[shifuimam]

I've had an original eeePC 701 for about a year. I just ordered an Acer Aspire One on eBay at 30% off, thanks to the Microsoft/eBay/PayPal deal going on right now.

I searched and it doesn't seem like many of y'all have these; it's mostly been a discussion on how they match up to the MBA.

So. Anyone else with one of these? What OS did you load on it? Try the Hackintosh route? What do you use it for? Was it worth the $275-$500?

My eeePC mostly sits on my nightstand, where I check the weather, when my bus will next hit the stop next to my house, and I sometimes logon to my employer's OWA to make sure I don't have any morning meetings. I might use the Aspire One more often, since the screen and keyboard will be far more usable.

[lexapro]

You come onto a Mac board to tell us of the PCs you're buying?

[starman]

Originally Posted by lexapro 

You come onto a Mac board to tell us of the PCs you're buying?

In all fairness to shif, this is the Lounge and non-Mac threads can go here. Also, she's been here a while.

[seanc]

My friend was talking about how her parents had bought one of these the other night, I thought they looked interesting, more useable than the eeePC because of the higher resolution of the screen. Not sure I'd like to go down from 1280x800 though, it's small enough.

[ort888]

Apple needs one of these that doesn't cost $1,800.

[Eug]

I checked some out running XP. More peppy than I would have expected given the Atom CPU.

However, the keyboard size sucks, as does the tiny trackpad. I'd like them better if they made one with a near-full-size keyboard. I think a reasonable compromise for some of us would be equivalent to something like a theoretical widescreen 12" iBook with minimal bezel.

That could be less than 11" wide. Compare that to the MacBook, which is almost 13" wide.

[starman]

I almost bought one, but I knew I wouldn't use it much and the keyboard was too small for me to adapt to.

[scaught]

Originally Posted by lexapro 

You come onto a Mac board to tell us of the PCs you're buying?

6 years back (oh god, it's been that long>??!?! ^_^ ) I ran this poll:

http://forums.macnn.com/89/macnn-lou...ndows-machine/

50% of us use a mac and a windows machine. I can't imagine the results would have swayed THAT much in the past few years.

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by seanc 

My friend was talking about how her parents had bought one of these the other night, I thought they looked interesting, more useable than the eeePC because of the higher resolution of the screen. Not sure I'd like to go down from 1280x800 though, it's small enough.

Yeah, the number one problem with my 701 is the 800x480 display. It's just too small. A lot of dialog boxes are too tall these days for even that, so I can't see the OK/Cancel/Apply buttons. I'm hoping the 1024x600 display on the Aspire One will be more usable.

The keyboard is a bit crap on the eeePC, but I have unusually small hands, so I've adapted well enough to it.

I know plenty of people have tried the Hackintosh route on these, although it sounds like webcam and wifi support are nonexistent thus far. Damn Apple for not having drivers for other wireless cards!

[Eug]

The 1024x600 screen on recent ones is more than reasonable. That's over 3/4 as much real estate as a 12" iBook.

[seanc]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

Yeah, the number one problem with my 701 is the 800x480 display. It's just too small. A lot of dialog boxes are too tall these days for even that, so I can't see the OK/Cancel/Apply buttons. I'm hoping the 1024x600 display on the Aspire One will be more usable.

The keyboard is a bit crap on the eeePC, but I have unusually small hands, so I've adapted well enough to it.

I know plenty of people have tried the Hackintosh route on these, although it sounds like webcam and wifi support are nonexistent thus far. Damn Apple for not having drivers for other wireless cards!

Lack of wireless would make it pretty useless, but the community will sort that out.

Let us know how it works out compared to the 701.

[pman68]

I just ordered the 10" MSI Wind from Amazon for $399. I "hear" OSX works great on it.

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by seanc 

Lack of wireless would make it pretty useless, but the community will sort that out.

Let us know how it works out compared to the 701.

That's one of the biggest problems with Hackintosh laptops - it appears that unless you have an Atheros or Broadcom-based wireless card, you're completely SOL for OS X support...which means that Intel cards won't work.

The 701 does, I believe, have an Atheros-based wireless card, so the OrangeWare drivers should work. Otherwise, it appears you can swap out cards on some netbooks, including the Wind.

