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Due Next Year: Dell's 19-inch Laptop
WheelRunner writes "Engadget is running a story about Dell's new 19-inch laptop. Sadly, it's too late for the only lap that could hold it, Marlon Brando's." Maybe if Apple would put a keyboard-containing lid (and a briefcase-style handle) on the 20" iMac, a market for car-battery backpacks would emerge.
I don't think you'll see many road warriors adopting 19-inch laptops any time soon, but that's not the intended market.
This laptop is designed for people who need casual portability, like taking the machine home with you at night or on a weekend.
"I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey
I only hope they make a carrying case large enough to haul this monster around in.
A 19" laptop...a laptop computer that may violate the size requirements for aircraft carry-on luggage...not that's progress!
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~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey
Oy. How much is that beast of a machine going to weigh? The article calls it a "backbreaking monster." No kidding!
http://nerdfortress.com/
This recent development underscores the main problem with miniturazation...that while we can continue to make things smaller and smaller, their interfaces (input - keyboard/mouse, output - screen/speakers) must remain large enough to be useful, and the larger, the better. Even if you totally discount other problems like removable data storage, the main problem of user interfaces will continue to stand in the way of true miniaturization.
I'm wondering why we haven't seen a laptop marketed with a roll-up keyboard, fingertip mouse, and VR glasses? Freed of these constraints, the actual laptop could easily be made small enough to be wearable.
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~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey
Think about it, in the PC world of today people:
A laptop with a 19" would fit perfectly here. Remember, Dell isn't where it is because its dumb. It does its research, and if its coming up with a 19" laptop, its because there is a market for it. Don't be fooled, airplane junkies won't be using this kind of laptop, they'll want something ultra compact with a long battery life.
Depends on how you program-- the extra space can be filled quite easily with a man page.
I'm gettin' the Kaypro and Osborne out of the basement. They're obviously worth something again!
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But seriously, we're really getting back to "portable computers" and "laptops" again, as opposed to "notebook computers."
I guess the easiest way to shrink these things down again is to
1. swap the LCD for a projection device that displays onto your glasses.
I imagine we're not quite there yet -- unless you want to look like "Lawnmower Man."
2. Without that pesky monitor in the way, your nearly full-sized keyboard can fold in half for storage.
--- Dan
I really think we should all start to reject the diagonal as a way of measuring TV sets and monitors.
I don't know how many people I've seen who see an ad for a "40 inch widescreen" and say "wow, that must be HUGE," when in fact it's about the same height their old 32" 4:3 TV set, and most US TV broadcasts will be just about exactly the same size on it.
Diagonal measurment has always been an obfuscating tactic by TV and monitor makers, even before widescreen systems started showing up. I think "width x height" should always be given, so you can know exactly what you are buying without having to figure out square roots in your head.
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
For the sake of all that is held dear by geekdom, please stop complaining about how large it is. If it is too large for you, don't use it. For many people the size is just right. It slides right into place, and gets the job done better than a smaller one would. For some people, bigger is better.
If you can't accomodate the size, don't buy it. If it looks like handling it would be uncomfortable, don't try to force it to fit. You won't be happy with the results.
Some of us NEED something bigger to satisfy our needs. Those small 15 inchers just don't pass muster. Of course, it may not be appropriate to haul around out in public, but we don't care. It may not fit on the plane, so what. Somebody talked about not being able to use something this large in the hull of a tanker. That isn't the first place that comes to mind when I think of this gorgeous 19 inches of bliss. I think the office or home is more appropriate. I need 19" to meet my needs, so I would buy one. ;-)
Seriously, though, this is not meant as a traditional portable laptop. It is meant to take advantage of the burgeoning laptop market, by taking the relative advantages of a laptop on to the desktop. Think of people living in smaller homes, or people who move, by car, between a couple of locations, but need the screen real estate. I believe there is a market for this, and I will buy one, if the $$$$ is right.
I think there's a big market for these 'desktop replacement' machines in cities where the majority of people live in small apartments. Don't underestimate the clutter of connections, cables, powerstrips, and peripherals necessary for a desktop pc.
Also, you may not want to tote a 19 inch laptop on a plane, but you might drag it around the apartment or to the neighborhood starbucks.
Imposing Libertarian views on everyone online since 1992.