How big is your laptop? Fifteen inches? Seventeen inches? How about a massive 19- or 20-inch wide-screen LCD model?
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.
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.
FYI - Apple just announced 1680 by 1050 in their 17" PowerBook 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.
My Asus laptop already has your 1680x1050 resolution in 15.4 inches widescreen. The Z81* family and perhaps others of their new stuff... I got it a few weeks ago, and it was somewhat hard to find as it's apparently already old enough that my particular sub-model is already discontinued, or so the first reseller told me.
FYI - Apple just announced 1680 by 1050 in their 17" PowerBook 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.
My Asus laptop already has your 1680x1050 resolution in 15.4 inches widescreen. The Z81* family and perhaps others of their new stuff... I got it a few weeks ago, and it was somewhat hard to find as it's apparently already old enough that my particular sub-model is already discontinued, or so the first reseller told me.
Unfortunately, the Dell Inspiron 9300 has the same dinky keyboard they stick on all their other laptops. It has these two huge empty areas to the left & right that they decided to use for speakers.
I feel a REAL keyboard would have been a lot more valuable.
Unfortunately, the Dell Inspiron 9300 has the same dinky keyboard they stick on all their other laptops. It has these two huge empty areas to the left & right that they decided to use for speakers.
I feel a REAL keyboard would have been a lot more valuable.
In my opinion, a big laptop defeats the purpose of it being a laptop. Right not I have a 15.4 inch laptop. Its thin compared to other laptops of its screen size, but I still find it to be big. A 20 inch laptop seems too big, I expect it to be heavier also. Then you would need to buy a bigger laptop bag because most of the current ones support up to 15.4 inch laptops. Bigger display means higher power consumption, so your 20 inch laptop would end up with a disappointing battery life because the display consumes the most power. Ideally, I want one of those 12 inch laptops that are very light and have long battery life. __________________________________ R.K. <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.Remove-All-Spyware.com/" target="_newWindow">http://www.Remove-All-Spyware.com/</a>
Users are putting these larger laptops on their desk. Remember the docking stations? It was predicted that PCs would start to adopt laptops in the same role as stationairy desktop PCs but in the laptop form factor. That is happening today, and is a continueing trend.
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.
In my opinion, a big laptop defeats the purpose of it being a laptop. Right not I have a 15.4 inch laptop. Its thin compared to other laptops of its screen size, but I still find it to be big. A 20 inch laptop seems too big, I expect it to be heavier also. Then you would need to buy a bigger laptop bag because most of the current ones support up to 15.4 inch laptops. Bigger display means higher power consumption, so your 20 inch laptop would end up with a disappointing battery life because the display consumes the most power. Ideally, I want one of those 12 inch laptops that are very light and have long battery life. __________________________________ R.K. <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.Remove-All-Spyware.com/" target="_newWindow">http://www.Remove-All-Spyware.com/</a>
Users are putting these larger laptops on their desk. Remember the docking stations? It was predicted that PCs would start to adopt laptops in the same role as stationairy desktop PCs but in the laptop form factor. That is happening today, and is a continueing trend.
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.
That was the reason my friend bought PowerBook 15".
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.
1. Don't try pushing your under powered machine on me. 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.
While we're off topic, GET TIVO!! YEAH!! I guess if macfanatics can bring in their religion at every opportunity, I'll start talking about Tivo. I won't let the fact that the article isn't about Tivo stop me.
That was the reason my friend bought PowerBook 15".
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.
1. Don't try pushing your under powered machine on me. 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.
While we're off topic, GET TIVO!! YEAH!! I guess if macfanatics can bring in their religion at every opportunity, I'll start talking about Tivo. I won't let the fact that the article isn't about Tivo stop me.
for too big? I personally think the 17" laptops are too large but people seem to like them and buy them. Who knows, maybe some day I will be showing off my brand new 56" widescreen laptop...
As long as people in row 24 seats A, B and C can all have their laptops out on the flight at the same time, then the space hasn't been exceeded.
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.
for too big? I personally think the 17" laptops are too large but people seem to like them and buy them. Who knows, maybe some day I will be showing off my brand new 56" widescreen laptop...
As long as people in row 24 seats A, B and C can all have their laptops out on the flight at the same time, then the space hasn't been exceeded.
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.
Wow. 20 inches for a laptop. It better have a true 1920x1080 HDTV resolution at that size. I wonder when they'll make a 50 inch widescreen laptop so I can truely take my home theater with me...
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?
Wow. 20 inches for a laptop. It better have a true 1920x1080 HDTV resolution at that size. I wonder when they'll make a 50 inch widescreen laptop so I can truely take my home theater with me...
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 know a laptop was basically designed to be a portable computer, but I think with the larger screens more people will replace their existing desk setup with a more space efficient big screen laptop. Even with LCDs increasing desk real estate theres still the tower, keyboard, and mouse. With a 20" laptop you could just toss it down on your desk, coffee table, kitchen table, bed whatever and have a really nice sized work area without having to use the VGA out or docking station.
