Love Macbooks but need one PC ultrabook

MacBook Air w/ Bootcamp?

You could always go with a MacBook Air running running Bootcamp.

Tritons said:

Hei
So I recently bought 2011 Macbook Air and since my mom saw it she loves it and want one too, but for her work she needs Windows PC.
Which one of all those ultrabooks is closest to Macbook Air looking at performance, build quality and battery?

I was looking on Samsung Series 9 13''. Do you think it's good choice?

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Like another person said use bootcamp otherwise check out the Asus Zenbook or the Dell XPS 13 ultra book
These look a lot like (and are copies of) MBA which your mother would probably like. Samsung Series 9 is more expensive than these options I believe

HP Folio or Samsung Series 5 may also be options. The Series 5 is less expensive that the Series 9.

Hi, I also need to access Windows due to my job. I've been using VMWare Fusion on my MBP to run Windows, and it's been great! I would recommend exploring that as an option before investing in a PC computer that you really don't want.

Panch0 said:

HP Folio or Samsung Series 5 may also be options. The Series 5 is less expensive that the Series 9.

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Yeah the Samsung 9 is rediculously priced unless you want to go for the first gen which is at $999 or maybe lower, depends on where you look and the condition of it.

If money is no issue, I'd go with the new Samsung Series 9.

Samsung Series 3

I have purchased both the Series 9 and the Series 3 from Samsung for various clients. I am not sure as to the status of the Series 3 but it was actually more portable than the Series 9 with the same i5 processor and larger non-ssd hard drive. My clients loved it. Here is what I am referring to:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834131248

They also had a model with the i3 processor and slower GPU -- I would stay away from that on.

installing windows 7 on mba is pretty easy. I installed it on my mba and it works just as well, if not better, as other windows laptop. Only problem is the keyboard shortcuts that your mum might be used to while using windows keyboard.

Since your mum loves the mba, i don't think any other ultra book in the market can match the looks of the mba. Well the samsung series 9 does look pretty good too.

Tritons said:

In this case money isn't issue.
Since my mother needs something really portable and based on windows I think it would be better to buy something that is designed for windows.
I live in Latvia and new Samsung Series 9 is not available here yet as well as Dell and Asus ultabooks. I think I'll wait till new Samsung Series 9 will be available in Latvia or do you have better idea.

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The MBA runs Windows better than most other laptops out there.

I'm not saying to do this, just adding to zboater's post:
http://www.theverge.com/2012/2/10/2...ndows-7-review-the-ultrabook-to-rule-them-all

(p.s. I boot camp and run both OSX and Windows 7)

Tritons said:

Hei
So I recently bought 2011 Macbook Air and since my mom saw it she loves it and want one too, but for her work she needs Windows PC.
Which one of all those ultrabooks is closest to Macbook Air looking at performance, build quality and battery?

I was looking on Samsung Series 9 13''. Do you think it's good choice?

Click to expand...

+1 for just getting an MBA and either bootcamping Windows or virtualizing it along side Lion. I virtualize Windows 7 Ultimate on my 2011 13in MBA with Virtualbox (free) along side Lion for the multitude of Windows apps I need access to for my classes/research/etc and it works flawlessly. It operates much faster and is indeed more stable than any previous Windows laptop I've had (my last one was a super expensive Sony Z). I can't even imagine how amazing it'd run if I actually used Bootcamp

KylePowers said:

+1 for just getting an MBA and either bootcamping Windows or virtualizing it along side Lion. I virtualize Windows 7 Ultimate on my 2011 13in MBA with Virtualbox (free) along side Lion for the multitude of Windows apps I need access to for my classes/research/etc and it works flawlessly. It operates much faster and is indeed more stable than any previous Windows laptop I've had (my last one was a super expensive Sony Z). I can't even imagine how amazing it'd run if I actually used Bootcamp

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does it not lag?

i tried on my early 2010 MBP (it was a C2D with 4gb ram) and used parallel to virtualize windows 7 ultimate. it was so lag i can barely do anything with it. gave up virtualizing and went bootcamp instead.

I have a 2010 MBP and run W7 64 bit boot camped and I love it. I don't know about parallels sorry. I run it to where I can come up in Lion and/or W7. It's one or the other. This MBP makes a fantastic windows machine. Scores a 5.9 on the performance test. Anyways, my .02. Take care.

Asus Zenbook is the closest thing to the air with build quality to match. Samsung series 9 is junk compared to either the air or the asus. Flimsy design and a **** screen.

zzLZHzz said:

does it not lag?

i tried on my early 2010 MBP (it was a C2D with 4gb ram) and used parallel to virtualize windows 7 ultimate. it was so lag i can barely do anything with it. gave up virtualizing and went bootcamp instead.

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Nope, no lag for me. Did you have an SSD? I think that probably makes a significant difference, especially since I only gave it access to two cores and 2GB of RAM. A Sandy Bridge CPU probably helps a lot too, but I'd still say the SSD is key.

EDIT- Also, I haven't had much success with Parallels. I didn't like it the one time I tried it, so that could be the culprit too.

I would go for a MBA using Bootcamp too. It's hard to find a Windows laptop that has all 3 of the following:

- Good battery life
- A good keyboard
- A good trackpad

Where as every MacBook in the last 4-5 years has nailed this. Although admittedly the 2011 11" MBA is a little bit disappointing in the battery life department.

It's a little bit expensive to 'just' run Windows but I'd say it's worth it, never underestimate how good the MacBook trackpads are! I hate using 99% of Windows laptops.

"Thanks to the ZenBook, I'm no longer recommending MacBooks"

http://www.osnews.com/story/25746/Thanks_to_the_ZenBook_I_m_no_longer_recommending_MacBooks

tom vilsack said:

"Thanks to the ZenBook, I'm no longer recommending MacBooks"

http://www.osnews.com/story/25746/Thanks_to_the_ZenBook_I_m_no_longer_recommending_MacBooks

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It's not quite up to Apple standards in all areas, though; the keyboard is slightly less pleasant to type on, and the touchpad, while quite good with the latest drivers, is simply still not up to the exquisite quality of Apple's (a Windows 7 issue, actually, since the exact same drivers on Windows 8 deliver an Apple-quality experience).

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I know it's just my opinion but forget the CPU speed and the graphics chip, go for the laptop with the quality keyboard and trackpad, that's what's really important. I'm not against Windows or their laptops (love 7 on desktop) but they really need to get a clue and start including quality trackpads. Maybe somebody will get it right with Windows 8, I won't hold my breath.

I think the Dell XPS 13 is the perfect MacBook Air clone.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1331418/

Tritons said:

Ok, if my mother will be ok to lose tab and cntr shortcuts I'll get her Macbook Air, if not Samsung Series 9

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Both those buttons are still on the keyboard lol

Right now the Dell XPS 13 and Asus Zenbook have the best reviews. I was in the market for a Windows Ultrabook but all of them seem to be lacking that the MBA offers (backlight keyboard, screen rez, quality trackpad, etc.) so I ended up with a 13 MBA 128 GB.

If I had to get a Windows ultrabook, I would choose one of the above based on reviews. Personally, if I had to have Windows I would not go with a MBA with a Windows partition... I would rather stick with hardware made for Windows. I used to bootcamp my MBP for college and it worked very well but something about just running an Apple laptop on Windows with no use ever for OS X just doesn't sit right with me. Just my personal opinion though, I know from experience Windows runs well on Apple hardware.

The simple answer is - there are no alternatives for the macbook air. you can forget every computer that people named here. No one can reach the quality of a macbook air. Windows runs perfectly on this machine, you just don't get the crappy windows logo on the keyboard.