Thinking About Laptops, 2-in-1s, and Convertibles (Premium)

Several years ago, Mary Jo Foley and I debated the merits of multitouch displays on laptops. Mary Jo, who’s as set in her ways as anyone with that level of experience should be, wanted nothing to do with it. She argued that multitouch wasn’t just unnecessary on laptops, but undesirable. And I know she went on to specifically seek out laptop models that did not include multitouch displays, something that’s become quite difficult for much of the PC market.

My argument was logical enough: you may not think you want a multitouch display, but its presence on a laptop surely doesn’t hurt you. And you may find, over time, that you adapt to using its touch capabilities from time to time, that multitouch becomes just another way of interacting with the PC, alongside the keyboard and touchpad. For example, many people find it easy and natural to scroll through a document or website they’re reading using the touch screen.

And then some amount of time went by. Years. I don’t remember exactly. But I started to notice something. Because I use all portable PCs—more on this below—like laptops, in a traditional clamshell form factor, I rarely need a multitouch display. I’m a quick typist, and I don’t like taking my hands off the keyboard, and the traditional keyboard and touchpad interface almost always does the trick for me.

More to the point, however, multitouch can be a problem, too. Even if you’re not touching the display all the time, like you would with an iPad or other tablet, it can get smudged or dirty or, if you have cats or dogs like I do, covered in hair. And so you blow on the screen and, when that doesn’t work, you touch it to wipe off whatever unwanted thing is on there. And when you do that, you can inadvertently trigger all kinds of actions on screen. Because it supports multitouch.

Because I review so many laptops, I use a lot of differently configured PCs. And I recall thinking it was odd, some years ago, when Lenovo briefly switched its ThinkPad X1 Carbon to non-multitouch screens, the idea being that the more flexible X1 Yoga would be the sole place for customers in this market bracket that wanted touch (and smartpen) support. Presumably, customers complained, because that didn’t last very long: within the year, you could once again configure an X1 Carbon with a multitouch display.

I don’t think that Lenovo was onto something per se. After all, customers should at least be given the choice. But I’ve brushed aside enough cat hairs, or whatever, in my day to now realize the downside to multitouch, especially on a traditional laptop. And, increasingly, I believe as Mary Jo always did: if you don’t need or want it, you shouldn’t get multitouch on a traditional laptop. It’s just not worth it.

Related to this, laptop reviews tend to be a feast or famine situation where I go through a month or two with no new devices in for review and then I’m suddenly inundated with more PCs than I can reasonably handle. That’s mostly on me, since I could learn to say no more often. But regarding the voluminous number of PCs now in my house, only some of which you’re currently aware of, it struck me how many were 2-in-1 or convertible PCs. (Or what we might call transforming PCs.)

And that doesn’t make any sense. On a few different levels.

I understand why Microsoft is pushing this type of form factor: Bill Gates started touting the benefits of tablet PC over 20 years ago, and this sub-market of devices saw some modicum success with 2-in-1s/convertibles and, later, what I’ll call the Surface Pro form factor (which is what Microsoft would call a “detachable,” though I feel like tablet PC is at least as accurate). But I don’t understand why the Lenovos, HPs, and Dells of the world keep pushing these form factors. After all, the vast majority of the PC user base—literally over 90 or 95 percent—is probably best served by, and is probably seeking out, a more traditional laptop form factor PC. Why are these other things so prevalent?

More personally, I never use a 2-in-1 or convertible in anything other than a traditional laptop form factor, and, go figure, some of my favorite PCs of all time—like the HP Spectre x360 and EliteBook x360 series—are convertibles. Sure, I fold them around and experiment with smartpens when available, because I have to for the review. But each time, I think to myself, who the hell is using a PC like a giant, heavy tablet … like, ever? It just doesn’t make sense.

Yes, yes. I know it makes sense for some small subset of people. Artists, mostly. Some will point to students, too, but I have a newsflash for anyone whose kids are now adults: Students no longer even learn to handwrite, and writing in block letters is as efficient as using Egyptian hieroglyphs. No, today’s students are typing, either on a virtual keyboard on a smartphone or tablet, or on a real keyboard on a PC. I’m not sure there’s much of a market for these convertible/2-in-1 PCs at all.

That doesn’t mean they don’t sell. Perhaps because PC makers still make so many of these PC types, they do sell. And maybe there are instances in which customers explicitly seek them out because, you never know, maybe someday they’ll use the touch or pen capabilities. Americans, in particular, are tuned for this “just in case” type of thinking. But I would bet money—big money—that almost no one with such a PC ever uses those features. Ever.

As a reviewer, I had to long ago learn to differentiate between my needs and those of potential buyers. Some people don’t seem to understand that, but a good example of this mindset can be seen in my complaints about the Windows 11 user interface limitations. These things mostly don’t impact me, but I understand they could impact others, and so I champion the cause. I can see past my own needs and think objectively. At least I try.

But with the 2-in-1/convertible thing, I just don’t see it. I don’t understand why there are so many of these devices. And even with those I love, like the Spectre x360, I keep thinking, man, this would be an impressive traditional laptop. Just take away the transforming form factor and the touch and pen capabilities. It would be perfect.

In the same vein, there is one transforming capability that I’d like to see on more laptops, and this is something that would benefit those who need it, would not harm those who do not, and is perhaps the one mainstream use case for a transforming PC: a lay-flat screen.

You would not need this every day. In fact, would not need it normally. But if you travel by air at all and have ever been stuck in a cramped coach seat where the person in front of you has reclined his seat, leaving his headrest just inches from your skull, you can see the benefit: you can lay then laptop’s screen flat, stand it up in front of you, with the bottom resting on your upper legs and the display right in front of your face. And then you can watch a movie or other video you downloaded from Netflix or wherever else. It doesn’t matter how cramped that seat is, this will always work.

And that’s about it. That other transforming stuff is a waste of time and money for most other people.

So what do I do about all this with regard to my reviews? Nothing.

As noted, different people have different needs, and PC makers are going to keep sending me transforming PCs because that’s what they make, for whatever reason. I guess to differentiate from true tablets, and because they’re an upsell and are perhaps more lucrative. And hardware makers tend to send reviewers the most expensive devices.

I get all that. But like most readers, and most people, I will continue to use PCs the same way: without multitouch and without smartpens, and in a traditional laptop form factor. I don’t begrudge you for doing differently if that’s what you prefer. And though I do expect to hear from some of you, I do expect you to at least acknowledge that you’re in the vast minority and that it’s weird that these use cases have defined PC designs for so long. It just doesn’t make sense.

One final thought. What I’m really writing about here is a specific take on my classic editorial, The Right Tool for the Job. I wrote that a decade ago and argued that, while hardware makers were focused on creating a single device that could replace two devices, it was more often true that using specific devices for specific tasks offered a superior experience. As such, I carried a smartphone, tablet, and computer with me when I traveled.

Tellingly, I still do.