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Is Apple lieing to us with the term "ultraportable"?

T

twist2b

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 26, 2008
220
0
North Carolina
apperently ultraportable has part of its deffinition as:
weight: 1 kg

1 kilogram = 2.20462262 pounds

the mac air is 3 pounds.

I still find it as an ultraportable in a way, but legally are they allowed to announce it as an ultraportable?
 
Ultraportable is whatever the manufacturer says is ultraportable.

However, most people would define the MBA as a 'thin & light', not an ultraportable.

Either way, you still spelled lying wrong.
 
whos the one that "legally" came up with the specs of an ultraportable anyway?
and is the Air even officially labeled as that or is that what us hipsters on the interwebz like to refer to it as?

as a laptop it is indeed ultraportable. as a device, there are many things (handheld pc's mostly) that more portable, but with the air you have the real feel of a computer to it
 
twist2b said:
apperently ultraportable has part of its deffinition as:
weight: 1 kg

1 kilogram = 2.20462262 pounds

the mac air is 3 pounds.

I still find it as an ultraportable in a way, but legally are they allowed to announce it as an ultraportable?
Click to expand...

Its actually very light, and really thin; I guess they call it ultra-portable due to it being extremely thin and quite light, not exactly a full blown portable nor a piece o' cr•p Eee. Would be rather confusing to call it differently. Just my 2 cents.

Victor
 
NT1440 said:
whos the one that "legally" came up with the specs of an ultraportable anyway?
and is the Air even officially labeled as that or is that what us hipsters on the interwebz like to refer to it as?

as a laptop it is indeed ultraportable. as a device, there are many things (handheld pc's mostly) that more portable, but with the air you have the real feel of a computer to it
Click to expand...

thanks for the posts guys, though this post confused me, have you been to the apple online site!!!!!!!!!!

But I agree some people say 2kg or more some say 1 its really fishy.

Also yes I was going to type "did apple lie...." (that was what was going on in my head) and then ended up with lying, so that was an accident. Sorry. :)
 
twist2b said:
thanks for the posts guys, though this post confused me, have you been to the apple online site!!!!!!!!!!

But I agree some people say 2kg or more some say 1 its really fishy.

Also yes I was going to type "did apple lie...." (that was what was going on in my head) and then ended up with lying, so that was an accident. Sorry. :)
Click to expand...

sry bout that, just headed over to the apple sight and they do infact refer to it as an Ultraportable.

the rest of my post still stands tho, there is no industry agreed upon standard for what defines an ultraportable, as far as laptops go this indeed is one IMO
 
dukebound85 said:
i know in the food industry to say organic, fat free, natural, etc all have very specific criteria that must be met for it to be advertised that way
Click to expand...

but so far the computer industry hasnt gotten together and clearly defined the term ultraportable. so far its just rules of thumb like less than 4 lbs = ultraportable (that was just an offhand example btw)
 
NT1440 said:
sry bout that, just headed over to the apple sight and they do infact refer to it as an Ultraportable.

the rest of my post still stands tho, there is no industry agreed upon standard for what defines an ultraportable, as far as laptops go this indeed is one IMO
Click to expand...

Oh, I agree. If I were to categorize it: ultraportable

Still I was told that it did not fit "ultraportable" specs and wanted a second opinion. Still I think its an overall concept then just fitting EVERY requirement.
 
twist2b said:
Oh, I agree. If I were to categorize it: ultraportable

Still I was told that it did not fit "ultraportable" specs and wanted a second opinion. Still I think its an overall concept then just fitting EVERY requirement.
Click to expand...
exactly right my friend
 
Smallest trimmed down machine Apple has had in a decade since the eMate.

Unfortunate the price isn't the same as the eMate.

But alas the eMate wasn't a Mac either.
 
dukebound85 said:
i know in the food industry to say organic, fat free, natural, etc all have very specific criteria that must be met for it to be advertised that way
Click to expand...

