MacBook Air

[fatality_uk]

The MacBook Air (http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/15/the-macbook-air/)

Correction, my Dept. budget will be buying one, for testing purposes!

[miggols99]

Wow that is amazing! Where did the computer go? :-P

[shad0w_walker]

Just make sure you don't put your finger through the screen. Oh and be sure to remember that it doesn't have an optical drive.

[brunovecchi]

It looks really nice. Too bad it has a small hard drive and no DVD drive...

[days_of_ruin]

The MacBook Air (http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/15/the-macbook-air/)

Correction, my Dept. budget will be buying one, for testing purposes!

It will break for sure

[bashveank]

It's thin but it's not $1,800 thin.
I could buy a Mac Book Pro for that price.

[Kingsley]

It looks really nice. Too bad it has a small hard drive and no DVD drive...
I just thought up an amazing idea... WIRELESS DVD DRIVE!

[Joeb454]

You do realize that you'll need the external CD/DVD drive for it.

Also, I'd probably choose the 64 Gb Solid-State Drive, just because it's solid state, and I don't think I'd miss that 16 Gb

[x0as]

Also, I'd probably choose the 64 Gb Solid-State Drive, just because it's solid state, and I don't think I'd miss that 16 Gb

I'd miss the £600 extra apple wants for the SSD drive.

[dashnak]

Here in mexico they're selling it for like 2,500 dollars...

[bufsabre666]

in my care that would be shattered in about 15 minutes

well if it makes it that long without crashing and me throwing it against a wall

[Linuxratty]

It's thin but it's not $1,800 thin.
I could buy a Mac Book Pro for that price.

Gotcha there...Too rich for my blood...
If i wanted a mac that much,I'd just get a refurbished one.

[Nekiruhs]

I'd miss the £600 extra apple wants for the SSD drive.
Wow. That just made me realise how much more the British pound is worth more than the US dollar. That aside, Apple ignores exchange rates and goes 1:1. You'd be missing 1300 pounds for that SSD.

[prizrak]

Yet another pointless toy from Apple. *sigh* *waits for apple to make something useful*

[bufsabre666]

Yet another pointless toy from Apple. *sigh* *waits for apple to make something useful*

dont hold your breathe

[chips24]

dont hold your breathe

yeah, youll die

[x0as]

Wow. That just made me realise how much more the British pound is worth more than the US dollar. That aside, Apple ignores exchange rates and goes 1:1. You'd be missing 1300 pounds for that SSD.

Just checked the prices

£639.00 from Apple UK
$999 from Apple US

[gn2]

On the topic of thin-ness and longevity, my Toshiba Portege 3440CT is only a tenth of an inch thicker than the widest part of the Air.
It's eight years old and in very good condition.
I've dropped it twice from table level. No significant damage, just a few small scratches on the lid.
My Portege is like the Air in that it has metal casings.
The Macbook Air will probably not be flimsy despite it's lean build.
If I could afford one I would definitely consider the Air, but unless I have a sudden windfall my next laptop will probably be an Eee.

http://www.slashgear.com/macworld-08-macbook-air-is-apples-long-awaited-ultraportable-159677.php

[Pethegreat]

The new apple thing looks nice, and that is about it. At that size it is way to easy to loose it, get it stolen, melt it, or break it.

I judge how good electronics/computer parts/power tools are by their weight. The heavier they are, the better made they are. The power amp I have now weights about 45(20kg) pounds, the speakers I have weigh around 40(18kg) a piece. They are the best pieces of electronics I have ever owned.

The general public will look at apple's stuff and drool. The rest of us will say "yeah, nice" and wait for someone to make the same thing better and cheaper.

[bufsabre666]

The new apple thing looks nice, and that is about it. At that size it is way to easy to loose it, get it stolen, melt it, or break it.

I judge how good electronics/computer parts/power tools are by their weight. The heavier they are, the better made they are. The power amp I have now weights about 45(20kg) pounds, the speakers I have weigh around 40(18kg) a piece. They are the best pieces of electronics I have ever owned.

The general public will look at apple's stuff and drool. The rest of us will say "yeah, nice" and wait for someone to make the same thing better and cheaper.

not always true but id much rather have a 15lb panasonic toughbook than the 3lb air

id rather have alot of things over the air

[aysiu]

$1799?

I'd rather get, for that price, a Cloudbook ($399), an Eee PC (the 8 GB model for $499), and an external hard drive ($100).

And then with the extra $800, I'd take my wife out to dinner, get her flowers... geez I don't know what else I'd do. That's a lot of extra money.

[CCNA_student]

That thing would probably be to weak for me. Laptops usually get beat up, and I doubt that that thing is strong enough for me. And 1800$ is way too much for me also.

Sin Cere,

CCNA

[jrusso2]

I am amazed that apple fan boys would pay that much for an air.

[bufsabre666]

apple fan boys would pay that much for air, as in oxygen if it had a shinny blue apple on it

[Nekiruhs]

For the close to $3000 dollars it costs with the SSD and 1.8 Ghz CPU I could buy a kickass gaming laptop, or I could build a really amazing gaming desktop *Cough*CRYSIS*Cough*

[mips]

For that price I will find myself a 2 week holiday in one of the following places: Maldives, Seychelles, Madagascar, Mauritius etc

An there will be no computers or phones in sight ;)

[fedex1993]

good luck isntall ubuntu on it if you can boot from a life cd LOL it has no cd drive at all

[gn2]

good luck isntall ubuntu on it if you can boot from a life cd LOL it has no cd drive at all

Simple fix, install from a USB flash drive.

[*oPI*]

I Want That!!! :)

[Amstell]

Apple your so late. Sony released the Sony VAIO X505 in like 2003. Its not that exciting. So what, another laptop that they overprice. No thanks I'll stick with anything but apple.

[SunnyRabbiera]

looks too delecate for me, I am much too clumbsy

[dasunst3r]

For $1,749 ($50 less), I could get a Dell XPS 1330 with these specs:

2.2 GHz Core 2 Duo processor
LED display and webcam
250 GB hard disk
nVidia GeForce 8400M GS with 128 MB RAM
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 wireless card
Fingerprint reader
User-replaceable, 85WHr battery (a similar battery on my Inspiron E1505 is good for about five hours)


As you can see here, Dell definitely takes the cake for more punch for the space and a much better value proposition.

[Nano Geek]

For $1,749 ($50 less), I could get a Dell XPS 1330 with these specs:
2.2 GHz Core 2 Duo processor
LED display and webcam
250 GB hard disk
nVidia GeForce 8400M GS with 128 MB RAM
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 wireless card
Fingerprint reader
User-replaceable, 85WHr battery (a similar battery on my Inspiron E1505 is good for about five hours)
As you can see here, Dell definitely takes the cake for more punch for the space and a much better value proposition.If you were to judge the Air by specs alone, then I would agree with you that it's a bad deal.

