I have an Asus from 2017 that still works great. I replaced the ram and ssd with higher capacity ones a couple of years back, but apart from that no repairs in the last 6+ years.
I’ve used the pair of a 16” MBP and 12.9” iPad running Sidecar while traveling to great success. It’s a surprisingly good approximation of my dual 27” desk setup at home.
I've got a 14" lesser-named unit that does very well. Matches my Asus's main screen well enough and is far cheaper (you can get them at ~£80 on offer fairly regularly), works nicely off just USB-C (though has HDMI so it can be used that way instead with USB for just power). Drains the laptop's battery noticeably of course, but if I'm in a position to use it I'm usually near a plug.
As LegitShady said, Amazon, or most other electronics sellers (eBuyer, etc.). The one I have is 14" 1080P (matching my laptop's main screen very closely) from “ARZOPA” but there are several similar on the market (I suspect at least one is exactly the same with a different label…). As you can see from https://uk.camelcamelcamel.com/product/B09TVVWFR9 the prices of these things bounce around almost weekly so shop carefully. There are sometimes “vouchers” that don't show up on CamelCamelCamel, I got an extra tenner off at a point when the screen was at ~£90.
There are also a variety of different attachment options, from no attaching to your machine (which I find preferable) to those that attach to your laptop and add two screens, one either side.
Watch out of fly-by-night kickstarter projects in this area, there have been a few in recent years including a monster that promised to add three monitors to your laptop (left, right, top) which I'm surprised people were taken in by (I found the extra weight of one less than convenient, even when sat at a desk, never mind three, hence currently using a stand-alone external screen).
Sorry, it was not clear because your expression "it was an app" normally means and external app if you don't mention its name. Now, you don't need to even know that there is an app, you just go to displays and add the iPad there.
I was considering this, but wound up w/ a Wacom One for my MacBook, mostly since it uses the same stylus technology as all of my other devices (Galaxy Note 10+, Kindle Scribe, Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360).
There have been various rumblings about a "foldable MacBook" in development, I really hope it works a lot like this and not like a foldable phone with a giant crease.
Apple is known to experiment internally with a crazy ammount of concepts, out of which very few make it into actual products for sale.
They're pretty conservative on the types of products they launch and careful enough to not pollute their existing line-up with whacky products that don't fit with their vision of how a product should be used or if it would cannibalize their other products.
Their MacBooks still don't have a touchscreen even though they could easily add a touch digitizer for almost no cost at all but they just don't want to mix touch with laptops for some reason, unlike the PC laptop makers who seem to have no issue adding that.
Yes, but so was mine a sarcastic / humorous comment, which should have been obvious (except to fly-by dumbass downvoting donkey commenters), because who can predict what someone will invent in 5 years? Hence the italics I used.
The joke is that something comes along and is in market for a while, but as soon as apple release a version of it everyone acts like it is new and first of a kind and wow aren't apple amazing for this amazing thing! Gee whiz - we've never seen anything like this! Take my money! TAKE MY MONEY!!!
So e.g. MP3 players Vs iPod, smartphones Vs iPhone, tablets Vs iPad, ARM CPUs in computers Vs M-series, wireless charging, Bluetooth headphones etc. All around for years and years prior to apple's products, but most people think apple invented the concepts or was first to make etc
This Asus product will be forgotten about in a month or two and the world moves on. If apple released this exact same thing except with osx everyone including the mainstream media would be losing their shit and talking about ushering a new era of whatever, of breaking the mold, of innovation yada yada. We'd have endless tweets and breathless blog posts here on HN about their ultimate dev productivity set up, how they used it on a flight to create a 1M MRR start-up that just wouldn't have been possible without it, how it has changed their lives, how they'll never go back etc. It's called the reality distortion field for a reason. </M1 MBP User>
Except when Apple invents it, they will do it right. It will be a delight to use and will not harvest your personal data, instead of being gimmicky, malware-infested crud. The iPod was a vast improvement over previous MP3 players, just as the iPhone was over previous (and subsequent non-Apple) smartphones. Apple is just built different as a tech company -- they're the only major tech company that's actually built around putting the user first -- and so that's why people go apeshit over their new products, even if a similar product was released before from other vendors.
As someone who had bought and used many portable audio solutions before, I could get an iPod I think you are delusional.
MP3 players were completely garbage, with low space, low battery or extremely expensive and inconvenient if you had to swap flash cards.
Let's not even talk about the UI to browse and select music (when there was one at all, if the buttons were serviceable at all).
In fact, MP3s were so bad that after a brief stint with an expensive flash card-based MP3 player; I went back to using my mini disc player since it wasn't much bulkier yet more convenient to operate.
