I already started a thread (with links) about this in General Discussion. I thought Current Hardware meant "Apple" Current Hardware. Maybe the mods can figure it out for us.
As I posted in another thread, it's just a fat laptop with a poor keyboard and no portability. Gateway's offering at least makes a case for itself among windows machines.
Still, I can't see why anyone in the windows world would buy an AIO computer. You could buy a MicroATX x86 cube, and have all of the benefits of a small machine with the easy service and upgradeability of standard parts. Though they won't admit to it, most Mac AIO customers wouldn't buy an iMac either if they had the choice of an affordable headless machine, but they don't, so they buy iMacs. iMacs sales success is a little inflated buy the limits placed on mac customers.
Matsu, I disagree about the headless Mac. Pro users (or pro-savvy home users) might have the perception that everyone needs to customize the size of their display, but the regular Joe has no need for it. All the wires and connections make things that bit more complex for the home user. Not to mention the need to put a tower on the side of your desk or on the floor. They take up too much room. The Apple all-in-one solution is clean and ellegant AND works well for a good majority of the people.
This Sony thing is has a definite identity problem. If it's a desktop, why does the keyboard have to stay attached like that? If it's a laptop, why so bulky and awkward?
We all seem to agree that there are some serious problems with that Sony, design-wise and spec wise and price wise, it doesn't match up to an iMac. But, it's Japanese, and their taste is a little eccentric.
I'll agree that the AIO (from Apple) is elegant, but it should be an option and not an only choice for the consumer. Perhaps we should save that discussion for later.
One item of note on that machine is the screen. Apple might want to look into it. I believe it's a Samsung unit. 1280x768 15.3" 16:9.6 I believe. They could jetison the current 15 and 17" LCD's from the line-up and replace them with this 15.3 and the iMac's 17 for an all widescreen display line-up lineup across iMacs and stand-alones. The Powerbook could move up to 1440x960 as portable video chipsets gain more RAM and power freeing up a little room for a very slight bump to the 14" iBook's rez.
I don't think a 19" LCD iMac is likely at this point, but there are now enough products available on the supply side to seriously push an all widescreen format.
The only potential problem is that ratios are a bit inconsistent: we have 16:10 on the 23", 22" and iMac17. 3:2 on the Powerbook, and this 15.3 would be 16:9.6. Then there's the HDTV standard 16:9 to contend with, though all of these are close enough that letterboxing would remain minimal. Also there's an argument to be made for slightly taller ratios where computer based work is concerned.
Desktop real estate is at a premium in Japan, where this was originally intended. Furthermore, this comes in handy when one is not using a KB and need only to display essential information (time, stock ticker, WinAmp, etc). Heck, this could be the most expensive bed-side alarm ever.
But seriously, not every flat-panel PC is suppose to be an iMac killa - no need for Mac users to be always so defensive!
Any thing that is being run on a Celeron processor still is not worth buying. They could have at least stuck a Intel P3 Chip in it or maybe even a low end P4. And you would figure with it running that Celeron chip that it would cost ummm 1000$ to 1100$. You can get a 100x better Vaio Laptop for that price. It makes no sense.
Comments
Here's the <a href="http://forums.appleinsider.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=10&t=002768"; target="_blank">link </a>to my other post.
[ 10-07-2002: Message edited by: clonenode ]</p>
<strong>Hrmmm. Not too shabby.</strong><hr></blockquote>
You're joking right? You know it's AOI, don't you? It's just a new 'luggable' and we all know how well those things sell.
it looks small, but then when u look at the mouse, it seems that either the screen is big or the mouse is super tiny....
hmm.... whatever the screen size, Sony do live up to its reputation to producing good looking gagets. Though, I still think the tibook looks better.
They were doing a story on the latest laptops, and thats exactly what this thing looks like, a laptop on steroids.
It's no more an "iMac killer" than the Gateway Profile 4.
<strong>
I thought it looked familiar.
Still, I can't see why anyone in the windows world would buy an AIO computer. You could buy a MicroATX x86 cube, and have all of the benefits of a small machine with the easy service and upgradeability of standard parts. Though they won't admit to it, most Mac AIO customers wouldn't buy an iMac either if they had the choice of an affordable headless machine, but they don't, so they buy iMacs. iMacs sales success is a little inflated buy the limits placed on mac customers.
This Sony thing is has a definite identity problem. If it's a desktop, why does the keyboard have to stay attached like that? If it's a laptop, why so bulky and awkward?
[ 10-07-2002: Message edited by: clonenode ]</p>
It's now official that I don't think of Sony as a company that takes design relly seriously...
At $1699 it's not an iMac killer.
I'll agree that the AIO (from Apple) is elegant, but it should be an option and not an only choice for the consumer. Perhaps we should save that discussion for later.
One item of note on that machine is the screen. Apple might want to look into it. I believe it's a Samsung unit. 1280x768 15.3" 16:9.6 I believe. They could jetison the current 15 and 17" LCD's from the line-up and replace them with this 15.3 and the iMac's 17 for an all widescreen display line-up lineup across iMacs and stand-alones. The Powerbook could move up to 1440x960 as portable video chipsets gain more RAM and power freeing up a little room for a very slight bump to the 14" iBook's rez.
I don't think a 19" LCD iMac is likely at this point, but there are now enough products available on the supply side to seriously push an all widescreen format.
The only potential problem is that ratios are a bit inconsistent: we have 16:10 on the 23", 22" and iMac17. 3:2 on the Powerbook, and this 15.3 would be 16:9.6. Then there's the HDTV standard 16:9 to contend with, though all of these are close enough that letterboxing would remain minimal. Also there's an argument to be made for slightly taller ratios where computer based work is concerned.
Just a thought
[ 10-07-2002: Message edited by: Matsu ]</p>
Desktop real estate is at a premium in Japan, where this was originally intended. Furthermore, this comes in handy when one is not using a KB and need only to display essential information (time, stock ticker, WinAmp, etc). Heck, this could be the most expensive bed-side alarm ever.
But seriously, not every flat-panel PC is suppose to be an iMac killa - no need for Mac users to be always so defensive!
[ 10-07-2002: Message edited by: kelib ]</p>
How is this an iMac killer? It still comes with that Micro$oft XP crap! Design is a little almost early 90's or something
my .02