Powerbook RIP OFF [Archive]

Elan0204

Aug 7, 2004, 05:18 PM

It is pretty nice looking for a Windows laptop, and has really good specs. Physically, the computer is a bit bigger and heavier, though:

The Asus is 1.3" thick compared to the PowerBook's 1.1".

The Asus weighs 7 pounds compared to the PowerBook's 5.7 pounds.

Although the difference in thickness probably is isn't that big a deal, the weight might be pretty significant to some.

Also, both computers "claim" battery life is 4.5 hours.

Timelessblur

Aug 7, 2004, 05:49 PM

I just love how mac using cry out and complain any time some one remotily copies one of there ideas but yet seem to get all defince when it point out the things mac copied and copies

Sabbath

Aug 7, 2004, 06:59 PM

It does seem remarkably similar, glowing logo and shape. The power button placement and design is similar, and the hinges look pretty damn similar just reversed in the PB design. Even the trackpad button looks like it is supposed to appear as one button.

Anyway probably not a bad laptop all round.

ravenvii

Aug 7, 2004, 07:25 PM

Guys, did you check the tour link? Wow! I love it. The book simulation, it's just so nifty! :)

As for the laptop, yeah it's really nice. If I'm in the market for a Windoze laptop, it'd be a hard decision between this one and the IBM ThinkPads..

Jalexster

Aug 7, 2004, 07:26 PM

W1N is powerful enough to handle the hottest DX9 titles such as Half Life 2 and FarCry.

Hmm, thats interesting, I didn't know they could test it with a game that isn't out yet...

Ergonomic 16:10 Widescreen LCD
The viewing angle of human eyesight is wider horizontally than vertically. W1N, with its 16 x 10 wide screen display, is more natural and comfortable to the human eye.

The widescreen design of the Apple Cinema Display line offers a natural format for arranging documents the way your brain processes them — longer wide than high.

Wow, ASUS has come up with a description of thier displays that hasn't been already said by anouther company.

Pathetic ASUS, just Pathetic.

Elan0204

Aug 7, 2004, 07:57 PM

Guys, did you check the tour link? Wow! I love it. The book simulation, it's just so nifty! :)

Yeah, I just checked that out. I love the page turning, it was very cool. Can anyone figure out how much this laptop costs?

edesignuk

Aug 7, 2004, 08:01 PM

Yeah, I just checked that out. I love the page turning, it was very cool. Can anyone figure out how much this laptop costs?£1999 I found a fully tricked out one for.

Nermal

Aug 7, 2004, 08:10 PM

Wow that's more than the 17" PowerBook :eek:

edesignuk

Aug 7, 2004, 08:12 PM

Wow that's more than the 17" PowerBook :eek:It's also faster and has a much better screen than the 17" PB.

virividox

Aug 7, 2004, 08:40 PM

thats a sweet looking laptop. but still runs windows. :)

but its got good styling

musicpyrite

Aug 7, 2004, 09:16 PM

I have to say that lap top is a total rip off of the PowerBook at it makes me question Asus.

But their mother boards are another story completly.
Once I have the funds, I will be purchasing Abit mother board instead of an Asus. Abits are way better for overclocking imho.

slughead

Aug 7, 2004, 09:34 PM

Hmm, thats interesting, I didn't know they could test it with a game that isn't out yet...

Actually http://www.hardocp.com did release the HL 2 requirements. They don't have to test it, they just have to say it meets the minimum.

Wow, ASUS has come up with a description of thier displays that hasn't been already said by anouther company.

So they use 16x9 displays? so what? it's a marketing scheme anyway to reduce the weight (16x9 are smaller per diagonal inch).

Christ I was at compusa today and I saw 3 laptops that were "thin" and 17 inch, and they all looked like that.

How else would you make a 17" laptop!?!

And finally, the backlit keyboard was in an http://alienware.com notebook way before Apple had it.

I agree that people copy apple, I just don't see it here.

Capt Underpants

Aug 7, 2004, 09:37 PM

Give me a break. There are only so many ways one can put a trackpad, keyboard, monitor, and computer in the form factor of a laptop.

" O mY Teh GoSh ThE NoTeBoOk A rIpOff oF MaC pOwErBoOk"

It's just another laptop...

themadchemist

Aug 7, 2004, 10:13 PM

I don't think it's that much of a rip-off. You know, just because something looks good, it doesn't mean it's a total rip-off from Apple. Apple laptops look good and so does this one. Yes, there are similarities, and Apple may have been the inspiration, but I don't think this is blatant ripping off. There are enough of differences to show that these guys took the idea in their own direction.

