Ultrabook: Intel's $300 million plan to beat Apple at its own game

[DainBramaged]

My desktop isn't the only computer I plan to replace in the next few months. I need a new laptop too, and my goal is simple: to find a 13" MacBook Air that isn't made by Apple.

It turns out that I'm not the only one wanting this mythical non-Apple MacBook Air. Intel wants them too—it calls them Ultrabooks. The chip company has been kicking the Ultrabook idea around for a few months now, and it has grand ambitions: by the end of next year, it wants 40 percent of PC laptops to be Ultrabooks.

Ultrabooks are ultralight PCs, like the MacBook Air, no more than 0.8" thick, like the MacBook Air, with Intel processors, like the MacBook Air, metal cases for superior heat dissipation, like the MacBook Air, SSD storage, like the MacBook Air, long battery life and even longer standby time, like the MacBook Air, and affordable, like the MacBook Air. Oh, and they should boot in 7 seconds or less (which at a pinch, the MacBook Air can probably pull off, too). Is the MacBook Air actually an Ultrabook? Intel told us that that's up to Apple—the MacBook Air is an Ultrabook in all but name.

Intel, keen to stimulate demand for PCs (rather than for ARM-powered tablets) is clearly so annoyed by the inability for PC OEMs to meet this specification that it recently announced the creation of a $300m "Ultrabook Fund" to invest in companies that are working to build this kind of hardware. That's a damning indictment of the PC industry.

http://arstechnica.com/hardware/news/2011/09/ultrabook-intels-300-million-plan-to-beat-apple-at-its-own-game.ars

[Indydem]

1. No one can beat Apple at this game.

It's their game.

The development of well built, inexpensive devices is their domain.

The real question is, can anyone besides Apple make money at this.

The answer, after looking at profits on other Apple products, is likely a resounding NO.

[msongs]

3. inexpensive? that's funny nt

[ProdigalJunkMail]

4. hell, it's laughable n/t

[Atman]

5. It's not laughable at all.

This has been proven over and over and over...Apple computers and the iPad come pre-loaded with so much software and functionality, never mind the quality, that they always turn out to be cheaper in the long run. What the hell is the point of buying a WalMart computer with nothing on board? Sure, Apple computers cost more up front, but always prove to be more cost-effective in use.

.

[Lucian]

6. I never used 1/2 the stuff on an Apple when I got one years ago.

Apples are a waste of money.

Inexpensive? :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Lucian]

25. Apples are for simpletons.

PCs are for those who can actually think and figure things out.

Alerted your post for name calling.

[Fool Count]

45. Simpletons? A good one. Most of my Physics Professor Colleagues

globally use Macs. And there is no more thinking and figuring-things-out group of people
in the world. I myself switched to Mac two years ago when my Windows laptop crapped out
right before I was to give a conference talk. Mind you, there was nothing wrong with the
machine, it was a pure Windows problem. I put Ubuntu on that Sony Vaio and it still serves
me as a backup with not a single problem since. Same thing happened to my home all-in-one
HP desktop. After reinstalling Windows thrice, on comes Ubuntu and not a single problem since.
Couldn't be happier about my Mac and would never go back to a crappy MS OS. There are too
many more interesting things (than the Microsoft blue screen of death) to think about and
figure out.

[Javaman]

56. Yet you call people who use apples "simpletons"...

ahh yes, that name calling thing.

Quit throwing rocks, it's very unattractive.

[Tesha]

102. Apples are commonly used by people who have actual work to do...

...and want to set about that work rather than spending
their time dinking around with their computers.

Tesha

[Tesha]

101. So don't buy an Apple; plenty of other folks will. (NT)

[EOTE]

9. It's quite laughable, especially for what the typical user uses their computer for.

A friend of my SO had her tax return money burning a hole in her pocket, she really wanted a new laptop. I told her that for her uses, she'd be much better off getting a netbook. There was a 1gb model on sale nearby for $180. I told her to pick up that, along with a memory upgrade ($30) and a solid state drive ($100) and she'd have a very fast system that would do anything she needed from it. She ended up getting a MacBook for $1300+ rather than a very capable netbook for $310. My SO ended up getting the netbook which is less than 25% of the cost, weighs half as much and gets much better battery life. When my SO visit, the friend ends up borrowing her netbook because it does everything that she uses her MacBook for, but is far easier to carry around and doesn't need to be plugged in nearly as often. Any Mac or PC can run just about any OS and the OS is one of the cheaper parts of a computer nowadays. Paying ridiculous sums for a Mac simply doesn't make sense.

