06.08.2014

Testing high-performance multimedia laptops.

Can a modern laptop replace a familiar one? home computer? We decided to test five of the most interesting devices from different manufacturers, positioned as desktop replacements, and talk about their advantages and disadvantages.

Can a modern laptop replace a familiar home computer? Many people believe that this is simply impossible. However, the widespread use of powerful mobile processors The Core i7 family has clearly changed the situation, and for the better. Quad-core processors have finally taken root in laptops, which has given manufacturers the opportunity to create truly very fast mobile PCs that can compete with their stationary counterparts.

What conditions should a modern Personal Computer, intended for home use? Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is mobility combined with high performance and maximum functionality. In our opinion, the best option is laptops with a screen diagonal of 17.3 inches. The fact is that the relatively large dimensions of the case provide truly inexhaustible possibilities for designers, and mobility does not suffer particularly - the weight of such devices, as a rule, does not exceed 3 kg.

Of course, it is still too early to bury classic desktop computers, although, by and large, it is in the domestic sphere that they are slowly but surely being replaced by portable devices. There are many reasons for this - the combination of mobility, high performance and functionality of laptops makes them indispensable assistants for every person.

The modern computer market offers a wide variety of models designed for home use. In order to make it easier for readers to choose a particular device, we decided to test five of the most interesting devices from different manufacturers and talk about their advantages and disadvantages.

HP Envy 17-j100sr(average price - 45,000 rub.)

The company is positioning this laptop model as a replacement for a home PC designed for games and other entertainment. The case with a matte cover gives the impression of being solid and monolithic, the main colors are black and silver. A large company logo is used as a decorative decoration, glowing during operation - this solution seems to be becoming increasingly popular. In general, the designers did a great job - the device looks solid and stylish. The build quality is good; when you try to squeeze the device, there is only a subtle crackle, and even then only when you apply serious force. So the only problem that the user faces is fingerprints that remain even on matte surfaces.

The island-type keyboard, equipped with a number pad, is very comfortable - the buttons are large, their action is soft and at the same time distinct. Perhaps the only thing I didn’t like was that the key was too narrow, which is quite difficult to hit if you’re not used to it; you’ll have to get used to it. Rough Touchpad It is quite large, so it is quite convenient to use it during everyday work, although it is practically unsuitable for games. But pressing the mouse buttons did not please me - in this device it is tight and quite loud.

Stereo speakers manufactured by Altec Lansing, located directly below the display, are responsible for the reproduction of sounds. Their quality is quite high - decent sound volume and minimal distortion at high frequencies make a very good impression.

The laptop is equipped with a matte touch screen with a diagonal of 17.3 inches and a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, which is the fruit of a joint effort between LG and Philips. Its brightness is more than sufficient, the backlight is uniform, and horizontal viewing angles are also good. Vertical ones are a little worse - for normal operation you have to adjust the position of the cover.

The hardware is also quite decent: quad-core 2.2 GHz Intel processor Core i7 4702MQ, 16 GB RAM and 1000 GB HDD. Discrete video adapter, based on NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M. Naturally, the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless interfaces, as well as the built-in camera for video conferencing, have not been forgotten.

The battery capacity is 5100 mA. h, which allows the laptop to work in reading mode for about 4 hours. Unfortunately, when maximum load everything is much worse - 50 minutes, and no more.

ASUS N750JV(average price - 41,500 rub.)

Despite the strict colors used in the design of the case, appearance Without exaggeration, this laptop can be called quite nice. Smoothed corners, a metal lid with the company logo glowing during operation, a polished aluminum finish - in general, everything is quite stylish, although without any special frills.

Inside, everything is just as attractive - a full-size island-type keyboard, equipped with a number pad, the layout of the keys is familiar, the action is clear, so everything is in order with ergonomics. I was also pleased with the touch panel - although this pointer is not particularly suitable for games, its dimensions are very large and the coverage is almost perfect. But I must admit, I didn’t like the mouse buttons. The fact is that they have too short a stroke, so clicks are sometimes missed.

The matte 17.3-inch screen with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels has excellent brightness and contrast, all colors are rich and rich. Working with text or viewing photos on such a display is very pleasant, but when you get on the screen sun rays or light from another strong source, the monitor noticeably fades. By the way, the model has very good vertical viewing angles, but the horizontal ones are slightly smaller, although this does not affect the quality of the picture display.

