Who makes the best business notebooks? Mac, Dell, Acer, Toshiba, HP?

Hi Peter,

There are so many variables in your question that it's hard to be too specific. Here are some things to consider.

1. Intended use. Are you primarily checking email, looking at PDF's, and browsing the web? If so, you might be an ideal candidate for a netbook. These light weight, tiny, machines excel at the above, but would drive a graphic artist to a breakdown.

2. Compatibility. Is the rest of your corporate network Windows based? While a Mac can be made to work in that environment, it isn't ideal. On the other hand, does everyone in your circle of friends and colleagues wear turtlenecks and tweak their play lists on iTunes? You might just need a Mac!

3. Cost. If you are looking for cheap and your requirements aren't too severe, I'd start look at an Acer netbook and if that isn't powerful enough, a mid-range anything from a "big box" store will serve well.

Did you notice that I didn't fixate on brand or particular model? The reason is, unless a person's needs are very specialized, just about any notebook that feels good to them can be made to work very effectively. If your needs are specialized, please post them here and I'll try to be more specific.

Feel free to contact me directly at paul@paulmyoung.net and I invite everyone to check out my blog at http://www.paulmyoung.net.