Apple beaten to the punch on the 15" ultra-thin front

We've been hearing rumors for a while Apple is working on an ultra-thin 15" laptop, but we've seen nothing official yet. Whoops. Looks like Apple might be late to its own party.

Meet the Samsung Series 9 15". Aluminum unibody, 1600x900, Intel i5, 128 GB SSD, $1,399.



Samsung unveils redesigned Series 9 laptops with 13- and 15-inch displays, starting at $1,399 -- Engadget

Thoughts?

 

I look on the bright side.
The competition can only task Apple to greater ambition.

I am looking forward to Apple's rendition of 15" MBA.

 

Yeah, that's definitely the hope, is that when the MBA 15 comes, Apple will now be sure that it'll offer substantially more than this does. A Thunderbolt port is a given. But hopefully we'll see something else as well (besides the obvious difference in OS). 256 GB standard on the SSD? 1680x1050 resolution available? Something else none of us have thought of?

 

Competition is a good thing. This will only push Apple and others to design something better. Damn that does look good... Pity it's not full HD.

 

Is that going to be running a Sandy Bridge or Ivy Bridge processor? If it's Ivy: I'm in.

 

I am pretty sure that all of these units are packing Sandy Bridge chips as Ivy Bridge barely went into mass production in Q3 2011 and previous reports were stating that we wouldn't see unit with it until April 2012.

Right now it just looks like everyone is expanding their ultrabook lines. I do argue with Samsung's use of the ultrabook term. They have a 14" "ultrabook" with a built-in optical drive that pretty much has the same dimensions as my 13" MBP. So does that make my 13" MBP an ultrabook too? Nope. You have to watch how companies are using the word since it seems to be a key marketing phrase now.

As for Apple, I don't know what more they can do to a MBA line with a larger display other than upgrading some components that already need it (i.e. an HD webcam, ability to go beyond 4GB of RAM, ability to add a matte display option, etc.). My guess is that they are waiting until Ivy Bridge to come out before taking the full plunge on a 15" MBA. I don't know why all of these companies are releasing these products in the near future when an architecture update is only ~3 months away.

 

I think it's Intel, not Samsung, who ultimately decides who gets to use the word and for what model. For example, the Vaio Z is not an ultrabook, as it doesn't feature an ULV Intel CPU (it has a full-power CPU), even though a base-model Z2 is definitely a competitor with loaded MBAs and Zenbooks.

What's interesting about the Samsung Series 5 "Ultrabooks" is that they don't fit Intel's criteria--they're definitely too heavy, and eyeballing them, too thick. I've got no idea why Samsung isn't getting sued for misusing the term for the Series 5 machines.

Ultrabook - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

I think I'm in for one of them 15's. I've been slightly disappointed with the ThinkPad line the last few years. Might be willing to give the Sammy a go.

 

If that will run ivy, I'm buying one.

 

I'm thinking it might run Ivy. It didn't go on sale today; it was just unveiled today and Engadget was given a preproduction one to play around with. I don't know what the actual production release will be, but if it's a few months off, it could conceivably be running Ivy Bridge.

 

Samsung Series 9 gets a complete makeover, coming February 27th for $1,399.99 (hands-on and video) | The Verge

sandy bridge

 

Gotcha. Well that (in addition to Thunderbolt) is a clear advantage the MBA 15 will bring to the table.

 

the MBA 15 is not (yet) real. the samsung might get a ivy bridge update. however the story goes, competition is great!

 

killjoy....

HD 3000 is about 20% too slow for my needs. The new HD 4000 seems perfect.

 

The brushed aluminum was a turnoff on the current models, this one looks a lot nicer. I like the Lenovo too but I'm really waiting for the convertible (laptop to tablet) stuff in late 2012 or 2013.

I would prefer to run Mac OS X on my next system and I'm willing to give Apple a few years to come out with a 17 inch MacBook Air.

 

15" notebooks need to go HD (1080p or preferably higher)... or go home.

/justmyopinion

 

Intel only have an application for a trademark - and even that is currently suspended. I could sell TVs and call them ultrabooks and there is nothing much Intel could do atm.

 

So what you're saying is the MBP 15 needs to go home?

1440x900 and 1680x1050...no 1080p or 1920x1200.

 

Eh, I think 1080p on a 15" display is way too packed. I had 1080p (the 16:10 equivalent) on my 17" Dell and liked it but even then I kind of felt that was pushing things. I guess these are the same types of people that clamor for 4K 55" HDTVs even though their eyes cannot see anything beyond 1080p unless they sit 3" from the set.

