I actually *just* picked up an M-Edge cover today that has the magnets in it to wake and sleep. I’m using it now and I love it to bits. It’s black and looks very classy.

I don’t find that the grouping slows me down any; I just have to remember where things are, but the way I have them grouped, I seem to remember. The labels help too. I prefer a non-busy screen, so I have to remember where I’ve put my apps. It’s not that big of a deal, really.

Amy

What was the fnacy widgets app you installed by the way? Looks really good.

I am also looking to group my apps like you but do you find they slow you down?

Anyhow, I’d been looking at ultrabooks for a bit and there were absolutely NO competitors to the 11″ air. The 13″ would be nice, but I wanted something even more portable than the 13″ Air. If I was in the market for a 13″ ultrabook, I would have gone with the Dell XPS or the new Dell Ubuntu Project Sputnik computer. I wanted something that would fit in a small-ish bag or a large-ish purse; this is just the right size for extreme portability and decent computing power.

Apple’s recent moves *do* reek of control, but I can’t seem to fault them for their way of doing things. Many people want a computer that “just works” or is like an appliance. It’s a way to access information, create information, create art (music, drawings, etc), and communicate. Oh, and play games; though I seem to do that on the Windows 7 side of my desktop.

I do like the idea of the “App Store” and the centralized way it updates (much like Ubuntu’s repositories); again, some users might perceive this as grabbing control; I don’t.

Apple is not just selling hardware. In some respects they’re selling an image and in others they’re selling an experience. The experience says “here’s a device that lets you do stuff”. Some people want that; for my portable computer, I did.

In my OS defense, I did just pick up a Nexus 7 today at Microcenter; review is forthcoming, but man is it ever freaking awesome.

That said, I’ve been idly looking at Ultrabooks ever since my wife bought an Asus Zenbook 13″ (an astonishing piece of hardware running the less-than-astonishing Windows 7) .

(Based on the Ubuntu forums, installing Ubuntu results in trackpad issues, but the wi-fi is fine.)

Dell’s XPS13 is due out in a version pre-installed with Ubuntu (you can download the Project Sputnik Ubuntu disk image already), which shouldn’t have any driver issues, but has the corresponding problem of being a developer’s distribution, and I’m not sure how much work is involved downloading the goodies needed to make it work for the more general user.

If I had to buy an Ultrabook now, that’s what I’d get.

I think you’re right in one respect; there’s precious little competition for the 11″ Air, which is an elegant little machine. When you get up to the 13″ and 14″ Ultrabooks, it gets a little more competitive.

The App store is fine. It’s much like the Ubuntu Store in that it keeps all your stuff updated and you can do it all at once. This doesn’t bother me at all, and I wish Windows had something like this.

Not everything is available in OSX that is in Linux. Gwibber, particularly, is not. I’ve not found an identi.ca app. I’m using the website right now.

I will google for homebrew. Thanks.

Yes, I am. I’m not “encumbered” because I can install whatever I want to the hard drive. Do I want Ubuntu on it? I sure as hell can put it on. BSD? Why the fuck not?

Everything is encumbered in some way. Do you run Flash? Yeah. Encumbered. Android? Locked the hell down. I can’t even upgrade to Jellybean without potentially bricking my phone. That’s not free at all.

I was talking about the HARDWARE. The HARDWARE is possibly the best I’ve ever used. I’ve never had a Windows-based computer that has this level of design put into it. Even my System 76 machines (which were awesomely designed) just don’t have the polish in the hardware that this does.

My point was that there was NOTHING in the Windows or Linux based computer world that compares to this hardware. Most of it is gaudy plastic and under-powered chipsets (generally Atom, though that’s changing with the newest Ultrabooks) with no graphics cards and horrible battery life. I looked. Trust me.

Also, I did not want to fight with mobile Linux. Not anymore. Why should I? I’ve done that. I’ve fought with the wireless drivers. I’ve fought with graphics issues. I’m just tired of it for something I’m going to use and don’t want to muck with.

Oh, and if the shiny new Ultrabook you buy and put Linux on won’t boot, it’s probably because of Windows Secure Boot. Yeah. Good luck getting laptop hardware that doesn’t have that tiny bastard.

Zareason and System76 are not interested in providing an 11″ or 13″ ultraportable that is decently affordable. The market is there, but they’re not willing to hop in, so I’m stuck with the Macbook Air or fighting with some sort of Ultrabook Intel monstrosity that may or may not work with my desired OS. I’ll take the Air.

And please don’t think I’m uninformed. I’m wholly informed. I’ve researched the hell out of all of my options and this was the option I chose.

I don’t worry about the App Store. I figure it has increased the variety of applications available to me. The OS X indy developer ecosystem is noticeably more innovative and original than its Linux counterparts.

Still, pretty much everything that’s available in Linux can be had for OS X, one way or another. Google for Homebrew, which is a packaging and dependency system that will feel familar to any Linux user, and gives you access to a boatload of stuff.