My brother had an Archos which was laughably bad compared to an iPod at a very close price.
In fact, it took until the iPod Mini for competitors to figure out products that were decently competitive. But at this point, the iPod Nano was right around the corner and would suit the vast majority of users at a very competitive price. Sure, Sony did come up with some sort of equivalent, but it was barely 10 percent cheaper and had none of the friendliness and coolness factor of an iPod.
I do believe that current Apple is resting on its laurel and is just happy raking in loads of cash for what are minor evolutions or me-too products that do not have the value they somehow successfully sell them for.
But to go back on the insanely great period Apple went through with the second Steve Jobs leadership is completely nuts. Apple was ahead of everyone in many things at this point in time and they did it at very competitive/affordable prices for the most part.
Having your ide open on one while having Teams on the other. your ide and stack overflow. A PDF of a tax document and you tax report program. Just having a bigger screen to to fit your whole LabView diagram. Having your lab homework description on one while you have your code on the other screen.
You are not the targe demographic for such a laptop. There are other gaming machies with GPUs for your use case. Just add a portable USB-C display to them if that's what you were missing.
It's hard for me to say who the target demographic is, but I can say this is exactly the sort of device I'd want to buy, just in a slightly beefier version (4k displays). I might even give up the GPU for that. But I'd rather have a proper GPU.
[1] Proper GPU: At least 16GB VRAM. Good compatibility. Don't care too much about speed.
Top end GPUs are too hot and power hungry to be practical for anything more portable than 3 inch thick “luggables”, which these days is a pretty niche category. Nvidia is gonna have to do better in the efficiency department.
Nvidia's plenty efficient, it's just you still need monstrous power (and thus monstrous heat) to drive 4K 120fps with raytracing and CUDA and whatever other nonsense.
yep, I hate using a laptop as an actual laptop, hunched over and looking down at a screen. I carry around a portable laptop stand and keyboard now. If I'm going to actually do work, I'm just not willing to sacrifice my shoulders and back for the sake of convenience. And this gives me a second screen! the only flaw I see with this is that the keyboard can't be split into two pieces, but that's hardly a realistic expectation.
I use a stand alone USB-connected monitor as second screen when I travel. I would much prefer having to travel with only the notebook and have a vertical stack like this. I could only say for sure by trying it, but it looks very practical for my use.
I just saw this in the wild, and talked with the user, who programs 3D AR/VR content.
I saw the dual screen in use with the top screen for a VR scene and the bottom screen for code. The user's interactions among the two screens and keyboard were seamless. The screen colors were vibrant and rich, even in bright light.
Based on what I saw, I would definitely try it for typical office use or even for typical website programming.
However, I saw a lot of graphics lag and chop in the VR scene rotations, and the user said the battery didn't last long enough to get through the day, so YMMV if you're considering developing 3D, AR, VR, etc.
Laptop of these specs won't last a day in general, and they'll also be power constrained in most running profile when straight on battery (you'll be out of power in a few hours if using the full extent of the GPU)
Anyone planning to do 3D work in the wild with no power outlet should invest in a (heavy) 100W power bank. Also reliable 100+W chargers will cost an arm and a leg, same docking stations.
It's definitely still on the cutting edge and you won't be managing it like a wimpy Macbook Air.
Edit: I thought this one had a discrete GPU, but looking at the specs it's not and only needs 65W. Power consumption could be fine ?
You can buy GaN chargers of up to 180W nowadays, they weigh half as much as regular power bricks and are fairly affordable if you need them. You don't even need to cover the peak power usage and can go with a smaller charger covering regular usage and let the battery come to help when momentarily drawing more power (this is what I do with my Zephyrus G14 + 65W Voltme).
I've been looking at charger delivering 130W on a single port (100W won't unlock the full GPU) and they're not that many.
UGreen and Anker's offerings start at 70 bucks and they're not well reviewed. Docking stations start a triple that and Dell seems to be only reputable maker going these lengths.
To complicate things, many chargers will tout 140+ watts, but only split on multiple ports. Single port output will often be capped at 100W.
The gen3.1 PD standard goes up to 240W [0]. 140W should be available with it.
Of course it also requires gen3.1 cables, so the "which cable do I have" game is still going on.
I have, by and large, stopped unrecommending ugreen since they stopped lying about certificates and now got real NRTL certs for most of their chargers but still how on earth do people find ugreen of all places even for technical explanation? Astounding blogspam!
The spec only goes to 5A, but as of 2021 the maximum voltage has been raised from 20V to 48V to permit 240W charging. 28V charging at up to 140W is probably the most common mode above 100W; most systems shipping with a power brick beyond 140W are still using proprietary connectors.
> However, I saw a lot of graphics lag and chop in the VR scene rotations
Was it a review/pre-release unit? Dave2D's review 4 days ago said he wasn't allowed to benchmark it because they haven't finished optimising the drivers. I wouldn't rush to performance judgements just yet.
I would — frankly nothing exists in the Intel/Nvidia line to compete with M3 in terms of efficiency. This laptop will either not run the necessary software or run out of battery in less than two hours doing it. More than likely both simultaneously.
My laptop lets me connect my $100 external portable monitor to my computer via usb-c. I can't fold it in crazy ways like this but I have an IPS panel and dual monitors and it only cost me $100. And when I don't need to have dual monitors I just put the second one in my bag, or leave it home.
This one[1] is more expensive, but it's 4k, 17" and usb-c. I use it daily with my MBP 16" and it matches the PPI pretty well.
And I recommend to pair it with this.[2]
I hope there will be a similar dual screen system that comes with leading edge graphics/matrix hardware (such as for LLMs in addition to 3d) and runs Linux.
I have an Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16, and I love it. I use it for personal work in graphics, 3D CAD, animation (Blender), and music, and for work. the dual screen (smaller touch panel below) has really changed the way I work. The battery life is a lot better than I thought given I was planning on using it plugged in all the time. I have had this in Saudi with me for 8 months in the last 2 years, heat and all, and all over, for office work, field work, airports, etc. and not a glitch yet. Dedicated graphics card, 32mb of memory, and a great keyboard (I usually use a Kinesis Advantage 2) for a notebook (reminiscent of my Lenovo T430u keyboard from 2012). It took a while to get used to the touchpad to the right, but it works. I find myself trying to do the opposite when I switch notebooks now - touching the right side of center touchpads and vice versa. I am looking for the best MR headset to come out that I can work with some sort of chorded keyboard or other less bulky input device and still see my surroundings without going blind.
Congrats to Asus. I would love to have a laptop as a laptop when I need the portability but also a screen on a stand + wireless keyboard and touchpad when I want the ergonomics.
Are there other products on the market right now that lets us detach the screen off the laptop and still use the keyboard and the touchpad wirelessly?
A similar device is the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i. The next gen model was shown off at CES and is coming out in a few months. That one also has a 180 degree hinge unlike the Asus model which can't be fully flattened. I've seen good reviews about the first gen model and might get the new one if I get a laptop this year.
Every non-Thinkpad Lenovo I've had, or a relative has had, has the build quality of a cheap toy, and eventually, some part of the plastic case would crack, a hinge would fail, or similar.
I'd absolutely never buy another one ever.
I'm not looking to buy a new laptop for many years, and I hope a Thinkpad version comes out before then. This is very much a design I appreciate. For now, from the photos, I think Asus did it better, though.
Hopefully, by that point, they'll also be 4k displays. My current laptop has 4k, which is very competitive with dual 3k.
I find all laptops suck. (Not tried Apple though) and so gone for the Dell option (knowing it’ll fuck up like any other laptop) and then going hard on the accident damage, extended warranty, home service etc. Well worth it, had em out 4 times in first 4 months :-)
I agree. I have used HP, Dell and Lenovo laptops and all of them suck in terms of build quality. I use a Macbook for work and even though I hate macOS the build quality of the laptop is exceptional. There is obviously a huge price difference in Windows vs Mac laptops. I am willing to fork additional money to the Windows laptop companies if they can guarantee a well built laptop. But looking at their track record it doesn't seem worth it to pay thousands to get a crappy laptop anyway.
FYI: My Thinkpad has better build quality than any Macbook. My Dell was comparable.
The key thing about Dell and Lenovo is they have a byzantine set of laptop lines, from plastic craparific up to rather good. A top-of-the-line Thinkpad will set you back more than a Macbook, but will be better built too (and faster). Dell doesn't go quite as high, but still goes pretty high in quality.
I actually switched from Thinkpads to a Legion 7 2021 and I'd recommend them over Thinkpads. It is by far the best Linux experience on a Laptop I've ever had.
* upgradable RAM
* two NVMe slots
* actually good keyboard (that unfortunately is part of the case, but replacement parts are available)
* the glass touchpad is better than my P14s with the X1C glass touchpad mod.
* the panel and refresh rate is very good and there's no lottery.
I don't know why Lenovo cuts corners on their business laptops, especially in the last two points.
It's heavy, but I don't lug it around too often, and having a 140W (max power spec) 3070 is great.
Just avoid placing them vertically on a stand, I had to replace the thermal assembly eventually.
