January 18, 2008 at 18:01What Sony thinks about the MacBook Air
Comparing the ultraportable Macbook Air and Sony TZ models, Steve Jobs pointed out a number of TZ flaws, among which he emphasized too small a keyboard and screen, as well as too much thickness of the device. It was Sony's turn to comment on the new Apple MacBook Air .
Mike Ebury, senior vice president of VAIO's product department, agreed that the engineers had done the impossible to create a laptop of such a small thickness. However, a similar device was already developed by Sony long before the advent of Air.
Her laptop, called the X505, launched in 2004, had a carbon fiber case and a thickness of 0.75 cm in the thinnest part ( Apple thicknessAir is 4 mm). That model was adopted by users without much enthusiasm, and the researchers concluded that thickness is not the most important indicator of a laptop. By creating a thin device, the manufacturer will definitely have to sacrifice performance. Buyers, as a rule, do not welcome such experiments.
To achieve the cherished 4 mm, Apple had to abandon the integrated optical drive. From the point of view of ease of use, this step is impractical. This can be argued and proved as a fact that today there are many new technologies, for example, access channels to the Internet with higher bandwidth, more capacious hard drives, as well as the ability to store data on remote HDDs and receive data via wireless module N.
Since the advent of the X505, the model has evolved into TZ series laptops equipped with LED matrices, a small comfortable keyboard, a large number of ports and connectors, as well as built-in 3G support. From this point of view, Sony is much closer to the needs and requirements of modern users.
When a NYTimes reporter asked Jobs for an opinion on the limited free space on the Apple Air hard drive, Jobs said: “This laptop may not be made for you.” A legitimate question arises: for whom was this laptop created? Most likely, the only suitable audience is those for whom the design of the device is of primary importance. In addition, many do not hesitate to admit that the new laptop is clearly not enough built-in 3G.
Reflections on for which niche of the modern market Air could be suitable arise for everyone who had the opportunity to see it and get acquainted with its characteristics. Probably, some users will want to buy it as an expensive stylish toy, despite the obvious flaws.
Despite the fact that Apple is positioning the MacBook Air as the thinnest laptop in the world, the CNET source cites a number of facts refuting the statement of Steve Jobs.
So, in 1997, Mitsubishi and HP introduced a model of an ultra-thin laptop called Pedion. It was only 0.72 inches or 1.82 cm thick, which is slightly less than 0.76 inches (1.92 cm) on the MacBook Air. Mitsubishi Pedion had a 12-inch screen and was running a Pentium MMX 233MHz processor; the laptop case was made of magnesium alloy. Mitsubishi Pedion cost 6 thousand dollars.
The second model is today the champion in subtlety. Sharp Actius MM10 laptop, released in 2003, has a thickness of only 0.54 inches or 1.37 cm. This laptop had a 15GB hard drive with 256MB of RAM and was powered by a Crusoe 1GHz processor. The model cost $ 1,500.
via PCNews
Mike Ebury, senior vice president of VAIO's product department, agreed that the engineers had done the impossible to create a laptop of such a small thickness. However, a similar device was already developed by Sony long before the advent of Air.
Her laptop, called the X505, launched in 2004, had a carbon fiber case and a thickness of 0.75 cm in the thinnest part ( Apple thicknessAir is 4 mm). That model was adopted by users without much enthusiasm, and the researchers concluded that thickness is not the most important indicator of a laptop. By creating a thin device, the manufacturer will definitely have to sacrifice performance. Buyers, as a rule, do not welcome such experiments.
To achieve the cherished 4 mm, Apple had to abandon the integrated optical drive. From the point of view of ease of use, this step is impractical. This can be argued and proved as a fact that today there are many new technologies, for example, access channels to the Internet with higher bandwidth, more capacious hard drives, as well as the ability to store data on remote HDDs and receive data via wireless module N.
Since the advent of the X505, the model has evolved into TZ series laptops equipped with LED matrices, a small comfortable keyboard, a large number of ports and connectors, as well as built-in 3G support. From this point of view, Sony is much closer to the needs and requirements of modern users.
When a NYTimes reporter asked Jobs for an opinion on the limited free space on the Apple Air hard drive, Jobs said: “This laptop may not be made for you.” A legitimate question arises: for whom was this laptop created? Most likely, the only suitable audience is those for whom the design of the device is of primary importance. In addition, many do not hesitate to admit that the new laptop is clearly not enough built-in 3G.
Reflections on for which niche of the modern market Air could be suitable arise for everyone who had the opportunity to see it and get acquainted with its characteristics. Probably, some users will want to buy it as an expensive stylish toy, despite the obvious flaws.
Despite the fact that Apple is positioning the MacBook Air as the thinnest laptop in the world, the CNET source cites a number of facts refuting the statement of Steve Jobs.
So, in 1997, Mitsubishi and HP introduced a model of an ultra-thin laptop called Pedion. It was only 0.72 inches or 1.82 cm thick, which is slightly less than 0.76 inches (1.92 cm) on the MacBook Air. Mitsubishi Pedion had a 12-inch screen and was running a Pentium MMX 233MHz processor; the laptop case was made of magnesium alloy. Mitsubishi Pedion cost 6 thousand dollars.
The second model is today the champion in subtlety. Sharp Actius MM10 laptop, released in 2003, has a thickness of only 0.54 inches or 1.37 cm. This laptop had a 15GB hard drive with 256MB of RAM and was powered by a Crusoe 1GHz processor. The model cost $ 1,500.
via PCNews