WEBVTT

00:00.000 --> 00:23.000
If you're thinking of buying a computer, you may have wondered, is a laptop right for me?

00:23.000 --> 00:28.320
Depending on how you plan to use it, the answer may be yes.

00:28.320 --> 00:33.040
In this video, we'll look at some of the ways that a laptop is different from a desktop

00:33.040 --> 00:35.740
to help you decide.

00:35.740 --> 00:38.880
The biggest difference is portability.

00:38.880 --> 00:44.280
Laptops have to be small and light so that you can pick them up and take them with you.

00:44.280 --> 00:51.600
Since all of the basic parts are built in, setting up a laptop is as easy as opening it.

00:51.600 --> 00:56.400
The downside is that the monitor is usually smaller than a desktop monitor.

00:56.400 --> 00:59.640
So you'll have less screen space.

00:59.640 --> 01:03.680
Another important difference is that laptops use a battery.

01:03.680 --> 01:08.960
The battery can provide power to the laptop when you're on the go, and it will recharge

01:08.960 --> 01:12.280
whenever it's plugged in.

01:12.280 --> 01:18.000
An added benefit of having a battery is that if the power goes out, the battery can work

01:18.000 --> 01:21.200
as a backup power source.

01:21.200 --> 01:28.880
Instead of a mouse, laptops usually have a built-in touchpad, also known as a trackpad.

01:28.880 --> 01:34.080
You can control the pointer on the screen by using a drawing motion with your finger.

01:34.080 --> 01:38.760
If you haven't used a touchpad before, the experience is a little bit different from using

01:38.760 --> 01:43.920
a mouse, and it may take a while to get used to.

01:43.920 --> 01:49.000
If you're buying a desktop computer, you can mix and match almost any monitor, keyboard,

01:49.000 --> 01:51.080
and mouse that you want.

01:51.080 --> 01:56.880
With a laptop, you won't have quite as much freedom since everything is built-in.

01:56.880 --> 02:04.120
However, if you want to have the best of both worlds, you can use your laptops' ports

02:04.120 --> 02:10.000
to connect a separate monitor, keyboard, and mouse, basically turning your laptop into

02:10.000 --> 02:12.000
a desktop.

02:12.000 --> 02:17.040
And of course, whenever you want to, you can simply disconnect everything and take your

02:17.040 --> 02:19.720
laptop with you.

02:19.720 --> 02:25.120
As you can see, there are some important differences between laptops and desktops.

02:25.120 --> 02:30.800
So depending on your preferences, you can decide which one best suits your needs.