Do not flame me. MBA, not impressed.

[steve31]

display and backlit keyboard are a huge reason I chose the MBA over the BLK MB. The display in the MB dose not come close to the LED display in the MBA. I also have a MPB which makes it a easy choice to pick the MBA as my second notebook. For an ultra portable it is VERY powerful and I can do just about anything that I do with my MBP on it. But clearly its not for everyone....it was not made to be an only computer! I dont understand all the bashing about the MBA....is it better Apple has added more product choices to there line up???

 

[ctt1wbw]

display and backlit keyboard are a huge reason I chose the MBA over the BLK MB. The display in the MB dose not come close to the LED display in the MBA. I also have a MPB which makes it a easy choice to pick the MBA as my second notebook. For an ultra portable it is VERY powerful and I can do just about anything that I do with my MBP on it. But clearly its not for everyone....it was not made to be an only computer! I dont understand all the bashing about the MBA....is it better Apple has added more product choices to there line up???

Two of the reasons I bought it as well. Plus the weight issue is a big concern for me, since I have to use a cane to walk, thanks to the Navy ruining my knees.

And as for it being the same size as a Macbook... I think we should sue Apple for that. There's no reason that it can't be half the width with the same size screen, no reason at all.

 

[mrklaw]

what odd comments.

Its not worth the money, yet you'd buy a blackbook which is a perfect example of somethign costing more for no extra functionality?


First, ultraportables are expensive. Can't justify that cost? fine - thats not something you're in the market for.


second, I think there are things on the MBA that increase its value completely aside from the portability aspect - backlit keyboard, LED screen, multitouch gesture touchpad are the big ones. Those things would IMO justify a price bump over eg the blackbook. So its actually pretty good value.

 

[lewisozz]

Well, I finally checked out the MBA. I am not that impressed with it. First off it is the same size as the MB, thinner yes, but this the same size. Too be honest I didn't even notice that much of a difference in the weight when I carried it in a bag.

Now for what I liked. Sexy as hell, nice display, actually not that slow, like the trackpad.

It really isn't as advertised as an ultraportable, it is not worth the money, the blackbook (which sat beside it) had the same profile and occupied the same amount of desk space.

I would buy a blackbook any day over this thing. Its not worth the money ..

Just my 2 cents.

The macbook air is a wonderful computer if you cal live with a little less power. The weight and the "thinness" is well worth the loss in a little power and a few ports that are getting old like ethernet. Every heard of wireless ??and a optical drive. Every heard of a little thing called iTunes !!!!

 

[Tosser]

[…]you gotta remember the macbook was the ultalight portable of yesteryear

.
That is simply contrary to reality. The MacBook was _never_ considered an ultralight by anyone. Not even by a long shot.

you are paying for the "first" and the Design. Its the FIRST VERY thin computer. ( not just thin, there are others) and the design, as apple always does well, allows them to charge what they want.

No, it's the first very thin Apple. Not the first very thin laptop.


What I don't get, is the OP, stating he would buy the BlackBook? The BlackBook? It's a premium priced MacBook – yet another Apple product, where you pay extra for design. And the MB is even worse in this sense, as you pay extra for a different color. Now, if you would have said the MB (full stop), it would have made sense.

strong words, my friend. taking the mba out of the context of its market. we could debate all day about what market the mba is for, but the fact of the matter is that the mb is for mainstream users, whereas the mbp is for the on-the-go professional or for those who simply "want to have it all." a simple google search for "ultraportable" yields notebooks in excess of $2000; not worth the money? in its context, the mba is certainly worth the money. you could argue for the eeepc, which also classifies as an ultraportable.

I wonder if you meant that the MBA is for the on-the-go professional? Because, it's obvious that the MBP is, but since the OP doesn't mention that, you must mean the MBA?

Further, since when is a MBA an ultrportable? It's a light and thin laptop. Nothing more, nothing less. And there's nothing wrong with that at all. It's just not an "ultraportable".

to beat a dead horse, it's all relative. it cost me an extra $600 to have something that puts the lap back in laptop. a macbook (or even the 12" pb) certainly could not step up to that challenge.

So, you're saying that neither the 12 inch PB or the MB is a "laptop"?? You do realise that the MBA has almost the exact same footprint as the MB, and is much bigger than the 12 inch PB, right?
Your statement is simply nonsensical: What makes the MBA more of a "laptop" than the 12" PB? Don't give me weight, as that really shouldn't matter much, when talking about it sitting on your lap.

 

[robrose20]

Ill never buy a blackbook any day.

Macbook Air and Macbook Pro 17"

Air is light but since you don't care about weight, why don't you go 17"? Its only 2 pounds more, that like nothing right?

I'm waiting for the MB Aircraft(carrier)... thank you.

 

[lewisozz]

Shipping

Whey will they start shipping ? It cost £700 to ship it !!!

 

[instant hit]

I wonder if you meant that the MBA is for the on-the-go professional? Because, it's obvious that the MBP is, but since the OP doesn't mention that, you must mean the MBA?

