What do you think of the refreshed design on the new business class notebooks?

HP gets down to business with redesigned and refreshed EliteBook and ProBook laptops (hands-on) -- Engadget





should have stuck with black imo.

 

I must say my first reaction is I like the old style better.

 

Yeah I think these are pretty terrible looking. Kind of reminiscent of the Compaq V2000 series: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2580

 

Terrible, looks like crappy Compaq CQ 42 series...

 

There is more worse thing - 16:9 screen
It seems that they killed my favorite 1920x1200

http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/13947_na/13947_na.html

HP EliteBook 8460p:
14.0-inch diagonal LED-backlit HD anti-glare (1366 x 768 resolution)
14.0-inch diagonal LED-backlit HD+ anti-glare (1600 x 900 resolution)
HP EliteBook 8560p:
15.6-inch diagonal LED-backlit HD anti-glare (1366 x 768 resolution)
15.6-inch diagonal LED-backlit HD+ WVA anti-glare (1600 x 900 resolution)
15.6-inch diagonal LED-backlit FHD WVA anti-glare (1920 x 1080 resolution)

 

I still hope the w-series will look better

 

It looks a bit more rugged and solid. Functionally it looks great and despite looking like a lump of aluminium it actually weighs a little less than the current generation.

I'm not even going to say it looks good, it doesn't, but I'll certainly be buying one of the w versions.

I think the key to owning one of these will be sitting next to the window on the train and pointing the keyboard towards you. It looks quite nice from the back.....

 

That's nothing new, last models had that as well, exept for the 17".

At first I thought it was ugly, then I realized it was because of that first pic, they don't look good in that light. Now I just wonder why the touchpad doesn't have the same color as the rest.

The keyboard is the only thing that I'm not so sure about.

Still with included modem?

No W-series yet?

 

At first I thought that they look nice and slim, then looking at the pictures in gallery I noticed how actually thick and double-colored they are, half of laptop is silver aluminum, other half to the bottom is sloped black aluminum or plastic, nice way to make people think that laptop appears thinner than it really is when looking from specifical angles.
I think so far I prefer good old ThinkPads design and if we take a look at refreshed design then Latitudes win hands down for me over EliteBooks.

Edit: And while I think that B series ProBooks benefited from design changes S series ProBooks do not, at least not in the looks department, I really loved current 4x20s series design, very classy, straight lines, boxy, somewhat neutral and at the same time elegant!
Sure, Ill get used to new design.
Meh...

 

Looks like the HP Envy 14 and dm4 consumer designs have been merged into the business range, though with a boxier chassis. Glad to see the semi-chicklet keyboard is gone. I hope they've put the 12" 2560p on a weight loss program.

 

Wonder if it will be cheaper to not get a windows licens but get the Opensuse instead (Save 50$) as I already have access to win7 from my MSDN AA

 

IF... the keyboards are the same as the Envy 13, I'll buy and be happy as the battery life is amazing.

I needed a machine for typing and out of all the machines in PC World (UK), the Envy 13 had the best. My partner's a legal sec and types a lot... loves it. (Grabbed an Envy 13 for £600)

As for the looks, I'm personally only going to look at teh 13" model.

 

Bleh, this is just as bad as the Dell refresh. Damn... what's with these companies, I swear.

No more solid black hardware, no more proper 16:10 displays, this pretty much sucks. Well, one good thing should come of it I suppose:

All the companies that decide to upgrade to new hardware will be dumping the old - and the best looking - lines of hardware so we should be able to snag 'em at great prices as used equipment.

 

My thoughts as well, these look like a G62 with an aluminum finish . . . the older EliteBooks has a more industrial/professional-looking design IMO.

And regarding 16:9 -- it's here to stay. 16:10 has been dead for a LONG time, several years at this point. If you want 16:10, go get an HP 8740w, Dell M6500, or Lenovo W710 while they last (not more than a few months at this point). Or buy a used laptop. But 16:9 is not new, it should come as no surprise that new notebooks have it.

 

I like the big Touchpad. And that is it.

 

don't like the look - never have liked silver notebooks

 

Yes, the silver look I do not like. Also, the w series is still missing, they must be delaying it.

 

Has the 12in Elitebook notebook and tablet update been announced with this set of releases? Because, i don't remember reading about it or seeing pictures.

