Macworld UK says that when they asked Which is
best for you: Desktop or Portable?, they didn't expect the tide to
have turned so heavily towards PowerBooks and iBooks.
In the poll results, only 17 per cent of voters favored desktops,
while 35 per cent owned or planned to buy a portable, with 38 per cent
in favour of having both.
IMHO, this is just common sense sinking in at the consumer level. As
I have advocated for years in my Road Warrior
column and elsewhere, PowerBooks - and more recently iBooks as well
- are simply a better choice for most users. The portable Mac is the
logical Mac.
The iMac weighs a hulking 35 pounds, and relatively compact as it
is, it still occupies a significant chunk of desktop real estate. The
iMac may have a convenient carry handle, but very few of us would ever
consider it to be a seriously portable computer. And while it is in
many respects the logical heir of the original "small Macs," it weighs
more than twice as much and is a lot bigger. Even the Cube, as I found out, is a far more bulky and
cumbersome package than a PowerBook.
So the portable's obvious first advantage is its small size and
portability. Some people need and others (like me) simply prefer the
small size of a laptop computer. You aren't rooted in one spot and can
conveniently use the computer outdoors in nice weather if the mood
strikes you. 'Books also don't dominate a room the way a desktop
machine does. They are more subtle, a quality that appeals to me
greatly.
Another major advantage of choosing to work on a PowerBook is the
built-in flat screen display. You can, of course, buy a flat screen
monitor for a desktop Mac, but doing so will erase a significant chunk
of the desktop's price advantage.
The PowerBook 3400c and G3/G4
PowerBooks made the "PowerBook as my only Mac" concept a no-apologies
potential reality for many users. Of course, some people still want the
raw power and expandability of a high-end desktop Mac, but for many of
us, a PowerBook or iBook will do anything we need a computer to do -
and a great deal more besides.
Apple's G3 Series PowerBook
portables essentially removed any logical rationale for owning a both
desktop computer and a laptop for most Mac-users. With more speed than
any but the very fastest desktop models and an inventory of features
that would have been considered the pinnacle of high end only a couple
of years ago, a 'Book can easily be "the computer to have when you're
only having one" with no excuses necessary.
And if you want to, you can even convert your PowerBook into a
virtual desktop Mac for stationary use. Just plug in an external
monitor, a standard keyboard and mouse, whatever other peripherals you
need, and voilà! This sort of setup costs substantially less
than buying separate portable and desktop computers.
Another 'Book advantage, especially if you live out in the boonies
like I do, is lack of worry about power outages. I can happily keep on
computing - and even Web surfing and faxing - through blackouts as long
as my batteries hold up.
And, of course, portable computing is not just a boon to traveling
business people, students, and other road warriors. It's a pleasure to
be able to pick up the computer and work outdoors on a lovely summer
afternoon or just move to another location in the house or office. It's
a lot more convenient to carry the same computer between home and the
office than it is to deal with the hassle of keeping files synchronized
between two computers. When you go on vacation or business trips, it's
easy to take a laptop along. In the rare instance that your trusty
PowerBook needs service, it's a lot less back strain to carry a laptop
into the dealer than a 40 pound desktop box.
Of course, some desktop die-hards "poured scorn on the portable
lovers" in the Macworld UK poll, one arguing that "Portables are
overpriced, underpowered fashion accessories."
Well, everyone's entitled to their opinion, but the desktop is
becoming a dinosaur for all but very high-end or low-budget users.
