Panasonic's New Laptops Could Be the Final Death Knell For the Humble VGA Port (tomshardware.com)
- Reference: 0177815037
- News link: https://it.slashdot.org/story/25/05/27/1824200/panasonics-new-laptops-could-be-the-final-death-knell-for-the-humble-vga-port
- Source link: https://www.tomshardware.com/monitors/panasonic-is-ending-support-for-the-humble-vga-port-on-its-lets-note-laptops
> Earlier today, Panasonic announced refreshed models of its long-established Let's Note laptop series. However, for the first time in its history, we have a Let's Note portable that doesn't have a VGA port. According to a report by Nikkei Japan, this is [1]probably the beginning of the end for laptops sporting VGA output , with "other companies to follow suit."
>
> A number of factors have precipitated Panasonic's removal of the venerable VGA port. The Nikkei report highlights the strong competition from HDMI, which can simultaneously transmit audio. We also see that the new Panasonic Let's Note CF-SC6 models feature a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports, which can also be used for video out. That's three separate ports remaining on the Let's Note to drive external displays.
[1] https://www.tomshardware.com/monitors/panasonic-is-ending-support-for-the-humble-vga-port-on-its-lets-note-laptops
I want my RS-232 (Score:2)
It annoys me most laptops don't have serial ports anymore. Yeah, they make USB adapters, but if you work with console equipment a lot the adapters are a PITA.
Re: (Score:2)
And some really picky old equipment has trouble with the USB adapters
Re: (Score:2)
IME at least having a genuine PL2303 chip helps, there are a ton of knockoffs or even better one with the FTDI chip of which there are even more knockoffs unfortunately.
Re: (Score:2)
yup, got a drawerful of USB-serial adapters that no longer work
Re: (Score:2)
You can get thunderbolt (i.e. pcie over a cable) to pcie, so you can plug a proper serial port card into a USB shaped slot. If you get imaginative daisychaining cards, you might be able to jimmy an old ISA serial card into there for shiggles.
Re: (Score:2)
Having those two little screws to attach the DB9 connector firmly to the laptop is hugely useful in crowded wiring closets where places to put the laptop sometimes need get creative. Serial to USB adapters especially seem to stick out a lot and are easily pulled out. In some situations having cables that effectively quick detach is useful to avoid breaking things, sometimes I break the clips off the RJ45 end of the cables for that purpose. But I still want my serial port.
Re: (Score:2)
Eh, I have no trouble with USB-C to RJ-45 cables. I had way more trouble with the device end than the computer end before everybody finally settled on the same pinout (at one job we had to have a basket of adapters with every combination of DB-9, DB-25, male, female, and null-modem - that was the real PITA). Use quality USB adapters with genuine FTDI chips and they "just work" everywhere (including my phone and tablet).
Re: (Score:2)
Agreed the FTDI chips work fine. Have not tried a USB-C one, the USB-A ones are just physically inconvenient. A short 90 degree USB extension cable helps a lot.
oh, the horror! (Score:3)
no VGA?
What's next? removing the RS-232 and Centronics ports? Or (*shudder*) the floppy drive itself?
PCMCIA (Score:2)
Just as long as they keep the PCMCIA port for my 56k modem and compact flash reader!
I don't get it. (Score:3)
Is there something special about the range that means they've kept VGA ports longer than pretty much every other brand out there? I know Apple have historically been quicker to dump legacy ports but their portables had already dropped VGA in favour of DVI twenty years ago. I think my 2009 model had HDMI but my current (2015) model doesn't have any dedicated video out port. I can't say I completely agree about requiring a dongle but I never hook it up to an external display anyway.
Re: I don't get it. (Score:2)
Japan is notorious for using technologies long past their expiration date in the rest of the world. VGA still works for many.
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Japan still relies heavily on fax machines
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> Is there something special about the range that means they've kept VGA ports longer than pretty much every other brand out there? I know Apple have historically been quicker to dump legacy ports but their portables had already dropped VGA in favour of DVI twenty years ago. I think my 2009 model had HDMI but my current (2015) model doesn't have any dedicated video out port. I can't say I completely agree about requiring a dongle but I never hook it up to an external display anyway.
[1]https://www.tomshardware.com/m... [tomshardware.com]
[1] https://www.tomshardware.com/monitors/panasonic-is-ending-support-for-the-humble-vga-port-on-its-lets-note-laptops
Re:I don't get it. (Score:5, Interesting)
it's a JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) model. They have weird stuff you don't see anymore, like small round trackpads. it's also early-2000s thick-and-boxy.
they also (used to) have features you wouldn't even imagine. For example, a reader for transit cards (SUICA for example). In japan, the I.C. Cards (train and bus cards) are used as wallets. Thousands of shops (especially around train stations) and vending machines support payment with this sort of cards. And they made laptops with readers for these, for online shopping.
Re: I don't get it. (Score:2)
To be fair to the Japanese a lot of these older technologies were far more advanced than what we had when they were first released, which might explain why they have lasted so long. Back when we were still using SMS and CAD on phones they already have camera phones and high speed mobile Internet. Similarly, using their equivalent of an Oyster Card (a prepaid RFID card used to pay for public transport in London) to pay for things predates the contactless payment methods we used today. By a lot .
Weren't the Ja
Re: (Score:2)
I bought a much earlier model from this line in 2012. At the time no one came close to them in terms of weight and battery life. It was a great travel machine for a bunch of years. Since it had an HDMI port, I'm not sure if I ever used the VGA port on that machine even back then.
Re: I don't get it. (Score:2)
The article says they only started disappearing in Japan over the last decade, but didn't really explain why. And since the reporting depends on machine translated press releases, they probably don't know either.
VGA (Score:2)
Last new machine I've seen with a VGA port was a server roughly six or seven years ago. I'd imagine they still supporting old remote management KVM switches some sites are still using. I vaguely remember reading that the US Army or Air Force had standardized on them and required all new servers to still have them, but they may have updated that requirement.
More like... (Score:2)
...the end of the end for the VGA port. It's probably been easily ten years since I've seen one on a laptop.
The real news (Score:2)
The real news here to me was that there was still devices being sold with a VGA port. I though had disappeared years ago.
Eh, on laptops maybe. (Score:1)
Apple hasn't made a laptop with a VGA port since 2012, it looks like... but Dell PowerEdge and Precision rackmounts intended for datacenter use still have 'em. Gotta connect your stuff to KVMs somehow.
The business projector to business laptop cycle. (Score:2)
For a long time VGA on laptops, even if though dongle, remained prevalent on laptops because business projectors all supported it, and if you were presenting somewhere strange, you wanted to be able to. Of course the business projectors all had it because all the business laptops did. This cycle went on for far too long bu the refresh cycle on conference rooms is very long.
This isn't news (Score:1)
Sack the slashdot staff who approved this as new.
Or the manager who though using an AI to approve stories was a good idea.
It's simply drivel.
So get an HDMI to VGA adapter (Score:1)
They're cheap. They even have a socket for an audio jack.
What the fuck (Score:5, Insightful)
Is this 2008?
Re: (Score:2)
Was asking the same thing. I don't think I've had a VGA port on ...my last 3? 4 laptops?
Re: (Score:2)
My laptop has a VGA port. I did buy it in 2010 though. No excuse for the modem port which I've never used.
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A lot of old projectors used in business conference rooms are still stuck on VGA. That's why.
VGA dongles (Score:2)
...and for these you have a usb-c to VGA dongle. I've not had a laptop with VGA port on it for at least my last ~4 laptops and I've used VGA projectors throughout just fine although even these are now disappearing in favour of HDMI or USB-C connectors.