Types and Classes of Portable Computers
| As we saw in Chapter 1, "Portable Systems Background," over the years there have been several classes of portable computers, mainly defined by their form factor and/or size. This section examines the different classes and describes their distinctive features. The evolution of portables over the past 20 years shows a continual trend in miniaturization. While the general appearance of desktop computers has not substantially changed much since 1985, the portable computer industry has spawned several new classes of computers. In general, each new class is smaller than the previous one. The end result is that computers with as much power as full-sized desktop systems can now fit into handheld or notebook-sized portables. At least seven different categories of portable computers have appeared on the market. Today, while there are individual or niche market exceptions, only four main categories of PC-compatible portable computers remain popular:
In general, as new, smaller classes appear, the older and larger classes become extinct. The laptop/notebook category, however, has not been replaced by a smaller category and instead has proved so powerful and useful that it continues to be the most popular class by far in the portable computer industry. The power of laptops has increased so much that many users are using them to replace their desktops. In fact, sales of laptops in the United States have exceeded that of desktops during some months. Note that distinction between tablets and laptops/notebooks can be a fuzzy one. The options available on some systems cause particular models to ride the cusp of two categories. Specifically, a tablet computer with an optional keyboard could pass as a laptop. Likewise, a laptop with a flip-down touch-sensitive screen could be labeled a tablet. Laptops Versus NotebooksThe dividing line between what we might call a laptop or notebook system was always somewhat poorly defined, and in fact today the terms are completely synonymous. While the marketing departments in the computer manufacturers have overwhelmingly decided to call all of their laptops notebooks, most people continue to use the more readily understood term laptop instead. The definition of a laptop computer is fairly simple, a laptop is any portable computer featuring a clamshell design (where the screen and keyboard are hinged together), which is also small and light enough that it is capable of being used on one's lap. To that definition, most people would add the requirement that the system should be capable of running on internal batteries. The definition of a notebook computer is unfortunately much less clear. Originally, notebook computers were just that, computers the size of a paper notebook. In other words, they had to be about 8.5 inches wide by 11 inches tall. They also had a fixed display, which means the system did not feature a hinged clamshell design like a laptop. Eventually, the marketing departments of the various computer companies began using the term notebook to apply to notebook-sized laptops, meaning systems that incorporated the hinged clamshell design. Eventually, they began using the term notebook on systems that were larger than a true notebook, but having a weight below some arbitrary figure like six pounds. Finally, all size and weight distinctions were dropped, and the marketers simply began to use the term notebook to describe all of their laptops. Perhaps they thought that calling them notebooks was sexier than laptops and somehow implied that the systems were smaller and lighter than they really were? I found it interesting to note that the engineers and system designers continued to use the more accurate and descriptive term laptops to describe the very same systems that the marketers had started calling notebooks. Similarly, I found that most people (myself included) also continue to refer to these systems generically as laptops. In the end, remember that there are no official standards governing the use of these terms, and that they have now become completely interchangeable. For the sake of clarity and understanding, throughout this book I prefer to use the term laptop over notebook, even though the two terms have now become completely synonymous and interchangeable. In any case, today's laptops have become high-end machines, offering features and performance comparable to a desktop system. Compare that to the original generation of laptop systems, which normally didn't even have a hard drive. Indeed, many high-performance laptops are now being issued to users as their sole computer, even if their only form of travel is to go from home to the office and back. Active-matrix displays as large as 17 inches, up to 2GB or more RAM, and hard drives of up to 160GB or more in size are all but ubiquitous, with virtually all systems now carrying fast DVD+/-RW or CD-RW drives, onboard speakers, and connectivity options that enable the use of an external display, high-speed storage, and a surround sound systems. Most models now include wireless Wi-Fi network capabilities as standard equipment as well. Subnotebooks: The End of a Trend?The evolution of laptops has followed an interesting path. As the internal components of laptops continued to shrink in size, of course, so did the size of laptops themselves. Eventually, the sizes