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chalk.leigh@wagga.nsw.gov.au
7 December 2011
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You give it a pizzling over the lack of USB 3. But isnt USB 3 only as quick as its slowest component ? Usually the hard disk. The lack of a SSD in this case would only allow a certain read/write speed of the disk which wouldnt fully utilise the USB3 spec anyway and would probably be marginal difference in speeds to USB 2 anyway ?
Comment made about the PC & Tech Authority article:
Acer S3 review: The Ultrabook is here, and it impresses on almost every level?
The Ultrabook has landed and it delivers on the promise of ultra-thin and light computing for a reasonable price.
What do you think? Join the discussion. |
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photohounds
7 December 2011
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Crikey! a HUNDRED DEGREES???
I didn't know you could boil water with a MacBook!
Waitjing for the next models: iUrn or iKettle? IFry?
Think of all the ladies in the advert photos with fried thighs! If my desktop got to 50 degrees I'd say that it was running very HOT. Along with water and strong vibration, heat is the enemy of electronics.
No wonder laptops are sometimes swicthed off in the adverts. Or if they're on, I surmise that the've only just booted. |
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amcmo
7 December 2011
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Again a flawed review. The reviewer seems to fail to understand Apples and Apples when making comparisons.
Talks about 100Degree on a Macbook, but aren't we talking a totally different product?
Yes, I've heard some talk of high temps on the i7 MacBook Pro's, however this review is for a device with a low power i5 - totally different kettle of fish.
The VALID comparison is the i5 Macbook Air which I have. I can tell you it does not get past WARM, certainly nowhere near 100C.
The reviewer mentions the CPU is an i5-2467M, no mention of CPU frequency (it's 1.6G). The comparable Macbook Air is 1.7G.
Again, to minimise cost, they've gone with a Hard disk. On something so portable, SSD's are almost compulsory. Better ruggedness, faster, lower power consumption.
The battery life is significantly less than the MacBook Air.
It does look a sexy piece of kit, admittedly, however once again 'impresses on almost every level', yet on almost every level it is lower spec that the Air.
On that basis an Air should give the reviewer 'wood'.
As for being disappointed on the omission of USB3. He mentions the reason for it being missing, Intel don't yet support it. You want ultra portability, minimal cost, longest battery life, there's no room for the additional circuitry. Get over it, or wait for gen2 Ultrabooks! |
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Reggie
7 December 2011
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Once upon a time APC had a macbook pro that ran hot. They are still banging on about it. Pathetic really. Any mention of the sealed battery, that is always such a big negative for the Air, No. Any mention of the screen resolution, lack of backlit keyboard, No. The fact that it has taken all its styling clues from the Air? Still you can save yourself $50... |
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j876
7 December 2011
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Just to note any semiconductor that gets near 100 degrees is asking for trouble. Its not only Apple who have this problem. Heat has to go somewhere. Careful thermal design needs to be employed in these ultrabooks/MacBooks so the CPU doesn't cook or your legs.
Apple ditched Motorola in favour of Intel for this very reason because the thermal dissipation of the Motorola chips they were using was too high for a laptop at the time. To be fair to Apple, they aren't the only ones that have had laptops with thermal issues which is why Intel has changed their design philosophy to from just ramping up the clock speed to reducing heat dissipation.
As for the CPU frequency what Intel CPU does the MacBook Air i5 have? (Make and model)? They are comparing Apples with Apples because MacBook’s have Intel Chipsets and Intel Processors so under the hood they are nearly the same. Also the base clock speed isn't the only metric in CPU performance as different models of Intel processor have different capabilities like hyperthreading and turbo boost and whether they are ULV models or not.
Intel release so many models and variants of Sandy Bridge chips it just depends on what the manufacturer picks. Are the Intel chips used in the MacBook range full voltage or low voltage variants? Without the model number how can you tell? Which i5 is it?
As for USB3 I use it all the time and Intel is trying to ditch USB in favour of Thunderbolt (on the Macs). There is no valid technical reason they can't fit USB3 circuits on the motherboard.
As for value for money, Ultrabooks are still overpriced in comparison to the MacBook Airs for what you get for your buck. Hopefully when volumes go up and more manufacturers get on board the prices will come down and the designs will get better.
In answer to the query of chalk.leigh@wagga.nsw.gov.au
about the difference in performance of USB3 to USB2 with an external HDD. USB2 is the bottleneck even on a 5400RPM drive. With USB3, it is the hard drive that is the bottleneck. You'll notice the speed difference straight away.
