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Keep an eye on Vizio. The thin and lights they announced at CES are going to pack 1600x900 screens in the 14" model, and full 1080p screens in the 15.6" model.

Keep an eye on Vizio. The thin and lights they announced at CES are going to pack 1600x900 screens in the 14" model, and full 1080p screens in the 15.6" model. Gorgeous industrial design, great screens, they're working with Microsoft to ship Windows 7 bloatware-free, and Vizio has a reputation for being absolutely ruthless in cutting prices while maintaining quality. They're supposed to hit market in June, and I'm holding off on buying a new notebook until then. The Verge had a great interview with their CTO: http://www.theverge.com/2012/1/13/2705064/vizio-cto-matt-mcrae-internet-tv-provider-50-100-channels-12-18-months http://www.theverge.com/2012/1/13/2705064/vizio-cto-matt-mcr... They seem to get it. If they mean half of what McRae says in that interview, Vizio stands to really turn the commodity PC market on its head. Given that we keep seeing the same mistakes made by the likes of Dell, HP, et al, I think it may just take an outsider like them to shake up the industry.

JoshTriplett 15y ago
Sounds promising, but I wouldn't normally consider a 14-15" screen "thin and light", and I don't see any statistics on thickness or weight to indicate otherwise. And the biggest open issue from my perspective: will they have an incredibly good warranty? Always a major concern with a new company in a field, particularly when you don't know if they'll remain in that field for the lifetime of the product. To calibrate expectations: I currently have a ThinkPad, and on the rare occasion that something goes wrong with it, it gets fixed the next day for free. I wouldn't buy any laptop without at least a three-year no-questions-asked warranty, and the end of that warranty period indicates the time to buy a new laptop.
- commandar 15y ago
  >Sounds promising, but I wouldn't normally consider a 14-15" screen "thin and light", and I don't see any statistics on thickness or weight to indicate otherwise. From Gizmodo's hands on with them at CES: >Like its new tablet, the specs aren't final, so Vizio won't say just how thin, or how light they are. But the 14-inch felt comprable to my Macbook Air, and looked to be similar in terms of thickness. (See comparison shot.) Bottom line, this thing will be a breeze to shove in a bag and tote around all day. http://gizmodo.com/5874470/putting-my-hands-on-vizios-new-machines-gave-me-computer-envy http://gizmodo.com/5874470/putting-my-hands-on-vizios-new-ma... Just guessing at the photos the prototypes they were showing off looked like they were in the inch-ish thick range. I do know that pretty much every hands-on I read about them said they fit the ultrabook mold even though Vizio is choosing not to use the term to describe them. (And I don't blame them. I always thought ultrabook was a pretty terrible name).
eropple 15y ago
This is interesting. I hadn't realized they were getting into PCs (my only knowledge of Vizio is "shitty Walmart TVs") and they're at least saying all the right things. Admittedly, at this point it'll take a lot to get me to come back from Apple, but that is definitely a start.
- commandar 15y ago
  >(my only knowledge of Vizio is "shitty Walmart TVs") FWIW, Vizio has developed a reputation for building TVs that match the quality of more expensive sets at lower prices. They're generally far better than the junk budget displays you'll find while considerably cheaper than something from a "name" manufacturer like Samsung or Sony. The hope -- and what Vizio is claiming they intend to do -- is that they bring this to the PC market.
  - eropple 15y ago
    Totally possible! My only knowledge of them is through the fine Walmart electronics department, though, which has no reputation for quality. :)

JoshTriplett 15y ago

Sounds promising, but I wouldn't normally consider a 14-15" screen "thin and light", and I don't see any statistics on thickness or weight to indicate otherwise. And the biggest open issue from my perspective: will they have an incredibly good warranty? Always a major concern with a new company in a field, particularly when you don't know if they'll remain in that field for the lifetime of the product. To calibrate expectations: I currently have a ThinkPad, and on the rare occasion that something goes wrong with it, it gets fixed the next day for free. I wouldn't buy any laptop without at least a three-year no-questions-asked warranty, and the end of that warranty period indicates the time to buy a new laptop.

commandar 15y ago
>Sounds promising, but I wouldn't normally consider a 14-15" screen "thin and light", and I don't see any statistics on thickness or weight to indicate otherwise. From Gizmodo's hands on with them at CES: >Like its new tablet, the specs aren't final, so Vizio won't say just how thin, or how light they are. But the 14-inch felt comprable to my Macbook Air, and looked to be similar in terms of thickness. (See comparison shot.) Bottom line, this thing will be a breeze to shove in a bag and tote around all day. http://gizmodo.com/5874470/putting-my-hands-on-vizios-new-machines-gave-me-computer-envy http://gizmodo.com/5874470/putting-my-hands-on-vizios-new-ma... Just guessing at the photos the prototypes they were showing off looked like they were in the inch-ish thick range. I do know that pretty much every hands-on I read about them said they fit the ultrabook mold even though Vizio is choosing not to use the term to describe them. (And I don't blame them. I always thought ultrabook was a pretty terrible name).

eropple 15y ago

This is interesting. I hadn't realized they were getting into PCs (my only knowledge of Vizio is "shitty Walmart TVs") and they're at least saying all the right things. Admittedly, at this point it'll take a lot to get me to come back from Apple, but that is definitely a start.

commandar 15y ago
>(my only knowledge of Vizio is "shitty Walmart TVs") FWIW, Vizio has developed a reputation for building TVs that match the quality of more expensive sets at lower prices. They're generally far better than the junk budget displays you'll find while considerably cheaper than something from a "name" manufacturer like Samsung or Sony. The hope -- and what Vizio is claiming they intend to do -- is that they bring this to the PC market.
- eropple 15y ago
  Totally possible! My only knowledge of them is through the fine Walmart electronics department, though, which has no reputation for quality. :)