I'm not going to condemn them to fates worse than death for this. If we want to talk about ripping off from Apple, there are a lot better examples. <cough>Windows!</cough>

And remember, copying is ok as long as you make things better (or at least just the same). That's what Apple did to Xerox and I think that the Asus folks got as close as you can to doing that as possible, considering the incredible limitations of running Windows.

iris_failsafe

Aug 7, 2004, 10:24 PM

It has windows and not macintosh, therefore it doesn't have a soul therefore is just a dumb PC that will only cause you trouble and that you will never care for it :mad:

themadchemist

Aug 7, 2004, 10:36 PM

It has windows and not macintosh, therefore it doesn't have a soul therefore is just a dumb PC that will only cause you trouble and that you will never care for it :mad:

Had a history with this, huh? ;)

Anyway, I don't really think an Asus laptop is much by way of current events.

Earendil

Aug 7, 2004, 11:16 PM

I don't care about color. But they copied my Alum's Hinge perfectly. That is the best part about this laptop design IMHO. It's wonder no one thought of it first, but Apple did, and now suddenly everyone else is thinking of it too :rolleyes:

Tyler

Jalexster

Aug 7, 2004, 11:50 PM

So they use 16x9 displays? so what? it's a marketing scheme anyway to reduce the weight (16x9 are smaller per diagonal inch).

Christ I was at compusa today and I saw 3 laptops that were "thin" and 17 inch, and they all looked like that.

How else would you make a 17" laptop!?!

I was actully talking about how ASUS said that the screen size was more natural for the eyes. I'll quote again what I meant:

Ergonomic 16:10 Widescreen LCD
The viewing angle of human eyesight is wider horizontally than vertically. W1N, with its 16 x 10 wide screen display, is more natural and comfortable to the human eye.

The widescreen design of the Apple Cinema Display line offers a natural format for arranging documents the way your brain processes them — longer wide than high.

I bold'd the similar bits.

TDM21

Aug 8, 2004, 12:00 AM

you could think of this laptop a complement to Apple.

Counterfit

Aug 8, 2004, 12:24 AM

I've seen this before, and yet it still makes no sense to me.

Surround sound.

Built into a laptop.

Complete with subwoofer.

WHY?! :confused:

Jalexster

Aug 8, 2004, 01:01 AM

you could think of this laptop a complement to Apple.

The biggest form of flattery is copying someone else.

Thinks of Windows.

The biggest form of flattery is copying someone else. NOT.

Jalexster

Aug 8, 2004, 01:01 AM

I've seen this before, and yet it still makes no sense to me.

Surround sound.

Built into a laptop.

Complete with subwoofer.

WHY?! :confused:

Because it's made by a company that isn't Apple. And companies that aren't Apple or iRiver, are nuts.

JeffTL

Aug 8, 2004, 01:13 AM

Looks pretty good for a Windows (and hopefully Linux as well) laptop.

But you know what that means in plain English -- if it looks good and works well (and can run Windows) it'll cost at least as much as a Mac that can run OS X, if not more. I've seen quite a few overpriced Windows laptops in my day; there is no beating the iBook on value, though the PowerBook comes close :)

mr_mac

Aug 8, 2004, 01:57 AM

Sorta heavy for a 15"!!

7 pounds

and it does not have the same specs as the powerbook.

Mrmac

Abstract

Aug 8, 2004, 02:51 AM

Christ I was at compusa today and I saw 3 laptops that were "thin" and 17 inch, and they all looked like that.

How else would you make a 17" laptop!?!

And finally, the backlit keyboard was in an http://alienware.com notebook way before Apple had it.

Give me a break. There are only so many ways one can put a trackpad, keyboard, monitor, and computer in the form factor of a laptop.

" O mY Teh GoSh ThE NoTeBoOk A rIpOff oF MaC pOwErBoOk"

It's just another laptop...
I don't think it's that much of a rip-off. You know, just because something looks good, it doesn't mean it's a total rip-off from Apple. Apple laptops look good and so does this one. Yes, there are similarities, and Apple may have been the inspiration, but I don't think this is blatant ripping off. There are enough of differences to show that these guys took the idea in their own direction.

You are the only 3 gentleman who have any sense. :o

How many other ways are there to make a laptop? Yes, they mention that the widescreen is more natural to look at, as well as providing room for 2 documents side-by-side. Big deal. That's the benefit of having the widescreen on a laptop to begin with. Apple didn't think this up --- the manufacturer and R&D people who made the first widescreen for laptops did. Apple used them in their laptops either because they had the same idea, or they were pitched this idea.

This laptop is beautiful. Actually, its nicer than either the 15" or 17" Powerbooks. I was never a fan of the speakers beside the keyboard. It doesn't look good the way it's designed. The hinge is similar though. Well, not the hinge, but the way the LCD drops below the keyboard at the back.

