What is she going to be using it for? I think if you were to get her a good quality (high ratings) laptop, it would be best for her so she could take it around the house with her and not be tied down to one spot.
I prefer having a laptop over a desktop because I can bring it anywhere I go. I would personally want to own a Macbook Pro!
When you are aiming for portability then buying a laptop is the way to go but when it comes to performance, the desktop is big on that. But you can buy laptops with great graphics and performance though. As of now, I am trying to upgrade my desktop so that I would be able to handle my new business more efficiently.
I switched over to laptops for about 2-3 years, and just recently picked up a Lenovo All-In-One system and love it. I find myself using it far more than the laptop these days. It's amazing to only have to plug in one cord on these things these days, the power cord, thats it. I think the main thing is the screen size, it's so much easier on the eyes to look at a large full size monitor than a small laptop one, plus there's more screen real estate for icons and such. I get neck aches looking down at laptop monitors for a long period of time too.
I was always a staunch defender of the desktop. I think that the practice has much to do with it, because I grew up from childhood with such computers. I recently was given a notebook and quickly took him some affection, but still can not get used. Perhaps as a negative feature the notebook can be harder to use because of the smaller keyboard and screen. The mouse pad requires finer finger control but offers less movement flexibility than a separate mouse. Because the laptop screen shrinks the fonts and pictures of a standard display, it may require squinting or reading glasses to view. But in your case I think it would be a good idea to start directly with a notebook. With the passage of time will become the dominant technology, and you'd better know that. I think it will find its use more fun. I do not know if it is easier to learn in that way, but it's worth finding out.
While I have used a desktop computer for most of my life, I prefer to use my laptop in the most important areas where I need a computer. The fact that the laptop is portable, and the fact that you can connect to a wireless connection makes it more of a necessity in today's world. The only downside about a laptop is the fact that if you use it for work, you may feel tempted to work everywhere you go. Still I prefer laptops over desktops any day.
I have a desktop. I have had my XP desktop for nearly 8 years now. It is slow but it does what I need it to do. My daughter has a laptop and it is fast and convenient. For some reason I am not sure is it my software, or she does not do her updates, I can get things on mine she cannot get on hers. I prefer my desktop. I may treat myself now to a new destop when XP's warranty expires I think in 14 months or so.
Now that I have my laptop since 8 months, I will always prefer laptops for more than 1 reason: 1) They are making them very qualitative today, as powerful as most the desktops too. 2) It is handy, you can move it very comfortably everywhere. 3) You will never lose your work for causes like power outage.
I prefer having a desktop, albeit the fact that I do realise laptops are more portable and more desirable for college students who often have to go around doing assignments and presentations. For doing things that take up time; eg blogging, gaming, using a desktop makes me feel more comfortable. It has bigger storage, much more space to store my blogging needs (pictures, videos), easier to organise and much more.
Laptops will never compete for power vs the price of a desktop, but with laptops it comes down to money. There are some really amazing ones out there, but they aren't cheap. But you can also do some looking around and find something that can suit your needs. Make sure the laptop has the hardware that what you are trying to run really requires. I run photoshop and illustrator and sometimes I attempt to run 3d programs on my laptop, and I could use more RAM for sure. You gotta make a list of your hardware priorities based on the type of thing you are trying to do with it and go from there. But in the end, for price/performance ratio, you won't beat a desktop. Of course you will give up the mobility. There is no win win.
I use a laptop for work, I usually can't concentrate at home so I take it to the local library or to my usual bookstore/coffee shop. While I also use the laptop for light gaming, I play most of my games on my desktop, better performance and easy to upgrade with larger screens, gaming keyboard/mouse, etc..
I prefer desktops. They are big and not very portable, but your mother seems like she wouldn't need to use a computer outside of her home. Desktops are also cheaper in comparison to laptops for power. Buying one solid desktop computer would mean your mother wouldn't need to upgrade for years to come. Not only that, desktop parts are easily replaced or upgraded. In the case of laptops, it is much much harder and more expensive to upgrade laptops. The extent at which most people go is maybe putting in a bigger hard drive, or increasing the ram (assuming the laptop even has extra ram slots).
I personally prefer desktops since I never have to take my work anywhere. I assume if my job included moving around all the time, a laptop could come in handy. Plus I'm an avid gamer, so having a laptop would not benefit me whatsoever!
I prefer a laptop just because of its portability. I can take and use it anytime and anywhere. But it can be pretty expensive when it comes to repairs. Desktops, can also be pretty neat because you can upgrade the parts to make it function faster. If you do this with a laptop, oftentimes the parts are very expensive that it will just be wiser to buy a new one.
The ideal is to have both a laptop and a desktop. Obviously, this is an either-or thing, though. I'd have to say a laptop. The fact that you can take your laptop anywhere you can go is something that's going to come in handy and if you were to buy a desktop instead of a laptop, I think you'd regret not having that ability one day. Think about it. You could go travel and be out of town for a month and still your computer with you the whole time- if you had a laptop.
It really depends on what I am using it for. I prefer desktops when I am working my main job, but for school and writing type work online I prefer a laptop. Desktops seem to last a lot longer though, my last laptop broke down twice in a year.
For an outgoing person such as I am, I go for owning a laptop. But I also keep a desktop for my indoor works and for a more file storage. A laptop comes handy when I travel so I always keep it with me.
I prefer the desktop I have both, I have purchased two laptops in the same time I have had the one desktop with kids playing games on it. The laptop is good for mobility. But it is her choice.
My laptop has the power and screen size of a desktop so I have to say the laptop definitely. I have one laptop as a desktop replacement and then a small netbook that I take around the house.
I prefer a desktop because they're cheaper to upgrade. Also when it comes to repairs, fixing a laptop is way more expensive. Although I like the portability of a laptop. Other than that, I'd still pick a desktop over a laptop any day.
