Types and Classes of Portable Computers


As we have seen in the last chapter, 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 last 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 fit into handheld or notebook- sized portables.

A total of at least seven different categories of portable computers have appeared on the market. Today, only three basic categories of PC-compatible portable computers remain :

  • Laptops/ notebooks

  • Tablets

  • Palmtops/PDAs

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 The laptop/notebook category, however, has not been replaced by a smaller category and instead has proved so powerful and useful that it continues to be the most popular class by far in the portable computer industry.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 notebooks has increased so much that many users are using them to replace their desktops. In fact, in mid-2003 sales of laptops in the United States exceeded that of desktops for the first time ever. Because laptops are generally more expensive than desktops, the unit sales of portables still lag behind their stationary counterparts, but that will surely change in time.

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 notebook. Likewise, a notebook with a detachable keyboard and a touch-sensitive screen could be labeled a tablet.

Laptops Versus Notebooks

Technically speaking, the laptop category has been superseded by notebook computers, the relatively slim and lightweight systems we are familiar with today. The dividing line between what we might call a notebook or laptop system is somewhat fuzzy and often overlooked. In general, notebooks look fairly similar to the older laptops and differ chiefly in size and weight. For that reason, many people continue to refer to all notebooks generically as laptops.

It is indeed quite common to refer to the heavier notebooks in the 7 ”10 pound weight class as laptops, a practice I often follow. So don't be surprised if you see a manufacturer refer to a system as a notebook that I might call a laptop , or vice versa.

It is interesting to note that the name laptop has become misleading in some cases. High-end laptops now use extremely powerful processors. In providing this power, these CPUs generate considerable quantities of heat. Frequently this heat is dissipated through the bottom panel of the laptop, with the result that portions of this panel can reach temperatures of 130 ° or more. Thus, despite their name, some laptops are too hot to use on one's lap.

Notebooks

As discussed in the Chapter 1, around 1988, NEC introduced a groundbreaking computer called the UltraLite . Chief among its many attributes was its footprint, which was about the size of a piece of paper, 8.5 by 11 inches. In its closed position, this computer looked remarkably like a paper notebook, ergo the name of a new category of computers that now dominates the portable computer market.

Whereas the original notebook didn't even have a hard drive, today's notebooks have become high-end machines, offering features and performance comparable to a desktop system. 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 almost as large as 16 inches, 128MB “512MB of RAM, and hard drives of up to 120GB or more in size are all but ubiquitous, with virtually all systems now carrying fast DVD or CD-RW drives , onboard speakers , and connectivity options that enable the use of an external display, high-speed storage, and a five-speaker sound system. Many models now include combo DVD/CD-RW drives and wireless Wi-Fi network capabilities as standard equipment.

Subnotebooks: The End of a Trend?

The evolution of notebooks has followed an interesting path . As the internal components of notebooks continued to shrink in size, of course, so did the size of notebooks themselves .

Eventually, the sizes shrunk to a weight of less than 3 pounds , and thus a new category was born ”the 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 notebook 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 Notebooks

As 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 notebooks 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 notebook was also the most expensive because it was using the latest components. But often users actually preferred heavier systems.

In the last few years, an interesting reverse evolution began to occur. While some notebooks became smaller, others took a much different course. As LCD display screens grew in size from 12.1 inches to 14.1 and even 15 inches and beyond, a class of notebooks had to grow in size to accommodate them. But while the footprint of the notebooks increased, their profile has remained relatively thin ”usually 1.5 inches or less. Most users don't seem to mind because a large, thin notebook is much easier to stuff into a briefcase than a small thick one.

Today, most manufacturers segment the market into five classes: desktop replacements , mainstream notebooks, value notebooks, thin & light notebooks, and ultralight notebooks. A small group of companies specialize in an additional class: ruggedized notebooks. Table 2.1 compares the basic dimensions and costs associated with the most popular types of notebooks.

