I sit firm in my belief that the best thing Microsoft could do for their laptop ecosystem is to add support for a "max fan speed" slider somewhere prominent in the Windows UI.
People want the option to make their laptop silent or nearly silent. And when users do need the power, they generally prefer a slightly slower laptop at a reasonable volume rather than the roar of a jet engine.
Laptop manufacturers want their devices to score high on benchmarks. The best way to do that is to add a fan that can become very loud.
The incentives are not aligned.
All laptops should be designed to operate passively 100% of the time, if the owner so chooses. I doubt manufacturers will go that route unless Microsoft nudges them towards it. It would have downstream effects on how review sites benchmark laptops (i.e., at various power draws/noise levels producing a curve rather than a single number), which would have downstream effects on what CPU designers optimize for. It'd be great for consumers.
People want the option to make their laptop silent or nearly silent. And when users do need the power, they generally prefer a slightly slower laptop at a reasonable volume rather than the roar of a jet engine.
Laptop manufacturers want their devices to score high on benchmarks. The best way to do that is to add a fan that can become very loud.
The incentives are not aligned.
All laptops should be designed to operate passively 100% of the time, if the owner so chooses. I doubt manufacturers will go that route unless Microsoft nudges them towards it. It would have downstream effects on how review sites benchmark laptops (i.e., at various power draws/noise levels producing a curve rather than a single number), which would have downstream effects on what CPU designers optimize for. It'd be great for consumers.