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This is just the practical next step where the goal has to be seemless integration of all modes (phone, TV, music, portable, virtual home-based) and satisfying user experience. What would be much more interesting is how they are targeting the business market vs home user market vs health care market vs boomer retiring market. The satisfaction of those users for their overlapping and specific needs is where the future lives and breathes.
"We already sold ten trillion of them,and they all work just fine".
All smart devices in the home should be able to communicate with each other and share computing power wirelessly.
If it costs mre than $200, its bound to fail. That's why netbooks have swept away notebooks, right?
CNET blogs told me that people don't care about specs, size, speed - only price.
If its true for tablets, surely its true for laptops.
CNET blogs told me that people don't care about specs, size, speed - only price.
If its true for tablets, surely its true for laptops.
So why is it that the most expensive tablet is also the most popular? I started with an Android tablet (got frustrated with it), then a HP Touchpad (not enough apps) then ended up with an iPad. Currently using a Macbook Air installed with Windows 7 as my travel laptop.
Perhaps people are buying the most "feature rich" products!
Just guessing! I've been using this PC for 4-5 years now. It still works and does what I need! Why should I put up $300-$500 for a new one? It's running
a fairly old version of Windows which also meets my needs. Again, why spend
money on a new one?
Another consideration, my poor old copy of Windows XP is patched and works just fine.
One of these days, I'll have to get up-to-date but there's nothing urgent about it.
What I have works to my satisfaction and I'm not about to piss away my hard
earned money until I have compelling reasons to do so!
Just guessing! I've been using this PC for 4-5 years now. It still works and does what I need! Why should I put up $300-$500 for a new one? It's running
a fairly old version of Windows which also meets my needs. Again, why spend
money on a new one?
Another consideration, my poor old copy of Windows XP is patched and works just fine.
One of these days, I'll have to get up-to-date but there's nothing urgent about it.
What I have works to my satisfaction and I'm not about to piss away my hard
earned money until I have compelling reasons to do so!
"They need to emerge from innovation bankruptcy and do a lot more than just rubber-stamping Apple???s stuff."
So, are you people trying to tell the people out here that, once Apple has done something, that it's not okay for others to do the same? Especially when there actually is a difference between Wintel and Apptel? Let's see, Wintel PC runs the most used OS in the universe, and they run most applications developed for PCs, while Apptel devices run on an OS that has only 5-6% of the PC market, and don't run as many applications as any PC out there.
I'd say that's a win for the Wintel platform, even if the author cannot see the huge difference. Ultrabooks on the Wintel platform are automatically more suited to a bigger audience, than the ultrabooks from Apptel. Somebody is being blind to reality.
So, are you people trying to tell the people out here that, once Apple has done something, that it's not okay for others to do the same? Especially when there actually is a difference between Wintel and Apptel? Let's see, Wintel PC runs the most used OS in the universe, and they run most applications developed for PCs, while Apptel devices run on an OS that has only 5-6% of the PC market, and don't run as many applications as any PC out there.
I'd say that's a win for the Wintel platform, even if the author cannot see the huge difference. Ultrabooks on the Wintel platform are automatically more suited to a bigger audience, than the ultrabooks from Apptel. Somebody is being blind to reality.
Wintel has competed on price, and the result has been razor thin margins and no control over quality. Meanwhile, Apple is selling something like 90% of the computers costing more than $1000. I think Wintel is trying to position the ultrabook on high end and will compete with the Macbook Air as a result.
Today, much of Apple's profit comes from the strategic buying of components and advanced manufacturing techniques. It will be hard for Wintel to build an ultrabook as cheaply as Apple. I don't think Wintel can compete here. The discerning buyer is already moving to Apple, and those left, want a cheap PC.
Today, much of Apple's profit comes from the strategic buying of components and advanced manufacturing techniques. It will be hard for Wintel to build an ultrabook as cheaply as Apple. I don't think Wintel can compete here. The discerning buyer is already moving to Apple, and those left, want a cheap PC.
Like any other product that is new on the market, it might start out being a bit more expensive than most people are willing to pay for it. However, once the product is in the market for a decent period of time, and the volume of sales starts picking up, the price of the product will be reduced, and then, it becomes more affordable for the masses, and in due time, it won't be any different from the core-2 or the i-series in pricing, and we'll be at a point where ultrabooks ecosystem won't be much different from what the market is now with the "standard" PCs. And so, the ultrabooks will be the standard, and the Mac Air won't be seen as such a big deal, and we'll be looking for the next big thing in PCs (or Macs). The more things change the more they remain the same.