Table 2.1. Physical Characteristics and Price Ranges for Various Types of Notebooks

Notebook Type

Weight (lbs.)

Thickness (in.)

Price Range

Desktop replacement

6.0 “8.0

1.5 “2.0

$2000 “$4000

Mainstream

6.0 “8.0

1.5 “2.0

$1000 “$2000

Value

6.0 “8.0

1.5 “2.0

$800 “$1500

Thin & light

4.5 “5.5

1.0 “1.5

$1500 “$3000

Ultralight

3.0 “4.0

0.8 “1.2

$1500 “$3000

These 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 Replacements

This is the heavy-weight division of the notebook family. Notebooks of this class are very similar in size and weight to the original laptops. They typically weigh between 7 and 10 pounds and are usually large enough to accommodate the largest laptop displays available, now 15 “16 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 notebooks generally have three data-storage drives: a large hard drive, an optical drive of some type (usually a DVD drive or a combination DVD/CD-RW drive) and a floppy disk drive. Note, however, that because of the decreasing use of floppy disks, many vendors are no longer bundling floppy drives as standard equipment and only offering them as $50 options. Because all these drives employ rotating storage media, they are frequently referred to as spindles . Thus, most desktop replacement notebooks have historically been referred to as three-spindle systems.

Desktop-replacement notebooks either come standard with top-of-the-line components or have them available as options. This means the fastest mobile processor, the largest memory bank and hard drive, and the best mobile video accelerator. Table 2.2 shows how the components in these notebooks compare with those in other categories.

Table 2.2. Typical Processors, Maximum Memory, and Maximum Hard Drives Available for the Different Notebook Types

Notebook Type

Typical Processor

Maximum Memory (GB)

Maximum Hard Drive Size (GB)

Desktop replacement

Pentium 4-M, 2.4GHz

Pentium M, 1.6GHz

2

80

Mainstream

Pentium 4-M, 1.7GHz

1

40

Value

Celeron, 1.2GHz

1

40

Thin & light

Pentium M, 1.6GHz

2

60

Ultralight

Pentium III-M, 1GHz

1

40

Many desktop replacements are being positioned in the market as multimedia systems suitable for delivering presentations on the road. Because of their greater weight, these notebooks 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 notebooks are typically among the most expensive notebooks available. Prices now range from $2,000 to $4,000 or more. An equivalent desktop could be purchased for almost half this amount, but keep in mind that desktop prices do not usually include a large flat-panel display.

Mainstream Notebooks

People who buy large numbers of notebooks are interested in the best combination of functionality and price. As with the thin & light notebooks, the componentry does not have to be of the latest and greatest vintage , but neither does the notebook have to be very light. The main goal is low price. The notebooks have to be relatively powerful, but any component that is not absolutely essential is left out.

To cut costs, mainstream notebooks use average-size displays (today, 14 inches in diagonal) and leave out the floppy drive. Most manufacturers enable users to swap a floppy in place of the optical drive, but as time goes by, expect to see fewer floppy drives included in the purchase price.

Mainstream notebooks are midway in size and weight between the thin & light and desktop-replacement notebooks. Because they are two-spindle systems and do not need space for a large display, these notebooks can be significantly smaller than the desktop-replacement systems.

Value Notebooks

Value notebooks are designed to appeal to people who require only a minimum level of performance. These notebooks are designed to sell at low prices. To create their value line, some manufacturers simply take a variation of their existing mainstream notebooks and configure them only with the most affordable components available. Some value notebooks are stripped down models with only the barest minimum of components. Value systems may be two generations behind the high-end notebooks when it comes to performance and features. For example, it is quite common for value notebooks to use Intel Celeron processors or processors from AMD (though many consider the performance of AMD's mobile processors on par with Intel's best). Also, these notebooks are invariably equipped with the smallest hard drives available ”these days, 20GB.

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 notebooks can represent a good value for the customer.

