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Cupertino should be worried. Acer's laptop is cheaper than the MacBook Air -- 1,999 yuan versus 4,488—and better—the Acer has a larger and sharper screen and a

Cupertino should be worried. Acer's laptop is cheaper than the MacBook Air -- 1,999 yuan versus 4,488—and better—the Acer has a larger and sharper screen and a camera with higher-density pixels. Unless you insist on having a depiction of a piece of fruit on your device, you will go with the Acer offering every time. Edit: Satire

phn 12y ago
One thing we should've learned from apple long ago, is that hard numbers (larger, sharper screens, more GHz, more RAM) do not make a better product. I won't change my macbook air for a laptop that will have a weaker construction, a fire-prone battery, and a less thought design. (I'm over-generalizing, just making a point) The piece of fruit is just a nice final touch.
- tluyben2 12y ago
  Yep as I always tell nagging people; give me a laptop of Macbook (pro/air) specs and quality for less than the equivalent non Apple one. There isn't much and most simply are not on par; feel like they will fall apart any moment like the Ativ 9 plus, which is actually more expensive anyway.
  - celebril 12y ago
    A second-hand Thinkpad.
    - tluyben2 12y ago
      Well which one? I like them and they are nice, but doesn't really compare to the air or the pro retina in handling. But maybe you have something in mind.
- john2x 12y ago
  Funny thing is, I can't find any laptop that's the same form factor as the Air that has a similar/better screen/RAM/CPU and with a price that doesn't include Apple's "premium". (I've been trying to find one for running Linux on for a few years now)
  - tluyben2 12y ago
    Yeah that's what I meant with my comment although I think there is no 'premium'. Of course there is for them as they make insane profit, however, for consumer it's not really a premium as there is nothing comparable for that price. Twice as expensive you can get things but even then... If the Air 11 inch gains retina and around 5+ hours more battery life, it is the ultimate laptop and there is no reason for anything else in life :)
- yread 12y ago
  fire-prone battery? They seem to be as fire-prone as everybody else's http://www.zdnet.com/apple-macbook-battery-exploded-7000023425/ http://www.zdnet.com/apple-macbook-battery-exploded-70000234...
  - phn 12y ago
    Maybe, but is the charger as durable? The construction as good? The colors on the screen as vivid? I am not trying to say apple is perfect, I am just trying to say that they show that bigger numbers do not correspond to a better product. And some of the things that DO make a better product are sometimes harder to quantify (will the laptop hinges squeak after a month of use?) As someone in this thread mentioned, getting a laptop with comparable build quality and specs as a mac will not be especially cheaper, even though everyone seems to think so.
matthewmacleod 12y ago
<sarcasm> Yeah, definitely. That's the only reason I spent extra money on a Macbook. I have a weird obsession with silhouettes of fruit. My decade of professional software development experience didn't even factor into it; I'm merely a slave to trends and popularity. </sarcasm> Apple's laptops are really, really good. They don't really target the lower end of the market; while they have relatively lower specs for some components, they also use pretty high-quality materials and design. The cost difference between a Macbook and a similarly-specced, similar-quality machine from another manufacturer is minimal. The tradeoff is higher in China, no doubt, due to the inflated price of Apple hardware relative to locally-produced examples. In any case, even if you argument made sense (it doesn't), Macs have been "more expensive" (they're not) than other manufacturer's offerings forever. What's changed now?
- mcintyre1994 12y ago
  I have a feeling the parent's post was a sarcastic quip on a similar sentence in the article. :)

phn 12y ago

One thing we should've learned from apple long ago, is that hard numbers (larger, sharper screens, more GHz, more RAM) do not make a better product. I won't change my macbook air for a laptop that will have a weaker construction, a fire-prone battery, and a less thought design. (I'm over-generalizing, just making a point) The piece of fruit is just a nice final touch.

tluyben2 12y ago
Yep as I always tell nagging people; give me a laptop of Macbook (pro/air) specs and quality for less than the equivalent non Apple one. There isn't much and most simply are not on par; feel like they will fall apart any moment like the Ativ 9 plus, which is actually more expensive anyway.
- celebril 12y ago
  A second-hand Thinkpad.
  - tluyben2 12y ago
    Well which one? I like them and they are nice, but doesn't really compare to the air or the pro retina in handling. But maybe you have something in mind.
john2x 12y ago
Funny thing is, I can't find any laptop that's the same form factor as the Air that has a similar/better screen/RAM/CPU and with a price that doesn't include Apple's "premium". (I've been trying to find one for running Linux on for a few years now)
- tluyben2 12y ago
  Yeah that's what I meant with my comment although I think there is no 'premium'. Of course there is for them as they make insane profit, however, for consumer it's not really a premium as there is nothing comparable for that price. Twice as expensive you can get things but even then... If the Air 11 inch gains retina and around 5+ hours more battery life, it is the ultimate laptop and there is no reason for anything else in life :)
yread 12y ago
fire-prone battery? They seem to be as fire-prone as everybody else's http://www.zdnet.com/apple-macbook-battery-exploded-7000023425/ http://www.zdnet.com/apple-macbook-battery-exploded-70000234...
- phn 12y ago
  Maybe, but is the charger as durable? The construction as good? The colors on the screen as vivid? I am not trying to say apple is perfect, I am just trying to say that they show that bigger numbers do not correspond to a better product. And some of the things that DO make a better product are sometimes harder to quantify (will the laptop hinges squeak after a month of use?) As someone in this thread mentioned, getting a laptop with comparable build quality and specs as a mac will not be especially cheaper, even though everyone seems to think so.

matthewmacleod 12y ago

<sarcasm> Yeah, definitely. That's the only reason I spent extra money on a Macbook. I have a weird obsession with silhouettes of fruit. My decade of professional software development experience didn't even factor into it; I'm merely a slave to trends and popularity. </sarcasm> Apple's laptops are really, really good. They don't really target the lower end of the market; while they have relatively lower specs for some components, they also use pretty high-quality materials and design. The cost difference between a Macbook and a similarly-specced, similar-quality machine from another manufacturer is minimal. The tradeoff is higher in China, no doubt, due to the inflated price of Apple hardware relative to locally-produced examples. In any case, even if you argument made sense (it doesn't), Macs have been "more expensive" (they're not) than other manufacturer's offerings forever. What's changed now?

mcintyre1994 12y ago
I have a feeling the parent's post was a sarcastic quip on a similar sentence in the article. :)