We were at one of the local coffee houses this weekend, and I got a big kick out of looking at all the different laptops people lug out in public. Lots and lots of Dells, which you’d expect. A couple Apple units here and there. I think I might’ve even seen a Sony. But my very favorite was a Compaq (anyone remember Compaq?) that was easily the size of a briefcase.
As I sat there watching the laptop’s owner peck away at her keypad, I wondered about her. She looked like she was probably a student — a grad student. I couldn’t imagine what it was about this machine that recommended it enough to have someone carry it off the showroom floor or hit the “Buy Now” button. All I can figure is that it’s a desktop replacement. That is, that it has a big hard drive, an optical drive (or two), big replaceable batteries, the works. The owner looked small, but not frail, like a weather-worn farm wife prematurely aged by life’s toils.
I guess I can afford to be a bit of a laptop snob, since I own a Core 2 Duo MacBook. I’ve half a mind to bring it along next time we go to coffee; perhaps it would offer some inspiration to the Compaq girl.