[Atman]

13. My 78 year old mom can't figure out her iMac, either.

She insists her "mail' is "broken." Some people just aren't compatible with technology.

.

[EOTE]

15. What the hell does your 78 year old mom have to do with this?

I've been working in IT since the day I turned 16 (more than half my life) and I'm fairly certain I knew more about computers then than you do now. I wouldn't buy a Mac at an 80% discount. I'm guessing you're going to tell me that my experience doesn't matter because I'm a tech head now?

[Atman]

22. Your post just shows that you don't know shit.

I have been using Macs and Windows computers since my first one in 1987. You can guess which model (before that, I used a Kaypro and CPM). My son is now a developer for one of the biggest companies in the biz, because he learned on my Mac since he was two. I'm not a pedestrian. I'm telling you from real-world experience, EVERYTHING I've ever had to do with MS products has been a nightmare. It's a POS OS from a POS company. I'll gladly pay a few bucks more for a reliable, workable platform, just as a discerning driver would rather drive a Benz than a Chevy.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

23. funny...i have been working with windows for quiet a long while

and the latest crop of OS'es from them have been quite good. win7 is pretty damned solid and with almost no effort this little pc screams along.

sP

[EOTE]

24. Unlike your post which shows how incredibly educated you are.

Throw in a few more expletives, that will help get your point across better. If you can't get a PC to work properly, you truly know very little about computers. Your inability to do that tells me everything I need to know about your experience. And apparently your math ability is about as refined as your computing ability as you seem to think that "a few bucks" = $1000+ or 4x the price. It's OK though, I'd be upset if I was so clueless about technology that I had to pay 4x the price for something just so I wouldn't be faced with the daunting task of something so complicated as right clicking (and yes, I'm very well aware that Apple has decided to join the modern world and provide mice with more than one button).

[Tesha]

103. Of course you wouldn't; if the whole world ran Macs instead of PCs, we wouldn't need...

...80% of the IT people that we have now. PCs are like
a guaranteed full employment program for IT people.

Tesha

[kcass1954]

46. And I don't have to send it back to get a new battery.

[EOTE]

48. Yeah, there's that too.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

14. the article and the premise are more about hardware than software

and the software is only expensive if you insist on using MicroBloat for more than the OS...or if you choose to use it as the OS at all.

sP

[Logical]

81. You are 100% wrong. Our company just compared both. Apple with software,,,

Was 60% more. Apple knows they have a cult following and charges a lot because of it!

[DainBramaged]

29. laughed at that too. You can by TWO equivalent WIN7 notebooks for one Air book

[Atman]

38. Why would you buy an Airbook?

I like Apple products, and the Airbook is sexy, but I wouldn't buy one. So go buy a trunkload of PC's. So you don't want a very expensive Airbook. Why does that make it a bad product?

[sudopod]

12. FTFY

"The development of well built, inexpensive horribly expensive devices is their domain."

[frylock]

44. inexpensive devices?!

the fuck?

[Odin2005]

59. INEXPENSIVE? HAHAHAHAHA!!!

[Indydem]

91. They are inexpensive.

To produce.

I am not sure why this is so hard for so many to understand.

They produce their products very inexpensively, sell it for slightly more than their competitors, yet have massive profits over their closest rivals.

They may not be inexpensive to the user, but to Apple itself, their products have the highest profit margin in the industry.

[Atman]

2. The whole premise is stupid.

I want what Apple already makes, I just don't want Apple to make it.

Fucking GROW UP.

I want a Mustang, I just want it to be a Camaro.

WHAAAA. I want an Apple product, but I'm an Apple hater. WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

Put on your big boy pants and realize that you want want Apple is already making, but you're too busy hating to just buy what you want. Fuck off, haters. The product you want is already there, you just want it without paying for it.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

18. nah...I just don't want to have to deal with the Apple world

of restrictions. all i want is hardware that progresses and software that works on it. windows based wintel processor boxes have given me that for years. and yes, apple makes some damned sexy stuff. i am not willing to pay the premium for it. i don't want an apple product...i want a PC that has progressed to the next level which i will readily admit apple has already gone to in the hardware game.

sP

[Atman]

35. "The Apple World?"

Really? What is this world? I took my iPhone into the Apple store last week because the "home" button seemed to be sticking. Even though they couldn't replicate the problem in the store, they gave me a brand new phone. Shit. I hate that world, where a company backs their products.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

37. there are plenty of companies that back their products

and apple does a good job of it...hell a great one. i mean their software. you are very limited in your flexibility with the apple platforms. try jailbreaking your iPhone and see about your warranty then.

you just seem angry...

sP

[Atman]

39. I am not angry in the slightest.

I'm not angry. I'm sick of Windows geeks telling me I'm stupid for choosing a reliable product from a company that backs up what they sell, and that I'm an idiot for not building my own computer from tissue boxes and twist ties.

.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

42. well, your verbiage certainly makes you look angry

no one told you to DO or BUY anything here and you immediately called the premise of a competing product stupid and said, "Fucking GROW UP." Sounds pretty angry.

sP

[Atman]

40. BTW, a Mac will run pretty much anything...including Windows.

Will your PC run the Mac OS?

:shrug:

[ProdigalJunkMail]

43. it will with some work...

but the primary reason for that is that Apple ties down the Mac OS installer...

sP

[Confusious]

73. My Linux box does.......

and so will windows with virtual box.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

52. Take it easy Mr. Jobs we all like your

wonderful products. :P

[Lydia Leftcoast]

7. But if it has a Windows operating system that takes forever to boot,

stops dead for automatic updates when you're hurrying to finish a job, and has to be reminded each time to look for the wi-fi router and needs to be set for Japanese-English each time, they can keep it. (I hardly ever use my Windows netbook for just those reasons.)

My MacBook Pro boots quickly, asks me if I want to update now or later or whether I even need the update (because I may not even use the programs it wants to update), automatically seeks out my wi-fi router, and recognizes foreign languages without being prompted.

[Atman]

11. I am a Mac user that has to use MS software...

Entourage and MS Word...they literally take several minutes to load. I mean, I can launch Entourage or MS Word and go get a cup of coffee, and they'll still be loading when I return. Why people like anything MS does is beyond me. Total POS company, software, etc. MS apologists are just Apple haters. There is no logic or reason for saying a POS $400 Wal Mart computer is better, just because it costs $400. A Hyundai Accent may look nice, but it's not a Lexus. You pay for what you get.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

19. sounds like YOU have a problem with MS apps

my windows OS boots in about 30 seconds and of course comes out of sleep in about 3. MS Word loads on this PC in about 5 seconds.

sP

[EOTE]

20. Wow man, learn to take care of your computer.

I guarantee if you stop abusing it, it will take better care of you. BTW, my recent gaming rig opens MS Word 2010 in under half a second. I built it for under $700 and $200 of that was for the SSD. Sure, I could have spent $2500 or so on a Mac which performs similarly, but then I would have been stuck with a maddening OS that doesn't trust anything to the user. I know it must hurt having wasted such significant sums on a computer, but maybe you can chalk it up to a learning experience.

[Atman]

26. "I built my computer out of Kleenex boxes and twist ties!"

I'm fucking AWESOME! I drive a standard-issue car, too. I don't choose to put lifts and racks in my garage so I can tweak my ride. I want a reliable, dependable machine. And I don't care what you say, MS Word and Entourage take FOREVER to load on a Mac. Like...MINUTES, not 30 seconds. I don't use a Windows platform at my office, so that makes a difference to me. I'm not going home to build a computer from twine and bailing wire just because you can...I'd rather have a computer that works out of the box, and has a good warranty.

.

