I agree even though others will disagree. It makes for very ugly hardware and the screen will wear where it folds. Maybe in ten years or so it’ll be better, but hopefully tech moves in a different direction. It really is hideous.
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Lenovo Debuts First Foldable PC Set to Launch in Mid-2020
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People just see something they have no personal interest in and assume everyone else in the world is in agreement and thus we get the inane comments. It’s a trend here, especially when it come to foldables, which I personally love the idea of and will most certainly get one in the future when the tech has matured a bit. I’m m very tempted to jump on something this year but it’s probably best to wait a bit longer.
You can't get better in 10 years if you don't start somewhere. No tech comes out of the box without hiccups or growing pains. Think about the OG iPhone. A fat, expensive slab with no app store is what hit the market. Fast forward a decade...
Also, I'm not really sure what there is to complain about. It's not like the presence of folding screen devices means there will be no more non-folding ones. I doubt it will be binary. As usual, the market will decide if folding screens becomes a real thing.
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Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
Regarding folding tech: I like the fact that companies are trying, for better or for worse.
I agree with some here that the Microsoft approach is neat. That said, I don't see the benefit of going larger than a phone at this point. Maybe someone will surprise me in the near future with an interesting use case.
Deal is, that right now MacBooks and (even more so) iPads are thin, light, and BIG, but they fit in any backpack easily. So this is perhaps not an issue of an "either / or" device.
I like all cool tech, and folding screens are cool. That alone may be worth the price of admission for some, although it's not cool enough for me yet.
I agree with some here that the Microsoft approach is neat. That said, I don't see the benefit of going larger than a phone at this point. Maybe someone will surprise me in the near future with an interesting use case.
Deal is, that right now MacBooks and (even more so) iPads are thin, light, and BIG, but they fit in any backpack easily. So this is perhaps not an issue of an "either / or" device.
I like all cool tech, and folding screens are cool. That alone may be worth the price of admission for some, although it's not cool enough for me yet.
Had this been an iPad with 12.9” screens side by side, it would have been perfect for my need. Having two 12.9” screens on each side with no border or gap between them is exactly what I need for note taking and textbook reading.
Lenovo last year unveiled a new foldable ThinkPad prototype, marking the first foldable PC design that we'd seen. Lenovo has continued to work on that prototype, and is now ready to bring it to market.
At CES, Lenovo is showing off the new ThinkPad X1 Fold, a laptop PC with a 13.3-inch folding LED display with a 4x3 ratio.
According to Lenovo, the ThinkPad X1 Fold is made from a combination of lightweight alloys and carbon fiber, and it's protected by a leather folio cover. It weighs in at less than two pounds and is designed to "seamlessly morph through multiple orientations," transforming from a device with a small footprint to a device with a fully flat display.
The ThinkPad X1 Fold is equipped with Intel Core Processors with Intel Hybrid Technology, and it will run Windows 10 when it launches, though Windows 10X support will be added at a later date for an "enhanced foldable user experience."
Lenovo believes the X1 Fold will bridge the gap between the smartphone, the tablet, and the laptop, offering benefits for users who often switch between devices with multiple form factors.
When used in landscape mode with the integrated kickstand included in the folio case, users can take advantage of a Bluetooth Mini Fold Keyboard for typing purposes. When folded closed, the keyboard is stored, secured with magnets, and wirelessly charged.
In portrait mode, users can take notes or draw sketches using the Active Pen that works with the device. The X1 Fold can be folded out completely flat so it can be used like a tablet in portrait mode, or it can be folded in half and used like a book for reading.
In this laptop orientation, users can choose to leverage two independent displays at one time for multitasking purposes, and it can be connected to a full-size keyboard and mouse or second display using USB-C when at a desk.
While designing the X1 Fold, Lenovo went through six different hinge designs and over 20 variations, settling on a multi-link torque hinge that manages stresses during folding. Combined with a carbon fiber reinforced frame plate, the hinge optimizes the viewing experience when the tablet is folded flat.
