Though it is tempting to pick up a new laptop these days what with all the fancy new ultrabooks and other slim and powerful devices coming online I strongly recommend you hold off buying that new laptop. And here’s why:
Microsoft is working on their new operating system Windows 8. And with Windows 8 the way we interact with our computers will change forever. Windows 8 makes touch a 1st citizen of the computer environment and brings the so-called “post-pc” world back in line with PCs. However, if you buy a new laptop right now you’ll be stuck in the no-touch past. In other words, your shiny new laptop will become a relic of a bygone era. And it’ll happen as soon as October 2012 if the most recent reports about the Win8 launch are correct.
What the ordinary consumer doesn’t know is that right now there are tons of touch ready laptops and touch screen tablet computers on track to be released. But very few of them are currently available. The manufacturers are holding these next gen PCs back waiting for the release of Win8 (and no doubt trying to deplete their stash of non-touch PCs in the process). For this reason I predict you’ll see a landslide of discounted and “cheap” non-touch laptops in the next little while that will seem like great deals. But come October, one of these PCs will be what we Norwegians refer to as a “cat in the bag” – a deal that seemed great but was in fact a bad one.
So, if you can, hold off on buying a new laptop until Windows 8 is released in the fall. The new touch enabled laptops will flood the market and will likely be sold at the same price as the regular non-touch ones currently available. And if you don’t care about touch (you will, but just for argument’s sake) you’ll be able to get an old non-touch laptop way cheaper.
If you absolutely have to buy a laptop right now, get the cheapest one you can get your hands on and assume you’ll be dumping it for a new Win8 ready one in the fall.
Or don’t listen to me and do whatever you want. Your choice.
8 replies on “Don’t buy a new laptop right now!”
Mor10, I have been loving your instrux on Lynda.com for wordpress….so so helpful and excellent. You make it very difficult to take courses from other peeps on Lynda.com.
But, dude, you need to correct the spelling of your title. Should be “Don’t BUY another laptop….”
Hillarious! It’s a poorly kept secret that I am both ESL and dyslectic so misspellings are an unfortunate commonality on my site. Thanks for spotting it since I didn’t, and thanks for the comment on the lynda.com videos. There’s more coming down the pipe on that front.
Thanks for Updating……
What a great post! thank you for sharing! i liked it very much
Great Post please keep us updated I was actually looking to get me a new laptop but after reading this i will rather wait.
Thxs Again.
Cool post . Thank you for, visiting this blog dude. I shall message you some time! I did not realise that.
More correctly, don’t buy a “Windows” based laptop right now 😉 Apple just refreshed their Macbook line, so fill your boots if you are on the market for a new fashion statement.
My husband needs a new laptop. But he is a grumpy, old man. He doesn’t want a touch screen, he had an iPad and didn’t like it, so I got it, lucky me.
He uses his laptop for email, checking out boats on finn.no and playing kabal. Right now we can buy a cheap laptop for about 4000 kroner at Siba.no. Should we wait? Will prices go even lower? I mentioned he was grumpy, he’s also tight……