Vizio reboots the PC: a quiet American success story

http://mobile.theverge.com/2012/6/15/3076519/vizio-reboot-pc-american-hdtv-success-do-it-again

by ditados • 14 years ago

96 33 14 years ago

mobile.theverge.com

joshbaptiste• 14 years ago

The non-mobile link: http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/15/3076519/vizio-reboot-pc-am...

x1• 14 years ago

More pictures & Info: http://www.chipchick.com/2012/06/vizio-dives-laptop-all-in-o...

seltzered_• 14 years ago

I was excited to read this, just hope their next iteration of the 14-inch model has a more powerful cpu.

Spittie• 14 years ago

Those look really nice. Seems that they understand what the mainstream market want: something that look nice, work nice, are durable and don't cost too much.

Too bad that they are using a mobile gpu for their desktop computer, and that it "just" have a 1080p resolution instead of something bigger (1440p or 1600p would be perfect for me).

jpxxx• 14 years ago

Let's wait until their PC products are on the market before calling this a success story.

nostromo• 14 years ago

The full title is more accurate: "Vizio reboots the PC: a quiet American success story takes on sleeping giants"

It looks like the character count was reduced to fit HN's title limitations.

astrodust• 14 years ago

They have more design going on in that one room than the industry has in entire continents.

emperorcezar• 14 years ago

All this hardware is strikingly similar to Apple's.

thought_alarm• 14 years ago

Similar in that their hardware tries to follow a thoughtful and unique design language. Good on them.

I'd say they're the only PC manufacturer that isn't directly ripping off an existing Apple design.

prezjordan• 14 years ago

Just because it's clean and rounded courners. I think they've got the same mindset (keep it simple, no blinking lights, etc) and I appreciate that.

But no, they're not blatantly ripping off an apple keyboard (cough HP Envy cough) and tricking people into thinking it's a mac from far away.

Apocryphon2• 14 years ago

I don't think Vizio is trying to copy Apple, but it's a bit disappointing that their machines also have a similar aluminum unibody style. There's no other way to express "striking but not cluttered"?

hristov3• 14 years ago

I am going to sound like a broken record, but they should have a linux version.

simonh• 14 years ago

Because you genuinely believe it would be a good business decision, or because it would be cool?

Also which build, of which distro, with which desktop? The problem is there aren't really Linux fans, there are Ubuntu fans and Redhat fans and Mint fans and, etc. If Mint is your thing, with Ubuntu as acceptable, a Redhat desktop probably isn't going to be interesting to you, and so on.

Linux being a kernel, not an operating system, is a very real issue for a company like this. Each is a tiny little fragment of the Desktop Linux market, which is a tiny little fragment of the overall desktop market. Fragmentation of fragmentation.

hristov3• 14 years ago

It would probably be a good business decision. Their costs for offering a Linux version would be very low if they choose their hardware well. The cost would be just testing and sending an additional image to a manufacturer.

They would get instant recognition and instant free press. Marketing is one of the highest costs for companies like these. For example, I am willing to bet that the article we are discussing now cost Vizio good money (probably paid through a PR firm).

But if they offer the only premium laptop with Linux on it, they would get free coverage in all Linux media and most tech media.

So yes, there is a good business case for it. The big wild card about the business case is Microsoft. Microsoft, will probably make their lives really hard if they do offer Linux. This would probably be anti-competitive behavior with doubtful legality but would likely happen nevertheless. But other than potential Microsoft meddling, I think there is a good business case for it.

pwelch• 14 years ago

Agreed. I wish manufactures would at least support one distro of Linux. Maybe Vizio went with hardware that is easy to support...

rogerbinns2• 14 years ago

How would they deal with support? Note how the article mentions that Microsoft is providing second level support for this.

I don't believe any of the Linux companies have provided desktop support for the masses. And support wouldn't be just for the OS, but the whole experience - printers, scanners, things that plug in in various ways, networking, ISP connections - everything. Note that Microsoft don't have to deal with those things - the burden is on a printer manufacturer to tell the user how to make it work with Windows, but for Linux the burden would be on the distro.

