Apple WWDC vs Microsoft vs Google I/O

[WelshBloke]

If you read Anandtech's review, its not just a high res screen. There's a big software side to make it work and it has no cover glass. The screen looks painted on.

It also has full fledged Ivy and Keplar into a form factor that's .76" thin while maintaining thermals. No other competitor is going to match this for a while.

Yeah its a nice laptop but I was a bit confused by this

The rMBP will bring many innovations to the laptop market coming ahead

Its a nice laptop, but ultimately thats all it is. I cant see it driving innovation. It just does existing thing well.

 

[zoiks]

JB, surface and rMBP were the stand outs in their presentations. JB addresses a lot of performance issues. Nexus 7 is cool but it's just an ordinary cheap tablet. Still no tablet support from Google. Nexus Q is a fail at $300. Surface brings desktop to the tablet space, which could turn everything upside down. The rMBP will bring many innovations to the laptop market coming ahead. Powerful, thin, light, and retina, it's a laptop ahead of its time.

rMbP might be a new way for APple to distinguish themselves sure. They've always tried to bring something new out sure. But if I'm going to spend 2500 of my hard earned cash on a laptop, it better be upgradeable or fixable by anyone other than Apple. They of course want to control everything under the sun. But for a pRo laptop, it better be better than the garbage they just put out.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Several apps look and behave differently on my Kindle Fire than they do on my phone. I thought Google's position on tablet apps was that developers should include both a tablet and a phone interface, and use one or the other based on the DPI of your screen.

I know the Galaxy Nexus has a ROM called Paranoid Android that lets you change the DPI, thus allowing you to run it in tablet mode. If you use it, the notification bar and button bar of the stock phone interface can be switched out for a tablet-style combined bar, and apps like Gmail, Youtube, and Chrome can run in tablet mode.

I always hear people repeat that there are "no tablet apps for Android" but that doesn't seem true. There aren't a whole lot of dedicated tablet apps because the standard in Android is to include phone and tablet versions.

 

[Eug]

rMbP might be a new way for APple to distinguish themselves sure. They've always tried to bring something new out sure. But if I'm going to spend 2500 of my hard earned cash on a laptop, it better be upgradeable or fixable by anyone other than Apple. They of course want to control everything under the sun. But for a pRo laptop, it better be better than the garbage they just put out.

Given the machine comes with 8 GB minimum and can be ordered with 16 GB of DDR3-1600 for a relatively reasonable price, I don't consider that much of an issue in terms of memory upgrades.

As for storage upgrades, the SSD is removable, but it's a custom form factor so if you ever wanted to upgrade you'd be stuck getting something from a company like OWC, for high cost.

 

[Mopetar]

Its a nice laptop, but ultimately thats all it is. I cant see it driving innovation. It just does existing thing well.

I wouldn't call it innovation, but it does allow for a few things that couldn't be done previously. What I'm most excited about is video editing software and being able to fit the entire frame, timeline, and tool panels onto the screen without sacrificing the native resolution of the video.

Unless you have some professional reason for wanting a retina display, I can't think of a reason why most normal folk would need or even want one. It should make text sharper, but that's hardly worth the premium.

 

[zerocool84]

I wouldn't call it innovation, but it does allow for a few things that couldn't be done previously. What I'm most excited about is video editing software and being able to fit the entire frame, timeline, and tool panels onto the screen without sacrificing the native resolution of the video.

Unless you have some professional reason for wanting a retina display, I can't think of a reason why most normal folk would need or even want one. It should make text sharper, but that's hardly worth the premium.

I'm not an Apple fan but because they are putting high rez displays in their computers, we can expect others to definitely follow which is a good thing.

 

[Skel]

This thread reads like a popularity contest rather than a who had the best announcements. Depending on how you view a company is how innovative they are, or in some people’s opinion how copied the companies new stuff is.

 

[zoiks]

Given the machine comes with 8 GB minimum and can be ordered with 16 GB of DDR3-1600 for a relatively reasonable price, I don't consider that much of an issue in terms of memory upgrades.

As for storage upgrades, the SSD is removable, but it's a custom form factor so if you ever wanted to upgrade you'd be stuck getting something from a company like OWC, for high cost.

Yes. It 'can' be ordered with 16gb. But perhaps I don't have the money or don't want to or perhaps my company is only ordering the 8gb version or whatever. The point is that it's not upgradeable. Yes, you can get a motherboard that supports 16gb of RAM. But it's a perfect argument that you might get 8gb right now and then upgrade to 16gb as time goes along. Try doing that with this sucker.
And yes. I would have to dig into my pockets (Apple assumes I have endless ones) to pay to upgrade the ssd. WTF? Not only will I have to pay a premium for the special ssd, I would also have to pay extra to service the notebook since Apple forgot to use screws and used crazy glue instead.
Sorry but I'm not one of those suckers who's willing to take out a loan to pay for this pos.

 

[Eug]

It's not a POS by any means. However, I'm not buying it either. It's too high dollar for my preferences, and it's the wrong size for me anyway. However, that will change by next year I'm sure. It should be noted though that the memory upgrade is only actually about a 7-9% price increase over the stock model, depending upon which model you get. In that context, it's not a deal-killer for someone willing to drop that kind of coin in the first place IMO.

Basically, while I used to share your opinion, I don't anymore with these new ultraportables. Something's gotta give, and I'm fine with the soldered memory etc. I'd rather give up upgradable RAM than give up its sleek design. Same goes for built-in Ethernet, although here you can at least add it after the fact with a dongle. YMMV.

 

[MrX8503]

Dell already put out a laptop with an optically bonded gorilla glass display so that "painted on" look isn't special.

