Users want all the power, speed, connectivity and full bodied applications of a desktop machine, all packed into a unit that’s effortlessly portable with long battery life. The reality, though? Big applications just don’t work as well on a laptop. Sure, your standard issue laptop can chomp along nicely on a complex inventory spreadsheet or a 275 slide Power Point presentation. The problem comes when users want to multitask between the two, say when creating a presentation. Even the fastest notebook processor and cache memory bog down under that demand, support managers say.
When that happens, IT folks have to listen to the complaints and try to come up with a workable solution. Add on top of that the negative effects of memory-hogging antivirus software, points out DePaul’s Kellen, and you have yourself one significant drag on laptop software performance.
Software drivers are another area of frustration for both users and support staff. On the road, laptop users can encounter a dizzying array of network connections, multimedia display ins/outs, and peripherals options — not to mention the moldy five-year-old technology used in hotel “business centers.”
That means IT managers need to equip their road machines with a comprehensive suite of drivers after, of course, defining what’s “comprehensive” for which users — and then keeping those drivers up to date.
As Applied Materials’ Archibald says, “If it moves, you have to keep track of it, brand it, fix it and change it.”
With drivers as with laptop computing in general there are always a lot of moving parts to keep track of.





















