Lenovo has some funny-ha-ha times at MacBook Air's expense
By Paul Miller 
posted April 30th 2008 8:35AM
posted April 30th 2008 8:35AM
[Thanks, Lee M]
posted April 30th 2008 8:35AM
powered by gdgt
A look back on popular stories from today in a specific year.
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
Nice to hear another designers comments but surely its a matter of opinion. This coupled with the fact that we apple product owners are only into the looks of the product (just kidding but go with it) surely its quite a large consensus of opinion? I mean I've met very few people that dislike the design of apple products.
As for the apple lover hating the establishment? We all know thats not true. http://www.tuaw.com/2008/02/17/the-street-mac-owners-are-snobs/
Also I'd like to point out that the apple missionaries don't really exsist, the majority couldn't care and realise its just a choice, just like our PC counterparts. its a bidriectional abuse thing between some idiots (both mac and pc) that can't understand anyone else having another opinion.
However if someone comes to me and say I hate windows, as my parents have just done, i'll suggest os x. Thats why its no point on these boards.. everyone's mind is firmly set.
What a brilliant ad! IBM's marketing department did a very good job!
Rich UK @ Apr 30th 2008 11:26AM
Your comment saying that vista=brains really is an idiotic comment, but I really don't care if you want to make idiotic sweeping statements
Dude, calling anyone an idiot surely reflects self chauvinism.
Sweeping Statements?:
1. DOS command embeded in vista = TRUE
2. mem /c controls conventional/upper memory = true
3. cmd...gpedit.msc...secpol.msc..compmgmt.msc... devmgmt.msc..= true
Proving my statement:
1. full of hot "air" mentality
So please don’t preach to me about the lack of imagination you posses. How you wouldn’t change anything because you’re stuck in the NORM.
The dream of a Ultra portable I can take out of it’s shell , leaving a fully operational shell at home. Go out and do what I need to do and come back home and slip it back into the shell where it would only compliment the shells processor, HD, memory, cache and OS.
If you lack imagination and hope, that’s your issue.
Don’t reply on issues of opinions which you find insulting to your way of thinking.
go back and play with your 768k downstream..
there never enough bandwidth...
Here’s a better comment:
Rich UK = Compromised
That comment there surely clarified that i was calling your vista=brains an idiotis sweeping statement, and no calling you a idiot. The irony is that i'm not insulted in anyway regarding your opinions at all and the chauvinism lies with you.
So far lets recap you have said I am: Stuck in the norm, have a full of hot air mentality, zombie, and lack of imagination and hope, oh and compromised. This is all because I have the opinion that the MBA has a place and is a useful product to some section of society.
I have not preached to you regarding my lack of imagination, so I'm not quite sure where you pulled that out from? I've never insulted the x300 or windows (they're obviously both good products), i said that some people don't NEED these other points. Not because we're stuck in the norm or unimaginative, but because it suits our needs. I don't define imagination and hope buy which computer you own or buy the OS you run, if you think that you have aspirations and imagination because you have an x300 and have dreams of a future PC, great. But I have other things on my mind.
At the end of the day its just a computer, not an extension of your personality. Maybe I just don't get that PCs are supposed to be that.
WOW!!!!!!! i find this funny best argument from the mac user r its better looking
i wave no flags and i own 2 macs out the seven computers at my house
but ill be damed if i am going to pay 1800 dollars for something that has less feature just becuz it's pretty
all mac user must be rich
that would explain the current iphone.
cant do have what my current phone can but coast twice as much
dammit miss spelled half sorry been up all nite
I just like how the only thing that could think of to parody was a lack of USB ports. And then they go on to say the X300 is a no compromise laptop. No compromises? Really? Compared to the Macbook Air, the X300 is:
Slower, thicker, more expensive, has less RAM, less HD capacity, and of course it can't run OS X natively, while the Macbook Air can run Windows natively. That doesn't look like "no compromises" to me, seeing as how they compromised on price, weight, size, power, speed, RAM, storage and OS choices.
And of course the part where they shot themselves in the foot: How many devices did they try to attach to that Macbook Air? 5? Were they aware the X300 only has 3 USB ports? Guess they'll have to use a hub with the X300 too.
dude one of the devices was a wireless broadband mobile card, which is pre-built in the x300. the other probably a wireless usb adapter.. or maybe a wimax adapter... laugh or an external nic adapter..