If anything, I could see Apple using 1680X1050 with a 15" MBA-like release since the 13" MBA has a higher resolution than the 13" MBP. Other than that, anything higher and it will cause an eyestrain. People who want 1080p on a 15" need to see the truth or go home. See what I did there? Of course you didn't, you were reading this on a 1080p 15" display.

 

For me to buy it for that price... yes.

I realize pixel density isn't for everyone... but if I'm spending that much money... I want as many "resolutions" as I can get.

That's why I have an SE.

 

This would be considered an ultrabook right? Well good thing Samsung is on it now too, looks good and competition is always a great thing, even for Apple. I also found an intersting forecast on the percentage of global notebook sales ultrabooks are expected to have by 2015. With an almost 50% market share, each company better has some good stuff ready and expertise by then, if they don't want to fall behind.

 

I was all excited for the Series 9. Like, ready to replace my MBA and everything.

Then I used one. The trackpad was gross. I guess we're not there, yet.

 

Nobody on the planet has yet matched Apple's trackpads. I've switched back to Windows for most of my day-to-day use, but when I use the MBP, I am continually reminded how damn GOOD the trackpad is. Entirely different level than any PC trackpad I've encountered.

 

I read an article that had a response from Intel where it said, to paraphrase:

there are no requirements for being called an 'Ultrabook.'

The list of 'requirements' seems to just be a recommendation to OEMs. Basically, 'do your best' to meet the requirements and as long as you use an ULV chip and apply for the Ultrabook initiative 'rebate' and you get to use the marketing term.


at the end of the day, Ultrabooks are a marketing scheme to get OEMs to buy the more expensive ULV chips from Intel so they make more money. brilliant isn't it?

EDIT: vaio z1 + z2 is STILL unmatched by anyone ...unfortunately, it is also unmatched in cost of ownership

 

Don't ULV chips cost about the same amount as an equivalent standard-voltage chip?

Of course, an i7 2670QM has a lot more processing power than an i7 2677M, but that's the customer's problem, not the OEM's problem.

 

I think the ULV chips come in at a higher price but not by much. I don't have any hard figures but I remember seeing a cost breakdown of a 2011 13" MBA and the chip CPU had a higher cost than that in the baseline 13" MBP. I didn't think it was by much though.

It is a shame that companies are just trying to cash in on the ultrabook name instead of actually trying to come up with an ultrabook. Samsung was doing a good job until they essentially came out with a full sized notebook and ULV chip. Yeah, that is like coming out with a 15" notebook with an Atom processor and calling it a netbook. Ultrabooks are not solely regulated by their CPUs. It is about the whole package and anything that takes up as much space as a 13" MBP (or more) should never be called an ultrabook.

 

The 13-inch Series 9 is an Ultrabook in name as well as concept, though - it's in a 12.5-inch form factor thanks to its narrow bezel.

Also, there are DEFINITELY a list of requirements to be called Ultrabooks, regardless of what Intel decided to tell the public. Trust me on this one. Of particular importance is that Z must be less than 20mm if you're including an optical drive, and thinner still if you're not.

 

I am not talking about the Series 9 from Samsung as those are undeniably ultrabooks. I am discussing the Series 5 from Samsung. The display sizes (13" and 14") aren't an issue but it has to do with their designs and Samsung's use of the word "ultrabook." Those two are essentially 13" MBP competitors. They have optical drives (the 14"), they have the same form factor, and they have very similar dimensions.

That means, to me, they aren't really ultrabooks but rather notebooks. They can be streamlined notebooks with smaller dimensions than traditional Windows models but that doesn't stop them from being notebooks. Samsung is calling them ultrabooks as they will have a long battery life, are thinner than a large portion of Windows notebooks, etc. Going by Samsung's standards, all of Apple's notebooks would be ultrabooks when that isn't the case. I think Samsung is doing something right with the Series 9 but there is no way the Series 5 should have the ultrabook label.

 

Seems to me "Ultrabook" is just Intel's fancy-and-a-little-annoying name for "ultraportable," which in turn is a spectrum within "notebooks," not a category separate from notebooks.

Let's face it: "ultrabook" is just a shortening of "ultraportable notebook." And "ultraportable" is an adjective, not a noun. The noun is "notebook." Just as a sports car is still a car, an ultraportable notebook is still a notebook.

And no, I don't see the Series 5 as very far up the "ultraportable" spectrum. I certainly don't see the 14" model as any more portable than a Vaio SA, which is pretty portable in the grand scheme of things but not nearly as far up the spectrum as the MBA or the Series 9.

 

^^^^^^^^^^

 

I've seen prices of $238 for a ULV i7 vs ~$150 for a normal mobile i7