Choosing A New Laptop: A Feasibility Report

Prepared for: TECM 2700 Prepared by: Michael Shumate Sara Sherman Jamie Celk Edwin Pennington Tori Beggs May, 2013

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Table of Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................................... iii

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................... 1

Methods of Evaluation ........................................................................................................................................................... 1

Results of Evaluation .............................................................................................................................................................. 3

Price Evaluation ................................................................................................................................................................ .. 3

Battery Life Evaluation ..................................................................................................................................................... 4

Monitor Size Evaluation ................................................................................................................................................... 5

Hard Drive Capacity Evaluation ................................................................................................................................... 6

Optical Drive Evaluation .................................................................................................................................................. 7

Wifi/Bluetooth/3G Evaluation ...................................................................................................................................... 8

Weight Evaluation .............................................................................................................................................................. 9

Most Trusted Brand Evaluation .................................................................................................................................. 10

Evaluation Results Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 11

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................................ 11

Recommendation ................................................................................................................................................................ ... 11

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Executive Summary This feasibility report examines which brand of laptop manufacturer provides the best bargain value for a University of North Texas student looking to purchase a new laptop computer. Because many laptop brands and models exist in the marketplace today, we have limited the scope of our report to the most basic current model currently produced under the 8 most popular brand names.

Each student will have varying needs and desires that they will seek to satisfy in their laptop purchases. We have compared the chosen laptop models against a range of criteria commonly considered the most critical in comparing a laptop, such as price, brand trust, and technical specifications. This ensures that each of the various merits of a chosen laptop brand and model received equal considered.

We recommend that a student seeking to purchase a new laptop choose the Dell Inspiron 15 Non-Touch in order to receive the best overall value for their dollar.

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Introduction Through technological advancements, laptops have become a necessity for a student’s everyday life. Now, in 2013, laptops come in a wide range of models and styles. Using our research on the most popular brands of laptops, we conducted a survey to reveal the most desired brand of laptop that will fit the individual’s specific needs and wants.

The complete list of laptop brands can prove extensive. Therefore, we chose 8 popular brands of laptops to examine:

• Apple – Macbook Air MD223LL/A • HEWLETT-PACKARD – Pavilion 14 • Samsung - Series 3 NP300E5C-A08US • Toshiba - Satellite C850-ST4NX6 • Sony – VAIO E Series SVE15132CXW • Acer – Aspire SVE15132CXW • Chromebook – Samsung Chromebook • Dell – Inspiron 15 Non-Touch

For each of the popular laptop brands, we researched the common features of the baseline model that many find crucial when investing in a new laptop. In the report that follows, we examine the various options in order to determine the best laptop model to recommend to University of North Texas students.

Methods of Evaluation To evaluate the best choice in laptop for a university student, we evaluated the following criteria:

• The price of the laptop model. • The battery life of the laptop model. • Monitor size of the laptop model. • Hard drive capacity of the laptop model. • If the laptop model contains an optical drive. • What options the laptop model contains for WiFi/Bluetooth/3G. • How much the laptop model weighs. • What students consider the most trustworthy brand of laptops.

We chose to ignore the keyboard size and warranty criteria for the purposes of this report. We determined that these two criteria proved the same across all laptop brands, providing no benefits or drawbacks between the models when evaluated.

In order to determine the best choice for a new laptop, we evaluated each criteria as noted further on in this report. Once we evaluated each criteria, we assigned each laptop model a rank with a

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corresponding amount of points awarded for that rank, with 8 points awarded to the highest rank, 7 for the next rank, descending down to 1 point awarded for the lowest ranked laptop model. In the case of a tie between models, we averaged the point totals for each rank affected by the tied models with each affected model then receiving an equal amount of points.

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Results of Evaluation

Price Evaluation

Price Evaluation: We compared the various laptop models by the price-point of the base model. We ignored secondary costs such as tax and shipping in the calculations. We awarded laptop models ranking based upon which model held the cheapest price point.

Price Ranking Results 1. Chromebook - $249.00 – 8.0 points 2. Hewlett-Packard - $299.99 – 7.0 points 3. Dell - $399.99 – 6.0 points 4. Toshiba - $429.99 – 5.0 points 5. Acer - $439.96 – 4.0 points 6. Sony - $529.99 – 3.0 points 7. Samsung - $599.99 – 2.0 points 8. Apple - $938.99 -1.0 point

$0.00$200.00$400.00$600.00$800.00

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Price Evaluation

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Price Ranking Results

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Battery Life Evaluation

Battery Life Evaluation: We compared the various laptop models by stated length of usage off of a fully charged battery without use of the power adaptor. We awarded laptop models ranking based upon which model held the greatest battery life.

