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Sorry about the spelling on cachet, I was wondering about that. I'm not sure if you intentionally left out the review of the UX31, or just were unaware of Enga

Sorry about the spelling on cachet, I was wondering about that. I'm not sure if you intentionally left out the review of the UX31, or just were unaware of Engadgets positive review yesterday. http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/21/asus-zenbook-ux31-review/ http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/21/asus-zenbook-ux31-review/ My biggest disappointment with all of these 'ultrabooks' is that they are MacBook Air clones. I don't think PC makers are going to go very far competing with Apple by copying their designs. PC makers need to start innovating themselves. Ultrabook is starting to be a synonym for MacBook copy, but there is a great opportunity to create products like the Lenovo U260 (which I'm typing this on now) which are as light as the Air, with warmer materials and don't have the wedge shape.

Samuel_Michon 15y ago
I hadn't read Engadget's review of the Asus Zenbook. I have now, and I also read the review at Anandtech [1]. Both sites really try hard to like the device, but they agree on several points: - incoherent case design (did you see that blue USB port?) - uncomfortable keyboard with barely any travel - trackpad is laggy and inaccurate - display is TN, not IPS, and has high black levels. Anandtech's conclusion: "if you don't care about OS X and just want a good, ultra-thin Windows machine the Zenbook is a viable alternative. If ASUS can fix the trackpad issues then it's worth considering, however the display in the MBA alone is reason to opt for it over the Zenbook, even for Windows use" [1] http://www.anandtech.com/show/4985/asus-zenbook-ux21-review/1 http://www.anandtech.com/show/4985/asus-zenbook-ux21-review/...
- robin_reala 15y ago
  To be fair, blue USB port = USB3 port in PC parlance. No excuse for the trackpad though.
usaar333 15y ago
For a pretty innovative, awesome laptop (arguably the best ultraportable out there), see Sony Vaio Z (http://www.anandtech.com/show/4474/sony-updates-vaio-z-thinner-lighter-light-peak-and-external-gpu http://www.anandtech.com/show/4474/sony-updates-vaio-z-thinn...). Only super lightweight ultra-portable desktop replacement I know of.
- Samuel_Michon 15y ago
  It also costs $700 more than a comparable MacBook Air.

Samuel_Michon 15y ago

I hadn't read Engadget's review of the Asus Zenbook. I have now, and I also read the review at Anandtech [1]. Both sites really try hard to like the device, but they agree on several points: - incoherent case design (did you see that blue USB port?) - uncomfortable keyboard with barely any travel - trackpad is laggy and inaccurate - display is TN, not IPS, and has high black levels. Anandtech's conclusion: "if you don't care about OS X and just want a good, ultra-thin Windows machine the Zenbook is a viable alternative. If ASUS can fix the trackpad issues then it's worth considering, however the display in the MBA alone is reason to opt for it over the Zenbook, even for Windows use" [1] http://www.anandtech.com/show/4985/asus-zenbook-ux21-review/1 http://www.anandtech.com/show/4985/asus-zenbook-ux21-review/...

robin_reala 15y ago
To be fair, blue USB port = USB3 port in PC parlance. No excuse for the trackpad though.

usaar333 15y ago

For a pretty innovative, awesome laptop (arguably the best ultraportable out there), see Sony Vaio Z (http://www.anandtech.com/show/4474/sony-updates-vaio-z-thinner-lighter-light-peak-and-external-gpu http://www.anandtech.com/show/4474/sony-updates-vaio-z-thinn...). Only super lightweight ultra-portable desktop replacement I know of.

Samuel_Michon 15y ago
It also costs $700 more than a comparable MacBook Air.