***Stunning*** Toshiba with best competition so far? Power and LIGHTEST 13" Notebook!

[mmulin]

People for whom OS X is the only obstacle should consider Ubuntu. Does pretty much all of the above, on a Mac and on a PC. Is based on Linux, which is just like OS X a Unix variety. And it has nothing to do with Microsoft (unless you choose to run Windows in VM ware). And is truely open and free!

Minus the software which runs MacOSX only. This is the reason for wanting MacOSX on my part. Of course for everything is an alternative but I am talking professional software here and the Linux catalogue for that just doesn't cut it. That said, just for my partial work purposes, *niX admin & programming, I don't mind running around with a penguin . As for the John Doe consumer, he surely won't bother to figure out how to sync his iPhone on Linux which until now is still a big NoNo.

 

[pukifloyd]

This looks pretty damn awesome!
if these specs are true then it can give the air a serious competition (unless they update it too)

Cant wait for WWDC!

 

[Scottsdale]

I also hope this. But I am beginning to get the impression that Apple has joined the dark side just as well and are going for easy money.

The recent big success of the Mac is thanks to the iToys users, who buy outdated hardware anyway simply because it has an Apple logo. imho this is comparable to the way PC users taking Microsoft products for granted.

I agree with the term "dark side" and Apple. Seriously, AAPL has more market cap than M$. Most here don't want to admit it, but it's pretty sick when Gruber, at Daring Fireball, confirms that everyone stopped working on OS X 10.7 to work on the iPhone OS and iPad (how is Apple going to sell future Macs if it forgets about the OS that is its competitive advantage). I would call that "dark." I would think that Apple should remember what got them to here. It was the completely loyal and cult following of the Mac buyers. I definitely agree that Apple is too focused on the iPhone OS products. It almost seems like they need to split it into Apple Computers and Apple iGoods. That way each division could work on always providing progress for their respective product group. A lot of Mac fans seem pretty disappointed lately.

I hope Apple has "just" shortchanged its PRO customers and it sees the MBA as a consumer/luxury product and gives it a real update at WWDC. All AAPL shareholders should be watching Apple. It seems so focused on its iPad that it has completely lost sight of the vision for the professional Mac customers. Consumers are good business, but there's no reason to abandon the Mac to pursue the iPad/iPhone. Why not use some of that $40B for some engineers for the Macs?

 

[halledise]

new Airs coming either 18.May or 8.June this year.
ergo - the Air lives on

I could well be wrong … but I don't think I am

ahem … https://www.macrumors.com/2010/05/10/macbook-air-to-update-this-week/

 

[Veinticinco]

It doesn't run OSX so its virtually useless for me.

Nice specs but the OS is what matters to me.

Hear hear. You know I really don't see the point of these threads in this MBA area.

If you think this is somehow relevant in terms of pointing out the MBA competition, you're deluded as no MBA in the near future will even attempt to match this sort of architecture.

On the other hand, if you want to salivate over top spec hardware crippled by a suboptimal OS then fine go and self-abuse yourselves on a PC forum and leave the rest of us to very patiently wait for the new MBA, which it is rumoured (see today's front page and current lead story) MAY just well be that very thing.

 

[Veinticinco]

ahem … https://www.macrumors.com/2010/05/10/macbook-air-to-update-this-week/

Aye, lot of know-alls predicting WWDC same as they've been predicting every other non-existent milestone for the past year ("oooh the second Tuesday after Lent but only if it's a full moon, there's ALWAYS a new portable release at that time, isn't there?").

 

[Abyssgh0st]

Aye, lot of know-alls predicting WWDC same as they've been predicting every other non-existent milestone for the past year ("oooh the second Tuesday after Lent but only if it's a full moon, there's ALWAYS a new portable release at that time, isn't there?").

Did you even read the article? It doesn't even mention the WWDC.

This source was previously able to pinpoint the recent MacBook Pro updates a week prior to their release.

 

[Veinticinco]

Did you even read the article? It doesn't even mention the WWDC.

As the article says 'this week' I thought it was abundantly clear I was referring to posters (not the article) who state as FACT not opinion, the likely release dates of Apple products.

It's everywhere you look on the MBA prediction threads, pre-WWDC, post-WWDC, during WWDC, like Baskin & Robbins there's a theory for everyone. Sometimes the same posters even contradict themselves within the same thread (no prizes for guessing who, he admits it).

 

[halledise]

x

 

[highADP]

Apple should deliver this product as the v 3,1 MBA at WWDC. It would be great if Jobs had "one more thing" to show us. However, with the recent Macs from Apple, and the complete lack of innovation for recent Mac upgrades, and the long time between updates, I say there is almost ZERO possibility that the next MBA will compete with such an ultraportable. Isn't it sad that Apple has decided to forget about the MBA for so long? For 19 months, the MBA has stayed nearly exactly the same. 19 months is an eternity in the technology age. We can look at this competing ultraportable to see just how badly our innovative Apple has lost its way... too focused on its damned iPhone OS products!

