First, let me just say that the Air is an extremely impressive piece of technology. The miniaturization, the optimization of space, the blatant disregard for current standards — it’s everything a revolutionary machine should be. Except it isn’t one. It’s a flight of Apple vanity that is completely impractical for anyone who needs to do more than the most basic functions with their computer. Find out why inside.
Let’s start with the obvious: no optical drive. I don’t think I need to list the many things that are available in spinning disc format exclusively, and the idea that you should pack around an extra drive (however compact) or piggyback on someone else’s kind of defeats the purpose of having an “ultraportable” notebook. I don’t use my drive that much, but in fact it’s indispensable even when I have enough USB drives to fill all my pockets.
Next, the processor. It’s fantastic that they’ve managed to micro-size the Core2 Duo, but for any kind of serious work — video and audio editing, watching HD video, playing games or emulating Vista for work — even my MacBook Pro is barely pulling it, and it’s got the Air under its thumb processor-wise. Not to mention that RAM is totally un-expandable; serious Photoshoppers will spend a lot of time waiting while they use that nifty multi-touch to zoom into their 400MB uncompressed PSDs.
And the inputs. One USB, one Franken-DVI. Hope you like plugging and unplugging things! It says it’s built for the wireless world - yeah, okay, but that world is make-believe right now. Sure, you could bring a hub along, but this goes along with the earlier complaint: what’s the point of a mega-portable laptop if you have to bring along a whole support team? It’s like a ditzy model-actress’s entourage: you just want to take the girl out, but she has to have her make-up guy, her photographer, her PA, and she’s totally incapable of doing anything on her own.
And lastly, let’s be honest: did we really need things to get that much thinner? My MBP is a great size, not too heavy, and it’s thin enough that there’s quite a lot of leftover room in the laptop compartment of my bag. The Air is whisper-thin but it does still weigh three pounds and its not like you can fold it up and put it in your pocket. What is losing that last half an inch doing aside from attracting stares?
There’s no doubt in my mind that a lot of people will buy this laptop, but its capabilities are really more in line with the Eee PC than a MacBook, and the Eee costs thousands less and actually is ultraportable. The price point is so far removed from this machine’s potential that it makes the iPhone look like a bargain. I’m glad Apple is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with current PC tech, but right now this computer looks like a bit of a lemon. A sexy lemon, though.
Edit: Apparently I’ve stirred up the hive, so I guess I need to address this one point more clearly. (I already did in a comment but who reads ‘em?)
The MacBook Air is not a subnotebook. The Eee and Everex, and Redfly are subnotebooks. They are tiny, basic, and are designed from the ground up to be micro-sized and limited. The Air is trying to be a regular notebook but failing - what Apple has done is take a regular notebook and flatten it (very well I might add), while simultaneously crippling it. Everything about it is a compromise except the width, and even the width doesn’t make it small; a real subnotebook is more than thin, it’s small in the other ways too. It may be thin, but with a 13.3-in. screen it’s not going in any cargo pockets. Look, it’s a sexy little thing but at that price it’s an atrocity and it is not a subnotebook or ultraportable. Sorry, but size, price, and hardware put it in budget laptop territory, and it’s simply not competitive there except in sex appeel. (Sexy lemon — get it)
devin - you forgot one additional point - no wired internet by default - that’s another $29 right there.
Here’s a common man’s take:
http://www.centernetworks.com/macbook-air-thoughts
good post though!
Good call. I would have mentioned the non-replaceable battery as well, but I feel that with Apple’s track record on non-replaceable batteries, they’re likely to be more forgiving and fix you for free if something goes wrong rather than risk a media storm.
Actually, it looks like they’re risking the media storm…$129 for them to replace the battery:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/15/macbook-air-battery-replacements-129-free-install/
Actually, it’s $129 FOR the replacement battery, not $129 for them TO replace the battery.
Great post. After the initial shock wears down, I wonder if more people will see things this way.
Its one hell of an impressive piece of technology, but you’re right…I simply can’t live comfortably with one USB and no optical drive.
Hello,
i am a happy owner of a MacBook Pro, and i will never buy this MacBook Air.
But it is extraordinaire, stunning, “other cool words here..”
I think this is not targeted to Prosumers, but i already heard many pc-friends saying: “wow this really rocks, i’ll get one”.
I hate minilaptops, just get a PDA! But this will definitely sell a lot, and many people will enjoy and use it.
Not everyone uses photoshop.
Most people browse internet, send emails and share photos. That’s it! Really, try asking your other non-geeky friends.
Great product, once again Apple is the best company on the earth.
I’m not sure that you mentioned how easy it would be to crack this thing. It’s too much dough to spend on a device that will break soo easily…
I bought a Macbook Pro about 3 months ago. Love it!
I am unimpressed by the “Air”
If it wasn’t for the price, I’d disagree with you on most issues. It’d be a great entry level laptop for surfing the web on the sofa, or taking on holiday for watching some movie rentals whilst you’re away.
Does it need an optical media drive? - not really, I can’t remember the last time a put a disc in my laptop (well, OK, I can - it was when I installed Leopard, but I could easily have done that with a borrowed drive, it’s not something I’d do ‘on the move’). Everyone was up in arms when Apple dropped the floppy drive, then about two days later they were all “Floppy what?”. I think this also ties in well with the new movie rentals, and hopefully it means that Apple software will be available as downloads in the future (which is a greener option too - so ties in with Apple’s new moves in that direction).
Processor? - well, it doesn’t need to be *that* powerful, it’s not a pro laptop, it sits between the MacBook and the MacBook pro. This isn’t aimed at “serious Photoshoppers”. In Theory. But then there’s that price.
One USB? - that’s plenty. I think devices like the EyeFi will become more popular, meaning it’s not too long before we won’t have to plug these things in. Now, if only the iPhone and iPod Touch (well, and all iPods) could sync wirelessly. Hopefully this is a move in that direction, and in the future we won’t have to connect our iPods to our Macs to sync them.
It does cost too much though, and I really really can’t imagine anyone paying so much more for the SSD drive though, especially as it is a lower capacity drive.
Finally, someone that gets this machine. Thank you.
I’m a MacBook Pro power-user too. I’m a little bummed they didn’t introduce a new MBP product today, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna sit here and undeservingly rip apart this new notebook. This is totally a rad machine for the average user. I totally support omitting the optical drive and 1 usb port too. The less the better, They’re ugly and not needed for an ultra-portable machine anyway. I wish they would remove the optical drive from the Macbook Pros as well. That might make the machine slightly cheaper, lighter, and thinner. Wow, what a terrible thing.
Devin, you should apologize for ranting like a douche bag and arguing invalid points.
Tito,
I was going to rise above the slamfest that cheapens this to the level of a myspace page but if you can use the Air with out stretching yourself or imposing on others to get the job done then God bless you. As far as the usb issue goes I have been trying to reduce my need for them only because wires are cumbersome, time consuming and the weakest link in the durability of a laptop as far as I’m concerned. To think that the biggest reason to lose the usb is because it’s ugly is short sighted and elitist to the point of being preposterous. It’s not a matter of “getting” this machine. Oh I get it and it has some limited usefulness in the real world. But for the price it’s entirely not practical for the average joe. I have Bluetooth all over my house. I have Bluetooth hifi, headsets, cameras, scanner/copier, phone. I’m into technology making things easier on us but the price point has to equal the potential to make my life easier not leave me thinking how the fuck am I gonna make this pc of technology work for me. I try to leave the scratching of the heads to the guys who develop the technology. Later.
It sits between the MacBook and MacBook Pro? Really? Perhaps you should check again… the processor is significantly slower than even the cheapest mac laptop.
The problem with that line of thinking is that the floppy wasn’t as pervasive in so many forms of data play back as the CD. I’ll admit that the disc shelf life is limited with new kinds of storage options and applications on the horizon. This will only be the first and the smallest nail in the CD’s coffin, not it’s harbinger of death.
Mmmmmm….. sexy lemons.
You forgot the real missing feature - wireless broadband! Any serious business person / mobile anyone can’t count on WIFI (hundreds of airports don’t have it!) so EVDO or something is required. If this were really AIR, it would have EVDO built-in. As is, requires a USB dongle which is huge constant headache and elegance killer.
I think you hit the nail on the head…it needs EVDO built in, or at least not flapping around in the breeze, that’s a deal killer
I think the review was totally off base. Optical drive? Serious Photoshop editing? You don’t need something so thin and more importantly light??? Expensive??
