Intel Ultrabooks Unable to Undercut MacBook Air Prices

[lhammer610]

The iMac and Mac Pros are super overpriced though.

That statement is difficult to support. If you compare an iMac to a beige box with similar hardware, you have a point. But if you add a monitor that is the quality of the one in the iMac, the price difference gets much smaller.

When comparing a Mac vs. others, be certain that they are the same hardware including bus and memory speed.

It is possible to find a 'sale' on other brands and that can make it look much less expensive than an iMac.

 

[/V\acpower]

That statement is difficult to support. If you compare an iMac to a beige box with similar hardware, you have a point. But if you add a monitor that is the quality of the one in the iMac, the price difference gets much smaller.

When comparing a Mac vs. others, be certain that they are the same hardware including bus and memory speed.

It is possible to find a 'sale' on other brands and that can make it look much less expensive than an iMac.

True.

When you consider that the 27', 2560x1440 LED IPS LCD Display in the 27 iMac is sold as a standalone screen by Dell for 900~1000$, the iMac doesn't seem so overpriced...

 

[the8thark]

You're missing the point.

I don't want to pay MORE for a computer that:

-has a 1.7GHz processor
-features Intel Graphics
-has fixed RAM
-has 2 USB ports (which aren't even USB3)
-features a small (albeit fast) SSD

The size benefit of the MacBook Air does not justify the cost OR the tradeoffs above.

The MBA is like the iPad. Low specs but amazingly fast cause of how well the OS uses what is available to it. Apple said the best way to understand it's products is to use them. And they are dead right. Quit quoting the spec sheet and go use an MBA.

It seems you still believe in the "Mhz myth" too.

 

[duffman9000]

Care to back that up at all? Or is it just another random pie-in-the-sky statement. Let's see your facts. "Horrible" is about as helpful as "magical".. .though considering where I am, its use makes sense.

Yeah, I will back my words up. There was an Asus model very similar to this one:
http://www.frys.com/product/6683984?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

It "featured" the stiffest touchpad buttons I've ever used and I don't have little mouse hands like you probably do. I've used rugged laptops that don't feature such horrible buttons.

Speak of the devil. I'm pretty sure it was the G73:
http://www.asusrog.com/forums/showthread.php?2151-Asus-G73sw-touchpad-lock.-Any-advice

 

[(L)]

Apple & Intel

Not to fuel the Mac vs PC fire (which tends to be very dull), but I can't help but wonder if Apple and Intel working together might undermine the traditional "PC is cheaper" argument in some areas. The "PC is cheaper" argument has always been stupid, since even if it is generally true, not all hardware is created equal, even if they have the same specs. Even if all the components are the same, the motherboard might be different; the assembly is different; many things are different. The "Apple tax," while not a myth, is simply not all that useful a concept for the discerning consumer who isn't just going for the cheapest available Dell.

But back on topic: Apple seems to have a great working relationship with Intel. It seems to beat Apple at hardware for something like an Ultrabook, you'll have to equal that working relationship, with Intel or with AMD or whomever....

 

[Eriamjh1138@DAN]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I absolutely LOVE hearing PC companies bitching about how they can't compete with Apple on price!

Priceless!

 

[AppleScruff1]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I absolutely LOVE hearing PC companies bitching about how they can't compete with Apple on price!

Priceless!

I have to agree, that is comical.

 

[iExpensive]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I absolutely LOVE hearing PC companies bitching about how they can't compete with Apple on price!

Priceless!

Yes, it makes me happy inside! How bout that apple tax?

 

[AustinJHoyt]

People are forgetting...

The MacBook Air is for a select group of individuals. If you are a power user like myself you wouldn't buy one, you would buy the MacBook Pro. However lets not forget many people love the iPad but need it to do more Mac only stuff (Flash, School work online; that requires certain apps.) The MacBook Air at $999 isn't much more expensive than a higher end iPad!

So for some people they may choose the MacBook Air due to Mac OS, or Windows and may not want iOS but want similar portability.

That is my view point on the matter. Also the fact that others can't keep up is saying something also.

 

[octarine]

The port next to the USB looks rather familiar.

 

[Renzatic]

this is just ridiculous, seems to me like almost all these big name companies are just following Apple instead of making their own decisions and innovations.

- iPad copycats
- Samsung and it's designs way to similar to Apple's
- Asus and it's ultra portables that look exactly like a black version of Apple's

just to name a few

You do realize that Asus has been making ultraportables a goodly bit before Apple came out with the Air. And I'm not talking about those crappy netbooks. I'm taking about proper ULV Intel chips about like what you find in the Air.

Now don't get me wrong, I think the Air is a great little machine. It's more than likely gonna be my next laptop. But just because I like the thing doesn't mean that I'm gonna pretend Apple invented the concept of a lightweight, thin computer, and call all the itty bitty laptops that proceeded it cheap knockoffs. That's just dumb.

 

[lhammer610]

Nicer interface
Runs faster
Better build quality than ipad
Better quality screen
The optional keyboard is brilliant
USB ports and SD Card Slots
HDMI output
Better OS

In looking at CNET and YouTube reviews, your comments do not stand up.

"Runs Faster" - both seem to be similar.
"Better quality screen" - It is wider. That changes the feel of the Asus Transformer. Many people prefer the dimensions of the iPad because it is easier to hold. Yet the wide screen is nice to watch.
"Optional keyboard is brilliant" - It is nicely done. The iPad has an optional keyboard, too.
"USB ports and SD Card Slots" - I like having them built in, too. The iPad it is an optional cable.
"HDMI output" - Also available on the iPad
"Better OS" - sorry, but you lose credibility here. The Apple OS is far more polished and does not crash. However, it is locked. I would prefer to have an open OS like the Android. That comes with a cost which is stability and ease of use. Honeycomb seems to be catching up and 3.1 is an improvement, but it is still not there, yet. Give them 6 months or a year.

Buying today, it is the iPad2 because of the Apps and the stability of the OS. But the Transformer sure is a nice alternative.

 

[butterfly0fdoom]

In looking at CNET and YouTube reviews, your comments do not stand up.

"Runs Faster" - both seem to be similar.
"Better quality screen" - It is wider. That changes the feel of the Asus Transformer. Many people prefer the dimensions of the iPad because it is easier to hold. Yet the wide screen is nice to watch.
"Optional keyboard is brilliant" - It is nicely done. The iPad has an optional keyboard, too.
"USB ports and SD Card Slots" - I like having them built in, too. The iPad it is an optional cable.
"HDMI output" - Also available on the iPad
"Better OS" - sorry, but you lose credibility here. The Apple OS is far more polished and does not crash. However, it is locked. I would prefer to have an open OS like the Android. That comes with a cost which is stability and ease of use. Honeycomb seems to be catching up and 3.1 is an improvement, but it is still not there, yet. Give them 6 months or a year.

Buying today, it is the iPad2 because of the Apps and the stability of the OS. But the Transformer sure is a nice alternative.

The iPad's optional keyboards, first- and third-party inclusive, don't hold a candle to the Eee Transformer's.

Furthermore, saying that something is available through an external, extra-cost adapter does not make it on par with saying that something is already built-in.

In addition, "feel" objective, not subjective. I, for one, find the Eee more comfortable to hold.

As far as speeds do, they both use the same damn processor core. Of course the raw speeds are going to be comprable.

 

[AppleScruff1]

The MBA is like the iPad. Low specs but amazingly fast cause of how well the OS uses what is available to it. Apple said the best way to understand it's products is to use them. And they are dead right. Quit quoting the spec sheet and go use an MBA.

It seems you still believe in the "Mhz myth" too.

Let's not forget that the new MBA has a state of the art processor and chipset. And wait until Ivy Bridge is available, it will be even better. I post a lot of criticism of Apple the company and their business practices, but I have said many times here that the MBA is one nice piece of equipment. And also remember that the 1.7GHz processor turbo boosts to 2.8GHz under many common use conditions.

 

[foiden]

Kind of neat information, but something that seemed true from before. I could tell they were selling pretty competitively from the time last year's MBA models came out when you take into consideration the form factor, size, and performance inside the packaging. Throwing in one of the surprisingly best graphic chip options the Air ever seen. Not to mention the SSD drive costs.