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 know a laptop was basically designed to be a portable computer, but I think with the larger screens more people will replace their existing desk setup with a more space efficient big screen laptop. Even with LCDs increasing desk real estate theres still the tower, keyboard, and mouse. With a 20" laptop you could just toss it down on your desk, coffee table, kitchen table, bed whatever and have a really nice sized work area without having to use the VGA out or docking station.
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.
80% of my work is at the client's location - usually China. I do all 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
As i read, DELL is attempting to launch quite exactly what you (and I and many others) desire. 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
80% of my work is at the client's location - usually China. I do all 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
As i read, DELL is attempting to launch quite exactly what you (and I and many others) desire. 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
I am thinking of going for this one <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.oqo.com/" target="_newWindow">http://www.oqo.com/</a>. it will be my PC + ipod my movie player. my phone if I get a softphone connection. Also thinking of getting a Wireless connection T-mobile or so. It becomes my portable office and Entertainment system.
I am thinking of going for this one <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.oqo.com/" target="_newWindow">http://www.oqo.com/</a>. it will be my PC + ipod my movie player. my phone if I get a softphone connection. Also thinking of getting a Wireless connection T-mobile or so. It becomes my portable office and Entertainment system.
Just too big to be portable...plus I just don't LIKE widescreen.
Personally, a 20" laptop may be nice but it's just too blasted big to be convenient to carry around. I think the 17" unit's are too big now and don't really even like the 15.4" widescreen units due to their odd shape.
I really just don't LIKE the widescreen displays anyway. Too many applications don't look that good on them and you end up having to scroll like crazy to read through a document (either that or you have to put the screen in side by side mode which results in the text being too small to read comfortably).
Realistically speaking, 15.4" widescreen displays have less "effective" usable screen real-estate than standard 15" 4:3 ratio displays do. I'm just hoping that my current 15" SXGA+ laptop lasts a while, as I already can't even get a replacement (I can still get 1024x768 versions but the 1440x1080 has already gone the way of the dodo).
Exactly. I much prefer 4:3/standard/non-widescreen
I don't like widescreen displays, particularly on ultralight notebooks, either. Yeah, yeah, yeah, widescreen movies are 'better' and productivity geeks crow about how many more applications you can spread out on a big widescreen display, but I rarely watch movies on my laptop and those productivity geeks aren't 5 feet tall.
I'm short and have to walk with my computer a lot so I need a small laptop which in turn must have a small screen that can handle a lot of different things, especially long documents and web pages and tall images. Widescreen laptop displays are meant to be BIG. Widescreen doesn't just reframe screen real estate, it adds it. And with that you get more weight and bulk that a person like me has trouble lugging around.
Widescreen displays stop making sense once the machine shrinks down to a certain size. Trying to cram two Word documents next to each other on a 10 inch or 12 inch display, even if it is widescreen, is ludicrous. You have to scroll up and down more and everything is smaller than it otherwise would be on a 4:3 screen.
Further, I think the widescreen ultralight machines are downright ugly. They necessarily have a squat profile and they look so trendy in a bad way.
I'm sticking with 4:3 machines and I just hope laptop manufacturers don't forget that there will be a lot of other people with similar distaste for widescreen displays.
Just too big to be portable...plus I just don't LIKE widescreen.
Personally, a 20" laptop may be nice but it's just too blasted big to be convenient to carry around. I think the 17" unit's are too big now and don't really even like the 15.4" widescreen units due to their odd shape.
I really just don't LIKE the widescreen displays anyway. Too many applications don't look that good on them and you end up having to scroll like crazy to read through a document (either that or you have to put the screen in side by side mode which results in the text being too small to read comfortably).
Realistically speaking, 15.4" widescreen displays have less "effective" usable screen real-estate than standard 15" 4:3 ratio displays do. I'm just hoping that my current 15" SXGA+ laptop lasts a while, as I already can't even get a replacement (I can still get 1024x768 versions but the 1440x1080 has already gone the way of the dodo).
Exactly. I much prefer 4:3/standard/non-widescreen
I don't like widescreen displays, particularly on ultralight notebooks, either. Yeah, yeah, yeah, widescreen movies are 'better' and productivity geeks crow about how many more applications you can spread out on a big widescreen display, but I rarely watch movies on my laptop and those productivity geeks aren't 5 feet tall.
I'm short and have to walk with my computer a lot so I need a small laptop which in turn must have a small screen that can handle a lot of different things, especially long documents and web pages and tall images. Widescreen laptop displays are meant to be BIG. Widescreen doesn't just reframe screen real estate, it adds it. And with that you get more weight and bulk that a person like me has trouble lugging around.
