Vizio has followed up the launch of a range of top quality laptops at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), with its first Thin + Light Ultrabook PC. The new product is expected to be shipped by the end of the summer.
In an Apple dominated tablet and ultrabook market, Vizio, a California-based company, has launched what they claim is the best Windows PC in the world and Matt McRae, the chief technology officer of the company, has declared himself confident about the fact that they can end the era of Apple domination.
"What we are really shooting for is the best Windows PC in the world," McRae said on Friday to PCMag.
The Thin + Light ultrabooks have been described as "ultra-responsive, ultra sleek, and long-lasting" laptops and come in two versions - with 14-inch and 15.6-inch screens. Both models - CT14 and CT15 - sport HD resolution capabilities. The company has also launched another laptop, the Vizio Notebook, which is slightly thicker than the Thin + Light ultrabooks but features faster Nvidia graphics and more storage capacity.
Meanwhile, Cupertino-based tech giant Apple launched an updated MacBook Air, at the recently concluded 2012 World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC). The upgrade retains design, dimensions and some of the configurations of the original. What is new is the 11-inch Air now supports a resolution of 1336x768 pixels and packs Ivy Bridge Core-i5 or Core-i7 processors, depending on customer choice. The 13-inch model sports 128 GB of storage and 4 GB of RAM. In the new Air, laptop flash storage has been increased from 4GB to 8GB and the device includes a FaceTime HD camera with 720p high-definition video capture capacity. The 13-inch model promises seven hours of battery life.
Let's check out how the new Vizio ultrabooks stack up against the Apple Air:
Size: Both the MacBook Air and Vizio's laptops sport anodized aluminum unibody construction. Vizio's new Thin + Light ultrabook does justice to the name and is reasonably thin and light. The 14-inch model measures only 0.67 inches thick and weighs 3.39 pounds, while the 15-inch model is 0.68 inches thick and weighs in at 3.96 pounds.
Meanwhile, Apple's latest 11-inch Air is as thick as the 13-inch model (0.68 inches) but predictably lighter (2.38 pounds as against 2.96).
Interestingly, although Apple doesn't offer a 14-inch Air, Vizio's 14-inch model is only about a quarter-inch wider and less than a half-inch deeper.
Display: Vizio offers a 1600X900 panel for the 14-inch version and a 1920X1080 Full HD display for the 15-inch laptop. While the latter is not exactly a "Retina" Display, it comes pretty close to emulating the Apple technology.
The 11-inch Air features a resolution of 1366x768 pixels, while the 13-inch device offers 1440x900.
Processor, RAM and Memory: As expected, Apple is now offering Intel's third-generation Core i-Series processor in the MacBook line. The 11-inch Air is powered by a 1.7GHz Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 2.6GHz) and the 13-inch model by a 1.8GHz Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 2.8GHz). The new laptops also sport improved graphics performance capabilities, with Intel's HD 4000 integrated graphics.
The Air has a USB 3.0 port built in, as well as Apple's Thunderbolt port. All Air models come with 4GB 1,600MHz DDR3L with 8GB available as a $100 upgrade and offer up to 512GB of storage. The Solid State Drives (SSD) in the Air range from 64GB and 128GB on the 11-inch to 128GB and 256GB for the 13-inch version.
Meanwhile, Vizio also packs the same Intel third generation Ivy Bridge processor. Both the CT14 and CT15 models come with a choice of the Intel Core i3 1.7 GHz, Intel Core i5-3317U or the 1.9 GHz Intel core i7-3517U. In addition, like the Air series, both models have Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics. The Vizio laptops have two USB 3.0 ports and 4GB of RAM, with either a 128GB or 256GB SSD.
Operating System: Vizio's new machines will run on Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium. Air, on the other hand, will run the latest Apple Mac OS X Mountain Lion.
Price: Vizio will hope that competitive pricing will prove to be key in taking on and beating Apple. The Thin + Light ultrabooks start at a base price of $898 while Air's base price starts from $994 and can be as expensive as $1199.
