Asus new model an iBook wannabe ...

symphonix

symphonix

Scratch & Sniff Committee
Have a look at the one on the left in this photo...

http://www.trustedreviews.com/images/article/inline/994-asus1.jpg

Look familiar? Pity about the tiny screen, awkward pokey-bits design with mismatched colours, and the fact the processor is an Intel Sonoma, a lightweight, lower cost version of the Centrino, which is in turn a low-cost portable version of the Celeron, which is a low-cost cut-down version of the Pentium 3.

And to think PC geeks actually celebrate these new models with a launch party. :p
 
You're being very maccy right now. Apart from it being white (and it's not as if Apple invented that colour...), it doesn't look at ALL like an iBook. The 'small screen' you critizise makes sense if you look at the camera on top. Anyway. This kind of thread, I believe, is just unnecessary gloating.
 
Just to correct you from the Intel rant :)
Sonoma is the next generation of Centrino with DDR2, PCI Express and some other stuff.
Centrino (or Pentium-M to be exact) is closer to the Pentium 4 than celeron. In fact it´s the first build from ground up processor from intel since the 386.

Then thats straighten out. But then again I have a powerbook. Why go back to the dark site :p
 
aliensub said:
Just to correct you from the Intel rant :)
Sonoma is the next generation of Centrino with DDR2, PCI Express and some other stuff.
Centrino (or Pentium-M to be exact) is closer to the Pentium 4 than celeron. In fact it´s the first build from ground up processor from intel since the 386.

Then thats straighten out. But then again I have a powerbook. Why go back to the dark site :p
Click to expand...
No. I don't think you have it right.

The Pentium is architecturally closer to the P-3 instead of the P-4. Look at the length of the pipelines, and the ALUs. You'll see that the P-M shares a lot more in common with the P-3.

It also isn't the only processor to be designed from the ground up. The P4 was designed from the ground up too. Goes to show that it doesn't guarantee quality :)
 
While it is correct to say the Pentium-M is more closely related to the Pentium III than the Pentium IV, the implication that its performance is like a celeron is not. Clock for clock P3's are more effeicient than P4's. The P4 was just designed to allow the speed to ramp up higher. A 1.6GHZ Pentium-M is much faster than a 1.6GHZ Celeron unlike what the original poster was implying.

On topic, not counting the color I do not see how that looks like an iBook.
 
Yes i agree it does look alot like the iBook, however obviosly apple did not invent white coloured computers like Fryke said. However to Symphonix's defense, i think Asus has relised how most pc laptops are rather ugly. Honestly they are, the apple laptops are the far best laptops i have ever seen and the best looking computers. This thread was not at all un-neccassary at all, it just shows of how more and more companies are ripping off Apple's ideas, like are these companies just sad or do they lack of creativity ???

This laptop actually is really really ugly if you ask me, i have seen those sony vaio ones (whatever they are called) and they are like a triangle on the side. Also the colours chosen in that laptop (the ibook look-a-like) is totally stupid, like that dark grey that is around the mouse pad thingy doesnt contrast well with the white at all. And then the screen is just stupid. And then the camera ??????? Whats with Asus .... ?
 
Ever heard of video conferencing? The camera's at the right spot, too. If you intend to do video chats, that's great - if you don't, it's totally unnecessary - but then Asus offers a lot more different notebooks, too. Btw.: It's Asus who makes the current PowerBooks AFAIK.
 
I agree with most points here, but one thing still baffles me. As both a PC and Mac user in equal measure I cannot understand why Mac users so obsessed with what the devices look like ?

Surely it is performance and features that are far more important. I would not buy any system that did not meet the needs it was to be used for, but looked good any more than I would not buy a G5 because they are so damned heavy when they are both capable of doing the job they were designed for.

As for everybody copying Apple, well I have a small 512Mb solid state MP3 player I have had long before the iPod Shuffle arrived and as a bonus I get to select the order of tracks as well as have a random playlist
 
Tommo said:
As for everybody copying Apple, well I have a small 512Mb solid state MP3 player I have had long before the iPod Shuffle arrived and as a bonus I get to select the order of tracks as well as have a random playlist
Click to expand...

You missed the point. The point is not that Apple has invented the flash based MP3. It's that they've invented the ease of use and satisfaction with the iPod and iTunes combination. Apple innovated the user experience. That is what everyone is trying to copy.
 
fryke said:
You're being very maccy right now. Apart from it being white (and it's not as if Apple invented that colour...), it doesn't look at ALL like an iBook.
Click to expand...

Well, apart from the power button placement, the keyboard, and the track-pad positioning.

OK, there's not a big choice about where to put these things, but I think you're being a little naive if you don't think this design is based on the iBook.

Would they have brought out a white note-book if the iBook didn't exists - not very likely!


