Cheap MacBook Air look-alike Alternative – iiView Netbook

Every one loves the sleek and sexy look of MacBook Air – The Tempting Design.

But can everyone afford a shiny notebook that starts from $1500 ?

Answer is NO. That’s why, here is an alternative for you, which ofcourse doesn’t match Hardware configuration of Air, but somehow manages to live upto the expectations of design.

iiView, a Singapore based manufacturer, comes with something that can replace Air, atleast design wise. iiView is actually a Intel Atom Based Netbook.

Cyril Alonzo, CEO of iiView, said that instead of making just another Netbook to feed into the already saturated market, he aimed to create a desirable product. Taking a page from the Apple MacBook Air, the iiView A2 is a sleek Atom-based minilaptop, but at an affordable price of around S$699 (US$467.78). In fact, the design is so similar that even the monitor-out and USB port are hidden within a flip on the side.

iView’s iiView A2 is hitting Singapore market next week and, running Windows 7 RC 1.

Sleek and sexy, this Netbook looks good enough to slice cake with just like Air. Its design mimics that of MacBook Air right down to hidden monitor-out and USB ports. No word on how the lack of an optical drive is being dealt with though.

Brief look at both –

The specifications don’t have anything special except for that last item:

• Atom 1.6GHz processor
• 2GB RAM
• Intel 945 chipset
• 12.1-inch 1,280 x 800-pixel resolution
• 320GB HDD
• Two USB ports, mini-HDMI port, 2-in-1 headphone/mic jack
• 802.11b/g, 10/100 Ethernet
• Six-cell battery
• Windows 7 RC1 with Vista Home Premium license 😉

Yes, the iiView A2 runs Windows 7 RC1, but comes with a Vista Home Premium license so that you can upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium when the time is right. iView explains that this OS decision was made because Vista just doesn’t “provide an adequate experience” on netbooks. (Does it provide an adequate experience on anything? I haven’t seen adequate experience even on quad cores!)

This is the sexiest netbook I’ve seen so far and a great deal for those craving the style of Apple’s line, but dreading the price tag. All that’s left is the wait until the iiView A2 hits US shelves.