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Is there any way in which this is not effectively a "MacBook Air with Windows preinstalled"? Any realistic difference from Air+BootCamp? Features seem the same

by angusgr 15y ago

Is there any way in which this is not effectively a "MacBook Air with Windows preinstalled"? Any realistic difference from Air+BootCamp? Features seem the same, style seems nearly identical just Asus branded... I'm honestly not trolling, believe me I'm far from an Apple fanboi. I just don't see where the innovation is here, apart from an "us too" from Intel & ASUS.

adestefan 15y ago
I think that's what they're aiming for. Like all comparisons it will boil down to screen, keyboard, and trackpad. The Ars overview says the screen is pretty bad, so that could be a strike. The others you'll have to tell for yourself.
wtallis 15y ago
The term "ultrabook" was invented by Intel as a label for the MacBook Air knockoffs they wanted to entice other companies to make, so obviously the first generation will be pretty similar to the MBA. All the differences so far seem to be minor: - The 13" Asus has a wider screen than the 13" MBA - The MBA supports 802.11a and 5Ghz for 802.11n - The Asus has USB3.0, the MBA has Thunderbolt - at 13", the Asus is a bit lighter, but at 11" the MBA is a bit lighter - The MBA claims much higher standby times (30 vs 10 days) - At certain price points, the Asus offers more RAM or SSD space, and the option of a slightly faster processor. - The trackpads might have significant differences - The Asus screens are specced to be brighter (450 nits) than the MBA screens have been measured at (350-380 nits), but specified brightness can't be directly compared against real-world measurements, and viewing angles are more important for small portable devices.
- angusgr 15y ago
  label for the MacBook Air knockoffs they wanted to entice other companies to make I guess that's why I'm wondering why this laptop is HN front page news. Which is not to say that I think it shouldn't be, it's just that I'm not sure why its generating upvotey excitement.
  - wtallis 15y ago
    Regardless of why Asus released this laptop, it's still pretty much the first direct competition for the MacBook Air, which is significant. It means that other companies are starting to agree with Apple that mobility is important, but that netbooks suck.
- keeperofdakeys 15y ago
  Earlier this year, there were a burst of laptops branded 'ultra portable', which I would be willing to call ultrabooks. There was the Samsung series 9, Lenovo x1 and the Asus U36. I personally have the Samsung, and it really is quite like the air. The main difference is that it hasn't got a unibody design.
  - angusgr 15y ago
    Ultraportables of that kind aren't really new either, though. I use a 2006-era ThinkPad X60 laptop every day. It's five years old, 76mm (25%) thicker but 90g (10%) lighter than the X1 you mention. Although I admit the X1 has a significantly cheaper RRP, so there's one noteworthy difference - these things are moving from expensive niche objects to the mainstream. Apple arguably spearheaded the move there.
vegai 15y ago
Well, some people simply don't prefer OS X and are a bit reluctant to pay for it.

by angusgr 15y ago

adestefan 15y ago

I think that's what they're aiming for. Like all comparisons it will boil down to screen, keyboard, and trackpad. The Ars overview says the screen is pretty bad, so that could be a strike. The others you'll have to tell for yourself.

wtallis 15y ago

The term "ultrabook" was invented by Intel as a label for the MacBook Air knockoffs they wanted to entice other companies to make, so obviously the first generation will be pretty similar to the MBA. All the differences so far seem to be minor: - The 13" Asus has a wider screen than the 13" MBA - The MBA supports 802.11a and 5Ghz for 802.11n - The Asus has USB3.0, the MBA has Thunderbolt - at 13", the Asus is a bit lighter, but at 11" the MBA is a bit lighter - The MBA claims much higher standby times (30 vs 10 days) - At certain price points, the Asus offers more RAM or SSD space, and the option of a slightly faster processor. - The trackpads might have significant differences - The Asus screens are specced to be brighter (450 nits) than the MBA screens have been measured at (350-380 nits), but specified brightness can't be directly compared against real-world measurements, and viewing angles are more important for small portable devices.

angusgr 15y ago
label for the MacBook Air knockoffs they wanted to entice other companies to make I guess that's why I'm wondering why this laptop is HN front page news. Which is not to say that I think it shouldn't be, it's just that I'm not sure why its generating upvotey excitement.
- wtallis 15y ago
  Regardless of why Asus released this laptop, it's still pretty much the first direct competition for the MacBook Air, which is significant. It means that other companies are starting to agree with Apple that mobility is important, but that netbooks suck.
keeperofdakeys 15y ago
Earlier this year, there were a burst of laptops branded 'ultra portable', which I would be willing to call ultrabooks. There was the Samsung series 9, Lenovo x1 and the Asus U36. I personally have the Samsung, and it really is quite like the air. The main difference is that it hasn't got a unibody design.
- angusgr 15y ago
  Ultraportables of that kind aren't really new either, though. I use a 2006-era ThinkPad X60 laptop every day. It's five years old, 76mm (25%) thicker but 90g (10%) lighter than the X1 you mention. Although I admit the X1 has a significantly cheaper RRP, so there's one noteworthy difference - these things are moving from expensive niche objects to the mainstream. Apple arguably spearheaded the move there.

vegai 15y ago

Well, some people simply don't prefer OS X and are a bit reluctant to pay for it.