The end of the road for IBM Laptops?

[systemBuilder]

I am struck at all the mixed blessings available in IBM laptops these days. For example, you can get a big bright 15" SXGA+ screen but it ghosts and it seriously damages portability and airplane operability and eats almost 50% more power than the regular 14" screen.

If you want more battery power again you can get a 9-cell battery but then again the portability - especially on airplanes - may go down.

There is a new series of 7200 RPM drives that has been introduced but many of them had noise problems and in the end result they are only 10% faster than the 5400 RPM drives because the 5400's have a higher recording density.

IBM offer no less than 4 different choices in graphics in their high end models but the performance is mediocre and all within about 10% of each other in 3D benchmarks so who cares?

IBM's latest T43 series has lots of performance enhancing features but in the end the series comes up short being less than 10% better than the equivalent T42 models.

A new fingerprinter reader has been created but the chance of false positive is 0.5%, who would want to compromise the security of their laptop to such a high extent? In view of its level of security guarantee, the fingerprint reader sounds like a huge gimmick to me.

Is it just IBM.Lenovo or are we reaching a plateau at the end of the line in being able to improve laptops? Granted the thinkpads were almost perfect to begin with, but IBM/Lenovo seems to be struggling pretty hard to make really very minor changes that don't affect the world very much ...

[jdhurst]

I always go with the smallest footprint I can, consistent with function. That has meant a 14-inch screen for me.

I have had a couple of 7200-rpm drives and they are quiet and cool. I never tried a high density (large) 5400-rpm drive, but my 7200-rpm drive is much faster and smoother than the 5400-rpm I replaced.

I live with the 6 cell battery and it works for me - I don't take long flights. But I use my laptop on trains, in the car and other places without ready power and it fills the bill.

I don't care about games and photos, so the standard resolution with clear type works for me.

So what I have is all I need just now and it is very portable and useable (4.9 pound T41). ... JD Hurst

[stgreek]

Is it just IBM.Lenovo or are we reaching a plateau at the end of the line in being able to improve laptops? Granted the thinkpads were almost perfect to begin with, but IBM/Lenovo seems to be struggling pretty hard to make really very minor changes that don't affect the world very much ...

The fact that a laptop can these days outperform a desktop, while keeping the huge advantage of portability means that we have rather reached a plateau for desktop technology, than laptop one. Desktop Pentium-M and SFF, anyone?

[plucky duck]

I've personally have no problems with noise with the 7200rpm drives. No random clicking noises. The Thinkpad fan is on low constantly and I'm not bothered by it. The clicks on the keyboard and the buzz from the flourescent light drowns it out I guess. Even if it's on full blast it doesn't bother me the slightest.

14" SXGA+ is fine for me. People complain about brightness, but I use it in an indoor setting so it's not an issue with me. I've previously had a Dell Inspiron 8100 with a 15" SXGA+ screen and downsizing was not an issue as well. I welcome the smaller lighter form factor, especially seeing pictures of the physical size difference of a 15" Thinkpad.

The 9-cell does not intrude on any extra space than a 6-cell does. If anything they are a good handle holder for the laptop. I always handle mine thru the battery. Good grip. On a plane? No issues there either. Unless you're flying coach though, even a the physical size of a 14" laptop is hard to use on a flight. If you travel a lot on planes, the X-series would fit the bill nicely.

No experience with fingerprinter. Never will be a deciding factor for me. If it's there, nice. if not oh well. If your computer is mission critical you won't solely rely on the fingerprinter anyhow.

Laptops used to lag behind desktops for a good year in technology. Now in certain areas they are on par. We've already experienced significant improvements in laptop technology. What else comes down the pipeline is icing on the cake. We've reached a plateau somewhat and people are comfortable with what a laptop offers and what they're willing to pay for one.

What further improvements are you looking for?

Next time I buy a laptop I'd like the choice of choosing my own operating system. Along with bigger, faster everything else

[brainpicker]

The fact that a laptop can these days outperform a desktop, while keeping the huge advantage of portability means that we have rather reached a plateau for desktop technology, than laptop one.

I couldn't have said it better, nor could I agree more! I've replaced our desktops with laptops all through the house. I can pick one up and move it when the need arrises, and for all but "gamers" any current (or in most cases several years old) Thinkpad meets the needs of most users. If I were a gamer I would not consider a Thinkpad, but there are any number of specialized laptops out there that could easily meet my needs. But as long as a Thinkpad meets my needs and continues to be the best built and best backed laptop on the market I will own one (or in my case, several).