Shows the reviewer has no clue who would buy this. Its the person that is on the road. Its the person that took five flights on Monday (me)
Has my laptop ever been plugged into Ethernet EVER? No. Would I consider using photoshop? No. Do I even know where my detachable optical drive is? No. (I must have left it somewhere)
In all my years working with technology and travelling on planes I have NEVER met anyone with your unique work profile - no etherenet? no optical drive? If Apple is aiming at the market your represent, I guess they got it right.
I’d be too afraid of bending this exquisite, costly slice of technology in a backpack, briefcase or suitcase and I’d be pissed at the cracked screen.
It is a thing of beauty and no one can deny that.
Erm, you’re insane.
Who the hell wants a rarely used (and heavy) optical drive in an ultraportable machine? What exactly do you use an optical drive for that it’s so important you have one permanently attached to your ultraportable Mac? Absurd.
This thing isn’t for video editing, or Photoshop, or playing games. It’s an ultraportable which will handle the basics: web, email, word processing, watching movies, etc. This isn’t gonna be your main machine, unless your needs are pretty basic. It’s there to supplement a desktop, or a MacBook Pro. It’s a machine you’ll hop into bed with, take to a Wi-Fi café if you want to do some blogging, take on business trips, etc.
An ultraportable cannot get too light and thin, as long as the thing remains sturdy.
Agree that it’s bloody expensive, but what do you expect for a 1st-gen Mac of this nature? The price’ll come down soon enough.
One thing is for sure, Crunch Gear missed the point of the machine.
To whine about an optical drive is ridiculous. Bottom line is, for most users, optical drives simply serve to install, upload, or watch/burn/listen to media. Outside of that–do you REALLY need it? (And if your answer is yes, then either; a) go buy a PC or b) suck it up and order the external drive.)
Clearly, this machine is NOT aimed for the prosumer market. (Hence the reason it’s not called the Macbook Pro Air.) Even more obvious is where it falls in their notebook line-up. As such, unfairly comparing it’s ability to render “400mb photo shop file or edit audio/video” is like comparing the BMW X5 SAV to the rear-wheel drive, 500hp BMW M5 - same brand, but built for two TOTALLY different experiences.
All that said, It’s seems as though you and Crunch Gear took this chance to purposely slam the Mac Air just to be different than the rest of blogosphere covering the Keynote. If so, i say congrats - you hit the top of techmeme’s Mac Air feed list. Even if you don’t quite understand who this specific product was designed for, at least it’s good to see you guys know how to work your own promo system. Although, i have to say–it would have been a hundred-times more funny if you hit the top of the charts for zapping Steve-O’s Keynote.
I never thought I’d hang next to you.
http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/01/15/steve-jobs-will-be-paying-many-assassins/
Good call.
yum…. thin……
i want to put cheese spread on it and eat it up
is it flexi-thin?
looks like it’d just snap in two part (probably more)
oh wait, but we are talking about specs
One USB port?
WTF?
Pretty lame post.
It’s a subnotebook, guys. It doesn’t replace any of the notebooks Apple sells already. It’s not made to edit videos. It’s not made to play games.
Not even MacBook Pros are really made for editing videos.
You can’t compare this product to a MacBook Pro, much like you can’t compare a MacBook Pro to a Mac Pro.
Is Mike pressing so hard to get more page views to CrunchGear? Damn, the Arrington-properties get really worse, lately.
It is comparable to the MBP… in PRICE!!!!!
…it isn’t priced like a sub notebook, and if it doesn’t play games, edit videos, or copy my mates’ CD/DVDs on the fly, then why is it 4 grand?!?!
It isn’t 4 grand, unless you want the solid state drive instead of the hard drive. I think that very few people will choose that option anyway, since it’s so much more expensive for less storage.
I see that the Maclites are already defending this thing. The design is beautiful but if I can not upgrade my ram, hd or battery then its worthless. Why spend 1700 bones for one shiny Aluminum piece of DRM? One USB port is a joke, I can accept it on my Thinkpad 240X, which is a 500 mhz unit, but not on a new laptop. My ultra portable dollars are going to ASUS and an EEE PC. It will what I need and is smaller and infinitely more hackable.
Apple is not the all mighty and people need to wake up to the scam.
I already thought that it would be a bad idea to NOt add this line to my comment:
I’m not even a Mac fan. I hate most of the things they do. I don’t like the iPhone a lot.
But not being an Apple-fan doesn’t permit me from correcting mistakes when they’re made.
