ASUS has been right there with Apple in terms of reliability for a few years now. They're a good company and generally manufacture solid devices at reasonable prices.
I bet they produce their cheap products in some darkened hovel in china....
Pundits expressed skepticism at the new Ultrabook design, calling it a "makeover" of the struggling netbook category.
No they didn't, the 'pundits' called it a makeover of "conventional laptop PCs"
That can potentially include netbooks, depends on how much you see netbooks as 'conventional'
laptops, ultrabooks, netbooks, notbooks, weeeee
With hte new silicon, and once we get to 2013, there is going to be some shiny apple products that are high in power, last ages, and yet dont weigh as much as a normal macbookpro.
Intel also highlighted its accelerated roadmap for upcoming versions of the Atom processor, which is designed for tablets, netbooks and smartphones. According to the company's statement, "the Atom processor will outpace Moore's Law, accelerating from 32nm through 22nm to 14nm within 3 successive years."
Yes the wedge design has been done by both HP and Sony previously, but neither unit was a strong contender due to design compromises and performance issues that Apple was able to successfully side-step. The Sony (as has been noted previously) was a flexible nickel/carbon graphite case with a huge rear hinge, running a Pentium M processor with a whopping 90 minutes of battery life at a cool $3000. So superficially, yeah there were some wedgies out there prior to the MBA. But they weren't in the same class then and certainly aren't now.
I don't see how it's a fair comparison to compare something that was built in 2004 vs 2008. The technology (processor, cooling methods, battery technology, etc...) in 2008 leapfrogged by many folds compared to 2004. The processor architecture change from Pentium M to Core 2 was nothing short of magical. Everything got smaller, cheaper, faster, and more efficient (less heat = less cooling required). The Sony X505 was the true innovator prior with the tampered design. And yes, I agree, Apple designed a beautiful hinge.
I don't see how it's a fair comparison to compare something that was built in 2004 vs 2008. The technology (processor, cooling methods, battery technology, etc...) in 2008 leapfrogged by many folds compared to 2004. The processor architecture change from Pentium M to Core 2 was nothing short of magical. Everything got smaller, cheaper, faster, and more efficient (less heat = less cooling required). The Sony X505 was the true innovator prior with the tampered design. And yes, I agree, Apple designed a beautiful hinge.
A mobile device isn't just a collection of parts. It's an intricate system of tradeoffs-- price, weight, durability, battery life, aesthetics, performance, ergonomics, etc.
You can sell super advanced designs if you don't care about price. You can make very powerful, very light laptops if you don't care about battery life. You can make amazingly inexpensive stuff if you don't care about quality or durability. You can make bullet proof devices if that's your number one priority.
What Apple did with the current Air is successfully balance performance, cost, battery life, design, ergonomics and materials to create the most appealing notebook of its kind to date.
People seem to think that this kind of design integration somehow doesn't count as innovation, but it really does. It involves a vast array of material and design technology, and it involves judgements regarding what the market will support and when the available technology is robust enough to meet the design criteria.
You can always point to a competitor to an Apple product, or a historical antecedent, and note various advantages on one or two counts, but that misses the point. You have to judge Apple's stuff in their entirety, and by that criteria they have some of the best stuff out there. And the way they're achieving that-- from their design philosophy to discipline in the face of feature creep to how they build on platforms through carefully controlled iteration-- is genuinely innovative.
was actually a brilliant move typical of Apple: don't just go with the flow, but pick whatever you think is best and let the world wrap their heads around it, they will eventually find out the reasons behind your choices.
Excellent observation!
It's what makes the "walled garden" protests from the technical elites so amusing. That they totally and completely miss the point while it obviously being the central point of iOS's success is just fascinating to watch.
Comments
Hopefully, a really ultraportable MacBook Air soon: 400 to 600 g and 7-inch. The Mac in your pocket. Always.
Nope IMO 5-inch is the largest I would consider a pocket device. The 7-inch BB PlayBook is too large, but the Sony 5-inch eBook reader fits my pocket.
For now the iPhone is my lovely pocket computer.
For any serious computer activity, IMO at least 10" screen is necessary.
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/hin...d-hp-lose/6991
ASUS has been right there with Apple in terms of reliability for a few years now. They're a good company and generally manufacture solid devices at reasonable prices.
