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> Why are desktop computers first class citizens compared to laptops This was true in the 90's, but I'm not sure any more. Desktops are a gamer or high-perfor

> Why are desktop computers first class citizens compared to laptops This was true in the 90's, but I'm not sure any more. Desktops are a gamer or high-performance workstation thing now. Those who don't fit that demographic and can't get by with iPads/their phones have laptops, which I would say is the standard now. The new business class "desktops" are usually laptop-style hardware in a small form factor case. Regarding modularity: - No one bothered to create a standard laptop motherboard form-factor like there was for desktops. - Laptops trend smaller over time. People are willing to sacrifice modularity for device size it seems. - Thermal management is more difficult on a laptop due to the enclosed space, so laptops historically have been slower than desktops for the same amount of money. Those who want performance will trend towards desktops, and are also the same demographic that would be interested in expanding the hardware for performance reasons as well.

justsomehnguy 3y ago
> Laptops trend smaller over time. People are willing to sacrifice modularity for device size it seems. Well, I have a different take on that, with miniaturity peaking at VGN-TX3 (as still usable, ofc there were a lot of even smaller ones, like P-series) and since then it's gravitated to 13.3"+ range. Most people around me bought 15.6"+ models, which are strictly in luggable category for me. https://www.notebookcheck.net/Sony-Vaio-VGN-TX3XP.1759.0.html https://www.notebookcheck.net/Sony-Vaio-VGN-TX3XP.1759.0.htm...
- NikolaNovak 3y ago
  FWIW, I think the size reduction last several years (decade?) has been focused solely on the thinness side. The "netbooks" of yore - little 12" and 10" devices - seem to have been deemed a failed experiment by the general populace and manufacturers. (I'm not saying that's my own personal perspective - I'm pretty much perennially opposite from mass market:)
  - dragonwriter 3y ago
    > The "netbooks" of yore - little 12" and 10" devices - seem to have been deemed a failed experiment by the general populace and manufacturers. They device type didn't fail, just the Wintel-centric marketing category; Chromebooks were introduced while that marketing category was still active and eventually completely dominated that market; 11.6" Chromebooks are still manufactured and sold in decent quantities.
    - justsomehnguy 3y ago
      > They device type didn't fail The netbooks, as a sub 10", cheap-as-fuck category, failed and I can't blame users on that. There is some rose tinted nostalgia around them, just like for the Nokia 'smartphones', but these were gutted on an every perceivable metric[0] By the time they could catch up the market already had iPad and multiple Android tablets in 8" to 10" size, which solved the two main points for the populace: access to Internet and the touchscreen. The result is what I had an (almost perfect) Acer W4-821 a decade ago and can't have anything even remotely comparable on x64 arch at all now. [0] Like, come on! https://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-Eee-PC-701-4G.6745.0.html https://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-Eee-PC-701-4G.6745.0.html [1] https://www.notebookcheck.net/Acer-Iconia-W4-821.129255.0.html https://www.notebookcheck.net/Acer-Iconia-W4-821.129255.0.ht...
      - dragonwriter 3y ago
        > The netbooks, as a sub 10" The upthread user was discussing 10-12", not sub-10", netbook included both. The sub-10” segment, where keyboards were of limited utility because they were too small for most people's hands, lost to smartphones/tablets, the 10"+ segment was won by Chromebooks. > The result is what I had an (almost perfect) Acer W4-821 a decade ago and can't have anything even remotely comparable on x64 arch at all now. But that's a tablet, not a netbook. That's a sign that Intel got displaced on even relatively powerful mobile devices, not the death of the netbook.

justsomehnguy 3y ago

> Laptops trend smaller over time. People are willing to sacrifice modularity for device size it seems. Well, I have a different take on that, with miniaturity peaking at VGN-TX3 (as still usable, ofc there were a lot of even smaller ones, like P-series) and since then it's gravitated to 13.3"+ range. Most people around me bought 15.6"+ models, which are strictly in luggable category for me. https://www.notebookcheck.net/Sony-Vaio-VGN-TX3XP.1759.0.html https://www.notebookcheck.net/Sony-Vaio-VGN-TX3XP.1759.0.htm...

NikolaNovak 3y ago
FWIW, I think the size reduction last several years (decade?) has been focused solely on the thinness side. The "netbooks" of yore - little 12" and 10" devices - seem to have been deemed a failed experiment by the general populace and manufacturers. (I'm not saying that's my own personal perspective - I'm pretty much perennially opposite from mass market:)
- dragonwriter 3y ago
  > The "netbooks" of yore - little 12" and 10" devices - seem to have been deemed a failed experiment by the general populace and manufacturers. They device type didn't fail, just the Wintel-centric marketing category; Chromebooks were introduced while that marketing category was still active and eventually completely dominated that market; 11.6" Chromebooks are still manufactured and sold in decent quantities.
  - justsomehnguy 3y ago
    > They device type didn't fail The netbooks, as a sub 10", cheap-as-fuck category, failed and I can't blame users on that. There is some rose tinted nostalgia around them, just like for the Nokia 'smartphones', but these were gutted on an every perceivable metric[0] By the time they could catch up the market already had iPad and multiple Android tablets in 8" to 10" size, which solved the two main points for the populace: access to Internet and the touchscreen. The result is what I had an (almost perfect) Acer W4-821 a decade ago and can't have anything even remotely comparable on x64 arch at all now. [0] Like, come on! https://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-Eee-PC-701-4G.6745.0.html https://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-Eee-PC-701-4G.6745.0.html [1] https://www.notebookcheck.net/Acer-Iconia-W4-821.129255.0.html https://www.notebookcheck.net/Acer-Iconia-W4-821.129255.0.ht...
    - dragonwriter 3y ago
      > The netbooks, as a sub 10" The upthread user was discussing 10-12", not sub-10", netbook included both. The sub-10” segment, where keyboards were of limited utility because they were too small for most people's hands, lost to smartphones/tablets, the 10"+ segment was won by Chromebooks. > The result is what I had an (almost perfect) Acer W4-821 a decade ago and can't have anything even remotely comparable on x64 arch at all now. But that's a tablet, not a netbook. That's a sign that Intel got displaced on even relatively powerful mobile devices, not the death of the netbook.