[Salty]

Thing is for a lot of what these things do, an iPod touch or iPhone pretty well does the same thing. While I'd totally buy one if Apple came out with a netbook, I don't really think it's gonna happen any time soon... or it might happen in January.

[turtle777]

I'm with Salty.

My iPhone has killed my need / craving for a sub 12" laptop / netbook.

I'll probably get the new MB 12" at some point.

-t

[ThinkInsane]

Originally Posted by Salty 

Thing is for a lot of what these things do, an iPod touch or iPhone pretty well does the same thing. While I'd totally buy one if Apple came out with a netbook, I don't really think it's gonna happen any time soon... or it might happen in January.

This looks like an interesting concept. Depending on price and whether it works worth a damn, I'd certainly consider it.

[violajack]

I have an Acer One and love it. It is currently triple booting OSX, XP, and Ubuntu. I have replaced the wifi card with a dell 1390 from ebay for $12 and it works just fine in OSX. In fact, it works great in all three OSes. The only real annoyance in OSX is no sleep, which is big annoyance, but people are working on it. Performance is way more than I had ever imagined. I currently have it hooked up to a 20" monitor with an external keyboard and mouse. It can drive full screen (1680x1050) HD video podcasts from cnet through iTunes with only very slight audio/video sync issues. It can also run some of my favorite games on the XP side at decent resolutions on the big screen. On the small screen side, it fits in my purse and I don't even really notice it. 1024x600 is surprisingly useful, especially with the dock off to the side so you get more use of the vertical space.

I love it. My macbook is for sale now.

[Mac User #001]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

I'll probably get the new MB 12" at some point.

What MacBook is that?

[jaydon34]

I actually have an Acer Aspire One as well. I love the little guy but I do miss os x. Soon as they resolve some of the issues. I'm going hackintosh for good.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Mac User #001 

What MacBook is that?

Ah rats, I meant 13".

Nothing to see here folks, I got no rumors.

-t

[vmarks]

the aspire, the MSI wind, the dell mini 9 are all able to run OS X. the webcam and wifi issues have been sorted on most, but I still can't shake the notion that it's going to feel like a step back in time, knowing that the processor isn't as fast as that in my 2 year old macbook 13".

[starman]

Are there any of these "netbooks" that you can install OS X on painlessly? If not, some PC manufacturer needs to come out with one that has all the components a Macbook/Pro has so that there aren't driver issues. Wouldn't that be a kick in the pants?

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by starman 

If not, some PC manufacturer needs to come out with one that has all the components a Macbook/Pro has so that there aren't driver issues. Wouldn't that be a kick in the pants?

It would also eliminate most savings potential, since Apple is NOT using el cheapo hardware.

Plus, you don't get a "free" OS X license.

-t

[Goldfinger]

I'm probably getting one with 3G support near the end of the year to replace my dead ThinkPad X23... If only Apple made such a small (and affordable!) machine. I'll probably run Ubuntu but I could try OSX maybe. We will see..

[Maflynn]

I was very tempted for the dell netbook. I was traveling a couple of weeks ago and needed something small and light. The dell fit bill and the price was right. In the end I couldn't do it, since everything i need/use is in OSX. I think its a market segment that apple could definitely get into but because of the MBA being priced so high I doubt they'll introduce an ultra-light, small laptop that would be cheaper then the MB

[vmarks]

Originally Posted by starman 

Are there any of these "netbooks" that you can install OS X on painlessly? If not, some PC manufacturer needs to come out with one that has all the components a Macbook/Pro has so that there aren't driver issues. Wouldn't that be a kick in the pants?

MSI wind is the most painless currently.

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

It would also eliminate most savings potential, since Apple is NOT using el cheapo hardware.

Plus, you don't get a "free" OS X license.

-t

I'm assuming you mean the external cases, because there is nothing special about the internals of Apple machines.

[vmarks]

The use of the EFI instead of traditional BIOS does make it a little different.

I agree that the use of marvell and atheros or broadcom network chips are no different than those used in any other computer.

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by vmarks 

The use of the EFI instead of traditional BIOS does make it a little different.

I agree that the use of marvell and atheros or broadcom network chips are no different than those used in any other computer.

