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13.3", LED Backlit, Santa Rosa Laptop... from Dell

bearbo said:
I have a IBM T40p Thinkpad, running Windows XP Pro. No antivirus, no anti-anything. Just with a firewall and careful usage habit. It's been running like that for about a year now, it has not crashed once. That's a machine from beginning of 2003. It has 512MB Ram, I always wanted to upgrade that.

I have another iMac G4, from i believe mid-2004. With 1GB Ram.

The iMac runs noticeably slower than the IBM in various day-to-day tasks such as web browsing (which include online music video), iTunes, MS Office.

Sure, that's just my single experience, cannot be used as generalization, blah, blah. But that kind of prove what you said false.
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Actually, I have a couple of Thinkpads at home - the X series. They're great. I used to work for IBM, and the Thinkpad they gave me I sent through war. It still worked fine.

The Thinkpads around here at work people abuse, but they still work great also (I have an old T30 that the other division was disposing of that I'm using as a backup). And yes, Intel processors run cooler and faster than PPCs...
 
SiliconAddict said:
The big improvement is Dell's warranty. Onsite repair and accidental damage coverage vs. Send it into Apple or have the Apple store keep your system for 3+ days and Apple reps laughing at you.
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3 days? The one time I had to send my PowerBook to Apple it took them 29 days to return it. Almost every single rep I talked to along the way gave a new story as to why nothing was happening.
 
CrackedButter said:
Personally, a 13.3 inch screen isn't appealing, I want a 12".
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I liked my 12" PC Notebook (rest in peace) better as well (anyhow it was way more expansive than the MacBook as well). Yet I noticed that the MacBook could be nearly as small if they would get rid of the 1" border around the Screen and the Keyboard. They could save up to 2" on each side. Such a machine would be very appealing to me. Hopefully anything like that will come soon. Right now I actually think my MacBook looks like a huge aged machine :)
When I remember that 15" Acer I had before this one - gosh - how could I ever buy such a beast ;)
 
scrambledwonder said:
In some ways, yes. But remember, OS X runs considerably better than any Windows OS and thus gives any machine a performance advantage. The latest greatest PC still has to run all kinds of anti spyware and antiviral apps in the background. That makes a system lag. And when a Windows system lags, it LAGS.

OS X doesn't lag unless your hard drive is too full. Seriously. I have Panther running on a 667 MHz PowerBook and it flies. Would Windows fly on six-year-old hardware? Nope.
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Yes, there is truth in much of what you say. But having good performance is no substitute for features. I want a laptop that can run Windows (and preferably OS X too), and drive a 24" monitor at 1920*1200 in 3D games at high frame rates. Currently the only Apple computer that can do that is a Quad-Core, server-based Mac Pro. My 2 year old work laptop - an HP 8230 - could do that without breaking a sweat - even though it had anti-virus software running in the background. It kind of sends the whole 'speed' theory into a spin, doesn't it?
 
bearbo said:
That cat was killed by cars 3 times in 3 years?:eek: Does it really have 9 lives?
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I don't think you are paying attention! The cat was only killed 3 times in 3 years...1 time per year...totaling 3. From the somber tone of the post, there clearly won't be another. So no, unfortuantely, that cat only had 3 lives.

I move that instead of talking about this dell, we make this thread a tribute to flopticalcube's 3-lived cat.
 
deadkenny said:
I liked my 12" PC Notebook (rest in peace) better as well (anyhow it was way more expansive than the MacBook as well). Yet I noticed that the MacBook could be nearly as small if they would get rid of the 1" border around the Screen and the Keyboard. They could save up to 2" on each side. Such a machine would be very appealing to me. Hopefully anything like that will come soon. Right now I actually think my MacBook looks like a huge aged machine :)
When I remember that 15" Acer I had before this one - gosh - how could I ever buy such a beast ;)
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Hmmmm, I definitely understand the reasons for small laptops, but I personally need more desk space. Small screens don't appeal to me. I see students sometimes using Mac Books and once the novelty wears off most seem annoyed with the small size. For note taking sure, but a $1200 note taker seems a bit excessive. I'll stick to the 15" Mac Book Pro, although I'd rather get a 15" Mac Book, spending extra $$$ for an aluminum case doesn't fly (even if it has more power and speed).
 
PCMacUser said:
Yes, there is truth in much of what you say. But having good performance is no substitute for features. I want a laptop that can run Windows (and preferably OS X too), and drive a 24" monitor at 1920*1200 in 3D games at high frame rates. Currently the only Apple computer that can do that is a Quad-Core, server-based Mac Pro. My 2 year old work laptop - an HP 8230 - could do that without breaking a sweat - even though it had anti-virus software running in the background. It kind of sends the whole 'speed' theory into a spin, doesn't it?
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Yep, hence Apple's small market share...
 
gkarris said:
Yep, hence Apple's small market share...
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And it's such a shame. I know it's an old argument, but I really believe that if they adjusted their pricing structure for countries outside of North America, it would do wonders for their market share. An example of this is that the entry level Macbook Pro costs US$750 more in my country than it does in the USA. And that's after import taxes, etc.
 
Eidorian said:
A lot of manufacturers are using the sloping design to appear thinner under the keyboard.
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This slope also prevents accidentaly pressing buttons or the touchpad. I happen to like it.

