CES postscript: The touch laptop, like it or not

Intel showing off touch laptops and desktops at CES.

(Credit: Brooke Crothers)

The laptop was reinvented at CES.

Or maybe I should say there was a vigorous attempt to reinvent the laptop. Because we won't know how successful touch has been until next year this time.

Intel's CES booth -- still a large presence in the CES Central Hall -- had one basic unmistakable message: touch has arrived.

Windows 8 convertibles, detachables, touch-screen laptops, and just plain tablets from Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Samsung, Acer, Asus, Lenovo, Toshiba, Sony, and others blanketed Intel's booth.

And just to make sure the touch message was crystal clear, Intel issued an edict to PC partners during its CES keynote: all next-generation ultrabooks based on its "Haswell" chip must be touch.

What does that mean to consumers? Your next laptop will likely be touch, whether you like it or not.

And based on what I saw at the Intel booth (and other booths, like Samsung's), this is how it will break down:

Convertible: Convertibles, like the HP EliteBook Revolve and Lenovo Yoga, have swivel touch screens that can't be detached from the unit.

The important thing to remember here is that t... [Read more]

by Brooke Crothers via CNET