Any Windows competitors bumping the new Macbook?

[Adevictus]

Any competitors in the works with an answer to the new Macbook? I've been hearing about the Asus Zenbook Prime for a few months and it still looks like a pretty solid laptop but the new Macbook more or less blew it out of the water. Anyone hear anything about any of the other windows laptops manufacturers coming out with something new and insane and exciting? :P

I've also got my eyes on that new Surface tablet from Microsoft, might make a great laptop replacement.

[ShadowVlican]

you bet PC manufacturers aren't going to sit around... we'll be seeing "retina" for PC soon enough... and hopefully Win8 can handle resolution independence more gracefully than Win7

[_Allan_]

Part
Asus Zen Prime UX31A
Apple Macbook Air (2012)
Winner


CPU
Intel i5 3317u @ 1.7Ghz
Intel i5 2467m @ 1.6Ghz
Asus


RAM
4GB DDR3
2GB DDR3
Asus


Display (horizontal size)
12.8" Matte IPS
13.3" Glossy TFT

Asus


Display (resolution)
1920x1080px
1440x900px
Asus


Display Card
Intel HD Graphics 4000
Intel HD Graphics 3000
Asus


HDD
128GB SSD
64GB SSD (proprietary)

Asus.


Keyboard
Full Backlit
Full not backlit
Asus


Ports
2x USB 3.0, 1x Audio,
1x multicard reader,
1x mini-HDMI, 1x
mini-display port
2x USB 2.0, 1x multicard
reader, 1x Audio,
1x Thunderbolt
Asus


Physical Size (LxWxH)
12.9", 8.9", 0.3"
12.8", 8.94", .68"
Asus
(small margin)


Weight
2.86 pound
2.96 pound
Asus


TOTAL PRICE
$1,249
$1,099
Apple

[ShadowVlican]

http://www.asus.com/Notebooks/Superior_Mobility/ASUS_ZENBOOK_Prime_UX31A/#specifications

325 x 223 x 3 ~18 mm (WxDxH)

18 millimeters = 0.708661417 inches

just saying...

[cloakster]

Allan, the new Macbook Air has been updated with similar specs and price to the Asus Zenbook Prime, except the Asus still beats it on having a better screen and a mini-HDMI port. The Asus Zenbook Prime is my preference due to having a better screen and its easier to fix/upgrade in the future. Though, if you do like OSX and the Apple name better, the new Macbook Air is definitely a good chouce.

[Adevictus]

I used to be astonished at the Zenbook Prime's 1080p display but then here comes Apple with their super thin 15" 2880 x 1800 resolution display laptop... It is like robbery :cry:

Wouldn't be able to sit there knowing that someone else out there has a higher display resolution than me xD

[cloakster]

Its an extra $400 for that retina display over the regular 15" Macbook pro and even then $1830 for the regular 15" mbp is just too much. The Dell 15R can be configured with a 1920x1080 display and the same specs for $1000. The Lenovo T530 can also be configured with the same specs and a 1920x1080 display for $1250. Considering there are good Windows laptops with 1080p displays, an extra $1k is not worth it for the retina display, it would be better to just hook it up to a good larger display. The one reason I can see is if you need that kind of resolution display on-the-go, then it is definitely an awesome option to have.

[mikeo007]

Part
Asus Zen Prime UX31A
Apple Macbook Air (2012)
Winner


CPU
Intel i5 3317u @ 1.7Ghz
Intel i5 2467m @ 1.6Ghz
Asus


RAM
4GB DDR3
2GB DDR3
Asus


Display (horizontal size)
12.8" Matte IPS
13.3" Glossy TFT

Asus


Display (resolution)
1920x1080px
1440x900px
Asus


Display Card
Intel HD Graphics 4000
Intel HD Graphics 3000
Asus


HDD
128GB SSD
64GB SSD (proprietary)

Asus.