Wouldn't most of them support it out of the box? I see nothing special here software wise. Just have the bottom screen emit hotplug events and use the standard multi-monitor configuration tools.
I have an earlier DUO model, one with the half-screen between the main and the keyboard. While shopping for a replacement for a laptop that had been dropped a few too many times, manic me bought it as a gimmick and when it arrived I feared it would just be that. I have found it genuinely useful in various ways though: during dev with various small utility tabs on the lower screen, messaging on bottom screen with full-screen video on top, smaller video and/or messaging on bottom with work on top, etc. Handy that you can easily turn it almost off too, to save battery when mobile.
I still carry a 14" external (USB3) monitor for when at a desk. The extra half-screen is still useful in those circumstances, though, just not as much so.
To make Windows11's taskbar less irritating (which it is even more so, if you can imagine that, with an extra screen under your primary) I recommend using something like ExporerPatcher or another shell improver/replacement.
I have the Zyphreus Duo ( https://rog.asus.com/in/laptops/rog-zephyrus/rog-zephyrus-du... ) with the touch screen in between the screen and the keyboard. Its perfect for todo/whatsapp/zoom/file explorer and I have an external screen/keyboard/mouse (so in total 2.5 screens). Perfect desktop replacement and a good gaming laptop. Mobility is limited due to battery life but it suits my needs.
Mine is from the much lower-spec (and appropriately cheaper) ZenBook DUO range. The battery life is pretty darn good until I plug in the external screen, and still better than many laptops even then. It isn't often I'm away from a power socket for and needing to work, but when I am, it can be for a fair few hours. Gaming isn't something I find time for these days, so this model is much better value for this use pattern.
Yes, your model makes sense if you dont require gaming. Asus really makes the best devices. I have been theirs's and HTC fan for years. Had Lamborghini laptop from Asus and HTC diamond phone circa 2008-9.
I've been wanting one since before Lenovo dropped their Yogabook 9i.
I'm hoping this will become a form-factor/product/class of its own.
Currently, I'm using a Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 because it was the only computer I could find which:
- had a Wacom EMR stylus
- high resolution and large/expansive screen
- full OS support
(replacing a Samsung Galaxy Book 12, which I really wish Samsung had stuck with)
I need to have a stylus so that I can draw/annotate/write, and I prefer a tablet form-factor (but will accept a convertible/foldable if need be) --- the thing which kills me is the keyboard is completely disabled when the screen is folded back --- it would be nice for the keys along one (or both) edges of the keyboard to be usable as programmable/modified keys for when one is drawing.
Such a device with Wacom EMR will be an insta-buy for me.
It's really nice to be able to go from taking a note on my phone or Kindle Scribe, to drawing/annotating on my Galaxy Book.
Love my yogabook 9i, the best coder machine out there, as long as you aren't performance-bound.
It is great to take to coffee shops because you don't look like those crazy people who take monitor stands and stuff to the coffee shop- It just looks 100% normal (even if you use the full bottom screen)
But then at home I have enough screen size to feel like I'm working on a desktop.
For coding, having the vertical break down the middle doesn't matter really, since you almost always want to work on two documents at the same time, anyway.
Also, the device is very well made and sturdy (the external keyboard is a little flimsy unfortunately, but it's replaceable at least and at least looks nice)
Imagine investing in hardware such as this, spending years to develop skill, creat art and have an ai bro steal it because that’s how everything work anyway then coming for your job. What a time to be alive.
Just a service announcement: you can get an external monitor that is charged and driven by a single USB-C for about $100 which weighs about a pound. Feels like it would get 90% of what I want out of a setup like this.
I initially got a $100 one, but ended upgrading to an Asus model with a touch screen and built in battery. It can run everything (video and charging the display) over a single USB-C cable.
I used to travel with it and sometimes a gaming desktop, but these days I use it around the house whenever I need a display & mouse for a server that doesn’t have a dedicated monitor. Just today I did a BIOS update with it.
This is the one I got on Amazon in 2020, there might be better options in 2024:
ASUS ZenScreen Touch Screen 15.6” 1080P Portable USB (MB16AMT) - Full HD (1920 x 1080), IPS, Anti-glare, Built-in Battery, Speakers, Eye Care, USB Type-C, Micro HDMI, Smart Case, 3-Year Warranty https://a.co/d/cJKzQi8
I treat most shortened links as the maker has some interest with it, wants to track something, earn something, which I find dishonest. Assuming this is an amazon url, the product page is not even a long url.
Because somebody placing an affiliate link and not acknowledging it means it can't be trusted.