The filling is quite powerful: quad-core 2.4 GHz processor Intel Core i7 4700HQ, nVidia GeForce GT-750M discrete video adapter, 8 GB RAM, DVD drive. In general, if this is not yet a complete analogue of a desktop computer, it is still somewhat close. Moreover, what is interesting is that during operation the device practically does not heat up, increasing the fan speed only under really high load.

But you shouldn’t expect any battery life records from this model. Despite the fact that the device consumes a moderate amount of electricity, one battery charge has a capacity of 6260 mA. h will not be enough even to watch a video - in playback mode DVD laptop can only last 70-80 minutes. This, of course, is not too much - the battery in this case should be considered solely as a built-in UPS.

Toshiba QOSMIO X70-A-K2S(average price - 63,000 rub.)

As you know, Qosmio is Toshiba's top line, which includes the most productive, technologically advanced and fastest laptops. All devices in this series are positioned exclusively as a full-fledged replacement for a desktop computer - naturally, style and appearance play an important role in this.

The design of the model can be described without exaggeration as bright and aggressive. The cover is plastic, with a carbon pattern applied to its surface. The keyboard panel is black, with a red insert around the perimeter. The wrist rests are very comfortable and don't show fingerprints.

The keyboard itself also evokes only positive emotions. There are practically no borders, a convenient number pad, well-readable symbols - in a word, there is everything here, as a decent laptop should have. There are no backlashes, the buttons are large and comfortable, the pressing is soft and distinct.

The touchpad, equipped with a red backlight, is large, but there are no scrolling markings on it. And working with the pointer is not particularly pleasant, since the panel is shifted to the left, just where the wrist should be. Mouse buttons also do not evoke positive emotions - pressing them is accompanied by a distinct click.

But the equipment inside the device is top notch. The quad-core Intel Core i7 4700MQ processor is complemented by a video adapter based on nVidia GeForce GTX 770M. 16 GB RAM, two hard drives, Blu-ray drive - all this will help brighten up your leisure time. By the way, another plus is that the model uses an excellent cooling system that copes with its duties perfectly. And therefore the laptop case almost always remains cold.

The 17.3-inch glossy display has a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. It is worth recognizing that although the screen is not very bright, it nevertheless has a rich and rich color rendering. Viewing angles are also very good, both horizontal and vertical, which, unfortunately, is not common.

The battery capacity is 5600 mA. h, which is not much for such a powerful device. As a result, the test results for autonomy were not impressive - 152 minutes in reading mode and 73 minutes when working with maximum performance. However, for a “desktop” this is more than enough.

Acer ASPIRE V3-775G(average price - 40,000 rub.)

Acer is a well-known manufacturer of reliable laptops that are always popular among almost all segments of the population.

The design of the updated ASPIRE line looks stylish and dignified. The build quality is also very high - all gaps between structural elements are minimal and uniform, no squeaking or crunching when squeezed work area we didn't notice.

The keyboard is large and comfortable, it looks original and gives the laptop a certain sophistication. All buttons are located in the usual places, nothing fails or irritates. The stroke is soft and clear, right and left are of the usual size. In general, typing text on it is very comfortable - your hands don’t get tired even after a long time of typing. Among the shortcomings, it should be noted that the keyboard sag in the upper part and in the area of ​​​​the number pad, which is standard for many laptops, although, by and large, this does not interfere with work.

The relatively large touchpad is separated from the main work area. It is quite convenient to work with it, and the pointer moves smoothly, without unnecessary jerks. Hidden mouse buttons are pressed softly and almost silently.

The 17.3-inch display with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels has a cinematic aspect ratio, making watching movies much more comfortable. Naturally, it is applied here LED lights- this allows you to reduce energy consumption and improve its unevenness. In general, it is worth recognizing that the screen has excellent color reproduction and very good viewing angles. But the brightness and contrast values ​​could be higher - in our opinion, they are not high.

The heart of the laptop is an Intel Core i7 4702MQ processor, supplemented by 8 GB random access memory and a discrete video adapter based on the NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M with 4096 MB of its own video memory.

Offline operation in the Acer ASPIRE V3 is ensured by a 4400 mA battery. h. However, the battery life turned out to be not the lowest. Thus, in reading mode the device worked for 4.5 hours, while “maximum performance” reduced this time to 1 hour.

Dell INSPIRON 5748 (average price - 32,000 rub.)

