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HP Defends New Ultrabook Design Against Noted Similarities to Apple's MacBook Air
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Yeah but the problem is apple appropriates the designs of others as their own more so than anyone else. Even when they make mistakes (tapered design with latch) and subsequently use someone else's design (sony's wedge) they appropriate the idea they stole from others and pass it off as their innovation to the point that people start saying hey it looks like a wedge, surely someone's ripped apple off. And in this lunacy very few say, wait a second apple's second iteration of the air had to look like something sony was doing even before the first air was out, a wedge, because their first one was a usability failure where you couldn't add many ports and you couldn't access them easily.
HP didn't "copy" Apple. Extensive marketing research determined that this design is what consumers buy.
<snort> Yeah, market research: "Oh look, Apple sold 1.3M MBA's last quarter..."
Use "Apple IS..." and "HP ISN'T..." and "about ITS..."
Collective nouns refer to a group that is composed of members. While a collective noun can call for singular or plural verbs and pronouns depending upon context, in these two examples, the collective noun (Apple or HP) refers to the group acting as a single entity. In these cases, treat the collective noun as singular.
Well no one seems to want to perfect the tapered latch design, I wonder why, could it be because it was ****?
And again, the MBA didn't even have thinness. Thinness came before the MBA.
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For their defense, Apple isn't always the ones to do that. I don't think Apple claimed anything as far as "being first" with the MBA (could be wrong, don't watch all the ads religiously).
The fanbase is often quite involved in the "Apple did it first!" thing, oblivious to facts and reality which is quite different sometimes.
I'm with you here. I don't have a problem with Apple. I have a problem with the narrative of some of these articles.They don't provide a lot of reference. They didn't show any preceding designs from HP or others that could have related to the current one. I'm just super tired of the general attitude of the articles on here lately. I still like the threads that don't originate with articles.
This SONY Vaio is from 2004 so all of you claiming Apple was the first one to do can just stop it. You all look silly.
Who here is claiming Apple was the first with a wedge design? And please don't tell me you think that Sony Viao looks anything like a MBA.
I've said I think there are other Ultrabooks that look like MBA more than this does. I also said for me it's not the wedge shape that makes them look like ripoffs (just like I don't think think the MBA looks like a Sony Viao), it's the overall look that screams MBA.
Attempting to design a notebook computer with such a thin form factor is almost impossible without going around and nearly touching on the Macbook Air's looks. Sure, the keyboard and side-view of the computer look alike, but there are clear differences such as the LCD hinges, ports, color, and overall design; the Macbook Air is more rounded in the corners than the Ultrabook. And as said previously, Apple cannot put any ownership on the color silver.
Unfortunately, as mighty as I find Apple, they will sue for what they can so I doubt HP will be safe from this one.
This is not bad compared to the eOne, which was a clear mimic of the iMac G3 in color and form. eMachines deserved that bash on the head.
Also, this:
Everyone feeds off each other's ideas.
Unfortunately, as mighty as I find Apple, they will sue for what they can so I doubt HP will be safe from this one.
This is not bad compared to the eOne, which was a clear mimic of the iMac G3 in color and form. eMachines deserved that bash on the head.
Also, this:
This SONY Vaio is from 2004 so all of you claiming Apple was the first one to do can just stop it. You all look silly.
Everyone feeds off each other's ideas.
Again, you are so taken in by the apple world and I think this influences your judgment. You said:
missing the point I made which was beside apple and about how hp laptops involved into something regardless of apple, taking their own design cues.
The overall look of hp's notebook is an overall look of an ultra slim notebook. There's not many ways to play with that, you have to understand that. If your imagination is taken up (no problem with that of course, that's how brands sell anyway) by the air as an iconic device everything is going to scream air to you that looks close to it. You might say it's not about the wedge, but it's also about the wedge. If we are to be analytical there are very few design elements to a slim notebook:
Screen, keyboard, body material and design, trackpad, hinge.
Where exactly can hp differentiate itself so that it doesn't look like an air to you?
