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Competitors to the 11" MBA
- Thread starter maflynn
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There are several, including Dell, Acer and Sony. Some have more powerful processors, some have longer battery life, some have screens that rival the MBA, but none seem to have put together the combination of these attributes quite like Apple has. I have read where several people have attempted to configure the MBA as a straight Windows 7 system, which I think is going to have limited results. Battery Life and performance on the MBA seems to have a lot to do with very tightly integrated hardware and software, which is usually the case with all Macs.
I have Windows configured via Bootcamp, and can tell you that battery life takes a hit, but overall, Windows 7 performance is excellent.
I wouldn't recommend a MacBook Air as a primary Windows device. The drivers for the touchpad make it a bit too sensitive, plus the machine isn't optimized for Windows' power management techniques. You'll get much lower battery life on Windows 7 than on OS X.
I think the Sony Vaio X is the closest to the Air, though it is also more expensive. The Dell M11x is good as a gaming PC, though it is much thicker than the Air, and even the 13" MacBook Pro (though it is lighter than a Pro). The Dell Adamo is about the same size as the 13" Air, but it's thicker. It also uses the 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo as its only available processor. It also appears to be being discontinued, since it's no longer available for online order. I've heard that Dell plans some ultra-thin versions of its XPS notebook line, but not until next year.
I think the Sony Vaio X is the closest to the Air, though it is also more expensive. The Dell M11x is good as a gaming PC, though it is much thicker than the Air, and even the 13" MacBook Pro (though it is lighter than a Pro). The Dell Adamo is about the same size as the 13" Air, but it's thicker. It also uses the 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo as its only available processor. It also appears to be being discontinued, since it's no longer available for online order. I've heard that Dell plans some ultra-thin versions of its XPS notebook line, but not until next year.
Dell did drop the adamo line.
I just finished looking at the sony vaio x and boy I'm impressed with the design. I'd say it could give apple a run for its money except for the same price point you get an atom processor. They came close design wise, but whiffed on the processor.
I just finished looking at the sony vaio x and boy I'm impressed with the design. I'd say it could give apple a run for its money except for the same price point you get an atom processor. They came close design wise, but whiffed on the processor.
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What, you don't like a computer with a processor that's half as fast as a 7 year old Pentium M on a MHz for MHz basis?
People complain about the Core 2 Duo, but Intel's Atom line can use some improvement.
VAIO X is undoubtedly the most sexy laptop, ever. Full stop. And the lightest.
But it so SLOOOOOOOOOOW! Even for normal browsing and office use, let alone gaming. I loved seeing it on my desk, but every time I was about to use it I was asking myself, can I be a*sed? Too often the answer was no. Therefore it had to go.
MBA 11" must be the best all rounder though. I'm very much impressed with the device! It's certainly the best ultra portable I ever owned.
The Alienware M11x is not a competitor to MBA 11 when it weighs almost as much as the MBP 13" along as being twice as thick as the MBA 11's thickest point and is thicker than a MBP 17
VAIO X come with a super slow Atom
The VAIO X takes 55 seconds to boot to the Windows 7 desktop even with SSD
Can't play standard definition content
The First MB had a better GPU
Insignificant speaker volume even at maximum
Three hour battery life
Yummy bloatware
No it isn't a MBA competitor
I disagree. Except for the weight the mx11 exceeds the specs of the mba. Yeah its fat and heavy (and ugly) but it has a decent battery and great performance and so should also be considered
Yes it exceeds the MBA 11 specs because it is super thick (as thick as a desktop replacement is not an ultraportable) and super heavy (90% heavier than MBA 11). With those insane specs it should be much better performance, the CPU isn't that much better (38%) nor is the GPU (35%)
I think that's the wrong way to look at this issue. Is Alienware M11x a good substitution to MBA 11? No. Is MBA 11 a good substitution to Alienware M11x? No. These are all niche products in a not so well defined category. Sure VAIO X is slower than MBA 11. But it's almost twice lighter and has 15 hours battery life (with extended battery). Apple seemingly tries to choose the specs to meet the needs of college students (liberal arts types). One can not say which laptops is better without specifying the target usage model. The truth is, unlike Apple, most other manufacturers offer tons of models so one can choose what he needs. As far as MBA11 type of laptop is concerned, Acer offers some similar models, specifically Aspire 1830 TimelineX:
* Core i5-430UM or Core i3-330UM
* up to 4GB DDR3
* up to 500GB HDD
* 11.6" (1366 x 768) LED backlit screen
* 3.1 lb
* 6 hour battery life (in laptopmag.com tests - vs 5 hours for MBA 11")
* $700 (on Amazon)
Yeah, I was gonna say the TimelineX as well. Good job pointing out what should have been the model for the 11" MBA, lilo777.
The 1830 also recently got an i7-680UM (1.46Ghz that turbos to 2.53Ghz), the processor many thought Apple would put into the MBA - and maybe would have - if not for the silly Intel/Nvidia lawsuit that's preventing Nvidia from making integrated graphics chipsets for the Core-iX series of processors.
Whatever the successor to the i7-680UM is, I hope it has decent enough graphics capabilities (OpenCL, mostly, I assume is Apple's criteria) that it can go into the MBA in Summer/Fall 2011. That'll be literally a 2-3x improvement over the Core2's currently used.
The 1830 also recently got an i7-680UM (1.46Ghz that turbos to 2.53Ghz), the processor many thought Apple would put into the MBA - and maybe would have - if not for the silly Intel/Nvidia lawsuit that's preventing Nvidia from making integrated graphics chipsets for the Core-iX series of processors.
Whatever the successor to the i7-680UM is, I hope it has decent enough graphics capabilities (OpenCL, mostly, I assume is Apple's criteria) that it can go into the MBA in Summer/Fall 2011. That'll be literally a 2-3x improvement over the Core2's currently used.
i Sold my Sony Vaio X (3g model) on ebay and got $1500 for it which paid for the 11" MBA. The Sony was a nice looking unit but very slow - the Atom CPU just wasn't enough power. The new MBA is so much faster its not funny.
The Sony X was also starting to show signs of wear after 10mths usage - the MBA is definitely build to last longer.
Pitty the MBA doesn't have the built in 3G but when I need this function I will just tether to the iphone4.
Frosty
The Sony X was also starting to show signs of wear after 10mths usage - the MBA is definitely build to last longer.
Pitty the MBA doesn't have the built in 3G but when I need this function I will just tether to the iphone4.
Frosty
Sandy Bridge doesn't have OpenCL
What's taking Intel so long to get with the program? I thought they are technically one of the backers of OpenCL. In any case, that seems to rule out Apple switching the MacBook Air to the Core i-Series until Ivy Bridge. I still think they should be able to manage to get a Core i5 into a MacBook Pro 13".
At this point, I think Intel would be better off ending their squabble with nVidia by just entering into a long term contract with them to build the integrated graphics solution for the Core i-Series. That way everybody would get what they want. nVidia would get their money, Intel would establish the precedent that the CPU should include an integrated GPU, and consumers would get faster graphics.
Sandy Bridge doesn't have OpenCL
According to this, it will.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20016302-64.html
Sandy Bridge doesn't have OpenCL
Sandy Bridge will support OpenCL 1.1 http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20016302-64.html