Keyboard
Full Backlit
Full not backlit
Asus


Ports
2x USB 3.0, 1x Audio,
1x multicard reader,
1x mini-HDMI, 1x
mini-display port
2x USB 2.0, 1x multicard
reader, 1x Audio,
1x Thunderbolt
Asus


Physical Size (LxWxH)
12.9", 8.9", 0.3"
12.8", 8.94", .68"
Asus
(small margin)


Weight
2.86 pound
2.96 pound
Asus


TOTAL PRICE
$1,249
$1,099
Apple



Not sure where you got this, but several things are outright wrong. Not promoting the MBA, but get the facts straight.

Edit: wait, are you comparing to last years MBA?

[_Allan_]

Not sure where you got this, but several things are outright wrong. Not promoting the MBA, but get the facts straight.

Edit: wait, are you comparing to last years MBA?

I googled "2013 Apple MacBook Air" and picked an i5.

[mikeo007]

I googled "2013 Apple MacBook Air" and picked an i5.

Ah, well then the source you used was incorrect :)

The 2012 MBA uses ivy bridge not sandy bridge.
It has an HD4000, not HD3000
It has a backlit keyboard
It has 4gb RAM standard
It has 128gb standard SSD, not 64gb
It costs $1199

[time space]

Not sure where you got this, but several things are outright wrong. Not promoting the MBA, but get the facts straight.

Edit: wait, are you comparing to last years MBA?

Ah, well then the source you used was incorrect :)

It's not only incorrect, it seems to be a manipulated blend of specs for the 2011 MBA and way back to the 2010 too.

Wow - that Asus is only 0.3" thick! :rolleyes:

Shameful!

[lostintransit]

Not sure where you got this, but several things are outright wrong. Not promoting the MBA, but get the facts straight.

Edit: wait, are you comparing to last years MBA?

how can the mac book air have a 13.3 inch screen and a physical size of 12.8?
Reality distortion field?

[time space]

how can the mac book air have a 13.3 inch screen and a physical size of 12.8?
Reality distortion field?

Most screens (even TV's) are measured diagonally.

[ShadowVlican]

how can the mac book air have a 13.3 inch screen and a physical size of 12.8?
Reality distortion field?

Nice try apple hater

[lostintransit]

Nice try apple hater

they are both 13.3 diagonal. The table specifies

Display (horizontal size) 12.8" Matte IPS 13.3" Glossy TFT Asus

[mikeo007]

they are both 13.3 diagonal. The table specifies

Display (horizontal size) 12.8" Matte IPS 13.3" Glossy TFT Asus

Almost everything else about the table is wrong. You can assume that is wrong as well.

[ShadowVlican]

they are both 13.3 diagonal. The table specifies

Display (horizontal size) 12.8" Matte IPS 13.3" Glossy TFT Asus

So you can read a table, please tell me how this is a rebuttal against my post which you are quoting

As mentioned earlier, screen sizes are measured diagonally

[fitbrit]

how can the mac book air have a 13.3 inch screen and a physical size of 12.8?
Reality distortion field?

"The square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides, ****"

-Pythagoras

[lostintransit]

So you can read a table, please tell me how this is a rebuttal against my post which you are quoting

As mentioned earlier, screen sizes are measured diagonally

i am pointing out flaws in the comparison, as such as your rebuttal to my post (also it was the last post)

[Supercooled]

Zen looks literally like a polished turd. not a dan if conformity bit in this case apple mba does look better. retina mb is too overpriced but will wsit for a win version.

[menaknow]

Wow,

I was hoping to get some useful advice, instead its just a Apple vs Asus war going on here....

[dslrnewb]

Since I am a die fan for IPS displays and small form factor (or thin) notebooks yesterday I checked the new MBP with Retina at an Apple Store.
The display resolution is nice but text is too small for a laptop plus it is glossy (I hate glossy)
Asus Zen can be cheaper and brings the portability on a non glossy screen. For the $1000 you save you can also buy a 27 or 30 inch IPS monitor if you are after the extreme resolution.

[mikeo007]

Wow,

I was hoping to get some useful advice, instead its just a Apple vs Asus war going on here....

Welcome to the world of non-objective, emotional consumers.

