Feasibility Report: Laptop Computer Purchase

This is a feasibility report on the purchase of a laptop computer for the Software of the Future Company. The Software of the Future Company owns numerous IBM PS/2 computers which are adequate for the needs of the company for use in the office. However, there are many occasions where a smaller, portable laptop computer would be very useful. There are many occasions where employees would like to take a computer with them to a customer's office, either to a prospective customer's office for demonstrations of past work or to a current customer's office for demonstrations of work in process. There are also many occasions when it would be useful for employees to be able to take home a laptop computer with them for use in finishing work that is on a time schedule or for use when circumstances demand that they cannot come into work, but would be able to do some work while at home. The purchase of a laptop computer would need to take into consideration the following criteria:

The laptop would need to be compatible with the IBM PS/2 computers in the office. This would mean that it would need to have a 3-1/2 inch microfloppy disk drive. The laptop would need to be small in size, light enough to be carried comfortably for extended amounts of time and have enough battery power to last through a 1- to 2-hour presentation without the screen dimming or the processing slowing down. The laptop would need to have enough RAM memory to run large programs, a minimum of 1000K. A hard disk drive of 20 megabytes would be very useful, but not entirely necessary. If a hard disk drive is included in the machine, one disk drive would be adequate; otherwise, two disk drives would be required. The screen of the laptop would need to be of average to good quality so that it would not be a strain for customers or employees to view the screen. Cost is not the most important criteria for the selection of the laptop, but a price range of $1,000 to $2,000 should be considered.

Comparisons

There are many reliable laptop computers currently on the market. Some of the best on the market are the Zenith SupersPortSX and the Toshiba T3100SX, which are the first battery-powered 80386SX based portable computers on the market. These machines have a 16 MHz clock speed and both include a 40 megabyte hard drive. However, the price of these two machines each run into approximately $6,000. These machines are the top of the market and are aimed at professionals who need to compute on the go: salespeople, executives, field personnel and journalists, for example (3:96). These are much more than what our needs require. Some of the laptops in our price range include the Toshiba T1200HB, the NEC Multispeed EL-2, the Epson Equity LT, the Tandy 1400LT, the Datavue Spark, the Zenith SupersPort 184-1, and the Toshiba T1000. The NEC Multispeed EL-2, the Epson Equity LT, the Tandy 1400LT, and the Datavue Spark are not going to be considered because they all have less than the 1000K RAM memory requirement and the RAM memory is not expandable at the present time. The three laptops that will be considered further will be the Toshiba T1200HB, the Zenith SupersPort 184-1, and the Toshiba T1000. All three of these machines are compatible with our currently owned IBM PS/2 office computers.

Weight. The Toshiba T1200HB has a weight of 11.1 lbs. The Zenith SupersPort 184-1 has a weight of 14 lbs. The Toshiba T1000 has a weight of 6.2 lbs [1:7:72]. All three machines are light enough and small enough in size to be easily portable. The lighest is the Toshiba T1000, but the heaviest, the Zenith SupersPort 184-1 is still light enough at 14 lbs, to carry without much trouble.

Battery life. The battery life of the Toshiba T1200HB is 3 hours. The battery life of the Zenith SupersPort 184-1 is 5-1/2 hours and the battery life of the Toshiba T1000 is 5-1/4 hours. The Zenith SupersPort 184-1 has the longest batterylife, but all three laptops have adequate battery life time for our needs.

RAM memory and disk storage. The RAM memory size of the Toshiba T1200HB is 1 megabyte, expandable to 2 megabytes and has a 20 megabyte hard drive. The Zenith SupersPort 184-1 has a RAM memory of 640k, but it is expandable to 1640k and also has a 20 megabyte hard drive. The Toshiba T1000 has a RAM memory size of 512k, expandable to 1280k. The Toshiba T1000 does not have a hard drive available. Both the Toshiba T1200HB and the Zenith SupersPort 184-1 have dual disk drives. The Toshiba T1000 comes with a single disk drive [1:71-72]. The Toshiba T1200HB and the Zenith SupersPort 184-1 are very competitive in RAM memory and disk storage.

Screen characteristics. The Toshiba T1200HB has good screen quality as far as laptops go. The Zenith SupersPort 184-1 screen is the largest screen among these three laptops, but not very bright or readible in bright light. The Toshiba T1000 screen is a reflective LCD screen which lacks brightness and is small in size, only 3-inches high with 25 lines of text crammed into those 3 inches which makes the characters looked squashed [1:72]. The Toshiba T1200HB has the best quality screen.

Price. The list price of the Toshiba T1200HB is $2,199, but has been advertised for $1,788. The Zenith SupersPort 184-1 has a list price of $3,199 and has been advertised at a price of $2,100. The Toshiba T1000 has a list price of $999 with an advertised price of $598 [1:71-72]. The Zenith SupersPort 184-1 is a little over our price range. The Toshiba T1000 definitely has the lowest price, but it is also a less powerful machine.

Summary

Following is a summary of the comparison of the Toshiba T1200HB, the Zenith SupersPort 184-1, and the Toshiba T1000:
  1. All three machines are compatible with the currently owned IBM PS/Ss.
  2. The Toshiba T1000 is the lightest of the three computers with a weight of 6.2 lbs.
  3. The Zenith SupersPort 184-1 has the longest battery life.
  4. The Toshiba T1200HB has the best RAM memory options with 1 megabyte, expandable to 2 megabytes and 20 megabyte hard drive.
  5. The Toshiba T1200HB and the Zenith SupersPort 184-1 are equal in disk storage with a 20 megabyte hard drive each.
  6. The Toshiba T1200HB has the best screen quality of the three laptops.
  7. The Toshiba T1000 definitely has the lowewt price of the three laptops, but is not as powerful a machine as the Toshiba T1200HB, which is definitely within the price range and compares favorably in all but the battery life, 3 hours, which is still adequate for our needs. 
Categories            Toshiba      Zenith Super-     Toshiba
of comparison         T1200HB       sport 184-1       T1000 
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Compatibility         yes   3         yes   3        yes   3
Weight (lbs)         11.1   2          14   1        6.2   3
Battery (hrs)           3   1         5.5   3       5.25   2
RAM Memory (KB)      2000   3        1640   2       1280   1
Hard drive (MB)        20   3          20   3       none   1
Screen Quality       good   3        ave.   2       poor   1
Price              $1,788   2      $2,100   1       $598   3
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Total Rankings             17              15             14
TABLE 1. Rankings of the Toshiba T1200HB, the Zenith SupersPort 184-1, and the Toshiba T1000. (Rankings: 3 - highest, 2 - middle, 1 - lowest)

Recommendations

Based on the criteria previously discussed in this report and the ratings from Table 1, I recommend the following:

LITERATURE REFERENCED

  1. "Laptom Computers." Consumer Reports: 1990 Buying Guide Issue. (December, 1989), 69- 73.
  2. Miastkowski, Stan. "Lub 'Em or Leave 'Em." BYTE Magazine. (December, 1989), 102-103.
  3. Nadeau, Michael E. "Compaq and Toshiba Take the Low Road." BYTE Magazine. (December, 1989), 96-100.
This information is owned and maintained by David A. McMurrey. For information on use, customization, or copies, e-mail davidm@austin.cc.tx.us or call (512) 476-4949.