A $10 component determines the success of Win8

According to analysis of relevant experts, the success of Microsoft's Windows 8 may depend on a component worth only 10 US dollars - shaft. Currently, hardware manufacturers are trying to use the touch-based user interface, a major feature of Windows 8 system software. This means that manufacturers not only simply add the touch screen to the computer, but must redesign the hinge connecting the screen to the keyboard. Supports flipping of the screen.

Computer makers have a team of engineers who design connection components for devices running Windows 8, and engineers perform torque and speed tests, and open and close device tests as many as thousands of times. The Microsoft Windows 8 system greatly inspired designers to make efforts to transform from flip devices to device designs like tablets. Jeff Barney, vice president of Toshiba’s U.S. computer division, said: “The shaft is the key to better equipment operation. The poor shaft is the fatal weakness of a laptop computer. The shaft must enable the computer to open the computer. It's easy," said Ken Musgrave, director of Dell's experience design division. "Designing the right shaft is a big challenge in the industrial design space." In fact, these key connectivity components cost less than $10. The cost of microprocessor chips, displays, and operating systems is close to 100 dollars.

Of course, transferring touch screens from tablet computers to PC devices is a high risk project. At present, Microsoft and its hardware vendors partners face slow sales, so they are trying to make PC devices meet the "this habit of using mobile devices". Engineers in the shaft constantly test new concepts and take new measures. . Musgrave said that for example, Dell tested on a new desktop computer, experts believe that the best angle of the touch screen is between -5 degrees and 60 degrees. This data is based in part on the distance required for the user to touch the screen in a sitting position, but some users are still touching the screen. The spindle needs to allow the user to turn the screen without much effort, rather than turning the screen when the user touches the screen. It is reported that Dell's design includes ball bearings and springs, but there are other forms of "tension" to design the connection components.

Some PC companies are proud of their ability to design shafts. For example, Toshiba has six engineers in Japan that only carry out shaft design, and the company has been granted more than 50 patents related to shafts. Toshiba’s flagship Windows 8 device is designed to hide the keyboard when the device is in tablet mode, eliminating the need to design components that need to turn the screen. In addition, Lenovo Group has been able to withstand challenges by ensuring that its 360-degree pivot design of the new Yoga convertible PC will produce a computer that can open and close 25,000 times. Andreas Schupp, director of design at the Lenovo Creative Design Center, said the company has ensured that it will not rattle when turning and opening and closing computers. The Hewlett-Packard design team made an effort to eventually use the magnet boot screen to enter the lockout zone, and Stacy Wolff, HP notebook design director, compared this to a luxury car door. Acer took advantage of architectural ideas. The company used the entire screen as a component of the shaft to increase the rigidity of the components, just as the T-beams in the architectural field.