I am sick and tired of Apple getting all that hype for it’s new MacBook Air. My Samsung Q-35 is already 14 months old and isn’t considered a hot item these days. Here are some numbers to illustrate my point that Samsung built a great machine over two years ago that still is almost as good as Apples new Yuppie gadget:

Weight:
Apple: 1.36 kg
Samsung: 1.9 kg

CPU:
Apple: Intel Duo 2 Core / 1.6 Ghz
Samsung: Intel Duo 2 Core / 1.6 Ghz

Battery Life (according to official propaganda):
Apple: 5 hours
Samsung: 4 hours

Display:
Apple: 1280×800
Samsung: 1280×800

Dimensions:
Apple: 325 x 227 x 4 - 194 mm
Samsung: 299 x 214 x 27.4~35.8 mm

My Samsung has more ports (Ethernet, Modem, 2x USB, Firewire, PCMCIA card) and INCLUDES a DVD drive plus a slot for all sorts of memory cards (why is that missing in a Mac?).

The Mac has a built in video camera and better graphics card (no surprise two years later). The 80 GB hard drive is more or less identical. The Mac has a bit newer Bluetooth and WiFi, but not that much different or better.

The new Apple keyboards are terrible - dunno if the MacBook Air feels as rubbery as these. The Samsung keyboard is brilliant - since I write a lot this was an essential point for me.

The new trackpad in the Mac seems to be a big innovative plus, but I am not sure if it makes any difference while writing or designing. Most people use an extra mouse even while traveling - and hardly anyone does design work with Photoshop or Illustrator using the trackpad anyway.

The Samsung Q-35 is no longer available - but you can get it’s successor Q-45 under 1.000 Euro with more power, bigger drive, CPU and better graphics. The new MacBook Air will set you back 1.600 Euros with NO DVD drive …