Low profit margins is something that the PC makers have been putting up with for more than a decade now, and it won't be much different in the coming years. Apple can charge more for its products because they have a built-in clientele which is willing to pay more for "perceived" better quality and because of their allegiance to Apple. There is no allegiance in the regular PC market, and people could not care less about where their next PC is coming from. They just want something that does the job, does it well, works with all or most applications, and wont bust their budgets. Apple doesn't have to worry about such worldly things, and they can name their own price and people will be lined up for miles to pay more.
In the end, which won't be long in coming, the PC market will be full of PC ultrabooks, and this current discussion will have been just another silly blogger needing to create a click-bait entry to "earn" his salary.
Low profit margins is something that the PC makers have been putting up with for more than a decade now, and it won't be much different in the coming years. Apple can charge more for its products because they have a built-in clientele which is willing to pay more for "perceived" better quality and because of their allegiance to Apple. There is no allegiance in the regular PC market, and people could not care less about where their next PC is coming from. They just want something that does the job, does it well, works with all or most applications, and wont bust their budgets. Apple doesn't have to worry about such worldly things, and they can name their own price and people will be lined up for miles to pay more.
In the end, which won't be long in coming, the PC market will be full of PC ultrabooks, and this current discussion will have been just another silly blogger needing to create a click-bait entry to "earn" his salary.
The MacBook Air was launched 4 years ago.
It has taken the Wintel league this long to see people want a lightweight device for email, browsing, code cutting, document creation, and basic photo and video editing and they come up with a copy of a device from 2007, I think Jason is on the money.
It has taken the Wintel league this long to see people want a lightweight device for email, browsing, code cutting, document creation, and basic photo and video editing and they come up with a copy of a device from 2007, I think Jason is on the money.
and 4 years ago, the i3 and i5 and i7 processors weren't even around. Now the ultrabooks are a few steps above whatever the Mac Air was 4 years ago, and it's a set of PCs which are quite competitive in style and power and features and form-factor with anything that Apple puts out. Heck, Apple may still have that "magical" attraction which keeps their loyal fans coming back for more, but, when it comes to any design advantage or style advantage or feature advantage, they're not really there for Apple anymore. The real winners are the people, who can get very comparable technology without having to pay higher prices. Whatever Apple was touting as their "thin" and stylish and lightweight Macs, are not really that much more attractive than what the competition is putting out now.
The Mac Air from 4 years ago is "old" technology, while the ultrabooks contain the latest in technology from Intel and other component makers. Whatever Apple puts out, is the same as the competition is putting out, and what you'll find inside any of those ultrabooks is a lot more powerful than the technology of 4 years ago that could be found in the Mac Airs.
Now, can you name any of those ultrabooks makers that are putting 4 year old technology inside of those computers? Can you name any ultrabook which has a processor that is less powerful than whatever Apple puts inside their current offerings?
It's okay being an Apple fanatic, but why not try being a bit more honest with your comments?
Now, can you name any of those ultrabooks makers that are putting 4 year old technology inside of those computers? Can you name any ultrabook which has a processor that is less powerful than whatever Apple puts inside their current offerings?
It's okay being an Apple fanatic, but why not try being a bit more honest with your comments?
While it is true, that Apple has announced the Macbook Air 4 years ago, they also did update the Macbook Air several times already. The last version, that is already selling more than half year ago has the same i5 and i7 you talk about and besides, it has much advanced technology - Thunderbolt.
Many people do not really understand why Thunderbolt is so advanced, especially more ultra portable notebooks. In essence it provides extension of the processor's PCI-Express interfaces outside the computer. In the Macbook Air of 2011, you have two 10 Gigabit/second channels out of that tiny connector. You can connect almost anything there, that is traditionally found inside a conventional "PC". No need to make your notebook bulkier or more power consuming (each and every additional chip consumes energy and takes pecious space).
Apple already provide quite useful 27" display with built-in Thunderbolt expander etc.
In the end, it all comes to competition. No doubt Apple will soon release a new update to the Macbook Air, that will bring about new performance levels... what then?
Many people do not really understand why Thunderbolt is so advanced, especially more ultra portable notebooks. In essence it provides extension of the processor's PCI-Express interfaces outside the computer. In the Macbook Air of 2011, you have two 10 Gigabit/second channels out of that tiny connector. You can connect almost anything there, that is traditionally found inside a conventional "PC". No need to make your notebook bulkier or more power consuming (each and every additional chip consumes energy and takes pecious space).
Apple already provide quite useful 27" display with built-in Thunderbolt expander etc.
In the end, it all comes to competition. No doubt Apple will soon release a new update to the Macbook Air, that will bring about new performance levels... what then?
