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VAIO announces tiny laptop with tons of ports
- miles 7y agoReminded me somewhat of "A small notebook for a system administrator": https://habr.com/en/post/437912/ https://habr.com/en/post/437912/ https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19052688 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19052688
- SECProto 7y agoFunny, to me it just reminds me of a standard laptop from a few years ago. I have a consumer lenovo from a few years back, and it has all those ports except the USB-C.
- nextos 7y agoSadly, the trend has been to copy Apple. Even Lenovo has been taking some Apple design cues into Thinkpads. While Macs are good, it's better to have more variety and different design compromises to choose from. Especially, if you run Linux as only a tiny proportion of sold models will have trouble-free hardware. So I applaud this move by VAIO. The same frustrating thing happens in the smartphone market. Practically no small phones left. Interestingly, the Xperia Compact is one of those few. Also by Sony (VAIO is part-owned by Sony only).
- jfoster 7y agoHaven't seen any copy Apple's trackpad size, unfortunately. They're copying the wrong things.
- gsich 7y agoThey tried and failed.
- patrick5415 7y agoI’m glad they haven’t. That ginormous trackpad is a huge turnoff to me.
- jfoster 7y agoIt's the one thing that makes me think I have to stick to a MacBook. All the small touchpads are too fiddly for my liking. Does it turn you off because you feel that you would touch it whilst typing, or is it something else?
- ThatPlayer 7y agoI prefer using the keyboard nub on my ThinkPad myself, and have the touchpad disabled. If I'm typing, it's easier to use a nub. If I'm not typing, then I'd probably prefer a touchscreen for more accuracy. As long whatever I'm doing doesn't require precise movements, then a touchscreen is good enough, and easier to use. If it's something harder to touch with big fingers (say position in code), then I'd probably rather use arrow keys anyways.
- patrick5415 7y agoI’ve used one on other people’s macbooks. I think my objection is mostly aesthetic. It just seems so gaudy and excessive or something along those lines.
- pmontra 7y agoOut of curiosity, what can you do with that large touchpad that you can't do with one with half the surface? To gi e you some context, I always traded touchpad surface for three physical buttons. They're very convenient when working in Linux. All I need from the touchpad is pointer movement and scrolling.
- nextos 7y agoThe X1 Carbon is somewhat an attempt to have an Apple-like glass trackpad. But other models have different trackpads.
- tobias2014 7y agoExactly, T-series! I even have a card reader in my T450s.
- y4mi 7y agoyou could never use your T-laptop as an input or display device for another system. that was one of the best features of that theoretical adminbook
- Buge 7y agoWhat laptop is that? Because this laptop has a lot of very weird ports (I'm leaving out USB-C): 2 micro USB-B ports, one with quick charging 3.0, one with USB OTG so the laptop can be used as an external mouse and keyboard for a different computer even when not booted. 2 ethernet ports, one with power over ethernet supporting 3 different standards for POE. 5.5x2.5mm power connector, fullsize SD reader, micro SD reader, 4 USB-A 3.0 ports (one always on), mini DisplayPort, full HDMI, 4 3.5mm audio jacks (in, out, mic, headset), VGA, DB-9 connector supporting many modes, HD Mini SAS, USIM card tray, PBD-12 pin connector, tripod mount, mount for attaching to a wall via screws or via magnets or mounting to your arm. And on the power supply there are 8 ports.
- iriche 7y agoPoE ports are pretty amazing though if it can charge over it
- SECProto 7y agoI meant the original post reminds me of a standard laptop from a few years back. the one linked on habr.com is quite unique and interesting. But the Vaio SX12 linked in the original post just has a standard amount of laptop ports (3 usb-a, 1 usb-c, Ethernet, VGA, SD card, HDMI, headphone/mic).
- justanothersys 7y agoAdminbook take my money.
- userbinator 7y agoThe domain may have given a hint, but my first thought upon seeing the pictures was "this looks like a very stereotypically Russian/former-USSR design" --- it does not even try to be elegant or beautiful at all, but has a very practical and functional aesthetic.
