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Comment by soapdog | Hacker News Reader

I think it depends if you want/need Mac OS X or if you can live happily with the alternatives.

Personally, I think that Mac OS X Snow Leopard is better than Lion but that is just opinion so until Lion grows on me, I will not upgrade to a new machine.

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That's about it. I got my 13" MBA in October because I didn't like all the flux going on with the Linux GUIs, and I've not had very good luck picking Linux-compatible laptops.

OS X really fits my role for it well: A UNIX which works (nearly) perfectly on a laptop with a tight and stable GUI.

That's another conundrum - I was in lust with the MacBook Air and it's instant on that I could whip out on UK commuter trains and use as if it was as versatile as an iPad. But Lion makes this less possible... seconds on UK trains seem like much longer...

I'm using a 2011 Macbook Air that came with Lion and from opening the lid to login prompt takes about a second.

I'd never shut it down fully because the battery life is so good I don't need to!

That's interesting. This is what I really want to delve into - can an Ultrabook perform a similar miracle? And if so, which one?

So long as you have an SSD and enough memory the startup speed really comes down to how the OS handles sleep/hibernation - it's a software problem.

I wish it was just down to software. I have seen some Windows 7 machines, like the Vaio Z, boot up like a demon. And others that are hamstrung.

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