Welcome to my spring laptop buyer's guide. It should be an easy time for laptop buyers, now that we're six months past the introduction of Microsoft's redesigned Windows 8 operating system and laptop makers have had time to get into a new groove. Alas, I'm sorry to report, it's still pretty confusing and frustrating to buy a new laptop, and it might be best, if you can, to wait until the fall.

After the big buildup in October around Windows 8, laptop makers stumbled. They continued to offer mostly nontouchscreen models, though the new Windows was designed for touch. And the touchscreen models they built were clustered around $1,000, far more than consumers are used to paying for Windows laptops. Plus, Windows 8 itself proved confusing, because it combines two interfaces - the tabletlike 'Start Screen' and the traditional Windows desktop.

Based on conversations with laptop makers and Microsoft, I believe there will be an effort to regroup this fall, with more touchscreen models that are less costly and a forthcoming class of PCs even smaller and thinner than the current slender Ultrabooks. There also will be new chips from Intel that aim to greatly increase battery life and a refined, beefed-up version of Windows 8, code-named Windows Blue, which will be available to current buyers as a free upgrade.

Recent statistics showing massive drops in laptop sales indicate consumers aren't replacing their computers as often as in the past, partly because they now rely a lot on smartphones and tablets. But some of you will be buying new laptops this spring and summer, so here are some tips on what to look for in a machine. As usual, this guide is meant for average users doing typical tasks, not businesses, or people doing heavy-duty work like video production.

Windows vs. Mac

• introduction [,intrə´dʌkʃən]   n.介绍；引言；引导   (初中英语单词)
• system [´sistəm]   n.系统，体系，制度   (初中英语单词)
• mostly [´məustli]   ad.主要地；多半；通常   (初中英语单词)
• costly [´kɔstli]   a.昂贵的；费用大的   (初中英语单词)
• slender [´slendə]   a.细长的；微薄的   (初中英语单词)
• available [ə´veiləbəl]   a.可用的；有效的   (初中英语单词)
• partly [´pɑ:tli]   ad.部分地；不完全地   (初中英语单词)
• battery [´bætəri]   n.炮兵连；炮台；电池   (高中英语单词)
• massive [´mæsiv]   a.厚实的；魁伟的   (高中英语单词)
• typical [´tipikəl]   a.典型的；象征的   (高中英语单词)
• groove [gru:v]   n.槽 vt.在...作槽   (英语四级单词)
• traditional [trə´diʃənəl]   a.传统的，习惯的   (英语四级单词)
• refined [ri´faind]   a.精制的；文雅的   (英语四级单词)
• version [´və:ʃən, ´və:rʒən]   n.翻译；说明；译本   (英语四级单词)
• statistics [stə´tistiks]   n.统计学；统计   (英语四级单词)
• forthcoming [,fɔ:θ´kʌmiŋ]   a.即将到来的   (英语六级单词)