Notebook/laptop/tablet Pc Buying Guide *updated 2011*

[orangeman]

Manufacturers will be trying to launch a Retina display spin-off so color quality is likely not on top of their list right now. 

If the panel manufacturers pumped out a 14-inch IPS screen, it would be a hard upgrade to sell at $150-200. Possibly low yields, little demand, and higher production costs overall passed onto the small customer base. 

[_siku_]

I don't know much about laptop so uhm my question is what's the difference between IBM Lenovo think pad and ideapad?

I need a small laptop/netbook for school, mainly taking notes, surfing the Internet and YouTube, no gaming so I don't need a good graphic card. I was looking at Lenovo ones, but do you guys have other recommendations? My budget is about $500 and under and I'm looking at about 2GB + for memory.

Thanks!!

[orangeman]

Thinkpad is the legacy business line. I believe Ideapad was a homegrown product of Lenovo launched after they bought the Thinkpad brand from IBM.

For under $500, I suggest an iPad (or an Android tablet as some may prefer). Same basic performance as a low-end laptop but more convenient. You won't find a better screen or battery life for that price and size.

[Guest Luuuri.]

Are tablets really worth the price? Sure, they are light, small and easy to carry around but with the keyboard and other docks, most of them cost more than $500 and I think that's really pricy considering that tablets don't have as many features as laptops. Also, I think that the average screen size is too small for a person that will probably spend a few hours writing papers.

I have a lot of papers and seminars, so PowerPoint and Word are a must. For my degree Excel is also essential.

[orangeman]

And what features are lost? A large but pitiful screen? A keyboard that anchors itself to the machine? A replaceable second battery just to last the afternoon? You're not receptive to tablets as indicated by your skeptical stance several years after their introduction and it's not my job to persuade or determine what you value. 

http://shawnblanc.ne...04/ipad-laptop/

http://technologizer...orite-computer/

http://davidchartier...top-shawn-blanc

http://www.macstorie...iting-workflow/

There are many more opinions on life in the "post-PC" era, something no one is actively fearing sans manufacturers who can't profit from their cheap mediocre products. 

[Guest Kerriganton]

And what features are lost? A large but pitiful screen? A keyboard that anchors itself to the machine? A replaceable second battery just to last the afternoon? You're not receptive to tablets as indicated by your skeptical stance several years after their introduction and it's not my job to persuade or determine what you value. 

http://shawnblanc.ne...04/ipad-laptop/

http://technologizer...orite-computer/

http://davidchartier...top-shawn-blanc

http://www.macstorie...iting-workflow/

There are many more opinions on life in the "post-PC" era, something no one is actively fearing sans manufacturers who can't profit from their cheap mediocre products. 

An iPad would not be ideal for typing out large number of notes because of its on screen keyboard.

[_siku_]

^I think it depends on the user. In one of my class where it's purely taking notes from the powerpoint slide, I see this girl types 15 pages on her iPad easily. At the same time, another girl bought a keyboard dock and used it along with her iPad. 

Whereas my boyfriend can't type fast enough on his iPad, he types much faster on laptop. 

And thanks Orangeman! =D

[orangeman]

People use touchscreen phones with those small virtual keyboards and don't have complaints. I fail to see how a larger virtual keyboard on a larger screen would be worse for productivity. 

I doubt the keyboard, physical or virtual, is a natural inclination for anyone but we adapt to tools used on a daily basis. 

[Godotology]

For me personally, I haven't gotten used to the iPad's onscreen keyboard after two months of use.

I think its not necessarily the lack of physical feedback but a combination of that and the smaller/cramp nature of the keyboard being limited to the size of the iPad's screen. Also don't find myself productive on those keyboard case combos as the keys are too small. Still using it though until a bluetooth 4.0 keyboard is available.. when will that happen? who knows.. I'm surprised no one's made one yet.

[Guest Kerriganton]

For me personally, I haven't gotten used to the iPad's onscreen keyboard after two months of use.

I think its not necessarily the lack of physical feedback but a combination of that and the smaller/cramp nature of the keyboard being limited to the size of the iPad's screen.  Also don't find myself productive on those keyboard case combos as the keys are too small.  Still using it though until a bluetooth 4.0 keyboard is available.. when will that happen? who knows..  I'm surprised no one's made one yet.

This

Good explanation why iPAD keyboard is a no no for most people for typing out large numbers of notes/documents/essays etc..,

ergonomic wise, I find it bad for the wrist to type on an onscreen keyboard for a large keyboard of time. 

