Why 1" laptops?

[NWAMacTech]

Is this a joke? No kidding they are more expensive. I wouldn't say they are non-existent. They are in every computer store. If they are so useless, why did Apple keep them in other product lines? It seems to me a useless product would be totally removed.

I could see Apple thinking: Hmmm....the DL drives don't fit. The non-DL drives do. Since they are not used as much let's leave them out of this revision and hopefully we can added them again in the near future.

No its not a joke, the drives are the same size its i agree with the other poster that says DL is just a transition media. Also i dont know about every computer store, circuit city here has none and best buy has just a few packs.

 

[matperk]

Aren't there lots of DVD movies that are DL? So I have a hard time seeing DL as a transitional format.

Actually, almost every DVD is dl -- the difference is that commercial dvds are pressed instead of burned.

I wasn't saying that DL technology itself was transitional, because it's great for DVD movies. I meant that consumer blank DL discs are transitional.

 

[mkrishnan]

I wasn't saying that DL technology itself was transitional, because it's great for DVD movies. I meant that consumer blank DL discs are transitional.

I gotcha now. That makes more sense. Thanks!

 

[Peyton]

I don't care about DL I care about Blueray! As for those of you who wish for a bulkier system... I just don't know. Seems crazy to me but I'm sure many comp companies will keep shelves full of clunkers just for people who want such things. I for one wouldn't mind if Apple came out with half inch notebooks... or thinner.

Like the saying goes, you can never be too rich or too thin.

too expensive or too thin in Apple's case. And yeah, I would pay just about anything for it.

 

[dmetzcher]

Why not?

They're definitely a lot more attractive than those 2-4 inch Windows portables that are out there. I can't believe people actually buy those things.

While I agree that they are more attractive, I don't think that "2-4 inch" is acurrate in describing Windows-based notebook computers. I have a four year old Dell that I still use that's barely thicker than 1.5-inches. I don't think I've ever seen a laptop that is anywhere close to 4-inches (at least not one that has been made after the year 2000). That would be insane. Still they do tend to be a little thicker than Apple's notbooks.

 

[dmetzcher]

Apple arnt making 1'' laptops! You cant do anything on a 1'' screen. I think you're getting mixed up with the iPod- even their screens are bigger then that.

Um...yeah...I think he was talking about the height of the notebook, when the lid is closed. And, they are marketing that.

 

[NeuronBasher]

While I agree that they are more attractive, I don't think that "2-4 inch" is acurrate in describing Windows-based notebook computers. I have a four year old Dell that I still use that's barely thicker than 1.5-inches.

I agree with you that his 2-4" statement was hyperbole, but let's keep in mind that there is a significant (50%!) difference between 1" in thickness and 1.5" in thickness. The 1.5" thick laptop looks much "chunkier" than the sleek 1" thick model.

 

[matperk]

The main issue with windows laptop cases is the fact that, while some are not thick, they're just ugly as hell. No design and they look like boxes rather than elegant machines.

 

[Ryan T.]

I agree with you that his 2-4" statement was hyperbole, but let's keep in mind that there is a significant (50%!) difference between 1" in thickness and 1.5" in thickness. The 1.5" thick laptop looks much "chunkier" than the sleek 1" thick model.

Then again, my Thinkpad is just as thin, lighter, and alot tougher than a comparable Powerbook. Apple still hasn't perfected their process.

 

[dornoforpyros]

well my uncle keeps his powerbook in a magazine rack in the living room. At 1" this is a pretty reasonable storage solution

 

[mkrishnan]

Then again, my Thinkpad is just as thin, lighter, and alot tougher than a comparable Powerbook. Apple still hasn't perfected their process.

Thinkpads are the Elvis Costello glasses of notebooks. You just can't help but love them.

 

[Krevnik]

and a $5000 price tag

Not really... While Pioneer is charging an arm and a leg for their drives, there is a desktop BD-RE drive that supports dual-layer recording for 500$. In a year or so, I could see a BD-RE drive in a 3k laptop from Apple.

 

[p0intblank]

It's all about portability. I'd much rather use a 1" notebook than a 2".

 

[yg17]

I was sitting in the student center using my PB to kill time between class when someone sat down across from me and pulled out this Alienware laptop. It's a monster...it is the H2 of laptops. Its bigger than it looks in the photos. Proably almost as thick as 2 of my Powerbooks stacked on top of each other. I have no idea why anyone would want anything like that for a laptop. Its fine if it's just going to sit at your desk, but then there's no point of having a laptop, is there?

