Our Opinion
Trevor explains that he actually paid extra to NOT have a 2-in-1 for his main laptop. He notes “the touchsceen is nice, but I’m not interested in having a laptop that’s better at yoga than I am,” although he does note that for his small Chromebook, “it’s handy.” Damien agrees, as he, too, will take extra care to not get a 2-in-1. “The battery life sucks, and I have no use for a touchscreen.” Even for his most recent laptop, he opted for one with no touchscreen. Miguel is in the same camp, referring to himself as an “old school traditionalist.” He is more drawn to Linux desktops and older laptops and wants something more powerful that is solely his. “Sleeker devices are often less modular, and i need something powerful I can modify and type very fast with,” and he doesn’t feel he can get that with a 2-in-1 or tablet.
For Alex, “the compromises that are inherently built into 2-in-1 machines make them unappealing” for him. He doesn’t “find the case compelling, especially since I’m a mechanical keyboard fan.” He’ll take a laptop with a solid keyboard any day. Christopher fits into the “neither” category. Although he’s heard good things about hybrids, he explains, “My desktop serves me fine, and the only laptop I’ve used in recent memory is one I’ve dubbed ‘ol’ Melty’ “ because “it’s literally melting after a long life of being a ‘gaming’ laptop.” Simon prefers the dedicated tablet. He likes using that as “a handheld device that I can cart around me when I’m away from my desktop.” Because of that, he wouldn’t benefit from the keyboard or other things a hybrid offers. He figures if he did receive a hybrid, “I’d probably just use it in tablet mode all the time” which seems like a waste to him. I’m with Simon. As I’ve mentioned several times on here, after I started using an iPad, I stopped using my MacBook and eventually stopped using my desktop Mac as well. I attach a keyboard and just prefer touchscreen and iOS, so a 2-in-1 doesn’t interest me in the least.
Your Opinion
Our writers differ in opinion, but all seem to agree they don’t have much use for a 2-in-1. Do you agree? Or do you prefer a hybrid over a tablet? Do you still use a standalone laptop? Do you prefer a 2-in-1 laptop or a dedicated tablet? Join our conversation in the comment section below.