Thunderbolt - Is an Intel technology.... and only a matter of time before it is in every Ultrabook..
especially when what you mention as advantages might really be available to all other ultrabooks, and they already have been, even if with the older technology.
If people are looking for ultrabooks, they're really looking for ultra-portable PCs, and not necessarily "ultra-fast" connections or ultra-fast CPUs. The fact is that, any computer is only as fast as its slowest component, and the speed provided by ultra-fast memory or ultra-fast Thunderbolt or ultra-fast CPUs won't matter much when a user cannot do anything faster than the broadband being used, as an example.
Most people who are looking for portability are not necessarily looking for the ultra-fast tech inside. They just want something that will do what they need, and will do it without hurting their budgets, and that are easy to tote around, and have reasonably new and adequate tech. So, how fast and small should a CPU be for browsing the internet? Will it matter? Do people really, really, need Thunderbolt to access Facebook or Google or Twitter or their preferred news source? Whatever Thunderbolt provides, will be, like someone else mentioned, standard in the months and years to come, and when it's everywhere, and available to everyone, Apple will have to seek some other technology or some other feature to differentiate their hardware/software from the others. For now, there really is no real advantage to owning a Mac Air over the ultrabooks from others. In fact, the advantage will be on the non-Apple ultrabooks, because, like always, they end up costing much less with a much bigger variety of makes and models.
Oops! Sorry! My bad!
There is an advantage to owning an Apple ultrabook. None of the other brands will have that big feature that the Apple faithful like about Apple, and that is, the Apple logo.
If people are looking for ultrabooks, they're really looking for ultra-portable PCs, and not necessarily "ultra-fast" connections or ultra-fast CPUs. The fact is that, any computer is only as fast as its slowest component, and the speed provided by ultra-fast memory or ultra-fast Thunderbolt or ultra-fast CPUs won't matter much when a user cannot do anything faster than the broadband being used, as an example.
Most people who are looking for portability are not necessarily looking for the ultra-fast tech inside. They just want something that will do what they need, and will do it without hurting their budgets, and that are easy to tote around, and have reasonably new and adequate tech. So, how fast and small should a CPU be for browsing the internet? Will it matter? Do people really, really, need Thunderbolt to access Facebook or Google or Twitter or their preferred news source? Whatever Thunderbolt provides, will be, like someone else mentioned, standard in the months and years to come, and when it's everywhere, and available to everyone, Apple will have to seek some other technology or some other feature to differentiate their hardware/software from the others. For now, there really is no real advantage to owning a Mac Air over the ultrabooks from others. In fact, the advantage will be on the non-Apple ultrabooks, because, like always, they end up costing much less with a much bigger variety of makes and models.
Oops! Sorry! My bad!
There is an advantage to owning an Apple ultrabook. None of the other brands will have that big feature that the Apple faithful like about Apple, and that is, the Apple logo.
Of course, Thunderbolt is Intel technology.
But, if it was not for Apple, nobody could have heard of it yet. All components that make (for example) an Macbook Air have been available to anyone -- yet, we have not seen much interest in these things, until Intel decided to make Windows platforms more competitive.
Thunderbolt is especially GOOD for mobile computing, because it packs every connectivity you may ever need in small tiny connector. Not everything you do with a laptop is related to downloading from Internet. Some people use laptops to process data -- Thunderbolt is very useful in such situations. It is also universal (PCI Express) bus, that let's you connect any type of peripherals at "native" speeds.
But, if it was not for Apple, nobody could have heard of it yet. All components that make (for example) an Macbook Air have been available to anyone -- yet, we have not seen much interest in these things, until Intel decided to make Windows platforms more competitive.
Thunderbolt is especially GOOD for mobile computing, because it packs every connectivity you may ever need in small tiny connector. Not everything you do with a laptop is related to downloading from Internet. Some people use laptops to process data -- Thunderbolt is very useful in such situations. It is also universal (PCI Express) bus, that let's you connect any type of peripherals at "native" speeds.
as an advantage for Apple?
If it's going to be available to all ultrabooks and other form-factors, then it's not an advantage for anyone.
So what if Apple got to be the exclusive thunderbolt provider for a few months? Intel had not intended for Apple to retain exclusivity for more than just a temporary basis.
Now, when it comes to Thunderbolt, it's a technology which was known to exist before Apple got to put it in their thin offerings. The only thing is that, Apple thought they could gain a big selling point by being first to offer the feature, and for a while, they did have the slight advantage. But, Intel never intended to have just one manufacturer have the exclusive rights. It wouldn't make sense for Intel, but, it made sense for Apple to gain that slight advantage for a period of time. Now, time's up, and the advantage is gone. And, so, like I said before, Apple is going to have to come up with some new feature or gimmick to regain the advantage.
