This is what my perfect laptop would look like. Now why on Earth can’t I have it?
The current choice of laptops is disappointing. I have scanned hundreds of options, but still cannot find a laptop that fits all my requirements. Dell, HP, Acer, Lenovo, MSI, LG, and Samsung – you name it, they all offer some nice machines but every one of them lacks at least one important feature.
And no, a tablet won’t do. I need a traditional workhorse with a robust keyboard. It must be dependable, high-quality, easy to transport, and a pleasant-to-use road-warrior companion.
Here is what my perfect laptop would look like:
- 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 had the idea that 16:9 is enough for business should be publicly whipped.
- Keyboard: robust, back-lit, and nice, like the Dell Latitude E6430 or better. Extra arrow keys, please; the extra number block is not needed anymore. 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 am aware of the fact that 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 nice 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
- Both UMTS and LTE support that is 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 user.
- Please, no huge logos on the casing. I am not willing to let anyone abuse me as advertising space.
- Price: less than 2,000 US$.
Not a single laptop in this world meets all these requirements. We are discussing sending people to Mars and other planets, building autonomous flying drones, and even think we will soon have a computer that’s smarter than any human being, yet it appears to be too difficult to build a device with the above specifications.
Why?
I truly want to know.
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.