Google is pushing tablet development, most developers are simply to stupid to take advantage of the tools they are being offered.

Is the Dell laptop retina?

Developers stupid? Tablets weren't even in Googles plans when they developed Android. Launch support was terrible and I expect current support to be mediocre.

rMbP might be a new way for APple to distinguish themselves sure. They've always tried to bring something new out sure. But if I'm going to spend 2500 of my hard earned cash on a laptop, it better be upgradeable or fixable by anyone other than Apple. They of course want to control everything under the sun. But for a pRo laptop, it better be better than the garbage they just put out.

So it's garbage because parts aren't user replaceable? No I think my Dell plastic behometh was garbage. I'd give up replaceable parts to gain a thinner form factor.

 

[WelshBloke]

Is the Dell laptop retina?
...

Well given that 'retina' in this context is an arbitrary Apple marketing buzzword, obviously not.

 

[Steelbom]

I don't see why anyone would think WWDC was a "dud". Mountain Lion and iOS 6 are looking great, and the Retina MacBook Pro is downright impressive.

Microsoft's Surface? I don't see anything good happening for it. The RT model is as expensive as current slates, with an average resolution, running a trimmed down desktop OS. The Pro model only has a niche use, it's heavy and has a small battery considering the hardware its running, and it's expensive.

Nexus 7? It's pretty impressive. My dad's grabbing one as a reader, and it certainly looks to be top quality -- good construction, hardware, battery life, weight, and especially price point. If I didn't already own an iPad 3 I'd grab one of these in a heart beat.

I don't really know much about any of the other stuff they announced at Google I/O.

 

[WelshBloke]

I don't see why anyone would think WWDC was a "dud". Mountain Lion and iOS 6 are looking great, and the Retina MacBook Pro is downright impressive.

Microsoft's Surface? I don't see anything good happening for it. The RT model is as expensive as current slates, with an average resolution, running a trimmed down desktop OS. The Pro model only has a niche use, it's heavy and has a small battery considering the hardware its running, and it's expensive.

Nexus 7? It's pretty impressive. My dad's grabbing one as a reader, and it certainly looks to be top quality -- good construction, hardware, battery life, weight, and especially price point. If I didn't already own an iPad 3 I'd grab one of these in a heart beat.

I don't really know much about any of the other stuff they announced at Google I/O.

I'm pretty much the opposite.

WWDC: new slightly improved laptop, incremental iOS update. Didn't pay any attention to the osX stuff.

Google I/O: new slightly cheaper tablet, incremental android update. Didn't really pay attention to the random stuff.

Microsoft: Two brand new tablets running brand new tablet os. Possibility to drag tablet usage in a totally new direction.

 

[MrX8503]

Well given that 'retina' in this context is an arbitrary Apple marketing buzzword, obviously not.

Maybe you should read Anand's article on it. He's impressed how Apple pulled it off. The screen and software is in another league than the Dell laptop you speak of

 

[WelshBloke]

Maybe you should read Anand's article on it. He's impressed how Apple pulled it off. The screen and software is in another league than the Dell laptop you speak of

I didn't bring Dell laptops into it.

And I have read the article, thats why I said it was a nice laptop.

 

[Steelbom]

I'm pretty much the opposite.

WWDC: new slightly improved laptop, incremental iOS update. Didn't pay any attention to the osX stuff.

Google I/O: new slightly cheaper tablet, incremental android update. Didn't really pay attention to the random stuff.

Microsoft: Two brand new tablets running brand new tablet os. Possibility to drag tablet usage in a totally new direction.

Slightly? The standard MacBook Pros are slightly improved, the Retina MacBook Pro is greatly improved -- ultra high resolution w/ a workspace up to 1920x1200, thinner and lighter, etc.

It's mostly an incremental update yes. It's all about refinement at this point, and iOS 6 does it well. The OS X stuff is good... Mountain Lion is getting Game Centre, Notes, Reminders, Notification Centre, PowerNap, Dictation, better sharing (like in iOS 6) and so on, and there's plenty of other improvements too. I've been running the Release Preview 4 for a while and it's great. Looking forward to its release.

It's a MUCH cheaper slate though. I mean it's got an IPS 720p display, a quad-core Tegra 3 CPU, and good battery life -- for only $199/$249. It's a bargain.

I did think the keyboard case was a clever idea, if it actually works properly.

 

[WelshBloke]

Slightly? The standard MacBook Pros are slightly improved, the Retina MacBook Pro is greatly improved -- ultra high resolution w/ a workspace up to 1920x1200, thinner and lighter, etc.

It's mostly an incremental update yes. It's all about refinement at this point, and iOS 6 does it well. The OS X stuff is good... Mountain Lion is getting Game Centre, Notes, Reminders, Notification Centre, PowerNap, Dictation, better sharing (like in iOS 6) and so on, and there's plenty of other improvements too. I've been running the Release Preview 4 for a while and it's great. Looking forward to its release.

It's a MUCH cheaper slate though. I mean it's got an IPS 720p display, a quad-core Tegra 3 CPU, and good battery life -- for only $199/$249. It's a bargain.

I did think the keyboard case was a clever idea, if it actually works properly.

I'd still argue that Microsoft's new tablets and os are more exciting than a decent cheap android tablet or a mac pro with a high res screen.

The former is something completely new the latter are just improvements on what is already on the market.

 

[Steelbom]

I'd still argue that Microsoft's new tablets and os are more exciting than a decent cheap android tablet or a mac pro with a high res screen.

The former is something completely new the latter are just improvements on what is already on the market.

What's so "new" about them though? The Windows RT slate is just the same as any other slate, and the Pro version is really the same as any Windows tablet albeit it has a more suited OS.