Also, why does absolutely everything have to be monetized these days? I come here to read people's honest opinions. I certainly don't expect people to be monetizing their posts.
Yeah even though both are 1080p, the no name one was much worse brightness and screen-door between pixels, and it’s mini HDMI input port failed due to wear. After it broke I decided to spend more to get something with touch from a trustworthy brand.
The cheap one that broke on me was this one:
Lepow Portable Monitor, 15.6" Portable Screen with Single Full-Function Type-C Port, 1080P FHD, IPS, HDR, Plug & Play, Smart Cover, Lightweight External Monitor for Laptop, PC, MacBook https://a.co/d/4M71Gn5
Interesting! A brief look down this rabbit hole while wondering about stands shows various things that latch onto the back of a laptop screen and extend a monitor on one or both sides of it.
No stylus support on the external monitor for the most part though.
The only one I'm aware of w/ a decent stylus which is reasonably affordable (the new Wacom One) is not that great in terms of pixel density (don't want to compete w/ their Cintiq line).
My current setup has my devices all using the same pen technology, which is wonderfully convenient --- I can switch from note taking on my Note 10+ or Kindle Scribe to drawing/annotating on my Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 or the Wacom One attached to my MacBook.
You can buy an OLED touchscreen monitor for $100? People that are happy with Frankenstein setups will always find a cheap way to replicate a product while ignoring all the downsides of a home grown replica.
I've been on a Asus Zenbook for almost a year now and I must admit that I am extremely happy with it. I would seriously consider this one, if only I would have gotten used to dual screens. Since I am also using a desktop at home with a 32" 4k display I've really appreciated having everything on one screen.
Samsung tablets can act as second screens for windows PCs AFAIK.
For Linux I've had some success with Microsoft's RD Client android app -> remote to Linux PC.
I'm on gnome though, which has some experimental setting which allows you to set remote desktop clients to act as a new display instead of cloning your existing display.
I've got a top of the line Samsung tablet and a recent windows PC. The second screen experience is absolutely terrible in many ways, the worst being inconsistent lag, sometimes measured in seconds. I do not recommend it at all.
> "Apple engineers told that Chinese iPhone suppliers and government officials have a "whatever it takes" approach to win iPhone orders, work was often completed weeks ahead of schedule at "inexplicable speed". In India, [we] are not running at this pace. "There just isn't a sense of urgency," one Apple engineer remarked."
when you allow your supplier only 2% of the cuts. of course the ones at the bottom will be squeezed mercilessly. and apple maintains its huge margins.
Hey soared, I saw your post two years ago about "App lovin," and some possible claims of fraud. I'm a tech journalist. Can we chat? viktorlazlo1@proton.me
If you're using a mac you can extend your screen wirelessly to the iPad. I found the image gets compressed a bit but it's still plenty usable for showing a browser during web development.
Yeah I was talking specifically about Windows and Linux, because I figured that people running MacOS would already know about Sidecar.
Note: you refer to 'mac' (the hardware) but Sidecar is tied to MacOS (software). A Mac running Windows or Linux won't support Sidecar. A non-Mac running MacOS (aka hackintosh) probably will.
If you're running old Mac hardware like a MBP 2015, you can install Ventura (and user Sidecar) using OpenCore Legacy Patcher.
Just assuming that some mac users don't know about Sidecar or Universal Control. And that most windows and linux users don't know that MacOS can take advantage of an iPad fairly seamlessly as an external monitor.
Works with USB-c cable for all day charge but also works without a cable. iPad 19.9" with Magic Keyboard as stand is spectacular second screen for all day dual screen work and then ... you also have an iPad with you. Ideal for week-long biz travel.
I would also go with a portable monitor. Just keep in mind that a lot of them have quite low resolution, low brightness, poor colour accuracy and that some of them still need a power brick (if they require more than 15 watts).
Both have their uses. Travelling with a tablet (in addition to a laptop) gets you a useful standalone device that's more portable than a laptop and better for certain tasks such as reading.
i’ve tried this with an android tablet and the lag is just unbearable have you noticed this? is it because my tablet ( samsung galaxy tab s6 lite) has usb c 2.0?
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[ 2.7 ms ] story [ 277 ms ] thread[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38957035
Not cheap though.
I have a 13-inch 2.5K monitor and its DPI is too for its size and macOS's fractional scaling doesn't work well. So I'm looking for better options.
There are also a variety of different attachment options, from no attaching to your machine (which I find preferable) to those that attach to your laptop and add two screens, one either side.
Watch out of fly-by-night kickstarter projects in this area, there have been a few in recent years including a monster that promised to add three monitors to your laptop (left, right, top) which I'm surprised people were taken in by (I found the extra weight of one less than convenient, even when sat at a desk, never mind three, hence currently using a stand-alone external screen).