Strict and stylish - this is exactly the design of the device that came to us for testing. The thin metal body, smooth contours, excellent workmanship - all this will fit perfectly into the interior of an apartment or country cottage.

The island-style keyboard is very comfortable. And although the key travel is slightly unusual, it is quite comfortable to work with. The only thing I didn't like was the noticeable flex of the keyboard in the center and on the right side.

The touchpad is slightly recessed, which allows you to determine its boundaries by touch. Its dimensions are slightly smaller than those of its competitors, but this does not cause any difficulties in operation. The travel of the mouse buttons is quite large and soft, and although the operation sound is clearly noticeable, it is not annoying at all.

The screen diagonal is 17.3 inches with a resolution of 1600×900 pixels. Among the advantages of the display, it is worth noting high brightness and good contrast, as well as fairly high-quality color rendition. True, in bright sunlight it noticeably glares, which, however, is typical of most modern laptops.

The heart of the laptop is powerful processor Intel Core i7 4510U, complemented by 8 GB of RAM and a discrete video adapter based on the NVIDAI GeForce 840M with 2048 MB of its own video memory.

Alas, as practice shows, “large” laptops rarely have long battery life. So this time, the battery installed in the computer is enough for only 1 hour of intense activity - such devices are clearly not designed for long-term existence without an electrical network.

Results

Summing up the results of our testing, we declare that all laptops we tested have excellent performance and, although their mobility is sometimes somewhat limited due to their considerable size and relatively short battery life, they cope with household tasks perfectly well. Some difficulties may arise only in games that require system resources.

As for our preferences, we considered the Dell INSPIRON 5748, which has good specifications at a relatively affordable price, while the “Editor's Choice” model was the ASUS N750JV - this particular laptop seemed to us the most attractive device, with good performance and a great design.

Personal computers are an integral part of life modern man. The computer is used in all spheres of life. From everyday use, mainly for simple calculations and viewing media content, to serious work in economic, medical and scientific activities. It's hard to overestimate how much Computer Engineering changed a person's way of life. How many serious discoveries have been made thanks to computers.

In the life of an ordinary person, much has changed as children master complex technology, has a beneficial effect on their development. Thanks to the Internet, any information becomes available. Needless to say, how easy it has become to run a business, pay utilities and transfer funds.

Why portable devices are gaining popularity

IN Lately, there is a steady trend towards compactness and combination different technologies into one device. Technically, a tablet plays the role of a compact computer, replacing a digital camera, MP3 player, video player and many other devices.

Even a laptop could not fully satisfy users with its compactness, which a tablet successfully copes with. This device It is quite light and fits in a regular folder. Unlike a laptop, you can regularly carry a tablet with you to class or work.

Recently, the sale of tablets has dropped significantly, but this was not due to users abandoning compact technologies; on the contrary, people increasingly began to give preference to smartphones with large screens. Tablets also did not lag behind, releasing devices with built-in GSM modules. Thus, the line between tablets and smartphones has begun to blur.

Tablets for games

When considering tablets, you should immediately clarify; as an example, you need to consider the most popular devices on Android OS. Windows tablets are not worth considering, because in fact, they are a copy of a desktop PC.

The lack of high-quality gaming content, according to many analysts, is one of the main reasons that prevent tablets from completely replacing personal computers.

Games in Play Store There are plenty of them, like other applications, however, the quality of the content is not even close to that of personal computers, but even of portable consoles. In addition, even flagship devices can hardly compare with the computing power of an average-configuration computer. In other words, if computer equipment is purchased primarily for video games, video processing, or working with 3D models, the choice is not in favor of tablets.

Communication means

In terms of communications, tablets are undoubtedly beating computers. There are many clients for instant messengers written on Android, often better than their counterparts for personal computers. In addition, the tablet initially has a webcam and microphone, which a personal computer does not have. Installing these gadgets will require the user to have certain technical knowledge and costs Money for the purchase of equipment.

The presence of a 3G module will allow you to make video calls anywhere in the world, not to mention those tablets that have built-in GSM modules.

Tablet for office tasks

The tablet is ideal for office tasks. Type text and send it to email, edit Excel document. All these tasks can be done by any tablet.

The screen is of an acceptable size and allows you to comfortably work with text. As for software, Microsoft released free Office on Android. In addition, there are others, no less convenient applications, such as Google Docs, with constant synchronization with online services.

To type text, you can use either a touch screen or a physical keyboard connected via an OTG cable or Bluetooth technology.