But you are mostly paying so much for it because of its extremely small size, custom processor, full-sized keyboard and screen, the new touch-pad technology, and the fact that you can run a full OS on it when other super-small laptops can't.

[Æniad]

Cool device but it lacks a built-in optical drive. Makes it unusable for a lot of instances.

[banjobacon]

One of my first reactions, too, was that this would be easily broken. But will it really? If you're clumsy with a laptop, you're going to break it regardless of how thick it is. Yes, it's thin, but that doesn't make it any more vulnerable to impact. As long as the casing is good, it'll hold up.

I still don't want one, but I don't think it's fair to criticize it's fragility. At least not until they actually start breaking. And it doesn't count if someone intentionally breaks it for the sake of uploading a video of the act onto Youtube.

EDIT: And my 3 year old laptop fits in an envelope, too, so that's no great accomplishment.

[paintba||er]

Ya, I watched the Keynote today as soon as I got home. I would love to have an Air, but I just bought a MacBook, and it has better specs, so I don't think I'll be getting one anytime soon. They are very nice though.

About the optical drive: You can use an external drive, or use the software included with the Air to share the optical drive from a Mac/Windows based PC over your network.

[LuisAugusto]

Apple your so late. Sony released the Sony VAIO X505 in like 2003. Its not that exciting. So what, another laptop that they overprice. No thanks I'll stick with anything but apple.

MacBook isn't overpriced. I don't know myself about the rest, but Dell XPS M1330 cost around the same as a MacBook with similar specs.

[gn2]

Dell XPS M1330 cost around the same as a MacBook with similar specs.

That means the Dell XPS M1330 is overpriced too.

In the UK the cheapest Macbook is £699 and can't even burn a DVD.
Similar spec (arguably better spec) laptops are available for £315 less that will burn DVD's: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/136219

[fatality_uk]

Was thinking about lack of optical drive. I never actually use one post install. I mean I have two 4GB SanDisk Cruzer's, and 99.99% of everything I do is on those. Synaptic will take care of software installs and I have NAS for the key business docs!

[tigerplug]

The MacBook Air (http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/15/the-macbook-air/)

Correction, my Dept. budget will be buying one, for testing purposes!

Disappointment if you ask me... imagine the specs you could get for your Ubuntu laptop with the cash cost of this thing?

[Johnsie]

Looks like a screen-crack job to me.... Laptops are still too flimsy for me to take them seriously. When someone invents a laptop with a less breakable screen then I might be interested in buying a new laptop. Also, another problem with laptops is that it's not very easy to upgrade/repair them. So for now I'll stick with my desktops and my mobile phone for computing.

[Ultra Magnus]

Ok its very thin - but it still has a 13.(something) inch screen - If I was gonna get something ultra portable then I'd want something a bit more portable than that.

[Black Mage]

Has anyone else taken a look at the MacBook Air? I like how thin it is and I noticed that they have the option of using static memory. Thats what makes the price jump from $1799 to $3000, but I'm sure its fast a **** compared to RPMs.

But now I'm thinking, where does apple hope to go with this computer. I mean its nice but it not a bang for your buck computer. The solid state is good but the non-solid state hard drive, $999 cheaper, is only a 4200rpm hard drive. The highest speed is 1.8ghz, and it does not to appear to have a RAM upgrade or option if needed. Unlike the MacBook Pro which is a good laptop, the MacBook Air is just pretty and pretty expensive computer. Probably not the best move by Apple.

And then to run Linux on it, its probably going to need new drivers.

Anyone else have thoughts on it?

http://www.apple.com/macbookair/specs.html

[ghandi69_]

I agree with you.

I had been hearing rumors for a while about a smaller, sleaker macbook coming from apple that would be competitively priced.

I was planning on to save up money until this summer to purchase one, but now that its out, I do not like what I see.

For one, I WILL NOT spend 1900 on a computer that is not performance driven. If they were going for portability, meaning, something i will use on the go, and not very powerful, at least make it a little smaller and affordable(plus, a DVD drive so I can watch movies on the go!)

This might have pushed me back towards getting an Ubuntu Dell.

[Zipster90]

I think it's just plain stupid. ONE USB port, MONO audio out, and NO disc drive. You have to install a piece of software on another Mac or Windows computer in order to access its disc drive in order to use CDs and DVDs. It's a lousy move, IMHO.

[aysiu]

I merged two threads on this topic together.

[Whiffle]

Looks like a screen-crack job to me.... Laptops are still too flimsy for me to take them seriously. When someone invents a laptop with a less breakable screen then I might be interested in buying a new laptop. Also, another problem with laptops is that it's not very easy to upgrade/repair them. So for now I'll stick with my desktops and my mobile phone for computing.

Maybe you shouldn't use your laptop as a baseball bat :-P I'm not sure where you're coming from but..dang.


Anyway, I'll keep my thinkpad. Its small (enough), thin (enough), has more storage, has another usb port, and has the ultrbay.

Oh on the ability to use a drive on the network, its nothing new, but the Air can use a network drive to install the OS as well, so you could use a LiveCD, as long as you have another computer to share it.

[Linuxratty]

It looks really nice. Too bad it has a small hard drive and no DVD drive...

Yeah,they left out all the important stuff,yet still sell it at an obscene price...
You'd do better with the Mac Mini or a refurbished Mac book...

[notwen]

$1799?

I'd rather get, for that price, a Cloudbook ($399), an Eee PC (the 8 GB model for $499), and an external hard drive ($100).

And then with the extra $800, I'd take my wife out to dinner, get her flowers... geez I don't know what else I'd do. That's a lot of extra money.

Agreed, I would toss down on a new TV myself and take the girl our a couple of times, lol.

It's a very nice cosmetically, but w/o the optical drive, the lack of a replaceable battery and only 1 USB port I doubt I could get much out of this machine for the cash I would drop on it. To each his/her own though. =]

[50words]

The Air is an awesome laptop for its intended purpose. Let's face it, this is not meant to be anyone's primary computer, nor is it appropriate for that. This is a computer for a "road warrior." Business travellers will love it, because it weighs less than comparable laptops, but still has a full keyboard and a decent screen.

I take my computer everywhere. I have a 5 lb.-ish ThinkPad, though, and that's a lot of weight to carry around. And I don't need the functionality of a full computer. I just need to be able to access e-mail and the internet and, mainly, files that sync from my main computer at work. My ThinkPad is overkill. But an EEE PC is too small. With that little keyboard, I can't do much.

