Why notebook computers so cheap?


La Fontaine

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Jun 12, 2008
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Noticed that the pricing of notebook computers are so low these days. Wonder why?:think:

You can get a set with i5 processor with standard features for like around 1k or so. ;p

So, I wonder if anyone who uses their notebook extensively for more than 3years would wanna to continue using or just get a new one. After more than 3years, there is a risk of HDD crashing, battery life diminishing, older and slower processor etc.

Too bad that there ain't any big drop in price for cams and lenses.:sticktong
 

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I'll only seriously look at notebooks and laptops when they start installing serious-sized SSDs.... Spinning plates are just too bulky, heavy and fragile... :bsmilie:
 

Spend about 100+ recently on replacing the motherboard of my 3-yr-old Toshiba laptop. For now, I can only deal with repairs due to budget constraints even if the prices are generally low now. I used to think Toshiba is a gd brand for laptops coz my first lasted for 5 yrs b4 crashing completely and it played out on me.
 

Why not? Its a competitive market and something has to give.

Just note that Core i3/i5 on notebooks are not quite the same as they are on desktop for obvious reasons, and every upgrade is really just a few modifications over the old. Semi-conductor companies don't want to spend billions of dollars on R+D for our sake every single year if they can avoid it.
 

I'll only seriously look at notebooks and laptops when they start installing serious-sized SSDs.... Spinning plates are just too bulky, heavy and fragile... :bsmilie:

Where have you been the last 10 years.

When 500GB SSD are being shipped in mass, traditional spinning hard disk for note book will likely be in the multi-TB ranges.

Your camera will likely be spitting out 10-20MB jpeg.

...

but you can wait till SSD are shipping with TB capacity before you buy ...
 

cheap so that people will buy... buy... buy... and factories will have new orders coming in regularly.

to be frank, notebooks dun last long, better backup your HD regularly
 

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well, nothing lasts forever. it's just a matter of when.
i had my pc and mac died on me before.
do back up often.
 

Where have you been the last 10 years.

When 500GB SSD are being shipped in mass, traditional spinning hard disk for note book will likely be in the multi-TB ranges.

Your camera will likely be spitting out 10-20MB jpeg.

...

but you can wait till SSD are shipping with TB capacity before you buy ...

LOL, still remember about ten years back, bought a 3.5" 2.4GB for five hundred bucks. Now that's serious expensive stuffs.
 

My wish for 2011 is that cameras, lenses and her accessories will reduce prices just like the notebooks and computers.

YEAH ! ! !

:D:cool:;):thumbsup:
 

Where have you been the last 10 years.

When 500GB SSD are being shipped in mass, traditional spinning hard disk for note book will likely be in the multi-TB ranges.

Your camera will likely be spitting out 10-20MB jpeg.

...

but you can wait till SSD are shipping with TB capacity before you buy ...

It won't be long... Macbooks and a number of brands are already on SSDs but you are welcome to wait a bit longer if you want to... :bsmilie:

To me, a minimum of 300 GB is enough for a good working base... the rest you can back it up on a external drive - SSD or Harddisk - it doesn't matter.

Of course... waiting for the prices to fall as we speak...
 

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Noticed that the pricing of notebook computers are so low these days. Wonder why?:think:

You can get a set with i5 processor with standard features for like around 1k or so. ;p

So, I wonder if anyone who uses their notebook extensively for more than 3years would wanna to continue using or just get a new one. After more than 3years, there is a risk of HDD crashing, battery life diminishing, older and slower processor etc.

Too bad that there ain't any big drop in price for cams and lenses.:sticktong

There are a few factors,

1) Human behavior- People now want to go mobile
2) CPU - Now CPU for mobile are fast enough to handle most applications
3) space- laptop take up lesser space and can be put away in the cabinet if require
4) Connectivity - Nowadays with WIFI hotspots and 3G. You can be connected almost anywhere. Another plus point to bring out your laptop
5) Deployment - Corporate find laptop easier to deploy. New staff can go over to IT department to sign out a notebook and start working. IT staff no need to go on-site to do deployment. Lesser IT staff headcount or the IT staff have more time to do more technical stuff or drink kopi. hahaha

Well cons also but now seems like there are more pros for now. Desktop will still be around. They are for gamer and people who need a lot of processing power.
 

Nowadays laptops (and desktops) are getting more and more unreliable and fail on you much more often. imo these companies are cutting costs here and there to drop the prices, but they trade off the reliability we had in the past. My old Compaq desktop lasted like 5 years and I only changed it because its hardware was too crappy to run newer programs, not because it failed. Now my Acer desktop has motherboard failures averaging once a year. But maybe that's just Acer.
 

Nowadays laptops (and desktops) are getting more and more unreliable and fail on you much more often. imo these companies are cutting costs here and there to drop the prices, but they trade off the reliability we had in the past. My old Compaq desktop lasted like 5 years and I only changed it because its hardware was too crappy to run newer programs, not because it failed. Now my Acer desktop has motherboard failures averaging once a year. But maybe that's just Acer.

Actually, they really are making less reliable components (I used to work in semicon industry).
 

Desktop is even cheaper and value for $ esp for AMD speed up to i5.

Agree with this, plus you get more options and freedom for upgrade on a desktop. Get an i5 760, it can easily overclock to 4Ghz and still run cool on on a good air cooler. The rest of the cash can go to RAMs, lots of RAMs, especially when you intend to do lots of large photo/panorama processing. Run the rig under a 64 bit OS and you're in business :)
 

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Nowadays laptops (and desktops) are getting more and more unreliable and fail on you much more often. imo these companies are cutting costs here and there to drop the prices, but they trade off the reliability we had in the past. My old Compaq desktop lasted like 5 years and I only changed it because its hardware was too crappy to run newer programs, not because it failed. Now my Acer desktop has motherboard failures averaging once a year. But maybe that's just Acer.

Actually, they really are making less reliable components (I used to work in semicon industry).

Just read an article in pcmag on New Year resolution for computers.

One is to do back-up data very, very often.

Next, is to get a new computer if you have been using yours for more than 3yrs and use the older computer as a back up. Especially for notebooks, when it breaks down, it is almost always when you need it yesterday. When you are in a hurry, you might not get the machine that fits your bill, in terms of screen size and type, brand name, processor, battery life, weight, pricing, etc. I always start to go around shopping for my next notebook when my current one is like 2.5yr or so. And the shopping takes a couple of months and go for it when I find the right machine at the right price.
 

Technological progress, gotta love it.

FULLY AGREE with everyone here.

BUT .... why are cameras and lenses still so expensive ? !
Even old models after being superseded still maintain their prices ( + - 5%) LOL.

I guess the primary culprit is the camera manufacturers. Is it legal for them to hold the prices artificially instead of letting the market dictate it ?

I understand shipping freight charges, cups of coffee in local shops, airline destination tickets cannot be discuss, decide or maintained among vendors/corporation. Something like cartel laws...

:sticktong:sticktong:sticktong
 

Cheaper LCDs.

That's certainly part of it. The graphics hardware is the other part.

Most people are so set on a big display, they don't notice that the pixel density is low and the graphics hardware is unable to display 3D or video with any decent throughput.

A lot of LCDs just don't have the colour gamut to display 24-bit images correctly, let alone 48-bit images. Of course, most people making their money at graphics work should be buying monitors that cost as much as their laptop computer to ensure colour fidelity, yes?