The MacBook Air has serious competition with the more affordable Asus Zenbook. Starting at $999, the new ultra-sleek laptop is powerful and thin. It packs a powerful punch with the new Intel 2nd generation Core processors, a crisp display, and amazing sound technology with Bang & Olufsen speakers. What would you choose, the Asus Zenbook or the MacBook Air? Comment below.
Official Press Release:
Chairman Jonney Shih introduces the latest in ultra-portable notebook technology and design with the ASUS ZENBOOK™ that features a perfect blend of elegance and power
Manhattan, New York (October 11, 2011) ― ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih unveiled the long-anticipated ZENBOOK™ that fuses masterpiece design and incredible performance at a global launch event in New York along with Intel Senior Vice President and General Manager of Sales and Marketing Group, Tom Kilroy. The “Ultra Era” event opened with a vivid, yet tranquil dance to Moon Water featuring a performance artist from the internationally renowned Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan. The performance set the tone of the event, to display that the ASUS ZENBOOK™ is designed to be effortlessly enjoyable without compromising on performance. It exudes the perfect balance of elegance and power in an Ultrabook.
Mr. Shih then introduced four key incredible principles that guided ASUS’ development team during the ZENBOOK™ design phase.
Pure Design – Art melds seamlessly with technology upon viewing the ASUS ZENBOOK™. The silver exterior panel features a concentric circle design that refracts a halo of light that excites the senses. With a thickness of 0.11” at the front and 0.35” at the rear, the ZENBOOK™’s exterior lines are sleek, making it the thinnest Ultrabook on the market and perfect for users constantly on-the-go or in the classroom.
Unrivalled Performance – The ZENBOOK™ is designed with an instant-on feature that resumes the system in about 2 seconds* and features incredible standby times up to 2 weeks*, which is four times more than the industry standard. Although svelte and sleek, the ZENBOOK™ packs an impressive and uncompromising list of technological breakthroughs. It uses the latest Intel® 2nd generation Core™ processors (optimized for mobile use), SATA Revision 3.0 solid state storage (SSD), Bluetooth™ V4.0 and USB 3.0. ASUS has also added USB Charger+ technology, which uses the powered USB 3.0 port to recharge portable devices in a fraction of the time it would normally take. To accommodate all of these technologies, ASUS engineers designed custom cooling technology using a V-shaped channel with a unique copper fin design for improved airflow and cooling. When battery life dips below 5 percent, the ZENBOOK™ will automatically save files in progress to prevent data loss.
Incredibly Green – The ZENBOOK™ provides its users a peace of mind in knowing that they are consuming less energy. It utilizes ASUS’ patented Super Hybrid Engine II technology, which intelligently conserves battery life and allows the ZENBOOK™ to have up to 25% more battery life* than other Ultrabook designs.
Transcending Audio – Recognizing that an ultrabook is not only a tool for work, but also for entertainment, each ZENBOOK™ is equipped with ASUS SonicMaster technology, an optimized fusion of hardware and software developed by the ASUS Golden Ear team and Bang & Olufsen ICEpower®. SonicMaster provides a wide sonic spectrum surround sound that can fill a room with smooth jazz or the tranquil sound of a mountain stream.
Leading Technology Partnership – Intel’s Senior Vice President and General Manager of Sales and Marketing Group, Tom Kilroy, expressed his excitement that Intel contributed the incredible processor technology for ASUS’s groundbreaking masterpiece.
“Today’s introduction of ASUS ZENBOOK™ is a vivid proof that Ultrabooks are ushering in a fundamental transformation of personal computing,” said Mr. Kilroy. “In the few months since Intel first unveiled this new type of device, ASUS has delivered an amazingly light design powered by the visibly smart performance of the second generation Intel Core i7 and Core i5 processors. It’s packed with the security, responsiveness, and other exciting features, that deliver on the promise of the Ultrabook, to offer the most complete and satisfying computing experience.”