Whatever you buy, I'd make sure you look at the warranties and insurance.
I've been using laptops as my main machine for over 15 years, both my own and in corporate environments. At home Mrs Lafite and the two teenage Lafites have laptops: wife a Vaio - fulfils all requirements by being pink. For kids - Dells, mainly for durability and the warranty/insurance/maintenance offers.
Laptops often have problems due to the constant need to make the electronics smaller, the performance better, to make the package itself lighter. In general this translates into too much heat being created with less ability to get it out of the machine, and everything's pretty bleeding-edge technology, so it's more likely to break.
This then increases the failure rate well above that of a desktop, and because so much of the machine is modular, bits are expensive to replace - often the whole motherboard because thats where everything resides. The fan is a critical part - if that goes, and if the machine doesn't shut down fast, you're in big trouble.
Current laptop is a Lenovo T61p, was top of the range when new, has had engineers out 4 times under warranty - screen problems, overheating (fan), Graphics card failed, and something on the motherboard broke.
I now always buy one with a 3 year warranty minimum (pay more for it), and upgrade to next-day onsite support. I also back it up daily, but I use it for work and home.
Its also worth checking on accidental damage: you're going to take it places and you will, eventually, drop it onto something hard. The screen will crack. You learn several things over time:
- if kids are going to use it, it needs warranty and accidental damage cover for at least 3 years. Hand over lots of money at purchase time and smile: you'll easily get it back.
- if you *ever* put a laptop into a laptop bag, secure it with the straps, because sooner or later you'll pick up the bag with a flap open and it'll fall out if the strap's not secured. It always falls on to a hard floor.
- If you leave it on a table next to your sofa, and you also put glasses of tea/wine/beer on the same table, you *will* eventually knock them over and soak the laptop, which will then require an engineer and new parts to fix it.
Other than the above, it's the way to go, despite all the problems, I couldn't live without my laptop, & take it everywhere!
Lafite