What Makes A Business Laptop A Business Laptop? Discussion

What are the most crucial qualities in the ideal business notebook? We've put together a handy list of the features that are of utmost importance.

Read the full content of this Article: What Makes A Business Laptop A Business Laptop?

 

The only thing I would add to the excellent article would be a backlit keyboard, you never know when ambient light will be lacking.

(Man you are quick Jerry)

 

I disagree. There is a large potential market for Ultrabook-format machines among business users many of whom value portability and good battery life and don't want to lug around a heavy box.

John

 

Good connectivity is always critical. I have given a presentation at a venue where their projector didn't have an HDMI port. My Vaio Duo 11 has a VGA port as well. People laughed at this as "old-fashioned" and "backward" when the Duo 11 was released, but it saved my bacon that night.

The need for mobile-workstation-level performance is industry-specific, not for all business-class laptops. In the legal field, for example, there's simply no need for a GPU and no need for anything more powerful than a ULV CPU. On the other hand, portability is very helpful (a business-class ultrabook can be tucked under the arm along with a client file or two...good luck doing that with a 7-10 lb mobile workstation). And for a traveling businessperson (insurance adjuster, salesperson, etc), something that fits comfortably on an airplane tray would be a huge benefit. The ultrabooks have to be business-class (good build quality, good connectivity), but there's absolutely a place for business-class ultrabooks instead of mobile workstations.

 

I guess that brings up a question - the people who decide what to buy for their businesses. Perhaps from the point of view of the employees carrying the laptops around there may be one angle, but from the pt of view of the people who take care of the machines there may be another.

I am a sys admin for a small business (20-25 employees) and I decide on the purchases for the employees - I always go for "business machines", and for most of the reasons in the article mentioned.

Of course not everyone falls into the same parameters, but for me I will still go for the "heavier" machines.

 

I'm self-employed so I take account of both the end user's (me) and sys admin's (me) perspectives. Portability takes precedence over serviceability. It would, however, be nice if ultrabook manufacturers could copy the one piece base held on by one screw that Dell used on the E6400 / E6410.

John

 

A backlit keyboard should really be at least an option on ALL laptops. After having one on my E6500, I'll never buy another laptop without one.

 

The OP link is broken/not working. Great, just when I wanted to read it.

 

Try this.

John

 

It great to have portability, but that kind of portability comes at a price. And locking you into a certain niche is what companies like Apples does best.

It reminds me of the "straight and level" approach from Lexus. As long as you stay within those predetermined parameters, it a great buy.

 

Every ThinkPad I've had came with the ThinkLight, which serves the same purpose. The non-backlit version of the ThinkPad keyboard offers a better typing experience than the backlit one, my opinion of course.

 

I too can do without the backlighting.

 

How about the ability to easily upgrade/service core components? Or the very useful docking ports? Why do some business notebooks have DisplayPort but not HDMI?

 

DisplayPort is more common in a business environment (along with VGA) than HDMI, which is more consumer-oriented. I'd rather have one connector too, but that's just what it is right now.

 

It seems that DisplayPort is preferred in a business environment because it can easily be converted to VGA, DVI and HDMI (with the right adapter of course) so that makes it almost universal in a sense. DP is the future.

 

I also get to pick my laptops. Usually I use them for a year or three then pass them along to my kids as they have needed them. My youngest daughter is using my 5 year old E6400 daily for school. Other than adding a SSD and ram, it is still in original shape and running great.

 

It also has superior daisy-chain capability...and it's free!

 

How about a smartcard reader integrated (required for many VPNs/extranets/Outlook Web Access sites), long battery life to survive meetings, good docking capability when home, fits on an economy class dinner tray, and is built semi durable. Microsoft itself uses smartcards internally -- yet I haven't seen a Win8 touchscreen laptop with one integrated or even an expresscard slot for one...

 

Structural integrity.

That's the mark of a true business class notebook. It has to be able to take many times the bumps and rough and handling and hash environments of the common everyday notebook. If it can't do that, then it NOT a business class laptop.

 

16:10?

 

Which is why I will never part with my T60. I hate the 16:9 format.

 

Oh, stop it! There is nothing sacred about 16:10. But if you really want to wax nostalgic, we can always revert to 4:3 CRTs? They still have the blackest blacks.

Nevertheless, you can still easily add a monitor in that aspect ratio if you must.

 

How about Upgrade Bays? Quickly swap out that optical drive for another mass storage device or instantly double your battery capacity run-time. I like what Lenovo did with their Y400/500 with its swappable GPU in place of the optical drive, but it doesn't make too much sense when its not readily available, overly expensive or GPU options to choose from are non-existent. I would love to throw in a GCN GPU into my 6475b's optical bay and crossfire it with my 7660G.

