Porsche Designs a Laptop 688
An anonymous reader writes "Cnet is reporting that BestBuy is selling a porsche designed widescreen ultra thin laptop the looks almost exactly like a Tibook. Sadly, it runs windows so no one will actually want to use one for real work, but it looks pretty cool for minesweeper. Ah, I guess that the TiBook is no longer a status symbol if you can run Windows on it. It has all the trimmings, like those "made for windows 2k stickers" that get the screen all nasty when you close it."
Will it Save Xmas? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Will it Save Xmas? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Will it Save Xmas? (Score:3, Insightful)
But, maybe that's because I'm using a REAL windows computer, and not one of those silly Windows-95 computers that were the last computers those Switchers used.
-Sara
Re:Will it Save Xmas? (Score:5, Funny)
"Real" Windows computer? Define.
Pathetic (Score:4, Insightful)
-Waldo Jaquith
Re:Pathetic (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Not even that great... (Score:3, Informative)
The UXGA screen is pretty nice. The UltraSharp UXGA is simply amazing.
Desktop LCDs are usually pretty decent, except for the (usually) lower resolutions. I have a 17" MAG LCD, while it only does 1280x1024, it makes up for it by having the brightest screen I've ever used (Brighter than even my old Trinitron-tube monitor) and wonderful viewing angle (Beats even the UltraSharp, which is quite difficult...)
Re:Pathetic (Score:5, Informative)
It is *not* the same as Porsche cars, although they do design very nice high end stuff.
Re:Pathetic (Score:5, Informative)
G4 specs From apple.com:
Size and weight
Height: 1.0 inch (2.6 cm)
Width: 13.4 inches (34.1 cm)
Depth: 9.5 inches (24.1 cm)
Weight: 5.4 pounds (2.45 kg) with battery
Titanium Case.
Porche book from cnet:
6.4 pounds
13.9 inches wide
10 inches deep
and 1.2 inches thick.
Case presumably made from magnesium alloy.
It's bigger, heavier, and just not as sexy, in my opinion. That said, it looks like enough, and also has some decent hardware. Might be better if it were fire engine red, though.
Re:Pathetic (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Pathetic (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Pathetic (Score:3, Informative)
Porche were in the designer PC business long before apple. They did the design for the 'Turbo Pet' back in the early 80s. The design did not sell too well because CBM failled to move up to 16 bit and got crushed by the IBM Pc.
Porche has always been an outsourced design studion that builds cars on the side. They have also designed bikes and such. They do a lot of design work for VW and other auto makers, their main competitors are folk like Pininfarina in Italy.
Re:I Disagree (Score:3)
Shoddy in what way? How can you discern durability and build quality from the small photos provided on the site? For all you or I know, it could be bombproof.
Same unusual dimensions.
Which means they used the same LCD panel, maybe.
Same widescreen format.
My Sony Vaio Picturebook has this too. It also does not look like a Titanium Powerbook.
Same keyboard placement relatively to the body shape.
You mean below the screen? Yeah, I see that a lot with laptops. Since it has a touchpad instead of a trackball or pointing stick, the keyboard must be set further up. My Gateway Solo notebook has a design like this too -- and it's from 1998.
Same rectangular, curve-free format.
I've never seen a laptop with sharp, jagged edges. Or one that wasn't rectangular.
Same silvery body.
Except it's mostly black, with a silver cover. I suppose they could've painted it, like Sony does, but what's the point? (Or is Apple the only one "allowed" to use magnesium-colored magnesium?)
Same slot-loading CD drive
You mean those OEM parts work in things other than Apple computers?
It's not in any way nuts to say that this design is highly derivative.
It may not be nuts, but your the grounds upon which you base your assertion are tenuous, at best.
- A.P.
Bash, Bash, Bash (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Bash, Bash, Bash (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Bash, Bash, Bash (Score:5, Funny)
You're new to Slashdot, aren't you?