Battery Life Ranking Results 1. Dell – 7.25 hours – 8.0 points 2. Chromebook – 6.5 hours (tie)- 6.0 points 3. Samsung – 6.5 hours (tie) – 6.0 points 4. Toshiba – 6.5 hours (tie) – 6.0 points 5. Apple – 5 hours – 4.0 points 6. Hewlett-Packard – 4.25 hours – 3.0 points 7. Acer – 4 hours – 2.0 points 8. Sony – 2.75 hours – 1.0 point

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Battery Life Evaluation

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Battery Life Ranking Results

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Monitor Size Evaluation

Monitor Size Evaluation: We compared the various laptop models by the stated size of their monitors, in inches measured diagonally. We awarded laptop models ranking based upon which model had the largest monitor size measured diagonally.

Monitor Size Ranking Results 1. Dell – 15.6 in. (tie) – 6.5 points 2. Acer – 15.6 in. (tie) – 6.5 points 3. Samsung – 15.6 in. (tie) – 6.5 points 4. Toshiba – 15.6 in. (tie) – 6.5 points 5. Sony – 15.5 in. – 4.0 points 6. Hewlett-Packard – 14 in. – 3.0 points 7. Apple – 11.6 in. (tie)- 1.5 points 8. Chromebook – 11.6 in. (tie) – 1.5 points

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Monitor Size Evaluation

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Monitor Size Ranking Results

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Hard Drive Capacity Evaluation

Hard Drive Capacity Evaluation: We compared various laptop models by their built-in hard drive storage capability. For the purposes of the evaluation we ignored whether the hard drives installed consisted of solid state drives or standard hard drives, focusing solely upon their storage capacity. We awarded laptop models ranking based upon which model had the largest hard drive capacity.

Hard Drive Capacity Ranking Results 1. Samsung – 750 GB (tie) – 7.5 points 2. Toshiba – 750 GB (tie) – 7.5 points 3. Sony – 500 GB (tie) – 5.0 points 4. Acer – 500 GB (tie) 5.0 points 5. Dell – 500 GB (tie) 5.0 points 6. Apple – 64 GB – 3.0 points 7. Hewlett-Packard – 16 GB (tie) 1.5 points 8. Chromebook – 16 GB (tie) 1.5 points

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Hard Drive Capacity Evaluation

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Hard Drive Capacity Ranking Results

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Optical Drive Evaluation Optical Drive Evaluation

Manufacturer Yes No Apple X HP X Samsung X Toshiba X Sony X Acer X Chromebook X Dell X

Optical Drive Evaluation: We compared various laptop models by whether they had optical drives in the base model or not. We awarded laptop models ranking based upon which models contained optical drives.

Optical Drive Ranking Results 1. Hewlett-Packard – Yes – 5.5 points 2. Samsung – Yes – 5.5 points 3. Toshiba – Yes – 5.5 points 4. Sony – Yes – 5.5 points 5. Acer – Yes – 5.5 points 6. Dell – Yes – 5.5 points 7. Apple – No – 1.5 points 8. Chromebook – No – 1.5 points

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Optical Drive Ranking Results

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Wifi/Bluetooth/3G Evaluation WiFi/Bluetooth/3G Evaluation Manufacturer WiFi Bluetooth 3G Apple X X HP X X Samsung X Toshiba X X Sony X X Acer X Chromebook X X Dell X X

WiFi/Bluetooh/3G Evaluation: We compared various laptop models by whether they had WiFi, Bluetooth, and/or 3G capabilities. As all models had WiFi capability, we ranked models by whether they had 3G or Bluetooth capabilities, with 3G capabilities awarding the highest ranking, followed by Bluetooth capability and then only WiFi capability.

Optical Drive Ranking Results 1. Chromebook – 3G – 8.0 points 2. Apple – Bluetooth – 5.0 points 3. Hewlett-Packard – Bluetooth – 5.0 points 4. Toshiba – Bluetooth – 5.0 points 5. Sony – Bluetooth – 5.0 points 6. Dell – Bluetooth – 5.0 points 7. Samsung – WiFi only – 1.5 points 8. Acer – Wifi only – 1.5 points

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WiFi/Bluetooth/3G Ranking Results

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Weight Evaluation

Weight Evaluation: We compared the various laptop models by how much the laptops weighed, and awarded laptop models ranking based upon which model proved the lightest in weight.