[EOTE]

27. One again champ, I don't use a Mac.

And if your Mac takes MINUTES to load MS Word, I'd say that reflects far more poorly on your sad little Mac than it does on MS as once again, it takes under a second to load on my gaming rig with SSD. I'll take the rest of your idiotic outburst to mean that you've run out of ideas and have taken to solely attacking the messenger.

[Atman]

28. Ooooh...your "gaming rig."

Yeah...that's what I'm concerned with. Lord of Warcraft Witch Hunt Devil Fighters.

Fuck that. I want a computer that actually works. And if you've ever seen any MS product load on a Mac, you'd know what I'm talking about. I'm too busy to worry about gaming.

.

[EOTE]

30. It's one of many. I like LAN gaming.

I do have a dedicated work machine as well. It hasn't been rebooted since February of this year. It simply works, like all of my other PCs.

[Atman]

32. WHOA! REALLY! You're sooooooo kewl!

What's re-booting? My Mac has been running without a re-boot for years (except for the during recent hurricane power outage). Is that supposed to impress me?

[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Atman]

36. And you don't know what sarcasm is?

Of course I know what re-booting is. I just don't have to ever do it, just as you proclaimed from atop your high horse.

.

[EOTE]

47. I was pointing out how incredibly poor at it you are.

And Macs need to reboot for the same reasons that PCs do. I guarantee you that you'd need to reboot during a component upgrade. If Macs had any upgradability whatsoever, you might find that to be handy. But if spending $1500 every time you want a modern computer is your thing, Macs are a great way to go. Christ, even if you want to upgrade your GPU, you're typically forced to spend almost twice as much for the same damned part. I bought a GTX 285 two and a half years ago for $300, you'll find used 285s for Macs on eBay now for the same price. Look to spend a good $400 if you're looking for one new. Buying a Mac means spending ridiculous money on completely outdated technology.

[Atman]

49. *yawn* The irony...

If you know what you're doing -- again, IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING -- any Mac is upgradable. But iMacs are only ONE item it a product line of many. If you have a tower Mac, for instance, then you can open it up and install new drives, processors, anything you want. What is with this bizarre mythology that a Mac is all welded together and can't be changed? I've upgrade many Macs over the years, including my old "Lime" iMac -- you just have to know where/how to do it. It doesn't mean it isn't doable. Again, you PC people seem totally enamored of your awesomeness because you can kludge together a gaming rig out of used parts, Coke cans, twist ties, and an old 19" RCA television. Why would I want to do that when I can buy a computer that actually works in the first place, and has excellent customer support?

[EOTE]

53. Many of them are. And I pointed out that Macs could be upgraded.

You just are stuck with extremely outdated hardware and spending twice as much for the same damned thing. Did you miss what I wrote about Macs needing to restart for the same reasons that PCs do, such as in a component upgrade? I'm guessing you did. Reading, along with anything tech related, doesn't exactly seem to be your strong point.

Even if you are to get the most top of the line GPU available for Macs these days, you're still stuck with old tech and you're still going to pay out the ass for it. And I don't know where you're getting anything about used parts and coke cans, everything I buy is new, fast and a good deal cheaper than anything for a Mac. And guess what, it just works... in the first place. And who the fuck needs customer support? The luddites that wasted their money on a Mac, that's who. You can't seem to make up your mind. First you seem to believe that Mac users are so brilliant that they can take advantage of the ridiculous software Mac bundles with their machines, PCs users are just too dumb to figure that stuff out. Now you're trying to make it seem like PC users have all this knowledge that Mac users simply don't need and PCs are solely for the techies amongst us. Can't quite figure it out, can you? Listen, I can understand you being really pissed off having wasted your money on age old tech, but I'm somewhat concerned about your obsession.

[Atman]

57. Here's what I mean by customer support...

I was in the Apple store last week because my wife's iPhone was "acting up." She said the home button seemed to be sticking and/or wasn't responsive. I said, heck, mine is the same way. Half the time when I press the home button, it doesn't do anything...I have to press it two or three times, or press really hard. Anyway, she's telling the Apple guy all this and I mention that mine does it, too. Almost as an aside, like a wink-wink nudge-nudge to the guy that I think my wife is being a little over-sensative.

