I really don't get this article. The iPad can go 4:3 because Apple can guarantee 1 million orders and so their manufacturer is willing to set up a separate line to produce just 4:3 panels. Nobody else can do this because there isn't a million customers who regard widescreen as a critical point of differentiation on a laptop when the same specced 16:9 can be had $10 cheaper.
iPad raises questions about laptop display options
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Re: iPad raises questions about laptop display options
#12The missing/sacrificed vertical resolution could be solved if more laptops would offer better, higher resolutions than 1280x800 / 1366x768 on laptops as large as 15.6". High resolution 12/13/14/15 inch laptops are ridiculously niche.
I was able to buy a 15" widescreen laptop from Dell with 1060 vertical resolution in mid-2006 for about $700. I only recently upgraded because the wifi card on it started to flake out, but I was sorely disappointed that I couldn't find resolution that matched or exceeded that in today's laptop, without paying a premium. It didn't help that I was searching via the Dell Outlet, where you can't sort by screen resolution (something they're supposed to be fixing in the next couple of months, I've been told) I ended up settling for a 14" w/ 900px vertical resolution, but I definitely miss the 160 pixels I lost.
Re: iPad raises questions about laptop display options
#13I really don't get this article. The iPad can go 4:3 because Apple can guarantee 1 million orders and so their manufacturer is willing to set up a separate line to produce just 4:3 panels. Nobody else can do this because there isn't a million customers who regard widescreen as a critical point of differentiation on a laptop when the same specced 16:9 can be had $10 cheaper.
Exactly. The author backs up his assertion that "the supply is clearly there" with a single example, as if that's enough.
Re: iPad raises questions about laptop display options
#14I love 4:3 screens, but they are very hard to get as the article states. I thought we were few, but it seems there are enough 4:3 lovers out there :) (Apple included?)
Agreed. Right now I have two 19" 4x3 screens, and cannot imagine one or two 16x9's replacing them. I like to maximize windows, though, so not sure if that makes me an outlier or not.
Re: iPad raises questions about laptop display options
#15[deleted]
Re: iPad raises questions about laptop display options
#16I understand the move to 16x10, but why the change from there to 16x9? That doesn't seem to do anything but lose more vertical space. I also don't understand why there doesn't seem to be enough demand to continue offering 4x3 models. Maybe not in every size range, but it seems like there should be enough demand in a couple popular sizes.
(1) It's cheaper for the manufacturer as others have stated.
(2) Normal consumers don't like black bars. So they playback their increasingly-common 16:9 dvd/youtube/hulu content and complain that there are black bars at the top and bottom of their 16:10 or 4:3 screen, and feel like it's being "wasted," never mind that everything else you do on a computer (read web pages, edit documents) is done vertically and the extra lines help. Same reason why you see 4:3 content being played back stretched on 16:9 displays in coffee shops -- people would rather see a grossly distorted image than see black bars. Same reason you find really messed up in-between screen ratios being sold retail (stretch both 16:9 and 4:3, take the worst of both worlds but hey! no black bars). Personally, I'll take square pixels and correct aspect ratio with black bars any day.
Re: iPad raises questions about laptop display options
#17I love 4:3 screens, but they are very hard to get as the article states. I thought we were few, but it seems there are enough 4:3 lovers out there :) (Apple included?)
I love high resolution screens first and foremost. Any reasonable ratio will do.
Re: iPad raises questions about laptop display options
#18I thought this article would be about other laptops lacking IPS and having a terrible viewing angle. For something that promotes more social usage like the iPad, the viewing angle being huge is critical. Most laptops in my experience are hard to view and share at the same time.
Re: iPad raises questions about laptop display options
#19I figured the iPad wasn't widescreen because it doesn't work well vertically.
Yeah. 4:3 is closer to the aspect ratio of books, newspapers, etc.
Re: iPad raises questions about laptop display options
#20I figured the iPad wasn't widescreen because it doesn't work well vertically.
4:3 is also the aspect ratio of almost all digital photographs, and I'm sure that was a consideration.