- m463 7y agook notebook design, but I want it to work in space. see: http://wondermark.com/344/ http://wondermark.com/344/
- blhack 7y agoIt is actually almost physically painful how much I want this thing. "Software dev" for me takes on quite a few roles from debugging hardware/IoT devices in the field, to programming lighting shows or interactive art installations. This thing might seem like overkill, but for me and lots of people who do a job like mine, I actually don't think it really is.
- justsayinstuff 7y ago"Arm mount" killed me.
- ravedave5 7y agoVGA?!
- heartbreak 7y agoA clear example of “just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”
- marcolussetti 7y agoI found it very common here (Canada) for projector setups. I have to carry an adapter with me just in case.
- userbinator 7y agoLots of (very, very expensive) projectors still use it, and a good VGA cable will work well beyond 1080p resolutions, so why not. The connector is also more robust than the effete HDMI/DisplayPort/etc. ones that have tiny pins, purely by being bigger.
- tootie 7y agoI have spent a good amount of time working with 10 and 12k DLP projectors and they all support HDMI just fine.
- alluro2 7y agoSo, "I have seen the examples of opposite, so what you're saying is never true"?
- nulbyte 7y agoLots of old equipment a system administrator might work with also uses VGA.
- myself248 7y agoMy kingdom for the VGA port having an input mode! A friend of mine has built a little raspberry-pi-laptop with an internal HDMI switch and a USB device-sharing gizmo, so he can use it as a portable KVM for sysadmin tasks. I wish that was more common!
- egypturnash 7y agoI like how almost all the ports are on the right. You will not want to use a mouse with this machine if you're a righty, there will be at least one cable in the way.
- unixhero 7y agoReally? The photo clearly shows 1 USB on the left side of the machine. You can use that for your mouse.
- dspillett 7y agoThe previous poster was referring to the cables on the right getting in the way of using a mouse to the right of the unit, not that you couldn't use any the right ports for putting a mouse in
- SamReidHughes 7y agoIt beats having the exhaust on that side. Once you're plugging it into something, you won't be using the laptop screen anyway.
- fpoling 7y agoI am rightly, but a few years ago I tried to use the mouse with the left hand. To my surprise it took just couple of days to adjust. Clearly with the right hand I could press buttons faster, but the precision of mouse positioning was just as good.
- gsich 7y agoThe precision required for a mouse is very low compared to writing. So it's mostly preferrence or what is set as default.
- dorfsmay 7y agoThis just need a tracking and it's 3 buttons to be my idea of a perfect machine.
- als0 7y agoWhere's the parallel port? :-)
- mc32 7y agoRS-232 would be more useful though. I like this departure from Apple’s custom of having as few ports available as possible.
- jpindar 7y agoWhat type of problems do you have using a virtual com port? Timing?
- yyyk 7y agoSome old UPSs and industrial machinary use RS232 connections. This can be solved by other means (e.g. USB to RS232 adapters), but virtual com ports are not helpful there.
- jpindar 7y agoI use virtual comports (with an FTDI adapter) every day to control industrial instrumentation, and I'm honestly curious to know specifically why they are not helpful in your case, so I can be prepared in case any of my clients experience the same issues. Does your equipment require the higher voltage levels (I don't remember the last time I saw any that required the full 12V), or do you need all the handshaking lines, or is it a timing or latency issue?
- yyyk 7y agoOur assessment was that latency would be a problem for $client. Eventually, it turned out the "just throw ancient hardware at it until it dies" was far more efficient then going along with it.
- jjoonathan 7y ago...and if you press a button, a baggy drops out full of null modems, gender changers, level shifters, diagnostic LED blocks, a wrench + diagonal cutter for inappropriately placed nuts, and a male and female 0.1" header adapter. One can dream!
