection between laptop and dock. WiGig has
been slow to catch on, but Dell jumped on it early
with the Wireless Dock D5000 (go.pcworld.com/
dockd5000), which is now compatible with a
number of its laptops.
No Wi-Fi hotspot around?
Thats no problem if your
laptop can handle a SIM card.

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Surprisingly, Toshibas
business-oriented Tecra
oers an HDMI video port.
he graphics processors integrated into
modern CPUs are all you need for surng
the Web, watching movies, and performing most
other common tasks. For computationally intense
applications, you need a discrete graphics
processor. If a consumer laptop has one of these,
the system is designed to run games. A business
laptop with a discrete GPU is designed to handle
computer-aided design (CAD), 3D modeling,
scientic or medical imaging, content creation,
and the like; look for machines outtted with AMD
FirePro Mobile Graphics or Nvidia Quadro Mobile
Workstation cards.
Most HDTVs have HDMI ports, and consumer
laptops often use that interface, too. But
DisplayPort, which business-oriented laptops and
displays tend to use, is a superior video interface
for business users; see HDMI vs. DisplayPort:
Which display interface reigns supreme? (go.
pcworld.com/hdmivsdp). A single DisplayPort 1.2
interface can support four monitors at
1920-by-1200-pixel resolution each, or two
monitors at 2560-by-1600-pixel resolution each. In
either case, each display can receive independent
audio and video streams. Both DisplayPort and
HDMI can support a single 4K monitor (dened as
having a resolution of 3840 by 2160 pixels).

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orporate IT departments that oversee
hundreds or even thousands of laptops
need to be able to manage these devices
remotely. Though most small businesses dont
have IT departments, many pay consultants to
manage their IT resources. Buying a laptop
equipped with a CPU- or BIOS-level technology
such as Intels vPro, DASH (Desktop and Mobile
Architecture for System Hardware), or HPs
SureStart can save time and money.
These tools enable IT specialists to monitor,
manage, remotely access, and even repair
laptop software installations in the eld. The
user doesnt need to be present, and the laptop
may be so compromisedby a malware
infection, a borked software installation, or a
corrupted lethat it cant boot to its
operating system.
Remotely reimaging (that is, copying all the
software, including the OS, back to the laptops
hard drive over a network connection) saves
time and avoids the expense of travel or
shipping. Furthermore, vPro can prevent certain
types of malware and attacks that occur below
the operating system level, and SureStart
Business laptops ofen
integrate security features
into their hardware to
protect sensitive data.

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The Toshiba Tecra
incorporates a
ngerprint scanner.
(available only on HP machines) can quickly
restore a previous version of the computers BIOS
if the current version suers is attacked or
becomes corrupted.
To protect sensitive information they may
contain, business laptops often have special
security features integrated into their hardware.
A biometric device such as a ngerprint scanner
can verify an authorized users identity, for
instance, while encryption tools such as a TPM
(Trusted Platform Module) chip and Windows
BitLocker can scramble data as the user writes it
to the laptops hard drive. Data encryption
prevents interlopers from reading data in
coherent form unless they have the proper keys
for decoding it.
If you consider vPro or DASH must-have
features for your laptop, make sure that the
model you buy has those features. Not every
business laptop does. For models with Intel
CPUs, check Intels ARK site (ark.intel.com) to
see whether the chip has vPro support. Any
laptop that has both an AMD CPU and a TPM
chip will support DASH. SureStart is strictly an
HP technology, so check the specs for the
model youre interested in buying to see
whether it has that feature.
Next Up: Preinstalled software

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npack a consumer laptop and youll nd
lots of junk consuming storage space
already: games, demos, trialware, links to websites,
and more. Software companies pay laptop
manufacturers to preinstall this glop, which can
reduce the price of the nished product. You dont
have to leave any of it in place, of course, but
removing it is a hassle, even with the aid of free
software like Piriforms CCleaner (go.pcworld.com/
ccleaner). The tech-support desk at your local big-
box store will happily handle the removal process
but not for free.
Businesses dont want to waste time and money
removing bloatware, so manufacturers reduce or
eliminate such add-ons from their business laptops.
Businesses that buy systems in bulk can specify the
exact software footprint they want.
Because most corporations are keen to keep all
employees on the same platform (to simplify and
reduce the cost of tech support), they often stick
with an operating system long after a new version
is released. When you buy a consumer laptop, it will
most likely come with Windows 8.1 installed.
Business laptops often come with the rights to
downgrade from Windows 8 to Windows 7, or with
the option to have a flavor of Linux.
Businesses that buy
systems in bulk can
specify the exact sofware
footprint they want.

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ypically the manufacturers warranty for
a consumer laptop promises to correct
any defects that may arise in the machine within
the rst year of ownership, at no charge. Low-ball
units might be protected for just 90 days. Such
brief warranties keep prices low and allow
retailers to pitch third-party extended
warranties. Any business laptop worthy of the
name will come with a three-year warranty, and
the buyer may be able to extend the period of
coverage to ve or even six years.
When a consumer laptop fails, the owner
usually must ship or carry the unit to a service
depot for diagnostics and repair. Such depots
rarely oer a guaranteed turnaround time, and if
a component needs replacing, they may not have
the part in stock. In a worst-case scenario, a
laptop submitted for repair could be missing in
action for weeks.
Businesses cant aord to have their employees
sitting around twiddling their thumbs as they
wait for their laptops to be xed. An enterprise IT
department will have loaner units on hand, and
Next Up: Preinstalled software
Dells Latitude 7440
oers easy access for
upgrades or repairs.

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theyll often perform the repairs in-house or deal
with the vendor directly. Small businesses can
avoid lost productivity by taking advantage of a
business-laptop manufacturers guarantees of
on-site service and a short turnaround (typically
24 hours, not including transit time if the unit
must go back to the factory).
Consumer tech support varies in quality and
eciency, but its generally a hit-or-miss
proposition that may occur only via email or
online chat. The toll-free support number, if it
exists, is unlikely to be available 24/7, and callers
commonly have to endure long hold times. The
tech support oered may not cover software
issues at all.
Business travelers trying to nish their work
before a big meeting need their hardware and
software problems solved right away, so
manufacturers support policies for business
laptops are far more robust. Telephone tech
support is nearly always available, and it includes
software support.
Next Up: Preinstalled software
When a consumer laptop
fails, the owner usually
must ship or carry it to a
service depot for repair.

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fter reading this article, you may wonder
whether I think business laptops are the
better choice for all potential buyers. I dont. They
tend to be more expensive at the outset, and their
higher cost of ownership doesnt make sense for
nonbusiness buyers, especially those with DIY skills.
If youre not purchasing a fleet of laptops and you
dont rely completely on your laptop for your
livelihood (smartphones and tablets can serve as
tolerable stopgaps these days), a consumer laptop
should ll your needs.
But if time is money in your world, a business
laptops better support, longer warranty, extended
life cycle, and enhanced security features will save
you some cash over the long hauleven if your
fleet consists of a single laptop.
Consumers should, for the most part, stick with
consumer products. A higher-end model will
provide many of the features youd nd in a
business laptop, for less moneythough youre
unlikely to nd a consumer model that oers Intels
vPro or HPs SureStart.
A consumer-
oriented system
like the Toshiba
Kirabook may t
the bill just ne.

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