Contents of CPA Practice Advisor - MAR 2012

Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.

Page 8 of 38

FROM THE TRENCHES
knew you could get a compact laptop without losing the performance with the 2011 MacBook Air 2 model refresh. Samsung jumped on the boat with Apple when they released their Series 9 laptop in March 2011 which had a thinner thickest point but weighed in at a half of a pound heavier. ASUS revealed at Computex their
entrance into the market with their yet to be released UX21 model, which is now the smaller unit in their Zen- book line released in October 2011. T e hands-on performance with the ASUS Zenbook is on par with everything the MacBook Air has to off er with its thinness or form factor as well as with its speed. ASUS goes on to say that with the specs on the model, you should be able to jam a Core i7 in the form factor.
What company offerings were available before and after CES? 1) Models introduced before CES
a) Acer Aspire S3 ▶ CPU: 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i5, i7 processor
▶ Screen Size: 13.3", 1366 x 768 ▶ Weight: 3.0 lbs. ▶ Responsiveness: Instant On*, Instant Connect
▶ Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000
▶ Bat ery Life: Up to 6 hours ▶ Operating System: Windows® 7
b) ASUS Zenbook (the old UX21/31)
▶ CPU: 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i3, i5, i7 processor
▶ Screen Size: 11.6", 1366 x 768 ▶ Weight: 2.42 lbs. ▶ Responsiveness: S4®KBD (< 7 seconds)
▶ Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000
▶ Bat ery Life: Up to 5 hours ▶ Operating System: Windows® 7
c) Lenovo IdeaPad u300s ▶ CPU: 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i3, i5, i7 processor
▶ Screen Size: 13.3", 1366 x 768 ▶ Weight: 2.9 lbs.
▶ Responsiveness: S4®KBD (< 7 seconds)
▶ Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000
▶ Bat ery Life: Up to 8 hours ▶ Operating System: Windows® 7
d) Toshiba Portege Z830 – the world's lightest ultrabook as of this writing
▶ CPU: 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i3, i5, i7 processor
▶ Screen Size: 13.3", 1366 x 768 ▶ Weight: 2.45 lbs. ▶ Responsiveness: S4®KBD (< 7 seconds)
▶ Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000
▶ Bat ery Life: Up to 8 hours ▶ Operating System: Windows® 7
e) HP Folio
2) Ultrabooks – Good designs to consider introduced at CES
a) Sony Vaio Z series –8 Gb ram. DVD multi monitors. High graphics in separate but included box. Can have dual ssd drives 64 128 or 256 for max disk of 500gb. Includes true lightpeak, not thunderbolt. Weighs less than the Mac Air at about same price at high end.
b) Samsung Series 9 - 13.3 inch Ultralight, USB 3.0, SD, Micro HDMI, 128SSD, $1300
c) Lenovo YOGA, folds over and doubles as a tablet
d) HP Envy 14 SPECTRE - Gorilla glass 2.0 - $1400
With this background, consider the
following computer classifi cations: 1) Ultrabook 2) Netbook 3) Tablet 4) Notebook Note that the Ultrabook can do most things that a notebook can do. It operates at a similar speed because of the SSD and processors used, has only a slightly smaller screen, and can do pretty much do everything a
March 2012 • www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com 9
notebook can do. As a fi rm strategy, consider how long notebooks will make sense to purchase, particularly if an Ultrabook is used in conjunction with some of the new portable monitors such as the Samsung LD220G, Toshiba Mobile Monitor and the MMT Field Monitor Pro or Monitor2Go. Some Ultrabook models have been demonstrated that have touch screens
TO USERS CONSIDERING
NETBOOKS I WOULD SAY: SAVE UP THE EXTRA MONEY AND BUY THE CHEAPEST ULTRABOOK.
that can fold over to become a tablet. Consider the size and weight of a tablet plus a mechanical keyboard when compared to an Ultrabook. Tablets will have approximately the same weight, operate much slower and not have nearly as much fl exibility as an Ultra- book. In today's market, they will have similar price. It is safe to say, in my eyes, netbooks should be counting down their days soon. T e only life lines for netbooks are their price point. If you want the best performing netbook, it will still cost you $400-500, although I'm enjoying my $300 Google Chromebook immensely. To users considering netbooks I would say: save up the extra money and buy the cheapest Ultrabook. Ultrabook com- puter prices will have to come down once other companies start entering the market and that will happen sooner than you think.