Is a 64GB solid state (flash) drive and 200 megahertz worth $1,300? Apple must think it is, given the pricing for the MacBook Air.
The Apple Store is going up and down as I write this, but I managed to grab a screen shot of the two stock prices for the MacBook Air. $1,799 gets you the base model, with its 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 80GB hard disk drive, and 2GB of RAM.
The second model, which sells for $3,098, substitutes the hard disk drive for a solid state one (like the one found in your iPod nano and Touch—nearly instant data access).
How on Earth can Apple justify that price? I’m curious to see what y’all think, because until I see benchmarks, $3K for a laptop that adds so little is sorta crazy.
Apple Store [Apple]
Its all total bulls**t! I just want a macbook, throw out the CD/DVD, use this space for bigger battery, make it the height of a Pro, give it LED, backlit keyboard and DVI-Port. Would have been worth 1500€ for me.
It’s actually $999, the faster processor is $300 (if you go into the first option and customize). That’s really pricey, not sure I would pony up for that…
dell charges 960$ or something similar for a 64gb SSD .. still the cost of an faster processor seems unjustified to me … but then again this processor is smallar than standard laptop chips, and a direct comparison of spec step-ups may not work
Thats is absolutely ridiculous, this just confirms my feelings on apple thinking they have the market by the balls, other than the iphone/ipod I would NEVER own a apple product. They’re to expensive just plain and simple.
Maybe its a mistake…?
I was shocked by the price difference as well but then you start looking into how much those samsung 64GB SSDs go for and, well, they’re just really that expensive. Like Yazan says, Dell charges $960 for the SSD upgrade and apple charges $999… not really a rip-off, just expensive. Now, the $300 for .2 Ghz may be another story…
SSD’s are coming down. You can get a 32 gb drive for your desktop for $300. I will wait for the price to come down and the capacity to go up cause the notebook without the SSD seems lame.
That’ll be the cost of the 64 SSD pushing the price through the roof. If you look at the 1.6GHz, 64GB SSD version of the OQO it’s the same thing there as well, $3,000.
Nick – SSD drives are WAY expensive. $999 is pretty much in line with what other laptop manufacturers are charging for the same 64GB option.
Re the $3098 price…That same price comes up by selecting the base unit ($1799) and adding the faster 1.8 CPU ($300) and the 64G solid state drive ($999).
My take on MacBook Air…
What was Stevie Wonder thinking???
I’ve been eagerly awaiting the introduction of an Intel powered Apple laptop to replace my 12 in PowerBook. The MacBook Air will keep my Amex card in my wallet.
Form:
A good looking if not sexy piece of industrial design…that weighs about 2 lbs less than the MacBook
Function:
I can live with no optical drive, but….
-a sealed battery that cannot be accessed by the user or swapped when the juice runs out (most laptop owners buy a backup-battery)…and the MacBook Air battery has to be replaced by Apple
-RAM soldered to motherboard…2G limit…even entry level MacBooks can support 4G
-no Ethernet port
-only one USB port
-no card slot
-just about the slowest processors in Apple’s entire product line
-other than height, the form factor is actually slightly larger than the MacBook
-smaller and slower HD than the Mac Book
the $999 price of the optional solid state drive is ridiculous
Apart from its good looks, the MacBook Air fails to deliver on numerous fronts and comes at a significantly higher price point than the far better equipped MacBook.
MacBook Air: The Next Cube?
“MacBook Air: The Next Cube?”
Interesting analogy, as I called the Cube “a headless PowerBook, not the headless iMac ‘everyone’ wants” at the time. Like the Cube, the Air, unlike the iMac or the Mac Book Pro, is not a “bet the farm” machine. Like the Cube, and the original $500, 5Gb iPod, it’s a status symbol and a bit of a technology demo.
I think the sealed battery move is the big test. Yes, most laptop buyers buy a spare – and leave it in the bag for the next three years. Our company has stopped buying spare batteries as part of our laptop bundles (both Mac and PC) because 94% were never used. Yes, the hardcore road warriors used them, and could still order them, but this unit is aimed at the “I’d like a laptop, but don’t really need one” segment of the market anyway.
Likewise the soldered in RAM – most technologists will balk, but most users never touch the RAM their machine came with new. It will be an interesting product to watch.
i think you all missed the point! The Air is about style and coolness. Intel charges more for the custom Core 2 Duo chips which are 60% smaller. Not Apple’s fault. The 64 GB SSD for $999? Again, not Apple’s fault. It’s only $700 more than the base MacBook, which i presume is Apple’s margin. For a premium brand like Apple, it is entirely reasonable. It’s just like when you buy a coupe from Mercdes or BMW: you dont buy it for practical usefulness, you buy it for style and fun. The MacBook Air is for watching movies, movie editing and other light usages. It’s not for gaming or heavy number crunching.
For watching movies? Certainly wont be your newly downloaded rental full HD films!
Less powerful than the entire MacBook range and more expensive, with the 64 GB SSD option, than the top of the range 2.6GHz MacBook Pro with 2GB RAM and 160GB HD.
I love your comment “watching movies, movie editing and other light usages”. Anyone tried to watch an HD movie on a MacBook Pro?!
—
Peace & Love
It works fine.
i am the graphics chip in the Air is powerful enough to watch HD movies. Of course, you watch it on the tiny screen. You watch them on your LCD monitor or big-screen TV. And tell you a secret. I was the one that gave Apple suggestion to make the Air e-book-friendly. You can easily flip through PDF e-books using three fingers. The multitouch gesture is great for web-surfing and reading comics online. I was the one that told Apple to get into the market early for e-book reading devices, to beat the Japanese to the punch. And each time you admire at the shining glow of it, it makes you so proud of it!
Do you really need an iPhone to make phone calls? NO. You don’t. It’s all about personal statement.
What can I say, I am an huge Apple fan!
PS: I also told Steven Jobs to destroy other PC makers using its $15billion on hands! :)
Air is for watching movies, movie editing is not heavy an a battery? WOW. Editing is like gaming. DUMB
apple’s been charging $200 more for the black macbook simply because it was black so why the surprise now…
I think the ssd Macbook Air is really worth it, cause the ssd macbook air is working faster. if you have money, why not? here’s a rewiew on the Apple’s Macbook Air pros and cons: http://www.maconair.com/the_pros_and_cons