Computer wants.
When I say 'computer' I'm talking about a system that I can do various work on such as browsing the web, retouching photos, creating or watching music/movies, and playing games.
For media consumption devices such as smartphones and tablets, I'll post separately, but this is basically referring to desktop PCs or laptops.
My ideal home setup would be a desktop and a laptop/notebook. With the current desktop solutions available I can pretty much get any configuration I want, it's just a matter of money, but on the portable side of this, it isn't so straighforward.
Here are the traits of a laptop that I want as of 14th July 2013 in order of importance:
- 13"-15", non-touch, matte, 2560x1440 or higher display (pref ~13.3").
- Intel Haswell chipset with Iris (5x00) IGP, maybe with switchable discrete graphics.
- 8/16 GB of RAM in 2 DIMMs.
- 8hrs+ battery life. Removable battery.
- Windows key, separated Function keys, both full sized shift keys, 1+3 arrow keys layout.
- Dedicated trackpad buttons, non-clickable trackpad with defined edge (not flush).
- 256GB or bigger SSD.
- 802.11a/b/g/n/ac wifi.
- 64bit Win7 pro.
- <3 lbs in weight.- 3 or more USB3 (at least 1 powered), HDMI, displayport mini, WiDi/Miracast, SD card reader, LAN port.
- Webcam
- standard screw-type removable HDD, RAM, Wifi card, cover plate.
- Doesn't have to be slim but must be able to sit on lap with screen open @ 135degrees and not fall backwards.
- Non-glossy lid and screen bezel.
The bolded items are the places I'm having the most trouble with.
So far, I haven't been able to find a system that exactly matches the above, but some of the ultrabooks such as the Samsung ATIV 9 Plus and the ASUS Zenbook infinity come close.
Reasoning for the points above.
I want a matte screen because I hate glossy screens and the glare from them. I have 2 netbooks, one with glossy and the other with matte, and I find the matte screen infintely more comfortable to work with. This also ties in with the non-touch screen. Apparently all touch screens are glossy at this point in time. I also don't want myself and people I'm sharing the screen with to touch the screen (it's one of my pet peeves, even on desktop screens) and leaving fingerprints.
The current Haswell chipsets seem to be doing quite well in terms of efficiency which in turn helps the battery life issue. Switchable graphics would help too and depending on how good Intel Iris 5100 IGP performance is, there may be no need for discrete graphics. As long as it can play starcraft 2 decently and accelerate video encode and decode in hardware, that will be fine.
A 128GB SSD would be sufficient, but after formatting and loading most intended programs, I would guess that windows would be reporting about 60GB free. If I was doing video and photo editing, I'd prefer the extra headroom of a 256GB drive or perhaps a large secondary mechanical drive.
The bit about the keyboards and trackpads are just personal preference but given 2 identical systems I would go for the one which suits my input preferences.
Most of the other desires are just borne from having used laptops with these quirks in the past and finding them frustrating and intrusive. Apart from the weight aspect the other attributes all seem doable, but for some reason just aren't available.
The last item about the non-glossy lid may seem strange but hear me out. The ASUS zenbook infiniti prototype had a glass covered aluminium lid. Even though it's gorilla glass3, I'd much prefer just the bare aluminium or if I could get it a carbon fibre one. I also don't care for the light-up logo. That's wasted battery for no purpose other than it's something Apple did/does.
From what I can gather the best CPU options would be:
- Core i7…4558U…Iris 5100…28W…2.8 GHz
- Core i5…4258U…Iris 5100…28W…2.4 GHz
All in all, I'd expect to pay ~$2500 for the above setup. That's how much I expect to pay. What it should cost should be something more like $1900. The difference can be attributed to economies of scale. There aren't a lot of buyers for the particular system described above, so manufacturers shoot for the lowest denominator with the largest market. In a dream world, I'd be able to buy my own empty chassis and equip it with a standards-supporting screen, keyboard, and touchpad of my choosing, with modular motherboard, graphics, and comms. The I/O ports would be plate-based so there would be a single opening on the side of the chassis and a plate insert would dictate what connections were available. If I ever become a bajillionnaire I'll make it a reality. Heck, with 3D printers as good as they are, I can't see why you couldn't get an operation going that supports something like this for a few measely million.
Anyway, please leave a comment if you can see any issues with what I've described above and please post any links if you think you have found a system that meets all the above needs.
-Simon.