Still, it says a lot about a company when other manufacturers all start trying to make their products look and behave like theirs. From Phones, to Tablets, to laptops, it just seems that Apple has been made the target for competitors to strive for these days. Quite amazing, the position they're in now. Heck, they're starting to even attract the *company on top* hate, as well. You know, the "Uh oh. Apple is now becoming like the big bad corporation" fears particularly now that it seems their non-iPod products have finally hit the big mainstream audience attraction. It wasn't that long ago, when such thoughts weren't only ridiculous, but the idea of it hardly crossed anybody's mind. I guess it was in that not long ago status, when they had much less power in the industry. They were that little company that could. The survivors.

I personally never really had anything Apple-made until the iPhone. I had previous smart phones, but the iPhone really impressed me. The iTunes eco-system was also a nice thing for me. But all in all, the iPhone proved to actually be way over my expectations of a product from the apps to the performance and general usability of its OS. Coming from the previous Palm and Blackberry type devices, it was like trading a car for a sleek spacecraft. It got me interested in what their other products and OS systems can do. It was ultimately the similarities between iTunes and Finder, which made it a seamless transition to knowing how to use OSX.

 

[neech7]

just because I like the thing doesn't mean that I'm gonna pretend Apple invented the concept of a lightweight, thin computer

And you won't believe how many people I run into who believe that Apple invented the smartphone or the digital music player.

 

[pepitko]

Macs are overpriced 🙄, this is great at refuting the "Apple premium" people love to talk about. Hell, add some $100-300 on top of a PC laptop for a Windows license and the Mac might even come out cheaper.

 

[RWinOR]

You do realize that Asus has been making ultraportables a goodly bit before Apple came out with the Air. And I'm not talking about those crappy netbooks. I'm taking about proper ULV Intel chips about like what you find in the Air.

Now don't get me wrong, I think the Air is a great little machine. It's more than likely gonna be my next laptop. But just because I like the thing doesn't mean that I'm gonna pretend Apple invented the concept of a lightweight, thin computer, and call all the itty bitty laptops that proceeded it cheap knockoffs. That's just dumb.

People like you crack me up. Take any of the markets the Apple is leading in right now.

Smart phones, they were the ones that created the form factor you defend as public domain. No phones had a huge touch screen and looked like a deck of cards until that time. They did not invent the phone just the form factor we all love.

IPod still no real competition.

IPad, totally created by Apple now everyone is coping it.

Mac Air. I cannot think of a single laptop that was so thin, had SSD etc. They again created that form factor. Did they create the Laptop no, no one is claiming that. But to say there was small laptops around and not give credit where credit is do is just plain stupid.

If Apple where not so successful with any item listed above, none of those items would exist as they do today, but rather as they existed yesterday.

Creativity breeds creativity. Apple is in their stride right now. You can love it or not, but the way computing/phones will look in the future, are coming from their factories and engineers first.

 

[Steve121178]

...except that Sony runs inferior, bloated software. have fun with that.

What software are you talking about?

 

[Judas1]

Its amusing to see the smirks on apple fanboys' faces after reading this article stating naively that "PCs can't compete with the the air's price" or the more laughable "Apple is superior to a pc in technology."

What they don't understand is that this ultrabook is a first gen product so the cost is going to higher initially. Like all tech, once its its been out a while, the price will go down. If you think back to the first gen macbook air, it was essentially an overpriced netbook, poor performance, high price, very little value except that it was thin and compact (but you can get the same with a ultraportable.) Now several gens later, look at the air. It actually performs great, and its a great value for what it offers. This first gen ultrabook currently campares on par with the macbook air price wise, performance wise, and design wise (by the way, it looks exactly like the air, so I don't get the people that don't like the look because it doesn't have the apple logo.)

One more thing, please, please stop thinking that apple is superior to pcs technologically. Its ridiculous and not remotely true. They all use mostly the same hardware, supplied mostly by the same manufacturers. Cpus from Intel mostly, graphics from Nvidia or ATI, hdd from one of the many oem companies, most of which are the same performance wise.

 

[thatrandomguy]

What software are you talking about?

Probably Windows and the preinstalled software, that's generally what I've seen these comments in reference to when I've asked for clarification.

Many of my previously Mac faithful friends have switched back to Windows thanks to Windows 7. A friend of mine who used Macs all his life switched back saying "Windows 7 had finally caught up."

It's still a matter of opinion though. Macs win on the software/hardware integration. I don't like certain features of the Mac (chiclet keys, in my opinion, are an ergonomic abomination). Price is a big deterrent for me; plus, from what I've seen, reliability isn't really better. Customer support can be, although I would hesitate to ever buy a Mac on the basis of experiences I have had with an iPod at a Genius Bar.

