First Look at the MacBook Air

[JDOG_]

hey it's me...

Hah, that's me in half those pictures (blue coat) What a small world.

I've got my set (from the other side of these) on Flickr.

 

[Lonon]

Data recovery if the drive dies?

How are you supposed to recover data from it?

I mean what happens when the drive dies?
You lose your data or what?

 

[joseph2166]

The more and more I look at it the less I like it.

Then DON'T look at it. Nobody's forcing you to buy it, use it, or even LOOK at it. Apple made something which isn't for you - deal with it.

 

[Lintott]

MBAir will be a failure for Apple. Hopefully they will learn though and next one will be better. Looking forward to it!

And yes, the stock price are falling due to the reception of this product. Will go up again in a few days when they realise the iPhone is still outstanding.

I might still have bought this though if it was not for the REFLECTIVE screen. Dont like the UFO look either. Something like you would expect from Hewlett Packard...

Is that a Mac Book Air under your arm?
- Yes
What's in the bag?
- Oh, that's just a USB port replicator, a USB network cable port, power transformer, power cable and an optical drive.

 

[Jphillippe]

No, it is meant for people who ALREADY have a computer at home or the office but also want at laptop.

Yes this is perfect for those, but when you look at the price not really. The macbook air is great and it has its target consumer, but its overpriced for what you are getting. If portability is such an issue, get an iphone.

 

[zoozx]

Disappointing to say the least. Pass.

 

[Jphillippe]

MBAir will be a failure for Apple. Hopefully they will learn though and next one will be better. Looking forward to it!

And yes, the stock price are falling due to the reception of this product. Will go up again in a few days when they realise the iPhone is still outstanding.

I might still have bought this though if it was not for the REFLECTIVE screen. Dont like the UFO look either. Something like you would expect from Hewlett Packard...

Is that a Mac Book Air under your arm?
- Yes
What's in the bag?
- Oh, that's just a USB port replicator, a USB network cable port, power transformer, power cable and an optical drive.

lol the end there made me laugh hysterically.

 

[emotion]

Wow, there are a lot of whining crybabies here. I am starting to think most of you are paid by Sony and Microsoft (etc.) to create FUD.

This made me LOL.

You do know what FUD means don't you (ie. there's none in this thread).

All people are doing is expressing an initial impression. Nowt wrong with that.

I think this is a design statement more than a serious product (like the cube and the 20th anniv machines). It's purpose is to get us used to a few new design features before the MBP and then MB are next updated.

 

[Mike Teezie]

Some are Personally the black keyboard is a bit jarring to me

Same to me. I like the machine, I really do. It's totally not for me, but people have been clamoring for an ultra-thin portable.

Here's a quick n' dirty PS mockup of what same color keys would look like. I think it looks much better, more Apple.

 

[Bubbasteve]

I'm fine with absolutely everything the Macbook Air has to offer except for the price --

The potential is very high IMO but they just have to drop the damn price down
-- I don't see anything internally or externally about this machine that justifies the price tag -- If this product were marketed more aggressively (i.e. priced at or around $1,200) it would certainly sell like hot cakes

 

[Lonon]

how can a site devoted to mac computers have soooo many people on complaining about an awesome new technology that we've just been introduced to??

so it's not YOUR perfect machine for everything YOU want to do. get over yourselves.

it's thin, it's fun, and it's revolutionary.

lets just enjoy it!

++

 

[HOTROD]

I'm getting really sick of Apple and more specifically Jobs' shenanigans. They are more marketing then anything else now a days.
Heck where is 10.5.2 I refuse to install OS X back on my system until they fix the dang WIFI in Leopard.

Yeah, I hope that the wifi works on this one. I am using Vista on my otherwise brick of an iMac 2.8, cus Apple won't even admit that Leopard is flawed with regards to wifi.

 

[FoxyKaye]

And yes, the stock price are falling due to the reception of this product. Will go up again in a few days when they realise the iPhone is still outstanding.

1) Apple's stock falls every year after MW, and usually after every major Apple announcement.
2) If you haven't looked recently, the ENTIRE Dow Jones is down today, along with the NASDEQ and S&P 500. We're entering a recession, stocks usually fall when this happens.
3) You could always buy Dell stock, they're doing swimmingly lately.

 

[badNameErr]

-- I don't see anything internally or externally about this machine that justifies the price tag --

Two words: Build quality. The build quality of this is much higher than that of the MacBook.

 

[CommodityFetish]

Not what I was waiting for...

Looks like the clamshell is back!

