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With so many DVDs featuring letterboxed or wide-screen versions of films, consumers' fascination with larger screen sizes is changing the size and shape of the laptop industry, an IDC report issued Monday stated.
The wide-screen format, found in only 39.2 percent of laptops expected to ship this year, will become dominant in mid- to late 2006. It will nearly eclipse standard screen dimensions by the end of 2009, the market research firm estimates.
The IDC report doesn't refer only to the larger sizes, however. IDC predicted that 12-inch ultraportables and 14- and 15-inch wide-screen displays will fuel 62.5 million notebook shipments this year. That number, IDC forecasts, will climb to 114.6 million in 2009.
"What we are seeing is the commercial market driving the manufacturers," IDC analyst Richard Shim said. "In addition to watching movies or playing games, customers are appreciating that wide-screen formats let them view documents and spreadsheets side-by-side instead of scrolling up and down."
But are consumers ready to lug around a 20-inch laptop? Shim said that displays measuring 15 inches and 17 inches on the diagonal--once considered too big to carry around--are now among the more popular versions.
Even larger screen sizes are in the pipeline. Samsung has already shown its upcoming 19-inch laptop to CNET Reviews. The product is expected to ship later this year. Dell, a major partner of Samsung, could easily adopt the large screen format for its high-end XPS laptops. And, LG Philips is also touting its 20-inch LCD displays for laptops, Shim said.
But noteworthy to Shim is the speed with which computer makers are replacing standard formats with wide-screen displays.
"It won't be that hard for suppliers and computer makers to transition to the larger sizes," Shim said. "It's really just a matter of being more efficient. Samsung and LG Philips have this larger piece of mother glass and then cut it down and convert it into individual units to cut down on waste."
In its report, IDC predicted that 73.6 million laptops will ship by the end of 2006. Of that number, 38.5 million, or 52.3 percent, will be wide-screen formats, Shim said. About 35.1 million, 47.7 percent, of laptops shipped will be the current standard square configuration.
In 2009, when IDC has predicted 114.6 million laptops will ship, the analyst firm also estimated 96.7 million wide-screen laptops, making up 84.4 percent of the market. In the same year, standard-size laptops are expected to reach 17.9 million units, or 15.6 percent, of the market.
While IDC is expecting a larger price difference between standard-size and widescreen notebooks in the 14-inch category, prices should even out next year as demand for widescreen notebooks takes off and computer makers transition from 14-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch displays to the larger sizes, Shim said.
Other factors in transitioning laptops into wide-screen format include the rise in high-definition content and operating systems like Microsoft Vista, which are expected to accommodate WSXGA (Wide Super Extended Graphics Array) pixel resolutions of 1680 by 1050 and 1440 by 900.
"The PC makers are also getting aggressive now because there is no standard in place saying that 15.4-inch wide-screen is the standard and a 15.3-inch widescreen is not," Shim said.
Any downsides to larger laptop displays are minimal, Shim said.
"Some corporate buyers might be concerned that their homegrown applications may not look the same in a larger-size wide-screen display," Shim said, noting that consumers are more likely than businesses to purchase a wide-screen machine.
The other downside would be a potential glut of LCD panels in 2006, Shim said. But if there is an oversupply, Shim said the sales will hurt suppliers and manufacturers more than it would hurt consumers.
See more CNET content tagged:
Richard Shim, LG.Philips LCD Co. Ltd., computer company, widescreen, laptop computer
due to ship tomorrow up from 1440 x 900. Basically it's the
equivalent of a 20" monitor. Arguably squeezing that many pixels
into a 17" frame (and OS X) won't work for everyone. But I won't be
surprised if other laptop makers follow suit. Considering the arm's
length distance of a laptop screen, it may be not be a bad
compromise.
http://service.dell.com/dell/kb/tech_support/view_article/1,,6418+6914+19102,00.html#common
i find the text size small but very readable, and it's great for photo editing.
mark d.
http://members.cox.net/mddoiron
due to ship tomorrow up from 1440 x 900. Basically it's the
equivalent of a 20" monitor. Arguably squeezing that many pixels
into a 17" frame (and OS X) won't work for everyone. But I won't be
surprised if other laptop makers follow suit. Considering the arm's
length distance of a laptop screen, it may be not be a bad
compromise.
http://service.dell.com/dell/kb/tech_support/view_article/1,,6418+6914+19102,00.html#common
i find the text size small but very readable, and it's great for photo editing.
mark d.
http://members.cox.net/mddoiron
I feel a REAL keyboard would have been a lot more valuable.
I feel a REAL keyboard would have been a lot more valuable.
__________________________________
R.K.
http://www.Remove-All-Spyware.com/
Laptops make great dorm room PCs since they take up little space and have few cables to worry about. They can be put in places traditional desktop PCs would be combersome in.
__________________________________
R.K.
http://www.Remove-All-Spyware.com/
Laptops make great dorm room PCs since they take up little space and have few cables to worry about. They can be put in places traditional desktop PCs would be combersome in.
Keyboard - is my most hated thing in PC notebooks.
I bought my iBook after trying several cheaper PC options - but all with screwed keyboards. It is next to impossible to do *any* kind of work on this keyboards. I found that Apple cut good compromise of keyboard functions, so I normaly even do not need mouse. For comparison, try to use Dell Inspiron + WinXP keyboard only w/o mouse - it's plain torture.
Apple's notebook keyboards (and Apple keyboards in general) now are best option for professionals: no needless stuff, all key are where you expect them.