Re:Bash, Bash, Bash (Score:2)
I remember when
Re:Bash, Bash, Bash (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Bash, Bash, Bash (Score:4, Insightful)
Sadly, it runs windows so no one will actually want to use one for real work
Exactly what planet are you living on? Last time i looked the majority of computer users do 100% of their computing in windows.
Comments like this in the front page of
Re:Bash, Bash, Bash (Score:2, Funny)
Welcome to Slashdot.
Re:Bash, Bash, Bash (Score:5, Insightful)
Warning: Typical FK rant to follow:
Honestly, people, if you want people to switch from Windows to Linux, you have to support Linux, not bash MS. All bashing does is make you look immature. Think about it. What does Linus say about Windows? He doesn't care? You mean he hates it right? What? Doesn't care one way or the other? Maybe you should too...
Re:Bash, Bash, Bash (Score:5, Funny)
Command.com, Command.com, Command.com (Score:3, Funny)
It is hard to take this post seriously when all it does is bash Windows.
The article doesn't bash Windows the way Cygwin bashes Windows [cygwin.com]. Cygwin bash is better than the alternative [command.com].
you don't have to make it that using Windows is the crime of the century
For the poor, it is. A one-seat Windows XP license costs $300 [microsoft.com]. If you use Windows without paying for it, you have committed either theft or copyright infringement.
Plus, you're not timothy.
Re:Bash, Bash, Bash (Score:3, Insightful)
Its close. By buying and using Windows you're validating Microsoft's business model. You know, the business model which says its ok to lie, cheat, and do WHATEVER it takes to win the sale, or stay on top.
By supporting this company and this business model you're doing a small part to stifle innovation and generally make the computing industry a less-fun industry to be in. And I resent you for that. Microsoft needs to be sent a message that they can't act like an 800 pound homicidal, rabid gorilla, and that message gets muted by people who continue to support them by buying their products.
Re:Bash, Bash, Bash (Score:2)
Kids these days...
If only you could get OSX emulation (Score:3, Funny)
Ummmm... (Score:3, Funny)
*coughcough* Zealot! *cough cough*
Re:Ummmm... (Score:4, Funny)
Indeed. I have thought about this for a few minutes, and I am unable to come up with an example of "real work" that can be done on a laptop that cannot be done on a laptop running Windows - altho' I can very easily think of applications that are available for Windows (or Solaris if your laptop is a Tadpole) that aren't (yet) available for MacOS X. Perhaps the original poster could enlighten us as to what exactly they do for a living?
Re:Ummmm... (Score:4, Funny)
sell mac's?
Re:Ummmm... (Score:3, Interesting)
Widescreen Possible? (Score:3, Offtopic)
Does anybody know if Windows can handle dimensions like this? If so, which versions, and is it tricky?
-Waldo Jaquith
Re:Widescreen Possible? (Score:5, Informative)
Windows will work fine with any resolution that the video drivers support.
Re:Widescreen Possible? (Score:2, Informative)
So just check with the video card maker and be sure they can support 16x9 before you buy the card or the display.
Re:Widescreen Possible? (Score:2)
Re:Widescreen Possible? (Score:2)
Great for multiples documents side by side.
Absolutely! (Score:2)
You should see a custom res available of something like 1600x1080 or 1280x800 or similar. That's something most every videocard is capable of and those custom resolutions are added by the OEM. If you need to customize your existing computer for a display like that, look no further than PowerStrip [entechtaiwan.com]
What's the big deal that it comes with windows? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:What's the big deal that it comes with windows? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What's the big deal that it comes with windows? (Score:3, Informative)
what i fail to see, is how this is news for geeks, more like news for yuppies who want a laptop to go with their porsche watch and porsche suv.
Re:What's the big deal that it comes with windows? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:What's the big deal that it comes with windows? (Score:3, Funny)
What's the big deal? (Score:2)
Even so, if it can run Windows, it can still run Linux with a good reformatting; I don't see why that's such an issue, though Porsche shouldn't quit their day jobs or anything.
Misleading (Score:5, Informative)
If I got that notebook, I'd just install Linux on it, so I might as well get a tiBook and put Linux ppc on it instead, since it looks nicer.
Jesus, what is wrong with you L.Z.'s?!!! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Jesus, what is wrong with you L.Z.'s?!!! (Score:3, Insightful)
Unfortunately, you don't. BSD support on OSX is more like Cygwin on Windows: the command line tools and systemn call interface work, but system management, the GUI, and the kernel itself differ greatly.
However, I agree: if you are going to buy a Mac, it doesn't make sense to run Linux on it: you are paying a premium for the ability to run MacOS. If you just want a sleek laptop for Linux, there are cheaper choices (like this one).
Re: VERY BLATANTLY Misleading (Score:3, Insightful)
What's sad is that most of us would probly look more closely at this thing than some other brand, because it says Porche on it. OOooo Porche! It must be a really nice laptop! And fast too! But I'm holding out for the Ferrari.
And then, it makes front page on
Yay for
Ugh!!
moderating (Score:2, Insightful)
I mean, come on! you like linux and hate windows (or at least you want this crowd to think you do), the very worst way to make others see things your way is to simply slam the "other system" with absolutely ZERO arguments or logic. Yeah, windows sucks, because, well, it does! and nobody who does REAL work uses it!
What you think Alan Greenspan doesn't use Excel??????
Re:moderating (Score:2)
Re:moderating (Score:2)
What you think Alan Greenspan doesn't use Excel?
Only because MS gives him free copies in exchange for keeping the market up.
Re:moderating (Score:3, Informative)
I have no idea what Alan uses personally, but I can tell you that the Fed uses IBM's IMS [ibm.com] to keep track of where all the green pieces of paper are going.
Did anyone read this bit? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Did anyone read this bit? (Score:4, Interesting)
Porsche Design is in the same family as Porsche, but you're correct -- it's technically not being done by the famous car manufacturer. Also, Porsche Design does a lot of things, from sunglasses to pocket knives to bicycles to tobacco pipes. Everything they have is well-crafted and premium quality, but expect to pay a premium for it. Also, many of their items are simply re-brands, like the bicycles (not available in the US) are actually Kleins, just with the Porsche name (Kleins are still expensive, but you might save $1000 if you buy a Klein rather than a Porsche).
Even so, for the Porsche fanatic that loves anything Porsche, Porsche Design fills a niche.
Re:Did anyone read this bit? (Score:2)
Porsche Design Designs a Laptop
Re:Did anyone read this bit? (Score:2)
They do have a reputation for quite stunning industrial design, though. I have a Fuji camera designed by F.A. Porsche Design. They also design pens, mountain bikes, and just about anything else a customer is willing to pay to have designed.
I found a F.A. Porsche Design store when I was in Orange County a few months ago. The variety of overpriced shiny objects they had for sale was amazing!
what a troll (Score:4, Insightful)
Sadly, it runs windows so no one will actually want to use one for real work
and:
It has all the trimmings, like those "made for windows 2k stickers" that get the screen all nasty when you close it.
what do stickers have to do with anything? and whats the point of saying you cant do work on it? are those comments just so CmdrTaco will put the story up? slashdot is pathetic.
Windows- so what (Score:5, Insightful)
So what if the thing comes with Windows. If you really dislike Windows that much, you can always wipe the hard drive and install your favorite *nix distribution- Redhat, Debian, FreeBSD, etc. I realize that you're still paying the MS tax, but the overall price still works out to less than a TiBook.
Re:Windows- so what (Score:3, Insightful)
You can run Windows on a TiBook using Connectix VirtualPC (and many do). Alternatively, as rgmoore pointed out, you can run any number of Linux and BSD distributions on this laptop instead of WinXP if that's your choice.
How can you seriously condemn a computer just because it ships with Windows, as if that was the only choice you ever had or ever will have with it?
Re:Windows- so what (Score:2)
> I realize that you're still paying the MS tax, but the overall price still works out to less than a TiBook.
I'm paying MS for something I won't use, but its alright, because its possible to find a more expensive alternative?
If I can find more expensive alternatives to things you buy, and you throw another 20$ my way on every purchase? Cause, you know, its still cheaper than the most expensive alternative
I'm not so concerned about the price, but its kinda hard to 'vote with your wallet' when you're stuffing the ballot box with votes for your enemy just to get into the polling station.
Finally! (Score:5, Funny)
Finally, I'll be able to crash a Porsche and be able to walk away.
Any hope of getting an OS free version?
Still lacks something... (Score:5, Insightful)
Because it lacks that certain refinment that makes the Apple Titantium Power Book so nice. Same with the majority of Apple's products. There is a certain attention to detail that shows up in the product from Apple, that you don't find in other vendors products. That is what makes Apple's products special.
Re:Still lacks something... (Score:3, Funny)
When your Mac locks up, you can rest secure in the knowledge that it's got the best form, fit, and finish of any locked-up Mac in the cubicle.
--Blair
Re:IDEO does most of apples Industrial Design (Score:3, Informative)
Ugly ?! (Score:5, Insightful)
I didn't even read the specs.
The picture just scared me off.
OK,
I just read the specs now.
15" display ?
1280x854 resolution ?
Slot-in CD/DVD ?
No 3D acceleration ?
Common, for that money I can buy a ThinkPad A30p and that actually looks sleek....
Other Porsche items (Score:2)
Mostly Sharper Image items if I recall. I remember going into the Sharper Image store in Mpls. and seeing a whole pile of it. It was really shoddy stuff.
Kind of like all the "Harley Davidson" licenced items. Basically slap a name on something and sell to the rabid fans who will buy anything.
I'm a fan of the cars, sure. But the licenced stuff is crap. With a capital Crap.
Re:Other Porsche items (Score:4, Informative)
What I do know is that this company works together with Siemens and they make some of the most kickass home appliances I've ever seen...
blender [siemensappliances.co.uk]
coffee machine [siemensappliances.co.uk]
kettle [siemensappliances.co.uk]
Brushed aluminium, stainless steel, These things look like TiBooks too, I even think they were out before the TiBook was and this laptop looks as much like them as it does the Apple machine.
TiJuicer?
So don't judge Porsche designs by those plastic gas station sunglasses, cause they make some awesome stuff!
risk offending Apple? (Score:5, Interesting)
Considering that Best Buy was/is the first retailer to sell iPods (Target having been recently announced as the second), I'd think they'd not want to risk slighting Apple with something like this. Even without the CNet article saying so, this laptop is clearly and squarely aimed at what is probably Apple's highest-margin computer.
The notebook was designed by Porsche Design GmbH
More accurately, it was re-designed by them.
Re:risk offending Apple? (Score:5, Informative)
You mean aside from CompUSA? And Fry's? and Apple themselves?
Anyway, I'm not convinced that this is quite to the level of a TiBook. It is 20% thicker, at least a pound heavier, and I haven't seen any info about battery life (which makes me think it will be very poor).
Until someone gets their hands on one to review, I'm not convinced. That C|Net writeup sounds like it was written by marketing people, not people who've used it.
Whatever (Score:2)
Oh the monomania runs deep here...
Not worth it from what I've seen (Score:2)
The Porche box does not come with 802.11 b and Firewire installed, and is a pound heavier than the Apple Titanium. (Note I'm not putting in the whole "Runs OS X or Not argument.)
So while you can give props to Porche for "innovating" (what, hadn't you heard - innovation means "rip off what the other guy did only make it crappy), I don't see myself giving up my Unix command shell for this.
Just my opinion, of course. I could be wrong.
Porche Laptop:
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
Troll (Score:5, Funny)
Posters: "We'll take that flame war! And we'll raise you 40 off-topic posts!"
Reverse flamebait! (Score:5, Funny)
Uh, doesn't Windows 2k get your screen all nasty when you open it? :-)
Good grief. (Score:5, Funny)
I'm not an audiophile, but I know high-quality sound when I hear it. That's definitely the case with the VPR Matrix 200A5, thanks to the Sonopür Digital Audio system, with its patent-pending 24/192 upsampling technology. This system dramatically enhances digital music and offers very rich sound.
I'm not a stable hand, but I know horse shit when I smell it.
I mean, I know I'm supposed to either be 'ooh'-ing or 'aah'-ing, but the best I can manage is a 'hwah?' Sonopür? What, does the umlaut act as a built-in sounding board for the thumping, thumping base this ultraslim laptop undoubtedly cranks out? Upsampling and high fidelity used in the same sentence? Right.
Hey, cnet! I've got this little Gaussian blur filt--uh, I mean, JPEG Edge Enhancement System, with patent-pending Blürfexxion(tm) technology! Care to give me a writeup?
Never mind the bad OS... (Score:2)
Working on Windows (Score:3, Funny)
Sadly, it runs windows so no one will actually want to use one for real work
As many have pointed out, the majority of the world (to their eternal shame) actually does use Windows to do their work.
However, I will stand by the original poster and observe that precious few of them wanted to use Windows.
Heck, pretty few of them even wanted to do their work in the first place and using Windows is rarely a satisfying experience in and of itself.
Just because they did it, didn't mean that they wanted to
Not that impressive. (Score:2)
If you don't compare it to the Apple PowerBook... (Score:2)
If it supports FreeBSD or Linux it's worth a look. It would have been nice if it used the ATI Mobile 9000 chipset instead of the Gefore 4 GO but...
I'd still probably rather get a real PowerBook though :)
When did Porsche start designing boxes? (Score:5, Funny)
Cost comparisons... (Score:5, Interesting)
Oh wait. Maybe the $2399 price tag shut them up.
I guess the $100 dollars more for TiBook nets you firewire and gigE.
I'll try not to gloat. honest.
Re:Cost comparisons... (Score:4, Funny)
Enough already with the MS bashing (Score:2, Insightful)
I really don't think the type of bashing going on here is healthy for the community as a whole, and its spreading to real life. I seriously cant stand talking to someone who has to roll his eyes everytime I say the word Windows to them.
I know, seriously... (Score:5, Funny)
Not to add to the flamewars but... (Score:3, Funny)
Kinda makes we wanna go out and get one now... Naw, still drooling over Apple's TiBook.
Re:Not to add to the flamewars but... (Score:3, Insightful)
Take a look at the punishment this NeXT cube [simson.net] took before it melted -- you'd probably have better luck with concrete.
People, read the damn article... and pay attention (Score:4, Informative)
This is not designed by Porsche (the car company responsible for some incredible cars), but rather Porsche Design [porsche-design.com] the design company founded by a not-nearly-as-famous grandson. The only car-related work was a start-up project designing a plant that built 911's, not the car itself.
Does it have... (Score:4, Insightful)
TiBook operating temperature?
Considering it's based on a 2 GHz P4-M, I seriously doubt it.
TiBook sleep and wake behavior?
If it's running Windows or any Linux, I doubt it. One of the reasons I use an iBook is its wake from sleep time (two seconds) and its reliable sleep and wake behavior. I have NEVER lost work due to failure to wake from sleep, and my uptime is routinely in the multi-week range - I only reboot to install OS upgrades.
They can copy the chassis, but hardware/software fit and finish is MUCH harder to copy.
Porsche Crest? (Score:3, Insightful)
Most laptop manufacturers put their logo on the case of the laptop. Take a look at the Apple, Dell, or Compaq badges on many notebooks. So, the question is:
If I want to ultimate in sexy notebook computers, it better dress the part!WHERE IS THE PORSCHE [porsche.com] SHIELD? I would love to have one of these with that famous shield emblazened on the top.
It Really **IS** a Porsche (Score:4, Funny)
It's ugly as all Hell.
It's too damn expensive.
I betchya it's lots of fun to play with.
And when I turn it on, I'll have lots of SEX
Probably with myself most of the time...
