Apple Macbook Air or Asus Zenbook?

[polarbear]

I've held off buying a new lap top because I hate windows 8

[DrunkenMonkey]

I have had a MacBook Air for almost a year and I LOVE it! I just got a 1TB external hard drive that takes advantage of the thunderbolt port on the MacBook Air. Really really great performance.

[OZCUBAN]

Which do I get?

The specific models i'm comparing are the Macbook Air 11" 128GB and the Asus Zenbook UX21E. Both are latest release ultras but I get the sense that the Mac is built better. I'm concerned about any Mac compatability issues. I need to do the following: a) connect to a Blackberry modem via Bluetooth, b ) VPN into my corporate network, c) Remote desktop onto a Windows machine. Anyone have experience doing this? Any issues?

Thx!

Rob

If you can squeeze a few more dollars out of your budget I would go the middle of the road 15 inchmac book pro (retina/D) it has some serious horse power and super thin and quite light as well

Cheers OZ

[Guest Robo]

How about this?? Alienware M14x - I just purchased one myself and my specs are the following;

At it's core yes, it is a gaming laptop built for High performance, BUT there is no reason why it can't be used for business (Which I also use it for) and the like as it runs rings around most laptops on the market. For a 14 inch.

Processor: 3rd Gen Intel i7-3840QM (6Mb Cache up to 3.7GHz w/turbo boost 2.0)

Operating System: Windows 8 64bit

Memory: 16 Gb 1600 MHz DDR3 SDRAM

Hard Drive: 64 GB mSATA SSD and 750 GB 7200 Rpm Hardrive

Video card: 2 GB GDDR5 GeForceGT 650M NVIDIA Optimus technology

BluRay player

Wireless card: Killer Wireless-N 1202 a/g/n 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 4.0

WOW! Nice computer and great specs (16G RAM!); a class above the MBA. Too thick for me though, i'm going for extreme portability.

[Guest Robo]

After living in the Mac OS for a few years after 20+ of windows and building my own pcs, ill never go back.

I am a recent convert and a big fan of the Macbook line

The Mac touchpad is a dream that makes controlling your laptop as intuitive as controlling an IOS or Android device.

This makes me want to get the MBA even more now. I may not be able to resist...

[canadianbeaver]

This makes me want to get the MBA even more now. I may not be able to resist...

I am pretty sure all the apps you need are compatible with Windows... someone here I am sure has the answer. And I can tell you for sure the MBA is sexy looking.

[MIKA27]

WOW! Nice computer and great specs (16G RAM!); a class above the MBA. Too thick for me though, i'm going for extreme portability.

You're right in regard to size vs Portability, for me it's not a concern but for yourself, I'd take good advice from Steve (OzCuban) regarding the Macbook pro which was my second choice. Either way, let us know what you settle for.

[Ophidion]

Bastian: we are talking about a MacBook Air in this case so do some more reading before you post something.

A lot of updates have been done to resolve issues with the retina MacBook pros. I have a 15" retina with one of the LG displays (the ones that supposedly have issues) and I haven't had one issue with it. There was a software issue with safari that was fixed with 10.8.3 but other than that my experience has been fantastic.

All I can say is this: if your PC breaks, how awesome do you think your customer service experience is going to be?

There is a reason people roll their eyes when talking about Dell customer service.

[Guest Robo]

If you can squeeze a few more dollars out of your budget I would go the middle of the road 15 inchmac book pro (retina/D) it has some serious horse power and super thin and quite light as well

Cheers OZ

You're right in regard to size vs Portability, for me it's not a concern but for yourself, I'd take good advice from Steve (OzCuban) regarding the Macbook pro which was my second choice. Either way, let us know what you settle for.

I checked the retina Macbook Pro... almost DOUBLE the price. (Mind you, I checked at the Toronto airport, so price might be different at the Apple store. But still, a lot more expensive)

[Guest Robo]

Robo - new macbooks many problems

'Apple has built its reputation on quality, craftsmanship, and customer/user experience, but that hasn’t been the case with its latest lineup of MacBooks. What many consumers don’t know is that buying a new Retina MacBook means taking your chances with possibly receiving a unit that is subject to display defects, battery, graphics, and fan-related issues among other major stability problems. These widespread issues have received limited coverage in the press and many consumers claim Apple is failing to sufficiently address the problems by not informing consumers and employees.'[/font]

http://9to5mac.com/2...very-dimension/

The retina model is not under consideration. I like the 11" Air.

[Guest Robo]

I checked the retina Macbook Pro... almost DOUBLE the price. (Mind you, I checked at the Toronto airport, so price might be different at the Apple store. But still, a lot more expensive)

My mistake , I was comparing the 13" Pro to the 15" Retina Pro. The difference between the 13" Pro and 13" Retina Pro is a mere $300, or 25% more.

[canadianbeaver]

FWIW I just bought a 2011 MacBook Pro from my computer repair guy. I got a $200 credit for my fried 2008 MB Pro and I trust him to erase the power drive. He completely transferred the hard drive for this beautiful loaded machine, $1600.

90 day warranty, plus for an extra $75, an extra 100 days.

I am sure he did not invent this. I always buy a used computer, like a used car... Devaluation once you drive the new one off the lot.

[Fuzz]

I must be a little paranoid, as I still have the hdd from every computer I've ever owned... going all the way back to a 20mb hdd from my old AT. Most of the computers themselves have gone to recycling, but I just can't let go of the hdd, even though I've nuked them.

I just don't trust anyone to wipe a drive for me.

[MIKA27]

go Air no question. i try again windows 8 today and wow its not good. i forget all pc have it now. i tought it was option only.

I removed Windows 8 (The new Vista IMO ) and replaced with Windows 7 64GB

Also, I'm not a Moderator but it's just a shame that some people take such simple "Please help' non political topics to heart and turn a pleasant conversation into an issue. Seriously, 'Fraternity', friendship, BOTL. Let's keep it at that.

Refer to FOH Seven Commandments - Some guy wrote them...

RULE 1 NO Attacks Against Other Members.

This is not life and death people. It is the internet and a discussion board. We can all feel aggrieved

at certain times and hold strong personal thoughts on a subject. Express those thoughts but do it

without personal malice or reference to another member.

[Fuzz]

For me, I love my Samsung Series 9 15" ultrabook. I was debating whether to get the 13" or the 15" (portability vs screen size), but in the end, I realised I don't take my laptop everywhere. I mainly use it around the house/backyard, so the bigger screen size is a plus.

Decided to stay with Win 7 instead of downgrading to Win 8.

[Fuzz]

I removed Windows 8 (The new Vista IMO ) and replaced with Windows 7 64GB

So you took this option?

[1fastmach1]

If your not going to be doing any serious media editing then I wouldn't suggest a mac to you. The mac is very powerful for producing all different types of media. If you're just doing the things you mentioned and just overall surfing the internet, the best band for the buck would most def be a windows based machine. I myself have a macbook pro and LOVE it. I wouldn't trade it for any other machine on the market.

[MIKA27]

So you took this option?

Indeed!

[Lotusguy]

So you took this option?

Hilarious!!!

[Guest Robo]

I can tell you for sure the MBA is sexy looking.

This is as good a reason as any.

[Guybrush]

I would prefer the UX21A over the UX21E.

11.6 inch screen with FHD 1920 x 1080 is pretty unique.

[Fuzz]

Have you considered the Lenovo XP230 or X1 Carbon? Before choosing the Samsung, I seriously considered getting another Lenovo Thinkpad. They may not look stylish, but they are pretty much bulletproof.

Just one thing to note, if you choose the mba, there are rumours that Apple will be releasing an update sometime around June this year.

[jacktarnold]

I have a 13 MBA mid 2012 and absolutely love it. Does everything I want including Bluetooth tethering, VPN access and control window machines. I'm an app analyst and one of a few that prefer Mac in our hospital network and I can function just as we'll as anyone using a pc.

[obviousadams]

I had only Thinkpads for a decade before converting to Mac. The navigation of either the Apple touchpad or the thinkpad trackpoint is absolutely necessary. Other touchpads drive me nuts.

June/ July has traditionally been the time frame for Mac updates and traditionally Apple has been pretty predictable but they kind of messed with the schedule the last two years. The fall Ipad update was sort of out of left field (lightening connector) and the Iphone used to be a summer release I believe. Still, I am waiting until June hoping they release a 13" Pro model with some actual power.

Have you considered the Lenovo XP230 or X1 Carbon? Before choosing the Samsung, I seriously considered getting another Lenovo Thinkpad. They may not look stylish, but they are pretty much bulletproof.

Just one thing to note, if you choose the mba, there are rumours that Apple will be releasing an update sometime around June this year.

[Esteban77]

With a Mac, you can VPN with network utility or I use cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client. You can remote desktop with remote desktop connection application that comes with Microsoft Office to control any windows system. I use all these which I find lightyears easier than using windows. You should be able to connect to your modem via bluetooth or with a usb cable.

Esteban77