For a non-mac user like myself I sure talk about Apple’s hardware a lot. I guess it goes to their credit that they do make quality hardware.

But the new MBA is a major disappointment. It’s got the same specs as your typical Asian manufacturers, plus a couple bells and whistles (thunderport is going to become the new mac-only whatever port at this rate).

The problem I have is how it drops discrete graphics for the HD 3000. It’s a totally sensible move, one that I would not had mind at all 10 years ago. Or even 5 years ago.

But I’ve grown to expect more from my mobile hardware. I want enough beef to play Starcraft. Intel HD 3000 can play Starcraft fine…at low quality. That’s not to mention that even with its LED-lit IPS screen, the resolution is not exactly high–just like all the other laptops out there.

I guess it’s time to plunge for an Alienware M11x. But it’s ugly and thick. Com’on, computer industry! Give me a bone here. All the MBA did today is just join this list of slick but gamer-unfriendly laptops. But I guess it’s a fool’s errand to expect that from Apple.

Which is true; the gamers don’t do mac thing is still a solid rule of thumb. I’m just as disappointed with Asus, Sony, Acer, MSI, Lenovo, Samsung, etc…

Or maybe is 3000 HD really good enough? Benchmarks show that it’s on par with an nVidia M310, which is about what the old MBA had. I guess that’s fine. But Starcraft on low is … not desirable.

Back to the ASUS U31JG-A1!