Personal Computer Buyer's Guide
3. Choosing A Type Of Computer
There are two main types of computer available on the market: IBM compatible and Apple Macintosh. They both come in two forms, desktop or laptop.
3.1. IBM Compatible
The most common computers are IBM compatible (although they may be manufactured by someone other than IBM). The advantage of choosing an IBM compatible is the range of software available and the commonality with other computers (although this is less of an advantage). The term "IBM compatible" means that the computer conforms to a de-facto standard ensuring that a range of industry standard components (eg. sound cards, graphics cards etc.) can be incorporated into the machine.
3.2. Apple Macintosh
The Apple Mac is the next most common personal computer and is manufactured exclusively by Apple. There is a smaller range of software available for Macs so make sure you check that the software you plan to use is available in a Mac version.
3.3. Desktop Versus Laptop
The major advantage of a laptop is its portability. This will be the most important factor in your choice if you need to use your computer in different locations such as libraries, at home and in the office or trains. The disadvantage of a laptop is that it is usually a lower specification for a given price and the possibilities for upgrading are more limited than a desktop. Laptops often have a shorter useful lifetime than desktops, partly due to their lower specification but also due to the fact that their nature means that they take more punishment (vibration/knocks) which can cause components such as hard drives or screens to fail.
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