Ask HN: What's stopping OEMs from building an all-in-one device? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What's stopping OEMs from building an all-in-one device?

3 pointsskdotdan7 comments

I mean a phone that can work as a PC as well.

There have been some failed attempts, most famously the Ubuntu phone, and a few Kickstarter projects, as well as Microsoft trying to do an OS to fit them all. But none of them have been much serious.

With the current technology, an Android phone could be built such that when connected through HDMI it launched a Linux desktop such as Debian (like Maru OS, but it is a hobbyist project). Apple could do the same with iOS/Mac.

Furthermore, if foldable phones were industry standard (not there yet, I know), the phone could double up as a tablet/laptop.

Probably there is no demand for such a device, and we can argue that it's better to have a device specifically designed for one purpose (communicating, working or gaming). However, I believe that the failed/current attempts were not serious enough, and if a big OEM wanted, an excellent all-in-one device could be shipped. I would be the first customer, waiting the whole night like some Apple customers do. Also, I'm kinda tired of taking care of 3-4 devices with their own update cycles, cables, and so on.

Nothing. It's just very very hard.

One issue is that the mobile form factor doesn't lend itself to laptop or desktop class cooling. Some mobile chips can approach the performance of a desktop... until thermal throttling.

There is a reason there are different kinds of cars and trucks for different market segments. Try to build a car-truck and you get the El Camino. Computers are likely going to be subject to similar market forces.

Thanks for your comment. I don't think it's that hard.

Take a middle/high-end smartphone phone. Install something like Maru OS (but preinstalled and with OEM support). That's it.

I agree with the cooling problems, but a desktop browser and Unix terminal would be enough, and these apps are not that demanding for the CPU.

> a desktop browser and Unix terminal would be enough, and these apps are not that demanding for the CPU.

That's called a tablet. You cal already browse, edit, and ssh from those. When I want a laptop I usually want something way more powerful that can build, run large software apps, run VMs, etc. I regularly max out all eight cores of mine for hours at a time.

Librem 5, PinePhone and Shift phones, to name a few devices/manufacturers currently working on such ideas.

Never heard of them, thanks!

there is no rush to kill play store or apple store. ms could relaunch a windows phone but ms do not want to waste in consumer hardware, it's better to them invest on other types of "OS's" like github, azure, xboxlive, which are also virtual markets. the question that remain, can Intel make a x86 phone? I guess it depends energy research.

all-in-one is a brand. there is no real all-in-one.

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