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Blurring the Line Between Laptops and Desktops

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the large-smallness dept.

bart_scriv writes "BusinessWeek looks at the latest offerings in ultra-portable PCs, offering up some specs and pictures. Some of the highlinghts: removeable 19-20 inch LCD dispays, dual NVIDIA cards and customizable exteriors. On the downside, some of these machines weigh almost 20 pounds and all of them sport a pretty high price tag — they probably won't be replacing desktops or laptops anytime soon."

4 of 176 comments (clear)

  1. Well by Moby+Cock · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The worst of both worlds. Big and heavy, thus hard to move around. Performance hit and battery life woes too!

  2. Depends on the use by FiveDollarYoBet · · Score: 5, Insightful
    I think it depends on the use of the laptop. I just got a new rig with a 17" screen and while it does weigh in at 9lbs. it fits my usage. I needed a good machine that I could stare at for long periods but once a month or so I could toss it in the car and go on-site. People just need to realize that these aren't for the salesman who spends 340+ days a year on the road and they're not for the data entry temp's cube.

    Of course knowing that didn't stop me from cursing about how heavy my bag was while lugging it around the subway on the way to the clients!

  3. The Market for This? by nko321 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How many people here are looking for a 15+ lb. machine to replace their desktop priced at $2000+ USD?

    Okay, now how many people are looking for a sub-5 lb. machine in a laptop form factor that can run basic productivity software with excellent battery life priced at less than $800 USD?

    Why are there so few options for the latter scenario? And an even better question: why are there so many options for the former scenario!?

  4. Re:weigh 20 punds? by NanoGator · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "That's not a portable! My laptop is heavy at 8lbs and it sucks to carry around with all of the gadgets and gizmos. Heck... even my SFF is lighter than 20 pounds."

    It's a lot more portable than the case, kb, mouse, monitor, and speakers I have attached to it. Gotta put it into perspective. Some people read 'portable' as "I don't mind flying across the country with it", and some read it as "I can fold it up and take it to the office".

    --
    "Derp de derp."