First Look at the MacBook Air

[Mackan]

Hm, I don't think this machine will be a big success. Just too little for that price tag.

 

[elgruga]

The chief competitor of the MBAir is the Sony TZ series. Compare where the TZ is priced at and and what you get vs. the MBAir.

Its about the same price. Actually cheaper than the SSD version of the MBA.

You get a lot more stuff, too.
Pity it doesnt run OSX.

 

[matthuds]

Enough about the Air!

Ok we have all hear loads about the new MacBook Air but as it seems designed more for style rather than function, what i want to know is when will the MacBook Pros be updated?? i am kinda new to the Mac game, anyone have an idea of the time between upgrades? And are Air features like the touchpad likely to be incorporated?

 

[kaisdaddy]

Am I the only one...

...who is reminded of the old clamshell iBooks? Sure, it's thinner and sexier (and pricier). I guess it's the size of the bezel that gets me.

BTW, I'll probably pick one up for my wife when the price comes down just a wee bit.

 

[rockosmodurnlif]

Ok we have all hear loads about the new MacBook Air but as it seems designed more for style rather than function, what i want to know is when will the MacBook Pros be updated?? i am kinda new to the Mac game, anyone have an idea of the time between upgrades? And are Air features like the touchpad likely to be incorporated?

As good a guess as any: http://guides.macrumors.com/MacBook_Pro_Buyer's_Guide

 

[pepechin]

Apple is not going to make a stupid tower. Get over it.

Maybe you and Apple are the stupids, a mid range tower would sell more than any other desktop mac

 

[jhtrico1850]

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4099
It might not be as sexy, but just a pound more, 14.1", includes a DVD burner, etc etc...

Come on Apple...

http://www.engadget.com/tag/lifebook/

Similar wonders...

 

[queshy]

Wow, I'm surprised by all of the negative feedback. I think a lot of you are forgetting who the target audience is for this notebook.

There are 3 things that would kind of bother me about this laptop:
1) glossy screen - I prefer matte
2) it's going to be a pain in the a** to have to send this away to apple to get the battery changed...
3) more expensive than I'd like.

Aside from that, I think the machine is a real accomplishment. They shouldn't make the SSD so expensive. You can buy a whole other laptop for the price of upgrading to the SSD!

To be frank, the MBA would be a better choice for me than the MacBook Pro. I use it for school stuff - I should have gotten the MacBook, but the glossy screen bothered me, and the weight difference between the MacBook and the MacBook Pro is negligible. I hardly ever use the optical drive on my MacBook Pro. At the time though, it seemed like a much better value than the MacBook so that's why I went with it. Now, for $300 less, the MBA would have been able to fulfill my needs (mostly).

I think it will do very well, but I'll have to read the reviews first...

 

[NYCMacFan]

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4099
It might not be as sexy, but just a pound more, 14.1", includes a DVD burner, etc etc...

Come on Apple...

http://www.engadget.com/tag/lifebook/

Similar wonders...

Pretty ugly actually. I'd compare to Toshiba or Panasonic.

Without the optical drive the lifebook is 3.7lbs. So you get more ports and 1inch of screen space for .7lbs. Personally, I'd prefer the weight savings.

NOTE that the Lifebooks 14INCH WIDESCREEN is NARROWER than Apple's MBA. What's up with that Apple? (Does the LED require more side space or something? Did we really add an inch on either side just so you could taper it for a cool look? Irritating...

Processor for lifebook is: Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.20GHz, 4MB L2, 800MHz FSB with 64-bit

 

[killerrobot]

The chief competitor of the MBAir is the Sony TZ series. Compare where the TZ is priced at and and what you get vs. the MBAir.

It's the main competitor because Apple says it is?

Hmmm... if I want to compare my new computer to someone else's, I'm gonna make sure I don't pick the best out there so that mine looks better. I sure wouldn't compare it to what people were expecting it to be.

EDIT: Not saying this is the best out there, but I'd definitely buy it over the Air.

 

[Deanster]

Y'all crack me up. "MBA's ONLY feature is thin-ness! NOBODY buys things just because they're thinner! CERTAINLY nobody would PAY EXTRA for thin-ness!"

You might remember a little product called 'RAZR'? Perhaps the worst software on a mobile device in history, OK RF performance, and with a strong tendency to fall apart after a few months.

Only the MOST SUCCESSFUL mobile product in history. Sold at a premium price for two years, widely copied, and then eventually made its way into the bargain basement.

But RAZR2 is now for sale, and what are they promoting about it? THIN!!

apologies for yelling, but the 'it's only thin!' argument is making me crazazy!

 

[redison]

Did Steve look sick to you?

Steves Keynote was awesome, a change from last year when all the attention was on the iPhone.
Reminds me of 2004 and 2003 and 2002!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

However:

In the keynote ? He looks thin, (his face) your Impressions:?

 

[havand]

Most people on this forum seem to be young professionals. