[Asus Transformer TF700] craftyhack:
Hi ALL,

This post is to address the confusion regarding the difference between the TF-201 only doc and the TF-700 Infinity dock that was released at the same time as the Infinity that I like many orderd the package on release day, (paying full MSRP for both, some paid more, where TF-201 doc is available easily $50-$60 cheaper, hence the importance of figuring out the distinction). The common theory is there is no real difference... that I shared once I received my TF-700 dock and saw no external differences other than a few stickers, and no differences what so ever in capability. There was a reported reduction in battery capacity in the TF-700 dock and change in battery position to distribute weight more effectively to prevent tip overs, but all indications (model number on box, in BIOS, etc.) indicate that this isn't true, that we all received repackaged TF-201 docks. Given the dramatic price difference (50% more in price), and the fact that I have been a loyal Asus customer for years, if Asus is going downhill and resorting to blatant misleading of their customers just to make a buck, IMO I can no longer trust anything that company says, and to me, beyond all else, trust is the most important when selecting your supplier of choice.

Their honesty regarding product issues, their innovation, and fantastic value (in most cases) for Asus products will be missed, but there are other great choices out there (and cheaper too), so do not despair. In the last month alone, even before the first reviews hit the inet (either professional or consumer) I have purchased an Asus Z77 Premium motherboard (their TOTL 1155 Z77 motherboard, and NOT CHEAP). I also got their GTX670 Direct CUII TOP video card (TOP version supposedly means it has the best binned video ships of all of the 670s for better over clocks and over all stability), but based on the cumulative results across then the inet on the comparisons between the standard Direct DUII and the TOP version I regularly see the normal version doing better (sometimes significantly) than the TOP versions, sometimes not, it basically looks like a TOP is no different than a standard model. These tests are controlled and documented tests, with one variable, which card is used in the test bed, everything else was done properly. In other words, I believe now that I payed an extra $30 for three letter printed on a box that mean nothing(MINE OVERCLOCKS HORRIBLY BTW), and overclocking is what paying the extra $30 for the TOP versions is FOR, they even given you an app overclock by pushing a button in their auto-oveclock app, so it is certainly a "supported and encouraged" practice. I bring this other example up because I am thinking that this dock thing is not an isolated incident. I am depressed to loose a friend/hardware partner where the only benefit is increasing the margin just a tiny bit. I have also just purchased the ASUS Zenbook Prime UX31A-DB51 13.3-Inch Ultrabook (SSD, ULV i-5, over a grand for that), and now I am wondering what I got into on that front. Now on to the proof...

All of the ones on the left in the SxS's are the TF-700s, (you can tell in the TF 700 because its stickers is missing the claim of 18hr battery life on the sticker on the palm rest). For the close ups, with only one dock, the pic is labeled with which doc it is.