[hugh_da_man]

I thought the zenbook screen was still one of the best? Yes the new mbp screen is nice but you're really just looking at a 1440x900 resolution with great pixel density until Apple actually convinces companies to build software that scales correctly for the higher resolution. Or you can go to the full resolution and deal with the problems associated with 2880x1800 on a 15" screen.

Not trying to say anything bad about the mbp since it really is a nice display but the displays ASUS is using are right up there with what you'd want out of a laptop display.

[Shar]

Any competitors in the works with an answer to the new Macbook? I've been hearing about the Asus Zenbook Prime for a few months and it still looks like a pretty solid laptop but the new Macbook more or less blew it out of the water. Anyone hear anything about any of the other windows laptops manufacturers coming out with something new and insane and exciting? :P

I've also got my eyes on that new Surface tablet from Microsoft, might make a great laptop replacement.

If you've got the patience to wait for and look at the Surface (3ish months after Win8's fall launch, I think), then maybe consider waiting a year from now to see if/when other manufacturers start doing the high PPI thing on laptops. It's only a matter of time, but Apple's going to be the only one with it for a little while.

[kingofwale]

If you've got the patience to wait for and look at the Surface (3ish months after Win8's fall launch, I think), then maybe consider waiting a year from now to see if/when other manufacturers start doing the high PPI thing on laptops. It's only a matter of time, but Apple's going to be the only one with it for a little while.

agree, I've waited for a capable tablet that can also be used as a PC for... 4 years (since I almost bought x200T from Lenovo), Since Apple isn't doing one, and instead going with a dumb-down version of OSX. I'm giving Surface a hard look (the Pro version, of course).

And so far, I'm impressed. Whether it's going to be Surface Pro or maybe the next Zenbook Touch, I think my search is finally coming to an end.

[wilsonlam97]

"The square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides, ****"

-Pythagoras

The ratio of a:b should be 16:9 right?

[wilsonlam97]

Yeah high-density screens work well on phones but on the MBP its kinda problematic. Why can't the OS simply scale programs that aren't optimized for high-res displays?

[desidealer49]

Of course there will be windows machines with high res. They won't be out soon though, so sit tight and wait?

[Simon Seize]

Of course there will be windows machines with high res. They won't be out soon though, so sit tight and wait?

Z (http://store.sony.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=20153&langId=200&catalogId=100803&identifier=S_Laptops_Z)

[ShadowVlican]

Of course there will be windows machines with high res. They won't be out soon though, so sit tight and wait?
there are PC machines with high res... but they're poo because windows doesn't know how to utilize it properly... blame the developers

[desidealer49]

there are PC machines with high res... but they're poo because windows doesn't know how to utilize it properly... blame the developers

Well then sit tight and wait for windows 8 and proper dev support :P

I don't find it to be a world ending scenario anyways. But that's just me.

@Simon: that is nice. Guess i haven't been following SONY much lately :P

[ShadowVlican]

Well then sit tight and wait for windows 8 and proper dev support :P

I don't find it to be a world ending scenario anyways. But that's just me.

@Simon: that is nice. Guess i haven't been following SONY much lately :P
yep. it's coming.. win8 is a step in the right direction.. metro anyways

[desidealer49]

yep. it's coming.. win8 is a step in the right direction.. metro anyways

Yup. MS is just slow as usual.

[fitbrit]

The ratio of a:b should be 16:9 right?

Yes, that's correct.

[gregster]

I've been watching the Retina with interest. I'm currently running a very tired, 6 year old Asus V6VA, which I've upgraded a few times and am hanging onto solely for the screen (15" 1400x1050 IPS, 400-500 nit brightness). I haven't seen very many IPS screens in laptops and the Retina is probably the first I've seen that can rival the deep blacks, brightness and razor sharp text that I've enjoyed.

Specific ones I'm considering are the Asus Zenbook Prime, Lenovo X1 Carbon, and the MBP 15" with 1680x1050 upgrade. Any other thoughts on this? The Retina seemed like a done deal, but the interpolation it's doing on the backend makes judging sharpness of photos very difficult. One main use would be for photo editing, and those on my website look considerably different when viewed on the Retina, than on any other machine.