Why not the
UX305? Lower production values. Apple has a certain level of quality that most computer manufacturers can't/won't meet. Apple is a hardware company first and foremost.
localhostrulez wrote:Here's my thought - notice how business laptops are what business buy when they need to depend on them and get work done, and the purchasers don't care about shiny equipment? And notice how those tend to shy away from these design fads? (Although they do seem to be slowly becoming ultrabooks.) Maybe there's a reason for that?
People do care about shiny equipment, and they would buy they coolest kit they could if given the choice. They soldier on with what they're given because it's what they're given. Believe me, people who travel alot appreciate less weight. However, thin and light costs money, and in the past the trade offs weren't worth it. The power to weight ratio has gotten better in recent years, and I expect business stuff to trend towards thin and light as well.
With that being said. Service contracts and easy of manufacturing is also a concern with business equipment. Most business equipment is going to have a service contract on it. If the contract never gets used to replace worn out or faulty parts, that's free money for the OEM. They don't' have to pay for new parts or a service tech's time. The end effect is equipment built to a higher standard, which IT appreciates.
Businesses also buy lots of equipment, and they don't necessarily want to wait on it. If the difference is between a few millimeters and few hundred units per day, the company is going to go with more units per day. The equipment would have to be a high margin, specialty item to justify lower output and longer wait times.
It's kinda funny how companies do make almost exactly what I want, but they only market it toward businesses - and plenty of people don't know about biz grade equipment. And the newer HP Probook/Elitebooks that fit that description are still perfectly upgradeable/repairable, no tools (save for a phillips screwdriver or the like) required.
Consumers are different beasts. They prize price and novel features over durability. They also have different usage habits then businesses or tech enthusiasts.
It's like cars. Car enthusiasts can deal with an old car. They like the quirks and maintenance, but most people should just buy whatever new car fits into their budget.
I'm on board the thin and light movement, within reason. More power in a smaller space is good with me.
localhostrulez wrote:Somehow Dell manages to stick with industry standards in a machine that looks just as compact/thin without a problem.
Dell is a good enough manufacturer. They don't try to push the envelope like Apple.
End User wrote:I don't know why Apple went with its own connector for its PCIe storage but a reduction in size vs the "standard" connector products does not appear to be the reason.
Apple was well ahead of the standards at the time. Now, it's still pretty unique, but at the time, it was aliens landing in Central Park revolutionary.
) Macbook with a single port for everything, even against their current line-up. Air is cheaper and faster, and the Pro is... better, just not as thin.