Yeah, I don't know much about EFI since I primarily use Windows machines. The internal hardware, however, is no different than any other machine - same hard drives, optical drives, LCDs, chipsets, processors... I may try dual-booting my Aspire One with XP and OS X. I just don't know what I want to do yet. It's got a 160GB drive, so I certainly have options...

[waxcrash]

Originally Posted by violajack 

I have an Acer One and love it. It is currently triple booting OSX, XP, and Ubuntu. I have replaced the wifi card with a dell 1390 from ebay for $12 and it works just fine in OSX. In fact, it works great in all three OSes. The only real annoyance in OSX is no sleep, which is big annoyance, but people are working on it. Performance is way more than I had ever imagined. I currently have it hooked up to a 20" monitor with an external keyboard and mouse. It can drive full screen (1680x1050) HD video podcasts from cnet through iTunes with only very slight audio/video sync issues. It can also run some of my favorite games on the XP side at decent resolutions on the big screen. On the small screen side, it fits in my purse and I don't even really notice it. 1024x600 is surprisingly useful, especially with the dock off to the side so you get more use of the vertical space.

I love it. My macbook is for sale now.

If you have the time, would you mind running Xbench on your Acer under OS X and posting the results? Would like to get a reference of the performance of the Atom CPU.

[violajack]

I'm not sure how to attach a file, but I have the full results if you want to know more. The overall score was 38.87. Note that I started with the SSD based linux version and added 1 gig of RAM for a total of 1.5 and replaced the SSD with an 80G Samsung 1.8" drive. I ran it with all other programs closed, but while it was still driving the external display. Here is the CPU part since you wanted to know about the Atom:

Code:
Results	38.87	
	System Info		
		Xbench Version		1.3
		System Version		10.5.4 (9E17)
		Physical RAM		1536 MB
		Model		iMac7,1
		Drive Type		SAMSUNG HS080HB SAMSUNG HS080HB
	CPU Test	21.09	
		GCD Loop	40.68	2.14 Mops/sec
		Floating Point Basic	12.36	293.76 Mflop/sec
		vecLib FFT	18.69	616.57 Mflop/sec
		Floating Point Library	32.58	5.67 Mops/sec
	Thread Test	52.91	
		Computation	43.73	885.84 Kops/sec, 4 threads
		Lock Contention	66.96	2.88 Mlocks/sec, 4 threads

[macintologist]

Originally Posted by Salty 

Thing is for a lot of what these things do, an iPod touch or iPhone pretty well does the same thing. While I'd totally buy one if Apple came out with a netbook, I don't really think it's gonna happen any time soon... or it might happen in January.

I agree, except my only wish is that Apple make, or Apple permit the making of a full size fold-out keyboard with a dock so I can type onto my iPhone, during class to take notes or whatever. If I had a full size folding keyboard for the iPhone I wouldn't bring a laptop to class, never.

[waxcrash]

Originally Posted by violajack 

I'm not sure how to attach a file, but I have the full results if you want to know more. The overall score was 38.87. Note that I started with the SSD based linux version and added 1 gig of RAM for a total of 1.5 and replaced the SSD with an 80G Samsung 1.8" drive. I ran it with all other programs closed, but while it was still driving the external display. Here is the CPU part since you wanted to know about the Atom:

Code:
Results	38.87	
	System Info		
		Xbench Version		1.3
		System Version		10.5.4 (9E17)
		Physical RAM		1536 MB
		Model		iMac7,1
		Drive Type		SAMSUNG HS080HB SAMSUNG HS080HB
	CPU Test	21.09	
		GCD Loop	40.68	2.14 Mops/sec
		Floating Point Basic	12.36	293.76 Mflop/sec
		vecLib FFT	18.69	616.57 Mflop/sec
		Floating Point Library	32.58	5.67 Mops/sec
	Thread Test	52.91	
		Computation	43.73	885.84 Kops/sec, 4 threads
		Lock Contention	66.96	2.88 Mlocks/sec, 4 threads

Thank you. You posted exactly what I wanted to see. The overall score of 38.87 puts it at about the same value as a 1.4GHz PPC G4, which gives me a good reference of its performance. Not bad at all for such a small chip. I really like the Acer compared to the others (Eee PC, MSI Wind, Lenovo, Dell) and want to put OS X on it like you did, but I'm still debating if I should hold out for the dual core Atom.

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by waxcrash 

...but I'm still debating if I should hold out for the dual core Atom.