I was really looking forward to this, but this is NOT the machine I want to replace my Powerbook. They could've made a lighter machine without the optical drive that doesn't sacrifice on the basic features of a MB.

I hope Apple will make their headlines with the "thinnest ever" (who cares?) and feel innovative for not having an optical drive, etc... and then get busy offering the option of not carrying around the weight of an unused optical drive to those who don't have $1800 to spend on being the thinnest on the planet.

When do macbooks update? April or May? And MBP's before that no doubt. Here's hoping...

Here's my line-item review for what it's worth:

PROS:
Lighter weight
No internal optical drive
External optical drive option
Software to use another computer's optical drive

NEUTRAL:
ethernet via USB $30
screen size is fine
remote is extra $20

CONS:
price is way too much
mono speaker
slower processor
smaller hard drive
non-upgradeable RAM
non-user-accessible battery
glossy screen - no matte option
no firewire
no audio in (I guess you could use USB adapter?)


I will trade "thinness" any day for a few of these features found in every macbook. Light weight is what's important, and it doesn't require these sacrifices they made for Thin.

 

[Cloudane]

I, like many, was looking for something to replace my 12" powerbook. This is not it. Not even close.

Indeed. I'm thinking, that in some ways (especially now that I have an iMac for my "fast Mac" needs) I actually prefer my 12" powerbook, due to its extra ports, Ethernet socket, firewire and replaceable parts (esp. battery and HDD)

I'm not bashing the MBA, I think it's a very exciting product but I don't think it's for me. In fact I have to wonder just who it *is* for. It's a very high price to pay (money and features) to lose ~half an inch of thickness.

 

[killmoms]

Yeah, I hope that the wifi works on this one. I am using Vista on my otherwise brick of an iMac 2.8, cus Apple won't even admit that Leopard is flawed with regards to wifi.

What is up with this whole WiFi thing? I've had a PowerBook, Mac Pro, and MacBook Pro all with Leopard and none have had any problems with my Airport Extreme WiFi network.

As for the rest of this thread, well... Thread 500.

 

[havand]

OK, this thread proves there's just no pleasing people. No matter what.

It's like you want everything that the big notebooks have, but be smaller without compromising anything.

You're like an old lady at the check-out at a grocery store that buys $200 worth of groceries and tell the guy "I want it all put into one bag...and I don't want it to be heavy".

What? The problem is they chose to drop 'everything' that the big notebooks have, except for the screen and the size. The 2 very things you WANT dropped. People, I think, would be more willing to accept it if they had reduced it's size and screen quite a bit. Perhaps a 10" would have been ideal

 

[jag0009]

Macbook Air Keyboard

Same to me. I like the machine, I really do. It's totally not for me, but people have been clamoring for an ultra-thin portable.

Here's a quick n' dirty PS mockup of what same color keys would look like. I think it looks much better, more Apple.

Now we are talking

 

[uNext]

1) Apple's stock falls every year after MW, and usually after every major Apple announcement.
2) If you haven't looked recently, the ENTIRE Dow Jones is down today, along with the NASDEQ and S&P 500. We're entering a recession, stocks usually fall when this happens.
3) You could always buy Dell stock, they're doing swimmingly lately.

Lol@ the dell comment.

Do you think apple got a memo saying that we are entering recession
and that just maybe people will rather have their 1800-3k on the bank during the critical financial times we will be facing?

I think if they did they would have done better with pricing.
The funny thing is that theres some people out there that have no idea of what is ahead financially or they dont care for it as long as they have a shiny new ultra thin laptop.... hey wait a minute that might be apples target market.

 

[CommodityFetish]

Oops, I guess I forgot the multitouch pad, shows how much it matters to me. No doubt it will be in all their notebooks soon enough.

PRO:
multi-touch trackpad

 

[thejadedmonkey]

This picture for me, demonstrates the MBA's less than stellar footprint.

QFE.

Maybe if they had called it the MBP 13", targeted at professionals who live in board meetings.. but calling it a whole new product line just isn't right.

Note: Macbook Air Applecare is the same as the Macbook Applecare.

Looks like I'll be looking at a MB or M1330 now

 

[Bubbasteve]

Two words: Build quality. The build quality of this is much higher than that of the MacBook.

I respect your ideas but you're trying to tell me that the build quality is worth the extra $700 vs. a baseline macbook?