If it's going to be available to all ultrabooks and other form-factors, then it's not an advantage for anyone.
So what if Apple got to be the exclusive thunderbolt provider for a few months? Intel had not intended for Apple to retain exclusivity for more than just a temporary basis.
Now, when it comes to Thunderbolt, it's a technology which was known to exist before Apple got to put it in their thin offerings. The only thing is that, Apple thought they could gain a big selling point by being first to offer the feature, and for a while, they did have the slight advantage. But, Intel never intended to have just one manufacturer have the exclusive rights. It wouldn't make sense for Intel, but, it made sense for Apple to gain that slight advantage for a period of time. Now, time's up, and the advantage is gone. And, so, like I said before, Apple is going to have to come up with some new feature or gimmick to regain the advantage.
When looking at current Ultrabook offerings there is no Thunderbold available. All this, despite Intel were developing the technology for several years and that Apple is selling it for one year already. One year, in computer hardware is a lot of time. It may well become obsolete by the time Wintel decides to adopt it...
Thunderbolt is available in every Macintosh released since one year ago. Again, it is very powerful and useful for a mobile device technology -- but you have to support it. Does Windows even support Thunderbolt?
Thunderbolt is available in every Macintosh released since one year ago. Again, it is very powerful and useful for a mobile device technology -- but you have to support it. Does Windows even support Thunderbolt?
This is a bit old article, but, Thunderbolt on the PC has been in the works for a while, and it will be arriving in the most anticipated OS ever, Windows 8, and it's going to be on Windows 7.
"Intel Shows Off A Windows 7 Computer With A Thunderbolt Port"
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/intel_shows_windows_7_computer_thunderbolt_port
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Thunderbolt-coming-to-Windows-7-notebooks.61402.0.html
Apple should continue enjoying their "exclusive" Thunderbolt offering while they can. It won't be lasting much longer.
"Intel Shows Off A Windows 7 Computer With A Thunderbolt Port"
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/intel_shows_windows_7_computer_thunderbolt_port
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Thunderbolt-coming-to-Windows-7-notebooks.61402.0.html
Apple should continue enjoying their "exclusive" Thunderbolt offering while they can. It won't be lasting much longer.
Your arguments aren't following any logic. You aren't giving Apple any credit. They have the latest i5s and i7s. They are up to speed but if you'd take your MS blinders off you could have seen that.
The main thing you should credit them for is having the vision to be the first ones to have the "Ultrabook" in any kind of volume.
If you weren't such a MS fanatic you could be honest and give credit where credit's due.
The main thing you should credit them for is having the vision to be the first ones to have the "Ultrabook" in any kind of volume.
If you weren't such a MS fanatic you could be honest and give credit where credit's due.
Arguing against a product or a company, does not automatically mean that I'm a fan of the opposition, especially when the opposition is composed of many players, those being the many manufacturers, and the many software developers. That Windows is a Microsoft product, does not mean that I'm automatically favoring Microsoft just because I argued against the Apple hype. I'm arguing against the hype that accompanies many discussions involving the mere mention of Apple. My argument is about not buying into the Apple hype, and it's not necessarily about me preferring any Microsoft products/services. I'll take whatever works well enough, and is not priced absurdly higher than whatever else is available. Apple doesn't do it for me, but it's not because I hate them. I'm just not buying into the hype.
so, why couldn't you? Why the "WTF" in your comment?
I pride myself in spelling correctly, and in correct grammar. But, the imperfect make a mistake once in a while.
Now, I had no idea we had a spelling or grammar policeman on-board. But, you better be careful from now on, because, next time I catch any of your posts, I'll be checking it for errors.
I pride myself in spelling correctly, and in correct grammar. But, the imperfect make a mistake once in a while.
Now, I had no idea we had a spelling or grammar policeman on-board. But, you better be careful from now on, because, next time I catch any of your posts, I'll be checking it for errors.
@adornoe this category was carved out by Apple 4 years ago with the MacBook Air. When I look at the base spec an Air today I get:
- 1.6 GHz i5
- 2GB RAM
- 11.1" display
- 2 x USB 2.0
- 64 GB SSD
- 1 x Thunderbolt (Apple the 1st to implement Thunderbolt for Intel)
- SD Card reader
- Instant On
oh and this was released half way through last year - still available for US$999 - it can be configured up to an i7 with 256GB of SSD for a low US$1800.
Acer announce what?