There was an app for this back in 2010. I used it quite a bit when I was on the road with an original iPad.
Nearly 15 years later, Apple does it seamlessly and natively in iOS+macOS without any third-party apps is even better.
Dongle: https://astropad.com/product/lunadisplay/
First turns iPad into Wacom, second is a second screen with features Sidecar doesn't offer, such as reversing for use with teleprompter.
I was considering this, but wound up w/ a Wacom One for my MacBook, mostly since it uses the same stylus technology as all of my other devices (Galaxy Note 10+, Kindle Scribe, Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360).
They're pretty conservative on the types of products they launch and careful enough to not pollute their existing line-up with whacky products that don't fit with their vision of how a product should be used or if it would cannibalize their other products.
Their MacBooks still don't have a touchscreen even though they could easily add a touch digitizer for almost no cost at all but they just don't want to mix touch with laptops for some reason, unlike the PC laptop makers who seem to have no issue adding that.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/d/surface-duo-2/9408kgxp4xjl...
So e.g. MP3 players Vs iPod, smartphones Vs iPhone, tablets Vs iPad, ARM CPUs in computers Vs M-series, wireless charging, Bluetooth headphones etc. All around for years and years prior to apple's products, but most people think apple invented the concepts or was first to make etc
This Asus product will be forgotten about in a month or two and the world moves on. If apple released this exact same thing except with osx everyone including the mainstream media would be losing their shit and talking about ushering a new era of whatever, of breaking the mold, of innovation yada yada. We'd have endless tweets and breathless blog posts here on HN about their ultimate dev productivity set up, how they used it on a flight to create a 1M MRR start-up that just wouldn't have been possible without it, how it has changed their lives, how they'll never go back etc. It's called the reality distortion field for a reason. </M1 MBP User>
>breathless
Yeeeeeaaaaahhhhh!
You seem, like me, to be one of the few people on this board, who doesn't get breathless or lose their shit for every little announcement.
Or, more pithily and Unix-ily (and hence macOS-ily), my reply to your comment is:
/usr/bin/yes "Yes!"
This is objectively not true. It was an average product that was heavily marketed.
MP3 players were completely garbage, with low space, low battery or extremely expensive and inconvenient if you had to swap flash cards. Let's not even talk about the UI to browse and select music (when there was one at all, if the buttons were serviceable at all). In fact, MP3s were so bad that after a brief stint with an expensive flash card-based MP3 player; I went back to using my mini disc player since it wasn't much bulkier yet more convenient to operate. My brother had an Archos which was laughably bad compared to an iPod at a very close price.
In fact, it took until the iPod Mini for competitors to figure out products that were decently competitive. But at this point, the iPod Nano was right around the corner and would suit the vast majority of users at a very competitive price. Sure, Sony did come up with some sort of equivalent, but it was barely 10 percent cheaper and had none of the friendliness and coolness factor of an iPod.
I do believe that current Apple is resting on its laurel and is just happy raking in loads of cash for what are minor evolutions or me-too products that do not have the value they somehow successfully sell them for.
But to go back on the insanely great period Apple went through with the second Steve Jobs leadership is completely nuts. Apple was ahead of everyone in many things at this point in time and they did it at very competitive/affordable prices for the most part.
Don't you ever use two screens?
My eyes can only look at one thing at a time.
The fact that when you see new tech you immediately think "Apple" — even mockingly — tells me that Apple's marketing works.
Can't wait for the MacBook Pro Duo.
You even got the product line and capitalization right.
They got rid of anything above a 4070 in the 2024 models of the G series.
And this is a dual 120Hz OLED screen device powered by an Intel ARC integrated GPU?!
It's for productivity, not for gaming, and for that the latest Intel iGPUs are more than enough.
I started buying beefy GPUs when LLMs became a thing.
[1] Proper GPU: At least 16GB VRAM. Good compatibility. Don't care too much about speed.
Dave2D was really enthusiastic, fwiw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6Cr73w8CJE
I saw the dual screen in use with the top screen for a VR scene and the bottom screen for code. The user's interactions among the two screens and keyboard were seamless. The screen colors were vibrant and rich, even in bright light.
Based on what I saw, I would definitely try it for typical office use or even for typical website programming.
However, I saw a lot of graphics lag and chop in the VR scene rotations, and the user said the battery didn't last long enough to get through the day, so YMMV if you're considering developing 3D, AR, VR, etc.
Anyone planning to do 3D work in the wild with no power outlet should invest in a (heavy) 100W power bank. Also reliable 100+W chargers will cost an arm and a leg, same docking stations.
