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Wall Street Journal personal technology columnist Walt Mossberg explains why you should hold off on buying a new laptop.
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You're gearing up to buy new laptop this -- While mosque where is fair to say Lanny -- I -- just -- Wayman wait a second here.
Digital and -- the personal technology -- -- the Wall Street Journal joins us from DC why should we wait -- Well there's there's a few compelling reasons guys -- and let me just.
Mean say at the start look if -- laptop cents last legs it's falling apart you can't wait.
There there are plenty good models out there windows models -- model so.
I'm not saying people should.
Should -- use broken machines.
But if you could hold on there are number of a big reason is the most important one is windows eight this is the most.
Radically different version of windows in years.
It has the goal of combining features of tablets including.
Touch screen features and features of computers regular computers laptops and there will be new hardware.
That goes along with -- it will run if you buyout a windows laptop today most likely windows they will run on it.
But on there're going to be new choices.
Convertible laptops that can be sort of a tablet -- a laptop.
And that was really won't be out till the fall so that's one big reason.
On the Mac side the they are also bring out a new operating system this summer it's called mountain line it is not as far as I know our as far as -- said.
-- touch screens but and it again probably a Mac you -- day will be upgrade -- -- but there -- overdue.
On up up.
Rating -- -- doing their laptop line so I expect in the coming months to see new Mac laptops which means if you're looking at a Mac.
You should also wait and then lastly there's new chips coming.
From Intel that are you you know Intel supplies most of the windows guys as well as apple.
These new -- are supposed to be faster and better at battery life.
They actually will be coming out very soon probably next week but it will not be -- summer that there widely available on a lot of kind of consumer.
Laptops and so -- don't care about the windows -- stuff.
And and you're just.
Thinking about buying our a regular.
Laptop wanna get on with better processors in the summer.
Walt about just broadly speaking to -- books that you've talked about in the past is that.
Is that something that's if your that you should seriously be thinking about when you got to my laptop.
Yeah I say sediment in the buyer's guide this morning and I've said in past -- stay in I really like ultra books.
In after a Mac person there are -- their.
There machine which the -- books kind of are inspired by is the MacBook Air I like -- stand in the light fast and good battery life machines and the point I made this morning is about the MacBook Air it also applies to -- books is.
At first people sometimes think of these -- just for traveling because they are light and -- but there really.
In my experience be enough to users you measure -- remain laptop if you're an average consumer.
Doing average things and so.
If you need a computer right now I think an ultra -- is well worth looking at.
And again this new Intel.
Chip family is probably gonna be an ultra books and may be for all I know in the MacBook Air.
This summer.
And so just even with ultra books there's some reason to wait.
Can let me ask you the simplest question evolved -- -- -- the average consumer -- -- like characteristics and they need to -- Computer and yet they're not using it to crack the code or whatever they're not -- and music and there they're not Raj mojo donated that either -- -- -- -- -- -- an -- -- it -- It ought to admit they may very well I probably would that would tell you what you have of course you.
What should -- -- a fair rate what should they pay it anyway and and what should be in the laptops that they don't overdo it but they get what they need.
OK so.
If its windows.
You can buy a windows laptop -- down for under 300 dollars.
I don't recommend -- it's probably not gonna be very reliable.
Because once you get the parts down that low.
They're not the highest quality parts.
A well equipped decent windows laptop is 600 dollars to maybe 900 dollars.
And ultra books -- a little bit more than that some of them are.
Seven or 800 dollars but many of them cluster around a thousand.
A -- starts at 999.
For the eleven inch MacBook Air.
And but pretty quickly goes over a thousand to around 12100.
What you want is a you don't need the fastest possible processor.
Prisons Intel has three kinds of processor sort of good better best.
You want that the middle one is buying -- Even the lowest one which is called -- -- three might be fine.
I generally don't.
Believe you people -- over load these things with capabilities they don't need particularly because most lap tops.
-- people change them out every three or four year dress and you know I think people sometimes have a tendency to quirks in the store had a tendency to say to you -- what if you decide did for I don't know added.
Half hour documentary well you're not gonna do that -- enough if you are gonna do that any need a whole different kind of machine but you know if you haven't ever done that before you're probably now likely to do.
So.
You know those are the kinds of things four gigabytes of memory is probably enough for most people.
A 500 gigabyte hard disk if you the computer has a hard disk those are some of the aspects thank -- -- -- stuff that I thank you Waldman -- she Connell don't.
-- -- and actually buy this for his parents by the lack of why don't they wanna -- what is it for redundant what he's sheet iPod what kind of some -- you ask who thought that -- -- -- -- -- bottom -- -- -- had a technical Antonio Perez.
A -- but it is.
There aren't my phone number took a -- that next.
They can keep up their intelligence work here.