So I fully agree with stgreek that it is the desktop that is having a hard time keeping ahead of the laptop, which can do everything a desktop can do at this point, and at a cost that isn't the difference it used to be before LCD screens were the desktop norm. The days of computers taking over "areas" of my home is over!

Yak

[plucky duck]

Desktops will one day be seen as huge chunky BetaVHS

[Navck]

I'm a generalized user on my T43
I play games if I want
I go on the internet, wired or wireless
I can take my laptop around

Now say that to the other current generation 8-12 pound "laptops" that are ment for gaming. They also got their happy 45 minutes (Or 25 if you look at the Pentium 4-M modules) of unwired battery operation. Their batterys are more of UPSes to them

[sethstorm]

-12 pound "laptops" that are ment for gaming. They also got their happy 45 minutes (Or 25 if you look at the Pentium 4-M modules) of unwired battery operation. Their batterys are more of UPSes to them

Reminds me of my A31p, except it has the possibility of 1-2 hour runtime (P4-M 1.7, I might add) and a way smaller footprint than an XPS.

Now if Lenovo brought the A series back in some way or another (read: high performance graphics/high res video, dual media/battery bay + battery bay, pcmcia/expresscard in 2 slot form + firewire, all on a P-M), I'd plonk down 3-4k for it easy. I might make an exception to the "Remove the Lenovo markings, and I'll look the other way when I buy it" policy I have if I buy from them again.

[AlphaKilo470]

I don't think anyones hit the end of the line yet but yes, we are starting to see a slowdown in laptops but we've seen that happen on occasion from the get go. However, I do see Moores law having less and less effect by the day, in all computer markets.

I think the current laptop slump has been inspired by the desktop slowdown we started to see a couple of years ago. I'm guessing around 2002 or 2003 is when we could say the desktops started to slow down in advancement and since laptops are almost always sless powerful than desktops, the 2 or 3 years we've had since was enough time for the laptop market to catch up to the desktop market.

I think the chip makers are finally seeing their limit with sillicon and will either need to find a new technology and substrate and/or find other components to improve and add extre emphasis to before computers can start advancing at the rate in which they were from the late 80's up until the early 2000's, when Moore's law still seemed to operate without exception.

[eigh]

Desktops will one day be seen as huge chunky BetaVHS

i disagree. while desktops and notebooks will always have better and better technology, desktops will never be an old clunky out dated design. with a desktop, you dont have to worry about heat/power consumption/size as much. in a laptop, it all has to fit in there and live off of a battery (for some time at least).

right now you can buy dual core cpu's for desktops. can i buy and have a dual core notebook sitting in my lap in a week? a month?


besides, you can build a desktop from all different parts. notebooks are bought assembled and you can possibly swap out a few parts (hd, ram, wifi cards, in some cases cpu's).




in all of the years we have had the automobile around, are people thought to be crazy if they build their own? i believe we have several tv shows on the discovery channel (in the us) about building cars and motor cycles from scratch.



while i dont like the size, and lack of "super portability" of my desktop, there are still too many advantages for it to be thrown aside.


(i dont mean to keep going but hell, look at hardware costs. two weeks ago i purchased a 250gb seagate drive for 110$, look at the cost of a SLOWER 120gb notebook hard drive:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822146231

if it was a 250gb drive, it would be over 3 times the cost of the desktop hard drive. now try to tell me desktops will be obselete any time soon.)

[BigWarpGuy]

The newer desktops - some of them anyway - look like a dissembled notebook computer; flat panel screens, and a small computer box (some have the computer box as part of the flat panel screen). The desktop has the advantage of a regular size keyboard).

As notebook/laptop computers have gotten smaller, so have desktops. Of course not all notebook/laptop computers are small but neither are all desktops (some are still big).

[eigh]

ya big warp guy, i agree to an extent that desktops are getting closer to notebooks, and notebooks to desktops. however, the desktop doesnt always have the restraints of heat, power consumption, and space. therefore, there will always be a super efficent (notebook) part and a cheaper bigger (desktop) part.

[Navck]

Dell's new "19 inch laptop"
7800GTX's in SLI
12 usb ports/6 firewire

I don't want that thing to be on me. Thats a small form factor system at smallest size with a UPS

[AlphaKilo470]

19"? I'm wondering what'll be next? Might as well get a desktop with a screen that big, I know I'd never want to haul that thing around.