[fedora-arm] 1ghz ARM Laptop (12in 1280x800 LCD)

[Stephen John Smoogen]

On Wed, Feb 2, 2011 at 06:01, Gordan Bobic <gordan at bobich.net> wrote:
> Matt Sealey wrote:
>> Just to clarify a few things on the i.MX51 and Efika MX in particular here.
>>


>
>> Memory
>> -----------
>>
>> 512MB is the maximum on the i.MX51 but the i.MX53 can support 2GB.
>> Most vendors are going to ship 1GB units, though. That's just a matter
>> of target market.
>
> That is fair, but considering it doesn't take much effort to get Firefox
> to use up over half of 512MB it does seem in the tight side. 1GB is
> probably livable with with a bit of ramzswap/zram magic, though, but
> considering RAM is $15/GB, it seems like a false economy to be cutting
> that corner.

That is also a false analogy. Choosing parts for a laptop require
multiple "costs".
1) size
2) heat production
3) power costs
4) number of units sold
5) reliability
6) capital costs.


Since you make pennies on the dollar the cost difference between a
15.00 and 16.00 can completely break you because you as the producer
are going to spend $30,000 in parts for one and $32000 for another.
And if it costs more in returns, drops the usage of the laptop by 10%
etc.. you are losing other items.



> The "system for developers" thing is overstated. Complete repetitive
> kernel recompiles aren't really what we're talking about here. But given
> the bloatedness of software today, 2GB of RAM is a lot more useful. The
> CPU just has to be up to the job of spawning OpenOffice and Firefox in
> under 5-10 seconds. If it can do that, it reaches the "good enough"
> classification.

Well since my 2.8 Mhz i7 doesn't seem to meet that.

> Screen size, OTOH, is limited by the target form factor, and 10in is a
> reasonable size to aim for, but 1024x600 really isn't enough these days
> for any user who actually knows what they are doing. 1366x768 in 10in
> size is a bit of a niche (I've only been able to find one panel of that
> spec), but 1280x720 shouldn't really be a problem in 10in. And I still
> think a 15.6in 1080p laptop based on ARM would have a significant
> market. It's just on the right side of portable, and if it can be as
> thin, light and with even better battery life than the 10in offerings,
> then what's not to like. So what if the price goes up by $150 or so for
> a 1080p screen, you'd get a lot more for it.

Possibly. If your price goes up 150, you may only be able to build 1/2
as many or end up making a "profit" on paper but not with cash. There
is a huge difference in building 1 item for oneself and building 1000
or 10,000 units.



-- 
Stephen J Smoogen.
"The core skill of innovators is error recovery, not failure avoidance."
Randy Nelson, President of Pixar University.
"Let us be kind, one to another, for most of us are fighting a hard
battle." -- Ian MacLaren