Every once in a while, Microsoft and Apple reignite the classic Mac vs. PC battle through cleverly designed ads. The latest attack launches Microsoft’s latest notebook, the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro, placed head-to-head with Apple’s famous 13-inch MacBook Air. The ad starts by comparing the 17mm ‘thickness’ of the MacBook Air with the 13mm ‘thinness’ of the Yoga 3 Pro, continuing with a series of moves that flaunt the flexibility of the tablet, showcase the touchscreen and tent modes of Lenovo’s latest convertible, while the Air is failing to “dance” in funny comparisons. The dance performance ends with the MacBook Air declaring ‘game over’ and closing its lid. The ad is a light sting at Apple, but it does reveal the direction the Microsoft is taking and where its marketing focus lies. Apple recently moved into the top five PC makers for the first time, thanks to an increase in Mac sales of 8.9 percent in the last quarter; that is translated into 5.52 million Mac sales over a period of three months. Besides the amusement these ads bring, it’s hard to determine whether or not they are effective. Surface sales more than doubled in the last quarter, but there are things left unsaid in the above ad about the powerful Air, advantages that Microsoft chose to not even mention with its latest ad campaign, more precisely price and battery life, and not necessarily in this order. Price-wise, there is a 30 percent differential: Apple’s laptop starts at $999 and Lenovo’s at $1299. This $300 difference is partly because of the high-resolution touchscreen display on the Lenovo. However, Apple’s choice to use an inferior screen on the MacBook Air helps it run for 13 hours without charging, while Lenovo’s Yoga 3 Pro 5,200mAh battery...

In a world where people are always on the road to somewhere, portability is key to ensure that technology doesn’t slow them down. The power of notebooks has been on the rise for quite some time now, and the leading product developers continue to improve their best-in-class work each year. Two notable new models caught our eye with power, light weight, and gorgeous looks: the 13-inch MacBook Air and the 13-inch Sony Vaio Pro. The major difference is in the OS – OS X Mountain Lion for the Air and Windows 8 for the Vaio. We’ve briefly presented the new air of the new MacBook Air 13, but it deserves a bit of additional attention. Strong features make it the leading slim and light laptop in the US.  According to NPD, it outsold all Windows Ultrabooks combined in the US retail market during the first trimester of 2013. Ageless in appearance, Apple hasn’t changed the Air’s physical design in years, but it still transports you to the future. The fact that it’s so slim – only 0.11-0.68 inches thick and 2.96 lbs. light, makes some think it is not solid enough, but it is not fragile either. The aluminum case is much more resistant than it feels. If the design needs no alteration (actually, competitors seem to find inspiration in the Air’s lines), the technical specs show continuous focus. The new features make the device even more fabulous than the previous models: the fourth generation processor Intel Haswell, made available the new i7 of 2.0GHz that drives 12 hours of battery life. The battery life should improve even further under the OS X Mavericks, which will add even more battery life-preserving features to Apple’s OS. The 802.11 ac Wi-Fi networking card complemented by the...