Why a laptop is better than a desktop when heading off to college

A neighborhood kid that lives down the street from me is heading off to his first year of college this fall. He recently mentioned to me that he wants a new laptop but probably won't be getting one since his parents already have a desktop computer lined up for him. I think he already knew by the look on my face but I told him anyway that he needed to convince his parents to get the laptop.

This is when he begged me to talk to his parents. I guess he figured that Mr. Noobie might might have a little more sway over his parents than a soon-to-be financially dependent child.

While I never did talk to his parents I figure I could make up for it by publishing on this blog post what I would have told his parents that night. So I now present to you why a laptop is better than a desktop when heading off to college:

• A laptop takes up very little room vs. a desktop computer which usually [exception iMac] requires a separate monitor.
• A laptop is portable and can be easily transported to class, a study room or a local coffee shop.
• Laptop prices are very competitive now. While you may sacrifice speed and capacity with a laptop, it's hard to resist an HP laptop with a 15.4" screen and 3 GB of memory for just under $600, as seen in a Circuit City ad this week.
• Laptop computers come standard with built-in wireless adapters. In many cases, you still have to add these to desktop computer configurations as an add-on for an additional price. Same goes with webcams.
• Admittedly I'm not 100% positive about this one, but I would be willing to bet that laptops are greener and consume less energy when comparing charge times vs. the always plugged in state of a desktop computer.
• And lastly, if a beer, er... I mean soda is spilled near the laptop you have a few seconds to react, pick up the laptop and move it to safety. Good luck moving the desktop computer out of the way

I hope his mom and dad are reading this!