People have been moronically talking about people "copying" apple with chicklet keyboards. There's not any other keyboard you can put on a slim device other than a chiklet one. There's not many colours either other than whites and off whites, grey-silver and black.
In this hp laptop, the screen looks drastically different than the air, the hinge has another philosophy and it looks very similar to other hp hinges, the material is different in magnesium (it's not copying apple that they have to put in a good quality metal material that gives some aesthetic value to the device), the trackpad is different including a "bezel" around it and a button, and the only thing that's similar is a tapered wedge which isn't apple's idea to begin with since apple's ideas was a tapered design with a latch. (black keyboard of course is out of the comparison even...it's ludicrous to even discuss it). How can a design that's different in 4/5 elements be similar to another, when the only thing where's it's similar is the wedge and it's something hp has tried before in it's design, and it's something that sony introduced in this type of thin devices and something apple redesigned the air to look like?
You know why it might seem similar to you? Because apple, being very very marketing conscious appropriated the thinness concept as their innovation and marketed the air very aggressively even when the tech wasn't ready yet for such thin devices as evidenced by the compromises and malfunctions in the first air.
So via their clout they put a stump in people's minds about this design being their own, where the sad truth is that from the first air, the only thing that is the same is pretty much only the aluminum casing: the hinge was a rotten design that wobbled and gave in most airs after some usage and changed, the tapering with a latch was a rotten design and changed too.
Looking at this laptop, I mean, it's silver...
but I can only imagine that HP is trying to get some of that Samsung press...
but I can only imagine that HP is trying to get some of that Samsung press...
Two things....
1. In British (and some other variants of) English, corporations and some other collective nouns are considered to be plural - so "Apple are" and "HP are" are absolutely correct. The MacRumours community is worldwide - so accept that some members are using a different dialect of English, or often have English as their second, third, fourth... language.
2. Forum rules frown on correcting grammar/syntax/spelling, etc. I got a warning a few days ago about commenting on a post that used text messaging shorthand.
Apple innovates and leads ... others follow, copy and lie ... HP and Asus are two examples.
If Apple would of come out with a design other than the wedge shape you can bet HP would of done the same.
If Apple would of come out with a design other than the wedge shape you can bet HP would of done the same.
Good point!
Although apple has a hand in leading and influencing the fan base, they claimed thinnest, because they couldn't claim thin first, and from then one the cult of mac took it up.----------
Well they did come up with another design, their original design for the air which they used up until a couple or so years ago, it was tapered and with a latch, but it was so crap no one did copy it. So I guess you 've lost that bet already.
Or if someone else came out with the wedge shape before Apple, you'd probably say it's ugly and is proof positive these other companies have no idea what they're doing.
"LOL, a wedge? Seriously? Steve was right! These companies have NO taste. That looks like something you'd cut cheese with, not a serious computer for serious work. Fail
".
I've just modified our SOE image for an HP Folio 13" on my desk here.
Similar price to an MBA, similar spec.
Trackpad: still crap
Plastics: still feel cheap
Screen: 1366x768 on 13"? please
However, it does have gigabit ethernet.
Close but no cigar. If i have to carry a mouse around with me because the trackpad sucks hard, its not so portable...
Battery life is great though...
Similar price to an MBA, similar spec.
Trackpad: still crap
Plastics: still feel cheap
Screen: 1366x768 on 13"? please
However, it does have gigabit ethernet.
Close but no cigar. If i have to carry a mouse around with me because the trackpad sucks hard, its not so portable...
Battery life is great though...
"The thing is that you have to design what's right, and that is that sometimes the wedge is the right solution, silver is the right solution."
Silver is the right solution?
Silver is the right solution?
In no way did HP try to mimic Apple???
I would be embarrassed as a designer to say that. It looks JUST like an air. If apple starts putting red meat texture on computers, and I'm just using that as an example, all the PC manufacturers will start doing it. Go back to design school.
I would be embarrassed as a designer to say that. It looks JUST like an air. If apple starts putting red meat texture on computers, and I'm just using that as an example, all the PC manufacturers will start doing it. Go back to design school.