Connecting office equipment

Continuing the discussion of office tasks, we cannot fail to mention the OTG cable function. Almost every tablet supports this function, thanks to which you can connect almost any device to the device. Moreover, you can connect a USB hub to the OTG cable and, through it, expand the functionality of the device by connecting a keyboard, mouse, flash drive and other useful devices.

Through OTG cable You can connect a webcam if the default camera is not of particular quality.

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely to be possible to connect a scanner or printer powered exclusively from a USB connector to a tablet, because the output power may simply not be enough to keep the device operating.

Using your tablet to browse the web

What tablets are definitely good at is surfing the Internet. Initially, the operating room itself Android system was created primarily for working on the Internet. Messengers, clients social networks and other services help users more comfortably access certain services. Otherwise, mobile Google browser Chrome is practically in no way inferior to the desktop version.

Concerning touch screen, thanks to it, working with the web interface of many sites has become more convenient than using a mouse and keyboard. Instead of hovering over a link, the user is instantly taken to the resource they need with the touch of a finger.

Mobile Chrome supports flash player and video streaming. In addition, this browser has the ability to go to full version, after which sites stop optimizing their interface for mobile device screens.

To summarize, it can be noted that for most users, a tablet can easily replace a personal computer. The only downsides include the lack of highly specialized applications and the low quality of game content.

Time is so merciless to computers that in order for them to remain modern and powerful enough, they need to be updated and improved very often. And this applies not only to software, but also to the so-called hardware, which needs timely upgrades. Its essence is to replace old parts with new ones that have more powerful performance indicators. After all, it is far from a secret that computer parts become morally obsolete much faster than physically, and a computer that was new last year is today inferior to new products in many ways. Of course, you don’t have to worry about updating parts and immediately purchase a custom-made computer, but the upgrade also has its advantages: they manifest themselves in the ability to update a computer that is not yet completely outdated.

What exactly does the upgrade include? First things first.

Main components of the upgrade

HDD. It is with this detail that they most often begin. A new hard drive may be needed when the existing computer memory provided by the hard drive is not enough to store all the user's necessary files. There are a couple of ways to solve this problem: most often, users choose to add another hard drive to the existing one; less common is a complete replacement hard drive on new. If your computer is already quite powerful, but you still need to improve it, then you can use a new type hard drives– SDD drives, which have a write and read speed much higher than the drives that are most often used today – HDD drives.

RAM. It is the improvement of this component that is the key to increasing the performance of the computer as a whole. You can increase the amount of RAM by adding new boards to the motherboard, but it is important to take into account that the parameters of all additional fees corresponded to the parameters of already installed boards. You can completely replace all boards and install new, more powerful ones, if necessary in a particular case. An interesting fact is that if the amount of RAM increases from 2 GB to 4 GB, then the user feels the effect immediately, but if you increase the amount from 4 GB to 8 GB, the difference can only be noticed in some software products: specialized programs , individual games, etc. And when moving from 2 GB of RAM to 4 GB, you will have to install a 64-bit operating system.

Replacing the video card. A video card will make the computer more productive in terms of watching videos or using various games. When choosing a new video card, it is important to check that it matches the motherboard on your computer.

Replacing other computer components is also necessary, but items such as a mouse or keyboard, for example, affect performance to a lesser extent. It will help make your computer better and CPU replacement: the new one should have a larger number of cores, as well as a larger one compared to the previous one clock frequency. Moreover, a significant role is played by power unit, latest models which will ensure reliable and uninterrupted operation.

To understand which part needs to be updated first, you need to test all the components, and for this the operating system provides special indicators and ratings. And based on how the element is loaded the most, you should decide what to update first, and whether it is worth doing, since in some cases it will be more reasonable, simpler and economical to purchase a new modern computer.

The computer consists of system unit and peripheral devices (monitor, mouse, keyboard). In this post, I would like to disassemble the computer in detail down to every bolt, consider the structure of the computer as a whole, what it contains and what each part is needed for.

System unit

The system unit is the computer itself. The system unit contains: PSU (power supply), HDD (hard drive), motherboard, RAM, processor, sound card, video card, LAN card, disk drive and other components that are necessary to expand capabilities. Let's now take a closer look at each device and find out what function it performs.

System unit case

Cases come in different types: compact, transparent, backlit, but its main task is to fit all the computer devices. Of course, you could do without it, hang the motherboard on the wall, and put everything else on the table next to it, but this is stupid, inconvenient and dangerous.

