What laptops does your business use?

[Vini]

We've been using Toshiba since I started here, 4 years ago, and I've seen the launch of the M5, which progressed into the M9 and now M10.

To me the build quality in the M10's appears to have dropped off! The laptops are heavier, chunkier, and flimsier.

I'm looking around at similar spec'd machines and the prices seem to be ridiculous in comparison, almost 50% more!

We can get the bottom end Tecra M10's for £650, whereas the HP EB 6930p which offers similar spec is almost £1100.

The HP is ever so slightly better spec'd but not £500 better. So what do you use and why?

[staffsMike]

Old company used HP when I arrived which I put a stop to and moved to dell.

You could almost predict one HP was going to fail in a week, get collected the next day (even though we had an onsite warranty) and be fixed within around 3 weeks.. if you were lucky.

They annoyed me so much with their customer service as well. We had a problem with printers refusing to print multiple copies.. just wouldn't do it. The best answer I got from them was.. turned it off and on again?

"Yes"..

Dunno then. (Direct quote! )

So I moved to dell having had good personal experience with them and they were great, fantastic bulk buy discounts on already cheaper and better laptops. Good quality, screens could have been better but otherwise very good. Warranty wise, the odd problems we had (with older models still in the company) were fixed and perfect again next day (phone calls are annoying though).

Now I'm at a school (teaching) and it's all acer here which actually seem more reliable than I've been informed before but I still don't fully trust them lol

[0iD]

HP/Compaq and Lenovo here & to be honest I've never had a problem with either.

[Singh400]

All Dells here. Ranging from high powered laptop come workstation to do web dev and designing graphics (only a few selected people have these). To normal laptops for general use (which everyone else has).

We are getting rid of traditional desktop computers (which are also ALL Dells) and everyone is having laptops (new Dell range I believe).

[nichomach]

Mostly D-Series Dell Latitudes here (couple of E-series, too), and they DON'T mess about over the onsite warranty. A few HPs (6910p, nc6400) and they've been OK. Also have a couple of Samsung P560s which are nice.

[Blitzen]

Latitude D630's.

There isnt much they dont do.

[Funkstar]

We are all HP here, thats what our IT support poeple sell, so thats what we buy.

They seem pretty good, I've had a couple of HPs over the years for personal use and like them.

[handscombmp]

I don't get a laptop

[scaryjim]

awww @ handscombmp

My unit doesn't have a proper policy, and unfortunately most people have got Vaios, which are overpriced and overdesigned, as far as I can tell - mine weighs a ton too

Singh400: Can I ask why you're going over to all laptops? Seems unnecessarily expensive and less secure to me...

[s_kinton]

IBM/Lenovo Thinkpads

[nichomach]

IBM/Lenovo Thinkpads

Rugged, dependable, and if you get a good swing behind 'em, deadly as hell...

[LWA]

All Dells here

[dave87]

Last place I worked in I don't think there was a make we weren't running at any point.

Seemed to be (because teachers break things a lot) that whatever was on offer at the time required and ticked the boxes was ordered. Shame really because we didn't build up any particularly good relations with any of the OEMs to get the discounts the volume we were purchasing should reflect. That and support was a nightmare - three times as many phone calls to get them sorted.

We gradually shifted to Acer towards the end of my time there, as their build quality had improved, and lets face it, by the time teachers had had them two years you could scrap them (they certainly needed it in some cases!).

[Singh400]

Singh400: Can I ask why you're going over to all laptops? Seems unnecessarily expensive and less secure to me...

We have a new working policy called Shifting Sands coming into place. As a result, the entire building is being upgraded to support flexi-desk system. So no-one has a desk, we book desks as we need them (which is ideal for part timers, pain in the ass for full timers). It was argued that we should move away from desktop to laptops to be more mobile, and would be more "in flow" with Shifting Sands.

As for expenses, I assume we have a good deal with Dell. Security is not really an issue, as all important data is only available from a secure N3 connection, and from within this building.

And all laptops are encrypted currently, no reason to be the new ones won't be either.

Should be pretty good once it's all in place.

[Funkstar]

IBM/Lenovo Thinkpads

Lenovo's are very servicable. Spares are easy to find and if you don't want to do work yourself, service centers are fairly widespread. Makes them great if you have out of warranty repairs needed. A friend has replaced his keyboard (some roof plaster fell on it) and the touch screen (slipped coming up an escolator and his shoulder bag/laptop took the brunt) on his Lenovo tablet fairly easily.

[scaryjim]

We have a new working policy called Shifting Sands coming into place. As a result, the entire building is being upgraded to support flexi-desk system. So no-one has a desk, we book desks as we need them (which is ideal for part timers, pain in the ass for full timers). It was argued that we should move away from desktop to laptops to be more mobile, and would be more "in flow" with Shifting Sands.

Sounds like a complete nightmare to me I'd've thought hotdesking on a proper domain would've been more economical still, but I can see how a case for laptops could be made...

As for expenses, I assume we have a good deal with Dell. Security is not really an issue, as all important data is only available from a secure N3 connection, and from within this building.

And all laptops are encrypted currently, no reason to be the new ones won't be either.

I meant more the expense of laptops vs. desktops, which, if you have a good relationship with Dell, I would still expect to be cheaper *shrug*. doubleplusgood on the encrypted laptops (we all know people *shouldn't* take sensitive data out of the building: we all know that some people *do* take sensitive data out of the building! ), but they're still a lot easier to leave on the train than desktops

I'm in the middle of trying to persuade my bunch that we need less laptops, but now we've got so many (I think we have more laptops than members of staff now) I can't really just get rid of them !!!