Further, since when is a MBA an ultrportable? It's a light and thin laptop. Nothing more, nothing less. And there's nothing wrong with that at all. It's just not an "ultraportable".

"professional" was the wrong word choice regarding the mbp; fine, you win that argument. what i meant to argue was the mbp is for on-the-go artists specializing in pro audio, video editing et al.

i'm not going to waste my time trying to reason why the mba is an ultraportable; simply put, you and i have differing definitions as to what constitutes an ultraportable and we'll never arrive at an agreeable conclusion. if you can explain how my ibm x31 is more ultraportable than my mba -- after all, it has a smaller footprint -- i will stop using the ultraportable moniker.

So, you're saying that neither the 12 inch PB or the MB is a "laptop"?? You do realise that the MBA has almost the exact same footprint as the MB, and is much bigger than the 12 inch PB, right?
Your statement is simply nonsensical: What makes the MBA more of a "laptop" than the 12" PB? Don't give me weight, as that really shouldn't matter much, when talking about it sitting on your lap.

selective quoting, i see. taken by itself, that statement is nonsensical. however, had you quoted the entire post you would understand how the mba makes it more of a laptop than the mb or 12" pb -- heat. this is why the term "notebook" has been more widely accepted in defining a portable computer, regardless of form factor.

 

[Tosser]

"professional" was the wrong word choice regarding the mbp; fine, you win that argument. what i meant to argue was the mbp is for on-the-go artists specializing in pro audio, video editing et al.

Actually, that wasn't the problem. I was wondering howcome you tossed the MBP in there.

i'm not going to waste my time trying to reason why the mba is an ultraportable; simply put, you and i have differing definitions as to what constitutes an ultraportable and we'll never arrive at an agreeable conclusion.

What a cop out. While we're at it, why not call the PB 12" "pocketable". It's in the same league. "Ultra" is quite a bit more portable than "very portable" or even "super portable".

if you can explain how my ibm x31 is more ultraportable than my mba -- after all, it has a smaller footprint -- i will stop using the ultraportable moniker.

Actually, I don't consider that one an ultrportable either It's borderline "just a small laptop".

selective quoting, i see. taken by itself, that statement is nonsensical. however, had you quoted the entire post you would understand how the mba makes it more of a laptop than the mb or 12" pb -- heat. this is why the term "notebook" has been more widely accepted in defining a portable computer, regardless of form factor.

Selective? That smacks of "twisting words". However, I did no such thing. On the contrary, I even quoted more than necessary
But you're right, so let's take a look:

The entire post from your hand looks like this:

strong words, my friend. taking the mba out of the context of its market. we could debate all day about what market the mba is for, but the fact of the matter is that the mb is for mainstream users, whereas the mbp is for the on-the-go professional or for those who simply "want to have it all." a simple google search for "ultraportable" yields notebooks in excess of $2000; not worth the money? in its context, the mba is certainly worth the money. you could argue for the eeepc, which also classifies as an ultraportable. but show me an ultraportable that doesn't sacrifice the keyboard, that doesn't generate heat in the worst of places, and that doesn't sacrifice productivity; and i'll show you an mba.

to beat a dead horse, it's all relative. it cost me an extra $600 to have something that puts the lap back in laptop. a macbook (or even the 12" pb) certainly could not step up to that challenge.

just my two cents

If you notice, there are two paragraphs (well, three, but the last one is just toppings).
In the post of which you accuse me of being "selective" I first responded to your first paragraph, and after that responded to your second.

Further, when someone says "it brings the lap back in the laptop", that surely must mean, that the other's weren't "laptops", that you somehow consider them as "non-laptops". And when questioned as to why that is, you accuse the questioner of being "selective".

Frankly, I think you're intellectual dishonest.

 

[netdog]

Well, I finally checked out the MBA. I am not that impressed with it. First off it is the same size as the MB, thinner yes, but this the same size. Too be honest I didn't even notice that much of a difference in the weight when I carried it in a bag.

Now for what I liked. Sexy as hell, nice display, actually not that slow, like the trackpad.

It really isn't as advertised as an ultraportable, it is not worth the money, the blackbook (which sat beside it) had the same profile and occupied the same amount of desk space.

I would buy a blackbook any day over this thing. Its not worth the money ..

Just my 2 cents.

It's not for everyone. Between the MBP, MB and MBA, however, a huge number of people have a choice that really does suit their needs. The MacBook definitely offers some things that the MBA doesn't, and hence will meet some users' needs better. Same can be said for the MacBook Pro versus both the MB and MBA.

 

[diabolic]

Sexy as hell, nice display, actually not that slow, like the trackpad.

That's actually pretty positive based on how predisposed you were to hating it based on all your previous posts.

 

[cedar]

I think too much is being made of what an MBA is not. I personally think that it is a brilliant strategy of Apple to present a sexy, high visibility product, with lots of slick, appealing advertising, to a market segment who has never looked at Apple products. Sure, it's a small market segment, but it's also an affluent one. Baby-boomers, corporate executives, coffee-shop haunters, it has some appeal to all. And most of all, it gets people into the store where there is a whole array of other products that this market segment might latch onto.

