What Is a Business Laptop? 5 Features That Make It Best for Work

If you’re among the 157 million Americans in the US workforce, you likely spend a lot of time working at your desk on a computer. Because this is such a common and important part of everyday life, it’s critical that you have a laptop that can sustain your professional habits.

But what is a business laptop, exactly? At the most basic level, it’s a portable computer solely made for business purposes. On a more specific level, it has a multitude of features that set it apart from consumer machines.

Read on to learn what they are!

1. Greater Storage

Those in business have significantly more digital documents and programs to store than people who use consumer laptops. Because of this, companies that make business laptops add more storage options to their OS.

Laptops made for consumer purposes tend to have about 250-320 GB of storage, which is perfect for storing music, games, and personal files. Those in business will need to upgrade to at least 1 TB (usually higher) because they have more applications to store.

These apps include QuickBooks for accounting, SalesForce or related applications for customer relations, and Asana or Trello for project management. Even software like Microsoft Word, which is installed onto virtually every machine, needs to have more features to make it accessible for businesses.

2. More Durability, Less Luster

Consumer laptops aren’t made to be used for more than a few hours a day. This is problematic for those who use them for business since they need to work an average of 8 to 10 hours a day. A personal computer will become worn down quickly when used for these long stretches of time.

That’s why business laptops are made from more durable materials than consumer options are. This makes them larger and bulkier, but it gives them a longer lifespan and better battery life.

The price you pay for this isn’t a big one, but it’s something that matters a lot to those who use laptops for personal use. Business computers are less sleek and tend to be heavier/less easily portable than personal machines. They also don’t come pre-installed with many applications and demos, which is awesome for professionals who want a no-frills installation experience.

3. Longer Warranties

Because they’re intended to be used for longer periods of time, business class laptops generally come with longer warranties than the alternative. This makes sense when you consider that normal wear and tear won’t destroy them quickly. They may stop working early because of faulty software installation, but most warranties cover this.

For professionals who rely on their laptops for income, longer warranties can be a great balm to stress about computers being lost. Plus, since business computers cost more than personal ones, it feels calming to know that you’re covered when disaster strikes.

Like with personal computers, many professional warranties also cover spills and drops for a period of time. You can therefore rest assured that you will be covered if your computer falls or you spill tea on it.

4. Ability to Be Docked

“Docking” a laptop is when you attach it with very little effort to other devices. These devices can include desktops, as is usually the case for those in business, or TVs when you have a work conference call and want multiple people to be able to see the picture.

Getting the best Macbook docking station for your laptop is easy and ensures that you can perform your job without any hassle. It varies the screen that you look at as well, which is significantly better on your eyes than if you stared solely at the laptop for the duration of your workday.

For those who don’t want to pay for both a laptop OS for remote use and a desktop OS while in the office, this is a great tool. Many consumer laptops allow for docking, but it is not as easy a process since this isn’t what the computer is specifically made for.

5. Multiple Configuration Options

Personal laptops tend to come with a set number of applications that you can configure to them. They can’t sustain some larger applications and they’re unable to configure as many apps as you might like at once. Business computers, on the other hand, come with a plethora of configuration options so that you can choose the hardware, software, firmware, and documentation combination that is right for you.

You can incorporate more custom specifications into your business laptop. If you want a larger display or automatic configuration to accounting software, you can make this happen with a few clicks of a button. Consumer laptops make this much more difficult because you cannot alter their hardware at all. Even altering the software is a huge challenge because they can’t sustain many platforms.

The bottom line is that business laptops are specifically built for professional flexibility. Those who manufacture them know that users will work in multiple different industries and therefore have varying needs. You can personalize the applications to make the computer perfect for your work.

So, What Is a Business Laptop?

In the end, a business laptop is exactly what it sounds like- a computer made specifically for professional applications rather than personal ones.

Now that you’ve answered the question, ‘what is a business laptop?’, it’s time to learn more. Check out the ‘tech’ tab on our home page to learn more about the technology that you can use to heighten your business success. We also have a ‘business’ tab where we talk about ways that you can grow your organization and boost your ROI, so there’s a lot to browse.