2015 looking to be a big year for change

With a flurry of announcements in 2014, it looks like 2015 will be a big year for upgrading for those who are looking for a more future proof laptop. Some of the tech slated to be introduced to laptops in 2015 are Skylake/DDR4, Nvidia and AMD 16/20 nm GPUs (hopefully for reals this time), HDMI 2.0, Displayport 1.3, Bluetooth 4.2, Thunderbolt 3.0, USB 3.1, and Intel’s WGig docking and wireless charging. I might even have missed a few. Understandably, none of these in of itself are game changers, not all of the technology will appeal to everyone, and some might get pushed into 2016, but taken as a whole, but it's been a while since we've seen so many standards appear in one year.

Of course, you can make do with current interfaces for a long time. Even USB 2.0 for instance is still alive, but when 4K 60Hz HDMI 2.0 and 4K 120Hz Displayport 1.3 monitors, reversible USB ports, Bluetooth 4.2 bandwidth speakers, and wireless docks come to market, it will likely require a late 2015 laptop to take advantage. If you need a laptop now or soon, get one and don't wait for the new tech, but if you don't need one right away, it might be worth the wait for all the changes. Anyone else getting excited for 2015?

 

The only thing listed that I'm interested in is USB 3.1 (standard connector, reversible, data and power up to 25W), and that only for tablets/phones/others, not actual notebooks).


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Futureproof and electronics shouldn't be allowed in the same sentence.

 

Some of those will be delayed to 2016...

 

QFT.

I'm excited for technology in 2015, but that's because I just refreshed my mobile technology in late 2014 with models that originally came out in 2010 (laptop) and 2012 (phone), instead of 2007 (both). Both models were flagships, so it's not as out-of-date as it sounds. DDR3, MXM3, and USB3 at last!

But really, the reason I went with 2010's top-of-the-line instead of 2015s, besides maxing out my laptop, was that it gave as good of performance-per-dollar as anything new or likely to come out soon, and that I could get a 16:10 screen. Who needs HDMI 2.0 and a 16:9 screen when you can get a 16:10 internal screen and a VGA connection to your external 16:10 monitor? Dual-link DVI to a 2560:1600 30" would be great, too, but it's going to be hard to get me excited about 2015's technology if it's all 16:9.

That said, process-shrunk GPUs are exciting and it's certainly time for them to arrive. IMO that's the biggest one of these. The new USB, HDMI, etc. standards are nice - primarily USB's reversability, although it's unfortunate the port will change again - but still having USB 2.0 around, I know the truth of being able to make do with older interfaces. DDR4, to me, is less exciting than DDR3 at late-2011 prices ($30/8 GB... shoulda bought 100 GB of RAM then and sold the surplus in 2014). I think Skylake's a little ahead of the ballgame and probably will be pushed back to 2016, considering most of the Broadwell line isn't out yet. Broadwell will probably be primarily unexciting as usual for Intel CPU upgrades in recent years, and could be a bummer if more laptops switch from Haswell to lower-performing Broadwell Y parts, like the Lenovo Yoga Pro 3. Carrizzo on the AMD side could be interesting, if they're able to get all the SKUs shipped out in actual laptops. Key word "if".

Wireless charging is one of those things that's perpetually five years in the future. I know it's already there for a few devices like certain models of high-end smartphones with charging pads, but I'm not convinced it's going to really take off anytime soon, at least unless they can make it more efficient. From what I've read it winds up wasting a lot of power compared to wired charging, and while that's fine for a phone, it would be more noticeable on the pocketbook for a full-fledged laptop.

WiFi is perhaps also worth mentioning. 802.11ac is already out, but it's another technology that hasn't fully rolled out. In that case, however, I could see it becoming very common in 2015. 2015 might even be the year I replace my old, but reliable, 802.11g/100 Mbps Ethernet modem with something not so last-decade.

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Which is actually the only port we really need. Give me 3x3 of those and everything else can just hitch on for the ride.

What I'm really waiting for is display technology. A lighter, thinner, brighter, screen at half the power. On that not only has just a higher pixel count, but bit rate wide color gamut as well. Now that's a true game changer.

One more thing, you left out 4k blu-ray discs. Which should be in stores by Christmas 2015. Contrary to popular belief, its not quite dead yet. And just like HD is right now, the ONLY way to get the most of what the technology has to offer.

 

GPUs from Nvidia based on 16nm FinFETs isnt here until 2016.
High performance Skylake CPUs to replace 47W i7 Haswell CPUs isnt here until 2016 either.
AMD might be out with 20nm GPUs in 2015.
DDR4, who knows. They still need a chipset to support it. Broadwell (2015) won`t get DDR4 support, so we might be looking at DDR4 support only for low end Skylake computers (with a type 5W i5 CPU with IGP that needs it).

 

I want the price of SSD to drop more.....and more larger capacity HDD above 5tb would reduce the price so I can upgrade to those drives...

 

It will.. It has already dropped drastically over the last 4 years... Nowadays, I can get a 240GB/256GB SSD for the price I paid for a 128GB one then...

 

True but if you buy the bigger SSD get ready for a sticker shocker though...compared to HDD of larger capacity in laptop or desktop.

 

H2 2016 will be bigger. Skylake and Pascal are going to blow your minds.

Spoiler

I can see into the future... I have 2020 vision.

 

Do better CPU, GPU, moar pixels (4k-5k screen) mean a damn when new AAA games are $%#^ (gameplay and optimization wise) :hi2: Good indie game hardly need any cpu/gpu.
IO interface, meh....
hdmi and displayport are there to help sell hyped 4k screens...

DDR4, well if you are into HPC..


What really needed now is battery tech. No throttling mobile gaming, weeks' juice for phone, that's change.

 

People say this malarkey ALL THE TIME. Amazing "future-proof" laptops are always right around the corner. Once (random time frame) comes along, we will be all set!

Bluetooth 4.2, Displayport 1.3, 20nm GPU's, and DDR4 aren't going to change anything.

I do agree with waiting to purchase new laptops though. So many people, especially on this forum, are chasing the hardware dragon. People should stick with what they have for longer periods.

 

2.3 GB/s. What is 4k raw?

But its the display -- and the 4k wide-gamut display where the real innovation in laptops lie. And the only one you can see.

 

Sticker shocker? What do you mean?

 

^^Price sticker probably.

Umm.. Looks like no AVX512 for Skylake, over hyped Broadwell under going changes. When is Cannonlake due?

 

In 2015 AMD will release Project Skybridge, ambidextrous x86/ARM HSA SoCs using the same pin-compatible motherboard. That should be pretty interesting to see implemented. That's quite a change from what were use to, one that hopefully OEMs will actually take to.



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Looks interesting!! +1000 to AMD for exploring this area.. Intel would never do this... These ARM processors might provide AMD the edge it needs in the long run to competing with Intel... Let's see how this goes..