[orangeman]

For me personally, I haven't gotten used to the iPad's onscreen keyboard after two months of use.

I think its not necessarily the lack of physical feedback but a combination of that and the smaller/cramp nature of the keyboard being limited to the size of the iPad's screen.  Also don't find myself productive on those keyboard case combos as the keys are too small.  Still using it though until a bluetooth 4.0 keyboard is available.. when will that happen? who knows..  I'm surprised no one's made one yet.

If daily needs require a lot of typing, the virtual keyboard has problems. If one has larger fingers, it is also an annoying issue to get the right keys hit. I've been trying one for the past few days and find it hard to hit the right button or link without zooming in. But for normal browsing and media use, the whole setup is fairly enjoyable. Speed is fine for the occasional text box input, even a brief journal entry.

I need a new laptop first but if that was not the issue, I would buy and carry the iPad (or some other tablet) instead. For my courses, I'd be thinking of new ways to take notes or else I'd just bring a pencil and paper to class.

[Guest Kerriganton]

If daily needs require a lot of typing, the virtual keyboard has problems. If one has larger fingers, it is also an annoying issue to get the right keys hit. I've been trying one for the past few days and find it hard to hit the right button or link without zooming in. But for normal browsing and media use, the whole setup is fairly enjoyable. Speed is fine for the occasional text box input, even a brief journal entry.

I need a new laptop first but if that was not the issue, I would buy and carry the iPad (or some other tablet) instead. For my courses, I'd be thinking of new ways to take notes or else I'd just bring a pencil and paper to class.

The person who asked for a tablet or a notebook stated that he/she will be typing a lot of papers.

Therefore a laptop would be more ideal because of its hardware keyboard.

[_siku_]

The person who asked for a tablet or a notebook stated that he/she will be typing a lot of papers.

Therefore a laptop would be more ideal because of its hardware keyboard.

I was the one who asked for a tablet or notebook. I'm probably gonna get a notebook now because most of my courses involve projects with drawings, diagrams etc. But honestly, if my courses were purely note with words with no math, drawings involved, I would just get an iPad, because I CAN type easily on iPad. The other day, I tried to type notes in my class on my bf's ipad, and I can do it with no problem, while my bf can't do it. So yea, I really think it's up to an user.. there are other pros and cons with iPad and notebook, but that's just my personal preference. 

[orangeman]

For drawings, the burden of an external mouse or pen tablet for the laptop is an issue to not overlook. Ease also comes into question because everyone I know doing illustration work buys a Wacom or similar product to draw -- or they use paper and pencil.

It's easy to say what the iPad cannot do but there are many things it can (and does) do better. Just depends on how receptive people are to a new way of interacting with data and information. The original iPhone was mocked for a lack of a real keyboard and look at the market of today -- the previous leader in mobile ergonomics is now dead last. There are many issues I can call out on any device but that would be missing the hidden value that something has to offer. I'm not here to persuade or change opinions; couldn't care less what someone chooses to use in their life but to discount a viable alternative by citing the loss of tradition is backwards thinking.

[Guest Kerriganton]

I was the one who asked for a tablet or notebook. I'm probably gonna get a notebook now because most of my courses involve projects with drawings, diagrams etc. But honestly, if my courses were purely note with words with no math, drawings involved, I would just get an iPad, because I CAN type easily on iPad. The other day, I tried to type notes in my class on my bf's ipad, and I can do it with no problem, while my bf can't do it. So yea, I really think it's up to an user.. there are other pros and cons with iPad and notebook, but that's just my personal preference. 

I was talking about this person

Are tablets really worth the price? Sure, they are light, small and easy to carry around but with the keyboard and other docks, most of them cost more than $500 and I think that's really pricy considering that tablets don't have as many features as laptops. Also, I think that the average screen size is too small for a person that will probably spend a few hours writing papers.

I have a lot of papers and seminars, so PowerPoint and Word are a must. For my degree Excel is also essential.

For drawings, the burden of an external mouse or pen tablet for the laptop is an issue to not overlook. Ease also comes into question because everyone I know doing illustration work buys a Wacom or similar product to draw -- or they use paper and pencil.

It's easy to say what the iPad cannot do but there are many things it can (and does) do better. Just depends on how receptive people are to a new way of interacting with data and information. The original iPhone was mocked for a lack of a real keyboard and look at the market of today -- the previous leader in mobile ergonomics is now dead last. There are many issues I can call out on any device but that would be missing the hidden value that something has to offer. I'm not here to persuade or change opinions; couldn't care less what someone chooses to use in their life but to discount a viable alternative by citing the loss of tradition is backwards thinking.