I was thinking that too, but at this point, it's like any other hardware. There are constantly going to be upgrades, and the netbook market seems to evolve more quickly than other computer hardware. If you wait for the dual core Atom, you might hear about something else really rad (like integrated WWAN support), and wait for that...and keep waiting.

For what these netbooks are good for (browsing, chatting, word processing), you don't really need a dual core. It's not like you can really use Photoshop or Final Cut on them.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by waxcrash 

Thank you. You posted exactly what I wanted to see. The overall score of 38.87 puts it at about the same value as a 1.4GHz PPC G4

Yes and no.

The Xbench suite is limited, with non-real-world type tests. Yes, it covers many parts of the machine, but takes a tiny, tiny sliver of info for each part.

I find it slightly useful when comparing similar classes of machine, but much less useful when comparing completely different classes of machine. IMHO, you don't really want to be comparing G4 vs. Intel with this test. Heck, you don't really even want to be comparing the G4 vs. G5.

[Eug]

Easily faked, but here's a rumour nonetheless:

But the most fun on the conference call came when he parried analysts’ questions about new product areas that Apple might or might not enter. A recurring question among Apple watchers for decades has been, “When is Apple going to introduce a low-cost computer?

Mr. Jobs answered that decades-old complaint by stating, “We don’t know how to build a sub-$500 computer that is not a piece of junk.” He argued instead that the company’s mission was to add more value for customers at current price points.

However, he gave a more nuanced answer to the question of whether Apple plans to jump into the “nascent” market for netbooks, essentially restating his comments on the question from last week at the Macbook introduction in Cupertino by saying the company was taking a wait-and-see attitude.

UPDATED: That would seem to confirm findings that a search engine company shared with me on condition that I not reveal its name: The company spotted Web visits from an unannounced Apple product with a display somewhere between an iPhone and a MacBook. Is it the iPhone 3.0 or the NetMac 1.0?

[nonhuman]

I'd be interested in one for travel. In general I much prefer having a larger screen (which is why I traded in my 13" MacBook for a 15" ThinkPad even though I walk 5+ miles with it on my back every day), but for going places where I wasn't planning on working it would be nice to have something small and light that I wouldn't mind bringing with me just in case. Personally, though, I'd be much happier if I could just use a bluetooth keyboard with my iPhone and an SSH client. That would give me all the tools I need to get work done when I need to (especially if could be used with an A/V cord to display on a larger TV or something).

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by Eug 

Easily faked, but here's a rumour nonetheless:

Mr. Jobs answered that decades-old complaint by stating, “We don’t know how to build a sub-$500 computer that is not a piece of junk.” He argued instead that the company’s mission was to add more value for customers at current price points.

Gah. That's so SILLY. It wouldn't be remotely difficult to build a sub-$500 laptop with decent components. I suppose it depends on how he defines "a piece of junk". If, to Jobs, anything not made with an aluminum unibody is a piece of junk, then yeah. But if he'll hark back to the days of using Lexan plastics, I imagine it could be done quite cheaply.

I doubt Apple will come out with a netbook, because Apple is in the premium hardware business. It would be like a high-end fashion design house selling wallets at Target. If Apple does come out with a compact notebook, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it also comes with a high price tag.

For the Mac crowd, I think it's more likely that an iPhone companion will come out to satisfy your netbook desires.

[Eug]

I just tend to discount statements like that from Jobs. He often makes such statements, and yet goes ahead and does it anyway, when he feels it's right for Apple.

BTW, the Apple-is-a-high-end-product-type-company argument has never been true. Since when is a Mac mini a high end product? iPod shuffle?

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Eug 

BTW, the Apple-is-a-high-end-product-type-company argument has never been true. Since when is a Mac mini a high end product? iPod shuffle?

In comparison with other similar products on the market, sure Apple is a high-end player.

Look at the crappy MP3 players that competed with the Shuffle.
Look at the crappy mini towers that other companies offer.

-t

[Eug]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

In comparison with other similar products on the market, sure Apple is a high-end player.

Look at the crappy MP3 players that competed with the Shuffle.
Look at the crappy mini towers that other companies offer.

-t

But the shuffle in its first iteration was a crappy MP3 player IMO.