It's definitely still on the cutting edge and you won't be managing it like a wimpy Macbook Air.
Edit: I thought this one had a discrete GPU, but looking at the specs it's not and only needs 65W. Power consumption could be fine ?
UGreen and Anker's offerings start at 70 bucks and they're not well reviewed. Docking stations start a triple that and Dell seems to be only reputable maker going these lengths.
To complicate things, many chargers will tout 140+ watts, but only split on multiple ports. Single port output will often be capped at 100W.
[0] https://blog.ugreen.com/power-delivery-3-1/
https://www.usb.org/usb-charger-pd
My search situation and skills aren't in good shape.
> Power Supply
> TYPE-C, 65W AC Adapter, Output: 20V DC, 3.25A, 65W
Was it a review/pre-release unit? Dave2D's review 4 days ago said he wasn't allowed to benchmark it because they haven't finished optimising the drivers. I wouldn't rush to performance judgements just yet.
Some of us care about absolute top performance, and don't care about the battery life
[1]https://a.aliexpress.com/_mPKe3Go [2]https://a.aliexpress.com/_mqiWbKy
The price is too expensive, but if more people use it, maybe they'll be able to lower the prices.
Some videos from streamers partnered by Acer.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9D3BPL7POc
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acmGEovxgEw
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lwo9U9-iLc
We're V-Sekai (pronounced vee-say-kai):
https://github.com/V-Sekai/ - We're a community of open-source social VR enthusiasts.
Are there other products on the market right now that lets us detach the screen off the laptop and still use the keyboard and the touchpad wirelessly?
Also, does the keyboard charge automatically when connected? Or does it have to be charged separately?
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-seri...
IMHO the Asus looks plasticky and flimsy in the videos I've seen so far, And when used in side-by-side mode it looks extremely asymmetric and goofy.
(Disclosure: The included yogabook keyboard is a bit flimsy, not as nicely designed as the main laptop, not up to the same standards)
[1] https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.theverge.com/2023/1...
I'd absolutely never buy another one ever.
I'm not looking to buy a new laptop for many years, and I hope a Thinkpad version comes out before then. This is very much a design I appreciate. For now, from the photos, I think Asus did it better, though.
Hopefully, by that point, they'll also be 4k displays. My current laptop has 4k, which is very competitive with dual 3k.
The key thing about Dell and Lenovo is they have a byzantine set of laptop lines, from plastic craparific up to rather good. A top-of-the-line Thinkpad will set you back more than a Macbook, but will be better built too (and faster). Dell doesn't go quite as high, but still goes pretty high in quality.
* upgradable RAM
* two NVMe slots
* actually good keyboard (that unfortunately is part of the case, but replacement parts are available)
* the glass touchpad is better than my P14s with the X1C glass touchpad mod.
* the panel and refresh rate is very good and there's no lottery.
I don't know why Lenovo cuts corners on their business laptops, especially in the last two points.
It's heavy, but I don't lug it around too often, and having a 140W (max power spec) 3070 is great.
Just avoid placing them vertically on a stand, I had to replace the thermal assembly eventually.
I still carry a 14" external (USB3) monitor for when at a desk. The extra half-screen is still useful in those circumstances, though, just not as much so.
To make Windows11's taskbar less irritating (which it is even more so, if you can imagine that, with an extra screen under your primary) I recommend using something like ExporerPatcher or another shell improver/replacement.
I found the side trackpad less ergonomic, so use a separate (vertical) mouse.
I'm hoping this will become a form-factor/product/class of its own.
Currently, I'm using a Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 because it was the only computer I could find which:
- had a Wacom EMR stylus
- high resolution and large/expansive screen
- full OS support
(replacing a Samsung Galaxy Book 12, which I really wish Samsung had stuck with)
I need to have a stylus so that I can draw/annotate/write, and I prefer a tablet form-factor (but will accept a convertible/foldable if need be) --- the thing which kills me is the keyboard is completely disabled when the screen is folded back --- it would be nice for the keys along one (or both) edges of the keyboard to be usable as programmable/modified keys for when one is drawing.
Such a device with Wacom EMR will be an insta-buy for me.
It's really nice to be able to go from taking a note on my phone or Kindle Scribe, to drawing/annotating on my Galaxy Book.
It is great to take to coffee shops because you don't look like those crazy people who take monitor stands and stuff to the coffee shop- It just looks 100% normal (even if you use the full bottom screen)
But then at home I have enough screen size to feel like I'm working on a desktop.
For coding, having the vertical break down the middle doesn't matter really, since you almost always want to work on two documents at the same time, anyway.