Absolutely agree especially with your last sentence...

 

[cleric]

You guys do realize the ssd alone costs significantly more than the macbook air. This thing is an easy $10,000 computer maybe more with their magic battery. Yea its better than the macbook air but the macbook air retails around $1500 and makes apple a profit at that price.

 

[gwsat]

You guys do realize the ssd alone costs significantly more than the macbook air. This thing is an easy $10,000 computer maybe more with their magic battery. Yea its better than the macbook air but the macbook air retails around $1500 and makes apple a profit at that price.

Yep, the Toshiba is like the fully tricked out Sony Vaio Z Signature series laptop, with 8Gb of RAM, a BD burner-player, and a 512Gb SSD. The downside is that the Z sells for $4,500. At least the Z does seem to be currently available from Sony Style.

 

[skate71290]

Goodbyer air, I just don't see where it will fit anymore

holy **** dude you have some serious Apple Hardware! and yes, while the Apple laptops are considerably far behind (Hardware Spec-Wise) every other manufacturer, the Air is even further behind that, with only 2GB Fixed RAM! at least the MBPs can have up to 8GB (2X4 SO DIMM), i will be getting a new Apple laptop after WWDC, just hope they make the Air with 8GB optional RAM

 

[Scottsdale]

You guys do realize the ssd alone costs significantly more than the macbook air. This thing is an easy $10,000 computer maybe more with their magic battery. Yea its better than the macbook air but the macbook air retails around $1500 and makes apple a profit at that price.

$10K? Huh? I thought it was mentioned over $2k? Did it really say $10k for the Toshiba ultraportable?

Honestly, I wish Apple would make BTO configurations with the absolute ultimate in components for all of its Macs. Why shouldn't someone be able to buy a $10k MBA if they want to? Why isn't there an option to get an ATI 5870 in the 27" iMac or even MBP? Why isn't there an option to buy a current MBA with 8 GB of RAM and 1 GB of VRAM? The Mac Pro is the biggest joke of them all... one can buy a $25K Mac Pro that doesn't even have an ATI 5870 graphics card or the capability to watch let alone burn a BluRay movie made for a major movie studio! Why isn't there a BluRay OPTION for those willing to drop $500 to upgrade their Mac?

 

[Raje]

$10K? Huh? I thought it was mentioned over $2k? Did it really say $10k for the Toshiba ultraportable?

Honestly, I wish Apple would make BTO configurations with the absolute ultimate in components for all of its Macs. Why shouldn't someone be able to buy a $10k MBA if they want to? Why isn't there an option to get an ATI 5870 in the 27" iMac or even MBP? Why isn't there an option to buy a current MBA with 8 GB of RAM and 1 GB of VRAM? The Mac Pro is the biggest joke of them all... one can buy a $25K Mac Pro that doesn't even have an ATI 5870 graphics card or the capability to watch let alone burn a BluRay movie made for a major movie studio! Why isn't there a BluRay OPTION for those willing to drop $500 to upgrade their Mac?

+1

I don't think it mentioned anything about price, but the Toshiba will be expensive.

 

[MartiNZ]

Honestly, I wish Apple would make BTO configurations with the absolute ultimate in components for all of its Macs. Why shouldn't someone be able to buy a $10k MBA if they want to? Why isn't there an option to get an ATI 5870 in the 27" iMac or even MBP? Why isn't there an option to buy a current MBA with 8 GB of RAM and 1 GB of VRAM? The Mac Pro is the biggest joke of them all... one can buy a $25K Mac Pro that doesn't even have an ATI 5870 graphics card or the capability to watch let alone burn a BluRay movie made for a major movie studio! Why isn't there a BluRay OPTION for those willing to drop $500 to upgrade their Mac?

It is always fun to pimp out the MP specs on the store online and see how high the price will go, I think it's more like $60k for the NZ store .

A lot of good points here and in the rest of the thread. WWDC seems to have gone some way towards abandoning the Mac side of things this time around. Maybe we'll see a new Air, but at this point I would say it may be even more likely that they announce the ability to develop for the iPad ... on the iPad, and that would pretty much be curtains.

 

[Scottsdale]

I found the Toshiba information genuinely interesting... much more so than a comparison between the iPad and MBA.

 

[gwsat]

I found the Toshiba information genuinely interesting... much more so than a comparison between the iPad and MBA.

