I have considered Zenbook over my MacBook Air but I have not changed yet. I am somewhat reluctant moving back to Windows but in the same time I am not much of a Apple fan either. I guess I am on deadlock here, waiting a linux miracle. So, it all boils to software.
The Last PC Laptop
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Re: The Last PC Laptop
#12> And even programmers, the audience who would most need all the power and flexibility of laptops, are switching to tablets. programmerS? the link is the only guy I heard of so far, and I even know die-hard ipad fans who laugh at the idea of a tablet being a serious workstation.
I would never consider working on a tablet, even if it could perfectly run my development environment. I absolutely need a keyboard, and I might as well take the laptop if I'm going to pack a keyboard with the tablet.
Re: The Last PC Laptop
#13Guess he didn't look very hard for the specs he's quoting. I had a Dell Dimension D430 which was awesome a few years ago (actually it was great until a few weeks ago when I dropped it) and got 6+ hours of battery life easily, and the Z-series Vaio I'm typing this on are just a teeny bit heavier than what he's talking about and also get similar battery life. Plus, for longer times without access to power outlets, ther…
The UX31A has a full HD (1920x1080) display, whereas the D430 has WXGA (1280x768). I don't see many laptops with Full HD displays at that price point.
Sure, but the D430 was available 5 years ago. I was more referring to his claim that there were no good laptops in the ultra portable category since 2003. My point was that there have been several.
Re: The Last PC Laptop
#14This very much reminds me of the Steve Jobs quote that in the future, laptops and desktops will be like trucks. They will always be around for those who need them, but most people don't need trucks.
Personally, I don't quite see that yet with today's hardware and paradigms. The processing power is certainly getting there. My tablet today is significantly more powerful than my laptop in 2006 but still not quite fast enough for compiling stuff etc. Also, tablet user interfaces are still a bit too unwieldy and rigid for programming work and there is something to be said for huge monitors.
But then, Windows 8 looks like it could be the solution: A tablet that can run Windows on the go, but transforms into a regular desktop when connected to a keyboard/mouse/screen. The future.
Re: The Last PC Laptop
#15Along with this, I'm considering the Thinkpad X1 Carbon or the Samsung Series 9 -- they're all advertised as lightweight, powerful, and with more vertical resolution than the usual piddling 768px. Anyone tried them and want to weigh in?
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/08/a-worthy-ultrabook-ap... (edit: previous discussion at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4428262 )
I'm leaning towards the Thinkpad since I get the impression Thinkpads usually go well with Linux. (I might need to run Windows too, alas.) This will replace a Mac laptop.
Re: The Last PC Laptop
#16Is this an ad or genuine? I'd trust it more if it didn't come with an amazom affiliate link.
Same feeling. I hate apple, but recommending a MBA clone + win8 preview is very weird. Especially the win8 part, the author didn't tell any feature that makes it a big improvement over win7. Perhaps this is not about software after all.
Regarding Win8, the author did write a separate post about it: http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2012/07/betting-the-company...
Re: The Last PC Laptop
#17It is a bit strange that there is a differentiation between battery life and portability. As far as I'm concerned portability is (battery-life * (1/weight)), assuming that you give them the same importance.
Re: The Last PC Laptop
#18I have been using the Ux31 (previous version, only 1600x900) on Arch and Windows 8, and I am quite impressed too.
I have been a heavy Thinkpad (T42 and T61p) and Macbook Pro user, and I had the chance to test other Ultrabooks, like the Samsung S9 and some cheap Acer. I was quite prejudiceed against Asus, but this machine is really the best I had so far.
Re: The Last PC Laptop
#19By emphasizing that this is his last "PC" laptop, I assume he might still buy a laptop in the future but not a PC one. However, all the points listed in the article are reasons for why tablets are more awesome.
Re: The Last PC Laptop
#20Along with this, I'm considering the Thinkpad X1 Carbon or the Samsung Series 9 -- they're all advertised as lightweight, powerful, and with more vertical resolution than the usual piddling 768px. Anyone tried them and want to weigh in? http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/08/a-worthy-ultrabook-ap... (edit: previous discussion at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4428262 ) I'm leaning towards the Thinkpad since I g…
Existing Thinkpad fans have been unimpressed with the display on the X1 carbon. You may take that with a grain of salt, as some of us remember when high-end models came with UXGA IPS panels and a few could even be ordered with a QXGA option.