Originally published June 22 2005
Business strategy expert: Laptop features chosen by price, not technological advancement
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Richard Hsu, director of BenQ's computer products strategic business unit, says hardware manufacturers consider the price when adding new features to laptops, rather than how technologically advanced they are, reports Techworld.
Laptop computers have come a long way since Toshiba Corp. introduced the first IBM-compatible machine 20 years ago, and more advances are coming in the years ahead.
However, the overriding concern for hardware makers when picking features to add to new laptops now, is price and not necessarily the latest advances in technology, according to Richard Hsu, director of BenQ's computer products strategic business unit.
For executives like Hsu, who oversees the development of BenQ's Joybook line of laptop computers, there are many new technologies to consider when planning laptop models that will be available five years from now, including low-voltage chips, new displays and batteries, and wireless technologies.
Low power chips Perhaps the most important improvement will be reduced power consumption, which means longer battery life.
For instance, several chip makers, including Transmeta, have developed low-power processors, but lower power consumption can mean less processing horsepower for running applications.
Cheaper displays - not OLEDs Another focus in the drive to reduce overall power consumption centres on the display, which can consume up to 20 percent of a laptop's power.
While software-based power management can switch off a screen that isn't being used, engineers are developing LCD (liquid crystal display) panels that draw less power than existing displays.
One display technology that won't make the cut into laptops any time soon because of costs is OLED (organic light emitting diode) screens, according to Hsu.
These are able to generate electricity from a reaction between methanol, water and air and are instantly rechargeable with a new cartridge of methanol.
Perhaps the biggest advance in laptop technology over the next five years will be the addition of new wireless technologies, including wireless USB and UWB (Ultra Wideband), for connecting devices over short ranges, and WiMax, for accessing the Internet over a wide area network.
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