How Windows 8 will shake up the laptop market

Starting October 26, laptop shoppers will be inundated with a flood of new PCs designed around Microsoft's new operating system. In fact, I've counted about 50 new laptops, tablets, hybrids, convertibles, and all-in-ones on my back-of-the-envelope list already.

A handful of these have already been announced, a healthy chunk will be announced early in October, and the rest will simply go on sale on October 26, alongside Windows 8.

Having seen a good number of these upcoming systems in person already, I can safely outline three big trendlines that will drive laptop and related device sales through the Windows 8 launch season and into 2013. If you're looking to buy a laptop anytime soon, keep these in mind as you dig through the dozens of upcoming new choices.

Here's what you need to know ahead of time.

Read more at source:
How Windows 8 will shake up the laptop market | Reviews - Laptops - CNET Reviews

 

[jimbo45]

I'm tapping this post out with my touch screen phone. I'm the opposite, I hate, hate, hate using physical keyboards on phones as I have to focus on hitting every letter correctly and therefore I'm slower. On a touch screen, I just fly.

Now, touch keyboards on tablets on the other hand suck hardcore for me. They usually aren't laid out like tradition keyboards but more like phone keyboards so they're basically not ergonoically correct.




pparks, have you every thought of using a stylus? Much more accurate than fingering.

Hi there
under any sort of measurement whatsoever typing on a traditional keyboard beats any sort of handwriting whether using an electronic stylus or "Classical Pen and Paper".

(Older "Text-ese" users might be able to "two thumb" enter text at a prodigious rate via a touch screen but those of us who never subscribed to the "Devil makes work for Idle thumbs" idea and aren't therefore used to "texting" in short hand will invariably find a classical keyboard far faster and more convenient for text entry).

On a smartphone a stylus might be OK but the newer smartphones like the Galaxy III s has a decent size screen - and even if you have hands the size of shovels you can still enter text via the touch screen. I HATE touch screens on computers however.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[TheGrantFitz]

I'm hoping for the Surface Pro, and I'd like to purchase it.
RT will be like burning all other programs Windows has ever made. Laptops will die off, while PC's will almost be the main piece of the market, verses the tablet industry.

 

[Coke Robot]

I'm tapping this post out with my touch screen phone. I'm the opposite, I hate, hate, hate using physical keyboards on phones as I have to focus on hitting every letter correctly and therefore I'm slower. On a touch screen, I just fly.

Now, touch keyboards on tablets on the other hand suck hardcore for me. They usually aren't laid out like tradition keyboards but more like phone keyboards so they're basically not ergonoically correct.




pparks, have you every thought of using a stylus? Much more accurate than fingering.

Hi there
under any sort of measurement whatsoever typing on a traditional keyboard beats any sort of handwriting whether using an electronic stylus or "Classical Pen and Paper".

(Older "Text-ese" users might be able to "two thumb" enter text at a prodigious rate via a touch screen but those of us who never subscribed to the "Devil makes work for Idle thumbs" idea and aren't therefore used to "texting" in short hand will invariably find a classical keyboard far faster and more convenient for text entry).

On a smartphone a stylus might be OK but the newer smartphones like the Galaxy III s has a decent size screen - and even if you have hands the size of shovels you can still enter text via the touch screen. I HATE touch screens on computers however.

Cheers
jimbo

I'm not really talking about using a stylus for text input whatsoever, I suggest using a stylus for navigating around, if one wants to use a stylus for text input, one can.

I find touch is awesome for the PC all over, but a stylus I find would be best in general for navigating especially when you need precise input.

 

[Dellius]

I would love to see you edit tables in Excel, Word, or any other application without a real mouse. Even laptop users carry mobile mice in their bags with them, even though laptops have always had their own version of the mouse with them for ages.

And at what point in my post did I even mention not using a mouse? As a matter of fact I clearly state plugging in a keyboard and mouse.

Alright, so, according to you, the "touch experience" should go like this.

1. Buy a tablet.
2. Attach a keyboard and a mouse.
3. Use the tablet.

Where does "touch" fit into this picture ? You are basically ending up with an underpowered laptop, with a limited selection of apps, and a much smaller screen, which supports touch but you must still use a keyboard and mouse to get work done.

Nice deal right there.

 

[R0bR]

I would love to see you edit tables in Excel, Word, or any other application without a real mouse. Even laptop users carry mobile mice in their bags with them, even though laptops have always had their own version of the mouse with them for ages.

And at what point in my post did I even mention not using a mouse? As a matter of fact I clearly state plugging in a keyboard and mouse.

Alright, so, according to you, the "touch experience" should go like this.

1. Buy a tablet.
2. Attach a keyboard and a mouse.
3. Use the tablet.

Where does "touch" fit into this picture ? You are basically ending up with an underpowered laptop, with a limited selection of apps, and a much smaller screen, which supports touch but you must still use a keyboard and mouse to get work done.

Nice deal right there.

Who's talking about touch? Seriously, do you actually read the posts? We're talking about how hybrids can be used just like a regular laptops.

 

[Tepid]

I would love to see you edit tables in Excel, Word, or any other application without a real mouse. Even laptop users carry mobile mice in their bags with them, even though laptops have always had their own version of the mouse with them for ages.

And at what point in my post did I even mention not using a mouse? As a matter of fact I clearly state plugging in a keyboard and mouse.

Alright, so, according to you, the "touch experience" should go like this.

1. Buy a tablet.
2. Attach a keyboard and a mouse.
3. Use the tablet.

Where does "touch" fit into this picture ? You are basically ending up with an underpowered laptop, with a limited selection of apps, and a much smaller screen, which supports touch but you must still use a keyboard and mouse to get work done.

Nice deal right there.

Dellius, you are completely missing the point.

Tablets will not be just tablets, they will be Hydrids and Convertables....

Hybrids are going to change everything. Ipads and androids will either change or be left behind.
This is a fact in the real business world that is not going to go away.

Why are business people buying iPads?

For the most part, for business apps and email, more email than anything (why these people shell out 6 to 900$ for a tablet that they can only get email on is truly beyond me). Trust me, I know.

When most of these people are properly shown a proper Win8 Pro Hybrid/Convertible Tablet, all bets will be off for iPad and Android tablets.

Not only that, but traditional Laptops will start reducing rapidly. They will still exist for a while, but they won't be a first choice for business much longer. in a time of 2 years, mark this statement. IF win8 gets a fair shake, Laptops will be all but gone.

And, larger Screen sizes will become available. They won't stay that small forever, they will exist side by side, as the public will ask for and buy larger tablets, just like they do with laptops.

 

[pparks1]

People buy ipads partially due to fact they are a status symbol. They buy it for accessories and to have one the popular "in" devices. Finally, they buy them for the apps and some of these apps are exclusives and have more fit and polish.

 

[Tepid]

We will know more come December-March. More so in about February.
Then the real numbers will be about July and August.
And then again Next Christmas will be the most telling.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
if you use one of those brilliant 11.1 inch POWER laptops (not too many of these around -- but these are far far better than any form of 10 inch tablet, not much bigger or even heavier) with an i5 / I7 processor, USB3 slots, 8 GB RAM, decent 1366 * 768 screen resolution (with Intel graphics and proper HDMI output for full HD) then who needs to even THINK about a tablet.

The form factor of these is insignificantly different from a 10 inch tablet ==very slightly fatter of course --but only "very so slightly"

If you reduce the CPU to say an I3 --still a perfectly adequate processor for most tasks you can get an ACER V5-171 for LESS than the price of the SAMSUNG tablet -- and IMO a much much better buy too. - Around 400 USD for one of these great machines.

People who say the laptop market is dead really don't understand that some users will ALWAYS (or at least for the foreseeable future) need a traditional computer.

I think the boot is on the other foot -- Smartphones will get "Smarter" and TABLETS will go the way of the DODO. Laptops are just too useful and now with the "Ultrabook" type of format these are just as portable and light as a decent size tablet --and much more versatile too -- and CHEAPER !!! in some cases.

For travelling the 15 / 17 inch mega size screen laptops will die I agree -- but not the small ones.


Those who are talking about "Hybrids" obviously recognize the fact but trying to "Cludge" an underpowered (and ususally over priced device) to work like a laptop that you would actually be better off with --A LAPTOP. !!!

 

[skallal]

Okay Jimbo I checked out the specs of the Acer. But my Samsung slate has an SSD. But the Acer has a regular hard drive. Meh!

 

[theveterans]

Those who are talking about "Hybrids" obviously recognize the fact but trying to "Cludge" an underpowered (and ususally over priced device) to work like a laptop that you would actually be better off with --A LAPTOP. !!!

I wouldn't say that the "hybrid" is underpowered. For most hybrid tablet oriented tasks like web browsing, flash games, Metro app games, word processing, running old programs or video calling a modern ULV x86 CPU like the one Surface Pro will have (not Atom) will be more than enough to run all these programs simultaneously. I highly doubt that anyone would buy a hybrid for serious tasks like HD video rendering or resource demanding games. Hybrid tablet's productivity far outweighs any tablet with ARM processor. And with the upcoming release of Haswell and subsequent architectures plus more efficient GPU, we can soon have enough processing power to play demanding games from 2009 or later straight from the ultraslim hybrid tablet.