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View Full Version : Inspiron Mini 12 Targets the Macbook Air


Chris Gohlke
10-28-2008, 08:00 AM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://apcmag.com/scoop_we_review_the_inspiron_mini_12__dells_supersized_yet_superslim_12_inch_netbook.htm' target='_blank'>http://apcmag.com/scoop_we_review_t...nch_netbook.htm</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"The Inspiron Mini 12 isn&rsquo;t set to please everyone. Some will slam its price tag as being too high for a netbook, and ask why you wouldn&rsquo;t buy a &lsquo;real&rsquo; notebook for that price. Others will decry the presence of Windows Vista and the 1GB memory limit, either on their own or as a pair. And we expect the battery life to raise some eyebrows and lower some credit cards. Yet I can think of plenty of mainstream users &ndash; typically the family, friends and workmates of many APC readers &ndash; for whom this $999 netbook will really hit the sweet spot by blurring the conventional boundary of form factor and blowing apart the long-standing sub-note barrier of price."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1225148550.usr10.jpg" /></p><p>I'd really consider this as a competitor to the Macbook Air.&nbsp; I'm sure it is a matter of semantics, but I would not really consider this (or the Air) to be a netbook.&nbsp; I must commend Dell for responding nicely to the competition with both of the Mini's, now they need to bring something new to the party rather than just following along.</p>

Macguy59
10-29-2008, 03:41 AM
This machine is woefully underpowered to run Vista. Whereas OS X on the Intel Core 2 based 'Air runs well. The 'Air runs with much better graphics chipset and double the memory. The 'Air is clearly not a netbook at least in comparison to those machines using that moniker. The mini 12 is just another in a long line of underpowered limited use netbooks IMO. Now I'm not a fan of the 'Air even with the much better GPU (I just bought the new MacBook that's nicely described as an 'Air on steroids) but to try and make a direct comparison to it with the '12 is flawed.

Jason Dunn
10-29-2008, 05:36 AM
It's a huge mistake for Dell to use Vista. I like Vista a lot, but it does require a certain level of horsepower, and none of these netbooks have it. Dell should have gone with Windows XP. :confused: