Laptop-loving youth of today detest desktops

The youth of today know exactly want they want - and it's a brand spanking new laptop, according to Mori research.

A survey of over 1,000 15 to 24-year-olds conducted by Mori for Packard Bell showed given a choice between a desktop and a laptop, 59 per cent preferred the portable PC and only 12 per cent wanted less mobile machine.

Those over the age of 25, however, had a stronger hankering for the desktop, with 44 per cent picking it over a laptop. Single people and families with children also erred towards owning laptops, with the theory being that their space is at a premium, or for households with young tykes, a small enough machine can be hidden and thwart arguments over whose turn it is.

While young people's enthusiasm for the laptop looks to be healthy, their buying power doesn't seem to match up. According to figures from Context SalesWatch tracker for laptops, 2003's exceptional growth has slowed dramatically.

Some, however, have been left rueing the day they spent their hard-earned cash on a laptop. One machine, stolen from the University of California in June, left 145,000 open to having their identities stolen, while closer to home, the Cabinet Office saw a series of its laptops nicked last year.

Police in the US capital are even launching a crackdown following a spate of thefts from luggage conveyor belts in Washington DC's airports.

For one Israeli police officer, a lost laptop could mean a lost job. When the machine with information about undercover operations was stolen from Chief Superintendent Michal Morag's home, she was charged with negligence for not keeping her machine locked away.