How to Buy a Computer
by Heidi Pollock

Every week your letters ask me what kind of computer you should buy. The problem is that I can no more answer such a personal question than I could tell you what sort of shoes to buy. Do you want boots or pumps? A dressy shoe or a sporty shoe? Leather, silk, satin or canvas? How much money are you willing to spend? And how much do you want to spend? Stacked heel, stiletto or flat? Does the brand matter? Color? Style? So many considerations, and I'm not even a fashion writer.

I guarantee that a computer exists that will fit your wallet as well as your needs.

1. Forget about price. I guarantee that a computer exists that will fit your wallet as well as your needs. You may have to readjust some of your demands -- does it *have* to be Prada, or can you live with a knockoff? If you're willing to be patient you can always wait for a sale or hunt through outlet and discount stores. In any case, trying to focus the decision-making process by using price as your starting criterion is almost always ineffective and unproductive.

2. Picture yourself using your new computer. You might think you know nothing about computers, but you'll be surprised by your preconceived ideas and preferences. Is your ideal system a desktop or a laptop? Are there are a variety of peripherals such as printers and scanners and external speakers connected all over? How large (or small!) is the monitor? I may not know what that midrange pointy-heeled mule is called (a princess pump?), but I can still picture myself wearing it. (If I had the right dress to go with it, of course ...)

3. Read reviews. Online and print magazines as well as many Web shopping sites have top 10 lists of machines with accompanying reviews which are good a source as any. Reading reviews, any reviews, is the only way to really familiarize yourself with the standard terms and common specifications. It may not compete with Teen People, but the specs are still a must-read. At this stage you should just be trying to get a feel for the territory, not picking up a second career, so don't beat yourself up about having to understand every single word. As with learning any new language, many of the terms will eventually begin to make sense.

4. Write down your defining preferences. After reading some reviews you'll have a general feeling for which details matter and which ones don't. For instance, you'll soon realize that practically all new computers come with 56K modems, so walking into a store and specifying that you want a computer with a modem is something like asking a shoe salesman for a dress pump with a heel. Certainly the modem is a factor, but it can't serve as a defining, decision-making factor. Decision-making quality preferences are commonly factors such as processor speed, available ports, screen size and battery life. Write down the specifications that matter most to you so that you'll have a clear list of priorities to refer back to while you comparison shop. Next week I'll show you my own specification chart and discuss the categories I think are crucial or trivial as well as those that are often overlooked.

5. Exercise your whimsy. Unless you have your heart absolutely set on something unusual such as the Sony Picture Book, you'll soon realize that there are dozens of computers that meet your personal specifications. Computers may be paragons of cold logic, but that doesn't mean you can't bring your own aesthetics to bear on the purchasing process. Deciding to buy an IBM instead of a Compaq simply because you prefer black to gray is absolutely fine as long as both machines meet your other significant criteria. Not that color can't or shouldn't be a significant criterion; in truth, the market is filled with enough solid, affordable machines that you finally have the kind of freedom of choice previously reserved only for the likes of footwear.