Within the next 5 years, more people will be using laptops than desktops. As the owner, and regular user, of two laptops I can understand why. For me, it boils down to a combination of the following:

Computing Power:
Since Intel and AMD decided that the race for more GHz was no longer the be-all and end-all, the switch to mobile, multiple core processors has meant that for normal day-to-day operations there is no longer any reason to prefer a desktop machine.

Price:
Yes, laptops are slightly more expensive than desktops, but the price difference is as much as you think. If you check the prices on the Dell website, a basic home laptop will set you back €469 and a basic desktop will set you back €475. That’s a difference of €6 in favour of the laptop. But for a real shock, check out the specifications: (Both machines were specifically selected as basic home use machines, with the cheapest options picked, apart from the optical drive on the desktop, which was upgraded from a CD-RW drive to a DVD-RW drive.)

• Inspiron 1501:
• Processor: AMD Semperon 3500+
• OS: Vista Home Basic
• Screen: 14.1 Wide Screen WXGA (1200 x 800)
• Memory: 512MB DDR2 SDRAM
• Hard Drive: 60GB 5400RPM
• Optical Drive: 8x DVD+/-RW Drive
• Graphics: ATI Radeon Xpress 256MB
• Power: 4 Cell Battery (The 6 Cell Battery costs an extra €18.15)
• Wireless Networking: Dell Wireless 802.11b/g Mini-PCI
•  
• Cost: €469 inc. VAT and delivery.

• Dimension C521:
• Processor: AMD Semperon 3400+
• OS: Vista Home Basic
• Screen: 15″ Flat Panel
• Memory: 512MB DDR2
• Hard Drive: 160GB SATA HDD
• Optical Drive: 16x DVD+/-RW Drive
• Graphics: Integrated nVidia Geforce 6150 LE
• Dell Keyboard
• Dell Mouse
• Sound Card: Integrated 7.1 Audio (No Speakers)
• No Wireless Networking
•  
• Cost: €475 inc. VAT and delivery.

From the laptop perspective, you’re getting a better processor, better graphics, and better networking options, and it’s still costing you less. Granted, the screen is slightly smaller, and the hard drive is a lot smaller, but from a performance point of view, the laptop still wins hands down. Even better deals are available on the Dell Outlet site.

Portability:
While desktop systems are getting smaller and lighter, no-one in their right mind would consider them to be portable. There’s a lot to be said for taking out a laptop and getting straight to work, no matter where you are.

Wireless Connectivity:
I remember when wireless networking first started to become mainstream. It was flaky, difficult to set up, difficult to troubleshoot, and compatibility problems were rife. Not so anymore. It’s simple to connect to a wireless network, and wireless speeds have increased substantially since the days of 802.11b. For me, this is the killer “application” for laptops. Wireless connectivity allows me to move anywhere in the house, and still be connected to the Internet. There’s no retreating to another room just to check my email, or write an article for my blog. I just open the lid of my MacBook, and I’m online straight away.

As I said, I own two laptops, I also own two desktop machines, and while I use all four on a regular basis, I find that my most productive work is done on my laptop(s). For the money I spent on these machines, it’s been worth every penny.