Windows 9! er... 10...?

[fstarcstar]

[Spider]

Agreed. There's been a lot of interesting news. I was very surprised about the path they've opened for iOS (and Android) app developers to put their stuff on Windows phones. Sounds like their letting them just compile their objective C stuff directly into a Windows app. The lack of depth in terms of apps was the real failure of their phone platform...but if they've got a way to (correctly) run iOS and Android stuff...that whole problem is vaporized.

Makes me wonder about how much legal control Apple and Google have over app developers. App exclusivity is going to be an issue. They'll both squeal and cry.

And...if it works as advertised the wireless multiscreen and mouse/keyboard stuff with the phone is a game changer to me. Finally getting real world functionality onto mobile devices. I'm pumped.

Hololense right now sounds like an awesome tech demo...but remember Natal, and how kinect was supposed to change the world? We all knew it was f**k from the start. Everyone except some old men waiting in line to polish Steve Ballmer's knob knew.

If they can make it actually work correctly, which never materialized with kinect...maybe they'll have something.

[eric]

[Spider]

No, the dell is both thinner and lighter. And it does have a webcam. Battery life is about the same. Some reviews say more, some say less...but its a crumby comparison because the Dell has a higher resolution display and is pushing more pixels and sucking more juice.

All of which is no big deal in 2015. When the Air launched like 7 years ago it was pretty amazing to be that thin. They were king of that mountain for years.

As for the new Macbook...the processor isn't as big a deal to me as the lack of basic ports. USB-C is obviously the future...but not yet. Well, also, I like a keyboard to have some travel. I'd have to try that keyboard out in person...and I'd also have to decide if the haptic feedback is an acceptable substitute for a trackpad that doesn't click....and with those limitations at a price point actually higher than a MBA...its kinda pointless. Its a "look at me!" computer...not a "look at what I do!" computer. Its a bummer, really.

What's impressive about the Macbook though is that they got the entire logic board assembly down the size of a couple of credit cards.

[eric]

Hmm ok. I just couldn't see it from the picture, and I didn't know which model it was. I will stand by my statement that the difference between the two in terms of physical dimensions is probably underwhelming.

I completely disagree about the processor vs ports thing though. I'd like to see them eliminate the ports all together personally, everything should be wireless imo. Certainly with that kind of laptop. The processor for me is worrisome based on some hearsay about it lagging with iTunes or spotify and multiple programs running at once. Idk. I'm moving away from computers altogether. It's overkill for what I do, which is look at reddit/pcf/NYT, emails, text, and buy stuff. I'm going to keep hanging on to my mba to pirate music but that's about it.


I am glad though that the competition is catching up and/or surpassing Apple. I probably won't own another Windows computer, but competition is good for the rest of us.

[Spider]

Well...to be fair Apple has never successfully competed with MS in computers. At least not since the beginning. Apple has always had a very small slice of that pie. They do well with phones and such...but personal computer success has been out of reach.

And...sure it would be great if everything was wireless. But right now its not. So why would I buy a computer right now that's not relevant to right now? What they should have done was include a USB-C port as it transitions into relevance over the next few years. But don't make the device depend on something that almost nobody has even heard of, much less owns. It just forces everyone who wants to do something other than look at facebook to carry adapters.

Its fine for extremely light users who don't need to really do anything with a computer...but I wonder why those types even own one? Much less a $1300 one.

And the difference between the two is actually pretty dramatic as ultraportables and their crazy size competitions go. They fight hard for millimeters. All it takes is a quick glance to see how chunky the MBA has become...which is understandable since Apple hasn't modernized it in years.

Really, the better size competitor for that Dell is the new Macbook. They are dimensionally more similar than the Air is to either.

[fstarcstar]

Apples product without ports is the iPad there brethren. Ports are needed and will be needed for the next 10+ years guaranteed. And tbh you guys are comparing some rather specific details, on the grand scheme of things both of those are great laptops, your simply just choosing the OS preference and a difference in style.

Since this is a Win10 thread, I'm contemplating signing up for the free upgrade with my Win7 desktop. Its still really hard trying to part from Win7, it honestly can't get any better and I can see myself in 30 years still wanting my mouse and keyboard...

[eric]

[eric]

[Spider]

So...has anyone gotten that little Windows 10 invitation? I've got 3 PC's running 7 and one 8.1 laptop, and none of them have received it, despite being fully updated. What gives?