[Extremist]

With the recent release of Windows 8, PC manufacturers are unveiling new "convertibles" or tablet/laptop hybrids. Has anyone replaced a traditional desktop or laptop with a new hybrid device? If so, why, and which one? I'm thinking of possibly doing so when the Surface Pro comes out. Good idea or not?

[LiveBrianD]

I'm not planning to buy any new stuff at the moment, but when I go to college I'll probably replace my laptop. I've thought about touchscreen laptops - touchscreens make a bit of sense there, since you're already near the screen, but I think they're just stupid on a desktop (where I'm at least 2/3 of a meter away from the screen). My problem with those is that none of them (even the Thinkpad Twist, for instance) have Windows 7 drivers. I like the designs of those, but have no use for a tablet UI (I've tried tablets before, and they are absolutely useless for most of what I do), and thus don't want 8.

[compnovo]

For years I've had both a desktop and a portable, so I've never "replaced" a desktop like you're asking. I can say that I like the concept of the hybrid because it can be used in two form factors. If I had one as my only computer I would opt for either Asus, Lenovo, or the Surface Pro, with either an i3 or i5 processor (even at the sacrifice of some battery time, I think you'll find the extra power is worth it).

You asked specifically about the Surface Pro. I'm assuming it will have the same build quality as the RT, which is excellent, but will the 10.6" screen be large enough for you?

[LiveBrianD]

You know, the problem I have with tablets (10"+ ones anyway) is that they tend to be a bit heavy to hold, and unlike laptops, you need to get a stand for them (and those tend to be more limited than laptop hinges).

Also, just a thought - if I were to buy an x86 portable, I would want 11.6" (for a netbook) - 14" (for a main machine) - 10" is too cramped IMO, and keyboards tend to be undersized. (I'm glad you guys advised me away from that when I bought the netbook...) Personally, I think the font size of 1366x768 is a bit small on 10" (I use 113% scaling with that res on my 11.6" netbook), and if you use some scaling, you don't have a whole lot of space to work with. (The sharper text is welcome though.)

[orlbuckeye]

Extremist, on 15 December 2012 - 09:00 AM, said:

With the recent release of Windows 8, PC manufacturers are unveiling new "convertibles" or tablet/laptop hybrids. Has anyone replaced a traditional desktop or laptop with a new hybrid device? If so, why, and which one? I'm thinking of possibly doing so when the Surface Pro comes out. Good idea or not?

I have a powerful 18.4 Windows 7 laptop and at Christmas time I was looking for a lower powered cheaper Windows 8 machine to learn. I found that at the time was the biggest touchscreen laptop by Acer for 519 at Best Buy for a black friday deal. The laptop has is a i3, 15.6" screen and a backlit keypad. When I was shopping i looked at the RT but I wanted more desktop apps. They also had as Asus that ran WIn 8 and not RT with an Atom processor but it was about the same price as the Acer.

What I've seen out in the market.

1. the smaller laptops/Ultrabooks are where the touchscreens are being used
2. A couple of 15.6 laptops have touch (Asus and Acer ) but the rest of the bigger screen laptops aren't touch.
3. The All in Ones are coming with touch and there is a push for the retina display type resolution on the All in Ones.

My feeling on Win 8

1. I think the people saying the need for touch is overblown. I bought a mouse with the Win 8 laptop and rarely use touch even in the Metro screen.
2. I don't miss the start button AT ALL. I hate using the start button to start apps anyways because you have to filter through alot. I use shortcuts on the desktop and in the taskbar.
3. I made sure i have the control panel shortcut on desktop it's easier then even using the charms menu
4. I spend 95% of my time on the desktop runing the same apps i ran in Windows 7.
5. I do love the remote application in the Windows Store and I use it to connect to my pc at work. (use Juno a desktop app and Remote desktop a Metro app and I can type away on my work computer)

[compnovo]

orlbuckeye, on 06 March 2013 - 10:51 AM, said:

My feeling on Win 8

1. I think the people saying the need for touch is overblown. I bought a mouse with the Win 8 laptop and rarely use touch even in the Metro screen.
2. I don't miss the start button AT ALL. I hate using the start button to start apps anyways because you have to filter through alot. I use shortcuts on the desktop and in the taskbar.
3. I made sure i have the control panel shortcut on desktop it's easier then even using the charms menu
4. I spend 95% of my time on the desktop runing the same apps i ran in Windows 7.
5. I do love the remote application in the Windows Store and I use it to connect to my pc at work. (use Juno a desktop app and Remote desktop a Metro app and I can type away on my work computer)

My experience has been similar to yours. While I use touch almost exclusively on my Surface I don't see the need for it when sitting at my desktop. Also, I purchased Start8 (a very good little app) but it ended up on my media center PC (to make life easier for my wife) since, like you, I don't miss the start button and spend virtually all of my time on the desktop.

I didn't create a short-cut for the control panel since I found that right-clicking in the lower left corner is very convenient, but I did create a Shut Down short-cut and pinned it to the task bar.