Why are PC users so adamant about having their laptops always plugged in?
Asked by
Spargett (
5395
)
March 2nd, 2008
I work from home, so I usually try to escape “same four walls syndrome” by hitting some local coffee shops. Therefor I see alot of people coming and going with their laptops.
One thing always remains consistent. As soon as someone whips out a PC the immediately begin their search for a power source, even asking people who are already plugged in if they can use that power source, all before they’ve even turned on their computer. While most Mac users don’t seem very concerned, usually doing their work without a power source by default and only plugging in after they’ve been there for a while, assuming their battery is dead.
I don’t really have any experience with PC laptops, so is there something I don’t know? Keep in mind, this is an overwhelmingly consistent trend I notice on a daily basis.
P.S. I’m not saying this has anything to do with who’s cooler or not. So lets nip that argument in the butt right now.
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11 Answers
I hang out at coffee shops as well, and have asked this question. The reason I’ve gotten was because Windows doesn’t have an efficient way to tell them their battery is low. It’s just like on….then off.
I work a lot at Starbucks, which is unfortunate, because I hate starbucks, but I see both lots of PC and lots of Mac users fight over outlets on a pretty consistent basis. PC users might be more eager, perhaps because of the reasons stated above, but a lot of the time I see macs and pcs in rotation, which is cute/friendly, and I would say good coffeeshop manners.
I guess this didnt really prove/dispell anything.
PS – The expression is “nip in the bud” not “butt,” like to kill a flower before it even blooms, you nip it in the bud. I suppose a nip in the butt would just make someone angry…
Yeah, I think it would be “nip on the butt,” right?
I’d assume it’s because pc laptops have a very low battery life. Mine will last, maybe 2 hrs if I’m lucky before it dies.
my laptop lasts about 2–2 1/2 hours per use unplugged. So usually I just plug it in right away so I dont have to worry about running out of battery. Also to respond to sonething above: my pc laptop does give me an adequate notice- about 15/20 minutes left on the battery.
Some PCs have a default setting that turns off the wireless card when not plugged in. I had to disable that on mine, but some people might not.
well vista is such a heavy hog of ram, cpu, etc etc so this drains the battery faster
Sorry about the incorrect phrasing (nip in the butt). I’ve never heard it said the “correct” way. I learn something new every day.
i’m with squirbel… win XP doesn’t do a very good job of keeping the user in touch with the state of their battery, whereas mac os x has a very straightforward and clear battery monitor and nice “look out, your battery is low” messages.
Speaking most generally, Apple’s claims about battery life are actually pretty good.
Compared to any other pc manufacturer, they tend to use higher quality components across the board. That means the batteries will run longer and over time, last longer, too.
My Dell laptop from work on a new battery maxes out at maybe 2 hours, no DVD. After 6 months, I’m lucky to get 45 minutes off of it.
@rob, exactly. My dell laptop, reaching the 1year mark, now goes dead in about half an hour.
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