Lightloch's Domain

Year 2009 has been an interesting time for trends in laptops and smaller portable computers. Going for smaller size seems to be the most popular pursuit at the moment, especially with the mass pumpage of tiny, low-cost netbooks into the market after ASUS’s success with its vast ”EEE” line of netbooks. Also, some more or less normal-sized laptops are even sacrificing optical drives to achieve better performance in a smaller package (mostly in the 12″ to 14″ range), though this is something I personally dislike. Dell/Alienware manages to cover all bases, with laptops ranging from 10″ all the way to hulking 17″ desktop-replacement beasts (namely the Alienware M17x).

To me a netbook makes a lot of sense for most people’s situations. I would say that the vast majority of everyday computer users probably just want to be able to send e-mail, browse the net, listen to music and even a little bit of basic work. A netbook can basically do most of this just fine despite its naturally more limited hardware and smaller size, though if one wishes to use any sort of optical disc (CD, DVD, etc.), an external drive must be used. Battery life and prices are getting better and better in this genre, and we will surely see many great features added to these miniature windows into the cyber world during the years to come. The tiny size can get old though in some applications, so probably the ones who benefit most from netbooks are those constantly on the move who need to perform basic tasks.

Most traditional laptops fall into the 13″-16″ range of screen/form size. Essentially portable and infinitely useful, a solid mid-size laptop can do almost anything that needs to be accomplished on-the-go. The only time this size suffers is with huge tasks such as professional video editing or high-end gaming (although there are some notable exceptions in this regard, as Alienware and other performance PC builders have shown). As far as I am concerned, an optical drive is essential for this form factor, because there really isn’t a huge excuse for not including one just to gain a little bit more RAM or what not. If I am going to carry around a 15″ piece of hardware, I might as well be able to use it to watch a movie on the plane without external equipment.

Desktop replacements in the 17″-21″ range are a rarer beast, but are certainly nicer than having to use up all of that desk space for a separate monitor, keyboard, and box. Hardcore laptop users might have a larger external screen and even keyboard to use when desk-bound, but these are unecessary luxuries for most. These machines are typically thick and cumbersome, which lends them to be most useful at home on the desk, except for the occasional excursion. The flexibility and potential for serious hardware power in this size is most attractive to power users.

Specific models:

In October Alienware announced its new M15x and M17x laptop models, which both offer serious power in relatively mobile solutions. I must say though that I am somewhat disappointed with the newest M15x and its move toward a large, more bulky format, but supposedly its build quality and reliability are improved from its previous and slightly smaller iteration, the m15x.

I am in the market for a solid 15-ish” laptop, but I am inclined to wait for the introduction of USB3 (hopefully early in 2010) so as to get the most future-proofing for the buck.