Not everyone is using a tablet or a smartphone

In some corners of the tech press, there is so much of a concentration on tablets and smartphones that you can't read about anything else. This gives you the impression that Windows, the Mac OS, and desktop Linux are dinosaurs that are going to go away.

Not so fast. Some people still buy traditional computers - well, if you can call laptops on steroids traditional computers.

The new HP EliteBook w-series includes the 17.3-inch 8760w, the 15.6-inch 8560w, and the 14-inch 8460w.

The top of the line model is truly powerful:

The 8760w has the biggest graphics punch with the choice of an AMD FirePro or Nvidia Quadro professional graphics and up to 4 GB of video memory. The desktop-replacement model can be configured with three hard drives and RAID 5 support. The latter is a first for HP mobile workstations.

When I first wrote about RAID 5 in the mid 1990s, I didn't anticipate that RAID 5 would be on a workstation one day, nor that I'd ever have a need for four gigabytes of video memory. And, as InformationWeek notes, there's more:

The latest products are available with either a second-generation Intel Core i5 or i7 quad-core processor, which provides enough computing power to handle 3-D professional applications. In addition, the systems support up to 32 GB of system memory and the AMD or Nvidia graphics can power up to five independent displays.

Man, I'd love to play Starfleet Commander on one of these machines.

Why would HP develop these workstations? The HP press release explains:

“As the fastest growing segment of the workstation market, mobile workstations continue to provide value to our most demanding design, animation and engineering customers,” said Efrain Rovira, director, Mobile Workstations, Notebook Business Unit, HP.