 

I wish they just updated the damn display viewing angles. Ugh. iLiteBook...

 

Does HDMI support audio via the display port?

 

I dont like the new look. So far I dont even like the hardware in it. Lets see what the w series bring.

If that fails I grab a thinkpad (those new hardware do disapoint me as well), or a 8740w.

 

the probook s series is the least to get any updates , bad things they provide no easy access to hdd and ram , no switchable graphics , perhaps more reliable build

 

I'm just hoping that there will still be some 8440w models that I can pick up in May when I go out and buy a "new" computer for college...

Last years models looked tough as hell. The new ones are tough too, but now they are just...terrible-looking

And seriously, why is that trackpad a different color than the rest? -.-

 

I have to say my initial impression of the looks on these things was negative. The leaked pictures that came out made them look like MacBook wannabes. Now having seen more pictures I think these are clearly superior in looks to the new Dell Latitudes, but I'm not sure I could deal with that keyboad. I don't like chiclet keyboards but that's not my biggest issue. I like the inverted-T layout for the arrow keys, and the pictures of the 8460 show a strange layout with full left and right arrow keys and half-sized up and down arrow keys between them. Not sure why they thought that would be a better design.

And I hate 16:9 screens, but that boat has sailed. If I had to choose right now between the new generation of business notebooks I'd pick the Lenovo T420s followed by the 8460 and E6420.

 

When you talk about chiclet keyboards, do you mean that they look like Apple keyboards (among others),
or that they actually work just like old, real chiclet keyboards?
The former is no issue for me, it's just a different way to make spaces between the keys, at least that's the way I see it.
The latter is just awful, it's ok in a remote control, almost.

I'm glad they dropped the aluminium and black plastics around the keyboard, it looked like a crossover between the new ones and the older models like Nc8430.

 

It's a keyboard like a MacBook. Not sure who thought it was a good idea.

 

The P series were grey and W series black. So, normally, the new W series will be black.

My concern is the vent on the right side of the notebook.

As for the keyboard, waiting for some user feedback.

I always work in a 2 documents side by side layout with toolbars on the sides, so I belong to the small minority of users who prefer the 16:9 form factor. Just hoping for better viewing angles on the 14" 1600x900 display also.

 

So I guess people are complaining on the keyboard based on the looks, since nobody actually know if they're good or not?
I can agree with the arrow keys being too small, no need for that on such a big laptop.

The biggest problem with 16:9 is that it made 1366*768 on regular 15.6" laptops very common. I can't use that.

 

Well, it is one thing you can say for the fruit company. who knows how powerful the newest 17 inchers will be. (Wait, me touting MBPs? Something's seriously wrong with this picture )

Seriously, though, is this 16X9 thing all about playing movies? Talk about the tail wagging the dog. grrrhhh....

 

If they're anything like current chiclet keyboards out there, IMO, Elitebooks just went to the bottom of my list.

 

Not to get too deep into the whole 16:9 thing, but 16:9 isn't just about movies (although that's the answer they use to convince the general public). 16:9 is really about cost cutting; because 16:9 is less area than 16:10, they can cut more 16:9 panels out of an LCD sheet than 16:10 panels, so it's cheaper to make 16:9 panels.

 

Interesting, never thought about that being a reason, but it does seem valid.

 

Yeah, 16:9 is all about the money, but if people are prepared to pay a premium for it (read high end business laptops), why not keep it?

I'm not totally against 16:9, but it needs a display large enough to become somewhat useful. 16:9 netbooks are just lame.

 

While I'm reserving final judgement until and if I actually get my hands on one, my experience with similar keyboards has not been positive.

 

Am I the only person who actually loves these new designs? I've always bought Dell Latitudes but I don't like their new range. The previous gen Elite Books looked too ordinary for me. But these new ones tick all the boxes on my wish list - keyboard included.

 

I think you are the only one to admit it so far. But really, there must be many users who like the new looks and don't really care about the keyboard. It is completely derivative of the MBP and many users love those. I think what you are seeing here is that the response of the "enthusiasts" (which includes me) is a bit out of sync with the rest of the market. I do think the keyboard move is really stupid, but I also think fewer business people are going to care than what us enthusiasts are predicting.

 

I love the new design too, so you are not the only one.

 

the look is definitely a matter of personal taste - the keyboard though is disappointing; I do a lot of typing on my laptop and while I've seen some chiclet keyboards I could probably grow to live with I don't like them

 

I love chiclets keyboards, my current Sony VAIO has the best keyboard I have ever typed on, so for me it's perfect that HP went the same way for the 2011 series.

 

I am looking forward to this new keyboard, too, because the "normal" one (8730w) I sometimes get stuck under the keys (because the caps are so flat and not solid) (difficult to explain )

 

Do not like.

One of the reasons I like the Full Keyboard + Num Pad is the ease of use. Those arrow keys look like they could be hard to use. I'd have hoped the 17" full keyboard options would have normal arrow keys.

 

It's only the US keyboard with squashed arrow keys. UK keyboards have an upside down L-shaped Enter key and a smaller shift key with full size cursors.

I prefer business machines for their better build quality and matte screen but they usually look like something from the 1990s - nice to see HP make them look desirable whilst keeping the build quality.

As for chiclet keyboards - we have both at work, I actually prefer them as I find the gaps mean you don't hit the wrong key by mistake and the sealed unit means dust and bits don't get stuck under the keys.

Only thing I don't like is the 16:9 screen ratio but all laptops are moving to these because screen manufacturers can make them more cheaply as they are the same ratio as small TVs. That said the 14" models look 16:10 - I've not seen a spec to confirm.

 

Everyone knew the 14" and 15" would be 16:9 b/c the 8x40 were 16:9 other than the 8740w. But if you require confirmation, see here.

Some are holding out hope for 16:10 to hold over on the8760w because the new Macs are 16:10. I hold out NO hope for that, though I haven't seen anything from HP to officially confirm it.

 

Not too happy with chiclet keyboard: a year or so ago bought a 10" netbook, and particularly liked the fact it kind of resembles a small Elitebook and has *no* chiclet keyboard. (Admittedly, it was the price and 1280x720 screen, as well).

Now... I don't know, but it seems my trusty old nc8430 will be replaced with a 8540w and not an 8560p. I need a reliable machine now, don't quite like the 8560 "p" looks, and who knows when the "w"s will be out.

If only I didn't have to buy a new dock as well...

 

I think in general the design is good. I can appreciate preferring 16:10 over 16:9 since the vertical size is handy for any sort of writing or work. But as others have said, that aspect ratio is long gone.

I do wish it was thinner, but whatdya going to do...

I've never had an elitebook. Can someone explain what the dual touchpad button sets are for? Four independent buttons or two sets or left/right?

 

The top row are the L/R buttons for use with the pointing stick, the bottom row is L/R for use with the touch pad. The top row is crucial to making the pointing stick comfortable to work with. If you had to stretch your thumb down to the lower row, your hand would quickly fatigue.

 

Here's my take on the new ones (also in my sig):
Old ones: are like supercars. Sleek, fast, and totally bada$$.
New ones: are shiny on top, and bulky on bottom. More like a shiny, beefy pickup truck. Sure, they may haul a lot, but they look boring and nowhere near as fast.
They also chopped down the GPU and removed the middle button.... Fail.
EDIT: Oh, and thanks, forum, for making me look totally {word silently deleted}.

 

Well based on the video here the trackpad is larger & made from glass so that could account for the missing middle button. The glass trackpad could be a good thing as people have been going ape shoot over the Macbook trackpad.

 

A bigger touchpad is all the MORE reason to have a middle button! After all, who needs two-inch wide buttons? 3 buttons at 1.33 inches each would be better.

Granted, I'm guessing about what the actual width is, but my current EliteBook has 2/3 - 3/4 (or so) inch wide buttons.

Edit: that video makes the buttons look even more freakishly humongous. If the spacebar is 5 inches wide, then those buttons must be 2.5 inches wide. Heck, that's enough for five normal-width buttons! Or three at 1.66 inches.

From The Simpsons:
“The fingers you have used to dial are too fat. To obtain a special dialing wand, please mash the keypad with your palm now.”

 

If this is true about the UK keyboard, then it's most likely the same with all scandinavian, finnish and estonian keyboards, as they all use the ISO mechanical layout.
I'd like to buy a HP laptop in the US and get a new keyboard here, it could save me hundreds of €.

Keyboard layout - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia