Man the 17" is already a friggin aircraft carrier, i cant imagine a notebook that huge... Might as well buy a desktop, cuz that thing aint gonna be too portable
Well, it's interesting for a few reasons. One of those reasons is that Acer is still in business.
First, this is the Acer Aspire 9800. As of now, it looks like this will be released in Europe in May and it is not known if it will be released in the US.
The 'laptop' features a Core Duo (like the MacBook Pros), a 256 MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 graphics card, a built in camera, a TV tuner card, and a HD-DVD drive. It's basically a portable HDTV.
These 'laptops' aren't scheduled to ship until May, so they may not be the first to ship a 'portable' with a HD-DVD drive but this Aspire is definitely one of the earliest.
My first PowerBook was a 1400, I was happy with the screen size because it would have been much heavier had it been any larger. My second PowerBook was a Pismo PowerBook G3/500. It had a 14.1" TFT and had a beautiful screen. I thought it was almost too large back then. Times have changed. My latest PowerBook is my Titanium PowerBook G4 1/GHz. I was originally not thrilled with the widescreen resoultions but it has grown on me.
I've seen the 17" PowerBook G4s before but never really had the chance to use one in 'ideal conditions'. For me, ideal would be sitting in my recliner with the machine balanced on my lap. It's hard to imagine a laptop with a 20.1" screen without actually seeing it, but I think if anyone could somehow pull it off, it would be Apple.
I don't see the facination of large screen laptops. While traveling my 15" PB is plenty big. If I want more screen real estate at home I'll buy a 20" monitor.
a 20" screen?!? Are you nuts? What is the point of making a laptop that size? Apple ships desktops with screens smaller than that! Okay, I can understand if you use the laptop as your main computer and more or less just use it between your den and bedroom, but for most of us who are students or have jobs and need to travel with our laptop, it is not a solution! You may buy that, but the overall pro market will not. And then you have to think about price! That thing could easily cost over $3000 CAD! I can get a decent PowerMac for that price. Cool as it may be, it will not generate profit.
I want that 90 inch screen in a laptop. Oh yeah baby...
If anyone saw the Intel keynote from a couple of month ago, they presented a 20 inch laptop there (from Dell?). A 20 inch Cinema Display and a MacMini would be at least as easy to carry as that monster and probably at a third of the price.
Many Pros uses large laptops as portable desktops, so a 20" laptop isn't out of the question. Anyone who actually travels with it or carries it farther than from the Car to the Office will want something far more portable, which Apple will have covered once the rest of the line is converted to Core Duo.
Personally, I love my Ti, but could handle a slightly smaller / thinner form factor. That said, I'll probably break down and get a 15" MacBook Pro.
For me, even the 17in looks too big - not as good looking as the 15in. Personally, I'd take a 12" plus a 20" display, but I appreciate that some people need bigger screens on the move. Really though, does anyone need a 20" that much?!
I had the 17" G4 for two years - loved it. If I could have replaced it with a 17" MBP I would have - various reasons I had to replace it when the MBP came out and couldn't wait.
Anyway, if I was a real road warrior, I would want a 15" - plenty big enough for real work. I basically use my laptop at work, and take it home to use. The 17" is perfect.
Interesting to speculate on how I would like a 20" - ignoring the OMG factor when my collegues saw it, I can't say I would want to carry it back and forth to work much.
Now, if I was still doing wedding videos, it would be a different matter - for that it would be perfect for demos to customers, trade shows and especially for same day editing.
So, it would basically come down to economics - could Apple sell enough to the small number of pros who could use it, plus the small number of people who need the OMG effect.
Just a quick thought here. it's to big for laptop. That is only my opinion. I'm sure somebody would think it was cool, but I think the PowerBook G4's screen sizes had good screen size range, and they went big enough. 20.1 seems more than excessive.
Comments
First, this is the Acer Aspire 9800. As of now, it looks like this will be released in Europe in May and it is not known if it will be released in the US.
The 'laptop' features a Core Duo (like the MacBook Pros), a 256 MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 graphics card, a built in camera, a TV tuner card, and a HD-DVD drive. It's basically a portable HDTV.
These 'laptops' aren't scheduled to ship until May, so they may not be the first to ship a 'portable' with a HD-DVD drive but this Aspire is definitely one of the earliest.
My first PowerBook was a 1400, I was happy with the screen size because it would have been much heavier had it been any larger. My second PowerBook was a Pismo PowerBook G3/500. It had a 14.1" TFT and had a beautiful screen. I thought it was almost too large back then. Times have changed. My latest PowerBook is my Titanium PowerBook G4 1/GHz. I was originally not thrilled with the widescreen resoultions but it has grown on me.
I've seen the 17" PowerBook G4s before but never really had the chance to use one in 'ideal conditions'. For me, ideal would be sitting in my recliner with the machine balanced on my lap. It's hard to imagine a laptop with a 20.1" screen without actually seeing it, but I think if anyone could somehow pull it off, it would be Apple.
Idiots.
If anyone saw the Intel keynote from a couple of month ago, they presented a 20 inch laptop there (from Dell?). A 20 inch Cinema Display and a MacMini would be at least as easy to carry as that monster and probably at a third of the price.
Personally, I love my Ti, but could handle a slightly smaller / thinner form factor. That said, I'll probably break down and get a 15" MacBook Pro.
Anyway, if I was a real road warrior, I would want a 15" - plenty big enough for real work. I basically use my laptop at work, and take it home to use. The 17" is perfect.
Interesting to speculate on how I would like a 20" - ignoring the OMG factor when my collegues saw it, I can't say I would want to carry it back and forth to work much.
Now, if I was still doing wedding videos, it would be a different matter - for that it would be perfect for demos to customers, trade shows and especially for same day editing.
So, it would basically come down to economics - could Apple sell enough to the small number of pros who could use it, plus the small number of people who need the OMG effect.
Originally posted by Frank777
Maybe Apple could use the extra space to put back in the modem.
Idiots.
I doubt it was a space issue. They want to sell you a USB modem..
I've had my PB for 3 years, haven't used it a single time.
WIRELESS BABY!
Originally posted by Frank777
Maybe Apple could use the extra space to put back in the modem.
Idiots.
And that floppy drive.
Idiots
Originally posted by abrooks
And that floppy drive.
Idiots
Let's not forget the serial and parallel ports.
owait...
Originally posted by gar
Infrared
owait...
I've often wondered what good that #$%$ infrared port on my TI PB was.
Originally posted by ThinkingDifferent
Let's not forget the serial and parallel ports.
Check your facts again, they didn't exactly get RID of any parallel ports. Although...
`Take some more tea,' the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.
`I've had nothing yet,' Alice replied in an offended tone, `so I can't take more.'
`You mean you can't take less,' said the Hatter: `it's very easy to take more than nothing.'
`Nobody asked your opinion,' said Alice.
I've seen photogs lug cinema displays to studio shoots and I've seen the same on movie sets. Plus people here have mentioned various uses.
But I don't think Apple will make one because it wouldn't sell enough due to the fact that'd it probably cost something like $3299USD.
But I think most people can get by with 3" less.