Like Apple users say: Everyone else tried, but it took Asus to come along and do it right. ;)

Counterfit

Aug 8, 2004, 03:14 AM

Because it's made by a company that isn't Apple. And companies that aren't Apple or iRiver, are nuts. Is that sarcastic or not? I can't tell... :confused:

Anyways, I couldn't imagine it sounding even halfway decent. I would hope that it has some sort of digital audio-out...

gekko513

Aug 8, 2004, 01:20 PM

It just looks like a regular laptop with a metal case and a big screen to me. They all look that way.. Or perhaps I just don't "see" it.
Recent laptops have started to look that way.

But two years ago, before I discovered Apple. I used to think of Laptops as the ones Dell made at the time (plastic, big, bulky and with lots of strange curves, edges and things that could fall off or be knocked out of place) and IBM thinkpads which looked like a landing vessel.

I actually thought my Dell looked OK until I saw a PowerBook. Now I own a PowerBook and just recently the new Dell laptops and most new PC laptops are starting to follow the trend.

This is the way I see it, but I, being just a consumer, see only part of the picture i suppose.

Nspace

Aug 8, 2004, 02:56 PM

It is indeed a very nice laptop I agree. I don't really think it is a rip-off either. Okay maybe the backlit logo but as other said theres only so many ways to design the overall look of the laptop, size of the screen, and placement of the touchpad.

Counterfit is right though, how do you acheive surround sound in a laptop!? Unless little arms pop out of the side and suspend speakers behind me, I am not buying into surround sound on a laptop.

I am sure Apple will make something even thinner and lighter for the PBG5 and blow us away again. More importantly I think Apple needs to step it up a notch with the resolutions the screens support.

macsrus

Aug 8, 2004, 03:21 PM

Had a history with this, huh? ;)

Anyway, I don't really think an Asus laptop is much by way of current events.

I agree but I couldnt seem to start a new thread anywhere else...

Some people here seem to think I was dogging ASUS when I called their new laptop a PB rip off...
But I really do like their new machine....
And If I was in the market for a new PC laptop I would give it a serious look

Earendil

Aug 8, 2004, 03:43 PM

I am sure Apple will make something even thinner and lighter for the PBG5 and blow us away again. .

No pun intended I hope :o

Tyler

Counterfit

Aug 9, 2004, 02:55 AM

ICounterfit is right Get used to that pharse! :D

the future

Aug 9, 2004, 03:40 AM

Ok for a PC laptop, I guess, but nowhere near as slick as a PowerBook. The grey (?) display frame just looks weird. Thicker, heavier, useless LEDs. No DVI port. Yawn.

thejazzman10

Aug 9, 2004, 10:45 AM

too all the copycats: Get An iLife!!! :D

rueyeet

Aug 9, 2004, 03:52 PM

It didn't take long after the success of the TiBook that other manufacturers stopped aping IBM's black bricks (admittedly some of the best-built PCs on the Wintel side, if not exactly stylish) and started imitating the Powerbook's silver enclosure instead. I think Gateway was actually one of the first to put out a notebook along the lines of the Powerbook's styling.

Some of it also parallels the transition from black to silver in consumer electronics...ever notice that stereos, TV's, VCR's, and DVD players stopped being black a couple years ago, and are now all silver?

Asus isn't a shameless copycat so much as they're just hopping the same bandwagon as others. Even PC Magazine's back-to-school guide (the same one that has the 12" iBook as one of the the editor's choices) notes that several manufacturers have adopted the Powerbook's looks.

Nspace

Aug 10, 2004, 12:12 AM

No pun intended I hope :o

Tyler

nO I was serious. They have built the G4 Powerbooks so nicely, I can only imagine the future designs for their notebooks to get even better.

absolut_mac

Aug 10, 2004, 01:32 AM

That actually looks really nice. 1.7GHz P-M (Centrino = great battery life, great performance), WSXGA screen.

My experience with Centrino's has NOT been a happy one.

Reduced L1 and L2 cache = reduced price and performance - even if it does extend battery life, who cares.

That's like saying that a 50 HP single stroke engine will get you 200MPG, at 15MPH as long as you weigh under 40 pounds!

I even remember PC Mag lambasting Intel for their latest Centrino chip about a year ago because in order to hold costs and power consumption down, they emasculated it so badly that it was almost less than useless :(

Abstract

Aug 10, 2004, 02:03 AM

Well in terms of performance, its still a gem, right? Well, its better than the other cpus used in laptops right now.

absolut_mac

Aug 10, 2004, 02:46 AM

Well in terms of performance, its still a gem, right? Well, its better than the other cpus used in laptops right now.

IMHO the G4 is better. While it may open MS Word a little slower, and run other tasks slower too, it will definitely handle the multi-tasking much better.

It will also crash much less often too.

