Forget this Ultrabook nonsense. Played with the latest MacBook Air 13" at the Apple Store today. It really is the best 13" laptop out there. Quite snappy. The PC manufacturers can make the nicest stuff. But it's still running Windows. Lion's seamless new FileVault, Time Machine, and a few other things make it much more fun than Windows. Honestly. I was skeptical but MacBook Air + Lion = sweet.
Out of interest which iMac (27" i assume?) and competitors monitor were you looking at?
27" iMac, 1st gen Intel i7 (2.93GHz).
Equivalent monitors would be classed as "professional desktop". To give a current example from NEC (from a 5 second Bing search) - http://www.nec-display-solutions.co....D_Professional The only 27" Monitor from that list is over £1800 (inc VAT), has the same bit depth (32bit), same contrast ratio (1000:1 typical, max not specified for the NEC), lower brightness (300 vs 350) but 1ms slower response time (iMac is 6ms, NEC is 7ms). The only thing which could make the NEC monitor better is the P-IPS display tech inside it. But at £1800+ its a damn expensive monitor when the iMac has like for like or better specs.
Dell still sell the same 27" Ultra Sharp Monitor that was available when I bought that iMac last september. Its now £742.80 (inc VAT) but back then it was well over £1000. Same contrast (1000:1 typical, 80,000:1 max) and the same brightness (350). They say its the same monitor, but the Dell has an overall bit depth of 30bit (2^30=1073741824 colours) where the iMac has 32bit (2^32=4294967296 colours). You can see your monitor bit depth in System Profiler.
Some of these MBA knockoffs actually look pretty good. But even if they can compete on price with apple they will flop for one simple reason -- PC users are tasteless cheapskates who look only at hz, bytes, and $. They will never pay more than $500 for a computer.
It's amazing to see the Wintel World openly admitting they have to respond to Apple. The 92% domination (or what ever it is) they like to boast doesn't seem to offer them too much confidence. Must be counting the eight old, not working PCs in someones garage that all cost $300 each isn't doing them too much good in the greater scheme of things.
I've noticed one or two people buying Airs simply to run Windows without OS X - a waste, they should at least keep Bootcamp.
These Ultrabook competitors will need to either price cheaper than an equivalent Air and Windows licence together, or produce machines superior in spec to a Macbook Air.
I suspect those who try will omit Thunderbolt and thus fail.
First of all, this reflects the basic fact that the Windows PC market isn't really receptive to this category. Dell's Adamo was a commercial failure and PC manufacturers are well aware of that.
...
Frankly, I'm not sure if PC buyers will make this a viable category. It may end up being like the iPad/non-iPad conundrum where buyers will pay a thousand bucks for a MacBook Air, but won't pay more than five hundred or six for a similar Windows PC. The HP TouchPad showed that the marketplace accepts the iPad at one price point and everything else is devalued.
This looks like another PC Bataan Death March, a gruesome drive to the bottom. Someone should be able to compete with Apple's MacBook Air, but it will be with razor thin margins. We already know that Windows PC users rate lower than Mac users in terms of customer satisfaction. Apparently paying the "Apple tax" isn't such a hindrance to user satisfaction.
At this point one must ask the question, "If saving money is such a big deal why aren't Windows PC users happier?" Acer's management apparently took a deep look, fired their CEO, and basically admitted that their whole low-margin/we'll-make-it-up-on-volume business model was crap and a poor return on investment for their shareholders.
Have Windows PC manufacturers painted themselves into a shitty, low-margin unsatisfying corner where their main competitor innovates, generates high customer satisfaction and walks away with the lion's share of the industry's profits?
Windows needs to die off. i think most people are sick of the constant malware, buggy/insecure 3rd party apps that seriously affect the OS, and the stupid complexity and mish mash of crap that is Windows.
they might have a chance IF phone 7 isn't based on NT code. slimmed down windows core? anyone know? if phone 7 isn't slimmed down windows then they should phase out windows and go with phone 7 as their OS of choice.
I do want one of the ASUS ultrabooks though. i like the spun aluminum look and want to run Linux on it (god help me but i must love pain...)
