Michael Patrick Brady

My article on the best laptops for business travelers ran today at Forbes.com.

In it, I talk about striking a balance between portability, performance, durability, battery life, security, and price. The laptops detailed in the piece are all excellent choices for business travelers, however each one has a particular strength which will make it better for some than for others.

Update 6.23.09: There seems to be some concern (read: whining) from Mac fans in the comments at Forbes.com that my article overlooks Apple’s MacBook laptops. This is not the case; an Apple MacBook Air is featured in the accompanying slideshow.

I think part of the problem rests in the article’s title, which implies that it is some sort of comprehensive list. It was intended to be a how-to guide, and the laptops mentioned within are merely examples that fulfill the individual criteria (performance, portability, security, longevity, etc) being discussed. Were it my decision, I would have probably named the piece “How To Find the Best Laptop for Business Travelers.” The absence of the MacBook in the body of the text is not intended as a slight.

That said, I’m not a huge fan of the MacBook line, owing to a few negative personal experiences that included multiple fatal malfunctions which required significant repairs. While they are attractive and capable laptops, I’m not sold on their durability or reliability, and I find their price tags exorbitant.