- cm2187 7y agoIt is great that it has an RJ45 port, something that almost disappeared from every other model of laptop. Unfortunately my experience with the movable plastic thing they use is that it is not durable (it was on the original z series from before the reboot). The plastic bracket bends and/or goes away and the port becomes pretty much unusable.
- milkthefat 7y agoThe Sony z series RJ45 hinge was just a bad design. Having used other brands that have this style port specifically the Dell latitude 7490 they function much better. Dell will likely continue to have a laptops with dedicated rj45 ports for a long time at least on business models.
- cm2187 7y agoHow long have you used it? And do you use the laptop on your lap or static on a table?
- teamski 7y agoPorts are good and what Apple does is ridiculous but it is also about which ports. Nowadays, I tend to miss real Thunderbolt 3 ports on USB-C, better 2 than 1 and with 4 lanes. This is what they totally forgot. So I could connect to an ancient VGA projector but not to a common 2x 4k@60hz display setup? This doesn't make sense.
- ColanR 7y agoThis looks like the same ports, plus a single usb-c and hdmi, that a Thinkpad X230 has.
- fencepost 7y agoDoes the X230 have a mini displayport like the T430?
- icebraining 7y agoYes!
- aw3c2 7y agoYeah, I am not sure what is so special about this. I expected some truly unique ports. My 13.3" Fujitsu Siemens S936 has no USB-C (age) but all the others plus a smartcard and a sim card slot. 12.5" is not exactly a magnitude smaller.
- microdrum 7y agoHow cool. I wonder if I’m the only one: I just placed an order for my first Windows laptop in 11 years. The Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 7. Apple’s overthin design, heavy aluminum, bad thermals, throttled chip, soldered parts scam is over for me. Love macOS but fact is Windows is nice now and I’m back to the fun days of weird and wild hardware. Feels great.
- snek 7y agoI just got an X1 extreme, and although windows 10 pro really underwhelmed me (not very responsive, poor battery life, etc), putting linux on this thing has been an absolute dream. The battery life easily matches my old macbook air, and the performance is fantastic. From what I've seen over the past few weeks while getting moved into my laptop, the carbon series has even better support from the linux ecosystem than the extreme does.
- buboard 7y agoI would like X1 to be a little thicker actualy, perhaps have the same ports as the X series. Or maybe i would like a 13.3 inch X series. lenovo could expand in that region And i wouldn't oppose to an aluminum design, as someone who is not very careful with the things.
- jotto 7y agoAre the thermals that bad? My understanding is that they had a bad incident with a 6-core MBP in 2018, but they managed to fix it.
- microdrum 7y agoIt’s not going to melt down. The whole line just falls way short of benchmarks for the chips. Linus Tech Tips did a good video on it.
- kristofferR 7y agoUhhh, I don't think you've seen LTTs recent video review of it - they came away quite impressed at its performance and thermals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxocVricANg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxocVricANg You've probably only seen an old video about the old models of the Macbook Pro. ;)
- Ambroos 7y agoIt's pretty funny how this has basically the same ports (besides the USB C for charging) as my 2010 VAIO Z. VGA is the most surprising one to still see. I wonder what the reasoning behind that is. I can't really see them targeting the corporate market.
- PedroBatista 7y agoMost projectors ( the installed base ) only accept VGA. VGA is old it's analogic and works. The target demography for this laptop are the people who actually have to solve problems that people with laptops with one port create. So they have no tolerance for more problems. ( This is a caricature, but.. )
- formercoder 7y agoReally? I feel like I haven’t seen a projector with only VGA in years. Could be a biased sample though.
- cyphar 7y agoUniversity campus projectors are usually VGA-only. In fact, FOSDEM (the big European free software conference) has a VGA-only policy for speakers.
- agumonkey 7y agois it because other input interfaces can cause problems ?
- mrpippy 7y agoRight, the projectors themselves aren’t VGA-only (because of course they’re not—-when did you last see a VGA-only monitor?). But the room infrastructure often still is, so there’s only a VGA cable coming out of the wall.
