Crappy Computers

Lukas Mathis says crappy computers are only for pros:

In reality, it’s exactly backwards: proficient users can deal with a crappy computer, but casual users need as good a computer as possible.

I see the point, and agree to an extent. At the same time, nerds like us care about what processor is going to have it’s bits flipped over and over. Normal users don’t need to care about that nonsense.

When someone starts to ask me how much RAM they need, or how many “googlebytes” the processor should be, I stop them right there. If the computer has 6GB or 8GB, they’re not going to really care. If the computer comes with i5 or an i7, they’re likely not going to care. I say that at this point, computers are fast enough what you want to do with it; now you need to make sure the actual interacting with it is enjoyable:

Play with the touchpad, use some gestures.
Type a couple paragraphs with the keyboard, and see if you like the keys.
Pick it up, and see if you wouldn’t mind carrying all the weight in your bag.
Look at the battery life, and see if it will stay alive longer than you plan to be away from a wall socket.