Even though he couldn't replicate the problem on either of our phones, he gave us each a new phone...and mine had literally only one day left on the warranty. They still gave me a new phone. I call that good customer service.

.

[EOTE]

63. So they replace their unworking products.

I'd expect any vendor to do the same thing if they sold me a product which doesn't work. My SO has an iPhone too, I have a Blackberry. My current Blackberry I got as an upgrade after my previous one had keyboard issues. I could have gotten the exact same model for free, but I chose to upgrade. Any company worth its salt will replace a defective product.

[Atman]

66. You missed the point...

My phone wasn't "not working." It was just that every now and then the home button seemed to be sticking. As I said, the Apple tech guy couldn't replicate the problem, and I only had one day left on my warranty...but they replaced it anyway. Not many companies would do that, no matter what BS you try to feed me.

.

[EOTE]

69. That's "not working".

I expect my hardware to work. If it doesn't work, I expect it to be replaced. But then again, not being a Luddite, I rarely have unworking hardware.

[Atman]

75. Luddite?

Now you're just making shit up. You don't know me from Adam, yet you feel qualified to label me. I actually used to set up networks for some pretty big companies, until I determined that it wasn't what I wanted to do with my life. My son is a developer for one of the top software companies in the business, and he helps keep me on my toes. I'm am very, very far from a Luddite. You think you're able to make that determination about my abilities based on a few DU posts? If I'm a Luddite, you're just an another MS goober who thinks it's kewl to build his own computer out of garage sale parts.

.

[EOTE]

77. I know you well enough to use that label.

You know extremely little about either Macs or PCs. The fact that I know more about Macs than you do and I rarely ever use them tells me that you're a Luddite. You are completely unaware that most hardware needs to have Mac specific ROMs before they'll work in a Mac, that's pretty dumb. And your son has nothing to do with this conversation, I'm guessing he's somewhat embarrassed about his tech-challenged dad. And I'll take that last non-sequitor as just another sign that your reading ability is just as lacking as your tech ability.

[Atman]

80. Wow. You really are an incredible douche bag.

I haven't even posted about the technical aspects of either platform, yet you've been able to determine that I "know extremely little about either Mac's or PC's." Wow. You really are full of yourself. And you're a bore. Buh-bye.

.

[EOTE]

83. Here, I'll quote you.

"If you know what you're doing -- again, IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING -- any Mac is upgradable. But iMacs are only ONE item it a product line of many. If you have a tower Mac, for instance, then you can open it up and install new drives, processors, anything you want."

Well, first of all, many Macs are not upgradable, at all. A number of them have hardwired GPUs and just about everything else. So if you buy them with max memory, you're really out of luck. A number of other Macs ARE upgradable. But once again, you're very limited to what hardware you can use and you'll pay much much more than if you were to purchase the same part for a PC. That you're not aware of this simple fact, while claiming to be such a Mac aficianado tells me how much (or little) you know. I don't claim to know much about Macs, I use them very rarely. However, I know far more about them than you do. Your constant references to twine and garage sale parts with regards to PCs tells me you know even less about them. So yeah, I'd put your knowledge of computers in general to be about the same as that of my folks, which is extremely little.

[EOTE]

61. Oh, and by the way. You can't put "anything you want" in a Mac.

Aside from some very standardized parts, most upgrades need to have ROMs which are flashed in order to be acceptable to the Mac OS. So, you're often forced to do one of two things:

1) Buy hardware which is pre-flashed to be compatible with Macs and spend upwards of twice as much for the same damned part you'd get on a PC.

Or

2) Buy hardware with a user flashable BIOS and hope like hell that it works with your system and that you don't brick the part in the process (which happens quite frequently).

So, either way you're tethered to Apple's shitty upgrade scheme. Or, if you don't need Apple to hold your hand, you can get a PC and buy whatever the hell you want. But hey, some people find limitations comforting.

[Atman]

62. Bailing wire, twine and Kleenex boxes.

You're awesome.

[EOTE]

65. And you're really bad at trying to make a point.

Just because you lack the talent to make anything of your own, you insult others for not being slave to hip companies who try to assuage their customers for wasting ridiculous sums of money. You're not awesome at all. In fact, you're quite dull and lame.

