For many employees and business owners, the line between work lives and personal lives are blurred with “flextime,” work from home options or “out in the field.”  Because these lines are blurred, many employees and business owners use their own laptop instead of a “company” laptop.  While work lives may be blurred, the differences between consumer-grade laptops and a business/commercial-grade laptops are not (Mona Bushnell, Business News Daily, Business vs. Consumer Laptops: What You Need to Know, June 4, 2018, https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/9931-business-vs-consumer-laptop.html).   For example, business laptops are more durable, built for security, are ergonomically better and come with less “trialware” (Avram Piltch, LAPTOP Online Editorial Director, 10 Reasons Why Consumers Should Buy Business Laptops, October 8, 2015, https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/10-reasons-why-consumers-should-buy-business-notebooks).  If you are in the market to buy a laptop for personal and business use, selecting a business-grade laptop makes a lot of sense.  In this blog, I’ll explore some of the reasons why.

Business Grade Laptops are More Durable

Laptop companies build consumer laptops assuming buyers will upgrade frequently to stay on top of the latest trends and bet consumer users are not as rough on their laptops as business users.  To that end, business laptops are designed for long-term, all-day usage.  Laptop companies don't want to constantly upgrade their entire line, so business laptop designs don't vary much from year to year.   A dependable design makes it easier to maintain laptops over time, and features such as swappable batteries extend the overall lifespan of business laptops.  Furthermore, quality business laptops are built with an eye to withstand occasional drops and dings, and some to be water and dust resistant.  Conversely, consumer laptops are built with “planned obsolescence” in mind and aren't intended to be used for 40 hours a week for more than several years (Mona Bushnell, Business News Daily, Business vs. Consumer Laptops: What You Need to Know, June 4, 2018, https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/9931-business-vs-consumer-laptop.html).

Business Grade Laptops are Built for Security

For most business laptops, biometric fingerprint scanners are practically standard, but they're still relatively rare on consumer laptops. (Mona Bushnell, Business News Daily, Business vs. Consumer Laptops: What You Need to Know, June 4, 2018, https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/9931-business-vs-consumer-laptop.html).   In addition to fingerprint sensors, some business laptops offer “palm vein readers,” NFC or smart card reader and TPM (Trusted Platform Module) embedded solutions, plus hard drives with encryption, which is another line of defense to keep your data safe.  Lastly, business laptops often come with optional security subscriptions (see blog: Outsource your Office Network’s IT Management), and many laptop sellers offer additional (paid) tech support for small businesses that don't have in-house tech expertise (Desire Athow, 10 reasons why business laptops are better than consumer notebooks, August 11, 2016, https://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/laptops/10-reasons-why-business-laptops-are-better-than-consumer-notebooks-1326355).  

Reasonably Priced, Ergonomic, Less Trialware

Generally speaking and depending on what you compare it with, a business laptop may cost $100 to $200 more than a consumer model with the same specs.  On the other hand, second hand/previously owned business/commercial-grade laptops are often less expensive than a new consumer laptop.  For example, RB’s Computer Service offers previously owned business/commercial-grade laptops starting at $350, see blog for more details: 7 Benefits to Buying a Pre-Owned Laptop at RB’s (Avram Piltch, LAPTOP Online Editorial Director, 10 Reasons Why Consumers Should Buy Business Laptops, October 8, 2015, https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/10-reasons-why-consumers-should-buy-business-notebooks).  In terms of ergonomics, business laptop keyboards are geared for productivity, so the keys are slightly bigger for typing and built stronger.  Furthermore, business laptops offer more and better pointing options (sticks or “nubs” between the H and G keys) and touchpads.  As a result, the typists don’t have to lift their fingers off the home row to use them for navigation.  Pre-installed trialware is minimal with a business laptop too.  A large or mid-size business simply can't afford to pay its IT department to sit there uninstalling the software from each laptop it buys.  Business laptop makers get it and intentionally avoid overloading their business laptops with too much unwanted pre-installed trialware. You still find trial versions of security software, but that's usually about it (Avram Piltch, LAPTOP Online Editorial Director, 10 Reasons Why Consumers Should Buy Business Laptops, October 8, 2015, https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/10-reasons-why-consumers-should-buy-business-notebooks).   Previously owned business/commercial-grade laptops sold at RB’s Computer Service are “scrubbed” of trialware before they are put on the shelf, see blog: 7 Benefits to Buying a Pre-Owned Laptop at RB’s.

Because business laptops are more durable, provide better security options, are ergonomic, and have less trialware, they are a safe, affordable and reliable choice for employees and business owners.  While brand new business laptops may cost $100 to $200 more than a consumer model with the same specs, second hand/previously owned business/commercial-grade laptops are often less expensive than a new consumer laptop.  RB’s Computer Service offers plenty of previously owned business/commercial-grade laptops starting at $350.  If you need help exploring your options, don’t hesitate to contact RB’s Computer Service today via phone or email: 763-441-3884 or at help@rbsmn.com.

In addition to previously owned laptops and desktops, RB’s Computer Service offers Ransomware strategies, managed IT services, and virus and malware removal services.  We sell the best commercial-grade firewall routers, best laptop computers, best desktop computers, business computers, computer parts, and computer monitors.  We provide iPhone and smartphone repair, and tablet repairs to customers and clients throughout central Minnesota and St. Cloud.