Taiwan's Compal Electronics is best known as an ODM for select Apple, Dell and HP laptops - and the second largest contract laptop manufacturer in the world (after Quanta Computer) - sometimes turns its skills into original designs. Thus, since 2011 Compal's Experience Design Team has won over 50 iF design awards.
This year Compal has caught the eyes and imaginations of the iF judges again, with an innovative new laptop design with potential appeal for both content consumers and creators. The Compal PivoBook is a product design category 2020 winner, and as the name might suggest, offers a pivoting display.
A choice of display orientation in a laptop, and easy transition between landscape and portrait views, could be an attraction for some users. This isn't a 2-in-1 or detachable hybrid but a proper laptop which should maintain stability and rigidity in everyday operation.
We don't get to learn a lot about the Compal PivoBook's tech specs in the iF awards page description of the product. However, I've bullet pointed what we do know about this machine:
- 14-inch OLED FHD pivoting display
- Screen is multi-touch capable
- Large touchpad
- Laptop weighs 1.5kg
Beyond the tech specs, the most important things about this laptop is of course its adjustable screen orientation. According to the iF awards page the screen can be slickly pivoted with one hand. "Thanks to a hinge ingenuity, screen moves easily from normal landscape productivity to vertical web browsing or video calls – all without having to remove the display first," says the awards page. Hopefully it won't feel top-heavy when the panel is pivoted to portrait mode.
The PivoBook won't reach the market under the Compal name but you might see it re-branded around the world by various chain stores, emporiums, and online outlets. It is said to be targeted for release in Asia and North America for both consumer and industrial customers. We don't have any indicative pricing or availability details at this time.
FullVision laptop design
The above isn't the only winning design for Compal this year. Its FullVision laptop concept also picked up an iF award. This design allows the user to slide the built-in screen to the left and slide-in the "accompanying but stand-alone tablet, instantly doubling the viewing area from 15.6- to 29-inch and an aspect ratio of 16:9 to 32:9".