- i3 to i5 maybe i7
- HDMI
- USB 3.0
- 20 Gbps Thunderbolt
- Magic flip I/O to hide the ports (Apple had that until they ditched in the last refresh)
Al this available in Q2 somewhere between April 1 and June 30 - no confirmation on price I would guess they will seek a price point in line with the Air.
Yes I see you point - the Wintel Ultrabooks announced last week have a HDMI port and USB 3.0, mea culpa, mea culpa how could I miss this as a critical blow to my statement that Wintel OEM's are catching up with what Apple released as a new product line 4 years ago when everyone was using Netbooks and they were going to save the (PC) world.
- 1.6 GHz i5
- 2GB RAM
- 11.1" display
- 2 x USB 2.0
- 64 GB SSD
- 1 x Thunderbolt (Apple the 1st to implement Thunderbolt for Intel)
- SD Card reader
- Instant On
oh and this was released half way through last year - still available for US$999 - it can be configured up to an i7 with 256GB of SSD for a low US$1800.
Acer announce what?
- i3 to i5 maybe i7
- HDMI
- USB 3.0
- 20 Gbps Thunderbolt
- Magic flip I/O to hide the ports (Apple had that until they ditched in the last refresh)
Al this available in Q2 somewhere between April 1 and June 30 - no confirmation on price I would guess they will seek a price point in line with the Air.
Yes I see you point - the Wintel Ultrabooks announced last week have a HDMI port and USB 3.0, mea culpa, mea culpa how could I miss this as a critical blow to my statement that Wintel OEM's are catching up with what Apple released as a new product line 4 years ago when everyone was using Netbooks and they were going to save the (PC) world.
Of course it's taken Wintel 4 years to notice the Apple thingy. When you talk Apple and numbers (very small numbers), compared to Wintel Apple is at the bottom of the barrel 
So yea, it takes 99% of the world a while to notice anything Apple does.
So yea, it takes 99% of the world a while to notice anything Apple does.
Macs, since most people are content to have a PC which is more compatible with more software than any Mac. Advantage: PC.
BTW, most people are forgetting that, when it comes to the definition of Wintel, half of that term is about "Intel Inside". When it comes to Apple, if terminology were to be technically correct, then it would have to be called, "Apptel", because, those Macs have the same exact "Intel Inside" technology.
BTW, most people are forgetting that, when it comes to the definition of Wintel, half of that term is about "Intel Inside". When it comes to Apple, if terminology were to be technically correct, then it would have to be called, "Apptel", because, those Macs have the same exact "Intel Inside" technology.
My dear commenters,
The preliminary US market share figures for computers (excludes Tablets) shows people are voting with their feet.
The numbers show:
- HP in top spot 23% (with negative sales growth in the last qtr of -26%)
- Dell in 2nd spot 22% (with positive sales growth of 4%)
- Apple in 3rd spot 11.6% (with positive sales growth in the last qtr of 20%
- Toshiba in 4th 10.7% (with negative sales growth in the last qtr of -2.2%
- Acer group 5th 9.8% (negative sales growth in the last qtr of 11.4%
While sales of your beloved Wintel are going backwards it appears the myth of small apple sales perpetuates. Maybe it's the halo effect of the iPad and iPhone but when people aren't buying Wintel, they seem to be shelling out for these "expensive" Apple computers.
Guess I must be living in dreamland...
The preliminary US market share figures for computers (excludes Tablets) shows people are voting with their feet.
The numbers show:
- HP in top spot 23% (with negative sales growth in the last qtr of -26%)
- Dell in 2nd spot 22% (with positive sales growth of 4%)
- Apple in 3rd spot 11.6% (with positive sales growth in the last qtr of 20%
- Toshiba in 4th 10.7% (with negative sales growth in the last qtr of -2.2%
- Acer group 5th 9.8% (negative sales growth in the last qtr of 11.4%
While sales of your beloved Wintel are going backwards it appears the myth of small apple sales perpetuates. Maybe it's the halo effect of the iPad and iPhone but when people aren't buying Wintel, they seem to be shelling out for these "expensive" Apple computers.
Guess I must be living in dreamland...
I've been frustrated by HP often enough that I'm going to look at them AFTER I've checked out the competition, I've heard enough lukewarm things about Dell that I'll check them just before I look at the HP's, and I don't like the price tag and tight rein that comes with Apple. So you're just saying that two of the folks I'd be looking at have mildly negative growth. What about Lenovo, Gateway, Asus, Shuttle, Systemax and Ultra?
which has the majority of people holding on to what they've got and not looking to upgrade when what they already have is good enough. But, when it comes to the Apple crowd, they normally have more money to spend and money is no object when they want/need to get their hands on the latest of whatever Apple has.