While the system unit is turned on, under no circumstances should you touch its components. Passes inside high voltage which can even kill. This is why the case is always used, it is convenient and safe.

PSU – Power supply

Almost all the wires in the computer come from the power supply. It provides each device in the system unit with electricity, without which nothing will work. The power supply weighs about a kilogram, and is approximately the size of .

The power supply produces: 3.3v, 5v and 12v. Each device has a separate voltage. Also, to prevent the power supply from overheating, it is equipped with a radiator and a cooling fan. This is where the sound of a working computer comes from.

Motherboard

The main task of the motherboard is to connect ALL devices of the computer. It literally combines everything: mouse, keyboard, monitor, USB drives, HDD, processor, video card and everything else. For more information on the holes/connectors and ports of the motherboard, see the picture above.

CPU - computer's central processing unit

The processor powers and calculates all operations on the computer. When compared to human organs, a computer processor can be compared to the brain. How more powerful chip(CPU), the more calculations it can do, in other words: the computer will run faster. But this is only one of the main devices responsible for the speed of your computer.

RAM - random access memory

RAM is a random access memory device. Also called RAM, random access memory and random access memory. This small board is needed to store temporary data. When you copy something, this information is temporarily stored in RAM, which is also how it stores information system files, programs and games. The more tasks you assign to your computer, the more RAM it will need. For example, at the same time the PC will download something, play an audio file and the game will be launched, then there will be a large load on the RAM.

The more RAM, the better and faster the computer works (as is the case with the processor).

Video card (video adapter)

A video card, also called a video adapter, is necessary to transfer images from a computer to a screen/monitor. As mentioned above, it is inserted into the mat. board into its connector.

In general, the computer is designed in such a way that each device has its own hole, and even with brute force it is impossible to insert something into the wrong place.

The more complex the image (HD video, game, graphical shell and editor), the more memory the graphics card should have. For example, 4k. The video will not play properly on a weak video card. The video will slow down, and you may think that the Internet is weak.

A modern video card also contains a small cooler (cooling fan), both for power supply and CPU cooling. Under the cooler there is a small GPU, operating on the principle of a central processor.

HDD (hard disk) Hard Disk Drive

HDD – aka: hard disk, hard drive, hard drive, screw, drive. No matter what people call him, he has one task. It stores all information and files. Including OS (operating system), programs, browsers, photos, music, etc. In other words, this is computer memory (like a flash drive in a phone).

There is also SSD. The essence and principle are the same, but an SSD works many times faster and costs an order of magnitude more. If you use SSD as system disk for the OS, then your computer will run much faster.

Drive

If you need to view/copy information from a disk, then you need a disk drive. Nowadays, you rarely see this device in new computers; the drive has been replaced by USB drives (flash drives). They take up much less space than disks, are easier to use, and are reusable. Nevertheless, disk drives are still used, and I couldn’t help but write about it.

Sound card

A computer needs a sound card to play audio files. Without it, there will be no sound on the computer. If you go back to the "motherboard" section for a second, you will see that it is already built into every motherboard.

As you can see in the photo above, there are additional sound cards. They are necessary for connecting more powerful speaker systems and provide better sound in contrast to integrated (built-in) ones.

If you use ordinary small speakers, then the difference will not even be noticeable. If you have a subwoofer or home cinema, then of course you need to install a decent sound card.

Additional computer devices

Everything I said above necessary for the operation of the system unit, and now let's look at additional computer devices that expand its capabilities and add functionality.

External hard drive

Unlike an HDD, an external hard drive is portable. If the HDD and SSD need to be installed in the case and secured there, then the external one is connected with just one USB cable. This is very convenient for all occasions that there is no point in describing. External HDD it's like a flash drive, only with big amount memory.

Uninterruptable power source

Absolutely every computer is afraid of voltage surges, I would even say more than any other equipment. Source uninterruptible power supply will provide stable voltage and protect your power supply from surges.

Voltage can jump for various reasons, and it is not always noticeable. For example, if you have weak wiring, then when you turn on other equipment in the house, the voltage may jump. Or maybe the neighbors have something powerful... In general, I strongly recommend that everyone use a power supply.

TV tuner

A TV tuner is a special chip that allows you to watch TV on a computer. Here, rather, as in the case of the disk drive, it still works, but is no longer relevant. To watch TV on a computer, you don’t have to insert special boards; we now have it and on my blog there is a whole section dedicated to this topic.