- dade_ 7y agoHDMI cables are fragile. More than a few times this year I had to revert to VGA. Crazy really.
- nextos 7y agoThe problem with some VAIO machines tends to be cooling. My experience is that the fan controller is quite badly designed, and the machine ends up being noisy. The fan RPMs oscillate a lot, even under no load. I hope it is not the case this time, and we end up with a nice laptop that can run Linux well. Options are limited, so an alternative with many ports from a quality manufacturer is more than welcome.
- teamski 7y agoAre you taking about recent VAIO machines? If yes name then.
- nextos 7y agoFor example, the very recent SX14: "Unfortunately, Vaio commits a huge blunder when it comes to the fan control. Ideally, the fan should not run at all while the device is idling. The opposite is true for the Vaio SX14: The fan always runs with 32.5 dB(a), which is definitely audible. Under load, the fan becomes much louder with 43.9 dB(a), which is annoyingly loud." https://www.notebookcheck.net/Vaio-SX14-i5-8265U-FHD-Laptop-Review.418199.0.html#toc-emissions https://www.notebookcheck.net/Vaio-SX14-i5-8265U-FHD-Laptop-... I really like some VAIO models, as I think quality is superior to Thinkpad. So I wish they took a bit more care with these issues. Their recent fanless convertible suffers from coil whine. Some online reviews discuss this too.
- teamski 7y agoOk good to know. Fan control is super important, the only one managing this well with different and really working profiles seems to be Dell. Lenovo just started to get better there (with the S940 which is quiet but because of heavy throttling and no options for profiles, however better than the way around).
- paulie_a 7y agoIt's amazing that netbooks are back in style again and it's made by Sony. The reboot of 80s and 90s are over, it's the aughts.
- ekianjo 7y agoIts not Sony. VAIO was sold to other investors by Sony years ago.
- paulie_a 7y agoWell then a number of destinations on Google and bing need to upgrade their marketing because review sites and ecommerce site have it as Sony Vaio. As of late 2018. But what does it matter. Vaio was always an overpriced under equiped piece of hardware anyways. It was the monster cable of laptops.
- learnfromstory 7y agoI see tiny has been redefined. Doesn’t anyone remember when there were 6” subnotebooks in the vaio catalog?
- devonkim 7y agoThe PCG line with Transmeta Crusoe processors. I had one for a stint. Fun machines https://www.zdnet.com/product/sony-vaio-pcg-c1ve/ https://www.zdnet.com/product/sony-vaio-pcg-c1ve/
- robin_reala 7y agoI always wanted one of these but times have definitely changed. The article says that the Crusoe is used to boost battery life, then lists it as 2.5hrs.
- PebblesHD 7y agoAs the proud owner and user of both a VAIO P and UX, I really hope they start looking at some of the smaller niche products again as they’re some of my favourite possessions. Even if they are occasionally impractical, being able to carry a laptop in my pocket with full sized ports for diagnostics is absolutely something I and many in my work community would be willing to pay for.
- cstross 7y agoIf you’re a fan of that form factor you need to investigate GPD (Game Pro Devices) and One Netbook, both of whom produce miniature PCs; GPD started with the GPD Win, a pocket console-sized PC with a 5.5” screen optimized for running Windows 10 games, then branched out with the GPD Pocket and Pocket 2, 7” screen subnotebooks (the first was a maxed-out netbook-spec PC, the second gen upgraded to an i3 processor) and now the micro PC, with VGA and RS-232 and a VESA attachment point (it’s intended for sysadmin/ops users who need to bolt a tiny PC to whatever they’re working on). One Netbook are a bit more consumer-ish, but do convertible notebook/tablet machines in the pocket size range. And both companies are now doing subnotebooks with 8-9” screens and beefier CPUs, in the 500-700 gram range. You can find their stuff via Indiegogo (while kickstarting — they seem to use it to generate publicity rather than for primary funding) or on Geekbuying.com and other retail channels.
- robmiller 7y agoDoes it have a Memory Stick Pro Duo reader to go with the SD?
- mitchtbaum 7y agoI'm pretty sure the SE version might. Downside, you'll need a gold mine to pay for it.
- jongold 7y agoSuddenly Apple's plethora of dongles looks like the better option
- tapanjk 7y agoCan you elaborate? What are the downsides of built-in ports that would make it preferable to carrying dongle(s)?
- bsder 7y agoI thought Sony quit making VAIO computers at one point? Am I wrong? Did they never leave? Did they come back? Or are these just rebadged Chinese laptops?
- blackoil 7y agoIt is now made by VAIO Corporation. Sony owns 25%, rest it sold to Japan Industrial Partners in 2014.
- jjoonathan 7y agoWhat are the practical and functional use cases that benefit from a clit mouse vs, say, a trackpad? Genuine question, I've seen them on older laptops but I always assumed they were purely vestigial from a time when trackpads were no good. Also, mandatory: in Russia, clit mouse is blue.
- memling 7y agoNo movement of the fingers off the homerow. It's really actually very useful if you get a good one, though having no middle mouse button (I'm looking at you HP Elitebook I have to use for work) is a horrible mistake.
- nine_k 7y agoA ton of upsides. * The hand does not leave the hone row. * It never by mistake registers your hands as a click or a movement. * Your skin can be extremely wet or dry without consequence. * You can continue a motion without being limited by the size of the trackpad, because you don't modulate the position directly, but its first derivative. This removes tension between being precise and having the range. * It separates motion and clicks by having dedicated hardware buttons, often three of them. (Middle button click on most trackpads is tricky, and middle button drag, impossible.) * Wheel emulation is generally fine, again without moving your hand off the keyboard. There are downsides, too, of course. * No multiple-finger gestures, like the pinch. * Harder to make extremely flat. * Does not mimic the mobile phone. I think this is the kicker: a trackpad is more intuitive for newcomers and casual users. Trackpoint is preferred by pros who are much less numerous.
- na85 7y agoHonestly, I disagree with your last point. There may be some "pros" who prefer the clitmouse but I consider myself a "pro user" in that I use my laptop(s) every day for work and for personal stuff, and I greatly greatly prefer a quality trackpad. Apple in particular ships laptops with excellent trackpads. If all you've used is the garbage trackpads that get shipped with most Dell or Lenovo laptops, then sure I can see why a clitmouse would be preferrable, but having used them all I can say that after using my macbook's trackpad I have zero desire to go back to the pointer, and mine is the comically-large one on the touchbar macbook pro. It's enormous, but even so I've never had a spurious click or mouse-movement with this machine, and that's not hyperbole. If I need reliable pointing for a particular workflow beyond what a trackpad can deliver, I have a bluetooth mouse. Or a desktop computer with a corded mouse. The trackpoint/clitmouse pales in comparison.
- ape4 7y agoPorts are useful (to state the obvious). I like this.
- ryanlol 7y agoWhat for?
- userbinator 7y agoFrom a marketing angle, for this model they can also claim that VAIO means "Very Ample Input/Output". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaio#Etymology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaio#Etymology
- Infernal 7y agoVersatile Analog I/O?
- sam1r 7y agoI love the title of this article. Is it just me?
- tus88 7y agoUltra premium compact laptops is what they have been known for since the early 2000s. I remember oogling over one around that time for similar reasons as this one.
- flattone 7y agowhy are laptop bezels still being "slimmed down" while phone screens are practically dripping all over the floor?
- AFascistWorld 7y agoMaybe they should foucus on making hub dongle great and reliable.
- Causality1 7y agoGod in heaven it actually has separate mouse buttons too. I forgot how sick I am of having to crank my thumb three inches to the right just to make sure I'm going to right click.
- carlsborg 7y agoFedora 30 defaults to two finger tap as right click. Your os might allow you to configure the same. Try it - there is no going back.