Most people, if they had the money, would've been upgrading their systems, but, when every penny counts nowadays, spending on upgrading just to get their hands on the latest, is not an option for most.
Most people, if they had the money, would've been upgrading their systems, but, when every penny counts nowadays, spending on upgrading just to get their hands on the latest, is not an option for most.
I'm a retired sailor, my needs are simple and a lot of my spare time is spent coaching men's gymnastics and teaching Krav Maga, I'm not a technical guy. Most of the folks I work with are twenty somethings and all use Macbooks, as an older, more conventional guy, I bought a desktop mac.
Two things I see alot of are 20 somethings buying Apple exclusively and the comprehensive solution that Apple provides in every market Apple enters. Yes I now buy my peripheral from an Apple store, they are high quality and Apple does stand behind them. The desktop itself is a much better solution than my AMD X6 was.
My phone is Droid and my content portal is still Amazon. I just try to get the best solution for my problem, I'm not looking at a global market. Apple is now 10% or so of the desktop market, not bad for a company that keeps both quality and prices at a premium.
I suppose if things were to change, I'd probably go for the Macbook at this point in time.
Two things I see alot of are 20 somethings buying Apple exclusively and the comprehensive solution that Apple provides in every market Apple enters. Yes I now buy my peripheral from an Apple store, they are high quality and Apple does stand behind them. The desktop itself is a much better solution than my AMD X6 was.
My phone is Droid and my content portal is still Amazon. I just try to get the best solution for my problem, I'm not looking at a global market. Apple is now 10% or so of the desktop market, not bad for a company that keeps both quality and prices at a premium.
I suppose if things were to change, I'd probably go for the Macbook at this point in time.
That would be the hope of the industry. I think a significant portion of the PC market would rather have a cheap laptop.
More importantly, the PC market is no longer THE market. Mobile is capturing the minds of the developers, and where developers go, users will follow.
More importantly, the PC market is no longer THE market. Mobile is capturing the minds of the developers, and where developers go, users will follow.
and that's, that ultrabooks are really the newer iteration of laptops, which are sleeker, faster, more portable, with newer tech inside, and in a lot of cases, better looking.
When it comes to the "mobile market", if you'd care to notice, that market is having to make "adjustments" in order to make the tablets feel and act more like the netbooks of "old". When a user feels the need to add a keyboard to his "tablet", then it's an adjustment which makes the original tablet come closer to being a netbook. So, in reality, it's the tablets which are having to "regress" to becoming laptops, or in the new tech world, ultrabooks.
When it comes to the "mobile market", if you'd care to notice, that market is having to make "adjustments" in order to make the tablets feel and act more like the netbooks of "old". When a user feels the need to add a keyboard to his "tablet", then it's an adjustment which makes the original tablet come closer to being a netbook. So, in reality, it's the tablets which are having to "regress" to becoming laptops, or in the new tech world, ultrabooks.
I was referring more to the phone market. Looking at a faster, lighter, longer lasting laptop is great, but don't lose site that phones and tablets are able to do some of the things we use laptops for. And there are things they do better.
I think the idea of adding a keyboard to a tablet is kind of a crutch for the early adapters. On the other hand, maybe the idea of owning a bluetooth keyboard that you pair to a variety of devices is the way we'll do things in the future.
I think the idea of adding a keyboard to a tablet is kind of a crutch for the early adapters. On the other hand, maybe the idea of owning a bluetooth keyboard that you pair to a variety of devices is the way we'll do things in the future.
the points you made earlier.
A smartphone is not a laptop nor an ultrabook, and not even a tablet.
Bringing in the "mobile" word doesn't change the fact that, ultrabooks are meant for high mobility and as replacements for whatever laptops did in the past. Also, tablets that need "adjustments" in order so they can act as laptops, are still defeating the original specs and form-factor of what tablets were meant to be.
A smartphone is not a laptop nor an ultrabook, and not even a tablet.
Bringing in the "mobile" word doesn't change the fact that, ultrabooks are meant for high mobility and as replacements for whatever laptops did in the past. Also, tablets that need "adjustments" in order so they can act as laptops, are still defeating the original specs and form-factor of what tablets were meant to be.
I fully agree, that ultrabooks will be everywhere, because those Chinese factories will have produced them by millions. They will be discounted, until somebody buys all of them.
The problem is, that there are three players in that pipeline. The manufacturers bear the cost and the losses, while both other, Intel and Microsoft "set directions". It is the choice of the manufacturer how much they will trust both.
