Asus Announces ZenBook 3, a Retina MacBook Lookalike That is Thinner, Lighter, and Faster

[mayuka]

I don't get it why notebooks like these is able to put Intel Core i7 in it while the MacBook gets a crippled Intel Core M?

Yeah. I would like to see the inside of that thing. My only guess is that battery life is reduced and that the i7 is throttled quite fast and thus reducing overall speed. The alloy also seems to be thinner when compared to the Macbook. Let's wait for the first reviews and teardowns. Only one port is a no-go for me anyway. But good to know if Apple isn't the state-of-the-art anymore.

 

[lars666]

It's convenient, but not secure. It's very easy to "steal" fingerprints.

I guess you don't understand how it works then. Have a read on the system behind Apples Touch ID in iPhones/iPad. It's more secure than any of your passwords, how complex they may be.

 

[B4U]

I don't get it why notebooks like these is able to put Intel Core i7 in it while the MacBook gets a crippled Intel Core M?

I remember the original MBA launch where SJ showed why netbooks is horrible and one of the points was Intel Atom (or along low powered processor or something) Guess what Apple, Core M is the new Atom, and you're using it in your MacBooks!

But because Steve is no longer with us and the company is ran by a bunch of monkeys...

 

[Mr. Dee]

At the end of the day, part of the reason you own a Mac is because of OS X. Unless this is not the case anymore.

 

[im_to_hyper]

I will admit -- I haven't read the comments: so it's probably in here already. But really. Just really. I looked at the photo and with that little "ZenBook" logo I would have sworn someone had just photoshopped a MacBook blue.

It's 2mm thinner and .03lbs lighter. It starts with only 4GB RAM vs 8GB and has no HiDPI / Retina display, and will be louder with a fan.

Performance will likely be better for graphics-intense usage, and stuff that is CPU heavy. They went with a fan to bump up performance at the cost of less RAM and a less "pretty" screen.

If Apple's product is a next-gen proof of concept, this product is a last-gen concept trying to act next-gen (though admittedly will likely perform better in sustained usage)

 

[Tech198]

you have to wonder why text is so tiny, and unbearable in native full resolution, where the same one windows suddenly, "oh ya, i can see text clear"

Seems HiDPI gets in the way with Apple..

 

[slapppy]

Wow. Apple just got served on the hardware side. Simply blows away the MB line. Seems like we are back to the old days where Apple is left behind again and again.

 

[wozmatic]

Companies building smaller super thin laptops is cool if you're a senior citizen or a kid who likes to browse facebook.

Call me crazy for saying this, I actually like the thickness of the current macbook pro

It would be nice to have some pro level laptops in this over saturated market of weak a** laptops.

 

[grahamperrin]

… see the inside …

Back in 2012:



Apple Reportedly Pressures Pegatron into Ceasing ASUS Zenbook Production - Mac Rumors

 

[AppleInLVX]

I don't get it why notebooks like these is able to put Intel Core i7 in it while the MacBook gets a crippled Intel Core M?

Probably a simple question of thermodynamics. You want an i-series chip, you need a fan. Since the MacBook doesn't have one by design, you need a processor that doesn't throw off that kind of heat. I kinda like that the MacBook is fanless--one less thing to go wrong and less noise. Those points are both negligible, and you could easily argue that usability trumps repair costs or external noise. But I guess that's why Apple makes MacBook Pros. Choice is a good thing.

 

[Tech198]

what about optical drives coming back ? That was always a good thing.

 

[gnipgnop]

Caveat: there are an awful lot of "up to's" in that press release. And with the i series processors, the battery life is probably not going to be that great compared to Core M, even with a lower-res screen to drive.

 

[MikhailT]

Not 100% sure about that, but as we are talking about a digital signature linked to your fingerprint and not the fingerprint itself, maybe it would be possible to simply have an option to "re-new" the signature to another one. But what would be a real life scenario where you want to revoke your biometric log in? We already have Touch ID in our iPhones / iPad so we can make this concrete – I haven't stumbled upon a discussion yet that the Touch ID system is flawed because you'll never be able to change your "fingerprint".

I guess you don't understand how it works then. Have a read on the system behind Apples Touch ID in iPhones/iPad. It's more secure than any of your passwords, how complex they may be.

1. You cannot enable Touch ID without enabling the passcode first. That suggests even Apple knows it is not more secure than your password. If you cannot use Touch ID on its own, that means it is not any more secure. Touch ID is awesome for secondary or temporary authentication method, but it cannot replace your primary authentication system
2. Remember that after 48 hours, Touch ID is reset and it requires you to unlock with a 4-6 digit passcode (by default) after 48 hours and recently, Apple just made a change to require it after 8 hours if no activity has occurred.
3. Touch ID has already been bypassed for some people. How? Simply pick up their iPhone, wait until they're asleep and get their finger to unlock it.