 

[Jphillippe]

Ok, this macbook air has some good points and bad points, but there's one very large glaring problem. It seems to have such a narrow target market. Lets look at some of the possible people that would consider this laptop:

-Techie on the move- No external drive isnt a huge deal for this person, they use a lot of USB drives and when necessary can either use a cd emulation using a disk image, or just plug into one of the USB CD drives they already have. However the "techie" will most likely want built in ethernet for connectivity because frankly ethernet has numerous advantages over wireless connections, especially if you're dealing with latency diagnostics. Also keep in mind that the footprint is HARDLY ultraportable, i'd lug around my "heavy" 4 pound Dell x300 over this any day because of it's smaller footprint.

-Ordinary College student- Yes it will fill their computing needs, basic flash drive in the one USB port, external drive if in their dorm room, can play music, surf the net, and plugs in in the classroom, or can run off a single battery if in a coffee house or other place where they might not have a power plug. But price? Unless you're a student having your parents pay for a private education, odds are that you're not going to be able to afford this little puppy.

-Computer power user- Non replaceable ram, no ability for extra battery, small(ish) default hard drive, no firewire, single USB port, certainly not the ideal customer.

-trendy person that always wants the newest thing- Ahhh here i think we've found our most likely market. this person may not care about no firewire, or single usb port, or wireless only, not being able to play games at a decent rate, will most likely replace the macbook air before needing more hard drive space or ram. Price point is not really an issue as it's considered part of the package when you're on the leading edge of tech. Yes i see this being the laptop for them.

-gamer- Uhh no

-business traveler- perhaps another likely market due to companies paying for computers a lot of times, and the weight is very appealing. However lack of being able to swap an extra battery in for long periods of time without charging, a webcam (which some companies ban due to corporate secrets and proprietary information). This market probably won't be too bad, however i still think that seeing as how a large portion of businesses still rely on PC's, the market may not be as big as to warrant all these shortfalls for other markets.

I myself love ultralight computers, i have a Dell x300, a Dell 700m, a Nokia N800, a Palm Treo 700w, and i used to own a Dell 300m. I've fallen in love with many ultralights from the C1 picturebook, to the OQO. However i even have to admit that for the given price point, the Macbook Air makes too many compromises for the simple goal of slimming it down. The 12 inch powerbook is the PERFECT form factor to allow full sets of features in a portable yet stylish case. Take the 12 inch powerbook chassis, change the screen to LED backlit, create lit keys, change the slot loading dvd or cd drive to a DVD burner, reduce the hard drive to a 1.8 mm instead of 2.5, install the new intel chip, add 802.11n, give the option of the SSD, perhaps even blu-ray for a large premium. 2 USB 2.1 ports, firewire 400, mini dvi connector, magsafe power connector, and magnetic lid clasp. THIS would be perfect! The 1.8mm hard drive might allow a slightly larger capacity battery, or even if not, a 12 inch or 13 inch LED backlit screen should be able to power it for 3.5-5 hours depending on optical and wireless usage.

The removable hard drive would more than make up for any shortage in battery life. Heck perhaps even make the DVD burner modular and give the option for a second battery, or a blank to save weight. I think that this type of laptop would appeal to a HUGE array of markets. Heck, you could charge the full $1800 for this, not have to make intense design changes, and STILL come in at budget. My guess is that the chassis design alone cost apple an arm and a leg in development, when they had a perfectly elegant form factor already designed.

This is how i see it, when the iPhone came out, people were either in shock at how nice it was, or thought that it was an expensive luxury. The difference here with the Macbook Air is that people are again either in shock at how nice and thin this laptop is, OR thought that it was an "OVERPRICED" luxury. Don't get me wrong the iPhone may be a little on the expensive side, but it's a fantastic piece of beautifully crafted hardware. The Macbook Air in my opinion has all the glitz, non of the features, and an incredibly high price tag.

People are only willing to pay so much of a premium for style and ultra portability, i think Apple overshot this by a wide margin, and i think in the end, it's not going to be a good decision. But who knows, i could be wrong.

I couldn't agree more with what you said, there is a limit oto style and portability vs. performance, and I think the line has been reached here with the price tag, we'll see! I'm expecting this price to drop dramatically like the iphone 8gb became only $400. I'm still praying for a 13" macbook pro to be released...someday, though your idea for "12" powerbook improved" is so much better...APPLE should hire you.

 

[Ubuntu]

I'm quite disappointed with Steve, I don't know why exactly, but it just feels like he's meant to be the good guy in all of this, and Gates is the bad one, but really, it feels like Steve's the one going for pure looks, sacrificing plenty in the process, and then charging us ridiculous amounts.

I don't know, it just seems oddz.