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macbook air 11 vs asus ul30vt
- Thread starter boonlar
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i think you've just stumbled into the worst place to ask for pc vs mac advice
(if you really need to play some games) get a 13" macbook pro or a white macbook
(if you really need to play some games) get a 13" macbook pro or a white macbook
The benefits would be...(if you really need to play some games) get a 13" macbook pro or a white macbook
It depends on how picky you are. For many people, the Asus would be just fine.
However, I am going to argue that the core features of what makes a laptop enjoyable (even if you don't know it at present) are:
screen quality
keyboard quality
touchpad quality
battery life
In this regard, the macbook air handily trounces the asus. This is why it's $1000 for seemingly less features. Regarding the screen, there are no screens being produced except in Sony laptops that are as nice as the ones in the macbook air. I am perplexed as to why more people don't care about this. Asus, Lenovo, and Dell all use cheap screens in their ultraportables. I suppose the difference would not be a problem for someone who's never laid eyes on a "good" screen, but once you have, the difference should be apparent even in isolation. The macbook air would make an excellent video player.
The Asus keyboard allegedly has some flex to it, but I will defer to the reviews. The air has none. The touchpad on a mac is still second to none. The responsiveness and the sheer size of it will, over the course of all-day usage, make your fingers feel less tired. Sounds kinda stupid, but the ergonomics are significantly different and this will not be apparent immediately. But use your mac, and then go back to any other laptop and you should see what I'm talking about. The only exception would be a thinkpad, as I think that their touchpad/trackpoint combo is very good as well.
The battery life should not be dismissed, as for some 5 hours is just not going to be enough (for the macbook air). But a more fair comparison would be to be minutes/ pound. The air was designed to be thin and light, period. I believe that the air, given a 63 watt-hour battery like the Asus, would be pulling at least 10 hours as well. But then it would be a 3 pound machine. Personally, I would gladly take an air that was 3 lbs and 11.6" if it had such long battery life.
In summary, if you care about the core features of computing--typing, looking at a screen, and navigating with a touchpad--then the macbook air is your choice, without debate. I don't see how anyone could sanely argue these points.
If sheer # of features for your buck (ports, connectivity, hard drive space, ram) are important, then you would do better with the Asus.
Apple focuses on the user experience at the expense of everything else. That they sell alot of products whose feature sets are often dramatically less than the competition (for a higher price, too!) shows that when you use their products, it's enjoyable and that's what sells. The iphone has way less features than android, but it's still holding its own. Same with the macbook air, I suspect. The early reviews are overwhelmingly positive, and it's sort of like the ipad. So many people thought that the device would be a tweener, with no clear use case, but the sales numbers do not lie. I still don't know how useful the ipad is, but it is definitely a fun experience. The macbook air I would be shocked if it did not become the dominant ultraportable by version 2 next year when they tack on another 2 hours of battery life + add back the backlit keyboard.
However, I am going to argue that the core features of what makes a laptop enjoyable (even if you don't know it at present) are:
screen quality
keyboard quality
touchpad quality
battery life
In this regard, the macbook air handily trounces the asus. This is why it's $1000 for seemingly less features. Regarding the screen, there are no screens being produced except in Sony laptops that are as nice as the ones in the macbook air. I am perplexed as to why more people don't care about this. Asus, Lenovo, and Dell all use cheap screens in their ultraportables. I suppose the difference would not be a problem for someone who's never laid eyes on a "good" screen, but once you have, the difference should be apparent even in isolation. The macbook air would make an excellent video player.
The Asus keyboard allegedly has some flex to it, but I will defer to the reviews. The air has none. The touchpad on a mac is still second to none. The responsiveness and the sheer size of it will, over the course of all-day usage, make your fingers feel less tired. Sounds kinda stupid, but the ergonomics are significantly different and this will not be apparent immediately. But use your mac, and then go back to any other laptop and you should see what I'm talking about. The only exception would be a thinkpad, as I think that their touchpad/trackpoint combo is very good as well.
The battery life should not be dismissed, as for some 5 hours is just not going to be enough (for the macbook air). But a more fair comparison would be to be minutes/ pound. The air was designed to be thin and light, period. I believe that the air, given a 63 watt-hour battery like the Asus, would be pulling at least 10 hours as well. But then it would be a 3 pound machine. Personally, I would gladly take an air that was 3 lbs and 11.6" if it had such long battery life.