In other words, get a Mac with a G4 if you want less aggravation and more production :)

jxyama

Aug 10, 2004, 02:42 PM

It will also crash much less often too.

um, CPUs don't "crash" unless you are talking about overheating.

Macs with G4s "crash" less often because of OS X, you mean?

edesignuk

Aug 10, 2004, 02:47 PM

My experience with Centrino's has NOT been a happy one.

Reduced L1 and L2 cache = reduced price and performance - even if it does extend battery life, who cares.What are you talking about? They have 1MB L2 cache, more than (most) Intel desktop processors, and that is where some of the Centrinos extra power comes from :rolleyes:

jxyama

Aug 10, 2004, 03:01 PM

What are you talking about? They have 1MB L2 cache, more than (most) Intel desktop processors, and that is where some of the Centrinos extra power comes from :rolleyes:

perhaps the prev. guy is mistaking centrino from celeron?

i was also under the impression centrinos are quite good chips and that celerons are the dumbed down stuff.

MorganX

Aug 10, 2004, 03:04 PM

IMHO the G4 is better. While it may open MS Word a little slower, and run other tasks slower too, it will definitely handle the multi-tasking much better.

It will also crash much less often too.

In other words, get a Mac with a G4 if you want less aggravation and more production :)

Maybe you're thinking of Celeron. Centrinos outperform desktop P4s. A 2Ghz Centrino kicks dust in the face of a 3.4EE P4. Maybe that's why Intel isn't churning out masses of them and keeping the price, HIGH. THat is until they move the Centrino core to the Desktop or produce dual core P4s. Bastards.

edesignuk

Aug 10, 2004, 03:06 PM

perhaps the prev. guy is mistaking centrino from celeron?

i was also under the impression centrinos are quite good chips and that celerons are the dumbed down stuff.He must be, the Celeron is a piece of crap, but the Centrino tech is great!

absolut_mac

Aug 10, 2004, 05:38 PM

um, CPUs don't "crash" unless you are talking about overheating.

Macs with G4s "crash" less often because of OS X, you mean?

Sorry, I meant the Celeron, not the Centrino :rolleyes:

As for CPU's causing the system to crash, I can't pretend to understand why, but when I originally got into computers, my first major uprgrade was from the garbage Celeron to a P4. Nothing else changed, and my system crashed considerably less frequently.

IMHO, for whatever reason, when the CPU is called upon to handle more than it can, it usually crashes. That has been my experience. When my system runs out of memory, it usually freezes, but doesn't crash.

Sorry about the CPU confusion there :D

rinseout

Aug 10, 2004, 06:54 PM

um, CPUs don't "crash" unless you are talking about overheating.

um, sometimes they do. (http://www.x86.org/errata/dec97/f00fbug.htm)

kasei

Aug 10, 2004, 09:14 PM

If you think that is a rip off take a look at this one:

http://www.go-l.com/laptops/hollywood_gold/features/index.htm

It is actually a pretty cool system with built in web cam

ravenvii

Aug 11, 2004, 02:25 PM

Actually, I think L (the site linked above) is a scam operation... I, personally, have never, ever seen a person who actually possesses a L computer, nor any reviews of it.

kasei

Aug 18, 2004, 04:08 AM

Actually, I think L (the site linked above) is a scam operation... I, personally, have never, ever seen a person who actually possesses a L computer, nor any reviews of it.

Good point. I had a friend who tried to buy one of the 17" laptops from go-l.com and the sales guys was completely not into selling the system. I talked him out of it and he eventually bought a Power Mac G4. L was suppose to open a store in Beverly Hills, but that never happened. We tried to visit their warehouse in Marina del Rey but they were closed. I have never seen one on the street and I am curious to see how well they work, if the exist. For the price you could buy two 17" Powerbooks.

JeffTL

Aug 18, 2004, 01:37 PM

I am personally convinced that Liebermann is either a hoax or covert activism and/or advertising for either Dell or Apple. Anyone who'd consider an L would probably either be deterred by a "salesman" or realize the price is too high and go with a Dell, Apple, or Alienware computer.

Their website is a complete ripoff of Apple's -- a sign of a hoax.

kasei

Aug 18, 2004, 03:07 PM

That is what I thought. I am still going to visit their warehouse just see if they really have these sytems. I will post on here what I find.

Dr. Dastardly

Aug 19, 2004, 01:16 AM

macsrus

Aug 21, 2004, 10:21 PM

Jeese that website has a bunch of useless eye candy and 14 million links. I don't think that they are a hoax, just overpriced laptops. Whats so sad is all that state of the art hardware and it still uses Winblows XP.

What other OS is there for it to use.....
Linux is great... But sucks on the desktop...
OS X is great but is Mac only...

So your only choice is Windows...