Computer peripherals

As Wikipedia says:

Peripherals- This is equipment that allows you to enter information into or output it from a computer. Peripheral devices are optional for system operation and can be disconnected from the computer.

But, I don't agree with her. For example, we don’t even need a computer without a monitor, and without a keyboard, not everyone can turn on a computer, only the most experienced users can do without a mouse, and without speakers you can’t watch or listen to anything. These are not all devices yet, so let's look at each of them separately.

Personal computer monitor

Let me repeat a little - we don’t need a computer without a monitor, otherwise we won’t see what’s going on there. Perhaps in the future they will come up with some kind of hologram or special glasses, but for now this is just my sick fantasy).

The monitor is connected to the video card with a special cable, of which there are 2 types: VGA (obsolete connector) and HDMI. HDMI provides a better image and also transmits sound parallel to the image. So, if your monitor has built-in speakers and it has a high resolution, you definitely need to use an HDMI cable.

Keyboard

The keyboard is needed to enter information, call commands and perform actions. There are different types of keyboards: regular, silent, multimedia and gaming.

1. Regular - the simplest keyboard with only standard buttons.
2. Silent – ​​rubber/silicone keyboards, when working with which not a single sound is heard.
3. Multimedia. In addition to the standard buttons, the keyboard has additional keys for controlling audio/video files, volume, touchpad (possibly), and more.
4. Gaming – Additional buttons for different games, the main buttons for the game have a different color and other goodies.

Mouse

The main task computer mouse- this is the control/movement of the cursor on the screen. You can also select and open files/folders and call the menu with the right button.

Now there are many different mice for computers. There are wireless, small, large, with additional buttons for convenience, but its main function remains the same after decades.

Acoustic system

As stated above, acoustic system connects to sound card. The signal is transmitted through the sound to the speakers, and you hear what they say in the video and sing in the song. Acoustics can be different, but without any, a computer with all its capabilities becomes an ordinary working tool, in front of which it is boring to spend time.

MFP - Multifunctional Devices

An MFP is more necessary for office and study. Typically contains: scanner, printer, copier. Although these are all in one device, they perform completely different tasks:

1. Scanner – makes an exact copy of a photograph/document in electronic form.
2. Printer - prints electronic version documents, photographs, pictures on paper.
3. Xerox – Makes an exact copy from one paper to another.

Gamepad or joystick

A gamepad is also a joystick in the past. Only needed for comfort in some games. There are wireless ones and vice versa. Usually they contain no more than 15 buttons, and there is no point in using them in non-games.

I came to the office and suddenly remembered that I had forgotten my laptop at home - my main working tool. What to do? It takes a long time to go after him and then back, it takes two hours away from working time. I looked at my smartphone, which seemed to be almost the same as a computer in terms of functionality. Well, look - there is a screen, you can type text, it connects to the Internet, there is multitasking, a bunch of applications with almost any functionality you want can be downloaded, including for free.

And I immediately remembered all these promises and the late Steve Jobs that someday the post-PC era would come, when people would no longer need a computer. I remembered the advertising posters for the Symbian smartphone Nokia N95 with the words “this is how I know a computer” (and this smartphone didn’t even have a QWERTY keyboard!). I looked again at my ultra-functional smartphone on one of the last Android versions... And I went to look for a free laptop in the office. Because stop believing in illusions - the smartphone has not replaced the PC and, apparently, will never replace it.

And no, it's not about abandoning QWERTY. Now smartphones with a physical keyboard are still being produced, and connecting a third-party one, even a full-size one, is not a problem.

Smartphones with QWERTY are still being made, but that doesn’t make it any easier

It's also not about the small screen. Firstly, it’s not that small (yes, it’s far from a laptop, but still). Secondly, displaying images on external screens is also possible.

What actually prevented a smartphone from becoming a full-fledged PC?

Well, first of all, the form factor. Let me clarify - not exactly the dimensions or the absence of a keyboard, but the form factor, as a combination of all parameters. Just imagine the set of all kinds of adapters and accessories that you will have to carry with you in order to use your smartphone as a PC. It's just inconvenient - to say the least. This will never be at hand when you need it “suddenly,” but when you need it systematically, you can forget it at home just like a laptop. Moreover, since there will be more accessories themselves, you can forget one thing (for example, a keyboard), and that’s it - the computer “crumbles”.