Mike S - And that changes what, exactly? The X300 is still a massive string of compromises compared to the MBA, no matter how you slice it. The MBA is like twice as powerful for christ's sake, and it costs less! While coming with more RAM standard! And being much thinner at the same time! Did Lenovo simply fail to grasp that concept or something? Do they need to look up the word "compromise" in a dictionary?
The thing about parody is that in order to be funny it needs to be based on reality. It's only funny when people identify with what's being parodied and recognize it as being the truth. The only people who actually think this is a good parody are the people who think the MBA is somehow riddled with compromises and the X300 is not. Anybody who thinks that is out of touch with reality, which would describe the Apple haters here pretty well.
And that doesn't mean the MBA doesn't make any compromises either - it does, obviously. it's just that the X300 makes more of them when in direct comparison, and that's why calling it a "no compromise" laptop is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen.
@ Zak - The Air definitely makes more compromises then the Lenovo. While the Air has a bit more power under it's hood and more ram, that's not everything to a computer user.
On a day to day basis, a user will need the USB ports more than the...what, .6 ghz?, increase of processing power in the air.
Some may also need an optical drive more too, as well as the other things that the X300 has built in.
Yes, the Air has more power and yes, it has more ram - but the X300 can function just as fine with what it has without doing away with an optical drive, 2 usb ports, wireless broadband card, as well as other things.
Plus, the X300 has ram that is upgradeable as well as a user-replaceable battery.
Did I also mention that more businesses will chose Windows over OSX based on how universal it is?
This isn't to say the Air sucks and the X300 is better than it on all aspects.
This is only in response to your statement saying that the X300 is making more compromises than the MBA, when it's obvious that during everyday usability, it's actually the Air that's making more of the compromises.
Simply put, the Lenovo has all the basic elements that make it a computer away from home, while the Air is more of an internet browser away from home (don't try to say you could rip movies to the Air's hard drive or do some other processor intensive task because with the Air's horrendous battery life and non-user replaceable battery, you may as well bring a portable generator or make sure you're constantly near an outlet).
Whatever...
I bought a Mac for OS X, hardware was a secondary factor. I have no desire to even mess with Vista and XP feels like a hog (and dog) compared to Leopard.
Yeah, you can force Leopard on a PC laptop, but forget about using Software Update.
If only the X300 looks not-so-boring it would sell more...
You have to admit, 70% of people who bought the MBA has been indulged by it's physical appearance alone without thinking of it's crappy specs.
Physical Appearance of Laptops today tends to sell more.
Not to mention Apple's Marketing > All.
Apple's pretentious adverts need to be the subject of some serious satire - Lenovo could have taken this a lot farther ... I'll wait for the sequel ...
"Apple's pretentious adverts need to be the subject of some serious satire - Lenovo could have taken this a lot farther ... I'll wait for the sequel ..."
Ah but you forget that Apple is allowed to make pretentious advertisements. When they are posted, how many of these same guys that are having a meltdown over this ad would be nothing but smiles and giggles over Apple's?
Everyone should stop doing those types of ads, but for Apple users to get all twisted out of shape about this, when they cheer AppleCo for doing the same thing, is nothing short of hypocritical.
Well I'm laughing a both, the people who can't aren't worth knowing! I have a MBA and found it amusing!
Your somewhat right about the fact that most of the apple fans are not used to such witty comebacks in the way of advertising. Where you are wrong however is when you said that they could have take this alot further. Im curious as to what else they could have done. Maybe they could have pointed out the MBA's full size backlit keyboard or its oversized trackpad. I laugh at Apples add because they point out Windows flaws. This add takes the main features that MBA owners love and "trys" to make then look like flaws. Do you still go to the record store and buy CD's? Do you seriously still purchase a physical copy of the movies that you want to see? Most everyone who takes time out of their day to comment on a Engadget post probably considers themselves tech savvy. Aren't most tech savvy people always on top of the latest and greatest advances in computer science. Shouldn't most people on here be interested in the air since in 10 years (probably way less) everything that requires a usb or optical or any kind of physical connection is going to be wireless? Just my thoughts though.
@ Adam
Are all of the programs you can purchase for a Mac available to download at the point of purchase or do they come on a CD? I'm just saying ...
As it is the MBA is basically an exercise in design and isn't meant for the power user.
Exacto!
Lenovo X300 + Vista FTW!!
wow....you guys are funny...it's like going to the country exhibition and listening to the ford guys and chev guys as they drink and barbeque.
I'm a normal guy who does average things with my laptop and the last thing on my mind is worrying about if I have to use vista or OSX, and honestly at the end of the day does it really matter if all of your emails got sent and your projects/spreed sheets got finished? people that get this upset about which laptop to use and why need to seriously have a close look at their lives and maybe start spending time with actual people....how many of you guys watched "live free or die hard" and how many of you are just like warlock?
I have an Ipod touch I use for travel and it's only 8gb because I'm not going to put 10 000 songs on it, and I have an HP pavilion dv2000 at home which I've had for a year and some and I've never run into anything I wanted to do but couldn't.
AMEN!!! This whole arguement has been quite entertaining though... good to see that someone has some perspective. Its a laptop for goodness sake! lol
@ rich uk
Funny of you, being the first to concur; your defense has been plastered all over this post..
LOL Whats with everyone... I've been defending the macbook air but i realise it has its shortcoming as do all portables but it was a compromise i was willing to make. All I've said over and over again (like a broken record) is that it has its market, yes it has its shortcomings but to SOME of us, and ethernet port and a DVD drive and 1usb really isn't that important. There are quite a few of us who wanted an portable running OS X (Legit) and now I have it. I really don't see the issue.
And yes its good to see apple smug bubble burst!
That comment there surely clarified that i was calling your vista=brains an idiotis sweeping statement, and no calling you a idiot. The irony is that i'm not insulted in anyway regarding your opinions at all and the chauvinism lies with you.
So far lets recap you have said I am: Stuck in the norm, have a full of hot air mentality, zombie, and lack of imagination and hope, oh and compromised. This is all because I have the opinion that the MBA has a place and is a useful product to some section of society.
I have not preached to you regarding my lack of imagination, so I'm not quite sure where you pulled that out from? I've never insulted the x300 or windows (they're obviously both good products), i said that some people don't NEED these other points. Not because we're stuck in the norm or unimaginative, but because it suits our needs. I don't define imagination and hope buy which computer you own or buy the OS you run, if you think that you have aspirations and imagination because you have an x300 and have dreams of a future PC, great. But I have other things on my mind.
At the end of the day its just a computer, not an extension of your personality. Maybe I just don't get that PCs are supposed to be that.
Rich UK @ Apr 30th 2008 12:41PM
So far lets recap you have said I am: Stuck in the norm, have a full of hot air mentality, zombie, and lack of imagination and hope, oh and compromised. This is all because I have the opinion that the MBA has a place and is a useful product to some section of society.
At the end of the day its just a computer, not an extension of your personality. Maybe I just don't get that PCs are supposed to be that.
___________________________________________________________
The lack of true substance/crux in your comments amuse me, at first I thought your enigmatic responses where of mystery. Now I see that all you want is the final word.
Dude, go ahead mock everyone by settling with the limitations of devices, purchase what you need now and F tomorrow.
You are what you eat. You dress to impress. Show me your company I will show you who you are.
Not an extension of your personality?
Socrates:
“Be as you wish to seem.”
Go ahead and mock philosophers while you’re drowning in a technological world where there’s players and then theres people like you. I knew what kind of user you where when you first replied to my comment… how.. because like everything else in life… it is an extension of who you are…
Here let me make you feel better with some FINE PRINT:
I, Mike S, would like to state that these are opinions based on facts alas those out there who wish to rebut my opinions might surmise my statements as self-grandeur.
ENGADGET ROCKS
haha! very very funny!! I like the lenovo's range, the corporation i used to work for used them for everything, never had one problem with them, except the old bulky styling, looks like they are sorting it out though!!
OMG! Mac users are such crybabies. You can dish it out, but you can't take it. You mindless drones would probably buy a Steve Jobs terd if it had a Mac logo stamped on it.
Portable entertainment eh?
I get enough entertainment watching you folks lugging computers everywhere with you and arguing as to which bit of kit is best.
I use three different OSs, and they're all annoying!
When I grow up, I'm going to be a landscape gardener.
Now where on earth did I put my crackberry?
:-D
I personally cannot stand IBM's style. Huge black bezels went out with the 90's. I love my Dell 1330 :)
Rich UK @ Apr 30th 2008 12:41PM
So far lets recap you have said I am: Stuck in the norm, have a full of hot air mentality, zombie, and lack of imagination and hope, oh and compromised. This is all because I have the opinion that the MBA has a place and is a useful product to some section of society.
At the end of the day its just a computer, not an extension of your personality. Maybe I just don't get that PCs are supposed to be that.
->->->->
The lack of true substance/crux in your comments amuse me, at first I thought your enigmatic responses where of mystery. Now I see that all you want is the final word.
Dude, go ahead mock everyone by settling with the limitations of devices, purchase what you need now and F tomorrow.
You are what you eat. You dress to impress. Show me your company I will show you who you are.
Not an extension of your personality?
Socrates:
“Be as you wish to seem.”
Go ahead and mock philosophers while you’re drowning in a technological world where there’s players and then theres people like you. I knew what kind of user you where when you first replied to my comment… how.. because like everything else in life… it is an extension of who you are…
Here let me make you feel better with some FINE PRINT:
I, Mike S, would like to state that these are opinions based on facts alas those out there who wish to rebut my opinions might surmise my statements as self-grandeur.
Ya terminado...Finito
ENGADGET ROCKS
Go China, you are better then the USA we praise you. Apple and America stink. Apple is an American company so they are terrible. Only by China products so more American's will lose their jobs.
I can't understand for the life of me why Apple snooties defend Apple and Steve Jobs so vehemently. You guys would friggin die for the Apple cause. If there was a room full of Apple fans and one PC user, he'd be dead. Bludgeoned to death with iPods and iPhones or strangled with the tons of cords that you need for Macbooks. You pathetic conformist elitist capitalists...........
I think my major let down would be installing Linux on it. Also to create back ups of files and what not an optical drive is nice.
Everytime I want to install something, i do not want to go to my other computer and set up a remote optical drive or plug in a usb. Many of my family photos are backed up on DVD. which makes it near impossible for viewing at relative's houses w/o a DVD drive.
And i could not stand a day without ethernet.
I don't get it. Is this the geek version of the pissing match between Ford and Chevy truck owners? Who cares? It's just a tool. Get the one that works best for you - that's why we have choices.
you're a tool!!!11111
the whole idea behind the vid is to demonstrate we have choices, I thought...
This spoof is dumn I don't even get what there plugging in! I have an MBA and The only Thing I plug in, is my iphone and ipod every now and then. Everything Else I have is wireless, and the CD Drive I don't miss at all surprisingly. Pretty Much all Programs these days you can download by internet, and type in a serial code. And BluRay Movies don't play on Most computers Yet.. And thats what I"m Renting. I think Most People are still stuck in the past with connectivity and Why Do people get so worked up over this computer? Its perfect for me because All I do is surf the web, chat and listen to music. Apple offers other types of laptaps to chose from that fits the persons needs. So I don't get why people put it down so much
Clever ad.
Lenovo need to bring one out in a lighter colour (but not white, IMO); one that doesn't get toasted in the sun. Then they can talk real practicality outdoors.
Otherwise, very well done on this video. It's 2008. The insistence on black is a little tiring. Otherwise, seems like a solid design.
LOL PWNT
My MacBook fits in an envelope, too. It has a DVD burner, multiple ports, and isn't much thicker than the MBA.
But I am not the target market for the MBA. It's meant for business-class fliers who need to lighten their load as much as possible, while still having a good computer that can handle all the programs they run on their Mac Pro.
And to be fair, most of the external stuff you use on a Mac can be Bluetooth, so why would you need all those cables? I'm using a Bluetooth Mighty Mouse for my MacBook. No problems.
@London
Thinking outside the envelope = best marketing catch phrase for IBM
And that video is kick ass.
If I had the cash,I'd get me one of these things.
so true
Lenovo FTW!!!
x300 is a cool looking laptop.
"Black is still the new black."
Silver will never become as cool as black.
In my frank opinion, x300 is more practical than MBA.
I look down on people who purchases MBA cause they are impractical.HAHA. But not to people with MB or MBP.
Now that video was very amusing... and true!
I'll still stick w/ my Sony Vaio T350P...
4-7 hours of battery life depending on the usage, built-in cellular card (I had mine unlocked and use T-Mobile), comfortable keyboard, snappy performance, all in a diminutive size and weight.
Next ultraportable I'll upgrade to will probably be a UMPC such as the OQO Model 02.
:)
Also, I forgot to add that it has a built-in optical drive (CD/DVD burner) and built-in bluetooth.
:)