Let's discuss the consumer laptop market
What trends are you guys noticing?
What machines do you find interesting/want?
Do you think the traditional laptop form factor is here to stay?
>Displays
FHD displays are showing up at lower prices. For example, ASUS is currently selling a "Vivobook", which is a 14 inch FHD laptop with 4gb ram and roughly twice the performance of N2840. I own a N2840 machine and it is sufficient for light use, the Vivobook is definitely a product I would buy. Acer has a gorgeous 14" chromebook with the same hardware (it's just like when we saw the HP Stream's N2840/2GB DDR3/32GB EEMC in everything) for $300. It claims a 12 hour battery life. You can install *nix natively. I would suggest this thing to anyone I know who isn't good with computers. They get roughly 3100 in Geekbench 3, compared to the ~5000 of the t420/2520m. I would consider that a good "deal".
>Gaming
We're seeing major GPU efficiency increases with 14nm lithography and I feel that this is going to be huge in the laptop market over the next year. Only HP has a 7th gen AMD computer for sale, a FX 9800p, because it seems Apple has bought all of the chips. This is a good sign. We may finally get to the point where a moderately priced, portable, laptop can play current gen games at console levels. Strong APUs able to play online games like CS:Go LoL and WoW will be very popular as these are the games that the most people spend the most time in.
FINALLY e-GPUs are catching on. They really are the best solution for mobile gaming. I have never appreciated Small FFs until I took my full tower with me all over the fucking country last year. With CPUs being as strong as they are, any decent laptop will be able to play AAA titles with an egpu. This will also hopefully drive OEMs to include faster I/O ports on entry priced machines. At this point it's just waiting for a reasonably priced one to hit the market, they're relatively simple as far as hardware goes.
>Input
Unfortunately it seems chicklet keys are here to stay for the foreseeable future. It would be nice to see some OEMs go back to decent keyboards but the general consumer doesn't want it/care. Same issue we saw with 1366x768 and optical med$
>CPU
There has been evidence of ARM based Macs coming found in xcode. This is going to open up all sorts of interesting form factors. I know here on /g/ we value practicality and price/pref over all but it's nice to have a toy like a 2-1 or so$
>>55049596
Just build your own. You can do that now. I have a Y510p and it is really nice, it is dated but it still holds up pretty damn well.
I've noticed there's a steep decline in performance increase with new generations
My 6-year old Acer Aspire (which I bought for £400) still has above-budget specs, and even has a dedicated GPU. A modern £400 laptop should be shitting on it, but instead we're getting silly shit like "2-in-1" solutions where companies are trying to sell tablets at laptop prices, cloud storage as an unironic alternative to large HDDs, this weird "2GB is enough RAM for Windows 10", this "1366x768 is enough for everyday use" nonsense, and no dedicated GPU as a sacrifice to thinness.
>>55049661
Well like I said in op
>ASUS Vivobook $399
>3000 geekbench 3
>T420 $160
>5000 geekbench 3
What is comes down to is the implementation of caching in Sandy Bridge has kept Intel ahead for this long. Now that the patent is expiring Zen is more or less a clone of the current Intel architecture, so the reasonable response from Intel would be to release whatever they have REALLY been working on since 2011.
It is crazy to think about this shit. A Sandy Bridge vs current gen - no big deal. Sandy Bridge vs 10 year old CPUs - big deal. The desktop I got in 2003 was almost useless a few years later...
No consumers care about extra perf these days. They have no real reason to, the only thing that it would afford them is extra bloatware. Consumer performance usecases have plateaued.
It means that old laptops still hold up fine, but people still want to upgrade for better battery life. I know I do.
Is it just me or are the ThinkPad lower end models going to complete shit?
>>55049596
There is also the new CPU that i think intel made that does not require a fan making the laptop thinner. Thinner on a laptop is retarted as it will bend and break easier. 15.6 is still the best size for a laptop anything larger is counter productive. I can see the USB C taking over and going into all laptops in the future. Gaming laptops aren't really that nessecary but are handy to have and have gotten pretty damn powerful with every year.
>>55049816
Owned by the chinks so do the math there guy.
>>55049827
I hate typing on phones.
>>55049661
> I've noticed there's a steep decline in performance increase with new generations
Actually there is an actual decline in laptop performance with many laptops sold since last year being powered by some undervolted Skylake CPUs.
>>55049827
>thinner on a laptop is retarted
So much this. I'm a closet macfag that doesn't own any apple products but loves their computer design. Naturally, I was very excited to finally have a chance to see Apple's current line up in person. The new MacBooks are literally flimsy. They feel like they're going to fall apart. Absolute shit hinges. I feel that the HP Stream 13 that I own is the ideal thickness at .8 inches
>>55049596
I want a laptop with long battery life, no webcam/mic, and able to run photoshop while playing music and browsing internet. Weight isn't super important but it should be durable.
I dont know much about laptops though. I have no idea what kind I'm going to buy next.
>>55049598
>There has been evidence of ARM based Macs
No there hasn't. Why are people so interested in taking speculation as gospel?