The hybrid of a smartphone and a laptop case is forgotten by everyone

Secondly, if there are no problems connecting keyboards, displays and printers, then some specific peripherals usually simply do not work with mobile phones. Of course, not every job requires such peripherals, but this is another point that prevents smartphones from turning into PCs. In our office, for example, screens are tested with colorimeters that we can only connect to a computer.

Thirdly, the operating system. Remember the numerous attempts to make a PC on Android? Before this, there were also projects with mobile MeeGo (it didn’t even have the ability to create user profiles!).

You may not agree with me on the conclusions in this article, but what is hard to argue with are these facts: PCs on mobile operating systems no one needs. “Desktop” OSes ported to mobile phones are dying quite quickly.

Canvas, oil.

The only successful porting of a “full-fledged” OS to a mobile format is macOS X, from which the iPhone OS (iOS) was first made. And even then this is more of a marketing ploy - with the same certainty we can say that Android is Linux. That is, it seems to be true, but the difference is obvious to everyone. The operating system kernel still cannot be equated to the operating system itself. For the user, the OS is the same if you can run the same applications in the same way. That is, if to run some native programs for one device you need an emulator on another device, these are no longer the same OS from the user’s point of view.

However, they have been trying to do this for a long time. And, as we see, it was unsuccessful.

Computers are from Mars, smartphones are from Venus

Smartphones have different hardware, and they have completely different requirements. Look - the laptop should work autonomously, say, 10 hours. It would seem - a smartphone, too, right? But no. In always-on screen mode, not every smartphone will work that long.

But the smartphone performs many tasks in the background, even when it seems to us that it is “sleeping”. Some laptops can do this too, but not all, and even those that can do it poorly. That is, we need a smartphone to work for a long time rather in hibernation, but with an active screen and in high power consumption mode, 5-6 hours is quite enough for us (more is better, of course, because there is never too much autonomy).

A pocket computer like they don't make anymore

But the autonomy of a laptop by default includes a constantly working screen and at least “office” user activity. Nobody needs a laptop that can download emails from their mailbox all day long with the screen off.

The next point is the applications themselves. It would seem, yes - you can print text even on a smartphone. Okay, but we still need to select images for the article, crop them to the desired aspect ratio and pixel width, and then insert them into the CMS admin panel.

And then the same iOS flies by immediately. Now to iPad Pro They are trying to add multitasking and multi-window functionality, but the number of applications that have a frame for cropping pictures to the required number of pixels is extremely small, and working with images in this operating system is pure hell. I have to find a picture, save it in the photo gallery (otherwise there is no other way), it will be distributed through the cloud to all my devices with the same Apple ID, taking up precious space in memory, after which I need to find an application that will help me crop everything accurately (here it’s best to do this with a stylus, but it’s still 10 times more convenient on a mouse or touchpad), save it back to the same gallery, and then pray that the CMS admin can open the gallery on iOS to load pictures.

Nokia N97 also did not become a computer

I also once tried to edit video on an iPad. Apple constantly talks about how it is now better and faster - they say that 4K videos at 100500 FPS are not a problem at all. Yes, no problem, and yes, video editing on iPad is possible. But what if I also need to make a background soundtrack? Making music on the iPad is easy. And the video is easy to edit. But transferring a file from a music app to a video editor is a nightmare. When you hear that in iOS each application runs in its own sandbox, take this literally. Any actions between applications are extremely complicated, and sometimes simply impossible. Well, iOS is completely unsuitable for the post-PC era.

It's really easier in Android - there file system open like on a PC. But again - with an incredibly large number of applications for processing images, and even with the ability to crop, literally only a few allow you to do this with pixel accuracy.

Skinny operating systems

Another thing to add is the lack of windows in mobile operating systems. Yes, both Android and iOS on the iPad Pro already support two-window mode (they mockingly call it “multi-window”), but this is not enough. If you are working now and take a moment to read the article on our website, then just count the number of application windows. And how convenient it is that you don’t have to jump between programs, even just to answer a colleague’s question in a work chat!

In general, yes, they are trying to do something similar in mobile phones, but so far it is not at all the same. And the windows turn out to be very small, and not all applications work with them correctly, and it is impossible to “remove” the window with the application anywhere on the screen (where possible, the windows turn out to be extremely non-functional).

Asus Transformer once ran on Android, but today it only runs on Windows