The whole point of an ultraportable is to TRAVEL AS LIGHT AS POSSIBLE. You don’t need more than one USB port because you don’t want extra stuff because……you want to travel as light as possible.
That’s where not having the ability to get cell phone broadband without having stuff (that you don’t want to carry) hanging off the side is a killer.
The EeePC has 3 usb ports, memory card, expandable RAM, SSD, ethernet, etc.
The XO has 3 usb ports, SSD, etc.
They’re both lighter.
There’s no reason to criple a system so much, just because it’s “ultraportable” (which it’s not) and you don’t want to carry around so many accessories. What if you want to plug in a mouse and extra storage at the same time, or swap many files with a server, or connect to the internet where there’s no WiFi?
I have a fancy microwave at home. It cooks my food quickly, has many presets and is quite configurable. But I can’t install Linux on it, so it’s “worthless”.
I have a treadmill that I use to exercise. It has speeds up to 6MPH, it measures pulse and calories burned, and it tells me how long I’ve been running. But the manufacturer has not built in a way to let me boost the speed to 8MPH if I want to. Obviously, it’s “worthless”.
I own a DVD collection. I have enjoyed watching my movies for year now. But every single disk has copy protection on it, and is further protected by draconian copyright laws. I guess I only THOUGHT I was enjoying my movie collection. It turns out, it was really “worthless” all along.
Just because a product doesn’t fit your specific needs doesn’t mean that it is worthless. I rarely buy bleeding-edge consumer electronics myself because they tend to cost more than they are worth to me, but I applaud these advancements because they open up new possibilities and spark the imaginations of the people responsible for changing the face of technology.
You act like this product is a personal attack on you just because it isn’t tailored to your needs. Allow the Mac lovers and early adoption junkies to have their fun. Take a deep breath, then go enjoy the technology that is designed with you in mind. This new laptop doesn’t concern you.
What you really mean is that its useless for -you-.
Optical Drive: Nope don’t really need it.
Wired ethernet: 99.9% of my connectivity is unwired.
Non-removable battery: The battery thats in my MacBook Pro right now is the same battery that came with it. I have a backup but I have never used it even on a couple of transcontinental flights. On the rare occasions cross over the atlantic or pacific - i would just buy a battery extender anyways.
Lightness: damn yes laptops could get smaller - what do you do again?
One USB port: I use the USB port to sync my phone and on occasion to charge my wireless headset. Otherwise sits empty.
Heavy graphics use: Ah - no. Not my job and isn’t most peoples either.
Games use: serious gamers are not going to want to game on a 13″ screen. Heck I consider my 15″ macbook screen to small for the task. Non-serious gamers will be tickled as punch.
So in the end - this laptop is useless for what -you- use a laptop for and you appear completely incapable of understanding any other audience. So, curious, why the hell do you have a job for a tech review site again if you have such a closeted mind?
I have laptops and desktops (PCs and Macs). If I want an ultra-portable for travel only (email surf, check airlines, weather, etc.) with no heavy duty usage like image or video editing, I would not pay that much and attract thieves! Get a 2G Asus EEE PC for $299 (in many colors) and don’t worry about it being stolen :-)
I agree. In fact, the major reason I wouldn’t buy one is one that didn’t even make it onto your list: You can’t change the battery without sending it to Apple (and, thus, of course, no provision for spare batteries). The way batteries age these days (thanks, no doubt, to how hot Macs get), there’s no way I’m getting this baby only to send it in for a new battery twelve months down the line and be without a notebook for several days.
No spare battery? No way!
And, when you get the 1.8GHz model and add all the accessories like the wired Ethernet adapter — hey, some hotels are _way_ behind the times, though taking an airport express with you gets rid of this hurdle — etc., puts up the price as well as the load you have to carry.
I so wish I could love this machine. It looks lovely. But it’s not for me :(
(I am, however, eagerly awaiting new MacBook Pros with multitouch!) :)
I am bookmarking this post so I can come back and point it out in 6-12 months. It reminds me a lot of all of the “that’s so useless, what a stupid idea” posts when the iPod was introduced.
I am writing this on a laptop whose optical drive broke about two years ago. I haven’t missed it or needed it since. This laptop also has two USB ports; I have never used more than one at a time.
And comparing the Air to an eee goes beyond disingenuous and into sheer stupidity. I dare you folks to put up a comparison chart of their features in an article and try to justify the “they’re really the same thing” position.
Almost every criticism in this post is basically “This subnotebook is not a notebook.” It’s silly, really. Me, I don’t think I can justify the expense right now, but when it comes time to replace my laptop, I’ll probably go for whatever Air is out at the time.
Other people are comparing it to the Eee, (and other similar systems), when they call it an ultraportable. The Air has a little more power, more storage and larger screen,keayboard, but the EeePC has more of everything else (or less if you’re talking size, weight, price, lock-ins).
Most of your points would apply to a general purpose laptop.
I don’t think Apple is targeting people who need a general purpose laptop.
> I see that the Maclites are already defending this thing.
Insults aside (thanks for assuming that anyone who defends it needs a slur), the point about the optical drive, I think, is poorly made. The same critiques were leveled at imacs when they came out with no floppy drive. I was among those who though that was suicide, and later came to realize how far ahead Apple had been thinking. They saw the death of the floppy in the market that they wanted to reach. That last part is important. Not for pundits, not for ringside commenters, but for who they want to sell it to.
did you actually get a look at it today or are you bullshitting all of us that you’re as good as engadget
This isn’t a subnotebook - the Eee or Everex are subnotebooks. They are tiny and basic. The Air is trying to be a regular notebook but failing - the only thing it’s done is take a regular notebook and flatten it, while simultaneously crippling it. Everything about it is a comprimise except the width, and even the width doesn’t make it small; a real subnotebook is more than thin, it’s small in the other ways too. Look, it’s a sexy little thing but at that price it’s an atrocity and it is *not* a subnotebook. Sorry, but size, price, and hardware put it in budget laptop territory. Wishful thinking is not a feature.
Technology is nice but I think the “thinness” is not a major selling point and the price point is high.
A for the optical drive I don’t use mine. As for the battery it is a trade off. I would miss the option to pop in a spare battery when I needed.
For me a MacBook Pro 15 inch would be just as good for the money and more versatile.
A negative take on the usefulness of an Apple Product on the heels of its announcement = more traffic. Journalism-in-the-blog-era 101 guys! Didn’t you know that? (Bonus if you actually haven’t used the product)
This article is drivel.
ridiculous. this thing is awesome.
I think Devinb is missing the point here — ultraportable laptops are PERFECT for lots of things, and — yes, of course! — not so great for other things.
We have a 2 pound Toshiba Portege, and love it. We use tower-case PCs when working at home, most of the time — although at times the laptop is useful even in the house — but when traveling, not having to lug a heavier machine is a real joy. We seldom need to install anything from an optical drive while on the road, but we do have a portable drive just in case; it usually stays packed in the trunk. We aren’t creating high-end video or doing much other than writing, websurfing, pulling up data as needed from Outlook and other programs, and doing other things that the Portege is fine for. Nothing is perfect for every situation — you can’t fit a soccer team in a Ferrari, but then, that’s not what a Ferrari is for.
Anyone who travels much and doesn’t need more than what the new Apple offers, at least while on the road, will probably love the size and weight.
I see two ways of looking at this post. One, you are a Dvorak-like click whore. Call an Apple product lame and the fanatics are bound to pounce. Second, you have no use for a sub-notebook and cannot imagine that others do. Working for an Apple reseller, you have no idea how many times I hear people talking about how much they loved the Duo and wish Apple still had something like it. This computer won’t match the success of the MacBook or even the original 12 inch PowerBook, but it will do very well. There are lots of people who are looking to shave a couple pounds from their daily grind.
Expecting to use Photoshop in a professional manner on this machine proves just how dumb this article is.
Everyone has an opinion on everything. Honestly, I think the only disappointing thing (for everyone) about the Air is the price. Everyone was expecting a $1200 cutting edge machine. The price is high, but Apple’s prices are always high. Those of us who use Macs know that and clearly are willing to pay a premium for Apple products. As far as using photoshop on the Air, I’m a professional graphic designer. My favorite computer (of many) is a Mac Mini, much much underpowered than the Air and it does just fine with photoshop. Don’t underestimate this computer. It’s great for a million reasons and you’d all love to get your hands on one for $1000. It’s not the computer that’s the issue, it’s the disappointment over the price that has you all aflutter. My experience with all Apple computers, keep them lean and mean. Don’t overload them with useless RAM consuming crap that you don’t need and yes, even photoshop (which brings a brand new high powered Dell tower I’m writing this on to its knees, quite literally)… even photoshop can be run trouble free and reasonably fast on all my macs old and new. I’ve had almost every Mac model there is and photoshop is my bread and butter. It’s never been an issue. It’s not an issue on my Mini, which is the bare bones cheapest first release.
