For Advisors, All-In-One PCs May Be A Good Choice; Power, Touch-Screen And Cool-Factor In One Neat Package Hot

Steve Jobs reportedly believed touch screens, like an iPad, should be held horizontally and are not natural on desktop monitors that stand vertically. However, all-in-one desktops are getting rave reviews, even from some skeptics who thought they would never benefit from the touch screen during because they would have to alter their work habits. Windows 8 is said to be a real breakthrough in this regard.

 

The all-in-ones recently launched by just about every major manufacturer offer serious computing power. If you are willing to pay about $3500 for a Dell XPS 27 touch screen all-in-one, it should come with an Intel i7 quad core processor 16 GB or RAM, which should be able to run just about any advisor app speedily. (My price estimate includes Windows Office professional and three-year service plan.)

 

An all-one does not have a separate tower or box. The entire computer is housed in the monitor and a wireless keyboard. So the appearance is neat. No wires, just a big monitor and keyboard. So it will look good on your desk and in a conference room.

 

The Verge reviewed nine all-in-ones earlier this week and the Del XPS 27 came out on top. Of the nine machines rated by The Verge’s Sean Hollister, the runner up to the Dell was a Sony Vaio L, which received a score of only 7.7, nowhere near the 8.6 rating on the Dell.

 

Dell’s 2560 X 1440 resolution 27 inch monitors are the only computer screens being praised as comparable to Apple’s big screens.  These monitors are great to work on because you can run multiple apps and browsers on one monitor. Adding a second 27 inch super-hi-res Dell monitor will cost about $900 with a three year warranty and it can be added to an all-in-one. Be sure to tell Dell that you plan to run two monitors because you may need to upgrade the video card to handle two monitors.

 

One thing that advisors may want to consider is whether the 27 inch screen is big enough to use on video presentations that post to the Web. Social media and search engine optimization makes it wise for advisors to create two or three minute videos of themselves standing in front of a touch screen monitor and swiping the screen to advance the slides. A larger screen is probably better.