[Atman]

67. Why are you so angry?

I why do you keep being such a rude asshole? And why do you keep using your angry, hateful, rude bullshit to accuse me of being angry? I think I'm being quite reasonable. You're being a dick.

.

[EOTE]

68. Calling you out on your ludicrous rhetoric is not being angry.

It's a somewhat feeble attempt to get you to recognize simple logic. Once again, don't be mad because I'm not part of your cult. You have plenty of fellow cult members who are just as happy as you are to throw away their money.

[Atman]

70. Angry. Rude. Dick.

I dick by any other name...

[EOTE]

72. Simple minded. Foul mouthed. Luddite.

But hey, at least you're incredibly entertaining.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

71. wow... Holy Projection , Batman! n/t

[ProdigalJunkMail]

31. why are you so pissed off?

the problem seem to be the phrase "on a Mac" when talking about MS products. no on else seems to run into your problems in the PC world. so YOU'VE had a bad experience. there are people that can say the same thing about their lives with Apple products but I don't see them running around insulting people...

sP

[LanternWaste]

50. I imagine some people prefer Coke, whilst still others prefer Pepsi.

"Why people like anything MS does is beyond me..."

I imagine some people prefer Coke, whilst still others prefer Pepsi. Our championing of one multinational company over another seems to illustrate the extreme effectiveness the ad-copy boys on Madison Ave. have had in successfully wooing our ids.

I like both Coke and Pepsi... but at the end of the day, it's a waste of my time to defend any preference I may have for one over the other, as that's all it is-- preference.

[Atman]

64. I also like both Coke and Pepsi (diet). And I also use both Windows and OSX.

I don't have any non-Apple hardware, because I don't need it. My Mac runs Windows very well. I don't need two different computers to run two different OS's. All I'm saying is that the Mac does everything I need very well. Sometimes I run Windows on it, but I don't like it.

Apple offered Windows as an option a few years ago. Duel boot. They found that the vast majority of their customers who bought the machine thinking they'd use it for Windows wound up using the Mac OS instead, and never used Windows.

Just sayin.'

[LanternWaste]

76. It's very comforting to know...

It's very comforting to know from your vociferous posts, your minimization of the computing usage, requirements and talents of others, and your own personal, anecdotal experience that you indeed champion one multinational corporation over another. That's what I consider very strong dogma.

Just sayin', part II

[JVS]

74. I use MS Office for mac and it's fine. The worst software I run is Safari.

It really sucks at dealing with videos.

[Atman]

79. I didn't say it doesn't work.

I use Entourage and Word regularly. Not by choice. Once they launch, they work fine. Once they launch. Mac Word takes literally five minutes to launch and become functional. Entourage isn't much better. And I'm not talking about an old iMac, I have a top of the line quad core tower. Once the MS stuff launches, they're perfectly fine. I use Entourage and Word every day. But they take FOREVER to load, as does any MS software I've ever tried to run on the Mac.

[JVS]

82. Fine, but why is Apple's own software (Safari) such a goddamned piece of shit?

[Atman]

86. I don't know. You don't have to use it.

I use Firefox, for the most part. Safari works okay, there are things I like about it, but there are more things I dislike. Good thing there are many options when it comes to browsers. Why would Safari be a make-or-break issue when choosing a computer? Just don't use it if you don't like it.

.

[DainBramaged]

33. My Acer netbook with WIN 7 Intel Atom, 2GB ram and 60GB SSD boots in TWENTY SECONDS

FROM PUSHING THE POWER BUTTON TO DESKTOP.


I disagree.

[Initech]

10. Doesn't Apple use intel CPUs??

Then if we extrapolate that, wouldn't Intel be competing with itself? :shrug:

[EOTE]

16. Yes they do.

As such, you can install any Windows OS on Intel based Macs and any recent Mac OS on Intel based PCs with a little work. Only you'll spend a good 2x as much if you buy the Apple hardware.

