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A physically smaller battery usually translates into a weight reduction. I'd even argue that it's the point of laptops: A mobile/light computer. But how you bal
by scarlac 10y ago
A physically smaller battery usually translates into a weight reduction. I'd even argue that it's the point of laptops: A mobile/light computer. But how you balance the two is a matter of opinion.
If you look at the amount of battery-saving features they have been working on, it's obvious that they focus on lowering consumption instead of engaging the spec numbers game.
- twic 10y ago> But how you balance the two is a matter of opinion. I guess. But i do wonder if there isn't some framework for thinking about the tradeoff in a quasi-objective way. Is it possible to make any kind of general statements about the marginal utility of improvements in weight/thickness and battery life? One hour of battery life lets me take my laptop to a meeting, or sit on the sofa for a while. Two hours lets me watch a movie on the battery. Eight hours lets me work away from a power socket all day. Twelve hours lets me do that and read HN in the evening. Twenty-four hours is longer than i'm ever away from a power socket. It feels like there's steadily increasing utility up to that "as long as i want to be sat in front of a screen in one day" point. A 15 inch, 2.41 cm thick, 2.54 kg laptop rests comfortably on my thighs, goes in a padded envelope, and fits in my satchel without taking up much space. A 15 inch, 2.79 cm thick, 2.5 kg laptop somehow did seem a lot more ungainly. A 15 inch, 1.55 cm thick, 1.83 kg laptop fits in a bag just as easily, and is comfortable to hold in one hand. Given that i don't often hold a laptop in one hand, that seems like a small increase in utility. Are there other reasons why that 0.86 cm of thickness and 0.71 kg of weight are a real improvement? What does it let me do that i couldn't before?
- arximboldi 10y agoI don't know about thickness, but there is a reason I prefer light laptops: carrying them in a backpack. If I have a 20min commute by bike every day in which I carry the laptop, it really does make a difference. Your back will thank you for those 0.71 kg you took off it.
- untog 10y agoOr you could put the whole weight of your laptop in a bike bag.
- jbergens 10y agoI had to do that, the MacBook Pro is very heavy
- twic 10y agoI have panniers. I rode a bike for years with just a rucksack, and i look back now on those wasted years and despair at my foolishness. If you get panniers, your back will thank you for much more than 0.71 kg!
- majewsky 10y ago> A 15 inch, 1.55 cm thick, 1.83 kg laptop fits in a bag just as easily, and is comfortable to hold in one hand. Are you sure that's "kg" and not "pounds"? I could not imagine holding a 1.83 kg laptop in one hand for longer than a minute or so. (I assume you hold the laptop by its side while the screen is open and active, which creates a surprisingly high torque on one's fingers.) I'm typing this on an 2012 Asus Zenbook that weighs 1.3 kg, which is quite near the sweet spot for me. The only thing I don't like about it is that it has no replaceable parts whatsoever, and the 4GB RAM is starting to feel a bit tight. So if I ever decide to get a new notebook, I might choose something a bit heftier if it offers replaceable RAM, battery, etc.
- EpicEng 10y agoIt's kg. You can't imagine holding ~4lbs for more than a minute?