There is more to it than that. The CPUs and chipsets also include components
which are problematic.
The CPUs offered include technology which enables companies like Netflix,
Youtube, and others to gain and restrict access to your system. They can
control the stream of content and do things like specify that your not
allowed to save video.
vPro contains a subset of technology which makes it possible for others to
access your system potentially without your permission in secret. It is sold
as being a measure to prevent theft and manage inventory. Everything goes
through the BIOS and is done in such a way that no matter what operating
system you have installed, no matter what you are doing, etc. your system can
be accessed remotely. They can potentially do things like log keystokes,
record the sites your visiting, record your screen, listen in on the
conversation your having with the wife, etc. Anything you would have access
to they have access to. They could even turn on the computer and record your
picture through the webcam. It is quite disturbing and there is very little
reliable information on it. If you have a GSM card you don't even need to be
"connected" to the internet.
I would suggest reading:
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/can-you-trust.html
And again- these laptops are not in the same class as the comparisons. The
ZaReason Strata has a 13.3" screen and not a 15.6" screen. It doesn't meet
the Ultrabook specifications even (which would be .7" for this ZaReason
model). Nor does it support an internal optical drive. All things that need
to be weighed in on when comparing the prices. A system with a 15.6" screen
and an optical drive can't possibly be compared to a system that has a 13.3"
screen and no optical drive. Not to mention this isn't a system they actually
have in stock and I'd be doubtful it'll be in stock again. They may have
reduced the price to get rid of excess inventory too remember. It's a common
practice in the industry.
There is a huge difference in the quality and reliability of optical drives.
The cheapest 480GB SSD drive for example is nearly 1/3 of the price of a high
end 480GB SSD drive. The high end 480GB SSD drive isn't even as reliable as
I'd like them to be. Out of 100 it's about 7 points below the minimum that I
like to see. The low end being significantly less than that I'd be extremely
cautious. I would never use such an SSD drive in any of my own systems.
I don't know when we might have out systems with Haswell CPUs. It probably
won't be too much longer. However it depends on a number of factors. We avoid
technologies with digital restrictions and it may be that there aren't any
Haswell CPUs without digital restrictions. If that is the case it could be a
while. We may have to re-evaluate if there are no good options. Haswell CPUs
also require a new socket. I'm not sure we will be able to offer the range of
CPU options with these new systems.
Another thing to mention about the ZaReason is they at least sometimes sell
models without support for power management features like suspend to ram.
If your willing to go without you'll find there are more options on the
market. We have a limited selection of systems because other designs are
going to be problematic. We looked into many many different configurations
and designs before coming out with these models.