I buy a Porsche to get chicks... (Score:3, Funny)
The Comparison (Score:5, Informative)
BestBuy price: $2,399
Apple's price: $2,499
BestBuy size: 1.2 x 10 x 13.9"
Apple's size: 1.0 x 9.5 x 13.4"
BestBuy weight: 6.4 pounds
Apple's weight: 5.4 pounds
BestBuy case: Silver-magnesium
Apple's case: Titanium
BestBuy battery life: 3 hours 15 minutes
Apple's battery life: 4 hours (realistically)
BestBuy CPU: 2GHz Pentium 4-M
Apple's CPU: 667MHz PowerPC G4
BestBuy RAM: 512MB DDR SDRAM
Apple's RAM: 256MB SDRAM
BestBuy HD: 40GB hard drive
Apple's HD: 30GB IBM hard drive
BestBuy wireless: Integrated 802.11b
Apple's wireless: 802.11b ready
Bestbuy video card: Unknown
Apple's video card: ATI Mobility Radeon 7500, 32MB
Bestbuy video out: S-Video-out
Apple's video out: DVI/VGA/S-video
Bestbuy Ethernet: Probably 10/100 Apple's Ethernet: Gigabit Ethernet
Bestbuy external ports: 2 Firewire, 2 USB
Apple's external ports: 1 Firewire, 2 USB
Shared items:
BestBuy and Apple LCD: 15.2-inch LCD, 1280x854 max
Bestbuy and Apple's modem: 56k
BestBuy and Apple optical: CD-RW/DVD drive
Re:The Comparison (Score:3, Informative)
Gee THAT wasn't biased and flame bait! (Score:3, Insightful)
in other news... BMW makes a skateboard! (Score:3, Informative)
Seth
Problem with car company laptops (Score:3, Funny)
Some advantages of the TiBook get overlooked..... (Score:4, Informative)
1.) target disk mode(the ability to boot up in a external hard drive mode) and be directly attach to a another computer via firewire as an external hard drive. That's a much faster way to transfer GBs of files between computers than over a network.
2.) being able to directly hook up to another computer via ethernet with either a straight through OR cross-over cable
3.) somewhat hot-swappable batteries(you only have to put it to sleep and you have about 2-3 minutes to switch the batteries),
4.) better battery life than any Intel laptops I've dealt with
5.) the first laptops, even though the switches are still a little pricey but getting close to affordable by the every man, with gigabit ethernet stock.
I don't know of any Intel laptops capable of all(or even most) of those things.
As far as PC laptops go it looks pretty nice especially if it supports, Linux/FreeBSD/OpenBSD well but once you touch and feel it it could have a cheap feel like some PC laptops like Toshiba.
Re:who really made it (Score:5, Funny)
That's like saying Moe was the smartest stooge...
Re:who really made it (Score:2, Insightful)
Think about it, when was the last time you heard the newscaster say "Dr. John Doe, who is currently working as a research scientist for Merck, created a cure for bone cancer."?
When was the last time you heard "Merck, pharmaceutical giant, recently discovered...."
NDA = No Damn Acknowledgement
Re:Useful for work (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Sexy. (Score:2)
Re:Mind numbing (Score:5, Insightful)
The fact that this Porchse Design laptop comes with Windows pre-installed in and of itself should not be a knock againt the laptop. Knock the look of the laptop, or the weight, or the keyboard layout, or the hardware specs..Besides, how hard it it to just wipe the drive and install the distro of your choice?
Face it, companies are going to pre-install Windows to reach the largest target market - that is, until the Linux community can convince enough people to switch to where MS doesn't have such a dominance over the desktop.
But please, stop the insane "Everything Microsoft Does Sucks" mantra. Some Microsoft Technology is very good, though it usually doesn't take long for the open source community to come up with something better. Instead of mindlessly bashing Microsoft, it's better to praise the excellent alternatives that Linux offers - OpenOffice, KDE, GNOME, The Gimp, the GNU development tools, the cost or lack thereof, the abscence of restrictions on concurrent IP connections (*cough*cough*Win NT 4 Professional*cough*cough*) and the list goes on and on.. sell people on the idea that by switching to Linux, they're getting a superior platform.