Sorry for being away for so long - I've been out and about, and am still officially "away", returning to the office tomorrow.
One of my trips was to Washington state - up in the "Seattle Area", specifically. I was there to discuss some business items which I believe will appeal to appraisers, should things work out. At present, that is all I can say on that topic - for now. More to the point of this thread, I was able to see some upcoming hardware. The major item which will (positively) affect appraisers is, of course, devices with the upcoming Haswell and Bay Trail chips. Unfortunately, there is an information embargo, so I can't really go into specifics - brands, models and geeky specs at this time. I can, however, confirm that most of what I seen in the leaks and (responsible) rumor mills is reasonably accurate. In fact, there are already a (very) few Haswell devices available today, though they are mostly of the specialty (gaming/enthusiast) variety and not ones I would recommend for appraisers.
The main issues I have with how some tech sites are reporting Haswell items is the way most users here may ready the claims for increased battery life and a general lack of explaining the benefits of Connected Standby. So, Haswell brings a theoretical 2x - 3x increase in efficiency-related items at the chyipset and closely-related subsystems, that does
not translate to a massive increase in a users' typical run times. Remember, that for the most part, the biggest power draw comes from the LCD panel, not the chipset, the "computing", etc. So, while an otherwise very similar/same previous generation Core i5 or Core i6 device will gain
some additional battery life by moving to Haswell, my gut (by observations and VERY limited exposure to sample devices) leads me to stand by my previous thoughts that we'll see a slight performance increase and a moderate increase to battery life under identical circumstances. For example, I believe we'll see a (say) 5 -6 hour battery life go to a 6 - 7 hour run time.
Perhaps the further reaching items are related to a larger increase in what we users see in "real world" scenarios. Most test sequences today involve a 50% - 60% screen brightness and a suite of apps that cycle through web browsing, videos, music and the like - things deemed "typical" for the mass markets. I believe that our typical work scenarios involve far less video and music (at least, they
should while working, LOL) but our work environment often calls for brighter screen settings to combat the outdoor lighting conditions typical to inspections. The net effect seems to feel like about a 15% - 20% increase in battery life. The other major upside will revolve around finally getting access to Connected Standby, which is already present in the more mobile-oriented, lighter weight Clover Trail devices out today, as well as your typical phone, iPad and Android tablets (albeit going under a different name.) This item allows for a really useful condition that phone and "Pad" users already enjoy and rely on - maintaining service to web/mail/similar services when the device is in "sleep" mode - that state that some still think is "Off." Basically, it means that these desktop-replacement capable machines will be much more mobile friendy with regard to being able to rely on them as a single source for your mobile office needs. Other minor items that are changing cumulatively amount to maybe another 4% - 6%, depending on your usage scenarios.
The other think I observed is that noticeably thinner & lighter designs are truly possible and, in fact, in production now. This in itself is not due soley to Haswell, but rather a combination of manufacturing & production efficiencies becoming more mature. It just takes a generation (or two) to get the ingredients worked out. Wile I cannot be specific about upcoming devices, I can point you to newly existing/available devices which I was able to compare Haswell devices to. So, if you want to get an idea of what sort of things to look forward to, go check out a Toshiba KIRAbook. This 13.3" Ultrabook was recently released to the retail channel and features a stunning 2,560 x 1,440 IPS display and is incredibly thin and light. Note that for years, we North Americans hve not seen the Toshiba "pro" lines - mostly what we've had access to is their crappy, el cheapo devices. The KIRAbook is a pro business unit, and priced accordingly ($1,500 - $2,000.) I know, I know - NOT a tablet/convertible, and more money than you want to spend - I get it ;-) Still, go by a retailer and fondle one to get a feel for the difference in previously available 13.3" laptops and this sleek beauty, It'll give you a pretty good idea where things are heading with respect to size, weight and build quality. Most of us geeks love the device, but bemoan why it was so late to the party - they may as well should have just waited for a Haswell release (month or two?)
That said, I
strongly urge that if you are in the market for a new dvice, that you
wait for Haswell designs if you want the best bang for the buck. They really do appear to be not that far off and the wait is worth it IMHO. This goes for Tablets/Convertibles and laptops, less so for desktops. Additionally, most indicators point to similar or lower prices than what we're seeing today, and you should know what that means for pricing on devices out now - they can only go down... Hence, I believe the "sweet spot" for bargain hunters and "gotta have the best" types is just around the corner. If you're dead in the water, sure - go get what you need after doing your research, but if you CAN wait, my recommendation is to do so.
OK, so I saw another device (under info embargo) but lo and behold, I see that a tech site (moderate on accuracy and high on bias/rumor/etc.) has published a short article with pictures on the the ToshibaPortege Z10t. Again, this device is using a current-gen Core i5/i7 and there will be a Haswell "refresh" in a couple of months. What makes this unit worthy of discussing in this thread is that it is a business class device (which I prefer) and has a (sadly rather unique)
matte (vs. glossy) screen. Other "innards" are similar to other confertibles out today except for the "spill resistant" keyboard, included vPro, TPM, etc. not found on consumer class devices. If you are familiar with the $1,200 Samsung ATIV 700T (not, coincidentally, just reduced by $200+), it is similar to that, but just done much, much better. I have not seen a final, shipping version, but from what I saw, I believe it will be something that those whom the Lenovo Helix appeals to, should consider. It'll be interesting to see what the actual "street" price is - what sort of discounts will be applied to the (reported) $1,499 MSRP (varies per component choices.) For that matter, what happens to the Helix pricing?
Here is a link to an article on the Z10t. You can find others, some more geeky than others. I chose this one because I know that you like pictures more than "the articles." ;-)
http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/29/toshiba-portege-z10t-detachable-ultrabook/#continued
I'll follow up later on Bay Trail items. That chipset (and devices) look to be hitting a couple of months after Haswell units start rolling out. Every bit in really usecul/specific info I have on the actual devices is not only under NDA, but really too far out to rely on anyway, given how the landscape is changing. IF you have a need for a thin/light device, just be aware that I saw some "Clover Trail+" stuff, and while that is a slightly better solution than the regular Clover Trail devices, I would wait for Bay Trail - it is simply
that much better. Seems that most of the interest in CT+ is from the ruggedized/Enterprise market, so you may not even see these in stores anyway...
Hope this helps!
-Randall Garrett-
..Apex Software..
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