I enjoy the form factor. I just hate the graphics options. Hopefully AMD can step up next year with Trinity in ULV.
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Asus to launch ultrabooks
- Thread starter KingCrimson
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So a netbook is now considered a MBA rip off? Keep rewriting history. 1984 will be 1984 someday.
These MBA clones are already making a great impression.
http://thisismynext.com/2011/10/14/acer-aspire-s3-ultrabook-review/
Let's give Acer a break, though. It's like, their first try. And we know how committed Acer is to a superior User Experience. I'm sure things will get much, much better. No, really.
http://thisismynext.com/2011/10/14/acer-aspire-s3-ultrabook-review/
Let's give Acer a break, though. It's like, their first try. And we know how committed Acer is to a superior User Experience. I'm sure things will get much, much better. No, really.
Except this thread is about Asus, not Acer. The Lenovo will be out shortly too. See how they do. In the mean time, grab your pom-poms and.....
Give me an A
Give me a P
Give me a P
Give me an L
Give me an E
What's that spell? Apple!! Apple Apple, rah, rah, rah.
Specs are now online
The ASUS specs are here:
http://www.asus.com/Notebooks/Superior_Mobility/ASUS_ZENBOOK_UX31E/
Specs look very similar to the Air. Looking at the 13" models:
Pros for ASUS:
More pixels (1600x900)
(mini)HDMI
1 USB 3.0 port (+1 USB 2.0 port)
Price slightly lower
Cons for ASUS:
16:9 aspect ratio (I prefer 16:10)
No ThunderBolt
No DisplayPort
No OS X and bundled Apple home consumer apps
Unknown: display quality
The ASUS specs are here:
http://www.asus.com/Notebooks/Superior_Mobility/ASUS_ZENBOOK_UX31E/
Specs look very similar to the Air. Looking at the 13" models:
Pros for ASUS:
More pixels (1600x900)
(mini)HDMI
1 USB 3.0 port (+1 USB 2.0 port)
Price slightly lower
Cons for ASUS:
16:9 aspect ratio (I prefer 16:10)
No ThunderBolt
No DisplayPort
No OS X and bundled Apple home consumer apps
Unknown: display quality
Wha' Happen?
Competing with a blockbuster Apple product in the same space. That's wha' happen.
(https://www.macrumors.com/2011/09/1...-models-driving-record-mac-sales-for-3q-2011/)
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http://www.neowin.net/news/ultrabooks-not-hitting-sales-expectations
Ultrabooks not hitting sales expectations
The Ultrabooks that have been released by Acer and Asus are not selling as well as expected, according to a new report from Digitimes. As a result, the two PC makers are only expected to ship 100,000 units each of their Ultrabook models by the end of 2011 due to "unclear market demand."
Intel has been pushing hard for its thin-and-light Ultrabooks design to be adopted by PC makers and even set up a special $300 million fund to help those companies make these notebooks as cheap as possible. But so far the reviews of the Acer and Asus Ultrabooks have been mixed. While the hardware has gotten a lot of attention, some believe that the prices of these Ultrabooks needs to come down some more (the cheapest one is from Acer at $899).
Intel has hopes that notebooks with its Ultrabook design specs will account for as many as 40 percent of all PC sales by the end of 2012. Based on these early results, that is looking to be a more ambitious goal than first thought. But as with all first generation products there are always going to be issues with both the hardware and the price points.
HP has already announced that it plans to offer up its own Ultrabooks at some point in 2012. When the world's biggest PC maker tells the world it's coming out with its own version of Intel's design concept, it's likely that more people will stand up and take notice of it.
Competing with a blockbuster Apple product in the same space. That's wha' happen.
(https://www.macrumors.com/2011/09/1...-models-driving-record-mac-sales-for-3q-2011/)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.neowin.net/news/ultrabooks-not-hitting-sales-expectations
Ultrabooks not hitting sales expectations
The Ultrabooks that have been released by Acer and Asus are not selling as well as expected, according to a new report from Digitimes. As a result, the two PC makers are only expected to ship 100,000 units each of their Ultrabook models by the end of 2011 due to "unclear market demand."
Intel has been pushing hard for its thin-and-light Ultrabooks design to be adopted by PC makers and even set up a special $300 million fund to help those companies make these notebooks as cheap as possible. But so far the reviews of the Acer and Asus Ultrabooks have been mixed. While the hardware has gotten a lot of attention, some believe that the prices of these Ultrabooks needs to come down some more (the cheapest one is from Acer at $899).
