Apple Falling Behind in Notebooks?

[Stopsignguy]

So I was just browsing through some tech blogs today and came upon Asus' product announcents at Computex 2012.

Among the various tablet/laptop demonstrated, their Asus Taichi seemed really impressive:
http://gizmodo.com/5915412/asus-taichi-ultrabook-in-front-tablet-in-the-back

What do you guys think of this (1980x1080p 11 or 13 inch displays) especially with Apples event coming up, will things such as retina display and "air-like" thinness be enough as innovation anymore?

I've always been a fan of Apple's design and switching a few years back was a real breath of fresh air but it seems like they have load of innovative ideas in the labs but are pacing their release so slowly just to maintain profit and keep users "wanting to spend money for their next upgrade (case in point 4 to 4s). I've been reading price estimates around $900 and if thats true, I can't find much wrong with this new hybrid.

If it weren't for the OSX I might have consider switching back to windoze...


Heres the link to the full video (recommended view, this guy is hilarious - key segments 00:45 seconds, 25:28 min)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lTOkG95ASA
HAHA IT TRANSFORMS!

 

[nuckinfutz]

If it weren't for the OSX I might have consider switching back to windoze...


Heres the link to the full video (recommended view, this guy is hilarious - key segments 00:45 seconds, 25:28 min)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lTOkG95ASA
HAHA IT TRANSFORMS!

OS X is the reason why I use Macs. And Apple is already ahead in notebook design. My Macbook Air has unibody construction and a 10Gbps bi-directional port and 7 hour battery life. I'm really not missing out on a whole lot.

 

[Southernboyj]

"Apple falling behind in notebooks?"

No. As far as your question on what the new MacBooks will contain, no one will know until Monday.

If you want my opinion, I don't believe we will see retina display's on any Mac this year, with the exception of a possible *Built to order* 15" MBP.

That being said, if Apple takes the 2011 MBA, swaps to USB 3.0, Ivy Bridge, HD FaceTime camera, swaps the SSD to the faster models that came out this year, while maintaining the same battery life, that seems like a nice upgrade to me and I will certainly buy one.

 

[Stopsignguy]

OS X is the reason why I use Macs. And Apple is already ahead in notebook design. My Macbook Air has unibody construction and a 10Gbps bi-directional port and 7 hour battery life. I'm really not missing out on a whole lot.

I have a 2011 Macbook Air with unibody etc. etc. aswell and if you checked their products, Asus is already introducing many of their notebook/tablet hybrids with 802.11ac already. It seems, besides their own techs like thunderbolt, Apple doesn't like to adopt changes until THEY are ready.

I mean unibody construction is great and all, and I'm sure this Taichi is fragile as hell, but its basically a tablet too and you wouldn't think dropping your iPad would be any less damaging.

I just think even with the rumored updates coming from Apple, that things such as retina display and update to lastest processers are gonna be enough for more faster innovating company, example: asus.

----------

"Apple falling behind in notebooks?"

No. As far as your question on what the new MacBooks will contain, no one will know until Monday.

If you want my opinion, I don't believe we will see retina display's on any Mac this year, with the exception of a possible *Built to order* 15" MBP.

That being said, if Apple takes the 2011 MBA, swaps to USB 3.0, Ivy Bridge, HD FaceTime camera, swaps the SSD to the faster models that came out this year, while maintaining the same battery life, that seems like a nice upgrade to me and I will certainly buy one.

Of course, but what your talking about is upgrades.. Every tech company should obviously be making that but I'm sayin with other companies actaully INNOVATING, Apple seems to be falling behind.

How long ago did USB 3.0 come out, why do us Mac users have to settle for minor increments until its already an industry standard (sort of).
I'm not saying Apple should be making a tablet/notebook hybrid like the one i mentioned per say but innovation-wise I think the've slowed down and become pretty predictable.

 

[nuckinfutz]

I have a 2011 Macbook Air with unibody etc. etc. aswell and if you checked their products, Asus is already introducing many of their notebook/tablet hybrids with 802.11ac already. It seems, besides their own techs like thunderbolt, Apple doesn't like to adopt changes until THEY are ready.

I mean unibody construction is great and all, and I'm sure this Taichi is fragile as hell, but its basically a tablet too and you wouldn't think dropping your iPad would be any less damaging.

I just think even with the rumored updates coming from Apple, that things such as retina display and update to lastest processers are gonna be enough for more faster innovating company, example: asus.

Problem is 802.11ac is nice but now you're buying a $150 router that is still in Draft status. Don't get me wrong I'd love to see the refresh of all the Macs become 11ac capable but the for me the bigger impact is going to be

Ivy Bridge faster integrated graphics with OpenCL support (since OS X leverages this when it can)

Better battery life. If the iPad has a 42k mAh battery that's almost as large as the battery in the 13" (50 watt hour).