Speaking of which, how about more AMD APUs in business notebooks? I mean its not like the CPU performance is not good enough for Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentation. Please! I've had two, a ThinkPad Edge and now this 6475b and they performed great overall. While both are entry-level business notebooks and the later much better than the first, it would be AWESOME to see a T/X-series, Elitebook, or Precision/Latitude with a top-of-the-line A10 (and dGPUs optional). I can run 3-4 displays off my iGPU alone (thanks AMD Eyefinity) and most tasks a business user would encounter can be done just as quickly and easily in comparison to Intel-based notebooks. If all out CPU power is what you need, go with an Intel based unit obviously. However I really doubt most business end-users would know or care to worry about the hardware like some of us do. The ones that do, they will know exactly what tool to choose for the job, simple as that. Otherwise, the cost savings would be meaningful for the businesses purchasing these notebooks in mass quantities.

These are part of my 6475b, like a lot of other business notebooks.

3-yr business warranty
Gigabit Ethernet
Docking port
TPM
Optional Smart Card reader
ExpressCard 54mm Gen2
Fingerprint reader
Face recognition login
WWAN
Upgrade Bay
DisplayPort 1.2
SATAIII available on all SATA connections, yes even the onboard eSATA and mSATA connections
Easy Access Panel (I love this with a passion) for easy parts upgrades/maintenance

What I'm missing out on:

IPS and high resolution displays
All out raw CPU power
backlit keyboard
Notebook options

 

This, a million times over.

While we're at it, can we make 1080p standard on 15.6"+, and 900p on every business laptop that's smaller?

 

Shall we throw in a micro reactor to power it? People already complain that workstations are way too heavy and that they only last an hour.

On the other hand, there's no reason why we can't have by now laptops with easily swappable CPUs, GPUs, and displays. All these can be made as easy as dropping in a new HDD. The manufacture that get me there first, is the one I will do business with next.

 

At the risk of oversimplifying the subject, I'm hearing that durability and high endurance are must-haves for a business notebook, also flexibility in terms of interfaces (amazing how much an EC slot does to cover a multitude of needs!), today up to 16GB RAM/512GB SSD available and, shoot me if you will, the ability, via modular bay, to have an optical drive on board - as much as they are poo-pooed, virtually every business notebook comes standard with them and business notebooks are all about compatibility with legacy systems, peripherals and, I would add, data sources.

Come to think of it, I think you can narrow the minimum needs down to:

1) high durability
2) endurance - at least 8 hrs, with auxiliary batt. if nec.
3) Modular Bay - brings a multitude of storage, battery, even graphics options
4) EC slot (doubles as Smart Card reader) - brings a multitude of interface options

Clearly, one size doesn't fit all, but if you equip a notebook with all of the above - and perhaps a few dongles - it's hard to imagine it not being able to accommodate essentially all conceivable business needs, workstation power excepted. Note this doesn't exclude the possibility of a ULV cpu and IGP, especially at Haswell level, ultimately lowering the weight and slimming the thickness, all the more to put weight into a sturdy chassis and outer case.

Though I am by no means a TP devotee, I have to admit that the X230 meets all of my criteria and comes in at just over 3 lbs and under $1,200 very well equipped, as little as $800 on sale (aren't they always?!!) with base configuration that is Fully Expandable as needs and budget dictate. If a lager screen is needed, well, a T430/T430s should do the job. My wishlist: take the TP designs and features and make them less U-G-L-Y!

 

Jerry,

Nice article!

New user here but have used "business" laptops for many years and I am currently searching for a new one!

1) Durability/reliability - the laptop must be able to withstand the inadvertent bumps and jostles that happen when traveling.
2) Customer Support - as a small business owner now, being able to actually talk to someone that can troubleshoot or have a 24 hour fix is essential
3) Connectivity - while we do not use cellular networks now, having the ability to connect to them is key, ethernet port (or dongle) to allow access in certain instances is a must
4) Battery Life - keeping employees PRODUCTIVE during layovers or long flights (heck, even in a shuttle bus or long drive) is a must

Those are my choices!

 

1. Anti-glare screens.

Any manufacturer that sticks glossy screens on "business" laptops and charges $50 for the matte option should be torched.

Under many lighting conditions, I can use glossy screens as a makeshift mirror. Something I don't want when I'm working on a document.


2. Easy serviceability.

A few years ago, my dad brought home a decommissioned laptop (don't remember the brand or model) from the university. It didn't look that old, but I think I figured out why.

In order to effectively clean the fan assembly and the heatsink, or access optical bay, you had to remove a bunch of screws, the power board, detach the keyboard remove the monitor, AND THEN remove the top assembly cover that was supporting the keyboard and power board before you can access the motherboard.

The only partial saving grace was that the screen was a 4:3 ratio type, the RAM could be accessed from the bottom, and that it supported an extra battery in the optical bay and a docking station. But I guess the IT department really wanted serviceability.

 

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