In summary, if you care about the core features of computing--typing, looking at a screen, and navigating with a touchpad--then the macbook air is your choice, without debate. I don't see how anyone could sanely argue these points.
If sheer # of features for your buck (ports, connectivity, hard drive space, ram) are important, then you would do better with the Asus.
Apple focuses on the user experience at the expense of everything else. That they sell alot of products whose feature sets are often dramatically less than the competition (for a higher price, too!) shows that when you use their products, it's enjoyable and that's what sells. The iphone has way less features than android, but it's still holding its own. Same with the macbook air, I suspect. The early reviews are overwhelmingly positive, and it's sort of like the ipad. So many people thought that the device would be a tweener, with no clear use case, but the sales numbers do not lie. I still don't know how useful the ipad is, but it is definitely a fun experience. The macbook air I would be shocked if it did not become the dominant ultraportable by version 2 next year when they tack on another 2 hours of battery life + add back the backlit keyboard.
I used to own the Asus UL30VT when it first came out. unagimiyagi pretty much nailed it.
It's a nice laptop and I'd probably recommend it (or a newer version if there is one) if someone really didn't want to spend money on a Macbook. The battery life is pretty nice on the UL30VT but in the end, the Air wins.
The SSD is much faster than the hard drive in the UL30VT, the 320m is better than the 210m, the screen is better (bad viewing angles on the UL30VT) and you can't beat the form factor of the Air. The switchable graphics on the UL30VT was also a pain to use, although the software was getting updated quite a bit so maybe it's better now.
The UL30VT was nice to carry around in my backpack but take it to the next level and you have the Air. If you're willing to spend the extra bucks then get the Air and don't even bother looking at the UL30VT.
On a side note, I think a better comparison would be against the UL30JC with a better processor and video cards that utilize Optimus. Not sure about the price either, 899 is more than what I paid for my UL30VT when it came out.
It's a nice laptop and I'd probably recommend it (or a newer version if there is one) if someone really didn't want to spend money on a Macbook. The battery life is pretty nice on the UL30VT but in the end, the Air wins.
The SSD is much faster than the hard drive in the UL30VT, the 320m is better than the 210m, the screen is better (bad viewing angles on the UL30VT) and you can't beat the form factor of the Air. The switchable graphics on the UL30VT was also a pain to use, although the software was getting updated quite a bit so maybe it's better now.
The UL30VT was nice to carry around in my backpack but take it to the next level and you have the Air. If you're willing to spend the extra bucks then get the Air and don't even bother looking at the UL30VT.
On a side note, I think a better comparison would be against the UL30JC with a better processor and video cards that utilize Optimus. Not sure about the price either, 899 is more than what I paid for my UL30VT when it came out.
Between the two for ocaissional gaming I would recommend the MBA. Thats because Nvidia 320M is 10x better than inted 4500hd.
However personally if I need a portable gaming machine I would look no further than Alienware M11x which is the same price as MBA but beats both these laptops hands down in performance.
However personally if I need a portable gaming machine I would look no further than Alienware M11x which is the same price as MBA but beats both these laptops hands down in performance.
I think you shouldn't ask this question here. why? because people would recommend you macbook air no matter what. this is mac forum, lots of fanboys. honestly, if you really want to get some answers, I suggest that you buy Asus. it's a deal, much cheaper, more powerful, has everything you want. recently Asus upgraded the same model with core i5, NVIDIA 330GT, 500GB HDD. the price point is very similar with basic new macbook air. if I were you, I will take Asus. don't be stupid. macbook air is just luxurious way to throw your money. I am not really appealing the design when I choose laptop. todays, most laptops are very nice.
The air is better. I was looking at the UL30VT as well but it loses out to the air in some key areas
1) Weight. The UL30VT is 1.5lbs heavier
2) The UL30VT is thicker
3) Slow HDD. Honestly if you don't need that much space flash memory/SSDs give a much better overall computing experience. I have a SSD in my custom gaming desktop and now I can't use computers that have slow HDDs in them.
1) Weight. The UL30VT is 1.5lbs heavier
2) The UL30VT is thicker
3) Slow HDD. Honestly if you don't need that much space flash memory/SSDs give a much better overall computing experience. I have a SSD in my custom gaming desktop and now I can't use computers that have slow HDDs in them.
Well I am in America, with Asus, if you call their tech support do you get India or do you get a person that speaks clear English ? Can you take the Asus to the Asus store and a real live person take your 5 1/2 year old machine and clean it up and DOUBLE the ram at no charge like Apple did to my mother's G5 iMac?