ULVs are an area where price/performance is sacrificed in favor of ultimate portability. That's not worth a lot to many people, but it is worth a ton to a select group of people. Apple, if Digitimes is to be believed (they're generally accurate), will be more than price competitive in the segment if manufacturers follow Intel's guidelines, which are "similar" to the air.

Without those guidelines being public (is apple an exact match? close, but not matching in the most expensive ways), this argument is kind of useless, IMO. Fair judgment can't be passed over this as a result.

 

[linux2mac]

...except that Sony runs inferior, bloated software. have fun with that.

Yep, my last Windows laptop was a VAIO that shipped with Vista. I tried it out for a few hours before erasing the hard drive and installing Linux and never looking back. That VAIO was so sluggish with the pre-installed Windows software. In contrast, I recall getting my first MBP and noticing immediately how Apple just gets it right.

I don't like certain features of the Mac (chiclet keys, in my opinion, are an ergonomic abomination).

I am not a fan of the chiclet keyboard either. I ordered a Kinesis Freestyle keyboard with custom cabling for my iMac.

http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/freestyle.htm

 

[bigpics]

Apple has such a great head start in the ultra-thin notebook pc and the tablet markets.

Apple's last 10 years have been a blueprint on how to totally dominate the market.

That Steve Jobs is a bright kid.

Yeah, given enough time, he might even amount to something.....

 

[Judas1]

Many mac users need to understand that beyond the apple ecosystem, there is a vast and wide tech world out there. While apple dominates and is superior in the mobility market with their ipod, and iphone, they are far from superior in other departments. In computers, for instance, apple only has a small market share, and despite fanboy denial, they do get less for much more money. They are paying a premium for the same hardware as you can get on PCs. OSX is a good operating system, but its not the only one out there. Windows is not as bad as they have heard (ok...maybe Vista) and its just as if not more productive as OSX. So far the only mac computer that outshine any comparable PC computer is the Summer 2011 refresh macbook air (the 2010 one still had the core2duo while PCs already started using I Cores.) But its not gonna be so for long. All computers will get slimmer and faster (its the advancement in technology that allows and pushes for this, not because of Apple by the way.) Many companies have attempted slim and fast before Apple, but the technology wasn't there to make it viable to grab large enough market share. And I would argue that the technology wasn't there for Apple either until their summer 2011 refresh.

 

[jcrowe]

Hi Folks,

1) What kind of tasks? I can run Lightroom on a previous-generation MacBook Air while running other programs in the background without any problems. Have you tried it? It's surprisingly powerful. The market of people that need anything beyond the amount of power an MBA has rather small.

The bottom line on the Macbook Air is that it obviously fills a niche that many people consider valid. People who don't like the direction that Apple is taking should just vote with their pocketbooks and buy something that fulfills their needs or desires. For me, I'd actually prefer the bottom end Macbook Air over my iPad. It's not that much more weight or bulk and provides more functionality for my purposes.

2) And I'll have to disagree with you. Countless people I know went and bought netbooks because after running around all day, their normal-sized laptops were becoming a pain to bring around not just because of their weight, but also because of their size. After I started carrying around an iPad instead of my MBP, the difference was absolutely ridiculous.

And that works well for many people in many situations. For me, the iPad makes for a less than stellar experience for reading email (because it does not provide a SPAM filtering mechanism and that's a huge deal for me) and for browsing the web (because it does not allow innerpage scrolling IME). Of course, I have the iPad 1 but for me, the onscreen keyboard does not work that well. Once you add something like an external bluetooth keyboard you might as well have a laptop like the MBA. For me, once the novelty wore off, I rarely use the iPad, except for reading eBooks. But my opinion really does not matter.....Apple has had great success with the iPad.

One more thing, for my purposes, my iMac is my most used computer. It has all the power I need for doing amateur video, tens of thousands of photos using Aperture, some light gaming and the normal uses for a computer. I would not use a MBA for those because of the small amount of storage onboard. That said, I read about a guy who is using one of the new MBAs to do direct recording from guitar with Garageband and his experience was quite positive.....in an application where significant latency kills the deal.
Oh, and to the English guy who's complaining about prices....look to your VAT to explain a lot of that differential.😎