Intel has hopes that notebooks with its Ultrabook design specs will account for as many as 40 percent of all PC sales by the end of 2012. Based on these early results, that is looking to be a more ambitious goal than first thought. But as with all first generation products there are always going to be issues with both the hardware and the price points.
HP has already announced that it plans to offer up its own Ultrabooks at some point in 2012. When the world's biggest PC maker tells the world it's coming out with its own version of Intel's design concept, it's likely that more people will stand up and take notice of it.
No need to sue. Apple controls the supply chain. As a result, Apple gets the best possible prices. Competitors have to either settle for low profit margins or sell at a loss.
How can Apple control the supply chain when they rely 100% on 3rd party components? The screen panel is LG or Samsung. SSD is Toshiba or Samsung. RAM is Hynix in the teardowns but could well be Samsung in some units. Toshiba, LG and especially Samsung make laptops too. They also make components, which means that have some degree of control of the supply chain.
Apple manufactures nothing. That means their control level of the supply chain is relatively low. Some OEMs have much, much greater control since they manufacture part of the components themselves.
How can that be? They only have about 10% of the computer market-share. There are other manufacturers that use more components and are able to negotiate better prices because of economies of scale
Apple buys components in large quantities. They also pay upfront in cash. This helps them get good deals. That is what I mean by "control" of the supply chain.
Also, companies like Toshiba and Samsung may have component manufacturing facilities buts the components businesses are kept separate from other businesses.
Define large quantities. Apple is a pretty small player in the computer market (i.e. laptops and desktops). In fact, e.g. ASUS ships more computers than Apple (link). That means Apple doesn't buy components in large quantities when compared with the others.
Also, unless you can prove that other companies don't pay upfront in cash, your statement is meaningless.
Doesn't matter, they are still the same company at the end of the day. It's not like every Apple employee works at every workstation, it's obvious that tasks have been divided.
Helhammer, I'm so disappointed in this comment and your next one in this thread.
I've read many great posts from you over the past years but this one .....
Apple controls the supply chain on almost everything they produce. They secure multiyear orders, Invest in new factories etc....
Digitimes said that Asus and Acer were only ordering 100,000 each of the new ultrabooks for the quarter while Apple will most likey sell 1,000,000 MacBook Airs
This is all about supply chain contributing to costs and apple has probable sold 4 million MBA since the 2010 revision. They are way ahead in design and have been reducing cost through volume and a year head start in the market.
Apple buys huge quanties of the same parts where competitors buy lesser quantities of many parts. Economies of scale.....
Apple started fronting money to LCD manufactures 10 years ago. If you pay upfront 200 million for LCDs to build the factory, you get priority and cheaper prices.
Apple's current supply chain management makes the old dell just in time process look so 1990s. Why build just in time when you can take part in building the factory and guaranteeing you lock in prices and quantity. No other outsourcing PC company in the world has Apples cash advantage.
On the other hand, Aplle has hit products and dell has....? I couldn't name one.
Apple is the the most interesting company in business strategy since Ford and the Rockefellers.
Be proud that Apple is smart enought to controll the supply chain.
It has been an interesting strategy -- never borrow money or depend on creditors, by keeping lots of cash on hand. And, the timing sure was perfect, what with the credit crunch the last four years. Much has been written about this strategy, but, it does have certain consequences, such as being very conservative about sticking to pre-determined high-volume product lines and being unwilling to support a diversity of lower-volume configurations.
Apple can't control the chain since they don't own the chain. When you rely on 3rd party components, someone else controls the product you buy. If you manufacture the actual part, then you can control everything from the raw materials to final product.
How can Apple have greater level of control than e.g. Samsung, which manufactures most of the parts used in their computers? Money can buy some level of control, but it's never the same as owning the actual chain.
It's not only about ultrabooks. All aforementioned companies sell other computers too. For example, ASUS could make a deal on panels for ultrabooks and a regular laptop model and hence get a better price. It's a good deal for the OEM as the other option could be only ultrabook or regular laptop order.
Besides, the price Apple pays is irrelevant. Others have already come up with cheaper ultrabooks, so it's not like we benefit from the prices Apple pays.
Dell sold over 10 million PCs in Q2'11, while Apple didn't even make it to the top 5 (sold less than 4.4 million). Even though Apple has "hit" products, their market share is small.