The Air is perfect. Of course I wish it was cheaper, but the Air is full of components used only in the Air. I think the price is actually pretty impressive for what it is.

[Prisma]

The MacBook Air (http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/15/the-macbook-air/)

Correction, my Dept. budget will be buying one, for testing purposes!

That thing really sucks. Why people are willing to pay for such overpriced crap is beyond me. :confused:

[aysiu]

I take my computer everywhere. I have a 5 lb.-ish ThinkPad, though, and that's a lot of weight to carry around. And I don't need the functionality of a full computer. I just need to be able to access e-mail and the internet and, mainly, files that sync from my main computer at work. My ThinkPad is overkill. But an EEE PC is too small. With that little keyboard, I can't do much. Actually, for accessing email and the internet, the Eee PC would be better. It's only 2 lbs (instead of the 3 lbs the Macbook Air is), it's more compact, and it's cheaper.

[Joeb454]

It's not just cheaper...

It's a lot cheaper!!!

[Black Mage]

The Air is an awesome laptop for its intended purpose. Let's face it, this is not meant to be anyone's primary computer, nor is it appropriate for that. This is a computer for a "road warrior." Business travellers will love it, because it weighs less than comparable laptops, but still has a full keyboard and a decent screen.

I take my computer everywhere. I have a 5 lb.-ish ThinkPad, though, and that's a lot of weight to carry around. And I don't need the functionality of a full computer. I just need to be able to access e-mail and the internet and, mainly, files that sync from my main computer at work. My ThinkPad is overkill. But an EEE PC is too small. With that little keyboard, I can't do much.

The Air is perfect. Of course I wish it was cheaper, but the Air is full of components used only in the Air. I think the price is actually pretty impressive for what it is.

The road warrior who wants to an expensive computer to check their email. For business, it is the farhest from economical. Having a laptop for 5 pouds lighter and $2,000 doesn't make sense. Anyone who owns a business knows what I mean, a little extra comfort for the employee is not worth that much money.

In general, Mac is not suited for business because its not cost effecient. Yes the operating system is better than Windows, and they have the same software available for both so that is not really a problem anymore. But the reason why HP and Dell still out sell Macs in the office is because of price. And running some business apps on a 4200rpm hard drive with 1.6 ghz does not sound effecient at all.

And for the non-business user, they cannot do much. Gamers? 1.8ghz processer and Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor with 144MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory, have fun. DVDs without a DVD drive is kinda hard and storing a bunch of DVDs on a 64 gb hard drive, GOOD LUCK. And Remember, that 64 with nothing on, OS X is atleast 8-10 gigs so thats really around 50-54 gigs.

I like Mac and I generally do pay for their over priced computer. I'm on a MacBook Pro Santa Rosa right now. But the MacBook Air is just eye candy, nothing more.

[Prisma]

The road warrior who wants to an expensive computer to check their email. For business, it is the farhest from economical. Having a laptop for 5 pouds lighter and $2,000 doesn't make sense. Anyone who owns a business knows what I mean, a little extra comfort for the employee is not worth that much money.

In general, Mac is not suited for business because its not cost effecient. Yes the operating system is better than Windows, and they have the same software available for both so that is not really a problem anymore. But the reason why HP and Dell still out sell Macs in the office is because of price. And running some business apps on a 4200rpm hard drive with 1.6 ghz does not sound effecient at all.

And for the non-business user, they cannot do much. Gamers? 1.8ghz processer and Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor with 144MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory, have fun. DVDs without a DVD drive is kinda hard and storing a bunch of DVDs on a 64 gb hard drive, GOOD LUCK. And Remember, that 64 with nothing on, OS X is atleast 8-10 gigs so thats really around 50-54 gigs.

I like Mac and I generally do pay for their over priced computer. I'm on a MacBook Pro Santa Rosa right now. But the MacBook Air is just eye candy, nothing more.

It have just occurred to me that this will suffer the same fate as the Mac G4 Cube. It will disappear from the apple store shelves in few months.

[aysiu]

It have just occurred to me that this will suffer the same fate as the Mac G4 Cube. It will disappear from the apple store shelves in few months.
What's a Mac G4 Cube?

[Prisma]

It was another ridiculously overprice computer made by apple, check out this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Mac_G4_Cube

[Whiffle]

What's a Mac G4 Cube?

Man I'm slow..

It was kind of neat actually, although if you set something on top of it and allowed heat to build up, I've heard it melts :D

[rfruth]

All this free publicity, sounds like Apple struck a nerve ...

[aysiu]

All this free publicity, sounds like Apple struck a nerve ...
Every time Steve Jobs unveils a new Apple product at the Expo, there is free publicity.

I have to say my Mac-using wife, who is a huge Apple fanatic, was very enthusiastic about the iPhone when it was announced, but she's less than enthused about this Macbook Air thing.

[D-EJ915]

Ah, it's thin but huge! makes a great placemat for my Sony :lolflag:


Man I'm slow..

It was kind of neat actually, although if you set something on top of it and allowed heat to build up, I've heard it melts :D
the plastic casing cracks if you don't cool it

[Erunno]

I think the following post from OSNews sums up my feelings best:

http://osnews.com/permalink?296312


Thanks man to bringung it to my attention! Just compared those two in configuration I would consider to buy. Prices are for Germany:

Macbook Air:
Core 2 Duo 1,8GHz
64GB SSD
2GB RAM
1 USB
No ethernet
No card reader
Price: 2.868,00€

Dell XPS M1330
Core 2 Duo 2,00GHz
64GB SSD
2GB RAM
2 USB
Ethernet
Card reader: 8 in 1
Price: 1.749,00€

Dell is a little bit heavier (4 lbs). So for me I see no single reason to buy relatively underpowered Macbook Air for more than thousand euro more.

Plus a userreplacable 85Wh battery. Seriously, Apple dropped the ball on this one.

[2cute4u]

I just thought up an amazing idea... WIRELESS DVD DRIVE!

It can use the CD/DVD drive on your desktop machine with a wireless connection,

[Polygon]

but still, paying MORE for less...(smaller weight, but also smaller amount of features) means that i highly doubt that this will be that successful....i mean a macbook pro isnt that heavy....why does it need to go even lighter?

