July 24, 2011
If you are thinking of buying a new lightweight PC laptop this summer, hold off. We are at the cusp of a big technology shift. Two things are about to happen.
Windows 8.1: the First Major Upgrade
First, Windows 8.1 rolls out this fall. It’s the first major upgrade to Windows 8 since it came out a year ago, and some say it fixes all that is wrong with its first Windows 8 release. While existing 8 users can always upgrade (and the upgrade process is supposedly very easy), there are some hardware–dependent aspects (like screen resolution) that may make it worthwhile to wait for the new PCs that have it pre-installed.
Intel Haswell Chip
Second, and more important, is the new Intel Haswell chip line that is due to finally show up in Windows Ultrabook laptops this fall. Some varieties of Haswell increase battery longevity by 50% and allow even thinner and lighter laptops. The long anticipated release of that line has been delayed for some reason; there are only a few well-known laptops using the longer-battery-life version now (like the Aspire M5). Others are out now that don’t seem to be using the long-battery version yet (example: Lenovo Y410p only has 5 hours of life). And the Sony Pro seems to have opted for a lighter unit and 6 hours of battery. The best combination of lightness and battery life in a new Haswell laptop seems to be the new MacBook Air. But if you are waiting for more popular Windows hybrid in-lap touchscreen devices like the Lenovo Yoga or Helix or others to upgrade, you’ll have to wait a little longer—to Q4. A ton of new Haswell laptops should come out by then in time for Christmas shoppers. That’s when I’d shop for my next laptop.
By the way, how you identify if you are getting a Haswell chip is a bit tricky. The processors will still be named i5 and i7, like they are now. And you probably won’t see the word Haswell there. The key is to look for the phrase “4th Generation Intel Core” in the manufacturer description. That’s the new chip.
What about iPad-Sized Windows Tablets? Wait till End of 2013 or early 2014
As you may know, I am a fan of iPad-sized tablets. That’s what I call a true tablet, one you can hold with one hand. And I am a big fan of pen-input. That combination is currently hard to find in a full Windows 8 Pro line. The only one I like is the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2. It’s a nice machine, but I always want more power.
So if you are waiting for an upgrade to tablets like this, you’ll need to wait longer—to end of this year or early next year. That’s because the Haswell line described above will not help these. It’s still a laptop chip, and so requires a fan, which means it’s not going to drive an iPad-sized device for a while. No, the best you will see from the fall Haswell line are new laptops like the Surface Pro, which are pretty thin but still not a true tablet.
Two things happen at the end of the this year or early 2014 that will get us closer to a high-power, iPad-sized Windows tablet. First, an even lower-voltage Haswell chip comes out end of year or early next that will allow fanless laptops. Second, the Atom processor line (currently in the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 ) launches its new Bay Trail line; it will be in new tablets by end of year or early next. Intel claims this new Bay Trail processor has power nearly equal to the current Core i5 chips. So a Bay Trail device is what I would wait for if you want to buy a next-generation iPad-sized Windows tablet.
Michael