Also, the device is very well made and sturdy (the external keyboard is a little flimsy unfortunately, but it's replaceable at least and at least looks nice)
I used to travel with it and sometimes a gaming desktop, but these days I use it around the house whenever I need a display & mouse for a server that doesn’t have a dedicated monitor. Just today I did a BIOS update with it.
This is the one I got on Amazon in 2020, there might be better options in 2024:
ASUS ZenScreen Touch Screen 15.6” 1080P Portable USB (MB16AMT) - Full HD (1920 x 1080), IPS, Anti-glare, Built-in Battery, Speakers, Eye Care, USB Type-C, Micro HDMI, Smart Case, 3-Year Warranty https://a.co/d/cJKzQi8
Also you should ID affiliate links.
Also, why does absolutely everything have to be monetized these days? I come here to read people's honest opinions. I certainly don't expect people to be monetizing their posts.
The cheap one that broke on me was this one:
Lepow Portable Monitor, 15.6" Portable Screen with Single Full-Function Type-C Port, 1080P FHD, IPS, HDR, Plug & Play, Smart Cover, Lightweight External Monitor for Laptop, PC, MacBook https://a.co/d/4M71Gn5
The only one I'm aware of w/ a decent stylus which is reasonably affordable (the new Wacom One) is not that great in terms of pixel density (don't want to compete w/ their Cintiq line).
My current setup has my devices all using the same pen technology, which is wonderfully convenient --- I can switch from note taking on my Note 10+ or Kindle Scribe to drawing/annotating on my Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 or the Wacom One attached to my MacBook.
https://www.lg.com/us/laptops/lg-16mq70.adsu1-portable-lapto...
- a cheap HDMI USB capture device ($5 from Temu)
- a short HDMI cable to connect that to your laptop's HDMI output
- a USB to lightning or USB to type C adapter (depending on your iPad model)
- a free app to display the UVC camera input full screen, e.g. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/genki-studio/id6466343285
This isn't quite as convenient, but it's not much extra weight to throw in your bag.
I've tried a couple of these and the quality is pretty shitty. Maybe they've improved since then.
You'll need an app to view the camera. Search Google for 'android uvc viewer'.
You'll need a hdmi dummy plug on your PC though.
For Linux I've had some success with Microsoft's RD Client android app -> remote to Linux PC.
I'm on gnome though, which has some experimental setting which allows you to set remote desktop clients to act as a new display instead of cloning your existing display.
now you know why foxconn had suicide nets.
Is it a situation where Apple is squeezing the suppliers? I'm aware Walmart has very predatory practices with their suppliers, so something similar?
yes. brutally.
from: https://www.macrumors.com/2023/02/14/only-half-of-indian-iph...
> "Apple engineers told that Chinese iPhone suppliers and government officials have a "whatever it takes" approach to win iPhone orders, work was often completed weeks ahead of schedule at "inexplicable speed". In India, [we] are not running at this pace. "There just isn't a sense of urgency," one Apple engineer remarked."
when you allow your supplier only 2% of the cuts. of course the ones at the bottom will be squeezed mercilessly. and apple maintains its huge margins.
https://apple.fandom.com/wiki/Criticism_of_Apple#Safety_prob...
https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/china-ap...
https://www.culawreview.org/journal/child-labor-and-the-huma...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/09/09/apple-a...
https://chinalaborwatch.org/somethings-not-right-here-poor-w...
https://9to5mac.com/2020/11/09/key-apple-supplier-pegatron-c...
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/15/tech/apple-iphone-india-w...
https://www.reuters.com/world/india/fire-apple-supplier-pega...
Note: you refer to 'mac' (the hardware) but Sidecar is tied to MacOS (software). A Mac running Windows or Linux won't support Sidecar. A non-Mac running MacOS (aka hackintosh) probably will.
If you're running old Mac hardware like a MBP 2015, you can install Ventura (and user Sidecar) using OpenCore Legacy Patcher.
It's bigger (15 inch), cheaper (less than $150), easier to use (just one USB-C cable).
And if we compare it to the Zenbook Duo, when your laptop becomes obsolete you can just buy any new laptop and still use your portable monitor.
So it’ll need a power brick to deliver 400 nits.
This laptop is a game changer.
There are some dual displays with integrated hinge. Uperfect delta.
Bonus points: it can a accept pen/touch and mouse/keyboard inputs as well, which makes it pretty useful.
The outdated Display Port 1.0 can send up to 10.8Gbit/s, and the even older USB 2.0 could only send 480Mbit/s.
That'd let a raw 800x600 image per frame come through.
It'd be better just to stream over wifi.