None of this affects Apple or their users.
The problem is, that there are three players in that pipeline. The manufacturers bear the cost and the losses, while both other, Intel and Microsoft "set directions". It is the choice of the manufacturer how much they will trust both.
None of this affects Apple or their users.
netbooks.
The ultrabooks of today are not the simple, small, tiny screen, low-feature, low-power, PCs of the past. They are as capable as any other laptop currently out in the market. So, I would have to disagree. And, no, tablets won't displace the laptops nor the ultrabooks.
The ultrabooks of today are not the simple, small, tiny screen, low-feature, low-power, PCs of the past. They are as capable as any other laptop currently out in the market. So, I would have to disagree. And, no, tablets won't displace the laptops nor the ultrabooks.
I would already own an Air if it just had two mouse buttons.
I like OS X quite a bit, but I'd probably still have some way of running Windows apps, whether via dual-boot or VM. Don't care as much as about the OS. Just quality hardware, two mouse buttons, a tiny form factor, and 4+ hours of battery life and I'm set.
I like OS X quite a bit, but I'd probably still have some way of running Windows apps, whether via dual-boot or VM. Don't care as much as about the OS. Just quality hardware, two mouse buttons, a tiny form factor, and 4+ hours of battery life and I'm set.
Why no run Windows in VirtualBox? It works perfectly, plus -- is free software.
To right click using a Mac with Windows OS, you just press 2 fingers on the touchpad and click, or use a Magic Mouse.
The bigger disadvantage is on the keyboard for text entry; no Delete, Home, End or Page Up / Down keys. I use those keys a lot and hate not having them.
The bigger disadvantage is on the keyboard for text entry; no Delete, Home, End or Page Up / Down keys. I use those keys a lot and hate not having them.
Page up/Page Down is now done with gestures on laptops, and you can buy the trackpad for your iMac to have the same features. The Magic Mouse, provides some gesturing, but not "pinch to zoom", which is the most useful feature for surfing the web.
There is a lot about the Apple business Model that is what their prices are all about. Go to an Apple store, and stand around and watch and listen if you don't think Apple is selling more than any other WinTel consumer accessible store. There is hardware leaving my local Apple Store every time I go there, like a heart beat.
Count the number of people working in the Apple Store. There are usually 15-20 people in the my store. Go to BestBuy, and there are maybe 5 or 6 people working the computers and gear.
Go stand back by the Genius Bar and listen to the conversations. Listen to how customers are treated, and how problems are explained.
Look at the One-on-One classes going on. $99.00 when you buy a new computer gets you 52 hours of one-on-one training about any topic related to your Mac that you bring in. Want to learn about software you might buy, get a 1 hour introduction and tutorial on it.
The WinTel market has no idea how to do customer service. They've priced themselves out of the opportunity to develop new products and services with any real differentiation. They don't have profitable products, and their markets are now decreasing, further accentuating the problem.
I was really amazed that HP didn't shut down their PC "arm" of the company. That could of greatly enhanced the opportunities for Dell and Sony, to get some significant new business to help them pay for the research they need to do to create really differentiating technologies.
In the end, I think that Apple will get another 20-25% of the market before WinTel really figures out how to turn the market around. It might only get to 15% more, before things get ugly with "I'm a PC" commercials that try to accentuate the differences.
There is a lot about the Apple business Model that is what their prices are all about. Go to an Apple store, and stand around and watch and listen if you don't think Apple is selling more than any other WinTel consumer accessible store. There is hardware leaving my local Apple Store every time I go there, like a heart beat.
Count the number of people working in the Apple Store. There are usually 15-20 people in the my store. Go to BestBuy, and there are maybe 5 or 6 people working the computers and gear.
Go stand back by the Genius Bar and listen to the conversations. Listen to how customers are treated, and how problems are explained.
Look at the One-on-One classes going on. $99.00 when you buy a new computer gets you 52 hours of one-on-one training about any topic related to your Mac that you bring in. Want to learn about software you might buy, get a 1 hour introduction and tutorial on it.
The WinTel market has no idea how to do customer service. They've priced themselves out of the opportunity to develop new products and services with any real differentiation. They don't have profitable products, and their markets are now decreasing, further accentuating the problem.
I was really amazed that HP didn't shut down their PC "arm" of the company. That could of greatly enhanced the opportunities for Dell and Sony, to get some significant new business to help them pay for the research they need to do to create really differentiating technologies.
In the end, I think that Apple will get another 20-25% of the market before WinTel really figures out how to turn the market around. It might only get to 15% more, before things get ugly with "I'm a PC" commercials that try to accentuate the differences.