Do you think the Ipad 3 is worth the money? The only think I really noticed is the quad core GPU, The retina display, and the newer camera. 

Also it is a tad bit heavier.

In your opinion, do you think one should opt for the previous gen iPAD  or get the iPAD3? Are the features worth the extra money.

[orangeman]

I read someone's blog post mentioning the slightly lighter and longer lasting iPad 2 being a more pleasant experience than the newest model. At the end of the day, battery life is most important and a dead device is no good. According to various tech sites, if you get one of those testbed models with a smaller CPU, the 2 supposedly lasts even longer (up to 29%).

The screen shouldn't be that noticeable especially in this transition period when images aren't all over 2000x1500 pixels (different than the iPhone Retina when most sites are able to serve a 960x640 picture with relative ease). It is akin to the HD era when early adopters had to upscale DVDs to 1080p and suffer the grains and blur. At a certain distance, our eyes can't resolve the extra tiny pixels.

Saying that, we're only about 2.5 months after release and this Retina display has too much potential to skip over for the small price difference. No one else has a similar product on the market and for first-time buyers, why not enjoy the latest technology? Someone like my parents could be content with the older model but I find it hard to believe a young person would prefer the older model without buyer's remorse hitting right after the card swipe.

[Guest]

Manufacturers will be trying to launch a Retina display spin-off so color quality is likely not on top of their list right now. 

If the panel manufacturers pumped out a 14-inch IPS screen, it would be a hard upgrade to sell at $150-200. Possibly low yields, little demand, and higher production costs overall passed onto the small customer base. 

[orangeman]

My support for the Retina display would be the increased sharpness that comes from higher density pixels at existing resolutions, not the super-tiny desktops on the full resolution (2880x1880 on the newest Macbook Pro). Crisp text is something most consumers can appreciate.
High resolution is a trivial buying factor for most people. They don't have a need to cram multiple windows in one screen as a false sense of multitasking or busyness. Color accuracy matters for a select portion of the population and even then, they most likely will choose a better stand-alone monitor in the workflow. Try working with large prints or images on these tiny 11-13" screens and you'd want something physically bigger pronto.
If crucial components can't be standard across the product line, then hold off on it. Transparent pricing is not offering a boatload of options and creating inferior and far superior versions of the same product. 

[Guest]

I don't deem being able to view 2 Word documents or web pages side by side on a laptop without the pixelation that occurs during zooming to be trivial or "a false sense of multitasking...." but your point on transparent pricing is well taken as is the need for color accuracy when working with images. Obviously, a pro photographer, digital artist, etc will opt to use a calibrated pro grade monitor for this type of work as most laptops, including those with premium displays generally are not up to snuff especially in terms of full coverage of color space.

My point is that while other components of a notebook such as memory & storage have gotten cheaper & better over recent years -- it appears the display hasn't or has even regressed in some areas. No way that my 6 yr old Macbook Pro or 5 yr old Sony Vaio (all panels manufactured by the same OEMs like AUO/LG/Chi Mei) should subjectively have a better screen than most of the models I see on display at the big box stores!

[orangeman]

Some people like to run at 1920x1080 and cram four windows in tiny, most likely size 8 font or smaller. It doesn't make anyone much more efficient to squint at the screen and wearing glasses doesn't make the scenario better.  Technology moves backwards when it does more harm than good. I sit pretty close to my laptop, within two feet, and moving back already makes it hard for me to type accurately without visual assistance -- and my laptop is only 1280x800 on a 12" panel. I generally increase font size in the browser. 
As prices lower, there isn't much reason for people to spend more on things they aren't likely to perceive or understand. If you sell by the numbers, most won't grasp it; they look at a screen and either see something too small or strangely large and screwy. The display is harder for the average consumer to notice unless they have seen better but then the bargain hunter will always buy the cheap stuff. There's also the benefits of mass manufacturing, probably cutting the same television panels to make laptop screens and whatnot. 
A lot of things can be done but is everyone able to afford say a new high-end machine every 2 years? The wealthy don't give a crap about price but what about the less fortunate, the budgeted and the person who wants something inexpensive? Upgrades are optional but until they're standardized, the problems don't resolve themselves. So unless a manufacturer can standardize across the board without increasing prices, then they should wait.