What I really want to know is are there any ultrabooks that can compete with the MacBook Air on the key features:<p>- size/weight
- battery life
- quick on (since Lion, instant on is a thing of the past)
- SSD (how is this not standard in the feature spec...)
- backlit keyboard (incredibly important)<p>Any suggestions of ones that people have tried/reviewed?
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrabook" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrabook</a><p>That should answer most of the questions you asked. You can find about the ultrabooks with backlit keyboards by doing a simple Google search (yes, 'ultrabook backlit keyboard').
I have a 13" MBA 2011 w/ lion,just got it after years on a dell Inspiron 1545. It is amazing. Incredibly light, With really really good battery life. So need for an iPad, I have no qualms about carrying it with me, it doesn't weigh that much more than large book. It can power down, restart and be back on my desktop in 15 seconds. Backlit keyboard is great, don't underestimate it for late night projects. Also, I now have nothing on my desktop, Osx file systems are muchore intuitive and multi task orientated. Get an MBA, it's more money but better value than anything else on the market.
Keep in mind that the screen illuminates the keyboard in the dark, so a backlit keyboard may be more for aesthetics than functionality. I never use it on my MBA.<p>Something I don't like about the MacBook Air (13"): Dedicated audio in/out -- there's a "hybrid" jack which annoys me. I thought lack of firewire would be limiting for older drives and external interfaces, but I don't miss it. I do run Windows when I need it for (minor) updates to files in solid modeling programs such as SolidWorks and animation such as Maya while traveling with a VM. Works great.
If you don't need OS X then the Sony Vaio Z looks pretty awesome. Biggest differences:<p>- faster processor<p>- higher resolution<p>- their lightpeak or w/e port actually has a kickass accessory that justifies it, there is still nothing interesting available using Thunderbolt<p>- up to twice the ram<p>- internal + external battery<p><a href="http://www.notebookcheck.net/Ultra-mobile-Vaio-Z-with-Power-Media-Dock-now-official.56625.0.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.notebookcheck.net/Ultra-mobile-Vaio-Z-with-Power-...</a>
I've struggled with this question myself, and while ultrabooks offer a few hundred dollars of savings, a Macbook Air makes more sense for me(personally) in the long run.<p>Reasons:<p>I've started to develop iOS apps, and I need an iOS device and the MBA solves 2 of my problems in a single go. (need for an ultraportable device, a Mac for iOS dev)
If you're going to be installing Linux on it, don't buy the MacBook Air for the hardware. The lack of PageUp/PageDown keys seals the deal. If you are going to install Linux on it, then the MBA shouldn't be a consideration and you should get an ultrabook in your spec/price range. If you want OS X then the MBA would be your best bet.
I think it depends if you want/need Mac OS X or if you can live happily with the alternatives.<p>Personally, I think that Mac OS X Snow Leopard is better than Lion but that is just opinion so until Lion grows on me, I will not upgrade to a new machine.
Now we're talking! Check out this laptop <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/laptops/hands-on-samsung-9-series-review-1054050" rel="nofollow">http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/laptops/hands...</a>
I would say go with the Air, build quality is top notch and even if you don't use it everyday having a rock stable UNIX core can come in handy at times.<p>You might want to wait a bit though the new "Air" Macbook Pros are coming out soon and it's rumored they will have "Retina Displays" - God I hate that term