MacBook Air Alternatives
When Steve Jobs revealed the new MacBook Air, we were taken aback by its simplicity and elegance. But while the design is revolutionary, the Air appeals to a smaller, more specialized audience, thanks to a stripped-down set of connections and features. With just a single USB port and no expansion slots or optical drive, it's not for everyone, so we put the Air up against a selection of recent high-end ultraportable laptops for a little compare-and-contrast action.
This handy list should give you an idea of the pluses and minuses of each system (and prove that there's no such thing as the perfect laptop), but you'll have to check out the video to really appreciate the side-by-side comparisons.
Apple MacBook Air ($1,799)
+ Super thin, powerful custom CPU, très sexy
- Only one USB port, still kinda heavy
Sony Vaio TZ150 ($2,299)
+ Almost as thin, includes optical drive, plenty of ports
- Expensive, slower CPU, filled with bloatware
Panasonic Toughbook W7 ($2,099)
+ Tough and water-resistant
- Slower CPU, heavy and bulky
Asus U6S ($1,699)
+ Includes optical drive, plenty of ports, cool leather detailing, powerful CPU
- Poor battery life, small touchpad
Toshiba R500 (64GB SSD) ($2,699)
+ A mere 1.7lbs, less expensive SSD option, more ports
- Not as thin, slower CPU
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Good summary of alternatives though.
Some upcoming models are worth mentioning even though you might not have samples yet. The Lenovo X300 chief among them.
By the way http://www.maconair.com/compare
There are comparisons with other laptops...
The Macbook Air is expensive.... yet almost the cheapest computer compared...??????
Every other computer has more ports and an optical drive, but if bigger is better, why are we not pushing every large computer out there. I thought that the category was ULTRA PORTABLE not everything we can cram into this thing... LOL
The MacBook Air seemed to give one the lightest computer, biggest screen, and the ability to easily do what ever you need to do in an ULTRA portable and also at the lowest price (one exception) HMMMMMMMMMM,
OH yes and it runs everything windows too giving it the most software in the world. Just a thought.
en
For a CNET Crave review this was not bad, ........ but
If Steve wants to impress me, he needs to produce a laptop for under $500.
Making a flat laptop that lacks BASIC connectivity for $2000 is easy.
Making a full-featured one for $200 is amazing.
The OLPC project is producing impossibly cheap machines that run circles around Apple's $2000.00 undercooked pancake.
Get a clue, Apple.
What a waste of plastic this thing is. Can't believe that they even bothered building it, let alone excluding features that we use (usb, optical, etc).
My suggestion, spend your hard earned money on another laptop.
As for this article, here is a punch line for you:
Apple MacBook Air ($1,799)
+ Super thin, powerful custom CPU, très sexy
- Only one USB port, still kinda heavy
Sony Vaio TZ150 ($2,299)
+ Almost as thin, includes optical drive, plenty of ports
- Expensive, slower CPU, filled with bloatware
Panasonic Toughbook W7 ($2,099)
+ Tough and water-resistant
- Slower CPU, heavy and bulky
Asus U6S ($1,699)
+ Includes optical drive, plenty of ports, cool leather detailing, powerful CPU
- Poor battery life, small touchpad
Toshiba R500 (64GB SSD) ($2,699)
+ A mere 1.7lbs, less expensive SSD option, more ports
- Not as thin, slower CPU
Now, breeze and read the above descriptions. Look at the prices, carefully, very carefully. Then, check the pros and cons. Breeze again... You will realize that not a model comes close to the MacBook Air. There is not a real alternative to Apple's last born.
As for the "bouquet final", Apple offers with its thinnest laptop the most advanced OS available on the market
The Lenovo Thinkpad X300 and the LG P300.
Lenovo Thinkpad X300
+ many ports, optical drive, thinkpad build quality, legendary keyboard, faster SSD than MBA
- slow CPU, design (though it depends on your taste)
LG P300
+ T8300-T9300 CPU, 8600GS, performance beast, 3.5-4 hr battery life
- can get hot, lid design (depend on your tastes), no optical drive (though they do give you a free USB optical drive).
both of these and MBA are thin, light, and have LED options. Lenovo X300 has SSD option while P300 does not. Though the performance gain from P300 with CPU and graphic unit trumps the downfall of the hardrive speed.
If there is a comparison between both three of these laptops, I would recommend X300 for business users, LG for common consumers. The MBA doesn't really have a niche, it's for people who prefer style over functionality. This is a fact.