All PCs I had to work with last two years have had some keyboard /handicaps/: needless buttons, rotated buttons, changed location of some buttons. I doubt PC manufacturers will do any better with notebooks either.
2. Please don't bundle all laptop / notebook manufacturers
under the same group.
3. Keep your moronic one button mouse philosophy away from
me; the 17" powerbook doesn't even have a keypad.
Keyboard - is my most hated thing in PC notebooks.
I bought my iBook after trying several cheaper PC options - but all with screwed keyboards. It is next to impossible to do *any* kind of work on this keyboards. I found that Apple cut good compromise of keyboard functions, so I normaly even do not need mouse. For comparison, try to use Dell Inspiron + WinXP keyboard only w/o mouse - it's plain torture.
Apple's notebook keyboards (and Apple keyboards in general) now are best option for professionals: no needless stuff, all key are where you expect them.
All PCs I had to work with last two years have had some keyboard /handicaps/: needless buttons, rotated buttons, changed location of some buttons. I doubt PC manufacturers will do any better with notebooks either.
2. Please don't bundle all laptop / notebook manufacturers
under the same group.
3. Keep your moronic one button mouse philosophy away from
me; the 17" powerbook doesn't even have a keypad.
Increasingly laptops are being used as PCs. I maintain one beside my PC for two PC access so I can browse the web or listen to music on one PC while I play a game on the desktop PC. This use for laptops was predicted long ago and as they move off the lap and onto other surfaces people want more in them.
Increasingly laptops are being used as PCs. I maintain one beside my PC for two PC access so I can browse the web or listen to music on one PC while I play a game on the desktop PC. This use for laptops was predicted long ago and as they move off the lap and onto other surfaces people want more in them.
I just got my first laptop, a 15 inch widescreen. It's got a 1680x1050 resolution, so 1920x1080 at 20" should be easy. So far I like it, but it's heavy at around 8 pounds, and isn't dainty enough to actually set on my lap. How luggable will a 20" feel in comparison?
I just got my first laptop, a 15 inch widescreen. It's got a 1680x1050 resolution, so 1920x1080 at 20" should be easy. So far I like it, but it's heavy at around 8 pounds, and isn't dainty enough to actually set on my lap. How luggable will a 20" feel in comparison?
I got a 17" powerbook 2 years ago so I could see what all the mac fuss was about without having to find room for a whole system.
Also for true portability freaks, the 12.1 WS laptops are pretty damn impressive, i love mine.
I got a 17" powerbook 2 years ago so I could see what all the mac fuss was about without having to find room for a whole system.
Also for true portability freaks, the 12.1 WS laptops are pretty damn impressive, i love mine.
of my work on a laptop. Between using CAD and entering and
comparing a lot of test data in Excel (side by side data matrices),
I need a number pad as well as a larger screen. I would rather
carry a 20" Powerbook than a 17" model plus a keyboard and
mouse. I have even considered a 20" iMac to lug around - I ruled
that out. I'm not concerned with clock speed nor battery life. I
don't need a larger hard drive but I need two of them for
backup; both bootable with one of them removable. Then I won't
need to also carry around my pocket Lacie. So, in potential I
could carry around a slightly larger and heavier laptop and lose a
keyboard, mouse and external hard drive. I could use one or two
more USB ports also. All this, and gain some real estate on the
screen. I would pay $4000 without a moment's hesitation. Do
you hear me Steve?
Jim
It's a 20" widescreen Laptop with a full size Keyboard and (phew!)the trackpad ABOVE the keyboard (which I consider a blessing as suffer a jumping cursor whenever I come near the trackpad).
It's going to have two built-in HDs, one of which is removable. Weight is to be around 4Kg's
Costs are expected around 4000 ? (approx. 5050 USD)
There's a Photo of it on DELL's Page but no description yet
of my work on a laptop. Between using CAD and entering and
comparing a lot of test data in Excel (side by side data matrices),
I need a number pad as well as a larger screen. I would rather
carry a 20" Powerbook than a 17" model plus a keyboard and
mouse. I have even considered a 20" iMac to lug around - I ruled
that out. I'm not concerned with clock speed nor battery life. I
don't need a larger hard drive but I need two of them for
backup; both bootable with one of them removable. Then I won't
need to also carry around my pocket Lacie. So, in potential I
could carry around a slightly larger and heavier laptop and lose a
keyboard, mouse and external hard drive. I could use one or two
more USB ports also. All this, and gain some real estate on the
screen. I would pay $4000 without a moment's hesitation. Do
you hear me Steve?
Jim
It's a 20" widescreen Laptop with a full size Keyboard and (phew!)the trackpad ABOVE the keyboard (which I consider a blessing as suffer a jumping cursor whenever I come near the trackpad).
It's going to have two built-in HDs, one of which is removable. Weight is to be around 4Kg's
Costs are expected around 4000 ? (approx. 5050 USD)
There's a Photo of it on DELL's Page but no description yet
I use a Dell Inspiron 700m with a 12.1 inch Widescreen, I still have a hard time using it on flights. I've got 5 hours of battery life but no room to use it.
- Too big for travel.
- by jlsham October 29, 2005 5:00 PM PDT
- I would love to lug a 17 inch widescreen with me, a 20 inch would be even better. But where the heck will I put it when I travel? At this size, it won't fit under the seat in front of me and in regional jets it won't fit in the overhead.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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Showing 1 of 2 pages (56 Comments)I use a Dell Inspiron 700m with a 12.1 inch Widescreen, I still have a hard time using it on flights. I've got 5 hours of battery life but no room to use it.