

IdeaPad U300s matches MacBook Air -- for $100 less - dporan
http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/lenovo-ideapad-u300s/4505-3121_7-35041988.html

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johnnybgoode
Since it obviously doesn't come with OS X, in a very important way the IdeaPad
doesn't match the Air at all. I know I'm not alone when I say I'd gladly pay a
lot more than $100 for OS X over Windows.

I understand Lenovo can't just include OS X, so is that why we are so willing
to give the product a good review? Why is this the consumer's problem? The
bottom line is that for most consumers, the Air with OS X is a much better buy
than this IdeaPad. Isn't the point of writing reviews to help consumers make
the best decision for them, not to assign "effort" grades to OEMs?

Edit: Here is an example to illustrate what I mean by "effort" grades. In at
least some parts of the US there is a practice of assigning grades in physical
education classes based on how much effort the student has given in the class,
instead of how well they actually perform. The rationale is that it isn't fair
to penalize someone for not being born with certain physical gifts.

If you review laptops this way, then you won't penalize Lenovo for including
Windows instead of OS X, since that is beyond their control. [1]

My point is this doesn't make sense if you are actually trying to help someone
pick the best product. If you're picking players for a professional sports
team, you don't want to use those "effort" grades alone to do it. So I have a
problem with all these reviewers who grade PCs on a curve, as Gruber would
likely describe it. Granted, that would make a lot of review sites pretty
boring as Apple wins comparison after comparison, but isn't it more important
to be accurate than exciting, especially when you're trying to help someone
decide how to spend $1000 or more?

[1] Then again, shouldn't Lenovo be penalized for not having a good OS of
their own? Or is that expecting too much of them?

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pedalpete
You are still in the minority in your love of OS X. It isn't only price which
is keeping Microsoft sales of Windows high.

Are they truly grading on a curve? Just because you suspect Gruber would say
so, isn't exactly a compelling argument.

70% of the market happily go about their day by day browsing the web,
emailing, and writing the odd Word document on a Windows machine. If they
moved to OS X, they would have a prettier interface, but it isn't a compelling
difference for them.

I own a Mac, so I'm not completely oblivious to the OS, but I (along with the
majority of computer users) prefer Windows. It isn't a rah-rah Windows is so
much better sort of preference, and I think what turns me off about OS X is
how hard fanboys work to try and convince everybody that they have 'the
answer'. My distaste for Macs comes more from not wanting to be associated
with the group of people who very vocally and repeatedly tell the world that
we're all doing it wrong, our stuff doesn't work, you're so much better than
us because you use a mac.

I hope this doesn't come off as a flame, because that really isn't my
intention. I hope i can open your eyes a bit to the reality of the world you
live in. Most people don't care, and shouldn't care about what operating
system they are using. The difference between Windows and OS X in performance
and capabilities is minimal, so when you comment about a review of a computer
not coming with your preferred OS, you aren't truly adding to the conversation
in my opinion.

I haven't touched the U300s yet, though I picked up a U260 a few weeks ago and
I'm very happy with it. It doesn't quite have the polish of an Air, but it is
90% of the way there, and about 1/2 the price. The screen isn't completely
flex free, though much better than the Samsung Series 9, and it is a matte
finish which is fantastic. It is a bit lighter than the 13" Air, and the soft-
touch finish is very nice and scratch proof.

Why should Lenovo be penalized for not having an OS of their own. Can you
imagine what kind of crap would be out there if every hardware manufacturer
made their own OS? Look how having their own mobile OS turned out for HP and
Nokia.

~~~
gwright
_My distaste for Macs comes more from not wanting to be associated with the
group of people who very vocally and repeatedly tell the world that we're all
doing it wrong, our stuff doesn't work, you're so much better than us because
you use a mac._

I always shake my head when I see this sort of argument since it seems to have
absolutely nothing to do with the actual utility of the computer. If a Mac
isn't a match for your use case then that is sufficient reason to use
something else. If the Mac is actually a better match for your use case but
you avoid it just because you don't like some other people who happen to own a
Mac it seems like you're cutting off your nose to spite your face.

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vtail
Is the title accurate? From the linked page:

"The bad: Our more expensive configuration offers no discount from a
comparable MacBook Air, and leaves out some basic ports and connections."

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eterps
For a maximum vertical resolution of 768 pixels it is quite expensive compared
to a macbook air.

~~~
ktsmith
Agreed, the 13" Lenovo has the same resolution as the 11" Air. There are a
number of other minor differences which leave the Air still likely being a
better buy.

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phamilton
HDMI can't drive 2560x1600. Mini DisplayPort can.

+1 Macbook Air...

~~~
pedalpete
According to Wikipedia, HDMI 1.3 & 1.4 can support 2560x1600 and much more.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI#Version_1.4>

At the same time, I have no idea what version this laptop is supporting, but
seeing as 1.3 is already 5 years old, I'd suspect that is the minimum
currently supported.

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r00fus
If you look at the full review, then go to the 2nd page, you'll see that the
MB Air smokes the IdeaPad on all the tests despite having only an i5 vs. the
IdeaPad's i7 in the test configuration.

3x faster multimedia bench, 2x faster itunes encode, and 34% longer battery.

Also the IdeaPad looks more like a Chromebook, for what it's worth.

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logicalmike
Sounded like a great replacement for my X201, until I saw that there's no
TrackPoint. Disappointing. After some reading, it sounds like they're only
included on the ThinkPad series. I've been quite dependent on the precision,
and don't bother with a mouse or touchpad anymore.

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reirob
Exactly! TrackPoint is THE functionality for which I stick with ThinkPads. For
people who write with 10 fingers blindly, it is a must have. As with all good
tools (vi, shell, haskell, 10 finger typing), it is hard to learn at the
beginning, but in the end it is a productivity boost.

I have a X220T and I love it. It's light, the battery lasts very long, the
screen is gorgeous, I can work outside. When I need to take notes, or to draw,
I use the pen. And for typing it has the excellent ThinkPad keyboard - I do
not understand the new mode for keyboards with flat, quadratic key buttons
with spaces around, I personally think it is bad for people that need to write
a lot. The only thing that I am missing on X220T is the 4:3 screen ratio that
would give more vertical space in horizontal mode.

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nextparadigms
I prefer the Asus Zenbooks.

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cheeseprocedure
Love the product shot covered in greasy fingerprints.

