News - ASUS seeking to emulate Apple with new UX super-sleek laptop

[HEXUS]

Unibody chassis and deliciously thin.

Read more.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The article has gone AWOL!!

There is a video of the laptop in this thread if anyone is interested:
http://forums.hexus.net/hexus-hardwa...ht-laptop.html

[jim]

I think there is a market, yes, but that's not going to hit it.

Nerdy name, square, boxy shape. Apple isn't just about thin.

[tickedon]

Needs to hit a much lower price point than Apple to be a success, I think.

Same with the tablets - when they come in just below, around (and indeed often above!) the price of an iPad, most people will pick the iPad.

If Asus want to attract customers that would buy Apple, they'll need to price it below the MacBook Air - and given the large numbers of students purchasing Apple products, that means less than £745 (based on education pricing for the Air). I somehow doubt we'll see that - so people will keep buying Apple.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

and given the large numbers of students purchasing Apple products, that means less than £745 (based on education pricing for the Air).

I thought students were meant to be poor??

[tickedon]

I thought students were meant to be poor??

What else are student loans for?

[jim]

I thought students were meant to be poor??

It is mind-blowing. I know loads of people who hate spending money on anything - they won't use tumble driers because the cost £1, or they won't buy anything other than the cheapest food available, but as soon as it's PCs/MP3 players all question of value goes out the window and it's straight down to the Apple store.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

What else are student loans for?

It is mind-blowing. I know loads of people who hate spending money on anything - they won't use tumble driers because the cost £1, or they won't buy anything other than the cheapest food available, but as soon as it's PCs/MP3 players all question of value goes straight out the window

Maybe the BBC was onto something with that documentary!!

[tickedon]

It is mind-blowing. I know loads of people who hate spending money on anything - they won't use tumble driers because the cost £1, or they won't buy anything other than the cheapest food available, but as soon as it's PCs/MP3 players all question of value goes straight out the window

I think it really depends how you define value... when I started my degree (5 years ago now) I bought a MacBook. It lasted my entire degree without a single problem. Others purchased an IBM thinkpad laptop through the university, which also lasted people the degree (at a similar price to what my macbook had cost me). Others purchased cheap £400-500 laptops, and most were replaced twice, or even three times, in the course of their 4 year degree - they weren't designed to be knocked about in a bag every day or were just built using cheap plastic and chassis that fell apart. Buying a premium laptop (something like a thinkpad or macbook) might be more upfront, but, it often saves money in the long run. Obviously, experiences will vary, but this is what I saw in my 'role' as the 'resident IT geek' on my course and being constantly asked about issues and "is this a good deal"!

(and I'm far from being an Apple fan - I'm back to using Windows 7 laptops and switched from using iPhones to a Blackberry now - I believe in the right tool for the right job, and I think there's value in buying a macbook for something like a university course - they seem to last).

[jim]

The point I'm trying to make is that nobody sits there and looks at the options available to them. They just decide they're having a MacBook and that's that. There's no question of whether it's a good investment at the time, whether they have enough money, all the rest of it.

That comes first, and starving to death might be the price, but they wouldn't worry about that - as long as they've got their MacBook.

[Terbinator]

They have good resale value as well

That comes first, and starving to death might be the price, but they wouldn't worry about that - as long as they've got their MacBook.

[Spud1]

It could well be a good competitor if it comes in at around the £500 mark for the base spec (Core i3 2GB ram 64GB SSD I presume). Personally I think it's ugly (its the square corners that really turn me off it!) and looks too much like a MBA rip off to me.

That said, if the price is right and the build quality holds up, I could seriously look at one in a few years time..I am typing this on my Macbook Air 11" ultimate which cost me £1100 after a corp discount, so when the time comes to replace this in the next 12 months or so, I would look at one of these as it's replacement. I bought this MBA for the portability/quality/performance ratios, as nothing else could match it..maybe that will change

My MBA is still worth around £1k at the moment so if I could upgrade to a higher spec and make some money as well, i'd be up for that!

[Biscuit]

i like it, i have been using a macbook for years and im struggling to give it up, not because of Mac OSX (as i am quite open about how pointless and rubbish i think mac OSX is) but because there is something nice about the aluminium casing, the touchpad and the keyboard. I know there is nothing special with regards to mac hardware really but at the same time there kinda is... cant but my finger on it but i just cant find anything which is quite as comfortable to use. Maybe the new range of aluminium notebooks will solve that as i dont want to pay the Steve Jobs tax...

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

It looks like the laptop will be under $1000:

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/06/a...inese-newspap/

It will be using Sandy Bridge Core i5 and Core i7 processors.

Also the MacBook Air and UX21 look quite different TBH.

[Biscuit]

Asus looks better IMO, they are quite similar though.

[krazy_olie]

Despite not being an apple fan I have to say that the air is going to take some beating as the most aesthetically pleasing laptop. Tried one out in the apple store and it feels nippy enough too.The asus looks a bit "sharp"?. Will probably provide better performance for cash but needs some visual design tweaks IMO.

Also there are some heavy student discounts on apple products (specifically macbooks and imacs) so they become quite competitive price wise.

The reason why apple excel here is because they come up with the aesthetics and then say let's get the technology inside it rather than getting some technology and cramming it in.