HP Spectre 13 review: an exceedingly well-executed return to the basics

December 23, 2013

HP’s Spectre 13 runs Windows 8, but it doesn’t contort, flip, swivel, or do any of the other impractical tricks that look so fun in advertisements. It’s not a tablet strapped to a dock, or a tablet with a keyboard cover, either. It’s just a regular ol’ Ultrabook. A very, very good Ultrabook. Windows 8 has Microsoft and PC manufacturers like HP trapped between a rock and a hard place. The new operating system was supposed to keep the PC relevant in a world increasingly dominated by sleek, shiny touchscreen devices. That gambit has largely failed, leaving hardware manufacturers little recourse but to throw devices at the wall to see what might stick. So we get 2-in-1s, convertibles, detachables, and all manner of confusing hybrids, when what we really want is a thin-and-light notebook with a great keyboard, a high-res display, and the power to tackle nearly any workload. So how near does the Spectre 13 come to delivering that ideal design? Pretty darn close. It also leverages one of Windows 8’s key features—touch—to deliver a significant innovation in usability: An almost comically wide touchpad dubbed the Control Zone. More on that shortly. HP's Spectre 13 boasts a very attractive industrial design. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Link: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2082565/hp-spectre-13-review-an-exceedingly-well-executed-return-to-the-basics.html#tk.rss_reviews