4 controversial laptop trends that should never have made it mainstream

[VEGGIM]

37 minutes ago, 1610ftw said:

 

I mean just sell a chip that goes into a socket like with AMD and Intel desktop CPUs.

 

Obviously this isn't going to happen in desktops but it would be a perfect solution for laptops to widen choices for the users and drastically reduce SKUs for the manufacturers

I don't think socketed gpus work like that. They are much more complex. They are one board made for different phases and vrms. Unless I'm understanding this wrong.

[Clamibot]

7 hours ago, Reaversword said:

C'mon!, only shipments to the States!. This is the third one I see with shipments only the States. What a nightmare...

 

Aww man, that's a bummer. I didn't see that.

[pickled-egg]

I have to say I miss having an RJ45 Ethernet jack on so many laptops now.

 

I know dongles work, they're fine, they're just... dongles.  A cludge IMO.  The issue with thinness was solved long ago with those ethernet jacks in thin laptops, the bottom of the port being a spring loaded flap that accomodated the relatively large RJ45 connector clip.

 

I've never seen a machine so thin (at its thickest point, usually towards the rear) that it could not use one of these spring loaded jacks that we used to get but I guess there just isn't the demand for ethernet there once was since the opportunity to stop including them seems to have been jumped on across the 'ultrabook' segment.

 

[1610ftw]

On 2/2/2023 at 6:12 PM, pickled-egg said:

I have to say I miss having an RJ45 Ethernet jack on so many laptops now.

 

I know dongles work, they're fine, they're just... dongles.  A cludge IMO.  The issue with thinness was solved long ago with those ethernet jacks in thin laptops, the bottom of the port being a spring loaded flap that accomodated the relatively large RJ45 connector clip.

 

I've never seen a machine so thin (at its thickest point, usually towards the rear) that it could not use one of these spring loaded jacks that we used to get but I guess there just isn't the demand for ethernet there once was since the opportunity to stop including them seems to have been jumped on across the 'ultrabook' segment.

 

 

If a laptop can call itself DTR then it should have space for an ethernet jack as then it will not be so thing that the jack is an issue.

Personally I have zero interest in any network connector that does not allow for at least 2.5G and I hate those flaps. I guess one could argue that they offer some kind of protection from dust but that is being too kind imo as I never had an issue with dust in normal ethernet ports.

[kojack]

The biggest trend I wish would go away is the move to 2 USB - C ports and that's it. I purposely purchased my system because it had the ports I need, which seem to be going away.  Meaning I have to carry a USB C dock, a card reader, a HDMI hub, etc to do the same I can do with my current system...Counter intuitive imo. 

[KING19]

Bump.

 

I dont know this been mentioned but manufacturers making laptop keyboards nearly impossible to replace...

 

Recently i had to do keyboard replacement on my current laptop which wasnt easy and its another reason to hate laptops. I think my nephew spilled some liquid between the keys when he was using it when playing games and some of my keys went dead, nearly impossible to type on, Contacted Lenovo about it and they wanted to charge me around $300+ for the repairs and i said no because its too much for a 4 year old laptop so i decided to do it myself. Have to buy a whole new top casing with the keyboard and touchpad included which costs $70 on ebay because all laptop keyboards besides business laptops are fused into the top casing meaning you would have to remove so many plastic rivets to get it out, install the new keyboard and then soldier all of the plastic rivets.... Both methods requires full disassembly but the top casing method is easier by far because most people dont have the right tools to do it but still a pain in the ass. Luckily for me it went well without breaking anything and i have a working keyboard again, Never again... 

 

 

[1610ftw]

On 1/9/2025 at 2:14 AM, KING19 said:

Bump.

 

I dont know this been mentioned but manufacturers making laptop keyboards nearly impossible to replace...

 

Recently i had to do keyboard replacement on my current laptop which wasnt easy and its another reason to hate laptops. I think my nephew spilled some liquid between the keys when he was using it when playing games and some of my keys went dead, nearly impossible to type on, Contacted Lenovo about it and they wanted to charge me around $300+ for the repairs and i said no because its too much for a 4 year old laptop so i decided to do it myself. Have to buy a whole new top casing with the keyboard and touchpad included which costs $70 on ebay because all laptop keyboards besides business laptops are fused into the top casing meaning you would have to remove so many plastic rivets to get it out, install the new keyboard and then soldier all of the plastic rivets.... Both methods requires full disassembly but the top casing method is easier by far because most people dont have the right tools to do it but still a pain in the ass. Luckily for me it went well without breaking anything and i have a working keyboard again, Never again... 

 

 

 

There should be a list of laptop keyboard types from best to worst.

MSI is a bad offender even in their high end machines that have riveted keyboards except for the ones with the cherry keyboards. Even then you have to work your way all through the laptop to replace or clean the keyboard which is a huge annoyance and there is basically zero documentation on how to do that.

 

The other end of the spectrum would be companies like Clevo, Dell and HP who often allow for keyboards to be replaced from the palm rest side with a comparatively small effort.