[bufsabre666]

cause mac fan boys and girls tend to not be too informed on computers

[fatality_uk]

1) I don't own a mac (FanBoy lol ;) ) not! Not even an iPod (Belongs to the Mrs)
2) Try showing a presentation to a site manager/sales rep, on site with eeepc! Min 13" screen is required.
3) If I have to move between 5 sites in a day, trust me, luggin my Asus BRICK is getting to be a pain. I walk around our sites usually having to stop at 2 or 3 offices

[aysiu]

1) I don't own a mac (FanBoy lol ;) ) not! Not even an iPod (Belongs to the Mrs)
2) Try showing a presentation to a site manager/sales rep, on site with eeepc! Min 13" screen is required.
3) If I have to move between 5 sites in a day, trust me, luggin my Asus BRICK is getting to be a pain. I walk around our sites usually having to stop at 2 or 3 offices
Of course you don't show a presentation on an Eee PC.

For the price of a Macbook Air, you can get an Eee PC and a really nice projector (a US$1400 one). The projector will do more than 13" for presentations.

[fatality_uk]

Yet more kit, weight to lug about!!!

[bufsabre666]

Yet more kit, weight to lug about!!!

time to hit the gym if hauling 10lbs bothers you

[fatality_uk]

LOL maybe you should see the size of me before makeing chilsidh comments like that :D

[bufsabre666]

im not exactly a small guy ((6'2" 260lb)) but i haul my backpack with my 8lb laptop 2lb external harddrive and 4 textbooks to class almost everyday and i dont complain, complaining about the differnce of the 3lb air to the 5lb xps which gets alot better performance at alot less cost is stupid

[Depressed Man]

I feel the same way (carrying my Sony laptop, plus digital camera, and now my n800), but I know other people think it's heavy carrying their stuff around *shrugs*.

[fatality_uk]

im not exactly a small guy ((6'2" 260lb)) but i haul my backpack with my 8lb laptop 2lb external harddrive and 4 textbooks to class almost everyday and i dont complain, complaining about the differnce of the 3lb air to the 5lb xps which gets alot better performance at alot less cost is stupid

Well your entitled to your opinion. Wrong in my eyes but hey. Im sure a 15 min session at the gym will clear your head! ;)

[bufsabre666]

Well your entitled to your opinion. Wrong in my eyes but hey. Im sure a 15 min session at the gym will clear your head! ;)

well i spent an hour there this morning but honestly 1000$ more is worth 2 lbs less? and worse performance?

[Black Mage]

well i spent an hour there this morning but honestly 1000$ more is worth 2 lbs less? and worse performance?

But oooo, look at the pretty colors! And its smooth too.

[fatality_uk]

It's called choice and personal preference! Sadly I don't have the luxury of being in school so I don't have time for the gym. But I guess you need it with laptop, books etc, 12, 15, 30lbs? ;)


worse performance? Your basing this knowledge on what? You tried it? Installed Ubuntu and run it? No. Ubuntu will, I am sure, run a LOT faster than OSX and will suit my needs down to the ground

[bufsabre666]

id bet any money that you get the 2800$ mac air and the 1800$ dell xps the dells performace will be alot better

mac hardware isnt as good and it gets a higher price because it has to be approved by mac cause mac is a closed OS

[fatality_uk]

But the system specs are more than enough to run the apps I want, and the practicality of the mac air makes up for any shortfalls.!

[bufsabre666]

But the system specs are more than enough to run the apps I want, and the practicality of the mac air makes up for any shortfalls.!

your call dude, but 1000$ to a poor college student ((me)) means 3 semesters of books and 6 months of gym membership

[fatality_uk]

So it's not actually the mac air but the cash that bothers you? I feel for you, I do. I can appreicate that it's hard paying for college fees. In the UK, most courses are free of charge and thank god for that!! I never actually went to college, night school, but not full time as such.

[nat6138]

So it's not actually the mac air but the cash that bothers you? I feel for you, I do. I can appreicate that it's hard paying for college fees. In the UK, most courses are free of charge and thank god for that!! I never actually went to college, night school, but not full time as such.

Any sensible person wouldn't want to pay that much for a laptop.

[fatality_uk]

And yet people will. There's a saying in Yorkshire. "There's nowt as funny as folk!" (US translation, go figure")

[nat6138]

I know, but considering most people don't have almost $2,000 to spend on a computer, it's ridiculous.

I paid $200 for my laptop, and it runs great. I doubt I would be any happier with that thing.

[fatality_uk]

Then I suggest you dont buy one!

[nat6138]

Indeed.

[PetePete]

can't see why people are so hung up on it not having an a dvd drive

can't remember the last time I used my drive ..... oh yeah it was when I installed kubuntu :P ... which could have been installed with usb key if needed.

[nickle]

Oh yes, another toy for the boyz... I can assure you the IT dept. in my company would fall down laughing if I asked for one of these... Poor specs, high price; a toy to show off for those with little better to do. Enjoy...

I bet Jobs is a P.T. Barnum fan...

[Prisma]

Then I suggest you dont buy one!

Well the way I see it is this: If you are happy spending almost $3,000 in a underpower little machine with no possibility to upgrade it and if you are willing to pay twice as much for the same hardware that other PC manufacturers are selling (made in Taiwan) just to have a little apple logo on the cover of the thingy, then by all means go for it! is your money, you can waste it in all those apple's expensive toys.

Have fun!

[fedex1993]

i say it is totally not wort 3000 dollars for specs that it is. Think about okay what happens if i run linux on it how will i actually install linux? it has no cd drive which i think is one of the first things that is stupid. Atleast the macbook went down in prices :)

[Techwiz]

Yet another pointless toy from Apple. *sigh* *waits for apple to make something useful*

No matter how old/young you are, I don't think you'll live to see that day...

[fatality_uk]

Change of plan.
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=669553
Gonna take another laptop. And make sure that any PCs/laptops that are due for renewal go to a local school.

[paintba||er]

LOL, the Air obviously wasn't designed to be a desktop replacement, or a powerhouse, or anything else besides a very portable notebook that is excellent for people who are always on the go. If you want something with better performance but less portability they still have the MacBook and MacBook Pro which are just that.

[nat6138]

Basically the whole point of the laptop is to be portable.

What's so different about this? Besides the thiness.

[Depressed Man]

The only difference is its weight and size. And that's up to the individual. Frankly, I can't imagine a situation where I could use the Air instead of my VAIO if I actually needed a laptop's full power. Sure it weighs slightly more, but that's not a big enough deal to me. Plus with the Goju-Ryu work outs we have, more weight is better as it builds up endurance and strength carrying laptop + textbooks across the UMD campus.

For email, music, video and what not I have my n800 now. Much more portable then a VAIO or an Air. Or an EEE PC for that matter.

[nikoPSK]

pretty schweet

[Black Mage]

LOL, the Air obviously wasn't designed to be a desktop replacement, or a powerhouse, or anything else besides a very portable notebook that is excellent for people who are always on the go. If you want something with better performance but less portability they still have the MacBook and MacBook Pro which are just that.

