Rugged laptops are built to last. Don’t be put off by their slightly higher sticker price – they’re designed to be a reliable long-term investment for years to come.
“Professionals who work in the field on mission critical tasks cannot afford unnecessary downtime because of environmental factors, and a rugged laptop is specifically designed to withstand these challenges and maximize uptime,” says Peter Kha, product manager at GammaTech. “This means that the entire laptop, from the case to how the internal components are engineered is designed to withstand the challenges that occur on a job site.”
Rugged laptops are purpose-built for workers in harsh environments like construction sites and include such features as:
- Shock-mounted hard drives and other design elements that can withstand drops of four feet or more
- Fully sealed cases to withstand dust, dirt, rain, snow and other moisture
- Displays that are readable in direct sunlight with anti-reflective and anti-glare treatments
Rugged laptops come in varying degrees of ruggedness: fully rugged, which meets MIL-STD-810G specifications for the most extreme environments; semi-rugged, which offers enterprise-grade durability and purpose-built features beyond those of a consumer-grade laptop at a lower price point than a fully rugged model; and business-rugged, which provides durability for business travelers and others who are frequently on the go.
Brett Unzicker, senior director of enterprise business at Panasonic System Communications Company of North America, says put simply, an ordinary consumer laptop is unlikely to survive a construction environment.
“Technology is one of the biggest investments a business can make, and they are only shooting themselves in the foot if they spend their money on something not built for the real-world conditions the device will be used in,” he says. “Laptop failures have serious consequences, financial and otherwise, for a business.”
Brian Yurkiw, vice president at Arbor Solution, says since a rugged device is normally provided by an industrial PC supplier, these products typically have a longer life cycle (buying period and support period) than a commercial computer.
“In the end, a rugged device typically has a lower total cost of ownership than a commercial device deployed in a harsh environment,” he says.
According to analyst firm VDC Research, every 1% increase in device failure equates to a 5% increase in the total cost of ownership of the device.
The top three rugged laptops on the market today are:
- The Panasonic Toughbook range has dominated the market for many years. Not only are they built to withstand drops, moisture, extreme temperatures and other hazards of working outdoors, but they also come with long-life batteries, daylight-readable/anti-reflective displays, and other unique features.
- GammaTech’s Durabook R8300 meets the toughest rugged certifications, including Military Standard 810G, 461F, IP65, and more. It includes Intel’s i-core CPU, a mobile Intel QM77 Express Chipset, and includes the Windows 7 operating system.
- HP ZBook 15 and 17 Mobile Workstations: Although slightly heavier and larger (6.2 pounds for the 15-inch version) than your standard laptop, these fully rugged powerhouses are equipped with HP’s DreamColor technology and are a top choice of engineers.
In addition to laptops, over the past few years, rugged tablets have become an increasingly attractive option due to their light weight, portability and ease of use.
“Customers can find fully rugged tablets on the market that are as powerful as a desktop and meet the same MIL-STD-810G specifications as fully rugged laptops,” Unzicker says. “These tablets can be dropped, get wet, and operate in direct sunlight or extreme temperatures, all in a form factor that is three pounds or less. This reliability is built into the product and cannot be achieved as an ‘add on’ with a case or similar accessory.”
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