Laptops in 2011
The laptop market took a bit of a knock this year. The sudden popularity of netbooks and smartbooks – ultra-portable PCs – was already biting into the laptop market in late 2009 but the emergence of tablet PCs such as the iPad added to the laptop doldrums in 2010.
For users that still want mobility but prefer a more full-featured mobile device than a tablet, the laptop market has much on offer for 2011. If you’re looking to buy a laptop there a number of features worth considering before putting down your hard earned cash.
Input options
Trackpads, webcams and touchscreens are set to be the input devices of choice in the coming years. Apple has already given users a feel for multi-touch devices with its iPad and iPod devices. Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system has touch capabilities built-in and other operating system makers such as Ubuntu Linux have been working on touch interfaces over the past year. So expect to see a greater number of touch-enabled devices in the coming year.
Webcam input is something else that could be expected in the next couple if years. Most makers have been experimenting with methods of putting webcams to work so it’s worth making sure that a laptop you buy now has the necessary webcams to take advantage of these down the line.
Blu-Ray
Towards the end of 2009 the battle over high definition multimedia formats reached a conclusion and Blu-Ray is now the acknowledged winner. That doesn’t mean you’re going to be immediately able to buy a laptop with a Blu-Ray player, but they will become more readily available in the coming year. Most laptop makers including Sony, Acer and Samsung already have Blu-Ray equipped machines on the market, though they are still a little pricey. For most users, standard DVD will be the default for the coming year but if you have the money and you’re looking to buy a laptop in 2011, it’s worth considering one with Blu-Ray.
Small picture
Netbooks with their tiny screens took the wind out of large-screen laptops during 2009 and the tablet PC continued this trend in 2010. While many tablet PCs are starting to feature the minute 7-inch screens that make them barely bigger than a mobile phone, the real sweet spot for laptop users is around 12 to 13 inches. Anything smaller than 10 inches makes it significantly harder to do any real work. Unless you’re looking for a full desktop replacement laptop, or you’re a gamer, then the 13 inch screen is a good mix of size and portability.
Also worth watching in 2011 will be the ongoing rise of OLED (organic light emitting diode) screens which offer better quality, thinner displays while conserving power. Crucially, OLED screens don’t require a backlight to work, which conserves energy and yet can offer a much higher contrast ratio than LCD screens. Again, not every laptop out there will be equipped with OLED yet, but it’s worth watching out for.
Laptops in 2011 << Comments and views
Loading ...