I challenge you to actually think about it for yourselves.
Intel are throwing absolutely everything they have behind Ultrabooks.
They are creating reference designs for OEMs, trying to reduce the build costs, putting $300m into research grants and offering CPU discounts.
All this and the OEM's are hesitant to follow Intel's lead.
Even with the big bunch of carrots Intel is dangling in front of the OEM's all they are willing to do is "test the water".
So we know the OEM's aren't really a part of this push. We also know Microsoft aren't anywhere to be seen.
That leaves Intel, making a move that threatens to piss off Apple by ripping off their designs and helping their competitors, all so Intel can make less money (because of the above mentioned discounts and incentives) than they would if they just let Apple go ahead and sell more MacBook Air's.
At this point I'm going to assume you've realized we're dealing in shades of grey on this one so I'll say again, I challenge you to actually think about it for yourselves.
Windows needs to die off. i think most people are sick of the constant malware, buggy/insecure 3rd party apps that seriously affect the OS, and the stupid complexity and mish mash of crap that is Windows.
they might have a chance IF phone 7 isn't based on NT code. slimmed down windows core? anyone know? if phone 7 isn't slimmed down windows then they should phase out windows and go with phone 7 as their OS of choice.
I do want one of the ASUS ultrabooks though. i like the spun aluminum look and want to run Linux on it (god help me but i must love pain...)
I don't think windows needs to die off as much as it needs to evolve. The system architecture has barely changed from the classic System32+Registry rubbish that debuted with Windows95 16 years ago. The registry is the biggest problem - a top down tree structure with no random access, the biggest single point of failure in the system and something which is all to easy to clog full of gunk. I uninstalled one bit of software on my Toshiba the other day, ran CCleaner and there were so many registry errors from just uninstalling a bit of software it was bordering on the criminal.
I will agree about the complexity though. I deal with Linux and Unix systems every day and those are a joy to use compared to MS Windows.
MS Designer 1: "Hey, we have way too many buttons here. How can we fix them?"
MS Designer 2: "Less Buttons?"
Ms Designer 1: "hmmm, I'm not so sure on that one"
They might have a chance IF phone 7 isn't based on NT code. slimmed down windows core? anyone know? if phone 7 isn't slimmed down windows then they should phase out windows and go with phone 7 as their OS of choice.
WP7 came from Windows CE. It's not modular or scalable like Windows so there is no chance in the world they would move everything to it. I'd bet my house they will eventually go the other way.
The PC market is used to throw all there components in a box. The problem with Ultrabooks is suddenly the components don?t fit in the box, so they all turn to Intel and ask ?WTF?!? . Intel gives them 300 millions so they can learn how to place the components so they fit in the box. It?s like that kid game I used to play at 3.
The registry is the biggest problem - a top down tree structure with no random access, the biggest single point of failure in the system and something which is all to easy to clog full of gunk.
I've got a suspicion direct registry access will be gone from immersive Windows 8 applications.
I challenge you to actually think about it for yourselves.
Intel are throwing absolutely everything they have behind Ultrabooks.
They are creating reference designs for OEMs, trying to reduce the build costs, putting $300m into research grants and offering CPU discounts.
All this and the OEM's are hesitant to follow Intel's lead.
Even with the big bunch of carrots Intel is dangling in front of the OEM's all they are willing to do is "test the water".
So we know the OEM's aren't really a part of this push. We also know Microsoft aren't anywhere to be seen.
That leaves Intel, making a move that threatens to piss off Apple by ripping off their designs and helping their competitors, all so Intel can make less money (because of the above mentioned discounts and incentives) than they would if they just let Apple go ahead and sell more MacBook Air's.
At this point I'm going to assume you've realized we're dealing in shades of grey on this one so I'll say again, I challenge you to actually think about it for yourselves.
From my understanding, the OEMs asked for even further discounts to which Intel said, "Hell no!" I think that Intel wants the OEMs to move away from the race to the bottom for their own good (HP anyone?) and also to stave off any thoughts of moving to ARM since Microsoft is now porting Windows 8 to ARM.