Lenovo plans to launch the X1 Fold in mid-2020, and it will have a starting price of $2,499.
Article Link: Lenovo Debuts First Foldable PC Set to Launch in Mid-2020
Every single laptop is a "foldable PC" if you think about it. Why do we need the screen to extend down to where the keyboard should be? This idea is even dumber than "netbooks" and I hope it dies quickly.
Unless paper somehow shrinks, I fail to see how having a fatter, smaller-footprint device that folds out is of any benefit. Who is carrying around a computer and isn't able to just slip it into their existing backpack/bag??? The only improvement here is larger screen in smaller footprint, but the reason laptops hover around 14" diagonal screens is precisely because that footprint fits so well into the general public's carrying needs. Hence my opinion that these solve nothing.
In what way is this better than an iPad Pro? I know which I would choose.
In what way is this better than an iPad Pro? I know which I would choose.
No they don't. They should experiment with it (and probably are) but Apple often is late to adopt new features but once they do they have perfected them and they are no longer a gimmick. (I wonder how long it will take someone to reply mentioning Animoji?)
MR should hold off on reporting on any more foldables and dual screens. Dell just dropped theirs and other OEM's are probably right around the corner. Just wait and do a round-up.
Not just you. This is over-priced.
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The MBA didn't revolutionize the laptop market until the 2010 redesign and $500 price drop. THAT was the MBA that set the standard for all other laptops after it.
good to know. 'cause i see a lot of people going nuts over these ugly ass devices...
I was agreeing with the fact I don’t like this tech but that I’m ten years maybe I’ll like it. Obviously it’s started so it can only improve from here on.
I'd love to see an iPad Pro that is like this with a total screen area effectively 2x the current iPad Pro.
it would be superb for reading/markup PDF content with side by side documents.
Hold and use just like a note book. 👍
it would be superb for reading/markup PDF content with side by side documents.
Hold and use just like a note book. 👍
For those of you who think a folding display is not essential. How would you like a multi-page display? It’s coming. Technology takes incremental steps and early adopters help fund the future.
Apple isn’t a bandwagon jumping kind of organization...
I’d say it seems more practical today, but not better. Just like people around here are obsessed with foreheads, chins, notches and bezels, once a workable folding display is developed they’ll hate the hinge.
I’m sold on the benefits over a hinge, I’m just not sold on the drawbacks.
I keep expecting to see a MBP with a second display where the keyboard is. I feel like they’ve been getting us more used to the lack of key travel with the goal of eventually eliminating it. Just like getting rid of the keyboard on smartphones made them much more practical, it’s possible that the same benefits can be found in a larger form factor.
Still needs to improve over the current iPad keyboard experience though— I’m trying to touch type on one now and it’s pretty frustrating compared to a real keyboard.
That is the very definition of innovation; not waiting until everyone else's vision has caught up.
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Apple invented the bandwagon. Almost every Apple product line is an example of the jumping on the bandwagon. They're famous for it. Steve Jobs even said "Good artists jump on bandwagons; great artists steal bandwagons and then they claim it was their bandwagon in the first place, that they built it and they're only reclaiming what is rightfully theirs and besides, the wheels on all the other bandwagons are completely the wrong colour. They'll never fly.""
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Like it dont like it, buy it or not at least you have a choice
Unlike Apple who gave little options with their failed tech re Butterfly KB and Touchbars that solved even less
While these innovative not, only marginally increased sticker price as ever with Apple the increase was in the stealth cost of repairs and almost compulsory AC
Unlike Apple who gave little options with their failed tech re Butterfly KB and Touchbars that solved even less
While these innovative not, only marginally increased sticker price as ever with Apple the increase was in the stealth cost of repairs and almost compulsory AC
I didn’t say there was any benefit nor did I say this innovation was worth it. Just that new innovated tech products are usually much more expensive then its traditional counterpart products. I wouldn’t buy it either but I respect the attempt of being innovative.
Folding screen tech could eventually be amazing one day or a fad that dies, either way I like people thinking outside the box.