WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.799 --> 00:00:04.930 Hi, I’m Lisa for GCFLearnFree.org. And today, we’re going to talking about 00:00:04.930 --> 00:00:09.010 the differences between laptops and tablets, and what you’ll need to know if you’re 00:00:09.010 --> 00:00:16.880 shopping for one or both of these things. 00:00:16.880 --> 00:00:20.489 So you’re in the market for a new electronic device and you’re trying to decide whether 00:00:20.489 --> 00:00:25.919 a laptop or a tablet is the right choice for you. Well they both have their pros and cons, 00:00:25.919 --> 00:00:29.919 but if you take a moment to consider what you’ll be using your device for the most, 00:00:29.919 --> 00:00:33.579 and what you’ll need it to do, it should become a lot easier to decide which one is 00:00:33.579 --> 00:00:34.930 best for you. 00:00:34.930 --> 00:00:39.870 Let’s start with tablets. They have more limitations than laptops in general, but their 00:00:39.870 --> 00:00:44.579 simplicity makes them very easy to use. With tablets you won’t have to worry about the 00:00:44.579 --> 00:00:48.989 same amount of maintenance and updating that goes along with owning a laptop or desktop 00:00:48.989 --> 00:00:54.600 computer. If you’re looking for something mostly for checking social media, watching 00:00:54.600 --> 00:00:59.170 movies, reading ebooks, and sending a few emails, then a tablet might be a good fit 00:00:59.170 --> 00:01:00.109 for you. 00:01:00.109 --> 00:01:04.220 When considering a tablet though, there are a few things to keep in mind. While it can 00:01:04.220 --> 00:01:09.380 do a lot of things a laptop can do, it’s not a replacement for a computer. If you’re 00:01:09.380 --> 00:01:13.630 thinking about using a tablet as your main device, remember that doing things like typing 00:01:13.630 --> 00:01:19.320 on a touch screen or printing documents from a tablet are not as easy as they are on laptops. 00:01:19.320 --> 00:01:23.840 You also won’t be able to use a tablet to burn a CD to listen to in your car, make a 00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:28.620 DVD of home movies, or store as many pictures as you would be able to on a laptop. 00:01:28.620 --> 00:01:32.990 But laptops can’t compete with tablets when it comes to portability and battery life - they’re 00:01:32.990 --> 00:01:36.970 small and lightweight, making it easy to take them with you wherever you go. 00:01:36.970 --> 00:01:41.350 So if your needs are very basic, if you’re looking for something purely for entertainment, 00:01:41.350 --> 00:01:45.980 or if you’re looking for a companion device for your main computer, a tablet is the way 00:01:45.980 --> 00:01:46.780 to go. 00:01:46.780 --> 00:01:50.790 Now let’s take a look at laptops. If you’re in the market for something that can be your 00:01:50.790 --> 00:01:55.090 main computer but want something that can also be portable, a laptop is going to be 00:01:55.090 --> 00:01:56.210 your best bet. 00:01:56.210 --> 00:02:00.560 When it comes to storage, you’ll get a lot more with a laptop. Saving all of your pictures, 00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:05.110 music, and documents won’t be an issue with a laptop, while tablets have a much lower 00:02:05.110 --> 00:02:07.730 capacity for storing things like these. 00:02:07.730 --> 00:02:13.200 And if you spend a lot of time typing, whether it’s for emails, documents, or presentations, 00:02:13.200 --> 00:02:17.620 a laptop is going to be a better fit. Since laptops have built-in keyboards, they’re 00:02:17.620 --> 00:02:22.030 more comfortable for typing, as opposed to tapping on the touch screen of a tablet. 00:02:22.030 --> 00:02:27.290 To sum it up, if you already have a computer and you’re looking for something extra, 00:02:27.290 --> 00:02:31.090 and you’re fine with something that’s going to be pretty basic, a tablet is probably 00:02:31.090 --> 00:02:32.140 a good choice. 00:02:32.140 --> 00:02:37.590 But if you need something to be your main computer that can create documents, send emails, 00:02:37.590 --> 00:02:41.670 and be the place where you store all your photos, and music, a laptop is definitely 00:02:41.670 --> 00:02:43.400 going to work better for you. 00:02:43.400 --> 00:02:48.420 So take some time to think about what you’ll need this device to do. Whether it’s a laptop 00:02:48.420 --> 00:02:53.630 or a tablet, there are a lot of choices out there, so take time to do some research on 00:02:53.630 --> 00:02:58.069 all the brands and styles available, so you can make sure you’re buying the best device 00:02:58.069 --> 00:02:58.090 for you.