SOME manufacturer claims are regulated, some are not.

To say 'low calorie', it must have 1/3 the calories of the 'regular' version. If you try to say 'low calorie' and it doesn't meet this definition you will get in trouble. Other examples are 'fat free' (less then 1 gram of fat per serving) or '2.5 GHz' 'Natural, 'Healthy', and 'Organic' also have regulated definitions.

But other claims, 'great taste', or 'worlds thinnest notebook', or 'ultraportable' or 'super-fly sexy' have no government agency regulating their use.
 
iCheddar said:
most people would define the MBA as a 'thin & light'
Click to expand...
This seems true.

What is an ultraportable computer? Who knows. Apple calls the MBA an ultraportable on their web site. Here in Japan seems to be something that is 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) or less. You expect a 10 or 12 inch display with a small keyboard. Many times these utraportables are not the strongest either.

The MBA is a bit heavier that this at 3 pounds. But it also has a full sized keyboard and display.

One thing is for sure, the MBA is probably the lightest laptop out there with a full sized keyboard and a 13 inch display. That is noteworthy.
 
twist2b said:
apperently ultraportable has part of its deffinition as:
weight: 1 kg
Click to expand...
I think that is incorrect.

The current ultraportables are around 1,1 to 1,4 kg. Sony G and TZ, MBA, Thinkpad X61, HP 2510p, Dell D430.

It's UMPC's = Ultra Mobile PC's that are below 1 kg.
 
this is a silly thread. you know what the MBA does and how much it weighs. if you want one, buy it. if not, don't. the rest is just semantics.
 
They are only lying if there is an established definition of "ultraportable." I did some quick searching and couldn't find a 1-kg definition anywhere. The most common figure I saw was less than 4 lbs and less than 1.5 inches thick. I think Apple's doing a little better than that.

But really, it doesn't matter. If you don't want it, don't buy it.
 
Wtf?

twist2b said:
apperently ultraportable has part of its deffinition as:
weight: 1 kg

1 kilogram = 2.20462262 pounds

the mac air is 3 pounds.

I still find it as an ultraportable in a way, but legally are they allowed to announce it as an ultraportable?
Click to expand...

Riiiiight. The legal definition of ultraportable? Seriously? That's what you're giving us here?
 
appleretailguy said:
Riiiiight. The legal definition of ultraportable? Seriously? That's what you're giving us here?
Click to expand...

ok, think when you post. Its like a dictionary, a dictionary gives the "legal definition" meanwhile someone else can come up with w.e they want. Seems that the term "ultra portable" does not fit a legit set of rules. It's more a term based on guidelines.

I find your post worthless and flamming. Try to stay out of topics if you do not have anything to say. Also for the posts above, I never said I would not get it JUST BECAUSE of the definition. I simply wanted to clarify a personal debate. Is that so terrible? For those that ACTUALLY contributed, thank you!

And for those that are wondering, at the end of the summer I will be purchasing a macbook air (My hope is that when the 3G iPhone comes out the air might drop a couple hundred in price for the SSD)
 
twist2b said:
And for those that are wondering, at the end of the summer I will be purchasing a macbook air (My hope is that when the 3G iPhone comes out the air might drop a couple hundred in price for the SSD)
Click to expand...

I doubt that the price will drop a whole lot this year (maybe $200 tops) but SSD is definitely going to get cheaper and roomier next year. Around the time when there are no more hard-drive-based iPods, laptops with SSD will be reasonably priced.
 
twist2b said:
apperently ultraportable has part of its deffinition as:
weight: 1 kg

1 kilogram = 2.20462262 pounds

the mac air is 3 pounds.

I still find it as an ultraportable in a way, but legally are they allowed to announce it as an ultraportable?
Click to expand...

There is no standard definition as enforced by the FCC or other group for "ultraportable".

Additionally, there isnt really great consensus on the term either between manufacturers. Wikipedia lists some items

So is Apple stretching the term with the Air? Maybe.
 
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