Comments
Out of interest which iMac (27" i assume?) and competitors monitor were you looking at?
27" iMac, 1st gen Intel i7 (2.93GHz).
Equivalent monitors would be classed as "professional desktop". To give a current example from NEC (from a 5 second Bing search) - http://www.nec-display-solutions.co....D_Professional The only 27" Monitor from that list is over £1800 (inc VAT), has the same bit depth (32bit), same contrast ratio (1000:1 typical, max not specified for the NEC), lower brightness (300 vs 350) but 1ms slower response time (iMac is 6ms, NEC is 7ms). The only thing which could make the NEC monitor better is the P-IPS display tech inside it. But at £1800+ its a damn expensive monitor when the iMac has like for like or better specs.
Dell still sell the same 27" Ultra Sharp Monitor that was available when I bought that iMac last september. Its now £742.80 (inc VAT) but back then it was well over £1000. Same contrast (1000:1 typical, 80,000:1 max) and the same brightness (350). They say its the same monitor, but the Dell has an overall bit depth of 30bit (2^30=1073741824 colours) where the iMac has 32bit (2^32=4294967296 colours). You can see your monitor bit depth in System Profiler.
Pixel Depth
http://macs.about.com/b/2010/02/10/n...-inch-imac.htm
Those were the specs for my old iMac, however. I think the new displays are better.
These Ultrabook competitors will need to either price cheaper than an equivalent Air and Windows licence together, or produce machines superior in spec to a Macbook Air.
I suspect those who try will omit Thunderbolt and thus fail.
27" iMac, 1st gen Intel i7 (2.93GHz).
Equivalent monitors would be classed as "professional desktop".
Cheers. I asked because I wasn't aware of an equivalent to the iMac monitor.
There are plenty of 27" monitors but most are 1080p.
The Dell one is the closest I've seen. It's matt though, not glossy.
It's amazing to see the Wintel World openly admitting they have to respond to Apple.
Ultrabooks are not a response to Apple.
Ultrabooks are not a response to Apple.
I hate to break the news to you...
Ultrabooks are not a response to Apple.
He's neither trolling nor stupid. He's simply wrong.
This is a grim omen.
First of all, this reflects the basic fact that the Windows PC market isn't really receptive to this category. Dell's Adamo was a commercial failure and PC manufacturers are well aware of that.
...
Frankly, I'm not sure if PC buyers will make this a viable category. It may end up being like the iPad/non-iPad conundrum where buyers will pay a thousand bucks for a MacBook Air, but won't pay more than five hundred or six for a similar Windows PC. The HP TouchPad showed that the marketplace accepts the iPad at one price point and everything else is devalued.
This looks like another PC Bataan Death March, a gruesome drive to the bottom. Someone should be able to compete with Apple's MacBook Air, but it will be with razor thin margins. We already know that Windows PC users rate lower than Mac users in terms of customer satisfaction. Apparently paying the "Apple tax" isn't such a hindrance to user satisfaction.
At this point one must ask the question, "If saving money is such a big deal why aren't Windows PC users happier?" Acer's management apparently took a deep look, fired their CEO, and basically admitted that their whole low-margin/we'll-make-it-up-on-volume business model was crap and a poor return on investment for their shareholders.
Have Windows PC manufacturers painted themselves into a shitty, low-margin unsatisfying corner where their main competitor innovates, generates high customer satisfaction and walks away with the lion's share of the industry's profits?
Windows needs to die off. i think most people are sick of the constant malware, buggy/insecure 3rd party apps that seriously affect the OS, and the stupid complexity and mish mash of crap that is Windows.
they might have a chance IF phone 7 isn't based on NT code. slimmed down windows core? anyone know? if phone 7 isn't slimmed down windows then they should phase out windows and go with phone 7 as their OS of choice.
I do want one of the ASUS ultrabooks though. i like the spun aluminum look and want to run Linux on it (god help me but i must love pain...)
I hate to break the news to you...
...
I challenge you to actually think about it for yourselves.
