In addition to
detailing the general decline in worldwide shipments of personal computers,
this article discusses HP’s stagnant sales and Lenovo’s leaping popularity.
“China's Lenovo
Group Ltd edged out Silicon Valley icon Hewlett-Packard Co to become the
world's No. 1 PC maker in the third quarter, according to data released by
research house Gartner on Wednesday. A
rival to Gartner, IDC, still ranks HP in the lead - but by less than half a
percentage point - in terms of PC shipments worldwide. Both studies reinforce HP's struggles against
rivals as new chief executive Meg Whitman tries to overhaul the stalled
73-year-old company.”
This summer, I
initiated a fatiguing quest for a new laptop.
Though macs are the go-to products for most buyers, I prefer the PC
layout and decided to select from the standard brand spectrum: Toshiba, HP, Lenovo, Asus, and Sony.
After
purchasing and returning a Toshiba with a faulty battery, I chose the Lenovo
ideapad. Why? Because an HP with comparable specs cost $150
more.
My saga follows. Note my selective use of past tense:
Because I care
so little for technology, I’m partial to simple machines that accomplish tasks
with the fewest buttons and processes possible.
Lenovo satisfied this preference.
The keyboard and features were both minimalistic. Indeed, while watching a brief YouTube clip,
I attempted to lower the PC’s volume and found that the machine only recognized
six or eight sound increments, with no pleasing options between “too soft” and “too
loud.”
When adjusting
brightness, the unglamorous outline of a grey sun appeared on my screen. Moreover, webcam features and bonus software were
both nonexistent. None of these failings
bothered me.
However, the
exterior of the machine was poorly finished.
The edges looked to be snapped together, with a few fringes of some variety
of cotton or string defiantly sticking out.
My greatest grievance, however, was the touchpad. Beyond the lousy scroll functions and the
overly responsive touch sensitivity, the pad itself was poorly fastened to the
computer. Indeed, I noticed that one
corner was even detached from the body of the machine.
After owning
the laptop for a month, the touchpad failed.
Though I could move the mouse, I could not click by tapping or pushing
on the pad. Back to BestBuy it went.
If we dismiss
my touchpad as a dud, I will admit that, overall, the laptop functioned well. Moreover, no other computer boasted an i5
processor for such a reasonable price ($650 range). Though the aesthetics of the machine were unexceptional,
I do understand the surging popularity of Lenovo.
With this
knowledge, I offer HP only two options: Lower
prices to compete with emerging price-conscious brands or somehow offer a differentiated
PC experience that is so remarkable, it merits the added cost.
And for those
curious few, I am typing this blog post on my new Asus notebook.
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