I'm hoping that whatever battery density improvements came to the new iPad come to the MBA so that the 11" does 7-8 hours and the 13" gets 8-10 hours.

Another difference is sales. Apple needs to have multiple suppliers because they actually intend to sell a LOT of their product. Acer gets the chance to trot out demoware that either sells in the thousands or never sees the light of day.

I don't think innovation right now is dual screen laptops. I think it's in materials, high speed busses, high resolution screens and eventually will be cellular connectivity

 

[Southernboyj]

I have a 2011 Macbook Air with unibody etc. etc. aswell and if you checked their products, Asus is already introducing many of their notebook/tablet hybrids with 802.11ac already. It seems, besides their own techs like thunderbolt, Apple doesn't like to adopt changes until THEY are ready.

I mean unibody construction is great and all, and I'm sure this Taichi is fragile as hell, but its basically a tablet too and you wouldn't think dropping your iPad would be any less damaging.

I just think even with the rumored updates coming from Apple, that things such as retina display and update to lastest processers are gonna be enough for more faster innovating company, example: asus.

----------



Of course, but what your talking about is upgrades.. Every tech company should obviously be making that but I'm sayin with other companies actaully INNOVATING, Apple seems to be falling behind.

How long ago did USB 3.0 come out, why do us Mac users have to settle for minor increments until its already an industry standard (sort of).
I'm not saying Apple should be making a tablet/notebook hybrid like the one i mentioned per say but innovation-wise I think the've slowed down and become pretty predictable.

I agree, the 2011 models of MacBook's *should* of had USB 3.0.
I think the reason behind that is Apple was trying to push Thunderbolt.
Now with 802.11ac yes it supports up to 500mb/s but honestly, with today's internet speeds, the average consumer (well truly more than average) internet's speeds aren't even close to 802.11n's capabilities. And since this tech is still in it's infancy, don't except Apple to include it unless it is proven necessary.



"I don't think innovation right now is dual screen laptops. I think it's in materials, high speed busses, high resolution screens and eventually will be cellular connectivity"

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Apple had an option (maybe built to order) to include a 4G LTE card inside the MBA/MBP.

 

[Stopsignguy]

Another difference is sales. Apple needs to have multiple suppliers because they actually intend to sell a LOT of their product. Acer gets the chance to trot out demoware that either sells in the thousands or never sees the light of day.

I don't think innovation right now is dual screen laptops. I think it's in materials, high speed busses, high resolution screens and eventually will be cellular connectivity

Your right, I wasn't really saying that thats what they need to adopt (in terms of early technoloy) but I just mean I'm sure these companies know internally if many manufacters are going to be adopting a new tech (USB 3 for example). When USB 3 came out a bunch of manufacters had already implemented it in their product revisions and I think Apple just likes to not be part of the crowd. Its almost like if they adopt it now, that there are doing so not to fall behind.

I also don't neccesarily think dual screen laptops are a new trend or anything, but it does address the aspects of us having an iPad for somethings and a laptop for others. The fact that it can allow you to do more than before in the way you wanted (as in using tablet side to browse pictures) all the while simplifying and consolidating products i think is an overall step in the right direction.

I'm kind of tired of always wanting to update to the newest Apple product when its just NECCESARY spec updates. I know I'm not being forced to but you can tell this is what Apple ecosystem wants when they lock out users of earlier devices when they introduce new features. (iPhone, Siri, some iPad games, Mountain Lion, etc)

The Macbook air is not the thinnest notebook anymore, what are going to be its advantages in the coming months when products such as the Taichi come out, especiallly at the price premium that they hold.

 

[nuckinfutz]

I agree, the 2011 models of MacBook's *should* of had USB 3.0.
I think the reason behind that is Apple was trying to push Thunderbolt.
Now with 802.11ac yes it supports up to 500mb/s but honestly, with today's internet speeds, the average consumer (well truly more than average) internet's speeds aren't even close to 802.11n's capabilities. And since this tech is still in it's infancy, don't except Apple to include it unless it is proven necessary.



"I don't think innovation right now is dual screen laptops. I think it's in materials, high speed busses, high resolution screens and eventually will be cellular connectivity"

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Apple had an option (maybe built to order) to include a 4G LTE card inside the MBA/MBP.

USB 3.0 is certainly going to help the Macbook Air. There really wasn't a pressing need to go USB 3.0 in the Macbook Pro because they all have Firewire 800 which performs quite nicely.

