Is an Ultrabook, MacBook Air or something else a good fit for me?

[Chainik]

What is your budget?
$1000 -$1500 (but could be flexible for the right machine).

What size notebook would you prefer?
Ultraportable; 11" - 12” screen
Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.
United States

Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Don't feel one way or another about brands.

Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?
No.

What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
If it can run Visual Studio and Toad, I would be all set.

Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
Both.

Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?
Does Solitaire count?

How many hours of battery life do you need?
5+ hours.

Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
I would prefer to see the notebook in person, but I have purchased online before.

What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
I use Windows for work, but Linux at home. Not a fan of Mac OS, but I can deal with it.

From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer?
1920 x 1080
1600 X 900
1440 x 900

Do you want a Glossy/reflective screen or a Matte/non-glossy screen?
Matte or Semi-Gloss.

Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Not really.

When are you buying this laptop?
In the next 2 months, but can wait if something awesome is coming down the pipe.

How long do you want this laptop to last?
3+ years.

How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?
Prefer an SSD, 128 GB should be sufficient for my needs. I have a NAS for any files I don't need immediate access to. I can also add my own SSD later if the computer has a standard HDD.

Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD Burner, Blu-ray Reader or Blu-Ray Burner?
Not really.

Bonus Question: Is build quality important to you?
Yes!

I have been looking at the Samsung Series 9, Asus Zenbook Prime, and the MacBook Air.

I am leaning towards the Zenbook Prime from XoticPC with the flat black stealth mod, and upgraded thermal compound. Is the upgraded thermal compound worth it in such a small machine with a ULV processor and no dedicated GPU? Does anyone have experience with XoticPC and their laptop skins?

Thanks for any advice.

[NewLaw]

It really comes down to what you'll be doing in Visual Studio. If you're going to want to do some serious coding, you might want something with a bit more power. If you're just going to be making small, one file programs, an ultrabook would be fine.

[Chainik]

Actually I only use Visual Studio for tweaking some web based applications we use at work. I could probably just replace it with Notepad++ or something similar.

What do you think of the Zenbook Prime v MacBook Air v Series 9?

I heard the build quality of the Zenbook Prime is a little subpar (light bleed along the bottom of the display).

[NewLaw]

Actually I only use Visual Studio for tweaking some web based applications we use at work. I could probably just replace it with Notepad++ or something similar.

What do you think of the Zenbook Prime v MacBook Air v Series 9?

I heard the build quality of the Zenbook Prime is a little subpar (light bleed along the bottom of the display).

MacBook Air is fantastically built but you're forced to use Mac OS or Windows with half the battery life. Zenbook is great if you don't mind average build quality. I didn't look much into the Samsungs other than that I didn't like the sharp edges on one of their ultrabooks.

[pepper_john]

If you can wait a while, thinkpad X1 carbon will come out in Aug.

[Kuroi-Tsubasa]

If you'd like to have a small package while retaining power (full-voltage CPU) and keep a long battery life, why not look into the Thinkpad X230? It's 768p, but it's also an IPS display (if you upgrade to that), it's built better than pretty much any Ultrabook I can think of, and it's under your budget (somewhere in the $700-$900 range).

Hardware-wise, all three of the Ultrabooks you listed are pretty good. NewLaw already explained the MBA's problem. Not 100% sure on the Zenbook build quality (only "Ultrabook" I've played with is the Ideapad U310), though I don't hear good things about Asus's warranty support / customer service. Samsung makes some nice machines though.

[kanuk]

What about the Sony Vaio S13? It isn't ultrabook-thin but it's quite compact, has a great display, and a far better GPU than either of your three options. It's also well under your budget.

[Kuroi-Tsubasa]

What about the Sony Vaio S13? It isn't ultrabook-thin but it's quite compact, has a great display, and a far better GPU than either of your three options. It's also well under your budget.

The S13 is a good notebook, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't seem that OP will need a dGPU. Didn't see any games or whatnot listed.

[Chainik]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. It looks like the MacBooks are probably my best bet for build quality.... Not sure if I can bring myself to buy a Mac just to rip out OS X and install Windows 7 and Debian Linux.

Besides, my little brother would never let me live it down.

Thanks again.

[RefinedPower]

well you could look into the Sony Z13... seems to have all the specs you want plus full voltage CPUs, a really amazing 1080p screen and one of the fastest SSD you can get. can config for around $1550