Just because an Apple product isn't total crap doesn't make it high end. I might have classified a lot of Apple's consumer line as mid-end.

[starman]

Then what WOULD be a "high end" MP3 player? One that calls Beck to you to play for you personally?

[Eug]

Originally Posted by starman 

Then what WOULD be a "high end" MP3 player? One that calls Beck to you to play for you personally?

iPod touch.

[starman]

Well after you said "I might have classified a lot of Apple's consumer line as mid-end.", I didn't know where you were going with that statement.

[shifuimam]

I wouldn't classify anything left in Apple's line as low-end except the shuffle, which still comes with a premium price (compared to other MP3 players in its class). The Mini was as close as Apple ever got to a low-end or even mid-grade desktop machine, but then they started adding too many features (which put the price point far beyond a low-end desktop)...and now they've axed it entirely.

The iMacs and MacBooks are premium machines. For the specs and price, you can do cheaper elsewhere. Apple does indeed focus on premium pricing; their stuff is generally marked up when looking at comparable hardware from other manufacturers.

At any rate, I got my Aspire One today. First impressions:

- It's GLOSSY. Gloss everywhere. This thing is a fingerprint magnet. I wish shiny weren't in vogue right now.
- Too much preinstalled crap - Google Desktop, McAfee, Office 2k7 trial, WinDVD (funny, it has no DVD-ROM...).
- No recovery CDs or DVDs. It's a restore partition.
- The WLAN switch doesn't work. It may be a problem with my specific machine; if I can't figure it out I'll be calling Acer.
- Keyboard is a full-size layout, and it's not too small to be usable. Even includes two Alt and Ctrl keys on either side of the spacebar.
- Software-controlled Fn+F6 will turn off the backlight entirely. This is one of the features I like about OS X; I'm glad it's on this machine.
- Trackpad needs some tweaking to behave the way I want it to. The buttons are flush with the trackpad, so it's easy to be scrolling sideways and find yourself attempting to scroll on a button.

I'll be doing a clean Windows installation tonight, for sure. I found the files for driver and software reinstallation, so I'll burn that onto a CD before formatting the hard drive. I'll at least attempt to back up the restore partition before doing a clean format.

The gloss is so excessive. The display bezel is glossy, along with the LCD (and I hate glossy LCDs). I imagine this is what the new MB line looks like - gloss covering the entire display. It's a fingerprint magnet, it shows tiny imperfections too easily, and it's too reflective.

[starman]

I'm so over "glossy". I <3 my matte screens. If I had glossy screens at work I'd probably buy matte screens with my own money.

I wonder if there are any GOOD overlays for these screens.

[shifuimam]

If someone comes out with something that won't get dust and hair trapped under it, I'm game. I hate gloss. This ridiculous fad of glossy everything has got to end at some point...

[starman]

But...but....Phil Schiller says that's what customers want.

Big, giant there, Phil.

I said to the guy at the Apple Store "This glossy screen is the only thing preventing me from buying this (15") right now" and it was the truth.

What sucks is that it's going to take MONTHS for Apple to suck it up and say "ok, we'll make a non-glossy screen because some of you whiners bitched about it (oh, and we're losing money)". I hate waiting.

[shifuimam]

I don't know that Apple's ever going back. Most laptops on the market at this point are glossy-only; the only ones that aren't are the cheap ones. Apple is going to stick with whatever the premium market leans toward, and that appears to include glossy LCDs.

It turns out the WLAN switch isn't broken. On most Windows laptops, a hardware WLAN switch (or Fn+Fx keyboard shortcut) disables the hardware, so it shows up as disabled in the Device Manager and the Network Connections control panel. This switch appears to be turning off the radio, as opposed to disabling the card itself - the Windows wireless config software still sees the card, but it can't find any APs. The Atheros client utility, however, accurately recognizes that the radio is disabled.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

It turns out the WLAN switch isn't broken. On most Windows laptops, a hardware WLAN switch (or Fn+Fx keyboard shortcut) disables the hardware, so it shows up as disabled in the Device Manager and the Network Connections control panel. This switch appears to be turning off the radio, as opposed to disabling the card itself - the Windows wireless config software still sees the card, but it can't find any APs. The Atheros client utility, however, accurately recognizes that the radio is disabled.

Ah, the simplicity and ease-of-use of hardware and software designed by different companies.