Toss in TB and you've got a nice complement of connectivity.

 

[aziatiklover]

I feel what you are saying, and if I remember correctly Apple used to ship the latest wifi band available. Now they are just lagging with the draft N on the airport express!

 

[Stopsignguy]

I guess my main point was to see how everyone thought about Asus' new products since I'm actually amazed and if it was a real contender to Apple's line.

I know we've all made our predictions of what updates they are going to make this coming Monday, but I was also just thinking what new things/innovations Apple could do or needed besides the obvious (hd display, chipsets) to maybe stay fresh this year and the coming ones?

What if this notebook/tablet duo becomes commonplace in the near future, won't Apple seem a bit dated having their Macbooks AND iPad product lines then?

 

[thekev]

I have a 2011 Macbook Air with unibody etc. etc. aswell and if you checked their products, Asus is already introducing many of their notebook/tablet hybrids with 802.11ac already. It seems, besides their own techs like thunderbolt, Apple doesn't like to adopt changes until THEY are ready.

I mean unibody construction is great and all, and I'm sure this Taichi is fragile as hell, but its basically a tablet too and you wouldn't think dropping your iPad would be any less damaging.

Asus is often known for reliability which is nice. They make decent motherboards and stuff. The problem seems to be warranty service if you do have a problem. If you look at the site of any Asus retailer such as amazon, check out the complaints. They don't typically indicate high failure rates, but if you can't count on warranty service, that can be an issue. Apple is a little slow at times too. Laptops just tend to be way too slow unless you pay for expedited service plans. This doesn't include Applecare, as the wait is the same with Applecare. I didn't find procare to help much either, but that was a long time ago. It could have improved.

As for thunderbolt, it doesn't belong to Apple. It belongs to intel. Intel is also the one who gets to decide the qualifications to use the name thunderbolt (it has to deliver a display signal + data). They're borrowing Apple's connector which is free to license. Further adoption would actually benefit Apple as it could push more peripherals onto the market and make thunderbolt a bigger selling point.

I would like to see Apple adopt IPS displays for their laptops. Given Apple's price points, it should be feasible to budget for such a thing if they wish to include it. I'd really like to see it.

 

[Southernboyj]

I guess my main point was to see how everyone thought about Asus' new products since I'm actually amazed and if it was a real contender to Apple's line.

I know we've all made our predictions of what updates they are going to make this coming Monday, but I was also just thinking what new things/innovations Apple could do or needed besides the obvious (hd display, chipsets) to maybe stay fresh this year and the coming ones?

What if this notebook/tablet duo becomes commonplace in the near future, won't Apple seem a bit dated having their Macbooks AND iPad product lines then?

Asus is a great company, I've built some gaming PC's for friends and I recommend a lot of their products.

As far as contender's go, I'd say 80% of people that buy MacBooks, buy them for OS X more-so than specs.

If someone is content with Windows, Asus' line is great, but for someone like me that truly loves OS X over Windows, it's not even a consideration.

 

[KohPhiPhi]

If it weren't for the OSX I might have consider switching back to windoze...

I agree with you. If it wasn't for OSX (which is SO much better than Windows), I would seriously consider the new Asus ultrabooks over the MBA. Asus is doing a fantastic job as of lately, certainly giving MBA a run for their money.

That being said, I don't mind giving up a bit of the performance side in order to have OSX. There's no way I'm going back to Windows.

 

[NumberNine]

I agree with you. If it wasn't for OSX (which is SO much better than Windows), I would seriously consider the new Asus ultrabooks over the MBA. Asus is doing a fantastic job as of lately, certainly giving MBA a run for their money.

That being said, I don't mind giving up a bit of the performance side in order to have OSX. There's no way I'm going back to Windows.

So much better than Windows? what are you smoking? Win 7 kicks ass.

 

[derlockere]

So much better than Windows? what are you smoking? Win 7 kicks ass.

Win7 is far better than other Windows Versions. HOWEVER, I'm using a MBP as my main working PC and several windows desktops (with higher Hardware Specs) beside for working related things --> Whenever I can, I work on the MBP as the OSX experience (I'm working as a researcher for Quality of Experience in Telecommunications) is just so much smoother compared to (a already good) Win7 full stop.

 

[Moonjumper]

I agree, the 2011 models of MacBook's *should* of had USB 3.0.
I think the reason behind that is Apple was trying to push Thunderbolt.
Now with 802.11ac yes it supports up to 500mb/s but honestly, with today's internet speeds, the average consumer (well truly more than average) internet's speeds aren't even close to 802.11n's capabilities. And since this tech is still in it's infancy, don't except Apple to include it unless it is proven necessary.



