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Up-to-date alternatives to 11in MacBook Air?
- Thread starter mkrndll
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Very useful experience. Thank you!
Thank you. The Vaio's look like a nice option indeed. I have looked at their current offering and I would say the Duo 11 with the extended battery would fit best. Does anyone have direct experience with it?
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Only i5 option for the processor, max at 4Gb RAM, less storage, more expensive.
Extremely useful. You worked hard on that post. I agree on the XPS being the most similar option to the 13" Air, it is a nearly exact copy in terms of hardware and a very sensible choice if OS-agnostic. For my objectives though, it is a bit too bulky, and I don't see an equivalent to the 11" Air. (Their 12" hybrid offering weighs 50% more than the 11" Air)
I have tried it, but the constraints of iOS (no real multi-tasking, lack of direct hdd access, extremely closed OS, etc) and the limited software offering made everything more cumbersome and time-intensive.
Do you use that combo or know of anyone who does? If so, I would love to read about the experience. So far, I have learnt that my ageing 11" Air is better than the iPad 3 + keyboard.
To tell the truth it still works fine, I had saved the money for something else that is not going to happen and the next thing in my list was upgrading it. It is my main workstation and I will enjoy the performance update for sure. Also, the 64Gb hard drive has become a hard limitation. If I upgrade, I will get the top option this time.
Yes, I have a desktop (Mac Mini) for my media. It's actually just hooked up to the TV.
I use the full size iPad for my work machine, and the iPad mini as my 'consumption' device (Reading, videos, netflix)
Any questions I can answer, just ask.
Let me explain why I did not like my Asus 13 incher compared to my old MBA:
-you get the same old crapware as usual. A clean install is a must
-the fan behaviour is ridiculous. Apple's always-on @ 2000rpm solution is MUCH better. If you use the notebook fan control tool, it will actually get too hot.
-the screen had backbleeding and the brightness would change often when you rightclick with the touchpad.
-the touchpad itself is hopeless. Forget 2-Finger scroll. Often left or right click wouldn't register. It lacks precision and I found it really annoying.
-sleep mode was unreliable as with every other Wintel Laptops. I left the Zenbook in the pouch in standby mode once and 8 hours later it was hot to the touch and probably failed to switch to hibernate. I made hibernate default after that, wich is lovely for a laptop and when combined with ssd.
The rest was ok I guess
-you get the same old crapware as usual. A clean install is a must
-the fan behaviour is ridiculous. Apple's always-on @ 2000rpm solution is MUCH better. If you use the notebook fan control tool, it will actually get too hot.
-the screen had backbleeding and the brightness would change often when you rightclick with the touchpad.
-the touchpad itself is hopeless. Forget 2-Finger scroll. Often left or right click wouldn't register. It lacks precision and I found it really annoying.
-sleep mode was unreliable as with every other Wintel Laptops. I left the Zenbook in the pouch in standby mode once and 8 hours later it was hot to the touch and probably failed to switch to hibernate. I made hibernate default after that, wich is lovely for a laptop and when combined with ssd.
The rest was ok I guess
Some new alternatives : Acer Aspire S7 with Haswell, Asus Zenbook Infinity, Dell XPS 11. It is pretty clear competition have caught up in terms of hardware.
Apple better have something good up their sleeves on WWDC 2013.
Apple better have something good up their sleeves on WWDC 2013.
These three machines are looking particularly good. My mouth is just salivating. If the MBA doesn't get an update, it will be clearly left behind. But then, we must first see these new laptops in person as they may not live up to the hype. The MBA is a good machine on all respects, and these three contenders may lack something as a good keyboard or trackpad. But if Asus, Dell or Acer managed to have some good ergonomics, then I guess they will leave the MBA behind.
If you want an ultrabook that runs OSX, there are only 2 alternatives, MBA11 and MBA13.
Looking at Windows based ultrabooks is not being thorough.
Let me bring you up to speed. These are what I would call high-end Ultrabooks that are the best you can probably buy:
Sony Pro 11 & 13
http://store.sony.com/c/Pro-Series-Notebooks/en/c/S_PRO_SERIES_PAGE
Samsung Series 9
http://www.samsung.com/us/topic/pushing-the-envelope
ThinkPad X1 Carbon
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/x-series/x1-carbon/
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/x-series/x1-carbon-touch/
There's dozens more coming. This is out later in the year:
http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/03/asus-zenbook-infinity-gorilla-glass-3/
You can buy most of the above for less than the current MacBook Air range and every single one of them is far more advanced than the current MacBook Air models.
Perhaps in a few hours Apple can show us if they are able to compete?
I know it's also about software and OS X has been miles behind Windows since Windows 7 launched.
To repeat what I said above, perhaps in a few hours Apple can show us if they are able to compete?
Apple IS competing, and has been competing, with the only combination that makes sense, i.e., hardware AND software
OSX is magnificent and I prefer it to Windows, but Windows is a good and perfectly useful OS too. I am more interested in responsiveness, portability (mostly lightness) and battery life.
With the new update promising 9h battery life, I'm sold as long as the weight stays the same.
Weight is the same
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All of those PCs were more expensive than a Macbook Air with similar specs and some were more expensive than a Macbook Air with superior specs.
OP checkout Samsung's offerings, ex. ATIV Book 7 or Ativ Book 9. Also, dont forget Asus Zenbook line - they're pretty good too.
These ultrabooks have:
1080p / 900p IPS displays with a lot higher brightness
Touch panels (selected models)
Aluminum bodies, good-quality keyboards
Similar battery life
Better gaming performance (well, since they run Windows and DirectX)
Lower price
If you have money, consider Zenbook Infinity - very nice laptop, imho.
These ultrabooks have:
1080p / 900p IPS displays with a lot higher brightness
Touch panels (selected models)
Aluminum bodies, good-quality keyboards
Similar battery life
Better gaming performance (well, since they run Windows and DirectX)
Lower price
If you have money, consider Zenbook Infinity - very nice laptop, imho.