Have laptop screens changed shape?

[Sue]

I have googled this without success.

Have laptop screens become longer and thinner?

My old and new laptops both have a 15.4" or thereabouts screen, but the new one's screen is longer horizontally but shorter vertically by about half an inch.

My old one is ten years old (!!). Are all screens like this now? I'm worried I'm going to notice the lack of depth when eg I've got Firefox tabs at the top.

Or is this somehow connected with the Windows 10 layout?

I'm considering returning the new one (I bought it online and didn't see it in the flesh) but not if they're all like this now and I just have to get used to it ..... I didn't notice the different screen shape till I powered it up.

I can't use it to see if I get used to it because obviously I can't then return it ....

[DulwichFox]

It's all down to screen resolutions and settings..

It's a pain cos your website may no longer display correctly.

When designing a web page, it is important to know how it views in other devices.. PC's Laptops, Tablets , Ipods and phones.

Dreamweaver CS6 and above enables designers to create pages that view correctly on all devices using Fluid Grid Layouts.

https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081019140541AAYCdJE..

Foxy

[Sue]

Fox, I am talking about the physical size of the screen.

The dimensions. Whether it is turned on or off.

Nothing to do with resolution. I have gone no further than the "Hi" screen and haven't even started setting the thing up, as if I do I can't return it.

[Robert Poste's Child]

Sue, I looked at a lot of different laptops recently before buying and noticed there did seem to be a trend, but they weren't all like that. My last work laptop was also like that and it made PowerPoint practically impossible.

[Seabag]

Mine's round, with ears

[DulwichFox]

Sue Wrote:

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> Fox, I am talking about the physical size of the

> screen.

>

> The dimensions. Whether it is turned on or off.

Well Sue.. Yes.. They are all wide screen now.. like our Television screens..

When you watch an old film / program on TV. they are in a different format..

... so if you view full screen, bits are cut off.. or the proportions are stretched in the horizontal

so everyone looks short and fat.

Same with PC's. Websites will not fit so the resolution needs to be adjusted to get the best results..

I have used wide format screens for years so I am used to how things look.

All new websites are designed around widescreen. No one designs sites for the old square monitors any more.

Websites need to be able to detect which browser you are using and your screen res. and format and even change your settings for optimum viewing performance.

Foxy.

Foxy.

[Sue]

DulwichFox Wrote:

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> Well Sue.. Yes.. They are all wide screen now..

> like our Television screens..

>

Fox, a poster above says that they are not.

And I'm not talking about "square monitors."

My old laptop screen is 13.2" x 8.2"

The new one is 13.6" x 7.8"

With respect, your posts are not addressing my question at all, and in fact are just muddying the waters.

[Sue]

Robert Poste's Child Wrote:

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> Sue, I looked at a lot of different laptops

> recently before buying and noticed there did seem

> to be a trend, but they weren't all like that. My

> last work laptop was also like that and it made

> PowerPoint practically impossible.

Thank you, that's really useful.

The trouble is, there seems to be some drawback to virtually every laptop I've looked at in my price range (under ?500).

And many of them aren't even reviewed.

But I do sometimes use powerpoint, so that could be a problem.

And descriptions online give the diagonal but don't give the horizontal and vertical dimensions, or none that I've seen, they just give the dimensions of the laptop itself.

[ed_pete]

Sue - Sorry I can't be of any practical help but I've used quite a few different laptops over the last few years and none have been exactly the same in terms of screen size. To be honest I've never had an issue with applications and screen size or resolution but that doesn't mean that you won't.

It can be quite difficult adapting to a new laptop when you've used the old one for as long as you have (nothing wrong with that) - they all have their foibles that you like or dislike and get used to.

Buying a new laptop is a tricky task - the choice is vast but as you say far fewer models are on display in places like PC World or John Lewis.

I would say that you should trust that your research is correct and go forward with the new one. I'm sure after a week or two you'll be just fine.

[JohnL]

Yes - they went widescreen about 5 years ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widescreen

"..according to Samsung that the "Demand for the old 'Square monitors' has decreased rapidly over the last couple of years," and "I predict that by the end of 2011, production on all 4:3 or similar panels will be halted due to a lack of demand." "

[Sue]

But my old one is not a square screen, it is not much different to the new one, just a noticeable (to me) half inch less high.

[JohnL]

Could it be the change from 16:10 to 16:9 ?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16:10

Your new one would be smaller diagonally then I'd think.

(a 19" 16:9 will be shorter than a 19" 16:10)

[Sue]

ed_pete Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Sue - Sorry I can't be of any practical help but

> I've used quite a few different laptops over the

> last few years and none have been exactly the same

> in terms of screen size. To be honest I've never

> had an issue with applications and screen size or

> resolution but that doesn't mean that you won't.

> It can be quite difficult adapting to a new laptop

> when you've used the old one for as long as you

> have (nothing wrong with that) - they all have

> their foibles that you like or dislike and get

> used to.

> Buying a new laptop is a tricky task - the choice

> is vast but as you say far fewer models are on

> display in places like PC World or John Lewis.

