This is what my perfect laptop would look like. Now, why on Earth can’t I have it?
- CPU: Dual-core or better, 64-bit.
- GPU: 2 GB NVidia or ATI chip, good enough to play current shooters. Yes, even business users occasionally need an opportunity to relax.
- Display: 14” or 15″ 1920 x 1200 non-glossy. Can we please please have 16:10 for business use? There is no logical justification for the 16:9 format for business customers. Whoever believed that 16:9 is enough for business should be publicly whipped.
- Keyboard: robust, back-lit, and nice, like the Dell Latitude E6430 or better. Please add arrow keys; the extra number block is no longer needed. Mechanical -volume and mute buttons are a must-have.
- A good, reliable touchpad.
- OS: Windows 8.1 Ultimate.
- Memory: 8 GB, expandable.
- Hard Drive: 500 GB SSD.
- Optical drive: DVD-RW. I don’t care about Blu-ray.
- Quiet cooling. I know we will not see fan-less laptops in the next few years, but PLEASE give me a quiet fan!
- Ports: at least four USBs with, at minimum, one on the right side, SD, HDMI, 1 GB/s LAN, headphone/microphone, and support for a laptop lock for added security.
- A docking station interface. No, docking stations are NOT out! And yes, I am aware that there are some excellent WiGig modem solutions, but they won’t charge my laptop. I want a docking station that will connect everything with just one click; new innovations mean we don’t need additional plugs and cables.
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- UMTS and LTE support fully integrated inside the casing without any visible thumb drives or antennas.
- Battery run time: at least 6 hours of business use – office software and surfing via Wi-Fi.
- Replaceable battery.
- A real mechanical button to switch “flight” or “airplane” mode on and off.
- Weight: no more than 2 kg.
- Size: not much bigger than the display itself (15” +- 0.5”), about 1” thick.
- Mechanical design: a robust casing that’s rigid; should be firm and not too easy to bend.
- Please no funny colors; boring black-and-gray is what I want.
- Easy to service.
- Support bundle: something similar to Dell’s next-business-day (or four-hour same-day) support is a must-have for today’s business users.
- Please, no huge logos on the casing. I am not willing to let anyone abuse me as an advertising space.
- Price: less than 2,000 US$.
I am a project manager (Project Manager Professional, PMP), a Project Coach, a management consultant, and a book author. I have worked in the software industry since 1992 and as a manager consultant since 1998. Please visit my United Mentors home page for more details. Contact me on LinkedIn for direct feedback on my articles.
http://www.razerzone.com/store/razer-blade
yes. it doesn’t have all the ports and whatnot, but this is as close as you’re going to get spec-wise to the laptop of your dreams. There is a physical limit to how small you can make port components (your 4 USB, HDMI, Optical drive) while still fitting a sizable battery, HDD, WiFi, LTE, etc that would make a laptop the size you want physically impossible at the moment. Not to mention power hungry.
So here you go. welcome to the 21st century.
PS. If any company is actually capable of making what you’re describing you should be more than happy to advertise their brand because they must be doing a damn good job.
Razer Blade does look great. Unfortunately, it still seem to lack some features important to me like a docking station interface, 3G/4G, a resolution of 1920×1200 etc.
I promise that the day I get my hands on a system matching all (or at least nearly all, I can live without without a DVD drive) of my requirements, I will write an exhausting review here.