For example, $500 buys you:
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msu ... .289455100
Dell Venue 11 Pro Tablet: $500
- 10.8-inch 1920 x 1080 touchscreen
Intel Atom Z3770
2GB memory
64GB SSD
HP Omni 10 5620 Touchscreen Tablet: $450
- 10.1-inch 1920 x 1200 touchscreen
Intel Atom Z3770
2GB memory
64GB eMMC
HP Omni 10-5600US: $375
- 10.1-inch 1920 x 1200 touchscreen
Intel Atom Z3770 Processor
2 GB RAM
32GB eMMC
- 10.1 inch 1920x1200 IPS display
Intel Atom Z3740
2GB RAM
64GB
Why is 1080p/1200p IPS standard equipment in the ~ $500 windows tablet segment, but 1366x768p TN panels are still deployed in ~ $500 laptops? A quick glance at Newegg - the cheapest laptop with better than 1366x768p is $630 (Sony SVF14213CXB, 1600x900 pixels). Are consumers ok with "good-enough" 768p mediocrity? Maybe they've just never seen a better display before?
I don't want a tablet, nor a convertible, nor a 2-in-1. I want a real laptop with a 10-13" 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 IPS screen. With a baytrail (or similar) CPU it could be fanless, just like the above tablets. The HP Spectre 13 X2 is another 2-in-1 hybrid. I can overlook its hybrid-ness since it uses a fanless Core i5-4202Y (yes!). That machine was on sale a few weeks ago at $799. I talked myself out of it for some reason that escapes me now. I regret that today.
Presumably, no one makes such a low-powered machine with a great screen because it would cannibalize sales of higher-margin ultrabooks. But damn, I am sooo sick of display mediocrity. I am willing to pay Apple for their haswell-based 13" macbook air ... except TN panel?! Nooooooo!