[Xithras]

21. Apple has indicated a move away from Intel CPU's.

Apple has acquired several companies that make ARM CPU related equipment, and there has been a fairly regular drumbeat of "anonymous Apple sources" that, for nearly a year now, have suggested that Apple is strongly pursuing the idea of moving ALL of their equipment, from mobile to desktop, onto the ARM platform. If they do that, Apple would dump intel the same way Apple dumped Motorola.

The move makes sense for Apple. iOS is already ARM native, so they're developing heavily on that platform. Apple has also indicated that their long term plans call for an eventual merging of the iOS and OSX operating systems as the hardware catches up. Well, when the 64-bit ARM is ready in two more years, the hardware will have "caught up". It will allow them to adopt a consistent hardware platform, with low power consumption, without sacrificing performance.

Even if Apple ultimately decides to stick with Intel, they have to see the writing on the wall. Thin and light is the future of mobile computing, and right now their reach into that market is limited to a single manufacturer who could dump them at any time.

[Safetykitten]

17. Now that Autocad can be run on Macs, it will be even more easier to be the trendy.

Just like in those movies, where everyone has a desk devoid of papers with just a screen.

I welcome our Apple style mavens.

Cost...phfftttt.

[orwell]

41. Samsung already has one...

...the Series 9.

I got one of these for a customer. They boot Win 7 Pro in less than 20 seconds from a cold startup with an SSD. In fact the bios takes longer to post than Win 7 takes to start up.

They also feature Core i processors.

They ain't cheap, but they are faster than a Macbook Air.

http://www.samsung.com/us/news/newsRead.do?news_seq=19774

[FreeJoe]

88. I have one

I love it. I looked at getting an Air, but at the time it didn't have a backlit keyboard and the Series 9 did. I was also leery about getting another Apple product after having been burned with an iPhone.

[Atman]

89. I read the review..."almost as good as the MacBook Air." "Plastic." "Rubbery feel."

"Good for a Windows machine." I'm not saying it's a bad computer...but even the reviewer uses the MacBook Air as the benchmark for quality, and says the Samsung is the next best thing. For that kind of money, why not just get the best thing?

.

[FreeJoe]

93. At the time...

At the time, I compared them both. They each had advantages and disadvantages. For me, the Samsung was better.

These were the differences that mattered to me (based on memory)

1) The Air had a slower processor and less memory. I do a fair number of somewhat memory and processor intensive tasks. Not enough to justify a full sized laptop like a powerbook, but enough for this to be a factor.

2) The Air was better for watching video. I think it can playback BR discs at full resolution, but the the Samsung struggles. I don't really watch much video on it, so it wasn't a big deal to me.

3) The Air didn't have a backlit keyboard. The original version and the current version did, but the one out when I was buying did not. I read on my laptop in the morning in the dark, so this was somewhat important to me.

4) All my existing software is for the PC and my other computers (we have 10 desktops in the house) are all Windows 7 machines. I didn't want to support a dual OS environment. I could have just loaded Windows 7 on the Mac, but why bother when I could just get a native Win 7 machine?

I looked seriously at the Air and, if I were buying today with the newer version out, I might even get one. For me at that time, I did by the best thing.

I also have to admit, having gone through a nasty two year period of having an iPhone that I loathed, I wasn't too enamored with Apple. I had a bit of "don't get fooled again" in me. Everyone swored I'd love an iPhone and I didn't. It wasn't for me. I'm much happier with an Android. The things I hated about my iPhone don't really apply to the Mac, so it wasn't really important, but I'm sure that it biases my evaluation.

[Atman]

97. Personally, I like Samsung products.

I recently bought a Samsung LED television and compatible blue-ray player and home theater set up. Loved it so much I bought another, smaller one. They work together seamlessly, incredible quality. If I were to go with a non-Mac laptop, I'd def consider that Series 9. Looks like a very nice computer.

.

[Romulox]

51. Just when I was toying with the idea of switching back to Windows for my desktop

I saw the Win 8 stuff. I was not impressed.