Less portability?

I've had so much trouble with the portability of my MacBook. For one, it doesn't fit properly under my pillow when I sleep, I can't seem to fit it into a blender, and most of all it just won't fit inside an envelope. Its portability sux.

But with the MacBook Air and its improved portability, I have a computer I can use a Frisbee and its thin enough to cut meat into thin slices on a chopping board.

Anymore issues on portability with the MacBook vs the MacBook Air?

[p_quarles]

Less portability?

I've had so much trouble with the portability of my MacBook. For one, it doesn't fit properly under my pillow when I sleep, I can't seem to fit it into a blender, and most of all it just won't fit inside an envelope. Its portability sux.

But with the MacBook Air and its improved portability, I have a computer I can use a Frisbee and its thin enough to cut meat into thin slices on a chopping board.

Anymore issues on portability with the MacBook vs the MacBook Air?
No MacBook for me, but I am constantly exasperated by the fact that I can't place my Compaq lappy behind my ear, like a pencil. They need to start designing these things with the end user in mind.

[nikoPSK]

I want them due to the large amount of ivory involved in making them. :lolflag:

sorry, lol... no offense intended to the elephants there. But I really want a macbook, :D

[-grubby]

I want them due to the large amount of ivory involved in making them. :lolflag:

:lolflag: yah they're pretty expensive. I can't picture myself getting one

[inversekinetix]

Less portability?

I can't seem to fit it into a blender,


give it time my friend

http://www.willitblend.com/videos.aspx?type=unsafe&video=iphone


I want one because I'm a magpie.

[jcwmoore]

it just cost way too much...
I'll pay $400 for the CloudBook, which weighs a pound less than Air...
and keep the extra $1400 for TV or something.

[paintba||er]

Less portability?

I've had so much trouble with the portability of my MacBook. For one, it doesn't fit properly under my pillow when I sleep, I can't seem to fit it into a blender, and most of all it just won't fit inside an envelope. Its portability sux.

But with the MacBook Air and its improved portability, I have a computer I can use a Frisbee and its thin enough to cut meat into thin slices on a chopping board.

Anymore issues on portability with the MacBook vs the MacBook Air?

I understand what you're saying, but there are people that think those few less pounds are worth it. If I were doing something that requires that I walk around with a laptop all day then it would definitely be worth the a little more money and a little less performance.

[50words]

Actually, for accessing email and the internet, the Eee PC would be better. It's only 2 lbs (instead of the 3 lbs the Macbook Air is), it's more compact, and it's cheaper.

And a pain in the rear for typing long documents, which is basically what I do.

[aysiu]

And a pain in the rear for typing long documents, which is basically what I do.
But typing long documents is not accessing email and the internet... unless you type extremely long emails...

[50words]

But typing long documents is not accessing email and the internet... unless you type extremely long emails...

I see I was not clear in the first place. I do access internet and e-mail (which are occasionally long), but I also need to be able to access and create documents. I don't even need much of a screen, but a full-size keyboard is a must.

[aysiu]

I see I was not clear in the first place. I do access internet and e-mail (which are occasionally long), but I also need to be able to access and create documents. I don't even need much of a screen, but a full-size keyboard is a must.
A lightweight USB keyboard + an Eee PC is still considerably cheaper than a Macbook Air.

[50words]

A lightweight USB keyboard + an Eee PC is still considerably cheaper than a Macbook Air.

True. But not nearly as pretty.

[PetePete]

if its just for accessing internet / e-mails then get a blackberry.........which funnely enough most business people have already...

[billgoldberg]

Who cares it's that thin.

Does those few centimeters extra are worth $1800?

You are still going to put it in a bag when you travel around with it. And the normal laptops can already be lifted with your pinky finger. My old laptop (€900) ways something around 2kg-3kg, if you can't handle that weight, well then i'm sorry for you.

I don't get who would buy that. (beside people who want to show off)

For that money I would by a real laptop that can do that much more for the same money.

[billgoldberg]

So it's not actually the mac air but the cash that bothers you? I feel for you, I do. I can appreicate that it's hard paying for college fees. In the UK, most courses are free of charge and thank god for that!! I never actually went to college, night school, but not full time as such.

Ofcourse it's the price.

If those things were shipping at €300 I would buy one, for that money you can get better for much less. And i've seen better looking laptops than that one for less money.

[TBOL3]

I just saw apples guided tutorial on the Mackbook Air. So what do you think?

I think it's crap, I mean really, no opticle drive, and ONE USB port.

[init1]

I just saw apples guided tutorial on the Mackbook Air. So what do you think?

I think it's crap, I mean really, no opticle drive, and ONE USB port.
Someone I know told me about it, and I though it was rather interesting. It's very slim, so i doubt they would have space to add a CD drive. I rarely need more than one USB port, so that doesn't affect me much.

[TBOL3]

Ofcourse it's the price.

If those things were shipping at €300 I would buy one, for that money you can get better for much less. And i've seen better looking laptops than that one for less money.

Agreed.

[kamaboko]

God, what an over priced piece of ^&*(). Pass.

[CCNA_student]

Kind of useless to have a computer with no optical drive, one USB port, and no Firewire port. Most of the computers Apple makes are useful but this one is not. What were they thinking when they built this?!

Sin Cere,

CCNA

[50words]

I thought it was obvious, but this is not mean to be a primary computer. This is meant to be a super-portable computer for those who already have a desktop computer back in the office or at home.

Think of it as a satellite computer, with the home computer serving as a docking station.

You don't install software when you are on the road or use a drive for much of anything. A USB port for an external hard drive or flash drive should be enough for transferring files.

As a primary personal computer, you are right, and this is not very useful. As a mobile computer with decent speed and a full keyboard so that it is useful for creating and editing documents, including slideshows, watching movies on flights, browsing the internet and checking e-mail, etc., this is unique and may be well worth the price (for the full keyboard, if nothing else).

Regarding the price, you cannot apply the same budget perspective to business. (Will businesses use Macs? Enterprises may not, but there are at least as many small businesspeople who need to travel, and many of those are willing to use Macs, so there is a market, although the size may be up for debate.)

My time is worth $250-275 per hour. If, over the life of a MacBook Air, I can earn an extra $1,800 (about 7 hours of work) because of it, the computer pays for itself.

Will I? That depends. My ThinkPad weighs 5-7 pounds, depending on the battery I use. I get 5 hours at most out of the extended-range battery with the wireless and Bluetooth turned off and the brightness turned way down.

