ASUS 2017 ZenBook and VivoBook series now in Malaysia

Two weeks ago, during the Computex 2017, ASUS has unveiled 5 new laptops across the ZenBook and VivoBook series. Today, ASUS Malaysia is proud to announce that Malaysia will be the first country to receive the new laptops.

ASUS ZenBook 3 Deluxe (UX490)

The ASUS ZenBook 3 Deluxe is the winner of a Computex 2017 d&i Award. The all-aluminium ultrabook is as thin as 12.9 mm and weighs 1.1 kg. While it may seem to be a 13-inch ultrabook, but it actually houses a 14-inch NanoEdge display thanks to the ultra-narrow bezel.

• Thinnest 14-inch laptop, 12.9 mm & 1.1 kg
• FHD NanoEdge display with 84% screen-to-body ratio, 100% sRGB
• 7th Generation Intel Core i7-7500U processor
• 16GB of 2133MHz LPDDR3 RAM
• up to 1TB PCI Express SSD
• two USB Type-C with Thunderbolt 3-enabled
• Windows 10 with One-touch login and Windows Hello
• Harmon Kardon certified audio with quad speakers and Smart Amp
• Backlit keyboard with glass cover touchpad

SRP - RM 8299
Available now

ASUS ZenBook Pro (UX550)

The new ASUS ZenBook Pro as the winner of a Computex 2017 Best Choice Award, it offers professional users an ultrabook with the combination of serious performance and supremely elegant design.

• 18.9 mm, 1.8 kg
• 15.6-inch FHD NanoEdge display
• 7th Generation Intel Core i7-7700HQ quad-core processor for notebooks
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX1050 graphics
• 512 GB PCIe x4 SSD
• 16 GB RAM
• 14-hours battery life with fast charge 60% in 49 minutes
• Windows 10 with One-touch login and Windows Hello
• Harmon Kardon certified audio with quad speakers and Smart Amp

SRP - RM 7299
Availability - beginning of August 2017

ASUS ZenBook Flip S (UX370)

The ASUS ZenBook Flip S is also the winner of a Computex 2017 d&i Award. It is the world’s thinnest convertible laptop, and also one of the lightest. Combining elegant sophistication with the convenience and versatility of a 360° flipping display, this ultrathin convertible is only 10.9mm thin and 1.1 kg light. The innovative 360° ErgoLift hinge has a dual-action mechanism that lifts and tilts the keyboard into the perfect typing position when the display is opened beyond 135°.

• Thinnest convertible - 10.9 mm, 1.1 kg
• FHD multitouch NanoEdge display with 360-degree hinge
• 7th Generation Intel Core i7-7500U processor
• 512GB PCIe SSD
• 16 GB RAM
• Windows 10 with One-touch login and Windows Hello

SRP - RM 6699
Availability - beginning of August 2017

ASUS VivoBook Pro (N580)

The VivoBook Pro while may not be as lightweight and portable as the ZenBook series but they compensate it with higher processing capabilities.

• 19.2 mm, 2.2 kg
• 15.6-inch FHD display with wide-view technology, 100% sRGB
• 7th Generation Intel Core i7-7700HQ quad-core processor
• 16 GB RAM
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics
• Harman Kardon-certified audio, including twin speakers with large 8cc audio chambers and smart-amplifier technology for 3.2X louder volume

SRP - RM 4799
Availability - beginning of August 2017

ASUS VivoBook S (S510)

ASUS VivoBook S15 is the latest and most premium model in the VivoBook Series.

• 17.9 mm, 1.5 kg
• 15.6-inch FHD NanoEdge display
• 7th Generation Intel Core i7-7500U processor
• 16 GB RAM
• NVIDIA GeForce 940MX graphics

SRP - RM 3699 (i7) & RM 2899 (i5)
Availability - beginning of July

Apple refreshes the iMac with 7th gen Intel Processors

Apart from updating the MacBook line, Apple also announced the overdue refresh for their desktop computers - the iMacs. Packed with Intel's 7th generation Kaby Lake processors and latest Radeon Pro 500 series graphics card, the new iMacs are now much more powerful than ever. The display also received an upgrade where it is now brighter and colourful than before.

27-inch iMac

The 27-inch iMacs gets a bump from 6th generation CPU to 7th Intel Kaby Lake processors. The Fusion drive is now standard across all 27-inch models where you get to enjoy large storage capacity and high-speed data access. Unfortunately, the price is now at least RM 400 more expensive for all the models.

21.5-inch iMac

The 21.5-inch models also received the CPU and GPU upgrade, with the Retina 4K display trickle down to the mid-spec option. Fusion drive is now available as standard for the high-spec variant. The price, however, has received at least RM 500 increase from the 2015 variant.

Final Words

Am I even surprised with the price adjustment when the US price still remained the same? Our ever-weakening currency it doing no good to the IT product and its market.

The 2017 refresh iMacs are now available to purchase on Apple Store.

Apple Refreshes the MacBook Line with Intel 7th gen Processors

At WWDC 2017 Keynote, Apple has announced the hardware refresh for the MacBook lineup. The 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Pros are now getting Intel 7th generation Kaby Lake processors. Surprisingly, the MacBook Air are still being offered while retaining it's Intel 5th generation Broadwell configurations and pricing.

12-inch MacBook

The 12-inch MacBook receives the processor upgrade alongside with the graphics bump. Do keep in mind that even though the higher spec of the 12-inch MacBook comes with Intel Core i5 processor, in fact, it is the ultra-low-power Y-series processor which last time was known as Core m5.



The ultrathin laptop also gets the second generation Apple Butterfly mechanism keyboard upgrade. The pricing has also been increased for RM500 across the specs.

MacBook Pro

15-inch MacBook Pro

The 15-inch MacBook Pro other than receiving the upgrade for the CPU to Intel 7th generation Kaby Lake processors, the graphics department also gets a boost from Radeon Pro 400 series to Radeon Pro 500 series. The high spec of the 15-inch model even gets the Radeon Pro 560 with 4 GB of VRAM. Price has been increased, ranging from RM 500 to RM 600.

13-inch MacBook Pro

Same applies to the 13-inch MacBook Pro with TouchBar line: CPU upgrade to Intel 7th generation Kaby Lake processors and graphics upgrade from Intel Iris Graphics 500 series to Intel Iris Plus Graphics 600 series. Price increased from RM 400 to RM 500.



For the Non-TouchBar 13-inch MacBook Pro, things get a little bit interesting as the entry model with 128 GB storage makes a comeback after missing out from the 2016's lineup. However, compared to the 2015 mode, the price, too, has been increased from RM 5499 to RM 5999.

Final Words

As a Mac user, the Kaby Lake CPU upgrade is most welcome but the price hike across the MacBook lineup is very difficult to swallow. Consider that the US pricing has not changed, the cause of the price hike can only be due to the weak MYR exchange rate.

The 2017 refresh MacBook and MacBook Pros are now available for purchase on Apple Store Malaysia.

Zephyrus is ASUS ROG's Ultra Slim Gaming Laptop with GTX 1080

The ASUS Republic of Gamers today has made official their latest gaming laptop - Zephyrus. It is the world's slimmest gaming laptop that features 7th generation Intel Core i7 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 GPU.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus general specs

• Intel Core i7-7700HQ
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080
• up to 24 GB DDR4 2400 MHz
• M.2 PCIe x4 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB SSD
• 15.6-inch Full HD wide-view panel with anti-glare, 120 Hz with NVIDIA G-SYNC
• Connectivity
  
  • 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C™ with Thunderbolt™ 3
  • 4 x USB 3.1
  • 1 x HDMI 2.0
  • 1 x 3.5mm headphone and mic combo jack
• SUS Aura RGB backlit chiclet keyboard with 30-key rollover; 1.4mm key travel
• 4-cell, 50 Wh battery
• 37.9 x 26.2 x 1.69 cm
• 2.2 KG (with battery)

ROG-exclusive design and cooling system

The ROG Zephyrus is cooled by an exclusively designed Active Aerodynamic System (AAS) that increases the efficiency of the airflow through the laptop. The fan's surface cover and accelerator are 3D-curved to enhance the airflow that ultimately helps remove the heat more efficiently. As shown in above image, when the Zephyrus' lid is opened, the bottom chassis flexes open to increase the airflow by 20% which further increases the air circulation.



The ASUS Aura RGB keyboard is also positioned at the front of the chassis to allow better cooling of the internal components. Honestly speaking, having all those high-end components stuffed into a chassis as thin as 16.9mm is not an easy task as you need to address the biggest issue of all - the heat.

Pricing & Availability

There is no news on the pricing and availability yet at the moment, but we will be sure to update you the soonest as we get the information.

Intel's 7th Generation Core Processors Announced, Desktop Variant To Be Available On Jan 2017

Intel has finally revealed its 7th Gen Intel Core processor family today, the final member of its 'Process, Architecture, Optimization' 3-stage development plan, with Broadwell as the product of the 'Process' stage, Skylake for 'Architecture' stage and the 7th Gen for the current 'Optimization' stage. As previous rumor which suggests that the latest gen CPU is already on its way to the OEMs, we can confirm that those are actually the mobile variant of the 7th Gen targeted for the sales in 2016 Q3. The desktop variant, however, will not be arriving by 2016 Q4 but rather, later in Jan 2017.

The 7th Gen are built on the strong foundation of the 14nm Skylake architecture Gen9 graphics and it's further optimized to deliver an even responsive performance to get users ready for the immersive internet. The new media engine as Intel claims, allows faster 4K UHD creation, watching and streaming of 4K UHD content longer than the previous gen processors, thanks to its HEVC 10-bit decode capability delivers smooth premium content playback up to 4K UHD, VP9 decode capability allows power efficient smooth 4K UHD, 4K 360° video playback while multitasking.

According to some of the slides provided by Intel, the 7th Gen measures a total of 19% more responsiveness and 12% more productivity over the previous gen Skylake CPUs, as well as battery life gain of 1.75x and 2.6x respectively while watching  4K VP9 content on YouTube and 4K HEVC 10-bit local videos.

Intel Starts Up 10nm Fabrication, Cannonlake CPU Is On Track For 2H 2017

     

Intel may have found the way to overcome the challenges of Moore's Law to further shrink down the size of these transistors that have now been a part of our daily life as the company has started up their 10nm fabrication facility. 

With Intel confidently claimed that the rollout time to 10nm will be %50 faster than 14nm, we can expect prototyping of the 10nm Cannonlake's chips to begin soon. According to the source of this information, the cost of doing so have been counted in Intel's financial outlook for Q3 2016. If everything goes by Intel's historic track record, the company should be entering trial production later this year and work up to mass production by the end of 1H 2017.

Intel Has Already Started Shipping The Kaby Lake Processors

Meanwhile, Intel has also confirmed that Kaby Lake processors have already started shipping out to customers. Kaby Lake is the first Intel CPU to break the 'tick-tock' cycle and the "Optimization" part of the Process Architecture Optimization strategy to perfect the 14nm process node to deliver a mature build for this CPU.

The Kaby Lake CPU come in both desktop and mobility and will be featuring several SKUs. SKUs that has been confirmed today includes Kaby Lake-U, Kaby Lake-Y, Kaby Lake-H and Kaby Lake-S, which the specifications for each SKU can be seen in the following table:

(Source: WCCFTECH)