When you click the touchpad on the left side, you get left mouse button click, when you click the touchpad on the right side, you get right mouse button click.
The mouse buttons in the Air are under the trackpad -- no need to waste space by reducing the trackpad size and using 'separate' buttons.
The mouse buttons in the Air are under the trackpad -- no need to waste space by reducing the trackpad size and using 'separate' buttons.
One thing that you might not have considered in your argument is that with Virtualization, you can run Windows along with MacOSX. Or you could always use Bootcamp to dual boot your Macintosh to run Windows natively. Either way, you can run Windows for those applications that the developers could not figure out how to develop for Macintosh directly. I for one have switched to Macintosh as my primary operating system as I could have one computer that runs all operating systems that will run on Intel processors.
be purchasing a Mac with virtualization in mind as a way around the limitations. Even in the Mac crowd, most of them wouldn't be thinking about virtualization as a solution to the fact that, Macs don't run a lot of software designed with Windows in mind. Most tech types might find that as an adequate enough solution, but, try to think about the majority of people who are not as tech-savvy as you and me.
In some of the virtual machine implementations, you can have a windows .exe laying around on your MacOS-X environment, and just double click on it, and it will be launched into the VM, and because of X-Windows, the applications windows just appear as if the app is running natively in Mac OS-X.
That means that the average user, can buy the "application", install it on the "computer", and get the features they need, without any real "technical" known-how. That's the way Mac applications generally work. As a Mac user, you come to expect things to not greet you with "technology", but rather with "functionality", and you just get your work done.
That means that the average user, can buy the "application", install it on the "computer", and get the features they need, without any real "technical" known-how. That's the way Mac applications generally work. As a Mac user, you come to expect things to not greet you with "technology", but rather with "functionality", and you just get your work done.
Look, the average user does not go into a computer store, or an Apple store, expecting to purchase a computer, and then being told that, if they want to run most software that are designed for Windows, that they can do so, but, with emulation or virtualization software. How many average people do you believe even understand emulation or virtualization, as it pertains to computers? And then, you're going to tell them that, they have to pay extra for the privilege of using that Apple computer which needs some extra tricks in order to run something that just happens "naturally" under a Windows system?
If paying so much more for an Apple is so advantageous, then, why hasn't Apple outsold all other Windows systems out there? Methinks that, what you believe to be the average user, is a lot smarter than you think.
If paying so much more for an Apple is so advantageous, then, why hasn't Apple outsold all other Windows systems out there? Methinks that, what you believe to be the average user, is a lot smarter than you think.
Are you aware, that most of the software for "Windows" doesn't really run on Windows 7? Since Vista, Microsoft has implemented sort of virtualization technology that in essence provides the necessary environment for your "Windows" program -- how is this different than the MacOS way?
You may answer your last question if you answer the question why there are only 7 billion humans on Earth and so many other life forms.
You may answer your last question if you answer the question why there are only 7 billion humans on Earth and so many other life forms.
you're coming up very short.
Windows 7, whether 64 bit or 32 bit, all works as if there wasn't any difference. At least, that's the way the "average" user would perceive it. Now, when it comes to the Mac, the majority of software is written for Windows (whether 32 bit or 64 bit is immaterial), and when people purchase Windows 7, they don't have to be told that, they need to turn on virtualization or emulation in order to make their software purchases work.
Also, I see you're evading answering the question I posed. So, the question remains: "If paying so much more for an Apple is so advantageous, then, why hasn't Apple outsold all other Windows systems out there?"
Out of those 7 billion people on the planet, and with about 1.5 billion of them using Windows, why is it that, the vast majority still prefer to use and pay for Windows systems? Do you think, perhaps, that, price matters? Like I said, most people are smarter than to just be fanatical about a certain company with an apple logo.
Windows 7, whether 64 bit or 32 bit, all works as if there wasn't any difference. At least, that's the way the "average" user would perceive it. Now, when it comes to the Mac, the majority of software is written for Windows (whether 32 bit or 64 bit is immaterial), and when people purchase Windows 7, they don't have to be told that, they need to turn on virtualization or emulation in order to make their software purchases work.
Also, I see you're evading answering the question I posed. So, the question remains: "If paying so much more for an Apple is so advantageous, then, why hasn't Apple outsold all other Windows systems out there?"
Out of those 7 billion people on the planet, and with about 1.5 billion of them using Windows, why is it that, the vast majority still prefer to use and pay for Windows systems? Do you think, perhaps, that, price matters? Like I said, most people are smarter than to just be fanatical about a certain company with an apple logo.
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