Macbook Air 2011 July vs ASUS UX21 2011 Sept?

[Macbookair2011]

I know posting a question like this may not be appropriate in a mac forum, but I am interested on some opinions on the upcoming ASUS UX21 (which looks like a copy of the macbook air chassis in my opinion).

Does anyone know much about it? From rumours I can gather it will be very similar to the macbook air. I havent bought my 11inch Air 2011 yet but am very close to doing so. Is anyone considering waiting to see this PC alternative? Would it be worth me seeing what this laptop has to offer?

Comments would be great!

 

[KPOM]

The two look very evenly matched, and likely will be very evenly priced. Not all the specs are known, but the Acer will likely sport the same i7 that's optional in the MacBook Air, and it is about the same size and weight as the 11" MacBook Air. It comes down to price (as yet unannounced), operating system, and need for connectivity.

The UX21 will support USB 3.0. It also has a SATA III connection, so theoretically can use a faster SSD. It has ports for VGA and HDMI, but these are "micro" ports that are essentially proprietary and will require dongles, so I'd consider it a wash with the mDP-compatible Thunderbolt port that's in the MacBook Air. The Thunderbolt port in the Air also enables the use of the new Apple Thunderbolt display.

 

[RobQuads]

The UX21 will support USB 3.0..

Oh I wish my Air had this rather than Thunderbolt

 

[KPOM]

Oh I wish my Air had this rather than Thunderbolt

The 2012 MacBook Air will, since it will be a standard part of Ivy Bridge. Then again, 2012 Ultrabooks will support Thunderbolt, since that will also be a standard part of Ivy Bridge.

As MacBook Air fans, we should welcome the Ultrabooks. First, they will keep Apple honest in terms of features and design. The way I look at it, while the MacBook Air wasn't the first ultraportable, it was the first Ultrabook. With Asus, HP, and others adopting the form factor and the Thunderbolt port, we should start seeing more and more Thunderbolt devices.

Plus, hopefully these Ultrabooks will gain widespread enterprise adoption. I'd much rather have an HP Ultrabook than the 5.5 lb "Elitebook" that I use right now. I could carry both the Ultrabook and my MacBook Air inside sleeves within the notebook case I currently use for the Elitebook.

 

[RobQuads]

Then again, 2012 Ultrabooks will support Thunderbolt, since that will also be a standard part of Ivy Bridge.

Even if its part of the IVY Bridge won't suppliers need to pay a suppliemental (license) fee if they want to put a Thunderbolt socket on thier laptops? which i think is currently much much more than a USB socket cost which is tiny already.

I just want a nice small 2.5" thunderbolt enclosure for my air to give me more space rather than a limited USB2 one (well I have a USB3 drive lol)

 

[KPOM]

Even if its part of the IVY Bridge won't suppliers need to pay a suppliemental (license) fee if they want to put a Thunderbolt socket on thier laptops? which i think is currently much much more than a USB socket cost which is tiny already.

I just want a nice small 2.5" thunderbolt enclosure for my air to give me more space rather than a limited USB2 one (well I have a USB3 drive lol)

I think in order to call their products "Ultrabooks" and get marketing support from Intel, the manufacturers need to adhere to minimum specifications. I'd think including Thunderbolt would be part of that. Intel wants to push this standard, so I don't think they would demand excessive fees to do so. Sony has adopted it for the Vaio Z (they use it for the external GPU), but unfortunately, bundled it with a USB 3.0 port, rather than the mini DisplayPort that Apple and Intel prefer.

 

[Typswif2fingers]

I voted MBA. Unfortunately the only reason I can offer is the "gut feeling" due to not knowing much (read that as "nothing at all") about ASUS as a manufacturer... and knowing that if one needs MS Windows one can always instal it on a Mac and have both OS X and Windows in one package.

Once the machine is out I am sure there will be plenty of comparisons...

Apologies but that is all I can offer.

 

[lukekarts]

Realistically, if everything comes specced and priced similarly, then it will come down to a few things:

- Which Operating System do you prefer?
- Which do you prefer the look of?
- Which has the best warranty?

You're likely to get Apple bias on this forum, obviously; but I think the build quality and components on the Asus will not be too far off that of Apple. Most prefer OSX when they've used both, you may prefer Windows 7, at which point the decision is easy. You may even want both Operating Systems, at which point the decision is also easy.