Sure, my G4 PB may not have been as fast as that Alienware, but it's thinner and lighter, and when you carry it around every day, thats what matters. Plus, my laptop can't get infected with spyware or viruses

 

[Krevnik]

I was sitting in the student center using my PB to kill time between class when someone sat down across from me and pulled out this Alienware laptop. It's a monster...it is the H2 of laptops. Its bigger than it looks in the photos. Proably almost as thick as 2 of my Powerbooks stacked on top of each other. I have no idea why anyone would want anything like that for a laptop. Its fine if it's just going to sit at your desk, but then there's no point of having a laptop, is there?

Actually, depending on your model of laptop, it is more than twice the height (for those with the 1" PowerBooks).

I did a quick volume comparison between the Alienware and the MacBook Pro:

MacBook Pro: 135.3 cubic inches
Alienware: 383.292 cubic inches
Size Difference: Alienware is 2.8x larger than the MacBook.

I would have done a weight comparison as well, but Alienware doesn't actually tell you what the weight is, but it is definitely over 10 lbs from other similar models I have seen in the past.

 

[d_and_n5000]

I was sitting in the student center using my PB to kill time between class when someone sat down across from me and pulled out this Alienware laptop. It's a monster...it is the H2 of laptops. Its bigger than it looks in the photos. Proably almost as thick as 2 of my Powerbooks stacked on top of each other. I have no idea why anyone would want anything like that for a laptop. Its fine if it's just going to sit at your desk, but then there's no point of having a laptop, is there? Sure, my G4 PB may not have been as fast as that Alienware, but it's thinner and lighter, and when you carry it around every day, thats what matters. Plus, my laptop can't get infected with spyware or viruses

That sucker's huge!!! The modem & ethernet ports look tiny compared to that. That has gotta be 2.5 inches or more, right? And if not, more. This is why Apple make little laptops: That suckers thick and uglier than heck.

 

[grapes911]

I was sitting in the student center using my PB to kill time between class when someone sat down across from me and pulled out this Alienware laptop. It's a monster...it is the H2 of laptops. Its bigger than it looks in the photos. Proably almost as thick as 2 of my Powerbooks stacked on top of each other. I have no idea why anyone would want anything like that for a laptop. Its fine if it's just going to sit at your desk, but then there's no point of having a laptop, is there?

This laptop is great for the person who doesn't need to carry their computer with them everyday. If you only need to bring your computer with you once and a while, maybe one or twice a year to vacation or something, then this is great. You get the power of a desktop with some portability. I don't consider this the norm, but I'm sure there are people out there that benefit from this.

 

[mkrishnan]

Wow...hugeness!

Although, technically, *this* is the H2 of laptops.

 

[AJBMatrix]

That thing is a monster. I knew someone that had an XPS Lappy that was maxed out on just about everything. The battery life was somewhere around 20 minutes. It really sucks down the power.

 

[Counterfit]

I was sitting in the student center using my PB to kill time between class when someone sat down across from me and pulled out this Alienware laptop. It's a monster...it is the H2 of laptops. Its bigger than it looks in the photos. Proably almost as thick as 2 of my Powerbooks stacked on top of each other. I have no idea why anyone would want anything like that for a laptop. Its fine if it's just going to sit at your desk, but then there's no point of having a laptop, is there?

Sure, my G4 PB may not have been as fast as that Alienware, but it's thinner and lighter, and when you carry it around every day, thats what matters. Plus, my laptop can't get infected with spyware or viruses

From the "Exterior" portion of that model's page:

DVI Interface:
Short for Digital Video Interface, DVI is a new form of video interface technology created to substantially maximize the quality video output. In order to get the most from most high end TVs, monitors and projectors, DVI is the only choice.

New? Maybe compared to VGA. Apple has been shipping towers with DVI since the Sawtooth in 9/99 (I think if you opted for the Rage Pro), and ADC since the GigE model (only with the Radeon though?). They've been shipping it with laptops since the DVI PBG4 in April of 02, except for the iBooks and first 12" PB.

 

[512ke]

Why 1" laptops?

Why 190" long Hummers?

They turn extremity of size into a status symbol/cool factor.

 

[Mechcozmo]

I did computer work on a Dell Inspiron laptop. My 12" PowerBook was half the thickness and about 75% of the length. Plus, the Dell's internal display couldn't even go at 32-bit color ("Millions") at its max resolution. It had to scale down to 1024x768 to get that. Looked ugly though; but then again, it also did at native res and low (24-bit I think it was) color.

Plus, I got 5 hours of battery life. The Dell claimed to but the meter ran like a corrupt taxi's.