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Gav2k

macrumors G3
Original poster
Jul 24, 2009
9,216
1,608
Have a read....

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/asus-zenbook-ux305-1264384/review
 

noobinator

macrumors 604
Jun 19, 2009
7,228
6,793
Los Angeles, CA
This is the only bad part I saw:

"While I had an excellent overall experience with the UX305, once the laptop digs into its reserve battery tank, the Intel Core M chip performance suddenly plummets. It's a problem you'll likely never run into until after 5 hours of usage, but was a huge annoyance when I struggled to even draft a single email as the laptop slowed to a crawl."
 

mcnallym

macrumors 65816
Oct 28, 2008
1,181
911
OK so when running into the last part of the battery and you want to start thinking about plugging into a charger it slows the processor down to conserve battery power.

Really not worth worrying about.
 

pasadena

macrumors 6502a
Sep 12, 2012
828
185
Seattle, WA
This is the only bad part I saw:

"While I had an excellent overall experience with the UX305, once the laptop digs into its reserve battery tank, the Intel Core M chip performance suddenly plummets. It's a problem you'll likely never run into until after 5 hours of usage, but was a huge annoyance when I struggled to even draft a single email as the laptop slowed to a crawl."

That's likely a manufacturer choice, to put everything down to a minimum in order to save those last few minutes of battery usage.
 

spaceballl

macrumors 68030
Nov 2, 2003
2,892
285
San Francisco, CA

iRun26.2

macrumors 68020
Aug 15, 2010
2,123
345
Here is another review that has benchmarks. Aluminum build, its fanless as well, larger display, higher resolution (QHD+ model) and multiple ports, still cheaper then the Macbook. This thing is a far better value.

http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/asus-zenbook-ux305

It's over 25% (6/10lb) heavier and it doesn't have a backlit keyboard.

And then there is Windows...yuck! :)

When I buy Apple, I don't care about value. I want an uncompromising product. The rMB is just that: Utmost portability first.

I look forward to picking up the new rMB for the first time and noticing that it is, amazingly, not as heavy as my 11" MBA.

(By the way, does anyone know how bright (nits) the rMB screen is?)
 
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dexterbell

macrumors 6502a
Jan 29, 2015
855
16
It's over 25% (6/10lb) heavier and it doesn't have a backlit keyboard.

Huh? Its only 2.64 pounds and its thinner than the Macbook at the rear. Its only $699, so I can forgive it not having a backlit keyboard. Most people turn theirs way down or off to save battery life anyways. I was typing on my MBA last night in a totally dark room with my keyboard light off, you can see the keys just fine from the light of the screen.

----------

When I buy Apple, I don't care about value.

That pretty sad actually.
 

Theophil1971

macrumors 6502
Mar 20, 2015
412
176
USA
It's over 25% (6/10lb) heavier and it doesn't have a backlit keyboard.

When I buy Apple, I don't care about value. I want an uncompromising product. The rMB is just that: Utmost portability first.

And it's still Windows...yuck! :)

Exactly. It's kind of like dining. In restaurants. I can go to MacDonalds and get a cheeseburger for a few bucks. I can go to Chilis and get a cheeseburger for more bucks. And I can go to a nicer restaurant and pay quite a few more dollars for a cheeseburger. Now, the nicer the restaurant, the better the quality of the burger, ostensibly. But that's not all I'm paying for in my premium price. I'm also paying for service, ambiance, and overall experience. Same with a car. Same with Apple computers. They're botique. They're BMW compared to Honda or Toyota. They're Cheesecake Factory compared to Chilis and MacDonalds. They're not Ferrari. They're not Tavern on the Green. But they represent a more quality experience than your average vendor. Ya, you can get a burger most places. But some people are willing to pay a premium for higher quality materials and a better end-to-end experience than anything in the Windows world has to offer. It ain't for everyone. Some people will never be willing to blow $200 to eat at a fancier place when they can grab burgers at Applebee's for $40. Many people will never throw down $100k for an Audi or Mercedes when they can get a well equipped Honda for $25k. Others will stick to the $10k- $15k subcompact lineup, arguing that a car is a car, and that as long is it gets you from point A to point B, why shouldn't you pay as little as possible? For them, there is Dell and Asus, and any number of Windows machines. For people who are willing to pay more for a better computing experience (in their perspectives), Apple is the go-to choice.

In my opinion, none of these camps ought to look down on the others in prideful disdain. To each his own. I eat at a spectrum of restaraunts, from Chilis to fine dining. I drive a nicer car, but not a luxury car. I shop Apple, not Dell or Acer or Lenovo. And I have friends who do the opposite. I meet them for lunch at McDonalds, and catch rides in their Chevy compacts, and refrain from belittling them for using PCs instead of Macs. In return, they respect me and my choices, and refrain from treating me with pettiness and jealousy over my more-expensive laptop and car, because they know better than to stake self-worth to material and fiscal things. I don't care how much they make, or what kinds of things they buy. They don't care either. We hang. Period.
 

Mr. Buzzcut

macrumors 65816
Jul 25, 2011
1,037
488
Ohio
It's over 25% (6/10lb) heavier and it doesn't have a backlit keyboard.

And then there is Windows...yuck! :)

When I buy Apple, I don't care about value. I want an uncompromising product. The rMB is just that: Utmost portability first.

I look forward to picking up the new rMB for the first time and noticing that it is, amazingly, not as heavy as my 11" MBA.

(By the way, does anyone know how bright (nits) the rMB screen is?)

Sorry, the MB is a compromise. Performance for portability.

I don't think the product is necessarily a bad value. I reserve that judgement for when I can try it out. But I'm saddened to hear people don't demand value out of Apple's products. This ultimately means I pay more and get less.

----------

Exactly. It's kind of like dining. In restaurants. I can go to MacDonalds and get a cheeseburger for a few bucks. I can go to Chilis and get a cheeseburger for more bucks. And I can go to a nicer restaurant and pay quite a few more dollars for a cheeseburger. Now, the nicer the restaurant, the better the quality of the burger, ostensibly. But that's not all I'm paying for in my premium price. I'm also paying for service, ambiance, and overall experience. Same with a car. Same with Apple computers. They're botique. They're BMW compared to Honda or Toyota. They're Cheesecake Factory compared to Chilis and MacDonalds. They're not Ferrari. They're not Tavern on the Green. But they represent a more quality experience than your average vendor. Ya, you can get a burger most places. But some people are willing to pay a premium for higher quality materials and a better end-to-end experience than anything in the Windows world has to offer. It ain't for everyone. Some people will never be willing to blow $200 to eat at a fancier place when they can grab burgers at Applebee's for $40. Many people will never throw down $100k for an Audi or Mercedes when they can get a well equipped Honda for $25k. Others will stick to the $10k- $15k subcompact lineup, arguing that a car is a car, and that as long is it gets you from point A to point B, why shouldn't you pay as little as possible? For them, there is Dell and Asus, and any number of Windows machines. For people who are willing to pay more for a better computing experience (in their perspectives), Apple is the go-to choice.

In my opinion, none of these camps ought to look down on the others in prideful disdain. To each his own. I eat at a spectrum of restaraunts, from Chilis to fine dining. I drive a nicer car, but not a luxury car. I shop Apple, not Dell or Acer or Lenovo. And I have friends who do the opposite. I meet them for lunch at McDonalds, and catch rides in their Chevy compacts, and refrain from belittling them for using PCs instead of Macs. In return, they respect me and my choices, and refrain from treating me with pettiness and jealousy over my more-expensive laptop and car, because they know better than to stake self-worth to material and fiscal things. I don't care how much they make, or what kinds of things they buy. They don't care either. We hang. Period.

So noble of you to hang with "them." You try to draw parallels to the MB but just come off as arrogant. You clearly base self worth on wealth. Of course the lesser class should not do the same so as to not be disappointed. Eck! What kind of person would belittle someone for using a PC anyway? This whole tirade is just ridiculous. Period.
 

Serban

Suspended
Jan 8, 2013
5,159
928
Huh? Its only 2.64 pounds and its thinner than the Macbook at the rear. Its only $699, so I can forgive it not having a backlit keyboard. Most people turn theirs way down or off to save battery life anyways. I was typing on my MBA last night in a totally dark room with my keyboard light off, you can see the keys just fine from the light of the screen.

----------



That pretty sad actually.

Why is sad? because he buy a laptop that he needs and love and money are not a problem? Get real
 

iRun26.2

macrumors 68020
Aug 15, 2010
2,123
345
Sorry, the MB is a compromise. Performance for portability.

I don't think the product is necessarily a bad value. I reserve that judgement for when I can try it out. But I'm saddened to hear people don't demand value out of Apple's products. This ultimately means I pay more and get less.

I guess I didn't use proper language in my post. I did a poor job of explaining myself.

I should have said that I do value what Apple did with the rMB. I am perfectly willing to pay a lot of money for a computer that has been optimized for less weight and thinness. Some people may think that there is not value in the new rMB becwuse it costs so much for the performance one gets. I don't care about that value of performance. I love the way Apple went out of their way to produce the computer I want to buy.

I look at it as being uncompromized with regard to size and weight: Apple let nothing interfere with their goal of making it thin and lite. They could have compromised on the processing power saying a Core M processor was just to weak but instead they decided that a fan-less computer was worth it because it made the computer smaller. I love how they compromised many parts of the design so they could reduce the weight and make it thin.