So you should all just admit that you speculated, salivated for days to find out about the Air, had already planned on running out and buying one, and then…. much tears and disappointment… not priced as you expected so you’re throwing yourself on the floor and having a tantrum. Y’know, it would be nice if it was cheaper, I agree. So if the price was $1299 it would be perfect. It would be the greatest thing since the wheel. But I’m not gonna cry about $500 that I’d blow on some sneakers or something. I am buying one and I do plan to use photoshop on it. It’s not a PDA for God’s sake. It’s a computer. I’m gonna use the living daylights out of it. And in two years, it will be old and there will better computers to buy and I guarantee none will have optical drives except desktop machines. So, you know… stop crying over the death of floppy disks. Embrace the future.
“basically useless”
Ha ha ha ha. No bias there. You crack me up.
I think Devin is right on. There’s just no way it’s worth getting one as a primary machine. Lack of even a single firewire port, 1280×800 res is yucky low, 4200rpm hard drive is way too slow (not to mention the relatively pokey 1.6/1.8ghz cpu). It’s pretty, but they just cut too much out of the MacBook Pro to make it worthwhile. As someone else put it:
“It looks like the entire laptop is about .7″ thick untill the last inch before the front, where it tapers to .17″. So for ~1/4″ of an inch in thickness, they cut most of the functionality out of the machine.”
This is Apple’s new G4 Cube. Oh wells. Here’s hoping some of the cool stuff (like the multi-touch trackpad gestures) make it to the MacBook Pro soon.
Who said anything about using it as a primary machine?
Great post. Loved the ditzy model-actress’s entourage analogy. ;)
I guess this is funny to say.
“If you don’t need it, then don’t buy it.”
It’s just another product and let’s just go on with it and get back on our own lives.
Techcrunch trying to by counter proApple..sigh
Look its not a Mac for the usual Mac user - graphic designers, heavy lifting photoediting and all that..geez. i knew you were stretching when you said VISTA emulation…FFS give me a break…. WHY would you do that?
This Laptop is for hipsters, the initiated, teh business user who has suffered DELLs crap all his life.. he sees this BAM NIRVANA. Shit I want one. IF it will run the new Apple msft office I am in. Design first, functionality second. But backup by rock solid software that WORKs..Well thats what I hear anyway.
You Crunch guys are getting obvious.
Does the writer know what a sub-notebook is? ….um moron?
The lack of optical drive should not be considered a “minus” for a laptop specifically designed for portability. The others negatives though are true to point.
I think you are just erroneously comparing this to laptops of days of yore, and not for the future. This thing looks great. Who wants to edit video on an ultra portable?? This is perfect (steps ahead even) for anyone that travels and does typical office work on a laptop. Internet, email, Word, Excel, etc.
Simple thought, that always applies to new products. Let the consumers, ‘The ALL Mighty Dollar’ decide.
What you mean it doesn’t have a floppy drive either omg?
The people who are pro-mac on this article seem to forget the nice amount of $$ to get this crippled laptop.
Idiot. I can’t believe I’m going to give your arguments a shred of credibility by responding to them, but here goes:
Seriously? Are you fucking serious? Who the hell buys an ultra-portable to do high-end video/audio editing? Or gaming, who buys an ultra-portable for gaming? I can’t get over how you managed to pack so much stupidity into such a small amount of text. If you want to edit HD video or game, YOU BUY A DESKTOP.
Oh, and trying to convince people that a MacBook Pro is as portable as you could possibly need if fucking ridiculous. Again, you’re an idiot. Actually, I’ll go further: I hate you. Those things are heavy as fuck. I’d MUCH rather carry around a 3 lb laptop in a backpack than one pushing 6 or 7.
And to the couple of idiots who were bitching about no wired internet: most useful workplaces / universities have wireless internet and if yours doesn’t and the added $20 cost for a USB ethernet port is a big issue for you, maybe you shouldn’t be looking at buying an $1800 laptop.
You sir, are an idiot. Please don’t help.