MacinDoc said:
Way too big and heavy to be a true ultraportable. Still, at about 1" thick and 4 lb, something from Dell doesn't resemble a brick is welcome. Look out, MBP, this is some serious competition!
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Meanwhile we're looking at some Dell prototype and wondering about Apple updating Macbook line, LG has real ultraportables with 10,6" screens, one model even converts into tablet format. Now *that's* worth the US$3000, not some 13.3" screen, IMO.

linky: http://www.lge.com/products/model/detail/c1expressdual.jhtml
 
MacinDoc said:
Way too big and heavy to be a true ultraportable. Still, at about 1" thick and 4 lb, something from Dell doesn't resemble a brick is welcome.
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Amen. Now to see if they can make a laptop with structural rigidity that doesn't compare unfavorably to the wrapper of an Almond Joy™ bar.
 
Airforce said:
13 inch Macbook Pro?
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That is my guess. I doubt Apple would introduce technology like this in the MacBook line, especially after just updating them. I could see them speed bumping the existing MacBook Pros and introducing a ultra-light model with this new 13" screen. I could also see them updating the enclosures with a new design and then integrating the screen technology later as a build to order option.

Might get one myself.
 
best of both worlds!

CJD2112 said:
Hmmmm, I definitely understand the reasons for small laptops, but I personally need more desk space. Small screens don't appeal to me. I see students sometimes using Mac Books and once the novelty wears off most seem annoyed with the small size. For note taking sure, but a $1200 note taker seems a bit excessive...
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like many other macnatics out there, i *love* my 12" powerbook g4. i agree, for me just having the 12" screen would not be enough real-estate, which is why i use a dual-display setup (1024x768 built-in, 1280x1024 external), and don't understand why so few people do that (of those who can afford it). i can never go back to having a single display. when i'm on the go, 12" is wonderful (on trips, note-taking... small is usually a huge advantage), but then when i settle down to work, i have all the space i need. 15" is bigger than i'd want, which is a major reason why i work on a 3+ year-old computer.

i do love it though. the only annoyances are the heat (especially when driving the external display, or playing flash video) and concomitant fan noise, and it's getting to be noticeably slow when for example dealing with my growing 8000-item itunes library. but it's so vastly a superior experience to any i've had working on a windows machine (admittedly not many up-to-date, well-maintained ones).

so i'd sure be happy if they released a 13" (or smaller!!) MBP tomorrow. the only problem is, how likely do you think it is there'd be rev-A-type problems with a new form-factor MBP? i'm specifically worried about heat, but also general build-quality issues like when the original big MBPs came out. what do you guys think? will engineering experience from the existing lines translate into a relatively problem-free machine?

i guess in any case i'll have to wait until i can read a review before buying. :( unless all they update is the 15", in which case i guess i'd suck it up and get one. i'm so impatient...
 
flopticalcube said:
The recent stuff does seem to be a bit late. I did use the "usually" caveat, in my defence. :rolleyes:
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I know I was just being a bastard - it's what I do. ;) :D Seriously, I agree, Apple usually has been quite good - and more reliable (in more ways than one!) when comapred to Dell.

Dell... ick... :(
 
Chef Medeski said:
For a 13.3" screen?
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No, but that misses my point -- there are plenty of more powerful machines out there (more powerful but heavier). However, Dell seems to be stepping out of the market for ultralights. Apple has ignored the market completely, and IIRC Steve has claimed that Apple doesn't want to do a cut-down laptop just to produce a lighter product. This decision made some sense when it was a matter of whether or not include an optical drive, but it seems kind of silly when the gating factor is the screen size. People who want a small light laptop tend to want it because it is small and light, not in spite of that (witness the popularity of the 12" Powerbook).
 
The hardware is nice and intresting, design is lacking, just looks like a tacky PC notebook but it's one huge flaw for me is... It still runs Windows.
 
The Dell is BETTER!!!

This Dell is better than the equivalent MBP will be because this Dell has an OPTIONAL VIDEO CARD upgrade.
When will Apple start doing this and making laptops more customizable in terms of GPU options like PCs are?
Never
That sucks
Macs rule, and don't have to be for "non gamers only,"
 
faisal said:
No, but that misses my point -- there are plenty of more powerful machines out there (more powerful but heavier). However, Dell seems to be stepping out of the market for ultralights. Apple has ignored the market completely, and IIRC Steve has claimed that Apple doesn't want to do a cut-down laptop just to produce a lighter product. This decision made some sense when it was a matter of whether or not include an optical drive, but it seems kind of silly when the gating factor is the screen size. People who want a small light laptop tend to want it because it is small and light, not in spite of that (witness the popularity of the 12" Powerbook).
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So you are comparing the weights of laptops with different screen sizes. In that case the 17" MBP looks bloated on the scale compared to my 12" even though the 12" is really the bloated one for its size if anything. I think its not missing the point. You cant just compare weights.
 
natejohnstone@g said:
This Dell is better than the equivalent MBP will be because this Dell has an OPTIONAL VIDEO CARD upgrade.
When will Apple start doing this and making laptops more customizable in terms of GPU options like PCs are?
Never
That sucks
Macs rule, and don't have to be for "non gamers only,"
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I understand your point. The MBP has a dedicated GPU....... and the 8400M that is being used in that new XPS is actually less powerful than even the X1600 in the current MBP. The next MBP will probably have something like the ATI X2600.

Either way, it's not really comparable, since this XPS is a smaller laptop not comparable really with any 15" notebooks.

Not sure why you're saying that this XPS is "better" than the equivalent MBP because it has an optional video card upgrade.

-Zadillo
 
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