>>55049598
>This is going to open up all sorts of interesting form factors
Also you're retarded for believing an ISA is going to somehow change the design of laptops.
>>55050007
>no webcam/mic
All laptops have tham as standard. If you don't want one you will then have to take it out.
>>55050007
Cover webcam and mic if need be.
Used, I would go to /tpg/
New I would go
>$350 - Asus F555LA-AB31
>$400 - Vivobook
Best options are here
>$500 -
>Traditional Acer Aspire E 15, HP 15-ay011nr, Acer Aspire E 15 E5-574G-52QU
>$800 Dell Inspiron i7559-763BLK
>>55050036
Well Core M did so I just assumed. I do think ARM laptops will look significantly different
I'm only interested in the second hand market of laptops. I wait for it to get sub 100 to sub 200 and buy. Using a T60 now and don't plan to upgrade till there is a really amazing machine out there for under 100 dollars. I don't play games or consume a lot of video media.
But the trend seems to be putting in IPS screens, smaller laptops, and thinner. I don't really care for thin because I felt one of the zenbooks at a local shop and it was way too thin for me. I feel it'd break if it'd feel compared to my thinkpad.
The only thing I wish for is a battery that last longer than 2 hours. 3-4 hours is a sweet spot for me.
Still rocking a Surface Pro 2, damn thing is a tank. That being said I've liked the look of some of the Surface clones out there, especially the one from Asus.
>>55050113
Recently I've read about laptops being shipped with spyware already installed. Is that something I should worry about?
I'll look into the ones you listed. Thinkpads interest me because I write a lot and the keyboards are supposed to be comfy.
>>55050125
>Well Core M did so I just assumed.
The fuck are you talking about? No, it didn't.
>I do think ARM laptops will look significantly different
Because you are retarded.
>>55050380
New MacBook/Zenbook vs first gen ultrabook
>>55050423
Form factor identical. Unless you think making it thinner changes the form factor.
>>55049596
>Do you think the traditional laptop form factor is here to stay?
no, i hope we see more devices similar to surface book for a much cheaper price
dell xps 13 and carbon x1 thinkpad are pretty good tho
not really sure what i think about gaming laptops, their only problem in portability, they heavy af
>>55050215
>The only thing I wish for is a battery that last longer than 2 hours. 3-4 hours is a sweet spot for me.
You need a new laptop if that is what you are getting. You can also underclock stuff to extend your battery.
>>55050486
>no, i hope we see more devices similar to surface book
Fuck that, touch screens are shit.
>Laptops that only have windows 10 drivers
>>55050502
>>55050486
I always hated the idea of a touch screen but I spent maybe an hour playing with the Surface Book and Pro 4 at Best Buy and by the end I was using the touch screen a fair bit. It's just as easy to click something on the screen as it is to move your pointer finger down to the touch pad and move the cursor to whatever.
ps it's so fucking gorgeous i wish i could afford one
>>55051222
>ps it's so fucking gorgeous
I'm not usually one to say something like this, but if the keys were black it would be nearly indistinguishable from a MacBook without knowing what to look for.
>>55050502
touch screen is gr8
>>55051271
>360 hinge
>removable display with dGPU in key board
>pen
>different aspect ratio
>indistinguishable from a MacBook
>>55049596
not really impressed with current portables at all desu, every time I look at a replacement for my existing systems I leave disappointed
everything on the consumer end is either a gamer-tier abomination or some uninspired macbook ripoff with someone else's ugly logo on it, it's like they don't even try to take an ounce of pride in their work anymore
it's also pathetic that consumers and "enthusiasts" alike are ready and willing to practically take it up the ass in the name of meaningless millimeters of thickness and other superficial "improvement" because "I didn't need those ports anyway! losing functionality is progress you stupid luddite!"
maybe it would feel different if the numbers were really compelling, but they're not, really the only reason I would consider going out and buying a new shitbook would be for vastly improved battery life, but I'm quite content with my 2011-era shit even in that arena
>>55051372
To a layman, not to an obsessed NEET on gookboard
>>55051372
>implying normalfags are examining the hinge closely
>implying anyone would notice the detachable display until someone actually detaches it
>implying normalfags wouldn't just think it was a pen clipped to a shitty MB case
>implying normalfags are analyizing the aspect ratio
>implying the entire design language; the shitty "premium" aluminum, the big ass black bezel, the single-button touchpad, the fucking minimal white logo on the back, even the goddamn dimple in front of the touch pad is not blatantly imitating Apple's successful MacBook aesthetic
laptops are just as expensive as they were 10 years ago but with shittier specs. they're totally taking advantage of the plebs. how else could Microsoft have the audacity to release the utter abortion of an os that is windows10?
>>55049596
>Let's discuss the consumer laptop market
OK.
It was shit, is shit, and will stay shit.
Business laptops is where its at!
Sadly, for those, its
It was great, is mediocre, and will become shit.