I do however find it funny how these companies try to copy Apple's designs (you see it a lot with MP3 players), yet fail completely to understand what it is about Apple's deigns that make them look so good.

They don't just look good because they're white!!!
 
Tommo said:
I agree with most points here, but one thing still baffles me. As both a PC and Mac user in equal measure I cannot understand why Mac users so obsessed with what the devices look like? - Surely it is performance and features that are far more important.
Click to expand...

Well, let me explain it to you, then. ;) ... It's quite simple: A good design doesn't only look, but also _feel_ good. It's about how the keyboard feels. About how the trackpad is in the middle so both left and right handed people can use it just fine. It's about how you don't get a ton of LEDs that show you what's NOT working, instead you get hardware that works. If you still need an icon reflecting WiFi connection, you get _that_ in software, anyway, thank you. It's look AND feel. Not just looks. A bit like people. You know... All those gorgeous women and men who look nice but are a drag to have around, because they can't converse - or to be closer to my point: They sometimes just don't _feel_ right. Mac people quite definitely don't _just_ care about the look of their machines. It's just that they _also_ care.

And frankly: I wouldn't wanna get caught dead with an ugly notebook on my lap. ;)
 
I just want to point out the irony that Asus is one of 2 companies that manufactures the iBooks for Apple. And here you go poking fun at them, lol. Apple doesn't own factories that assemble notebooks. They're assembled in Taiwan by Asus.
 
You know, if it weren't for the BLARING white color, it's not that bad a laptop. The white color on this notebook is NOTHING like the one on the iBook, which is a bit softer and more pleasing than the stark white of this laptop.

For all its ugliness, however, I would have to say that Asus makes great components. I have read some articles on Asus laptops and they are usually reviewed well. their motherboards are also top notch for PC users.

I had actually looked at an Asus laptop once for a Linux laptop. Maybe once I have my Mac mini I can look into that. :D
 
Too maccy? I would say he has a Mac-based opinion. We are afterall on a Mac forum. :rolleyes:

We have seen other companies copy Apple's laptop design such as the Dell Inspiron 9200's striking similarity to the Powerbook G4 Titanium. Even Asus has the W1N for its Powerbook competitor. The s5N looks like the iBook G3.
Dell and others even copied the original black Powerbook design, touch pad, and heavy power supply brick so there ya go. I imagine by the end of this year they'll have caught up to the iBook G4 and Powerbook G4 designs of last year. Maybe have a couple clamshells from Toshiba and Sony.
 
Apple's got the touchpads from Alps, so do many other companies who make notebooks. Those Inspiron 9200s share - on photos - the colourset with the original TiBooks... But come on: Do they have to use BROWN in order NOT to let us Mac-heads think they've copied Apple's designs? Or do we then scream "Bronze keyboard!"? Violet maybe? Or did one of the early iBooks already "own" that hue?

I just think we shouldn't hit those buttons too fast. Back when Apple did the original bondi blue iMac, yes eMachines (and others) CLEARLY copied the design, but then the original bondi blue iMac DID have a very original design (and form factor, too). The current iBooks and PowerBooks, however, are - although very refined and with a good finish - much more standard looking than, say, the ORIGINAL toilet-seat iBook or the PowerBook G3 (Wallstreet etc.) with their curves. To shout "plagiarism!" anytime someone does a _white_ notebook now (as the form factor is similar, anyway...) is IMHO just wrong. And yes, the Asus s5N looks much more like the iBook (white G3 and G4) than the one mentioned in this thread. But even _there_ there are clear differences.
 
Did you know that Asus have been helping Apple producing the iBooks?

The first time I saw the machine I was impressed. Today, 6 months after I have purchased my first iBook, I still think Asus did a great job making such machine. I think the machine is at least at bar as the current PowerBook G4. The only reason I did not get it is because it cannot run OS X.
 
I think this is an appropriate discussion. But I don't think the Asus looks like much of an iBook copy.

As far as aesthetics, some people drive amazingly ugly vehicles that apparently get them where they want to go. For example, the Pontiac Aztec, the Saturn Ion, the newest Chevy Malibu (look at the front, big UGLY chrome bar), Edsel, etc.

Now, from what I've heard about the Ion, not only is it mugly but it isn't a very good car.

Draw your own connections between cars and computers.

I hope I haven't offended any motorists. These are just my opinions, dumb as they may be.

I drive an "oval style" Mercury Sable and a Ford Explorer and I love the Lincoln LS, Dodge Viper, and the Corvette among others--to give you an idea of my tastes in vehicles.

As for the best designed computers: Power Mac G5, Ti or Al PowerBook, iMac G5, iMac G4, iBook, Mini, Xserve, Quicksilver PowerMac G4

Doug
 
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