We're not just staring down a boring press release of
Samsung's new X360, we actually got to fiddle around with it for a few minutes and came away fairly impressed. It has a build somewhere in-between the plastic-ish
Voodoo Envy 133 and the rock-solid
ThinkPad X300, though probably closer to the latter, and the sheen of Silver Nano Technology on the technology saves us from bacteria but adds a slightly cheap flavor to the keyboard. The isolated keys aren't as deep as those found on Sony's latest models, nor not quite as crisp as an Apple keyboard, but should make for a comfortable typing experience. The port layout seems reasonable, the LED-backlit screen bright and not-too-terribly-glossy, and the brushed metal finish on the back is surely a nice touch. We didn't play much with the Korean OS, but Samsung claims the next-gen 128GB SSD offers a 25-50 percent boot time bump. Up against the MacBook Air the X360 is significantly thicker, but actually a tiny bit (3 ounces) lighter. We'll leave it to you to decide the victor while we swap USB devices willy nilly in an attempt to finish this post.
posted August 28th 2008 12:46PM
Then your comment is invalid because you've seen the worst of Windows.
I take it you haven't seen the worst in Mac OS X?
I like OSX, but it's simply too limiting and barely any of the software and games I own run on it, and it's tied into grossly overpriced hardware. It may be good, but when it's tied into a Mac it's a good 'feature' of a machine that overall is just bad value for money.
Wow what flamebait
No, what makes apple so appealing is
1) eyecandy
2) existing hate of micro$oft
3) inability of a user to use linux
4) a very savvy advertising campaign
5) deep pockets with lonely dollars just begging to be spent
"is just bad value for money."
not if you like or need OSX.
sure a fully decked out mac pro is a rip off, but the mini, and entry versions of the MB and MBP are actually pretty competitive, especially with other name brands like sony, toshiba, et al
The MBP is certainly not value for money, Alienware have better price:performance then the MBP. The Macbook is OK in terms but there's still much better available for slightly cheaper. And the mac mini may have a good price point but is too limiting in terms of hardware.
I can see why people would like OSX, but when you trade a list of bad things such as bad value for money, boring design (subjective), difficult to upgrade/repair, lack of software options, sub par screens etc. for the one good thing of having a slightly more reliable, slightly easier to use operating system. It's just not worth it.
dude seriously? everyone knows alienware's are ripoffs and have the worst service/support in the industry. just sayin'
either way, since you're buying dedicated gaming machines, clearly you're the wrong demographic for a mac.
It's so pathetic when people tack on obvious bullshit like "15 years of experience" in order to sound credible.
You're an ass.
I agree they are rip offs, but they still give you a better price/performance ratio then the MBP does. I wasn't making a point about dedicated gaming, I was making the point that if you take 2 laptops which are the same size and have the same specs and price, except 1 laptop has dual graphics cards costing in excess of £300. Which one is the better deal?
It just seems a little stupid to go for a Mac, when for the same money you could buy a PC that does everything the Mac can, and much much more. Neither is windows difficult to use, nor does it crash, nor is it noticeably slower than OSX when doing day to day stuff. And even if you just want what the Mac can do, why not go for the PC which with the same specs will be 20-50% cheaper.
Well 14 of those must have been in the womb.
Righhhhht.. planet earth to Sam, others: People don't buy Macs in droves because of clever advertising that somehow tricked them into doing so. They see better value, period.
The MBP is the smallest 15" laptop you can buy for money - fact. Maybe you don't care about that - but please consider that others do. The same goes for other features that set these machines apart - OS X, light up keyboard, fit and finish, etc. Maybe you don't care about these things and they don't add any value for you. But over 2M people do see the value every quarter - fact. Apple consistently tops satisfaction surveys too.
I think he meant to say "15 yr OLD windows tech"...
YOU DONT KNOW THE POWER OF THE MAC SID OF THE FORCE
IT FORCE TEH CAPSLOCK YO
Le fail epique
No, I'm sorry, but the French don't get to fail anyone anymore. You may, if you wish, hand out a D -
price?
Jeez why does the X360 look so fat in photo 21? I assume part of it is perspective, but Jeez... I can see Steve showing the two off from this angle on stage to make fun of this thing, even if it isn't really that representative? Is the battery really big or something? Why can't you see it from the other shots of the thing...
incidentally, i paid $1500 for a refurb'd MBP 2.5 years ago, and have since upgraded the RAM and the HDD (though that's a bit tough, but it's easy on the MB). the battery is user-replaceable. the thing is still smokin' for all my hi-def and work needs, and also runs XP SP3 on bootcamp without a hitch.
so how is it harder or more difficult to repair than any other laptop? what else can you replace besides RAM, battery, HDD? don't generalize your specific experience to everyone. unless you're just propagating old stereotypes
I was more refering to the fact about how difficult it is to switch graphics cards in the Mac pro, even between cards that Apple supposedly supports. Because Apples goes out of it's way to modify BIOS's to make sure consumers can't buy a card from a store and put it in their Mac Pro, even if it's an identical card to the one they are forced to buy from Apple for a big mark up.
I agree they are rip offs, but they still give you a better price/performance ratio then the MBP does. I wasn't making a point about dedicated gaming, I was making the point that if you take 2 laptops which are the same size and have the same specs and price, except 1 laptop has dual graphics cards costing in excess of £300. Which one is the better deal?
It just seems a little stupid to go for a Mac, when for the same money you could buy a PC that does everything the Mac can, and much much more. Neither is windows difficult to use, nor does it crash, nor is it noticeably slower than OSX when doing day to day stuff. And even if you just want what the Mac can do, why not go for the PC which with the same specs will be 20-50% cheaper.
because 20% is a small price to pay for dual-booting the two most popular OS's
Why do you need 2, when you only need 1 of those to do everything you could ever really need to do? And is a 20%+ markup on £700 or so really worth it? Because that makes OSX about quadruple the cost of Windows
again it all depends. people buying a Mac Pro are probably actually pros who need mac software for work.
personally, i use lots of programs in both environments. it's not a question of whether you _can_ do everything under one OS, but whether you _prefer_ certain progs that only work under one OS.
personally, the $200, if that, I would've saved buying an equivalently priced Dell in '06 instead of an entry-level MBP wouldn't have been worth it. for my needs anyway.
Juxtah: "you could buy a PC that does everything the Mac can"
FAIL. If you actually believe that, you're an idiot. Unless you want to show me a PC running Windows with Aperture installed, or Final Cut Pro, or Logic Pro, or GarageBand, or the thousands of other OS X-only programs. Additionally, one of the best reasons to get a Mac is OS X itself.
ha... look at that, you get downranked for being even handed...
i guess even admitting you don't hate OSX will get you downranked.
here's a hint microsoft fanboys: you're no better than apple fanboys; you're just annoying shits.
Glossy bezel, and glossy screen: yuck! How cheesy and cheap does the thing look? This will not appeal to Thinkpad owners at all.
I saw on Register that this guy is €1500 to €2000 which puts it significantly more expensive than the MBA. It has more features (docking port!!!!) but isn't that about double the cost (MBA is ~$1800)?
Arguing which OS is better, or whether PC's or Mac's are superior to the other is pointless and usually reserved for single-minded thinkers and fanboys. Honestly, it's all about the user's preference and actual hardware/software needs that *should* be the determining factor. Not the "Mac OS is superior, Windows sux!" or vise-versa. I use primarily Windows/PC's for my own personal reasons, but if I saw a need for a Mac I wouldn't have a problem switching over - and some of their notebook designs really are superior to most PC notebooks (as far as exterior casing and LCD's).
As for all the Mac guys (and supposed IT professionals with 15-years experience), consider this:
How backwards-compatible is Mac OS? I personally don't know...but I'm willing to bet the latest version of Mac OS X will NOT install on a Mac system from 10 years ago and run.
When was the last time you saw Windows XP running on a user's system - that came from the store with an OEM version of, say, Windows 98? or 95? :) My point, Microsoft goes out of their way to support as much new and legacy hardware as humanly possible! Mac...not so much. Also, Windows XP dies 9/10 times from USER ERROR, not because the OS sucks.
Bottom line though...Samsung rocks! :-D
removing soap box from under feet.
You do realize that XP is not the latest version of Windows, right? I doubt you'll see Vista running on many 10 year old machines.
I doubt you'll even see Vista crawling on a 5yr old machine. That was the dumbest comment I've read in ages.
Isn't XP just about 10 years old? :)
Ok, yes, I realize XP is not the latest MS release...but Vista WAS built on XP technology. I still consider XP as the dominant MS OS - especially in the IT world. I know my company has no immediate plans to upgrade to Vista.
Still, I'm more pointing out the fact that MS's track record is that they (almost) always consider backwards compatibility as a high-priority with their OS's. My experience with Mac (which I'll admit is somewhat limited)...not so much.
Isn't MAC OS X based on Unix which is almost 40 years old?
Isn't its graphics architecture OpenGL almost 16 years old, almost unchanged while Microsoft has released ever more sophisticated versions of DirectX reflecting the vast progress that has been made in graphics processors over that time?
Etc. Etc.
If you're just going to parrot things other people say about something, be prepared to be called an idiot.
@ Desert Fox - Idiot!
@Fanfoot - that was like psychic!!
Are they fighting in that picture? Looks to me like they're doin somethin else...
Bow chika bow wow
I agree with the above posts that make note of the differences between two operating systems. From my personal experience, the windows gui/navigation interface 'feels' more sensible and smooth in its operation (and the multitude of software!) But I have to give it to what OS X can do with its bootup time+stability / lack of a need to manually defragment. While IT nerds may cry windows and linux is so much more advanced and capable, think back at Linux's roots--->Unix (sort of), which is what the Mac OS is also built upon. The Terminal behind that juicy interface in a mac is quite capable also.
I think why the something like the macbook is such a popular option (especially on college campuses) is you open it up and it works without any 'additional' junk programs booting with your OS. As someone who is somewhat computer literate, I spend on average 30 minutes (mostly waiting time) uninstalling/msconfig-ing "Assistance/advertisement/sony-e-pene awesomeness" types of programs that come with any new branded windows laptop. (I've had 3 recent experiences with 2 vista machines + 1 xp, apparently companies like sony think there needs to be a vaio-everything to "enhance" basic functionality built in windows, acer/toshiba-->u guys are guilty of this too!)
Anyways just a balanced perspective from someone who uses mac for work and windows for the gaming :) I personally have a home built HTPC for my windows (xp + vista 64bit) machine, and a macbook pro that has dual boot OS-X/XP (with rEFIt, all of you boot-campers convert ;-) )