Thin & Light Notebooks

Many 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 notebooks, which attempts to combine an optimum amount of portability and functionality.

As the name suggests, this category of notebooks 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 notebooks have a considerable amount of power and features. The processor is usually one generation removed from the fastest available, but this penalizes performance by only a small amount. The available memory bank and hard drive capacity are similarly reduced but still highly capable. Also, to fit into a 1-inch profile, these notebooks 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 notebooks 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 notebooks.

Ultralights

Sometimes it seems you cannot keep a good idea down. The original lightweight notebooks ”called subnotebooks ”never 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 notebook 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, notebook designers could now design a highly functional notebook that weighed no more than 3 pounds. Floppies were now completely unnecessary because most input and output was done by the Internet. Even CD-ROM drives were less crucial. Large program or data files could be easily downloaded over a local network connection or the Internet.

The only problem with this category of lightweight notebooks 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 pounds and has the standard 8.5x11-inch footprint, or less. The most desirable characteristic ”particularly among executives ”is thinness. Notebook 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 notebooks 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 notebooks, 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 a gigahertz or less. Hard drives are no larger than 20GB.

As with value notebooks, 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 90% “95%. And screens are no larger than 12.1 inches ”the smallest generally available for notebooks. 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, IBM's ThinkPad X21 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 $2,000 to around $3,000, depending on features.

Ruggedized Notebooks

Notebook computers are 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 notebooks. These devices are built to withstand varying degrees of stress. Almost all rugged notebooks can handle drops well. Their delicate internal components, such as their hard drives, are shock -mounted to avoid damage. The outside case of the notebook may be reinforced by magnesium and have a rubber-like outside skin.

Rugged notebooks 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 notebook must be securely covered with waterproof rubber plugs. Attaching and unattaching these plugs can be tiresome.

Although rugged notebooks use older, less powerful components, you would never know this by looking at the price. These units are typically the most expensive notebooks 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 notebook than a more delicate system that has to be replaced three times because of damage.

Tablets

In some applications, a keyboard is either unnecessary or a hindrance. For that reason, manufacturers have repeatedly offered tablet-style computers. These systems are like notebooks 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 Compaq TC1000 from Hewlett-Packard. At first the system looks like a small, 3-pound ultralight notebook with a 10.4-inch color display. Inside is a rather slow 1 GHz Transmeta Crusoe 5800 processor complemented with 256 “768MB of SDRAM and a 30 “60GB hard drive. The main difference is that this system includes a stylus that works with the touch-sensitive display. Also, the display itself can be twisted around and then folded back to cover the keyboard, then assuming a classic tablet shape. The starting price is $1,700.

Most Tablet PCs have the advantage that they can be used either as a tablet or an ultralight notebook. It is too early to say how successful these devices will be. Their prices fall into the range of $1,700 “$2,000, suggesting that they will probably directly compete with the thin & light notebooks.

Handhelds

The 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-notebook computers are true PC compatibles even though they are hardly larger than a paperback book. The most famous handheld is the Toshiba Libretto, which is still for sale in Japan. (For more information on the Libretto, see Chapter 1, "Portable Systems Background.")

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, this class of system is very difficult to use for extensive typing, but for simple field work, email, or Internet access ”or anything that doesn't require a lot of data entry ”they are incredibly useful.

PDAs

There are currently only two types of Personal Digital Assistants: those based on the Palm operating system, and those based on Microsoft's Windows CE (now known as Pocket PC or Windows Mobile). Neither of them are PC compatible. But neither do they have to be.

The Palm PDAs are meant more as notebook accessories rather than notebook 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 notebook 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 large so-called "Jupiter" handhelds that were as large as ultralight notebooks. 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.

Both Palm and Windows Mobile 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.



Upgrading and Repairing Laptops
Scott Muellers Upgrading and Repairing Laptops, Second Edition
ISBN: 0789733765
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 182
Authors: Scott Mueller

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