Why are the native resolutions so low on 17-19inch LCDs???

[ihs97]

I just do not understand why the native resolutions on today's 17-19inch consumer LCDs are at such a terrible 1280x1024. My friend has an 15.4 inch HP laptop that he bought over 3 years ago, and his monitor resolution is 1920x1200. So it seems the technology is there, it obviously isn't THAT much more expensive (he bought his laptop new for 1500 dollars). So what gives?
Why do we have nothing to choose from but a very slim number of 19 inchers with 1600x1200 resolution? Is it just planned obscelesence?

Thanks for reading.

-Paul

 

[picture_perfect]

icons and text are too small to read for most people at resolutions up to/ greater than 1600x1200, especially on a 17-19" monitor. i think its just a matter of practicality. also, most graphic cards cant keep up with video games at such high resolutions. 1280x1024 is a good compromise.