Sit down and drink your Kool-Aid
I agree with all that you say in the article, but why do you think this MacBook Air should be equivalent to the other MacBooks? If you need more RAM, if you need a disk drive, then go for a MacBook which has those!
It’s just like iPod - different strokes for different folks. Some like nano, some like shuffle, some like the classic big version - you pick the one that suits you.
Same goes here - choose the MacBook that best suits you. Just because it doesn’t suit you, why do you have to slam it?
P.S. I self-profess to be not a Mac-fanboy, more of a Windows and Linux guy.
I have had laptops without an optical drive for about 8 years, and I hardly ever missed it. For the few times I needed one I could plug in a USB drive. So for me the removal of the optical drive is just what I wanted.
I’m no Apple fanboy, but your reasoning, sir, sucks.
1. No Optical Drive. Booh-fucking-hoo. Who the hell uses these anymore? Install software? What software? It’s called the internet - look it up.
2. Slow processor. You’re an idiot. Try measuring your cpu load somtime. You’ll see it hovers around 1 to 10%. Computers are currently limited by HD & network speed.
3. Graphic artists are limited by the 2GB memory. Again - a stupid point. Given that the macbook pro code duo only SUPPORTED 3GB out the gate (and even now I can only put 4GB in my Core Duo 2 it’s not really that much of a gimp. Besides, who the hell wants to push pixels on a ultralight, 13.3″ screen laptop?
4. One USB port. Ever heard of a USB hub? They’re $10, available everywhere. Welcome to the magic of peripherals.
I suggest you pull your head out of your ass and re-assess your job as pundit. You just served yourself up a nice cup of FAIL. Good day!
Hi Guys, first thing I wanna say is that this IS an ultraportable notebook. It’s meant for light users or business users in my opinion. especially business users. I think it’ll help apple penetrate the corporate world even more.
Consider its rivals, like those ultraportables from Toshiba and Sony. They all lack processing power (most are about 1.2 Ghz), have small screens, rather tiny keyboards and cost as much or even MORE than the Macbook Air.
Many people are complaining that this notebook isn’t powerful enough, but honestly speaking, if you really want all that power for video editing or games, get yourself a proper desktop or a powerful (but heavy, thick and bulky) notebook, cuz this is NOT targeted at you.
Cheers.
i haven’t touched an optical drive for ages, and i am a power user, and i have no concerns about watching movies and stuff like that, because i am a power user, so no valid points here imho, the advantage of the macbook air is obvious, it’s the battery life, what i don’t understand is that at macworld there was no word about increased performance by sshd, i thought this thing is probably damn fast, but all they had at macworld was the 80gb version, and the apple guy i asked about performance of the sshd said he doesn’t know, he never saw one… so if it’s not the increased performance, why should i pay $1300 more for the sshd version?
Obviously the MacBook Air isn’t targetted at those tech savvy people who want portable performance and connectivity.
Think more in the lines of the people using small form factor notebooks right now. When I see someone with an ultra small notebook he/she is usually wearing a suit and uses his/her machine as an email device/typewritter. Plenty of power in the MacBook Air to do that.
I won’t buy one, but am very happy with it’s release. More idiots (suits) using an Apple, more likely they’ll start pushing for Apple in their company. Bigger Apple installed base. End of an evil empire…. (and the rise of a new one. ;) )
Suits don’t use computers, they have people for that. Apple should just hold up a big sign that sez “Here’s more SUCKER bait”. Oh well, it’s nice to know that P.T. Barnum is alive and well.
The physical spec on this notebook fits exactly what I need. I already have a powerful desktop at home. I use my notebook mainly to read ebooks, coding on emacs, and online surfing. I never bring my power adepter because 4-5 hours of battery life is enough for 2 classes length. all my computing work are done on school server. MBA is a better candidate than my 13″ dell. When SSD’s price comes down, I would get one of this baby. R/W performance of HDD (usually 4200 and 5400) is much more important than CPU power within this size range I think.
Optical drive? I used it less than 10 times in last 3 years.
However I agree that one USB is not enough, and MacOS is not as efficient as Linux in term of using every pixel on the screen.
This machine will not sell well. It’s too expensive for consumers, and lacks the features professionals need. Justin Ried is right - this is the G4 Cube.
129 Dollars is the same price as a replacement battery for the MacBook Pro which is user replaceable. So it’s no price increase for the battery and free installation. I’m afraid it’s a molehill.