Widescreen displays stop making sense once the machine shrinks down to a certain size. Trying to cram two Word documents next to each other on a 10 inch or 12 inch display, even if it is widescreen, is ludicrous. You have to scroll up and down more and everything is smaller than it otherwise would be on a 4:3 screen.
Further, I think the widescreen ultralight machines are downright ugly. They necessarily have a squat profile and they look so trendy in a bad way.
I'm sticking with 4:3 machines and I just hope laptop manufacturers don't forget that there will be a lot of other people with similar distaste for widescreen displays.
I was browsing through a local Best Buy the other day checking out monitors and there was nothing over 19 inch in the LCD section.
If they aren't going to carry any screen bigger than 19 inch in the monitors, I don't have much faith they will figure out that consumers want large screen laptops.
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MIT creates a simulation to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Spacewar. A relic of the early days of minicomputers, it was one of the first computer video games and set the stage for many others, including Asteroids.
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.
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://service.dell.com/dell/kb/tech_support/view_article/1,,6418+6914+19102,00.html#common" target="_newWindow">http://service.dell.com/dell/kb/tech_support/view_article/1,,6418+6914+19102,00.html#common</a>
i find the text size small but very readable, and it's great for photo editing.
mark d.
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://members.cox.net/mddoiron" target="_newWindow">http://members.cox.net/mddoiron</a>
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.
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://service.dell.com/dell/kb/tech_support/view_article/1,,6418+6914+19102,00.html#common" target="_newWindow">http://service.dell.com/dell/kb/tech_support/view_article/1,,6418+6914+19102,00.html#common</a>
i find the text size small but very readable, and it's great for photo editing.
mark d.
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://members.cox.net/mddoiron" target="_newWindow">http://members.cox.net/mddoiron</a>
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.
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.Remove-All-Spyware.com/" target="_newWindow">http://www.Remove-All-Spyware.com/</a>
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.
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.Remove-All-Spyware.com/" target="_newWindow">http://www.Remove-All-Spyware.com/</a>
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.
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.
I really just don't LIKE the widescreen displays anyway. Too many applications don't look that good on them and you end up having to scroll like crazy to read through a document (either that or you have to put the screen in side by side mode which results in the text being too small to read comfortably).
Realistically speaking, 15.4" widescreen displays have less "effective" usable screen real-estate than standard 15" 4:3 ratio displays do. I'm just hoping that my current 15" SXGA+ laptop lasts a while, as I already can't even get a replacement (I can still get 1024x768 versions but the 1440x1080 has already gone the way of the dodo).
I'm short and have to walk with my computer a lot so I need a small laptop which in turn must have a small screen that can handle a lot of different things, especially long documents and web pages and tall images. Widescreen laptop displays are meant to be BIG. Widescreen doesn't just reframe screen real estate, it adds it. And with that you get more weight and bulk that a person like me has trouble lugging around.
Widescreen displays stop making sense once the machine shrinks down to a certain size. Trying to cram two Word documents next to each other on a 10 inch or 12 inch display, even if it is widescreen, is ludicrous. You have to scroll up and down more and everything is smaller than it otherwise would be on a 4:3 screen.
Further, I think the widescreen ultralight machines are downright ugly. They necessarily have a squat profile and they look so trendy in a bad way.
I'm sticking with 4:3 machines and I just hope laptop manufacturers don't forget that there will be a lot of other people with similar distaste for widescreen displays.
I really just don't LIKE the widescreen displays anyway. Too many applications don't look that good on them and you end up having to scroll like crazy to read through a document (either that or you have to put the screen in side by side mode which results in the text being too small to read comfortably).
Realistically speaking, 15.4" widescreen displays have less "effective" usable screen real-estate than standard 15" 4:3 ratio displays do. I'm just hoping that my current 15" SXGA+ laptop lasts a while, as I already can't even get a replacement (I can still get 1024x768 versions but the 1440x1080 has already gone the way of the dodo).
I'm short and have to walk with my computer a lot so I need a small laptop which in turn must have a small screen that can handle a lot of different things, especially long documents and web pages and tall images. Widescreen laptop displays are meant to be BIG. Widescreen doesn't just reframe screen real estate, it adds it. And with that you get more weight and bulk that a person like me has trouble lugging around.
Widescreen displays stop making sense once the machine shrinks down to a certain size. Trying to cram two Word documents next to each other on a 10 inch or 12 inch display, even if it is widescreen, is ludicrous. You have to scroll up and down more and everything is smaller than it otherwise would be on a 4:3 screen.
Further, I think the widescreen ultralight machines are downright ugly. They necessarily have a squat profile and they look so trendy in a bad way.
I'm sticking with 4:3 machines and I just hope laptop manufacturers don't forget that there will be a lot of other people with similar distaste for widescreen displays.
If they aren't going to carry any screen bigger than 19 inch in the monitors, I don't have much faith they will figure out that consumers want large screen laptops.