Intel are throwing absolutely everything they have behind Ultrabooks.
They are creating reference designs for OEMs, trying to reduce the build costs, putting $300m into research grants and offering CPU discounts.
All this and the OEM's are hesitant to follow Intel's lead.
Even with the big bunch of carrots Intel is dangling in front of the OEM's all they are willing to do is "test the water".
So we know the OEM's aren't really a part of this push. We also know Microsoft aren't anywhere to be seen.
That leaves Intel, making a move that threatens to piss off Apple by ripping off their designs and helping their competitors, all so Intel can make less money (because of the above mentioned discounts and incentives) than they would if they just let Apple go ahead and sell more MacBook Air's.
At this point I'm going to assume you've realized we're dealing in shades of grey on this one so I'll say again, I challenge you to actually think about it for yourselves.
Windows needs to die off. i think most people are sick of the constant malware, buggy/insecure 3rd party apps that seriously affect the OS, and the stupid complexity and mish mash of crap that is Windows.
they might have a chance IF phone 7 isn't based on NT code. slimmed down windows core? anyone know? if phone 7 isn't slimmed down windows then they should phase out windows and go with phone 7 as their OS of choice.
I do want one of the ASUS ultrabooks though. i like the spun aluminum look and want to run Linux on it (god help me but i must love pain...)
I don't think windows needs to die off as much as it needs to evolve. The system architecture has barely changed from the classic System32+Registry rubbish that debuted with Windows95 16 years ago. The registry is the biggest problem - a top down tree structure with no random access, the biggest single point of failure in the system and something which is all to easy to clog full of gunk. I uninstalled one bit of software on my Toshiba the other day, ran CCleaner and there were so many registry errors from just uninstalling a bit of software it was bordering on the criminal.
I will agree about the complexity though. I deal with Linux and Unix systems every day and those are a joy to use compared to MS Windows.
MS Designer 1: "Hey, we have way too many buttons here. How can we fix them?"
MS Designer 2: "Less Buttons?"
Ms Designer 1: "hmmm, I'm not so sure on that one"
MS Designer 3: "More buttons?"
MS Designer 1:
They might have a chance IF phone 7 isn't based on NT code. slimmed down windows core? anyone know? if phone 7 isn't slimmed down windows then they should phase out windows and go with phone 7 as their OS of choice.
WP7 came from Windows CE. It's not modular or scalable like Windows so there is no chance in the world they would move everything to it. I'd bet my house they will eventually go the other way.
The registry is the biggest problem - a top down tree structure with no random access, the biggest single point of failure in the system and something which is all to easy to clog full of gunk.
I've got a suspicion direct registry access will be gone from immersive Windows 8 applications.
We will know for sure in about a week.
I do want one of the ASUS ultrabooks though. i like the spun aluminum look and want to run Linux on it (god help me but i must love pain...)
I think it should be "brushed aluminum." I can't imagine preferring it to Apple's matte finish.
I challenge you to actually think about it for yourselves.
Intel are throwing absolutely everything they have behind Ultrabooks.
They are creating reference designs for OEMs, trying to reduce the build costs, putting $300m into research grants and offering CPU discounts.
All this and the OEM's are hesitant to follow Intel's lead.
Even with the big bunch of carrots Intel is dangling in front of the OEM's all they are willing to do is "test the water".
So we know the OEM's aren't really a part of this push. We also know Microsoft aren't anywhere to be seen.
That leaves Intel, making a move that threatens to piss off Apple by ripping off their designs and helping their competitors, all so Intel can make less money (because of the above mentioned discounts and incentives) than they would if they just let Apple go ahead and sell more MacBook Air's.
At this point I'm going to assume you've realized we're dealing in shades of grey on this one so I'll say again, I challenge you to actually think about it for yourselves.
From my understanding, the OEMs asked for even further discounts to which Intel said, "Hell no!" I think that Intel wants the OEMs to move away from the race to the bottom for their own good (HP anyone?) and also to stave off any thoughts of moving to ARM since Microsoft is now porting Windows 8 to ARM.