Oh well, no reason to wait if I'm going to switch my desktop back to PC from mac. I guess I'll just install Win 7 on it stick with that--I've kept a couple Windows 7 laptops around for this very reason--so I wouldn't lose touch with Windows during my foray into Mac OSX country. My Imac dual boots to XP, but that is beginning to feel quite long in the tooth.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

54. Just a note...Win8 does have the older desktop look

if that is what you like. I am not a big fan of the 'tiles' concept...though I will try it and see how it works...

sP

[Romulox]

78. Thanks for the info. It's ironic for me, because I am pissed about OSX Lion becoming like IOS.

Win 8 looks like their phone/tab concept, I guess.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

85. that is exactly what they modeled it after

and the hope is for a single OS (with functionality differences) between PC, phone and other touch devices.

We shall see how it goes...as with ALL new OS'es!

sP

[dembotoz]

55. apple vs pc sounds even more bitter than repub vs dem

can't we all just get along?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!


In truth
i do need a new laptop.
in the market
will buy one soon.

prob end up with a pc because i can't budget a grand.
whish i could--but then again i still drive a 96 chevy too.

[Javaman]

58. If Jesus and Superman had a fight....

I get a kick out of these threads.

[Odin2005]

60. So Intel is making over-priced shit marketed to hipsters and old folks just like Apple?

[Codeine]

84. Apple creates. The best Intel and their brethren can do is clone, inadequately.

And even that seems to be difficult for them. :rofl: Weaksauce, guys.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

87. then why does Apple USE Intel processors?

You are comparing a company that assembles products to one that makes processors...


sP

[EOTE]

90. Intel invented the x86 architecture more than 30 years ago.

An architecture which is still going strong to this day. They invented the first single chip processor, the 4004. They created the first commercially available DRAM chip. They've also invented USB, the most widely used peripheral interface on the planet. Intel created the first multi-core processors and the first processors with x86 virtualization. I'm not an Intel fanboy (I am a bit of an AMD fanboy, most of my computers have AMD CPUs), but it seems a tad silly to suggest that Intel doesn't create. Without Intel, Apple would still be using slow and outdated Motorola CPUs.

[Atman]

92. Yes, because the world is stagnant and Motorola wouldn't have ever done any more R&D

What a bunch of hooey. Your assumption that Motorola would still be producing the same chips as it had been producing is laughable. If they still had a client the size of Apple, and if Apple had pushed them to do so, they'd be creating new chips just as Intel has done. To suggest Motorola would have just stood in place is ridiculous. I'm not saying they would have bested what Intel is offering, I'm just saying it's absurd to suggest that Motorola would still be using the same chips today.

[EOTE]

94. Motorola was never able to compete with Intel. Or AMD for that matter.

The PowerPC architecture was a joke from the beginning. Of course they wouldn't be using the same CPUs, but they'd still be using CPUs which lag greatly behind the competition. Which would also make it very hard for Apple to charge such crazy sums for their hardware.

[Atman]

96. I don't disagree with you.

Except for the "joke from the beginning" part. It obviously served Apple well for a certain period of time, until it no longer served Apple's interests to build upon it. My point was simply that we don't know what Motorola would be offering now if it still had Apple as a client, telling them what specs it required.

How much is Apple stock selling for these days? They must be doing something right.

.

[EOTE]

98. Apple has been extremely successful appealing to the LCD.

So yeah, they're doing that right. And Apple has always been very good at lying to their gullible consumers. You probably remember those Mac commercials in the 90s touting how their processors were several times more powerful than the equivalent x86 processors used in PCs. They continued those advertisements into the 2000s and then they got strangely silent in 2005. That was, of course, when they switched over to Intel chips. That was when they started claiming that THEIR new chips were twice as fast as their old PowerPC CPUs. So I guess they figure that their customers wouldn't notice the blatant lying on their part. Or they figured that their customers believe anything that Steve Jobs tells them.

[Atman]

99. As Dieter said..."This conversation bores me."

SO LETS DANCE!

;

[Logical]

100. LOL.....Apple copied from Xerox. You need to read more.

[DainBramaged]

104. Sure.................

:eyes:

[LondonReign2]

95. Wow

And I thought the threads about Obama were contentious...

[Poll_Blind]

105. The only real way for Apple to be beaten at it's own game is if Kashi and Birkenstock start...

...branding electronics.

PB