Best laptops of 2012

[jes]

Best laptops of 2012


South Africa’s top tech experts select their best laptop for 2012, which include some famous names

 

[biometrics]

Can't take them too seriously as there is no Lenovo on the list.

 

[phiber]

3 votes macbook with retina display out of 5 and its not unanimous ?

 

[bullzeye.za]

Can't take them too seriously as there is no Lenovo on the list.

+1 - I just got my Lenovo y580 here in Singapore. Got the 1080p screen, upped it to 16GB of RAM, and replaced the DVD Drive with an OCZ 128GB SSD. Total cost: R13 000 ( Or half of the Macbook )

 

[louisek]

Interesting stuff. I am able to get a new laptop next year to replace my 6 year old Dell. We can't buy Apple though, so will consider those ones described. A 13" one like the Asus sounds just up my alley as its not too big to carry about

 

[RyanPCMR]

Gr8 selection but be a bit more realistic next time...

Great selection of ultrabooks (ASUS, Acer) and laptops (Apple), but just a small observation from a concerned SA tech enthusiast and user of these forums:
Three references to the panel of "experts" in this one article includes:

South Africa’s top tech experts

and

South Africa’s top tech gurus

and also

South Africa’s top technology journalists and gadget enthusiasts

I personally believe most of these people working in the SA tech industry have forgotten a long time ago about the one aspect that a top scoring product in every review should have and that is "affordability" or "value for money". Why is there always nobody from the one top selling technology magazine (among realists like myself) called "PCFormat" included in these panel of "experts", huh? Maybe it's time to bring some real experts into these panel of experts that has no specific bias to any specific company.

 

[louisek]

If your co says you have R20k to buy a laptop, then why bother about affordabilty? As long as I am not paying for gadgets I will never use, then I am quite happy. One laptop I looked at could take 2 SIM cards. Why would I need that?

 

[Tun@]

+1 - I just got my Lenovo y580 here in Singapore. Got the 1080p screen, upped it to 16GB of RAM, and replaced the DVD Drive with an OCZ 128GB SSD. Total cost: R13 000 ( Or half of the Macbook )

I also thought the Y580 would be on the list - maybe its more a business "best" laptop.... But then they got 3 Mac's in there so ......maybe the 2880x1800 is the drawcard.....Its Ctrl ++ for text even with x1080 on a 15" laptop screen

*Edit*
But then again its isn't actually 1080

While Apple's new Retina MacBook Pro includes a display measuring 2880x1800 pixels, the default display options do not allow users to run their systems at that raw resolution. Instead, the extra pixels are used to display a higher level of detail on a canvas representing the previous 1440x900 resolution. As a result, windows and user interface elements appear to be the same relative size as on a 1440x900 15" display, but with four times the detail. Users who wish to use a desktop with apparent resolution higher than 1440x900 can still do so, as System Preferences offers several different options ranging up to 1920x1200.

http://www.macrumors.com/2012/06/21/running-the-retina-macbook-pro-at-full-2880x1800-resolution/

 

[RyanPCMR]

Not every laptop user is workaholic...

If your co says you have R20k to buy a laptop, then why bother about affordabilty? As long as I am not paying for gadgets I will never use, then I am quite happy. One laptop I looked at could take 2 SIM cards. Why would I need that?

Actually I was referring to the article more in terms of the SA citizen who want to buy a laptop for their personal home use and not as a company workstation. I also have a company laptop that I never use for anything other than work but what is the point of recommending an extravagantly priced laptop to someone who wants to have a laptop just for their personal home usage and maybe the occasional gaming? Most of the ASUS ROG laptop series are way too expensive but is the preferred choice for gamers or people wanting desktop replacement laptops.

Home users (ordinary or power users) just want more affordable, "best value for money" alternatives because everywhere people (and wise companies) are always looking to save money on IT equipment but without sacrificing a lot on quality and reviews should be a very good suggestive nudge towards these alternatives.

 

[Ipwn 4]

*Edit*
But then again its isn't actually 1080p

1080 doesn't mean much, the magic number you are looking for is ppi(Pixels per inch), that's where the Mac book pro shines.

13" Macbook pro ruinning windows @ 2560x1600 gives you a pixel density of 232ppi
13" Notebook @ 1920x1080 gives you a pixel density of 170ppi(never heard of one)
15.6" @ 1920x1080 takes it down to 141ppi
and at 17" you only have 130ppi

Then there are HD TV's which give you around 40 ppi on a 55" screen. not really relavent as you are viewing them a larger distance so much less ppi is required.

 

[Sapphiron]

I thought the idea of a "best laptop of 2012" would be the laptop that is most likely to be all things to all people, or more realistically, the one that gets closest.

My main complaint with the ones selected is they all fall out of the bus on two crucial criteria.

1. Affordability
2. Flexibility

The macs loose out of the affordability side big time, especially since to get the necessary software flexibility out of them, you need to buy windows for it.

All 5 of them are ultra books with a severe lack of ports. You can add external ports, but that hits the affordability and convenience scores.

Here is one example of a decent attempt at an good all rounder.
Asus s56cm

http://www.asus.com/Notebooks/Superior_Mobility/S56CM/#overview

This article was about the laptops you would most like to receive as a gift.

 

[Tun@]

1080 doesn't mean much, the magic number you are looking for is ppi(Pixels per inch), that's where the Mac book pro shines.

13" Macbook pro ruinning windows @ 2560x1600 gives you a pixel density of 232ppi
13" Notebook @ 1920x1080 gives you a pixel density of 170ppi(never heard of one)
15.6" @ 1920x1080 takes it down to 141ppi
and at 17" you only have 130ppi

Then there are HD TV's which give you around 40 ppi on a 55" screen. not really relavent as you are viewing them a larger distance so much less ppi is required.

Ok - i guess it looks pretty nice, i just changed from a 1366x768 res laptop screen to a 1920x1080 one & it sure makes things more *i'm not sure what the word i'm looking for is* but its not unpleasant anyway.

 

[kingrob]

So glad ASUS is there.

My favorite hardware manufacturer.

 

[sajunky]

I agree with above comments. These 'experts' don't even read MyBB forum.

 

[Ipwn 4]

Ok - i guess it looks pretty nice, i just changed from a 1366x768 res laptop screen to a 1920x1080 one & it sure makes things more *i'm not sure what the word i'm looking for is* but its not unpleasant anyway.

Simple as that, its all about the user experience

 

[Ipwn 4]

I agree with above comments. These 'experts' don't even read MyBB forum.

They selected the best* based on their set of requirements. Each user has his own, some want ultra portability, some want a 17" desktop relacement and others want a 4k budget beater. This has been the year of the ultrbook and their choices reflect that.