The users would also be new to Linux which would incur a greater support load. Turned around, if you worked for a major Linux distro and Vizio approached you for a desktop support contract, how much would you charge per user and how many staff would you need? Would it be economically viable?

seclorum• 14 years ago

>I don't believe any of the Linux companies have provided desktop support for the masses.

Canonical are primed and ready to do it.

drinian• 14 years ago

Or at least a no-OS version, quietly offered through a few tech-friendly resellers.

leonlee• 14 years ago

I had heard of Vizio before but never held them in the same league as the Samsungs or LGs of the TV industry. I appreciate how they seem to be fighting against the flow to do things differently. Instead of cramming extra software and stickers onto their product Vizio chose to sterilize, and instead of supporting legacy connectors and optical disk drives Vizio chose to modernize.

Apocryphon2• 14 years ago

It's almost as if they're adapting Apple minimalist aesthetics for Windows machines. Which is mind-boggling that no other PC manufacturer has tried the same in the last few years.

btown• 14 years ago

Their quasi-mantra of "focus" is also very reminiscent of Apple's way of thinking. I have 100% more respect for them than I did this morning, that's for sure.

ktsmith• 14 years ago

I own a couple of Samsung products and a couple of Vizio products. Vizio isn't in the same league as Samsung. They are typically bringing year old tech to consumers that are more budget constrained. If you know what you are getting they are certainly not bad though. I don't care for their choice of software (yahoo tv widgets) on the smart tvs as it's clunky and crashes. I also think they need to rethink their remote controls. The buttons require a lot of force and make an annoying clicking sound when pressed. I'm skeptical they will get the keyboard and trackpad on their laptops right given their software and remote issues on the tvs.

hollerith2• 14 years ago

Here is my comment on their desktop computer: it has two pieces, one with most of the electronics plus a monitor, the other with an AC-to-DC converter plus a sub-woofer. I much prefer the more conventional division of duties in which one piece is a monitor, the other piece has a power supply and most of the electronics and the interface between the 2 pieces is some standard protocol like DVI-D, HDMI or DisplayPort.

I notice that their desktop computer uses a mobile CPU, which has advantages and disadvantages. One of the biggest advantages is portability, which is useful even in a "desktop" computer like the Mac mini. Specifically, the reduction in the demands on the cooling system allows the electronics and the case containing the electronics to be small and light. (A 2011 Mac mini or the recently-announced Chromebox for example weighs only 2.7 pounds including the AC adapter which in both cases is built-in.) But if you integrate the mobile CPU with a monitor, you lose the ability to unplug the box with the CPU from your monitor, carry it around and plug it into some other monitor or TV (which is something I do a lot with my Mac mini).

spartango• 14 years ago

Worthy of note is the fact that the original Intel iMacs and Mac Minis shipped with Mobile processors (Intel Core/Core 2 TXXX rather than EXXX), for the reasons you mention.

hollerith2• 14 years ago

Although some iMacs and maybe all iMacs now use desktop-class processors, all Mac minis still have mobile processors. (35 W TDP for the processors in the $599 and the $799 2011 models; 45 W TDP for the CPU in the 2011 Mac mini server.) Otherwise they couldn't be so small and light without overheating!

teyc• 14 years ago

There are tradeoffs when you create abstraction layers. For instance, Apple's new ad talked about larger batteries they fitted by not making batteries easily replaceable - there were additional housing and adapters - which all took up room. This has been a general trend over many years.

krakensden• 14 years ago

Well sign me up- that laptop sounds like a fantastic idea.

patrickgzill• 14 years ago

"I hate opening a PC and seeing stickers and flashing LEDs all over the place." === A-MEN!!!!

Stratoscope• 14 years ago

For anyone else who hates stickers as much as you and I do, I found the perfect tool for removing them: the plastic toothpick from a Swiss Army knife.

The toothpick has a very flat tip that will go right under the corner of a sticker and let you lift the corner - and then the rest of the sticker will pull away easily. At the same time, the toothpick is soft enough that it won't scratch whatever surface the sticker is on.

aurynn• 14 years ago

Wow, first PC laptop I'd actually buy.

Vizio reboots the PC: a quiet American success story

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