Even so, I take my ThinkPad pretty much everywhere. But it does feel like overkill. I do not need the 15" screen, the DVD drive, the PCMCIA slots, the ethernet and modem outlets, more than one USB outlet, etc. All I need is a screen, full keyboard, and a USB port for my Skype handset or external drive.

As a result of the slight inconvenience, I probably do use my ThinkPad a bit less than I would if it were lighter and more portable. As a result of battery life compared with the MacBook Air, I would probably get an extra half hour to an hour out of each full charge.

Would that add up to an extra 7+ hours over the next five years or so? Seems like it. If so, the MacBook Air would be a good purchase, because by buying it, I could increase my income by more than the price.

This is not pure math, of course. Maybe I should just change my habits with my ThinkPad, including getting and carrying an extra battery. But that adds hassle, of course, perhaps subtracting further from my usage.

And you have to add in the taxes on that income, etc., Still, it seems like the Air might be a net positive for my productivity. Compare that to the EEE PC of the little Vaio. What about a regular MacBook? Based on the battery life, that might be a better choice. But it still weighs the same as my ThinkPad, so I am not sure which is better.

What about productivity in a different OS? Hard to say.

To sum up, I don't think the price is really all that big of a deal. If it fails, I think it will be because there are not enough users for whom OSX is an option, not because the form factor is a problem.

[Paul820]

I just got an email off apple this morning about this laptop so i went along to apples site and had a look at the video they provide. I was amazed at the touchpad and that was about it. After he said there was no optical drive that's when the interest faded. To install software the person using the laptop has to start another computer to install the software, talk about a waste of time. It may be thin and the touchpad is really cool but without an optical drive it doesn't seem complete.

[aysiu]

50words, I think it has to do with several factors combining to make the Macbook Air unappealing to those who are complaining about it.

If it were just a lack of an optical drive, that would be one thing.
If it were just the high price, that would be one thing.
If it were just the unremoveable battery, that would be one thing.
If it were just the fragile appearance of the notebook, that would be one thing.
If it were just the lone USB port, that would be one thing.

But when you add that all up, then people start to wonder what the fuss is about.

See, the appeal of the Asus EEE PC is its price and portability. People are willing to overlook the low screen resolution and tiny keyboard for price and portability. The appeal of the Sony Vaio is its portability and functionality. People are willing to overlook the high price to have a fully functioning computer that is also small.

But the only thing the Macbook Air offers is portability (and even a 13" screen is relatively huge for a device marketed for portability... inviting too much of a comparison for bargain hunters to the regular Macbook, which is significantly cheaper). It does not offer added functionality or a low price.

Obviously if people want to buy a Macbook Air, no one can stop them. But people are also entitled to say, "That's ridiculous" and not buy one themselves... and I think that's what's going on in this thread. If my neighbor wants to pay hundreds of dollars to the Geek Squad to install software or back up an installation, I can also say "That's ridiculous," but it's her money, and she can do with it what she wants.

[nikoPSK]

+1 to the EEE, I have one. :)

[LuisAugusto]

I thought it was overpriced too, but after looking for similar slim laptops, I found that it isn't expensive, it's propably the best deal out there (on the same category of course, I won't buy one).

[50words]

50words . . .

I agree with you in general. However, a lot of the hate in this thread seems to be groundless and based on what I perceive to be misconceptions about the intended purpose of the MacBook Air.

It does have a lot missing, but it also has a couple things--a decent screen and especially a full-sized keyboard--that no other ultra-portable notebook has.

For someone for whom those are important features, the other shortcomings, including price, may be completely irrelevant.

[VidiotGeek]

For the cumulative arguments of, "It'll break," "It's expensive", "the SSD is pricey", & "it has no optical drive".

First, the MacBook Air is expensive, as are most Macs when compared to run of the mill PC's. Somewhere, there's a PC gamer who's spending about $600 to upgrade his graphics card for the third time this year, while complaining about how expensive Macs are....give it a rest, it's lame. Sure I wish they were cheaper, but I've come to accept the prices & still love their computers.

The solid state drive is also pretty expensive by itself, but go price one for your own computer right now, I guarantee you Apple's markup on the SSD drive isn't nearly as exorbitant as their ridiculous markup on RAM (which is REALLY ridiculous, don't buy RAM from Apple). They probably mark it up a little bit, for labor to install + the cost of the drive + a little something for the bottom line. But this is not a commodity technology yet.

I'd like to see just how durable the machine is myself, being that thin does make one ask the question. The TiBooks did have an issue with flexing that snapped the mother boards, but as a whole, anything Apple makes has always felt much more solid than alot of things from other brands. I've had my hands on a few different laptops, a handful of PC's & Apple alike. The Macs always felt more sturdy to me. My HP laptop is probably the chincyest one I've ever felt, but I expected that for $400. I'm glad Apple doesn't make flimsy el cheapo machines personally. Jobs made it a point to tout that other slim models sag in the middle & require 5 or 6 rubber feet to support them while the Air has only 4. So I'm sure that Apple took these concerns into consideration. Time will tell how well they did.

The bottom line is it's uncharted territory. Apple's known for pushing the boundaries of hardware design & people always mock or criticize them for their efforts. But you can't deny their influence in the industry, love them or hate them. From the Dell "now available in beautiful" campaign to the hordes of iPhone knockoffs, their presence can be seen nearly everywhere. Just like when Apple dropped the floppy drive, people scoffed, but now we barely notice or care if a machine lacks a floppy, we don't need them. This isn't the first machine without one, my boss uses a 12" Dell with a docking station that has no optical drive built in. The wireless drive sharing I think is alot better than lugging around some lame docking station.

Apple was the first company that I can remember to really push 802.11 b/g wireless as well. Maybe a few years from now, having no optical drive will become the norm on laptops (at least), with flash jump drives currently at 4gigs & growing, hard drives, & SSD's getting bigger, wireless gets faster & even more ubiquitous, & internet software distribution expands. Go ahead & laugh, maybe it will be a huge flop, maybe it won't. Either way, I commend Apple for going there.

[aysiu]

The bottom line is it's uncharted territory. Apple's known for pushing the boundaries of hardware design & people always mock or criticize them for their efforts. No, not really. When Apple does cool stuff, people recognize that stuff as being cool. When Apple does silly stuff, people who are not Mac fanatics recognize that stuff as being silly.

When the iPhone was first announced at Macworld last year, this was one of the first threads posted on the forums about it: WoW. The iPhone is REALLY slick (MacWorld) (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=334831)

[50words]

To moderate my other comments, the XPS M1330 from Dell does look like a pretty healthy alternative.

http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/xpsnb_m1330?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~tab=bundlestab

[mmb1]

While I love portability, I do agree that Apple products are almost always overpriced, but I am seriously considering an air.

I travel a lot, not on business, I'm a student, but for the love of seeing new places. I don't want to have to deal with the Eee's small screen and keyboard, and a 2 GB flash drive has always sufficed for files. A small, light, wirelessly capable laptop with a complete OS is exactly what I need, and it's what I think the air truly is.

Not that I'm a fanboy, air is still much too expensive, and I'm waiting to see how durable it really is.

[LuisAugusto]

Dell XPS M1330 is comparable to the normal Macbook, but not Air.

All the computers around the same thin and weight are expensivie than the Macbook Air offering Less.

As a side note, I don't find Macbooks to be expensive. iMacs are amazing too, and I don't believe they are overpriced.

I can't talk about Macbook Pro or iMac Pro, because they're higher than my budget.

[gn2]

Years ago I bought a painting because I liked it.

I couldn't really afford it and struggled financially as a consequence for three months afterwards.

Other cheaper paintings were available but I just didn't like them.

The Air is like that painting, simply stunning to look at and highly desireable.

Specifications and performanmce benchmarks don't matter one little bit, the Mac Air is simply gorgeous and I wish I could afford one.

[Namtabmai]

I've been using Apple products for about 5 years now via work, and if there's one thing I've learnt it's;

Never, ever buy a first generation Apple product.

Whilst the MacBook Air certainly looks swish, it's not for me and even if it was I wouldn't buy one for at least a year until they've brought out a version B or preferably a C.

[rfruth]

I'd say never buy a first generation any product - the mac book Air reminds me of a corvette, both are nitch products and you wont find either on the best seller list (and for the record the chance of me having one or the other is pretty much zero) :(

[Nekiruhs]

To moderate my other comments, the XPS M1330 from Dell does look like a pretty healthy alternative.

http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/xpsnb_m1330?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~tab=bundlestab
/jawdrop. DO WANT! For $1765:
320 GB HD
3 GB RAM
2.2 GHz Intel Processor
nVidia GPU with 128 MB memory
Windows Vista Ultimate (Sorry, I know, just trying to demonstrate price wise)
Fingerprint scanner
13.3 in LCD Screen

Wow, I gotta get me one of these...

[Namtabmai]

Well it looks like Lenovo are pulling out something to compete with the Mac Book Air.

Lenovo x300 (http://gizmodo.com/346797/ultralight-lenovo-x300-series-thinkpad-leaked)
As with all Lenovo/Thinkpads it has the looks of a brick and the features of a swiss army knife.

[rfruth]

The 320 GB hard disk (as opposed the the standard 250 GB) on the Dell is an extra & 75.00, for less than that I could have a spare battery, much more useful IMO

[wana10]

Never, ever buy a first generation Apple product.


amen, and this applies for all first gen techy products. also, should you buy a first gen, don't start whining and complaining when it drops in price(*cough*iphone*cough*). you want to be an early adopter, be prepared for the inevitable.

on topic: how exactly is the macbook air ultra-portable? it is as wide and deep as any other 13.3" laptop and due to how thin it is you will proably have to protect it a little more than other laptops so unless you decide to forgo protection and use a neoprene sleeve (or a manila envelope, heh) you wiill have the same size computer bag as any other person with a 13.3" laptop. it seems to me if apple really wants to push the ultra-portable market they should have at least shrunk this to a 11" screen, possibly smaller.

[LuisAugusto]

on topic: how exactly is the macbook air ultra-portable? it is as wide and deep as any other 13.3" laptop and due to how thin it is you will proably have to protect it a little more than other laptops so unless you decide to forgo protection and use a neoprene sleeve (or a manila envelope, heh) you wiill have the same size computer bag as any other person with a 13.3" laptop. it seems to me if apple really wants to push the ultra-portable market they should have at least shrunk this to a 11" screen, possibly smaller.

Because we live in a 3D world, being thinner makes the MacBook air a lot smaller. It's volume is 33% less than the normal MacBook. There are smaller notebooks, that's true, but that doesn't mean it isn't portable enough.

[SomeGuyDude]

Once again Apple proves that its customers have more money than brains.

Tell me, how many people HONESTLY pull out their laptop and go "sure it's nice, but if it was an inch thinner THEN it would be useful"? I have a 12-cell battery in mine, the thing's pretty heavy in my backpack, but who cares? I have yet to find a situation where my notebook is too THICK for me to use it. Too wide? Sure.

Let's think this over. Apple takes a laptop computer and, in the interest of making it "pretty", strips out some features you'd imagine are pretty damn basic and then jacks the price up ridiculously. Of course, like all else, Apple freaks will wait in line for it.

[SZF2001]

Oh wow. This is just... wow. That's all I can really say.

And it's not a good wow.

And that's not all I can really say.

Seriously, no disc drive? Who wants to lug around an extra drive to plug into a freakin' wall outlet so they can do as they please with it? Tell me, you think a CD itself is thin, yes? Hey, look at the Wii's disc drive - they couldn't have pulled one of those? I swear we even had a drive like that back in the PII days, hell it's on my old computer in my shed!

No ethernet card? WHAT?! I'm baffled. Bafooned. If I ever bought this travesty, I'd wonder what I was even doing in the store in the first place!

This truly is absurd.

[DjBones]

apple will definitely have to pull some strings to get decent battery life out of it,
i can't imagine something that thin would have room for a good sized battery lol

[LuisAugusto]

Oh wow. This is just... wow. That's all I can really say.

And it's not a good wow.

And that's not all I can really say.

Seriously, no disc drive? Who wants to lug around an extra drive to plug into a freakin' wall outlet so they can do as they please with it? Tell me, you think a CD itself is thin, yes? Hey, look at the Wii's disc drive - they couldn't have pulled one of those? I swear we even had a drive like that back in the PII days, hell it's on my old computer in my shed!

Pretty come on on those kind of laptops.


No ethernet card? WHAT?! I'm baffled. Bafooned. If I ever bought this travesty, I'd wonder what I was even doing in the store in the first place!

This truly is absurd.

And just one damn USB! That's even worst than not having an Ethernet port.

[Ultra Magnus]

Because we live in a 3D world, being thinner makes the MacBook air a lot smaller. It's volume is 33% less than the normal MacBook. There are smaller notebooks, that's true, but that doesn't mean it isn't portable enough.


It may make it smaller but that doesn't necessarily mean that it makes it more portable - In fact the depth of a laptop is pretty much negligable in comparison to its other dimensions.

[LuisAugusto]

It may make it smaller but that doesn't necessarily mean that it makes it more portable - In fact the depth of a laptop is pretty much negligable in comparison to its other dimensions.

If a thing is 33% smaller, that makes it more portable.

The Normal MacBook is small enough for me, something that it's 33% smaller, will definitively feel in my school bag XD.

I would ever never buy a MacBook air, but then again (even with only 1 USB port) doesn't seem to be that expensive compare to other ones.

That said, there is a toshiba only 1mm bigger, with a 7" screen that looks very well (and definitevely more portable XD)

[zachtib]

Well it looks like Lenovo are pulling out something to compete with the Mac Book Air.

Lenovo x300 (http://gizmodo.com/346797/ultralight-lenovo-x300-series-thinkpad-leaked)
As with all Lenovo/Thinkpads it has the looks of a brick and the features of a swiss army knife.

I'm really looking forward to getting one of these, and if I manage to get a job this summer, I might be able to.

Thinkpads are generally very Linux friendly, and assuming I opt for Intel-everything, it should work fine with Ubuntu.

[wana10]

If a thing is 33% smaller, that makes it more portable.


they market it as 33% smaller but really, in the ways it matters(for portability) it isn't. it has 33% less volume sure, but it still takes up as much desk space, still requires the same size cases/bags, as other laptops.

[stump138]

sorry had to :) (http://regmedia.co.uk/2008/01/19/macbookcommodorecompare.jpg)

[koleoptero]

sorry had to :) (http://regmedia.co.uk/2008/01/19/macbookcommodorecompare.jpg)

LOL

I wouldn't buy the air even if it cost $300. It still would have been a waste.

[LuisAugusto]

they market it as 33% smaller but really, in the ways it matters(for portability) it isn't. it has 33% less volume sure, but it still takes up as much desk space, still requires the same size cases/bags, as other laptops.

It weight less, it's volume is smaller, so it let more space on your bag for other things, by the price it has, it's cheaper than all the laptops (I've seen so far) with a similar weight and thinnest, and it has better specs.


sorry had to :) (http://regmedia.co.uk/2008/01/19/macbookcommodorecompare.jpg)

LOL!


LOL

I wouldn't buy the air even if it cost $300. It still would have been a waste.

Troll

Again, I would never buy a MacBook Air, I'm not the target market, but in it's market, it isn't seem to be a bad product.

[koleoptero]

Troll

Did I have to be enthusiastic about the air in this thread?:neutral:

[3rdalbum]

To summarise this thread:

Apple Fans: "(It's cheap for what it is / It looks nice) but I can't afford one".

Most ordinary forum users: "It's too limited and (too expensive / too fragile). But it looks nice."

1 person: "I'll get one because my current notebook is too heavy to carry around all day."

To describe the Air as "another G4 Cube" is insulting, considering that the Cube still has a fanclub and did have *some* connectivity options.

[50words]

To summarise this thread:


I think it's more like this, leaving out the Apple fans/haters:

Most posters in this thread: This is not what I am looking for (many add: since it is not what I want in a computer, it sucks).

A few posters in this thread: I can see some market segments for which this would be an excellent computer, and the price is appropriate for that segment.

[LuisAugusto]

Did I have to be enthusiastic about the air in this thread?:neutral:

An EEE PC costs 300 dollars XD (nothing against it, it's a good product too)

[koleoptero]

An EEE PC costs 300 dollars XD (nothing against it, it's a good product too)

The EEE is more portable than the usual laptop. The Air is just thinner, but you'll still need a regular sized bag to carry it. It might be light, it might be thin but it is NOT more portable than your average laptop. Plus with $1900 you can take a laptop that can make coffee and drive the kids to school too, not just have the regular usb, firewire, etc ports.

If there's one think I really like on the Air is its backlit keyboard. Hopefully more companies are going to adapt to the idea now that Apple used it.

[Depressed Man]

If there's one think I really like on the Air is its backlit keyboard. Hopefully more companies are going to adapt to the idea now that Apple used it.

Maybe, with new battery advancements coming out. I can't imagine doing it without sucking up valuable power.

[bobbybobington]

Actually I think the MacBook air is a very good product. Sure, from a more technical viewpoint, that most of us here have, it seems like an inferior product. It lacks a cd drive, limited usb ports, no ethernet, fragile.

But frankly, most people regard computers at level equivalent to magical boxes. They care more about looks, experience, simplicity, familiarity etc... Therefore the thin appeal outweighs say, the lack of a CD drive. The CD issue is very interesting too, because apple is anticipating the trend of CD/DVD's becoming obsolete and is setting the precedent earlier to get an advantage, and they are clearly in a position to do so with their services. They are only missing software installation, and we're ahead in that front :D Secondly, the macbook air is only targeting a certain group that would prefer such a machine. I think this shows an interesting trend in the stratification of the laptop form factor. As the desktop declines, we'll only see more differentiation among laptops. MacBook Air simply an example of this.

Technically I have to say apple did a good job of cramming the hardware into that case, although second generations will be a lot better, and the durability issue could be a deal breaker.

Sorry about strategy analysis, I'm a business major :P

[Sp4cedOut]

But frankly, most people regard computers at level equivalent to magical boxes. They care more about looks, experience, simplicity, familiarity etc... Therefore the thin appeal outweighs say, the lack of a CD drive.

So you're saying it's a great product from a marketing standpoint, not a technical standpoint? I'd agree with that.

[hhhhhx]

Actualy i just read an article about how apple lied about the air being the thinnest laptop.

The actual thinnest lappy was by VAIO, and get this, it was released in 2004!!!! :shock:

http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/notebooks/0,39050495,62036632,00.htm

[gn2]

Actualy i just read an article about how apple lied about the air being the thinnest laptop.

The actual thinnest lappy was by VAIO, and get this, it was released in 2004!!!! :shock:

http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/notebooks/0,39050495,62036632,00.htm

Think you've mis-read that story, the Vaio from 2004 mentioned was 21mm.

I have a Toshiba Portege 3440CT (http://www.toshiba-europe.com/computers/products/notebooks/portege3440/) from 2000 which is 22mm but smaller than the air overall.
Despite being eight years old it's still going strong.

[misfitpierce]

I would def rather get the Dell M1330 and put Ubuntu on it. Way better option.

[LuisAugusto]

I would def rather get the Dell M1330 and put Ubuntu on it. Way better option.

I agree, but M1330 have anything to do with a MacBook Air.

That was my second option for my new lap, but I went for a MacBook instead (here, in Mexico, MacBook with the student prices, are the best deal).

[VidiotGeek]

EDIT: And my 3 year old laptop fits in an envelope, too, so that's no great accomplishment.

No, it's a great marketing ploy. :-)