Weight Ranking Results 1. Apple – 2.38 lbs. – 8.0 points 2. Chromebook – 2.4 lbs. – 7.0 points 3. Hewlett-Packard – 3.96 lbs. – 6.0 points 4. Dell – 4.96 lbs. – 5.0 points 5. Samsung – 5.07 lbs. – 4.0 points 6. Toshiba – 5.5 lbs. – 3.0 points 7. Acer – 5.51 lbs. – 2.0 points 8. Sony – 5.97 lbs. – 1.0 point

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Weight Evaluation

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Weight Ranking Results

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Most Trusted Brand Evaluation

Most Trusted Brand Evaluation: We conducted an informal study to determine which laptop brand University of North Texas Students trust the most. We awarded laptop models ranking based upon level of popularity among those surveyed.

Most Trusted Brand Results 1. Apple – 44.83% of respondents – 8.0 points 2. Hewlett-Packard – 20.69% of respondents – 7.0 points 3. Dell – 13.79% of respondents – 6.0 points 4. Samsung – 10.34% of respondents – 5.0 points 5. Toshiba – 3.45% of respondents (tie) – 3.0 points 6. Sony – 3.45% of respondents (tie) – 3.0 points 7. Acer – 3.45% of respondents (tie) – 3.0 points 8. Chromebook – 0% of respondents – 1.0 point

Apple 44.83%

HP 20.69%

Samsung 10.34%

Toshiba 3.45%

Sony 3.45%

Acer 3.45%

Chromebook 0.00%

Dell 13.79%

Most Trusted Brand Evaluation

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Most Trusted Brand Results

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Evaluation Results Summary

Summary of Evaluation Points Awarded

Model Price Battery Life

Monitor Size

HD Capacity

Optical Drive

WiFi/BT/3G Weight Trusted Brand

Total Points

Apple 1.0 4.0 1.5 3.0 1.5 5.0 8.0 8.0 32.0 HP 7.0 3.0 3.0 1.5 5.5 5.0 6.0 7.0 38.0 Samsung 2.0 6.0 6.5 7.5 5.5 1.5 4.0 5.0 38.0 Toshiba 5.0 6.0 6.5 7.5 5.5 5.0 3.0 3.0 41.5 Sony 3.0 1.0 4.0 5.0 5.5 5.0 1.0 3.0 27.5 Acer 4.0 2.0 6.5 5.0 5.5 1.5 2.0 3.0 29.5 Chromebook 8.0 6.0 1.5 1.5 1.5 8.0 7.0 1.0 34.5 Dell 6.0 8.0 6.5 5.0 5.5 5.0 5.0 6.0 47.0

Evaluation Conclusion Each laptop comparatively contains a higher and lower ranking of criteria in evaluating the model. Chromebook ranked the best in overall price, with HP a close second. Dell laptops provided the longest battery life. Samsung, Toshiba, Acer, and Dell ranked a four way tie between each of them for largest monitor size. Samsung and Toshiba tied for the model with the most HD. Each model contained an optical drive except for Apple and Chromebook. We found that Chromebook proved the sole model with 3G capability. Apple proved the model that weighed the least, barely beating Chromebook for the highest rank by weight. Apple held the largest degree of brand trust with students by a large margin. Overall, Dell has the most total points and therefore ranks as the best model for University of North Texas students.

Laptop Recommendation Based on the results of this study, Dell stands out as the best viable candidate for a college student in the market for a new notebook computer. Priced at just $399.99, it comes with all the features that students prefer and require. Out of all eight compared models it has the longest lasting battery which lasts 7.25hrs on a single charge, a very important feature for mobile students who may sometimes find themselves unable to locate an electrical outlet. At 15.6” the monitor offers much needed real-estate which helps when multitasking. The 500GB hard drive failed to rank as the largest of all the models but would provide enough room to save any homework and also any media that students might need. The Dell model comes standard with an internal optical drive that prevents students from the need to carry an external optical drive. The Dell comes standard with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth so students can connect to the internet wirelessly and share files with other nearby users via Bluetooth if needed. The Dell weighs just 4.96lbs, and proves very easy to carry around campus in a book bag or notebook bag. Dell also ranks in the top three most trusted brands by other college students. Overall the Dell provides the most computer features for the right price to any college student in need.