That's why biometrics cannot be used as primary auth until it requires some brain effort or in combination with another unique factor.

 

[racingbull]

Who would have thought that a Windows Machine could intrigue me again ... Well, after about a decade I think it's time to switch back to Windows. Love this ASUS.
And I like the less greedy attitude compared to Apple (no dongles, overpriced accessories and upgrades, ...).

Areas where I cannot imagine to switch for now to other machines are iPhone and iPad...

 

[lars666]

1. You cannot enable Touch ID without enabling the passcode first. That suggests even Apple knows it is not more secure than your password. If you cannot use Touch ID on its own, that means it is not any more secure. Touch ID is awesome for secondary or temporary authentication method, but it cannot replace your primary authentication system
2. Remember that after 48 hours, Touch ID is reset and it requires you to unlock with a 4-6 digit passcode (by default) after 48 hours and recently, Apple just made a change to require it after 8 hours if no activity has occurred.
3. Touch ID has already been bypassed for some people. How? Simply pick up their iPhone, wait until they're asleep and get their finger to unlock it.

That's why biometrics cannot be used as primary auth until it requires some brain efforts.

All these "passcode/password first" limitations in certain situations could (and should) be transferred to how it works on your Mac, too.

You seriously think your points show that Touch ID as a primary authentication (which it also is on the iPhone/iPad to login – no matter if you have to use your passcode one-time only again in the "XX hours no login" scenario) is less secure than passwords?!

 

[now i see it]

One thing we can all look forward to is the inevitable Moore's Law regarding device thinness (not CPU performance).

There is only so much thinning left that can be done to all our devices that this marketing gimmick is destined to die soon enough. Physics will prevail. We will not be carrying around laptops or iPhones thin as foil ever.

 

[cult hero]

So...

1080p. Okay.

Not fanless. Okay.

Doesn't run OS X.

It beats the MacBook by not being the same thing?

 

[d5aqoëp]

Corning can come up with Gorilla Glass Version 999999 but it will still scratch and break into pieces as easily as gorilla Glass Version 1

Every year we hear these bull carp claims of scratch resistance and shatterproof. But it's just the same story.

 

[crsh1976]

Seems like a nice feat of engineering, the kind of stuff Apple used to do.

 

[Tech198]

laptops will get so thin u can't see what they really will become.

 

[crsh1976]

So...

1080p. Okay.

Not fanless. Okay.

Doesn't run OS X.

It beats the MacBook by not being the same thing?

It's a cross between two Apple notebooks; it's thinner and lighter than the rMB, but it packs a Core i5/7-U processor like the 13-inch rMBP.

 

[Tycho24]

Pretty sweet, but it ain't running OS X...

Yeah, also...
I see Jony's point of feeling insulted by the fact that him & his team put in long hours and miss moments with their family to give us a beautiful design; then jokers like this in a few weeks can go: "Oh, rose gold is the look that's premium? We'll copy that! Oh, nobody but you guys had realized the benefits of an aluminum unibody construction in three decades of building laptops? We'll copy that! Oh, the one tech that had changed least was the teeny notebook track pads when you guys introduced a much larger glass one? We'll copy that! Oh, just having the one USB-C port for everything allows for making the thinnest & lightest portable computers in the world? We'll copy that!" Etc, etc.
I just could NEVER reward that kind of disrespectful lame ass copycatting with a $2,000 purchase on my part.
Call me altruistic - but I'd far prefer, if I was buying a high-end Windows notebook, looking at something like AlienWare, that has a unique style & doesn't seem to resort to lazy theft of design.

 

[Tech198]

Corning can come up with Gorilla Glass Version 999999 but it will still scratch and break into pieces as easily as gorilla Glass Version 1

Every year we hear these bull carp claims of scratch resistance and shatterproof. But it's just the same story.

all designed to be "better" not full proof.. I wouldn't "as easy" as the first Gorilla glass version, but that's not to say it's unscratcable.. I bet i could find something that could .

 

[Keirasplace]

It's a cross between two Apple notebooks; it's thinner and lighter than the rMB, but it packs a Core i5/7-U processor like the 13-inch rMBP.

It's only a cross if it actually has a good performance.
Seems like a 12 incher you keep plugged in all, most of the time to me; a kind of throwback to old timey laptops.

 

[niun]

Asus, Giving you more for less?
It really is kinda annoying that Apple couldn't add an adapter with the Macbook. These little things always chip away the "magic".