Cosmetically, the look can be important; ignoring what other people think, which do you think you will prefer working on and looking at on a daily basis? This comes down to invididual preference, you may also feel the MBA or the ASUS has a better screen, a more usable keyboard etc.

Finally the warranty. I'm not familiar on the Asus options but Applecare is great, as is extended Applecare.

 

[KPOM]

Realistically, if everything comes specced and priced similarly, then it will come down to a few things:

- Which Operating System do you prefer?
- Which do you prefer the look of?
- Which has the best warranty?

You're likely to get Apple bias on this forum, obviously; but I think the build quality and components on the Asus will not be too far off that of Apple. Most prefer OSX when they've used both, you may prefer Windows 7, at which point the decision is easy. You may even want both Operating Systems, at which point the decision is also easy.

Agreed. The ASUS looks like it will be a nice notebook, and they were clearly gunning for what they assumed the 2011 MacBook Air would be, rather than make the mistake Dell made with the Adamo.

For me, it comes down to OS X and the ability to run Windows on a Mac vs. the inability to run OS X on an ASUS or HP. If I were coming from a Windows 7 PC and didn't care about OS X, then the Acer would have the advantage if the price is the same as the MacBook Air, by virtue of the faster SSD and USB 3.0.

 

[Gemütlichkeit]

Awesome user name, thread starter.

 

[MRU]

Wasn't there a feature in Engadget, where they stated the upgrade from the i3- to the i5 and an SSD inside will bump the price closer to $2000....



July 27th Engadget article..

ASUS told the Taipei Times that its UX line would only be able to hit such a price using slower Core i3 chips -- upgrading to a Core i5 and sticking in an SSD would push the price towards the $2,000 mark.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/27/ultrabooks-to-start-arriving-in-september-more-expensive-than-e/

 

[Macbookair2011]

Awesome user name, thread starter.

can't say I made it with any longevity in mind, just want some details on those sexy little air models

yours is also great but I can't pronounce it

 

[Mandork]

You guys do know that it's ASUS, not Acer, and ASUS is top in reliability and they make very very good laptops?
If they're the same price and same specs, I'd still probably go for the Air because of the trackpad and keyboard, unless you really like the design of the Asus (It will look really nice). A big thing for me with these sizes, is opening the lid. The Air has that notch where the trackpad is, to help you lift the lid up. If a laptop of similar thickness doesn't have that... that will be annoying to open. There's just not much point in getting a 'copy' unless that 'copy' is superior in many ways, so if it comes down to being about the same, then might as well get the 'original' thing that started it.

 

[zumbi]

This is a very good question. I own a mb c2d (bought 2006) and my bf an Asus UL30A which carries a ULV SU2300. We both have same ram and storage. I don't remember his graphic card but I don't know if it makes any difference... Anyway, this Asus weights about the same as the MBA 13" and it's the coolest and most quiet laptop I've ever seen. The battery lasts 8 hours. Also, I don't know what the chasis is made of but it does not look plastic at all. We connect it via HDMI to a 46" TV and plays 1080p without getting any hot or noisy. He works with CAD and the alikes and again it's just so quiet, cool, and it is much much faster compared to my macbook. It costed just 500€. It's just awesome imho. Be aware that this is the only Asus I've ever tried so we might have been simply lucky with ours
I am leaning to the 11" i7 but having everyday this Asus next to me always makes me reconsider it. Actually, it's just the Asus' lack of OSX what is making me go for the 11". There's no other than that...

 

[Lord Appleseed]

Awesome user name, thread starter.

Probier's mal, mit Gemütlichkeit, mit Ruhe und Gemütlichkeit, wirf alle deine Sorgen über Bord...und wenn du, stets gemütlich bist und etwas appetitlich ist, dann nimm es dir egal von welchem Fleck...

can't say I made it with any longevity in mind, just want some details on those sexy little air models

yours is also great but I can't pronounce it

YOU should get a MacBook Air, now.

 

[lukekarts]

Probier's mal, mit Gemütlichkeit, mit Ruhe und Gemütlichkeit, wirf alle deine Sorgen über Bord...und wenn du, stets gemütlich bist und etwas appetitlich ist, dann nimm es dir egal von welchem Fleck...

Aha. Now, with my fantastic memory of German (from GSCEs), that roughly translates as "something something, with something, with something and something, something all on something, and if you do, something something, then something are and something something is, then something it you something which something"

Mein Deutsch ist fantastisch. Gib mir ein 'cookie'!