"I don't think innovation right now is dual screen laptops. I think it's in materials, high speed busses, high resolution screens and eventually will be cellular connectivity"

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Apple had an option (maybe built to order) to include a 4G LTE card inside the MBA/MBP.

Intel have only just introduced support for USB3 with their latest hardware. So it is no surprise that it has taken this long for it to be introduced to the Mac. It will be a surprise if it doesn't appear on Monday.

802.11n was appeared on Macs long before it was ratified. I had draft n on my first Mac, and the only way I could find to supply n spec wifi was an Apple Extreme.

I hope to see ac appear on Monday. Incoming internet is not the only reason for the faster spec. The extra speed will be great for pushing AirPlay around the home network.

 

[KPOM]

The Macbook air is not the thinnest notebook anymore, what are going to be its advantages in the coming months when products such as the Taichi come out, especiallly at the price premium that they hold.

The MacBook Air was the thinnest only for a few months when it debuted in 2008. Apple has rarely been at the forefront of technology (Thunderbolt is an exception), but what it has done is been at the forefront of design and style. It practically invented the Ultrabook category. Sure there were thin notebooks before, but now they are mainstream.

The ASUS is nice, but last year's Zenbooks had stiff keyboards and sketchy trackpads. Supposedly that's fixed now, but Apple notebooks have long had good keyboards and trackpads. It's the little things that add up.

We'll find out next week what Apple brings to the table, but I wouldn't be too surprised with modest spec bumps for the MacBook Air, perhaps dropping the 2GB/64GB model and maybe adding a model with a larger SSD. We'll see Ivy Bridge, USB 3.0, and 6Gbps SSD, all for the same price as last year's models. I think we'll see a more radical update to the 15" Pro. The 13" Pro may become the de facto base model, if the leaked specs are any indication.

 

[quasinormal]

Win 7 kicks ass.

And the lays the boot in while your down. That explains the pain whenever i need to use it.

 

[RobbyIdol]

Apple falling behind? I see it more as other companies are racing to catch up!

Just because Asus or some other company essentially copies the design style of an Apple product and adds 1 or 2 specs not *currently* available in MBA's does NOT mean Apple is "falling behind."

Like stated in this thread already, most people buy Mac products because they want to use OSX. End of story. Personally, I don't care how many pixels Asus crams into a screen or what have you, I have zero desire to go back to Windows.

 

[chanyitian]

I guess my main point was to see how everyone thought about Asus' new products since I'm actually amazed and if it was a real contender to Apple's line.

I know we've all made our predictions of what updates they are going to make this coming Monday, but I was also just thinking what new things/innovations Apple could do or needed besides the obvious (hd display, chipsets) to maybe stay fresh this year and the coming ones?

What if this notebook/tablet duo becomes commonplace in the near future, won't Apple seem a bit dated having their Macbooks AND iPad product lines then?

I think that the Asus notebook can be a contender because i like the idea of tablet/laptop. However, would it have short battery life due to the dual screens?

 

[Southernboyj]

Intel have only just introduced support for USB3 with their latest hardware. So it is no surprise that it has taken this long for it to be introduced to the Mac. It will be a surprise if it doesn't appear on Monday.

802.11n was appeared on Macs long before it was ratified. I had draft n on my first Mac, and the only way I could find to supply n spec wifi was an Apple Extreme.

I hope to see ac appear on Monday. Incoming internet is not the only reason for the faster spec. The extra speed will be great for pushing AirPlay around the home network.

To your last statement, I didn't even consider AirPlay, and with that in mind.. I could see ac being potentially included.

 

[jgc]

Not interested at all. It's cool, but not for me.

I have a phone that I use for specific reasons. I have a tablet that I use for specific reasons. And finally I have a laptop that I use for specific reasons. All three work great. I don't think a tablet/laptop hybrid would work as well as a tablet, and I don't think it'd work as well as a laptop. Separate devices for separate reasons. It may be cool but to me it screams compromise.

 

[Mak47]

It's a nice gimmick, but it's not as practical as it looks. Imagine holding a MacBook Air for all the things you currently use an iPad for.

Is the MBA a super lightweight laptop? Yes. But it's a very heavy tablet.

People are already crying about the microscopic weight gain from the iPad 2 to 3. How do you think they'll handle something like that?

 

[Mal]

That Taichi seems incredibly impractical. Why do I want a screen that I can't see half the time, and that is never shielded from anything by design. The swiveling displays were somewhat better, although they always had structural problems or were too bulky. I think Apple's got something in the works, though probably not for this release, but they still sell laptops like crazy, and iPads even better. They've got nothing to worry about from this type of competition.

jW