Edited by J876: 7/12/2011 04:46:41 PM
Edited by J876: 7/12/2011 04:47:28 PM |
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bdh
7 December 2011
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The lack of a USB 3 port would immediately exclude it from my consideration as an up-to-date solution. Beggars belief they left this basic support off their new baby - just unbelievable. What on earth were they thinking when they had the chance to build the best product from the ground up?!! Major fail unfortunately although the rest of the product does appear well done. Still, I'd rule it out due to no USB3. |
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Tysio
19 December 2011
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You can get cheaper laptops/notebooks with more HDD space, probably about 750GB, and 8GB of RAM, with USB 3.0, and also with an i7 CPU. They're like around $1000, so there wouldn't be any point in paying $300 to get less.
With only USB 2.0, it's not really up-to-date with today's modern standards.
http://www.ipad-ipod.com.au |
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batguide
7 January 2012
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amythompson172
14 January 2012
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The laptop does not show any traces of fingerprints, the screen is very crisp and clear and the keys are very responsive and comfortable. It has a great touch pad (very smooth and responsive like a macbook), and boots up fast. My only cons is that it's battery life is a bit poor. Also, the up/down/left/right keys are small (so you'll probably want an external mouse.
Acer builds a solid computer so if you want a Mac look-alike without the mac price this is a great pick.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005MR58MG |
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amythompson172
14 January 2012
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The laptop does not show any traces of fingerprints, the screen is very crisp and clear and the keys are very responsive and comfortable. It has a great touch pad (very smooth and responsive like a macbook), and boots up fast. My only cons is that it's battery life is a bit poor. Also, the up/down/left/right keys are small (so you'll probably want an external mouse.
Acer builds a solid computer so if you want a Mac look-alike without the mac price this is a great pick. |
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amythompson172
16 January 2012
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I'm an IT professional and VERY picky when it comes to my laptop. I read the reviews on this and was mixed between the good and bad on here, so I decided to visit a Microsoft Store and check it out on my own. I immediately was amazed how thin and light this was just like a MacBook Air (which I used and had before). I compared this to the Samsung series 9 laptop and although yes I wish it had a non-glossy screen it still beats it in price tag and performance.
Pros:
-Laptop does not show any traces of fingerprints (which annoyed me with other laptops)
-Screen is very crisp and clear. Yes, its glossy but its a "comfortable glossy" like the macbook air
-Keys are very responsive and comfortable. You do have to press a bit more but I easily got used to it.
-The touchpad is the best I've ever used on any Windows laptop. Very smooth and responsive like a macbook.
-Great performance as it has the i5 processor
-Super fast bootup and screen on/off time
-Simple and basic in terms of ports (2) USB and HDMI which are positioned perfectly in the back. I see no need for laptops to have tons of ports on the sides and back adding bulk to it.
-For this price its a steal compared to what other manufacturers are charging.
Cons:
-The up/down/left/right keys are tiny, but eventually you get used to it
-Battery life is not as long as MacBook Air but its still descent for an ultrabook.
-Yes, its true that the click button below the touchpad you have to press very hard (mostly for a right click), however if you go into mouse settings and just enable "single tap" and set up "double tap" as a pop up menu, you will have no need to press down on pad at all. This has such amazing trackpad drivers that I can glide through pages and screens with no effort.
Overall, don't let the Acer name or price fool you, this laptop is a gem and best design, performance and feel I have ever seen outside of Apple. I bought mine from a Microsoft Store which has the Microsoft Signature service (basically they re-load the OS with no bloatware). If your in the market for a Windows 7 thin, fast and on the go laptop, this is the one for you!
Help other customers find th
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005MR58MG |
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amythompson172
16 February 2012
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Strength
1. Amazingly fast performance; 2. Very thin and ultraportable for travel and even in the class rooms; 3. Simplicity in design and feature configuration; 4. Accessories are available including the connection line for "plug-in" internect in hotels.5. Really affordabe price as compared to Apple equivalents; 6. Feature a solid state drive for system programs, that makes Acer S3 unique and upfront among its competitors.
Weakness
1. No other colors available; 2. Can't use backup batteries (but 6 hrs of battery life may be good enough).
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005MR58MG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=emjay2d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005MR58MG |
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fredsacroug
6 March 2012
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I don't go for cheap or expensive. I go for value for money and that is APPLE MAC.
I have just bought a Macbook Air 13 inches and to tell you the truth it is a one stop shop. One store The Byte Centre can resolve all the Hardware and Software issues, no more chasing computer experts or hardware experts. The product has a professional look to it and Apple does not prostitute the hardware or the software. Apple is professional and i will never go back to Windows although it is a good operating system but Microsoft should have applied the same principles of Mac ONE STOP SHOP. |
