Originally posted by malvolio
View Post
- Visitors can check out the Forum FAQ by clicking this link. You have to register before you can post: click the REGISTER link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. View our Forum Privacy Policy.
- Want to receive the latest contracting news and advice straight to your inbox? Sign up to the ContractorUK newsletter here. Every sign up will also be entered into a draw to WIN £100 Amazon vouchers!
Reply to: Ultrabooks
Collapse
You are not logged in or you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:
- You are not logged in. If you are already registered, fill in the form below to log in, or follow the "Sign Up" link to register a new account.
- You may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?
- If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation.
Logging in...
Previously on "Ultrabooks"
Collapse
-
Just for the Fanbois amongst us, I bought the Asus mainly because it beat the equivalent Mac Book in a couple of reliably independent reviews... Which is why Asus built it like they did.
Leave a comment:
-
Bit late now you've ordered, but I'm considering either the Gigabyte P34g or P35k
Leave a comment:
-
I hadn't spotted the Yoga 2 Pro. I'd have considered this one if it was available sooner.
I've taken the plunge and ordered the Lenovo X1 carbon touch.
Leave a comment:
-
I've been looking lately. I've been considering the Samsung Book 9 Pro (although it seems really expensive), The new Levono Yoga 2 (has the same awsome screen as the Samsung), the Sony Via 13 or possibly the X1 carbon
Leave a comment:
-
Forgot to add that with the T400 series lenovos you can remove the optical drive and stick in a SSD (I have 128SSD for OS) and a Crucial 256GB M4 for all my VMs/Dev work. You just need to get the correct caddy (I'm sure most modern lappys can do this)
Also, Crucial have released the M500 series (400 notes on amazonfor the 960GB, but have seen these on eBay for 300)
qh
Leave a comment:
-
Macbook Air is the best ultrabook I ever owned or saw.
I went full Apple a few years ago, had macbook air, mac mini. However I found for windows development the keyboard to be annoying so sold them an got a Lenovo T530. It's much heavier and uglier but does the job for dev. However I might go back to Apple by getting a MacBook Pro with windows virtual machine and keyboard. Still have old iMac, iPhone and old iPad.Last edited by russell; 23 October 2013, 09:47.
Leave a comment:
-
I would wait a little while, the next generation T440s and X240 will be available soon. They will have VGA and ethernet built in as well.
http://shop.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops.../x-series/x240
http://shop.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops...t-series/t440s
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by woohoo View PostThere are also enough quality dedicated windows machines out there that you don't have to go with a mac for quality hardware anymore. If I'm just running windows apps I would struggle to justify the extra cost of a mac.
Leave a comment:
-
Support is one of the reasons I have stuck with ThinkPads. Support is handled through IBM and the 3 year next business day onsite option for my W530 only cost an extra £90 - well worth it considering I have had some issues with the screen and bezel since I bought it a year ago.
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by kal View PostAgree, there is no reason not to consider a Mac these days!
Also, when I used my MBP as a dual boot machine I ended up never using the osx partition, just a waste of space on my SSD. Also, if I wanted to use a VM for development I could just fire up the built in Hyper-V and use that for a dedicated development machine.
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by NickFitz View PostA truly professional approach would be to choose the best hardware that meets your requirements, regardless of brand. If you dismiss Apple hardware because you're afraid somebody might mistake you for a hipster, you're allowing irrational prejudice to colour your supposedly professional opinion.
A MBA or MBP, particularly one of the new MBPs announced within the last hour, might well prove to give you the best bang to buck ratio. In particular, if you work a lot with visual tools like Visio, the retina display may be of great value.
Remember, it's easy to run Windows on a Mac, either as the primary (or only) OS, or using virtualisation. Booting straight into Windows would probably be best for your requirements.
Anyway, I would suggest that you look a bit more closely at the Apple range, treating it purely as a potentially viable hardware platform and ignoring whatever feelings you might have about people with highly ornamental facial hair owning a product that happens to bear the same logo as the tool that helps you do your work most effectively
I once had a Dell laptop with a screen that suddenly darkened to the point it wasn't usable. The laptop was covered by a next-day on site repair warranty and a guy came out and replaced the screen in my 'kitchen' the very next day after calling.
