Laptop manufacturers keep cranking up the raw power -- a dual-core processor will be swapped with a quad-core, a yester-generation graphics chip with a newer gen -- which is more or less expected. But the innovations that we're talking of do more than just make 'em faster, some allow faster data transfers, some provide new wire-free experiences, some hightened 'dimensions' of entertainment. Let's check out what's in store this year:
Faster Data Transmission
For many years, we've been used to the decent speeds those typical USB 2.0 ports found on all laptops deliver. But now with the amount of data increasing exponentially, there's need for a faster medium. To give you a simple example, all those 700MB DivX rips are soon being replaced by 720p HD rips that are anywhere between 3 to 7 times that size (2GB or 4.8GB).
Last year, we saw a few handful laptops sporting a USB 3.0 port, but I feel the newer standard should proliferate into most mainstream models by the year end. The speed-bump is fantastic - theoretically it can do 4.8 Gbps, which is ten times more than the current USB 2.0's 480 Mbps speed limit. In our real world testing, we saw the speeds were roughly two to three times faster than a regular drive, which is not bad at all.
But don't get too excited just as yet, because Intel's on the verge of announcing its Light Peak technology, that supports an insane 10Gbps with the use of optical medium instead of copper wires. Apple's updated Macbook Pros are supposed to feature this technology with the 'Thunderbolt' moniker. So basically this year, you'll be staring a lot less at a progress bar despite shuffling GBs and GBs of data.
Hybrid Hard Drives
Most laptops today come with traditional platter-spinning hard drives. These magnetic mediums of storage are cheaper to make and on an average have hundreds of GBs of space. Flash-based SSD drives are making their way into premium segment models like the Macbook Air, and they offer faster speeds, no vibrations or noise and have a better tolerance to physical shock. The major compromise with SSDs is space -- even the most highest-end SSD-based laptops come with around 128 to 256GB space, which in comparison to regular hard drives is paltry.
Hybrid Hard Drives are basically regular spinning disks with a small capacity SSD integrated into the body. How does this help? The Operating System files are typically installed in the faster accessible SSD, whereas the spinning drive is used to store user data. So, your computer can have instant on and ultra-fast boot times like an SSD based PC, yet have a huge space to store all the content as well. It also helps in saving power.
Windows already supports these types of drives by the virtue of a feature called 'ReadyDrive' since Vista. The instant turning on and off we experienced in the Macbook Air is something that we would appreciate to have in every laptop.
More on Chip
Back in school, we were taught that the Central Processing Unit (or processor) contained a couple of units like the ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit), Memory Registers, Control Unit etc. These were the elements that lie on that chip that we'd insert into the motherboard, while other functions like the memory controller or the graphics processing unit were placed separately.
Since the past few years, we see these other core components of a PC moving onto the same chip that also occupied the CPU. Well, CPU's are getting smaller and smaller each year as per Moore's law; they're down to as low as 32 nanometer as of today, so there's definitely gotta be extra space over there (as the actual size of the chip hasn't increased).
Intel's recent Atom processors and even the top-of-the-line Sandy Bridge have Graphics processors and memory controllers on the chip. Even AMD's Fusion "APU" platform is pretty much the same thing. So what are the advantages of them being positioned close to the CPU?
Communication between these components is faster and more efficient, thus improving performance and even saving power.
Wireless Streaming onto a bigger screen
Nowadays, most laptops have an HDMI port to directly hook them up to a bigger LCD TV or projector. The great thing about HDMI is that it uses a single cable to transmit audio and video, thus reducing clutter.
With advancement in wireless technology and processing power, we're on the brink of wireless transmission of content from a laptop onto a bigger display. Intel's calling this technology WiDi, Apple calls it 'AirPlay'. Off the two, WiDi requires you to purchase a small box that connects by wire to your TV and accepts transmission from your laptop's Wi-Fi chip. Apple requires you to purchase the Apple TV, which essentially does the same thing for not just computers but even iOS devices like the iPhone or iPad.
So, you can basically be streaming your favorite movie stored on your laptop to an LCD TV or say a PowerPoint presentation to a projector wire-free from a distance.
Stereoscopic 3D
We saw an affordable 3D laptop with typical polarized glasses last year, but weren't as impressed, especially after experiencing what 3D on PCs is with a stereoscopic pair. Although the original NVIDIA 3D Vision kit is somewhat clunky with its IR transmitter, recent pro-gaming laptops like the ASUS G73JW have smartly integrated that sensor right beside the webcam.
So, all you need to need to do is put on those active glasses and experience 3D. Although this may be seen in ultra-expensive laptops like the one mentioned above, I'm sure by the end of the year it will trickle down into some mid-range models too. These laptops may not be hardcore gaming PC replacements, but they can be pitched more towards 3D video viewing.
Optical Drive Extinction
Years ago, imagining a PC without an CD Drive would send shivers down your spine. If you ask me now, I don't really care anymore. Thanks to high-speed, unlimited Internet access and USB-based storage that's cheap, re-usable and stores much more data than even a dual-layered Bluray disc, the DVD drive in my PC lies untouched for months.
As more and more people choose to opt out of using optical media to transfer data, more laptop makers can go forward and put the space that the drive occupies to better use. I'd trade it to fit a bigger battery or make the laptop thinner any day, instead of holding on to a DVD drive that I might find some use some day.
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