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Some laptops are classified as business laptops. Mind you, it’s not that other laptops can’t be used in a business. It’s just that business laptops are designed as special tools for business users.
So, what makes the big difference? What qualifies a laptop to be categorized as a business laptop? Business laptops are generally more expensive - so, what is the justification? Anyway, which laptops are these business laptops? We’ll explain.
Business laptops are specially designed and configured as enterprise laptops, ideal for the more robust demands of business setups. Business laptops can be distinguished from consumer laptops which are laptops for the general consumer market, or, if you like, home users. In terms of superiority, business laptops offer a lot more. What’s more, they stand out in being equipped with business-critical features
Business Laptops Offer Business-critical Features
Business laptops (enterprise model laptops) are designed from the scratch with your business requirements in mind. They are built tough to cope with the tough demands of a business deployment, which often entails:
- long hours of use, with many hours off power supply
- multi-tasking work situations, with huge demand on system capacity
- high mobility computing and the attendant bumps and bruises
- strong level of security requirement because of sensitive corporate information in the laptop
- solid hard drive protection to prevent easy loss of critical data to drive crash
- need for minimum system downtime
- durability for extended business use
- etc.
Consumer PCs work well, but note that they are not built with the extra-ruggedness that enterprise PCs come with. When you buy a business laptop, you raise the bar in terms of performance, durability and critical business tools.
So, where do you expect specific differences? Here are major areas:
What Makes a Business Laptop
Laptop Chassis
Expect difference in the chassis, which will be of more durable material, most likely metal or carbon fiber, in a business laptop. In a consumer laptop, the chassis is more likely to be ABS plastic. In terms of durability, the difference is obvious. HP says that a full magnesium alloy chassis is 18 times stiffer than plastic. HP DuraCase technology, available in some HP business notebooks, includes full magnesium alloy chassis, magnesium/aluminum display enclosure, anodized aluminum palm-rest surface, metal alloy hinges, and display latch with four-point lock down. Don’t dream of those durability features in a consumer grade laptop.
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Processor Power
Expect the processor for a business laptop to be a top-performance processor, with enough power for glitch-free computing and able to cope with multi-tasking activities. Today’s business laptops are likely to feature an Intel Core i processor or equivalent. For consumer systems, a basic dual core processor would just be enough.
Memory Capacity
The memory capacity for a business laptop should be enough to support fast and efficient system performance. It will not necessarily be 4GB and more, since memory is relatively easy to upgrade. But a business laptop for today’s users will at least come loaded with up to 2GB of RAM.
Hard Drive
Hard drive capacity would count, though various storage options are available to the user. Expect up to 250GB, but likely more, in a business laptop.
But there is more about hard drives and business laptops. An enterprise laptop usually carries tones of critical business data and documents. Loss of the hard drive to a crash could prove a huge cost in business disruption. That’s why business laptops offer strong hard drive protection, like HP 3D DriveGuard. (HP 3D DriveGuard mitigates the risk of hard drive failure by protecting against short drops, rough handling, excessive vibration and other everyday wear and tear.). Other business laptops, like select HP ProBook and EliteBook models, come with even safer solid-state drive.
Battery Power
Battery performance is critical for long hours of laptop use, which will be expected with enterprise laptops. Mobile professionals, business executives and power workers want to work for many hours, even on the go. A solid business laptop will offer good battery performance, to support extended off-mains use of the laptop. Up to 5 hours of battery performance is expected. With ultra-low voltage processors, you will likely get more.
Laptop Security
Powerful security to prevent unauthorized access is another strong point of business laptops. Businesses can ill-afford unauthorized access to sensitive, high-confidentiality information and data. When a laptop is lost, such critical resources can get into the wrong hands. Business laptops usually extra security features to keep your data protected, even when the laptop has gone into the wrong hands. For HP, HP ProtectTools security solutions are the family of business PC security products, services and features for business desktops, notebooks and workstations.
Mobile Connectivity
Mobile computing features are usually uncompromised in business laptops. Mobile broad-band internet access, wi-fi connectivity and other tools of on-the-go computing will be expected. Build-in 3G enablement is also becoming a feature.
Ports
The critical ports for connections will often be found in business laptops, beyond what is offered by consumer laptops. For instance, you may still find a serial port as well as a fire-wire port, among others. Many more.
Keyboard
You expect a quality keyboard, likely back-lit. But HP’s recent innovation in its latest ProBook business laptops stands out – spill-resistant keyboard with drain hole. Spill liquid on the keyboard and rather than damage your laptop’s electrical system, it simply drains out through a hole. That’s the stuff business laptops are made off.
Design & Finishing
Business laptops won’t be said to aim much for elegance. But given their high cost, finishing is not neglected. Scratch-resistant finishing is often a must. A professional design for business should also be expected.
Summary
Overall, tough finishing is important for business laptops. From interior parts to external features, down to details like cover hinges, quality is the watchword. The buttons, including keyboard, will also reflect such superiority and durability.
So, business laptops are not just in name. Their usual higher price tag is also not in vain. Business laptops are built for those who appreciate their value and can afford them – mostly companies.