Yeah, I, too, don't much like the threads started by some of the iPad fanboys who claim, contrary to the demonstrable facts, that the iPad is too a substitute for an MBP. I love my iPad and give Apple a lot of credit for having, again, come up with a better mousetrap. The iPad does what it does better than any computing device ever before offered to the public. Nevertheless, anybody who seriously contends that it is a substitute for a real computer needs help. Some of the other iPad v. MBA threads, however, have made more sense to me. I have thought it useful to see the strengths and weaknesses of each device explored.

If the MBA gets upgraded enough to allow me to use it as my primary computer, I will buy one. Otherwise I will buy a 13 inch MBP and upgrade its RAM to 8Gb and add a 256Gb SSD. Either computer I buy, though, will be used in conjunction with my iPad, which will still be a better choice for use while I'm wandering around.

 

[Scottsdale]

Yeah, I, too, don't much like the threads started by some of the iPad fanboys who claim, contrary to the demonstrable facts, that the iPad is too a substitute for an MBP. I love my iPad and give Apple a lot of credit for having, again, come up with a better mousetrap. The iPad does what it does better than any computing device ever before offered to the public. Nevertheless, anybody who seriously contends that it is a substitute for a real computer needs help. Some of the other iPad v. MBA threads, however, have made more sense to me. I have thought it useful to see the strengths and weaknesses of each device explored.

If the MBA gets upgraded enough to allow me to use it as my primary computer, I will buy one. Otherwise I will buy a 13 inch MBP and upgrade its RAM to 8Gb and add a 256Gb SSD. Either computer I buy, though, will be used in conjunction with my iPad, which will still be a better choice for use while I'm wandering around.

Why are our threads being edited? That really ticks me off. Both of us had our threads edited... it's ridiculous, as there was nothing wrong with either of them.

 

[gwsat]

Why are our threads being edited? That really ticks me off. Both of us had our threads edited... it's ridiculous, as there was nothing wrong with either of them.

I think I may know what happened. When the mod took down the silly post complaining about this thread, a good decision in my view, he also decided to take down our responses to it. I can live with mine being removed because it criticized an out of line post that is no longer here. Thus, in my case at least, there was no harm so there's no foul.

 

[teaneedz]

Most here don't want to admit it, but it's pretty sick when Gruber, at Daring Fireball, confirms that everyone stopped working on OS X 10.7 to work on the iPhone OS and iPad (how is Apple going to sell future Macs if it forgets about the OS that is its competitive advantage). I would call that "dark." I would think that Apple should remember what got them to here. It was the completely loyal and cult following of the Mac buyers. I definitely agree that Apple is too focused on the iPhone OS products. It almost seems like they need to split it into Apple Computers and Apple iGoods. That way each division could work on always providing progress for their respective product group. A lot of Mac fans seem pretty disappointed lately.

Thank you and well said. The current product line is leaving too much room for competitors to take advantage of. My wife asked me who I was when I told her I was thinking about going outside of Apple for my next laptop. I won't go over to Windows but Ubuntu is looking mighty good to me these days.

 

[Jaro65]

$10K? Huh? I thought it was mentioned over $2k? Did it really say $10k for the Toshiba ultraportable?

Honestly, I wish Apple would make BTO configurations with the absolute ultimate in components for all of its Macs. Why shouldn't someone be able to buy a $10k MBA if they want to? Why isn't there an option to get an ATI 5870 in the 27" iMac or even MBP? Why isn't there an option to buy a current MBA with 8 GB of RAM and 1 GB of VRAM? The Mac Pro is the biggest joke of them all... one can buy a $25K Mac Pro that doesn't even have an ATI 5870 graphics card or the capability to watch let alone burn a BluRay movie made for a major movie studio! Why isn't there a BluRay OPTION for those willing to drop $500 to upgrade their Mac?

Because SJ wants Apple to make as much cash as possible through as few products as possible. Makes things really simple for Apple from so many angles (design, marketing, contract manufacturing, product line management, distribution...you name it). Plus it fits with his minimalist ideas re everything.

But, you knew all that already.

Like it or not (and while completely agreeing with what you're proposing) this is simply how things are.

 

[cleric]

Sorry not $10k but someone posted that the Sony Vaio-Z with similar specs is $4500 so maybe just above that? Either way my point was apple isn't going to triple the price point even for the nicer one.

 

[gwsat]

Sorry not $10k but someone posted that the Sony Vaio-Z with similar specs is $4500 so maybe just above that? Either way my point was apple isn't going to triple the price point even for the nicer one.

You are right, the loaded Vaio Z you referred to goes for $4,499.99 at Sony Style. Sony even has them in stock, finally.

 

[thinkdesign]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 7.11) Sprint PPC6850SP)

This is a serious question, not rhetorical: If I bought this and took it to a computer repair/etc. shop and paid them to follow the endless directions needed to REMOVE any JUNK-WARE that Toshiba may have infested it with... What would that cost me ?