Good job Apple, I am impressed!
 

noobinator

macrumors 604
Jun 19, 2009
7,228
6,793
Los Angeles, CA
Some of you don't realize how much R&D goes into a new product. I doubt their profit margins on the new rMB are any higher than the other MBs. They pay to bring us sleek & shiny new toys and we pay to buy them. If you want something not as sleek or shiny but more powerful, pass this up and buy a MBP.

I'd say about 95% or more of the people buying MBPs for the power could use a rMB and not suffer. Some want specs and some want sleek and shiny but usable. I want the latter.
 

iRun26.2

macrumors 68020
Aug 15, 2010
2,123
345
Some of you don't realize how much R&D goes into a new product. I doubt their profit margins on the new rMB are any higher than the other MBs. They pay to bring us sleek & shiny new toys and we pay to buy them. If you want something not as sleek or shiny but more powerful, pass this up and buy a MBP.

I'd say about 95% or more of the people buying MBPs for the power could use a rMB and not suffer. Some want specs and some want sleek and shiny but usable. I want the latter.

Exactly!

Don't people realize how much it takes to:
1) Design new battery enclosures
2) Design a new keyboard mechanism
3) Design a fan-less heat transfer system
4) Design an ultra-thin display

These are not simple things! Why should Apple not charge more money for their new design?

In my line of work, the top priority is to make my product smaller. We have customers who are willing to pay large sums of money to get something that is more compact. I know how smaller components are more expensive. It's just the way it works. I can appreciate the thought that went into all steps used to make the new rMB
 
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Serban

Suspended
Jan 8, 2013
5,159
928
Getting real is about thinking: what your pay and for what. Rationality in this case has nothing to do with how much money do you have.

For him and for me , money is not a problem. So why not pay for a thing that we love and use? Why it must be sad for us?? :D:D
 

Mr. Buzzcut

macrumors 65816
Jul 25, 2011
1,037
488
Ohio
Sorry, the MB is a compromise. Performance for portability.

I don't think the product is necessarily a bad value. I reserve that judgement for when I can try it out. But I'm saddened to hear people don't demand value out of Apple's products. This ultimately means I pay more and get less.

I guess I didn't use proper language in my post. I did a poor job of explaining myself.

I should have said that I do value what Apple did with the rMB. I am perfectly willing to pay a lot of money for a computer that has been optimized for less weight and thinness. Some people may think that there is not value in the new rMB becwuse it costs so much for the performance one gets. I don't care about that value of performance. I love the way Apple went out of their way to produce the computer I want to buy.

I look at it as being uncompromized with regard to size and weight: Apple let nothing interfere with their goal of making it thin and lite. They could have compromised on the processing power saying a Core M processor was just to weak but instead they decided that a fan-less computer was worth it because it made the computer smaller. I love how they compromised many parts of the design so they could reduce the weight and make it thin.

Good job Apple, I am impressed!


Ah, that makes sense. We both understand what they created. If it performs well it will be a huge achievement.
 

pasadena

macrumors 6502a
Sep 12, 2012
828
185
Seattle, WA
It should not be sad at all. It is good to see Members who like the new rMB that meets their needs and they are eagerly waiting for it.
Rationality is different for all of us.

I won't pretend it's a good financial decision. A good one for me would be to keep my MBA. Second best would be to get a new MBA. However, it's not jeopardizing my finances either, and I have the money saved up for it.

Let people be sad for me, I'm not and I seriously don't care. Some people have $80K cars (with loans) or CC debt, which I personally find stupid too. And they don't care what I think. And they shouldn't.

To each his/her own.
 

Ulenspiegel

macrumors 68040
Nov 8, 2014
3,212
2,486
Land of Flanders and Elsewhere
I won't pretend it's a good financial decision. A good one for me would be to keep my MBA. Second best would be to get a new MBA. However, it's not jeopardizing my finances either, and I have the money saved up for it.

Let people be sad for me, I'm not and I seriously don't care. Some people have $80K cars (with loans) or CC debt, which I personally find stupid too. And they don't care what I think. And they shouldn't.

To each his/her own.

Fair enough. As I said "ratio decidendi" is different in case of all of us.
 

macmotive

macrumors newbie
Mar 3, 2015
15
1
Los Angeles
this is a machine for people that already have real computers and need a convenient way to get work done on the road when the mac/macbook pro is out of reach. too bad about the missing sim card slot. maybe next time
 

PDFierro

macrumors 68040
Sep 8, 2009
3,932
111
this is a machine for people that already have real computers and need a convenient way to get work done on the road when the mac/macbook pro is out of reach. too bad about the missing sim card slot. maybe next time

The rMB will be my real computer.
 
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