Originally posted by kal View PostAgree, there is no reason not to consider a Mac these days!
Originally posted by d000hg View PostIs the no-Apple thing the brand totally, or the OS? Because Macs are probably still the best Windows ultrabooks, i.e. just install Windows for dual-boot.
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by stek View PostI've a 2007 24" iMac upstairs - daughter has it now - still fast and nippy, still runs Mavericks, nearly 7 years old....
I've a 2007 MacBook myself (second-hand, of course), and it works fine - but annoyed that it won't run Mountain Lion, let alone Mavs.
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by jonsg View PostWindows works really well under Parallels on a MacBook, if you've got the memory to support it. That way, you get the best of both worlds.
However, I've two problems with MacBooks.
Firstly, the prices. They're exorbitant. I can't justify the outlay. I don't do enough MacOS work to make using a modern MacBook unavoidable.
Secondly: planned obsolescence. I really, really don't like Apple no longer supporting hardware that's only a few years old under new MacOS versions. This planet has enough electronic waste already polluting the groundwater without vendors enforcing drop-dead dates on perfectly good gear.
("You don't have to throw it away, just accept that you can't get the most recent OS." Yeah...ish. If I want the latest XCode, to develop for modern Mac kit, I need the latest OS too.)
So right now, I'm waiting for 13" Retina Display MBPs to hit the second-hand market. I'm sure as hell not justifying Apple's pricing and obsolescence policies by filling their pockets with my cash. Not just yet.
Leave a comment:
-
Agreed about MacBooks - kinda
Windows works really well under Parallels on a MacBook, if you've got the memory to support it. That way, you get the best of both worlds.
However, I've two problems with MacBooks.
Firstly, the prices. They're exorbitant. I can't justify the outlay. I don't do enough MacOS work to make using a modern MacBook unavoidable.
Secondly: planned obsolescence. I really, really don't like Apple no longer supporting hardware that's only a few years old under new MacOS versions. This planet has enough electronic waste already polluting the groundwater without vendors enforcing drop-dead dates on perfectly good gear.
("You don't have to throw it away, just accept that you can't get the most recent OS." Yeah...ish. If I want the latest XCode, to develop for modern Mac kit, I need the latest OS too.)
So right now, I'm waiting for 13" Retina Display MBPs to hit the second-hand market. I'm sure as hell not justifying Apple's pricing and obsolescence policies by filling their pockets with my cash. Not just yet.
Leave a comment:
- Home
- News & Features
- First Timers
- IR35 / S660 / BN66
- Employee Benefit Trusts
- Agency Workers Regulations
- MSC Legislation
- Limited Companies
- Dividends
- Umbrella Company
- VAT / Flat Rate VAT
- Job News & Guides
- Money News & Guides
- Guide to Contracts
- Successful Contracting
- Contracting Overseas
- Contractor Calculators
- MVL
- Contractor Expenses
Advertisers
Contractor Services
CUK News
- Streamline Your Retirement with iSIPP: A Solution for Contractor Pensions Sep 1 09:13
- Making the most of pension lump sums: overview for contractors Sep 1 08:36
- Umbrella company tribunal cases are opening up; are your wages subject to unlawful deductions, too? Aug 31 08:38
- Contractors, relabelling 'labour' as 'services' to appear 'fully contracted out' won't dupe IR35 inspectors Aug 31 08:30
- How often does HMRC check tax returns? Aug 30 08:27
- Work-life balance as an IT contractor: 5 top tips from a tech recruiter Aug 30 08:20
- Autumn Statement 2023 tipped to prioritise mental health, in a boost for UK workplaces Aug 29 08:33
- Final reminder for contractors to respond to the umbrella consultation (closing today) Aug 29 08:09
- Top 5 most in demand cyber security contract roles Aug 25 08:38
- Changes to the right to request flexible working are incoming, but how will contractors be affected? Aug 24 08:25
Leave a comment: