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I break out this link whenever the topic of PC manufacturing comes up: http://www.lenovoblogs.com/insidethebox/2009/04/display-ratio-change-again/ http://www.le

by pkamb 15y ago

I break out this link whenever the topic of PC manufacturing comes up: http://www.lenovoblogs.com/insidethebox/2009/04/display-ratio-change-again/ http://www.lenovoblogs.com/insidethebox/2009/04/display-rati... Thinkpads are (were) well known for their 4:3 screens. People are downright fanatical about them, and continue to buy old T60s off craigslist rather than buy new from Lenovo. Tall screens are better for documents and spreadsheets. 4:3 displays instantly differentiate business-machine Thinkpads from all other laptops. But now Thinkpads are 16:9. They lost one of their defining features because "these manufacturers make more selling TV displays than laptop displays, and the PC vendors have almost zero say in this change. We simply have to adapt. As much as I would like it to be so, 4:3 is not coming back." Meanwhile, Apple goes and sources millions of 4:3 iPad displays simply because that's the best resolution for the iPad.

wmf 15y ago
Also, Apple buys a lot more of that panel than any panel that Lenovo buys. If Lenovo ordered millions of 4:3 panels, they would suddenly become available.
- Steko 15y ago
  I guess that's the difference we're talking about here: PC makers' diverse offerings force them to buy components that are cheap while Apple buys whatever components they want but get them even cheaper due to scale. The kicker is that at the same time Apple makes that component it's buying even more expensive for everyone else and they know everyone else is copying them.
- pkamb 15y ago
  Then why don't they? Why doesn't Lenovo simply their offerings and only offer 3 panels? They'd be cheaper and higher quality. That's the entire point of this article.