>>55052990
>displays
Utterly shit. 16:9 is the worst idea ever, for anything under 20". Thanks to that shit aspect ratio, and the fact that no software is produced for widescreen displays and the fact that humans are better at reading vertically oriendted documents, the smallest screen size you can get any work done on, is 14" which, is way too big to carry around by itself, and thanks to
>bezels
it is even more huge.
It is fucking 2016. Why do I have to suffer with bezels bigger as my thumb, when early 2000's laptops where available with sub pinky size bezels? Also, the fact that the top and bottom bezel are always even bigger does not help. If you must use a 15" 16:10 lid, at least use a fucking 16:10 15" screen, instead of stuffing in a 14" 16:9 screen. So now here I am, carrying around a 15" behemoth, with 14" screen, to get the working space I had on a 12" screen. But thankfully, not all is lost, at least it is
>thin
, and I do admit, that is, to some amount, a nice thing, that I have a machine that fits into a manila envelope, wheights less than 2kg and runs for 8t hours. However, if I lift it at one corner, and the whole machine bends, that does not bode well for the longevity. Why not add fucking 3mm or something to it, to make it more stable? It even does this when it is closed, since the display does not really close shut, thanks to
>no display hooks
Why? That is so retarded. If I close my laptop, I want it to stay closed. And if you invest more than just 1RMB into R&D and production, you can even build those in a way that does not break off. Apple figured it out, with hooks that hide, and get pulled out by magnest (abandoned). HP figured it out, by using hooks that are more like rounded buttons (abondoned). IBM figured it out by putting their clamshell above it (abondoned) and probably a few more.
>>55053076
And btw, that clamshell is the best idea ever! Solves all display stability issues! You can make the bezels smaller, without sacrificing any stability, and best of all:
You need to round the corner of the palm rest, in order to accomodate the clamshell, which means your laptop is comfy to use, and does not try to cut your fucking wrist.
Other stuff:
>hinges
Stupid fucking drop hinge cancer!
At least lenovo figured that one out. Now I can have stupid drop hinges, and still fold flat. However, those fucking hinges are loose like a 70 year old hookers vagina. Its a fucking >ultramobile computer. I use that shitty thing in planes and trains, and every time there is some slight vibration, my display starts shaking like a fucking teenager at a linking park concert. Fuck, even rage typing (as happening now) makes my display behave like the folks in a Korn video clip.
>keyboard
Fucking chicklets and fucking 6 row keyboards. Also, fuck defaulting the fn keys to whatever shit the manufacturers put in random spots. I dont even know what half of the symbols on my keyboard mean.
>trackpads
Why is it, that apple is still the only one, that knows how to build one? And why does every other fucking manufacturer insinst on building a buttonless one, even though they clearly havent figured it out how to do the fucking drivers for those?
>>55053076
>tfw my 15 year old TiBook has a larger screen (physically) than my T420 but the same footprint.
Bezels are fucktarded. "lel it protects the display faget!" Find another fucking way, maybe epoxy some tennis balls to the corners if you drop your shit so much.
>>55051963
This anon said it all.
I'm looking to replace my 2012 rMBP but there has been no progress in apple laptops in 4 fucking years.
Tell me /g/, if I really like OSX, would it be a good idea to get a good PC and somehow emulate it ?
I like that windows laptop are beginning to be more aesthetic like XPS 15.
I see mobile workstation like zbook g3 becoming very powerful and decent battery with skylake, and even becoming thin like the precision 5510, which looks exactly like an XPS 15.
On the subject of clicky keyboards coming to laptop - Asus is planning on releasing one to be the second laptop manufacturer to include one after MSI with the gt80.
Also look the new alienware line isn't terribly ugly anymore either, from the same Dell too using the same carbon fibre material as the XPS.
>>55053155
Or don't buy anything at all and just keep what you've got?
Battery replacements on rMBP are $199 at Apple if it's starting to go bad.
>>55053311
Yep, the XPS 13 is the best laptop ever made. You'd be absolutely retarded to buy anything else.
>>55053337
Meh XPS 13 looks flimsy while you can get decent power out of the 14" form factor XPS 15
At the moment the market seems split between the ultra budget and the premium. The midrange is fairly sparse these days, and to be honest most of the people who would buy midrange Laptops are probably buying iPads since thats more or less in the mid range laptop area in terms of price.
I'm in love with my ThinkPad E130.
>inb4 >E Series
It's basically a rebranded old x121e. I just think it's basically perfect, very nice size, one of the few ThinkPads to actually have a nice touchpad with clit, it's all round just very cute.
Obviously the only downside I see is the resolution.
Why don't Lenovo invest any effort into making a good cute 12" machine anymore? The closest thing to the 4 year old E130 is some educational tier underpowered shit.
>>55053337
I might get one when the coil whine issue is resloved. Its a good looking machine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mHppKbrXes
>>55052037
I own a Surface Book. I've had a few people come up to me to ask what laptop I have because of the strange hinge on it. It's a very good marketing point for a piece of hardware, something that looks unique.