- nfoz 7y agoIt's a requirement I have of any laptop, and they're tragically hard to find. It's the main reason I like these modern VAIOs and will probably get one. I'd buy a Purism in a heartbeat if it had dedicated touchpad buttons. My only other suggestions are some Dell Latitude 7xxx models (e.g. 7390, 7490), or maybe a Fujitsu. None of the Lenovo touchpads count anymore (why are the buttons at the top!?)
- icebraining 7y ago> why are the buttons at the top!? To use with the TrackPoint. In fact, my X201 had buttons at the top and bottom.
- gsich 7y ago>why are the buttons at the top!? to use it with the trackpoint or the touchpad. You can use your thumb for the touchpad and you'd be surprised how much better it is that way.
- jaytaylor 7y agoPoor battery life is what I've experienced with all Sony laptop machines I've used. Always a disappointment.
- SllX 7y agoVAIO was spun off from Sony, though they still retain a stake. I don’t know how much of your previous experience translates over, cuz I honestly don’t know how much of Sony’s laptop design aesthetic was retained in the new company. That’s just a long winded way of saying, it might be worth a fresh look, if you feel up to looking into them.
- sova 7y agoWindows SCSI support has likely not changed since the nineties so... no thanks
- johnchristopher 7y agoNo rs232 ? :( /s
- Synaesthesia 7y agoParallel port yo
- badumtss 7y agoCall me ignorant, but who are still using VGA?
- efraim 7y agoA lot of projectors in conference rooms and class rooms.
- forgingahead 7y agoCan we install OSX on it? Will pay good money for that
- Synaesthesia 7y agoYou can install OSX on most intel based laptops, getting the drivers for certain things can be a pain. For wifi and bluetooth you may need to replace the internal card.
- forgingahead 7y agoSure I get all that -- my comment was that if someone made an easy to use alternative with OSX on this machine (basically buy it and it works, simple Hackintosh), there's likely a good market for that. Anecdotally, I'd pay essentially up to what I'd fork out for a Macbook Pro now. It just needs to work, the way Apple stuff works, without any headaches. The problem with Apple machines for me now is that they've done all these silly reductions in features that actively hurt my convenient use of it. Edit, to clarify, I'm talking about a legit copy of OSX purchased properly, no piracy whatsoever. I just want the creature comforts of OSX on a machine with ports! (and MagSafe too, if possible)
- colejohnson66 7y ago> Edit, to clarify, I'm talking about a legit copy of OSX purchased properly, no piracy whatsoever. I just want the creature comforts of OSX on a machine with ports! (and MagSafe too, if possible) Technically, by installing it on a computer that isn’t a Mac, you’re violating the EULA. So it doesn’t matter if you purchased it, it’s still illegal to use it for that purpose (but no one’s gonna stop you)
- stevenwliao 7y ago> If someone made an easy to use alternative with OSX Psystar did. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psystar_Corporation#Legal_issues https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psystar_Corporation#Legal_issu...
- bryanrasmussen 7y agothat underwhelming battery worries me, otherwise I am seriously considering!
- yyyk 7y agoHalf the comments seem to be surprised by VGA. But just about every 1080p monitor has the port, and even Steam statistics[0] show that over 60% of their users use 1080p, and about 75 percent use resolutions that are VGA compatible. 4K computer monitors are still uncommon - and Steam is likely tilted towards higher resolutions. In short: Most existing monitors support VGA, and probably a good deal of those actually use the port. [0] https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey VGA can do 1440p, but it's rare on these monitors, so I didn't count the 4.71% 2560x1440 users.
- as1mov 7y agoI've found VGA on literally on the TV's and monitors I've come across until now, regardless of which end of the price spectrum they are on. Plus these ports are durable too, you might get some glitchy tinted picture due to dust/bent pins, but it's better than nothing. Just last week, my team had to attend a meeting where our manager was going to project a presentation on a TV, sadly the HDMI port of the TV was not working so everybody's Macbook and it's dongles were useless. My manager had to resort to transferring the presentation file to my HP Probook and using it to present, which thankfully still sports a good set of ports (the only gripe I have is the lack on DP/mini DP).