shrunk to a weight of less than 3 pounds, and thus a new category was bornthe subnotebook. But a small size meant a small keyboard and screen, which further meant that the subnotebook could be difficult to use. Despite some initial excitement for these systems, they failed to attract a significant following, and the category was soon abandoned. At long last, portable computers had become so small that some of them were now too small. Nevertheless, the idea of a highly portable laptop was too good to let die. As components continued to decrease in size, it soon became possible to design a laptop that was both lightweight and reasonably powerful. But instead of adopting the tainted name of subnotebook, these systems were now given the new name of ultralight, a category that will be discussed in more detail later in this chapter. The Many Types of Laptops/NotebooksAs laptops and notebook computers became increasingly popular, manufacturers began to segment the market. As with most products, one of the primary ways to segment the market was by price. Most manufacturers thus began offering three lines of laptops according to price: high-end, medium, and bargain-basement or value. Another way to segment the portable market was in terms of size and weight. In many cases, the smallest and lightest laptop was also the most expensive because it was using the latest components. But often users actually preferred heavier systems. In the past few years, an interesting reverse evolution began to occur. While some laptops became smaller, others took a much different course. As LCD display screens grew in size from 10.5 inches to 12.1, 14.1, 15, and even 17 inches and beyond, a class of laptops had to grow in size to accommodate them. But while the footprint of the laptops increased, their profile has remained relatively thinusually 1.5 inches or less. Most users don't seem to mind because a large, thin laptop is much easier to stuff into a briefcase than a small, thick one. Today, most manufacturers segment the market into up to five classes: desktop replacement/gaming laptops, mainstream laptops, value laptops, thin & light laptops, and ultralight laptops. Some might combine the mainstream and value systems into a single category, or likewise combine the thin & light and ultralight into a single category as well. A small group of companies specialize in an additional class: ruggedized laptops. Table 2.1 compares the basic dimensions and costs associated with the most popular types of laptops.
Table 2.2 list the typical processors, maximum memory, and maximum hard drive capacities found in the various types of laptops.
The various laptop form factors are described in more detail in the following sections. Note that these designations can be somewhat vague, and the marketing departments in most companies like to come up with their own terms for what they think a particular system might conform to. Desktop ReplacementsDesktop replacements are the heavy-weight division of the laptop family. Laptops of this class are very similar in size and weight to the original laptops. They typically weigh between 7 and 12 pounds or more and are usually large enough to accommodate the largest laptop displays available, now 1517 inches measured diagonally. As the name implies, the desktop-replacement system is designed to have most of the power and features of a typical desktop computer. This eliminates the need for a user to have both a desktop and portable, which saves quite a bit of money. These laptops generally have two or three data-storage drives: A large hard drive and an optical drive of some type (usually a DVD drive or a combination DVD/CD-RW drive) are usually included as standard; plus in some cases an optional third drive bay might be available as well. Because all these drives employ rotating storage media, they are frequently referred to as spindles. Thus, most desktop replacement laptops have historically been referred to as two- or three-spindle systems. Note, however, that because of the decreasing use of floppy disks, many vendors are no longer bundling floppy drives as standard equipment and only offer them as $50 external USB attached options. This, combined with the emphasis on reducing size, weight, and power consumption, has also caused virtually all three-spindle designs to be discontinued. As such, most modern desktop-replacement laptops are now two-spindle designs, with the second drive contained in a swappable media bay with optional optical drives or hard drive carriers available to plug in. Desktop-replacement laptops either come standard with top-of-the-line components or have them available as options. This means the fastest mobile processors, the largest amounts of memory and hard drive storage, and the best mobile video accelerators. Table 2.2 shows how the components in these laptops compare with those in other categories. These systems generally de-emphasize battery life and power-conserving technology in favor of desktop type processors and video components, making them more suitable for gaming and multimedia applications. Many desktop replacements are being positioned in the market as gaming or multimedia systems suitable for delivering presentations on the road. Because of their greater weight, these laptops leave the desk only in the company of salespeople and other travelers who absolutely require the features they provide. To use them as a desktop replacement, you can equip many laptops with a docking station (or a less expensive port replicator) that functions as the user's "home base," enabling connection to a network and the use of a full-size monitor and keyboard. For someone who travels frequently, this arrangement often works better than separate desktop and portable systems, on which data must continually be kept in sync. All this power does not come cheap. The desktop-replacement laptops are typically among the most expensive laptops available. Prices now range from $1,000 to $4,000 or more. An equivalent desktop can often be purchased for half this amount, but keep in mind that desktop prices do not usually include a large flat-panel display. Mainstream LaptopsPeople who buy large numbers of laptops are interested in the best combination of functionality and price. As with the thin & light laptops, the componentry of a mainstream laptop does not have to be of the latest and greatest vintage, but neither does the laptop have to be very light. The main goal is low price. The laptops have to be relatively powerful, but any component that is not absolutely essential is left out. To cut costs, mainstream laptops use average-size displays (today, 14 or 15 inches in diagonal), lower capacity hard drives, and include an average amount of RAM. Floppy drives have universally been eliminated from virtually all modern laptops; however, most manufacturers enable users to attach (and optionally boot from) an external USB floppy drive if necessary. Mainstream laptops are midway in size and weight between the thin & light and desktop-replacement laptops. Prices can range from $1,000 to $2,500 or more. Because they are two-spindle systems and do not need space for a large display, these laptops can be significantly smaller and lighter than the desktop-replacement systems. Value LaptopsValue laptops are designed to appeal to people who require only a minimum level of performance. These laptops are designed to sell at low prices. To create their value line, some manufacturers simply take a variation of their existing mainstream laptops and configure them only with the most affordable components available. Some value laptops are stripped-down models with only the barest minimum of components. Value systems may be two generations behind the high-end laptops when it comes to performance and features. For example, it is quite common for value laptops to use Intel Celeron or AMD Sempron processors, which sacrifice performance for price when compared to higher powered CPUs. Nevertheless, the absolute decrease in functionality between successive generations of processors and other features is actually quite small. Although low-cost processors may have clock speeds only half that of the latest generation of CPUs, the actual performance difference may be substantially smaller. As the name implies, these laptops can represent a good value for the customer. Value systems generally use chipsets with integrated graphics, which also shares some of the main memory for graphics use. Also, these laptops are invariably equipped with the smallest hard drives availablethese days, 40GB, with larger drives as an optional upgrade. They also generally use the slowest 4200 rpm drives, which causes significantly longer boot and hibernation/resume times as well as slower operation reading and writing files in general. Some may include wireless networking as standard equipment, but the lowest cost models may offer wireless as an extra cost upgrade. Value systems generally include 14- or 15-inch displays, and prices range from $500 to $1,500 or more. Thin & Light LaptopsMany users do not need to carry the equivalent of a desktop around with them. They especially do not want to carry around something that weighs close to 10 pounds. For these users, manufacturers have come up with the thin & light class of laptops, which attempts to combine an optimum amount of portability and functionality. As the name suggests, this category of laptops keeps a low profile, generally about an inch in height. Likewise, its weight is relatively low, typically around 5 pounds. Despite the low weight, these laptops can pack a considerable amount of power and incorporate numerous features. The processor is usually one generation removed from the fastest available, but this penalizes performance by only a small amount. The available memory and hard drive capacity are similarly reduced but still highly capable. Also, to fit into a 1-inch profile, these laptops require the thinnest available optical drives. Therefore, the latest and greatest combination rewritable drives may not be an option. Note that portability is not cheap. Though the thin & light laptops do not use the fastest components, the highly compact components they do use are no bargain either. Expect to pay about $1,500$3,000, a bit less than for the desktop-replacement laptops. Displays for these systems are typically 12 inches diagonal. UltralightsSometimes it seems you cannot keep a good idea down. The original lightweight laptopscalled subnotebooksnever caught on with the public, and by the late 1990s most manufacturers had abandoned this segment. There was always, however, a group of highly mobile workers who needed the lightest functional laptop possible. Fortunately, by the turn of the century, mobile technology had caught up with them. With the advent of tiny 1.8-inch hard disk drives, laptop designers could now design a highly functional laptop that weighed less than 3 or 4 pounds. Floppies were now completely unnecessary because most input and output was done via a network or USB connection. Even CD-ROM drives were less crucial. Large program or data files could be easily downloaded over a local network or USB connection. The only problem with this category of lightweight laptops was its name. The term subnotebook had negative connotations as an inferior technology. Thus was born the ultralight category. The typical ultralight weighs no more than 3 or 4 pounds and is generally no larger than 8.5x11 inches in size. The most desirable characteristicparticularly among executivesis thinness. Laptop designers continually try to shave millimeters off the profile of these devices to get them as close as possible to measuring under an inch. One weak point of ultralights is battery endurance. To keep the weight down, designers of these laptops employ the smallest possible batteries. This can offer significant weight savings because batteries are typically the heaviest component in the system. The smaller battery is partially offset by the decreased power requirements of the smaller components in these laptops, but in general ultralights are hampered with notably short battery lives, sometimes barely more than an hour. Because the accent is on size and weight, the internal components are generally two generations behind the leading edge in terms of performance and capacity. Processor clock speeds are typically around 1.5GHz or less. Hard drives are generally no larger than about 60GB. As with value laptops, the components may not be the latest and greatest but are generally good enough to handle most jobs. The most crucial compromises of these products, however, are not buried inside but plainly visible on the external surfaces. The keyboards are often shrunk by 9095%. And screens are no larger than 12.1 inchesthe smallest generally available for laptops. On the back panel, the lack of real estate often forces designers to jettison all but two or three of the most necessary connectors. Some manufacturers achieve a good compromise with portability by combining the ultralight with a slab containing those components that are not needed very often. For example, the ThinkPad X-series uses a detachable module (or slice) that fits under the main system to carry CD-ROM or DVD drives and floppy drives. In most types of products, devices become more inexpensive as they get smaller. But the situation is often the opposite in complex electronic gear, where prices often increase as the size gets smaller. Some ultralights are intended (and priced) as high-end executive jewelry, such as for the executive who uses the system for little else but email and scheduling but who wants a lightweight, elegant, and impressive-looking system. Ultralights range in price from under $1,000 to around $3,000, depending on features. Ruggedized LaptopsLaptop computers are normally designed for relatively genteel environments: an office desk, an airline tray table, and maybe a hotel coffee table. Many workers, however, need computing power in the outside world, a place where even the most delicate electronic equipment may be caked with sand, rained on, and dropped repeatedly. For that reason, a small number of manufacturers have specialized in creating ruggedized laptops. These devices are built to withstand varying degrees of stress. Almost all rugged laptops can handle drops well. Their delicate internal components, such as their hard drives, are shock-mounted to avoid damage. The outside case of the laptop may be reinforced by magnesium and have a rubber-like outside skin. Rugged laptops vary in the degree to which they are waterproof. Most will withstand significant amounts of rainfall. Some are completely waterproof and can be safely dropped into a pool or even salt water. Inside these computers, you can easily see that the emphasis has been placed on durability instead of performance. Most components are two generations old. On the outside, ruggedness can sometimes interfere with usability. A waterproof keyboard is not as easy to use as a regular one. Note also that for true ruggedness, all the many connectors on a laptop must be securely covered with waterproof rubber plugs. Connecting and disconnecting these plugs can be tiresome. Although rugged laptops use older, less powerful components, you would never know this by looking at the price. These units are typically the most expensive laptops on the market, often costing twice as much as a desktop-replacement system. Still, for many companies, the cost is well worth it. They would rather buy a single rugged laptop than a more delicate system that has to be replaced three times because of damage. TabletsIn some applications, a keyboard is either unnecessary or a hindrance. For that reason, manufacturers have repeatedly offered tablet-style computers. These systems are like laptops without the keyboard. The top panel of the device consists solely of a large LCD panel. Except for a few buttons accompanying the screen, all input is accomplished via a stylus on a touch-sensitive panel that covers the tablet's screen. A number of tablet systems appeared on the market with much fanfare in the early 1990s, but none of them caught on with the public. Nevertheless, a handful of companies, such as Fujitsu, have continued to quietly offer tablets in the intervening years. In the fall of 2002, Microsoft launched a new initiative for tablets with a special version of its Windows operating system, dubbed Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. This operating system differs from the regular version of Windows XP in that it enables users to manipulate the Windows interface with a stylus and to enter text using handwriting. Microsoft claimed that these new tablets would offer enhanced usability and would be better able to read the user's handwriting than previous attempts. Several companies, such as Acer, HP, and Gateway, are offering tablets that can use this operating system. Most of these devices are really hybrid notebook/tablets. The basic design looks like a notebook, except that the screen can be rotated and closed down on the keyboard, thus hiding it during tablet use. A typical tablet is represented by the ThinkPad X-Series Tablet. At first the system looks like a small, 4-pound ultralight laptop with a 12.1-inch color display. Inside is a special low-voltage version of the Pentium M processor complemented with 512MB1.5GB of DDR2 SDRAM and a 4060GB hard drive. The main difference between this system and a standard laptop is that this system includes a touch-sensitive display that can be twisted around and then folded back to cover the keyboard, at which time the included stylus can be used for input. The starting price is about $1,900. Most Tablet PCs have the advantage that they can be used either as a tablet or an ultralight notebook. Other systems are permanently in tablet form, these are sometimes called slates. Despite having been on the market for a couple of years now, it is still too early to say how successful these devices will be. Their prices generally fall into the range of $1,000$3,000, and they compete primarily with the thin & light laptops for market share. Handhelds/PalmtopsThe rarest category (at least outside of Japan these days) is the handheld or palmtop PC. Not to be confused with the PDAs (such as the Palm and Handspring series) or the PocketPC, these handheld mini-laptop computers are true PC compatibles even though they are hardly larger than a paperback book. The most famous handheld is the Toshiba Libretto. (For more information on the Libretto, see Chapter 1.) Palmtops such as the Libretto offer a standard layout of keys, but with small keys spaced much more closely together than with a standard keyboard. As such, these systems are very difficult to use for extensive typing, but for simple field work, email, or Internet accessor anything that doesn't require a lot of data entrythey are incredibly useful. PDAsPDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) are another form of small computer often associated with PC compatible laptops. There are currently three main types of Personal Digital Assistants, differing primarily on the operating system on which they are based:
While these systems can be used with PCs, none of them are PC compatible, and as such are not intended to be covered in this book. Palm OSbased PDAs are meant to be used more as laptop accessories rather than laptop replacements. In their initial incarnation, Palm systems were designed only for simple management of personal information, data such as might be found in an address book or a daily calendar. The Palm's strongest feature was its easy communication with a laptop or desktop, allowing the user to quickly back up and update the data on the PDA. As the power of tiny PDA processors has increased and wireless communication has become more commonplace, the new generations of Palms are tackling more communications tasks, such as email and cellular voice communication. Windows CE devices always had more ambitious designs. In their original form, they looked and acted like handheld computers, featuring a keyboard and simple computer-style applications such as word processing. For a short time, manufacturers even offered so-called "Jupiter" handhelds that were as large as ultralight laptops. Because they were not PC compatible, however, these tiny systems could not run the thousands of Windows programs on the market and had to wait for Windows CE applications to be developed. Because of this lack of software, Windows CE devices eventually evolved into a form factor that was similar to the Palm systems but could handle more applications. In 2003, Microsoft updated its PDA operating system and rechristened it Windows Mobile. These systems continue to have processors that are more powerful than Palm PDAs. The Linux/Java-based PDAs are primarily embodied by the Sharp Zaurus models. They are sort of a combination of Palm and Windows Mobile devices, usually including a tiny keyboard, standard PDA software, as well as the ability to handle email, web browsing, and media playing. In general, PDAs are viewed more as laptop accessories than laptop replacements. A small but growing number of people, however, are using PDAs as highly mobile email terminals, the advantage being that they can sometimes leave their heavier laptops home. |
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