Yesterday you all went to the polls to vote on one of the most important questions of our time: what's the difference between a 2-in-1 and a convertible, or is there a difference at all? It was a contentious vote that's pitted businesses against consumers and driven a wedge between friends and families. But it was a question that could go unresolved no longer.
Today, the votes are in and the answer is resounding: there is a stark difference between a 2-in-1 and a convertible.
Our poll asked you to identify what category of portable computer you would slot four distinctly different devices under. While the question was about the sort of laptop-style devices that turn into tablets and tablet-style devices that masquerade as laptops, we thought it best to bookend with easily defined devices: the touchscreen laptop Dell XPS 13 and the keyboard-free Dell Venue 8 Pro tablet.
With 1,482 ballots cast, here's how things shook out:
Unsurprisingly, the XPS 13 was identified by an overwhelming majority as a laptop: 85% (some 11% said it was a convertible and 3% a 2-in-1). Similarly, the Venue 8 Pro was pegged as a tablet by 99% of voters (with 16 total who branded it a as a 2-in-1, convertible, or a laptop).
But let's get to the meat of the debate: 2-in-1 or convertible.
The Lenovo Yoga 910, which is takes a traditional-style laptop and throws in a 360° hinge so the screen can fold all the way around into a tablet mode, was identified by 72% of voters as a convertible and only 17% as a 2-in-1.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 4, a slate-style device with a built-in kickstand and a removable keyboard cover, was pegged by 65% as a 2-in-1 device. 19% said it was a tablet and fewer still (13%) said it was a convertible.
So there you have it, according to this entirely non-scientific one-day poll of a contentious but ultimately semantical debate.
- Convertible laptop: A notebook-style device with a stiff 360° hinge
- 2-in-1 tablet: A slate-style device with a detachable keyboard
Let it be known far and wide that this is the mandate of the people.
Derek Kessler is Special Projects Manager for Mobile Nations. He's been writing about tech since 2009, has far more phones than is considered humane, still carries a torch for Palm, and got a Tesla because it was the biggest gadget he could find. You can follow him on Twitter at @derekakessler.