 

[Consultant]

Well, I finally checked out the MBA. I am not that impressed with it. First off it is the same size as the MB, thinner yes, but this the same size. Too be honest I didn't even notice that much of a difference in the weight when I carried it in a bag.

Now for what I liked. Sexy as hell, nice display, actually not that slow, like the trackpad.

It really isn't as advertised as an ultraportable, it is not worth the money, the blackbook (which sat beside it) had the same profile and occupied the same amount of desk space.

I would buy a blackbook any day over this thing. Its not worth the money ..

Just my 2 cents.

Well other people liked it, even some who said they will not be getting MBA changed their mind:
http://barefeats.com/macair.html

 

[instant hit]

Frankly, I think you're intellectual dishonest.

thanks for the ad hominem. i was hoping for a more productive discussion but based on your posting habits you always want to be right. but i'm not going to play that game. last word.

 

[Tosser]

thanks for the ad hominem. i was hoping for a more productive discussion but based on your posting habits you always want to be right. but i'm not going to play that game. last word.

Haha, not only do you whine over a claimed ad hominum, you go on to completely ignoring the rest of the post where your earlier claims were challenged and found to not not hold water water. And after that, you come up with a further unsubstantiated claim, that I always want to be right.

You accuse me of being "selective" in my quoting, insinuating I twist words, and when showed otherwise, you choose to select a single sentence, ignoring any and all arguments in the post, focusing on and whining about one sentence. A sentence which must be the conclusion to someone using strawmen, and denying what was said, while all the while fighting hard in an effort not to be countered on his claims. That to me is indeed intelectual dishonesty.

Besides, I think you should look "ad hominem" up, and after that you should look up "intellectual dishonesty". When stating a behaviour is intellectual dishonest, that can hardly be said to be an AH. I guess you have to act like a victim though –*otherwise you have to use actual arguments.

Life's a bitch, but come now, surely, you can dodge better than that?

 

[-hh]

To the OP, to each his own.

For those who need a lightweight capable laptop, the MBA fits the bill. Most business folks that I know carry papers so the MBA is the perfect size footprint wise, and the thinness is nice.

Well said. Once a laptop is roughly 8.5" x 11", it doesn't need to be smaller in these dimensions. To go 'smaller', the key benefits are then its thickness and its weight.


I'm one of those 'business folks' (although stuck with Windows), and I spend a lot of time slogging through airports, trains, etc. I can see clear value in the ability to travel light & fast, although I do have to say that this is not necessarily universally recognized by all consumers.

For example, on my trip (which was just last week; my first one to Europe this year ... I had eight such trips in 2007), I had a coworker with me who is still clueless. Despite this only being a trip for a 2 day meeting, their bag was so weighed down that they couldn't hussle down an empty escalator to save the ~20 seconds needed to be able to catch the train departing from the airport. Thus, we ended up cooling our heels and wasting 20 minutes waiting for the next departure...and even then, nearly missed it AGAIN because their overstuffed rolling bag was so heavy, she couldn't lift it up a foot to get it onto the train's staircase step...it reminded me of the old Daleks joke where the robots are defeated (Dr Who reference...they can't do stairs).

In real world travel, every pound starts to add up in how it slows you down. Consequently, I no longer carry a spare battery pack for my laptop - - so much for the MBA's debates on 'non-user-replacable'. FWIW, for some overnight trips, I won't even pack a set of shoes...I'll have just the ones I'm wearing.


Thus for me, it all comes down to a basic question: when I'm out on the road, what am I willing to sacrifice (do without) for the benefit of being able to get around easier, including sometimes being able to make it home to my family sooner?

I doubt that there is a cut & dry answer, since we're all different with different priorities. But I will say that based on my personal travel experiences, that when you get out there and are moving up and down staircases on mass transit systems ... and with your carry-on bag hooked on your shoulder too ... the weight of stuff becomes quite important, because wheeled bags (and wheeled briefcases) are no longer an asset, but a liability.

The problem is that in the USA, this is very easy to overlook because the classical paradigm of many US businessmen is that they merely need to roll themselves (& their stuff) from the gate out to the rental car bus, where they'll pour themselves into a rental car and toss the bag into the trunk. As such, it is very easy to "load up" on extraneous junk (that rarely gets used) and not have to worry the reprocussions. These individuals often get a very rude awakening on their first trip where there's no rental car. Some learn ... and some never learn.

For me, I travel light. I've done 2 weeks on the road out of one carry-on bag, with a messenger bag for the laptop & paper files. Over the years, I know that this approach has saved me hundreds and hundreds of hours; the most recent example being this past September, where I was able to recover from a flight delay to hop an alternate flight with <5 minutes to spare, whereas if I hadn't, instead of arriving home 3 hours late, I would have been stuck overseas for an extra 2-3 DAYS until there would have been room on another homeward bound flight.


-hh