Why Do You Need a Rugged Notebook?

While those employed in rough-and-ready work environments such as utilities, law enforcement and the military understand the need for a rugged laptop, what about the average consumer?  Are there good reasons for them to consider buying a rugged notebook PC?

I believe so.  One way to look at it is the popular SUV.  These are "ruggedized" cars. Do people need a four-wheel drive, heavily fortified truck for taking kids to soccer practice?  Not generally but they do when they hit a slippery road or are involved in a traffic accident.

The same goes for rugged notebooks, as you can see from the list of benefits below:

• Go 'Semi-Rugged'.  Semi-rugged laptops have the durability required for average users without the extra cost or heft of fully rugged notebooks. They are designed to withstand the bumps, shocks, drops and spills that can happen with kids, dogs, commuting and more.  Think of a child knocking a laptop off the kitchen table onto a tile or wood floor, or soda or coffee being spilled onto the keyboard.  Semis will keep on working.
• Protect Your Data.  The hard drive can be destroyed and make all data irretrievable when a normal laptop is dropped.  Hard drives in semi-rugged notebooks are "shock-mounted" with tiny shock absorbers to protect the drive.  Lots better than losing your important company files or pictures of your kids.
• Protect Your Investment.  As notebook PCs reach their zenith in hard drive storage, processing power and memory for average consumer use, more consumers are looking to keep them around longer.  These days, most people would like to keep their notebooks around for at least five years.  I have a semi-rugged notebook I've used for 8 years for everyday applications and the Internet and it's still working great. In the end, a semi-rugged notebook offers a lower cost of ownership over the long haul.
• Perfect for an Outdoor Lifestyle.  Many people these days take their laptops with them everywhere (or would like to): the beach, camping or just lounging in the backyard.  Rugged Notebooks offer laptops with transflective screens that enable you to easily view your display in bright sunlight.  The casing also protects against dust, dirt and sand from entering your computer.
• Avoid Tech Support. If you've ever spent hours on the phone with technical support, or have sent away your laptop to be "fixed" and lived without it for weeks, you know there is value having a laptop that reduces the need for repairs.  Over several years, ordinary laptops have an average failure rate of 30 percent failure compared with only 5 percent of rugged notebooks requiring service over the same timeframe. 
• Perfect for Kids.  When you purchase a notebook PC for your sophomore or junior in high school, it would be a parent's dream to have a laptop for their son or daughter that survives through college graduation as well as provides them a Kindle-like display that's able to be seen in bright day light.  With a rugged notebook, that dream is possible.
• Rugged Is Green.  Instead of creating more e-waste with a laptop replacement every couple of years, why not invest in a product that has double or triple the lifespan of ordinary notebooks?  Rugged can do that.

If you're looking to purchase a notebook this holiday season, you might want to consider going "rugged."