> I would say that you should trust that your

> research is correct and go forward with the new

> one. I'm sure after a week or two you'll be just

> fine.

Thanks for that, I'm hoping so.

The other thing was I had a bit of a shock to find the case was glossy black (just described online as black) and shows every fingermark. But that's less of an issue and I won't see the hideous gloss when it's in use, anyway.

[Sue]

JohnL Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Could it be the change from 16:10 to 16:9 ?

>

> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16:10

>

> Your new one would be smaller diagonally then I'd

> think.

I don't know but I'm talking about a laptop screen.

I no longer use a freestanding monitor, they take up too much room on my desk!

And the diagonals if both the old and the new ones are more or less identical, presumably because the extra on the horizontal side has compensated for the reduction on the vertical side.

[DulwichFox]

JohnL Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Yes - they went widescreen about 5 years ago

>

> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widescreen

>

>

> "..according to Samsung that the "Demand for the

> old 'Square monitors' has decreased rapidly over

> the last couple of years," and "I predict that by

> the end of 2011, production on all 4:3 or similar

> panels will be halted due to a lack of demand." "

Thank you JohnL for confirming that..

I think there may be some old format screens for use with Desk Tops and also some Apple Mac systems..

Only ever see wide screen format in laptops though.. They do vary in size to suit preferences in portability.

The Aspect Ratio can cause problems especially when watching films..

You may get black bands at the top and bottom of the screen. This can usually be resloved in Settings.

DulwichFox.

[JohnL]

Sue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> JohnL Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Could it be the change from 16:10 to 16:9 ?

> >

> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16:10

> >

> > Your new one would be smaller diagonally then

> I'd

> > think.

>

> I don't know but I'm talking about a laptop

> screen.

>

> I no longer use a freestanding monitor, they take

> up too much room on my desk!

>

> And the diagonals if both the old and the new ones

> are more or less identical, presumably because the

> extra on the horizontal side has compensated for

> the reduction on the vertical side.

I think laptop screen dimensions have changed too.

http://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2013-02/lets-get-rid-169-laptops-forever

This guy wanted to bring back squarer screens in 2013 - nobody cared :)

But seems the dimensions are mainly for video.

[Sue]

Very interesting article, thanks, and yes it seems that is what has happened.

I don't watch videos on my laptop so a wider screen is no advantage to me, and in fact a disadvantage for other things I do on it.

Thanks for your help everyone. According to Robert Poste's Child above, laptop screens have not all changed, even if most have, so I am going to have yet another look at some in the flesh now that I'm aware of the issue.

It's quite likely that I'll stick with this one, but I want to be sure before burning my boats.

It's quite a major spend for me as I'm retired, hence the ten year use of the old one!

[DulwichFox]

My Sony VAIO running Windows 7 upgraded from Vista. is getting a bit tired..

.. but I still have a Toshiba Satelite (Squarish screen) which runs Windows XP.

.. also runs The Ubuntu Linux OS. in a separate partition.

having Linux on the same machine is handy if you need to fix Windows..

All clever stuff. lots of fun.. and I dont care if I screw it up. I can always fix it .. Again. .. and again.

Foxy

[Sue]

Whatever floats your boat :)

Personally I have neither the time nor the inclination to mess about with Linux :)

I just need a reliable laptop which does what I want to do on it speedily and without hassle ....

[Sue]

Well I owe Fox an apology, as I have been assured at John Lewis today that only the wide screens are available in laptops now. So, sorry Fox.

So I've either got to grin and bear the lack of height, swap for a 17" screen (heavy and more expensive) or get a separate monitor (takes up room on the desk).

Grinning and bearing it is my current thinking ......

[red devil]

DulwichFox Wrote:

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> My Sony VAIO running Windows 7 upgraded from

> Vista. is getting a bit tired..

Same here, but having replaced the hard drive now fresh as a daisy...

[Earl Aelfheah]

It's funny you bought this up as I'd noticed the same thing. Don't like the wide screens particularly, but doesn't seem to be much choice. I think it's because a lot of people (students) use their laptops for watching TV / films.

[DulwichFox]

Sue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Well I owe Fox an apology, as I have been assured

> at John Lewis today that only the wide screens are

> available in laptops now. So, sorry Fox.

>

> So I've either got to grin and bear the lack of

> height, swap for a 17" screen (heavy and more

> expensive) or get a separate monitor (takes up

> room on the desk).

>

> Grinning and bearing it is my current thinking

> ......

No need for an apology... Just the right time for you to upgrade..

http://www.classic-computers.org.nz/blog/images/2011-04-24-ibm-xt-with-mono-monitor.jpg

;-)

Foxy

[JohnL]

Those are worth something now I think.

[DulwichFox]

Some of us will remember the likes... 1200 baud Modems..

I remeber 56k dial up modems..

I had a Tandy TRS 80 16k Home Computer.. Everyone at work laughed and asked. 'When are you ever going to use 16k of memory'

we have come a long way..

Foxy