IT’S A DIFFICULT CHOICE, when you’re contemplating buying a new computer, and it really comes down to how portable you need it to be. It’s a trade-off: the more portable it is, the less you can do with it.
If you mainly need it for browsing websites and writing emails, then you should get the smallest, lightest laptop you can find. You don’t want to drag a heavy weight up to that remote cabin where you’ll write your memoirs.
If you want to do serious work, such as editing photos or videos, or writing music, then there’s no doubt you’ll be better off with the larger screen of a desktop computer. Yes, you can do all those things on a laptop, especially if you get one with a big screen, but then you’re sacrificing power for the ability to lug it from room to room. How often will you really need to do that?
I use a desktop Mac for all my design and illustration work, because I need the big screen. For everyday tasks I want something as light as possible: I’m writing this on my iPad, which has a keyboard case attached. It really is very portable. But even though it runs Photoshop – of a kind – I wouldn’t dream of trying to do my real work on it.
See also: Which computer shall I buy?