- yyyk 7y agoVGA can barely do 2K not 4K, so most 2K and all 4K computer monitors don't include it. So it's not exactly that VGA is 'everywhere', rather that 4K computer monitors are a small section of the market, enthusiasts aside. 4K TVs are much more common - but many of those still have a VGA port (I guess TV owners are much more forgiving?).
- y4mi 7y agoI got a full HD (vertical, IPS), 2k (IPS) and a 4k (TN) screen on my desk. All have VGA. I also have a 4k tv on my wall. It also has VGA.
- 7y ago
- aib 7y agoIt's depressing to see what is considered "a ton" of ports nowadays.
- jayalpha 7y agoTiny with 12"? About 10y ago I had a Vaio 10" Laptop. Nice peace of hardware.
- balaam 7y agoI've only ever had horrible experiences with Vaio and it would take a lot for me to consider trying one again. (The screen broke with a month, then I spent 3 months in a horrible support hell before finally getting refunded which wasn't even the outcome I wanted - I just wanted it fixed. Contrast with the macbook I bought it, it worked for several months, the hard drive died, I took it to a mac store and it was fixed within the week. The ecosystem around the computer matters.)
- sowbug 7y agoSee also GPD Micro PC: https://www.gpd.hk/gpdmicropc https://www.gpd.hk/gpdmicropc Tiny, includes RS-232 port among others.
- chx 7y agoMisleading title. A 12.5" laptop is pretty normal these days. The One Mix Yoga 2S, the spiritual successor of the Vaio P, the first ever 7" laptop with a proper CPU (=Intel Core instead of Atom) and proper storage (= SSD instead of eMMC and then NVMe at that). I am in love with that thing.
- lucb1e 7y agoIt's still tiny for a laptop, even if a credit card sized laptop based on a rpi would exist. A normal size is 15.6, large is above that and small is below. You can't properly work on a screen smaller than 14" or so, and I'm sure there'll be lots of people that tell me they work on this in the train every day just fine (the logic being "when challenged, we can find many people on HN that are fine squinting at a 7 inch 1366px screen, therefore there is no majority calling this tiny"), but such a laptop's focus is on mobility and travel, not comfortably doing desktop-equivalent work on it. That's why, for a laptop form factor, I'd say it's tiny and not a misleading title.
- robin_reala 7y agoYou can't properly work on a screen smaller than 14" or so Bit of a blanket statement. I’m totally happy on my 11" Macbook Air still. Full-screen browser on one workspace, full-screen Sublime on another and full-screen terminal on the third. Trivial to cmd-tab between them, and the portability gains massively outweigh any benefits of having all windows open at the same time, especially if I have an external monitor available at most workspaces.
- johnday 7y ago> You can't properly work on a screen smaller than 14" or so, and I'm sure there'll be lots of people that tell me [...] I think the 13-inch Macbook Pro is a fairly good counterpoint. There are plenty (millions) of people who use them as their primary computer every day. Personally I tend to have mine plugged into a monitor, but I also do plenty of work on it freestanding.
- geofft 7y agoI have a 12" MacBook, and while yes, I use it on the train, I also find myself using it at my desk in preference to the much larger monitor and desktop. I also never use the monitor I have at home.
- kelnos 7y agoI'm surprised it only has a single USB-C port (and possibly then only for charging?). I too am generally annoyed by port proliferation (and appreciate having at least one USB-A port!), but I've already started embracing USB-C for things, so this laptop's setup would be a step back for me.
- 2muchcoffeeman 7y agoThe single USB C and not the inclusion of a VGA port is the step back?
- lucb1e 7y agoYes. VGA is frequently used, but so is C. This device has zero usable C ports it seems, it just has a C charger.
- colejohnson66 7y agoWould you prefer it had a barrel jack for power and no USB-C?