I bet they produce their cheap products in some darkened hovel in china....
Pundits expressed skepticism at the new Ultrabook design, calling it a "makeover" of the struggling netbook category.
No they didn't, the 'pundits' called it a makeover of "conventional laptop PCs"
That can potentially include netbooks, depends on how much you see netbooks as 'conventional'
laptops, ultrabooks, netbooks, notbooks, weeeee
With hte new silicon, and once we get to 2013, there is going to be some shiny apple products that are high in power, last ages, and yet dont weigh as much as a normal macbookpro.
I know, what a blatant copy. It has a screen, a keyboard, and it's even quite thin! Those scurrilous dogs, Apple should sue the pants off them.
The only asthetic design differences are the finish and the lack of an indented front bezel.
Your statement of mockery applies more towards those comparing that vaio to the MBA.
What a riot watching the guy demonstrating how difficult it is to open! HA!!
Intel also highlighted its accelerated roadmap for upcoming versions of the Atom processor, which is designed for tablets, netbooks and smartphones. According to the company's statement, "the Atom processor will outpace Moore's Law, accelerating from 32nm through 22nm to 14nm within 3 successive years."
So they can't release 14nm now why
Yes the wedge design has been done by both HP and Sony previously, but neither unit was a strong contender due to design compromises and performance issues that Apple was able to successfully side-step. The Sony (as has been noted previously) was a flexible nickel/carbon graphite case with a huge rear hinge, running a Pentium M processor with a whopping 90 minutes of battery life at a cool $3000. So superficially, yeah there were some wedgies out there prior to the MBA. But they weren't in the same class then and certainly aren't now.
I don't see how it's a fair comparison to compare something that was built in 2004 vs 2008. The technology (processor, cooling methods, battery technology, etc...) in 2008 leapfrogged by many folds compared to 2004. The processor architecture change from Pentium M to Core 2 was nothing short of magical. Everything got smaller, cheaper, faster, and more efficient (less heat = less cooling required). The Sony X505 was the true innovator prior with the tampered design. And yes, I agree, Apple designed a beautiful hinge.
I don't see how it's a fair comparison to compare something that was built in 2004 vs 2008. The technology (processor, cooling methods, battery technology, etc...) in 2008 leapfrogged by many folds compared to 2004. The processor architecture change from Pentium M to Core 2 was nothing short of magical. Everything got smaller, cheaper, faster, and more efficient (less heat = less cooling required). The Sony X505 was the true innovator prior with the tampered design. And yes, I agree, Apple designed a beautiful hinge.
A mobile device isn't just a collection of parts. It's an intricate system of tradeoffs-- price, weight, durability, battery life, aesthetics, performance, ergonomics, etc.
You can sell super advanced designs if you don't care about price. You can make very powerful, very light laptops if you don't care about battery life. You can make amazingly inexpensive stuff if you don't care about quality or durability. You can make bullet proof devices if that's your number one priority.
What Apple did with the current Air is successfully balance performance, cost, battery life, design, ergonomics and materials to create the most appealing notebook of its kind to date.
People seem to think that this kind of design integration somehow doesn't count as innovation, but it really does. It involves a vast array of material and design technology, and it involves judgements regarding what the market will support and when the available technology is robust enough to meet the design criteria.
You can always point to a competitor to an Apple product, or a historical antecedent, and note various advantages on one or two counts, but that misses the point. You have to judge Apple's stuff in their entirety, and by that criteria they have some of the best stuff out there. And the way they're achieving that-- from their design philosophy to discipline in the face of feature creep to how they build on platforms through carefully controlled iteration-- is genuinely innovative.
Is there ANYONE????????? in the PC world capable of actually doing something original?
I swear, if you're a windows lover it somehow manages to infect your brain with a disease called, Unoriginalcopyitus.
I'm sure it will do really well, just like the Zune......LOL
Um. No.
Hahahaha! +1
was actually a brilliant move typical of Apple: don't just go with the flow, but pick whatever you think is best and let the world wrap their heads around it, they will eventually find out the reasons behind your choices.
Excellent observation!
It's what makes the "walled garden" protests from the technical elites so amusing. That they totally and completely miss the point while it obviously being the central point of iOS's success is just fascinating to watch.
Apple passing Microsoft and Intel's combined market cap is also fun to watch them try to rationalize