Of course, there is no “best.” But we had to give it a shot, and so we established three general categories that seemed to make the most sense for the classroom: Features, Mobility, and Cost. This question and question #1 can make this is an easy decision. How about a touch screen? 5 point or 10? Capacitive or no? (The answer is yes if you need to do anything other than basic doodling on that fancy screen.) One nice option is to use the cloud–Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.ĭo you want the most recent versions of bluetooth, WiFi, and USB? Any certain number of ports? LTE or WiFi only? The relatively recent solid-state hard drives offer a significant increase in speed over traditional hard drives–but at a cost. Do you store everything locally, or in the cloud? If the latter, hard-drive capacity matters less than speed. Speed is not just a matter of processor speed or memory, but also storage. These kinds of questions can push you from the lower-end just a laptop, to the new ultrabooks. How about note-taking with Evernote or OneNote? Voice-recording for lectures or group work? Using learning simulations at home or in the classroom? Sharing notes that are a hybrid of drawing and words–sketch notes, for example–and then making them searchable and shareable with peers? If you’re only going to type papers, take notes, and send some emails, you can buy your basic $350 laptop from your local department store and be done with it. But if you expect more out of a laptop–and don’t want to carry your laptop, phone, and tablet–then you ‘ve got some thinking to do. And they usually know who they are.ĭo you want your smartphone to work together with your laptop–an iPhone and a MacBook, for example?ĭo you want an ultrabook, or basic clamshell design? Should it be a 2-in-1? If so, does the screen have to detach? What size screen do you prefer? And weight? How mobile do you need it to be?ġ3.3 and 14″ are nice compromises if you’re not sure. That said, Apple is obviously a brilliant choice for others. Making a decision here will cut your list dramatically.įor most users, Microsoft likely makes the most sense in terms of affordability, options, and ecology. This narrows it down quickly, and the two major players are obviously Microsoft and Apple, with Google’s Chrome OS recently making a nice dent in both. When you factor in the relatively recent development of mobile technology in general, and you have an era ripe for innovation, experimentation, and some awkward experimental designs as manufacturers try to figure it all out.Ħ Questions To Consider When Buying A Laptop The collection ambition of the computer industry–undoubtedly pushed forward by consumer appetite for gadgets–has created an palpable enthusiasm for technology design.
12 Of The Best Laptops For Students & Teachers