- lucb1e 7y agoI don't have any C devices myself, and given the issues I've heard with C chargers, cables, and devices, I'm inclined to say "maybe". But I think the answer is rather "no", because of course in the long run, this mess will probably sort itself out and we'll be able to swap chargers super easily. Two weeks ago a charger of mine finally broke on the hottest day so far (it was getting hot since day one, ~8 years ago, but this day finally did the trick), I ended up taking out the hard drive behind twenty screws and unplugging the laptop keyboard, because I didn't have a replacement charger. I wouldn't have had a replacement C charger either, but that would be different in years to come. I guess more universal chargers is more better. Looking at you, work phone (Apple branded, and battery draining unlike any OS I've ever seen, so having only one charger is super annoying).
- buboard 7y agoI m big fan of lenovo X series , and they also have docking port
- bufferoverflow 7y agoAnd a ridiculous price for the specs.
- arbirk 7y agoTons of ports but no thunderbolt
- znpy 7y agoIts just moronic how laptop companies are rushing to make smaller laptops at the cost of basically everything. A ThinkPad-X220-sized laptop would still be absolutely acceptable both in size and weight, and could have all (or at least, most of) the ports that one could need. And swappable battery, keyboard, ram, disk etc.
- harperlee 7y agoIt’s not moronic, it’s just not for you. The moronic thing is to kill bigger laptop lines. But I travel a lot and can’t use work’s laptop for my things, so I asolutely need something below 1kg to not kill my back with 2 heavy laptops, I don’t mind 12”, I’d like to also draw in it with a stylus, and I can’t use an ipad for offline programming... so the convergence of laptops to tablets is something I like.
- baybal2 7y agoO don't think them being "killed off." They are just no longer the top of the line. The 17-15inch sized laptops are transitioning into the computer appliance category
- Tharkun 7y ago14" is the sweet spot for me. That's roughly the size of a full sized laptop keyboard (tenkeyless). They keyboard and the screen align nicely without too much wasted space. It's small enough to fit in just about any bag, and big enough to have a useful screen with a boatload of pixels.
- ghaff 7y agoYes. I definitely prefer to travel with a ~2# and <13" laptop. Often use a small Asus Flip Chromebook but it doesn't really have enough memory and Asus doesn't seem much interested in that part of their line. Was seriously thinking of getting a new Apple MacBook if they refreshed it but that's no longer an option. I'm still waiting for the convergence to properly happen. One of my biggest issues is that none of the tablet/keyboard combos work nearly as well as a laptop for grabbing and banging away on my lap as is common at conferences.
- flud 7y agoAs a MacBook pro user with just usbc, all I can say is "good move"
- rbanffy 7y agoOnly now I noticed Japanese keyboards follow ASCII rather than IBM Selectric on their top row. " over 2, just like my beloved Apple II+...
- rbanffy 7y agoI really like lots of ports, but, quite frankly, when I'm on my desk, I'd prefer to plug in a single cable over plugging in HDMI, Ethernet, USB and power. I like the fact my monitor has a USB hub that connects keyboard and mouse and, if the next one can do power, video, Ethernet and USB over a single USB-C connector, I'm all in for it.
- aembleton 7y agoThen get a USB-C hub with power delivery and have that at your desk with all of your peripherals and power supply plugged in. Then you just plug the USB-C cable in and you're away. For example: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/LETSCOM-Aluminum-Adapter-Charging-Ethernet-Gray/dp/B07RMH6256/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=usb+c+hub&qid=1563187684&s=gateway&sr=8-5 https://smile.amazon.co.uk/LETSCOM-Aluminum-Adapter-Charging...
- rbanffy 7y agoThat's one of the many reasons why I think a VGA port is kind of silly to have these days.
- charlesdaniels 7y agoIt has often been said that you can't have a thin / small laptop that also has a large number of ports... apparently this isn't such an impossible feat after all. If only it had a docking connector and hot-swapable battery.
- terrycody 7y agowhat were they thinking!?!?!?!