>I'm hoping you can provide some input on the following:
>+ What's your current replacement model for faculty laptops? Every 2
>years? 3 years? 4 years? more?
Our faculty machines are replaced after 3-4 years depending on the user, the condition of the machine, and need in our loaner pool- newer machines seem to be holding up better and may extend this to 4 years. Our loaner pool is made up of machines that
are 3-5 years (the loaner pool is where laptops go to die once their warranty expires.)
>
>+ Do you have a replacement schedule for batteries?
Currently, no. We replace batteries as needed. We attempt to train faculty on battery care (not leaving the laptop on the charger the whole time, letting the battery discharge as far as possible before recharging, monitoring power usage - Lenovo as
well as Vista have great power management software)
>
>+ Which makes more sense for effective integration... 4 year
>rotation of laptops with a battery replacement at 2 years or 3 year
>rotation with no battery replacement?
A battery begins to die the minute it is produced and usage can dramatically affect its life. With proper usage you should see 2 to 3 years with some good life left in it, after that consider yourself lucky if it lasts more than 20 minutes. Batteries
are expensive, as you've pointed out, and replacing a $125+ battery may give us another year or two out of a machine if we're lucky.
>
>+ Do you get extended warranties on faculty hardware? If so, do the
>warranties include battery and/or charger replacement?
We purchase 4 year warranties and accidental damage coverage on all of our student owned and faculty machines. This way we are insured to get at least four years out of a machine before it is laid to rest or it becomes a parts machine for other laptops
that are out of warranty. The batteries and chargers are only warrantied for the first year but Lenovo is going to be offering extended warranties on their batteries from what I've been told (at an additional cost, of course.)
>
>
>Any suggestions you might have in this area would be appreciated.
Most laptop batteries come with a 1 year warranty- check (or have faculty check) their batteries before the end of that year and replace any that are showing any signs of premature wear. Once replaced, educate the user on how to better care for the
battery. Some laptop companies offer an extended warranty/insurance that covers the battery for a second year- replace the batteries at the end of the second year and ensure another couple of years. That way the extra cost of the warranty/insurance is
offset by the money you would have spent on purchasing a couple of dozen batteries. Another suggestion is to track battery failures. For example, we've seen an unusual number of failing batteries in one particular model (over 50% have already been
replaced vs. less than 5% in models of similar age - 1 year) and are using that data to request some sort of extension on the warranty due to what seems to be a manufacturer issue.
Bryan M. Berretta
Assistant Director of Technology
Lausanne Collegiate School - Memphis, TN
http://www.lausanneschool.com
Phone: 901.474.1049
SKYPE: bberretta
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Laptop Institute - July 12th-14th, 2009
http://www.laptopinstitute.com
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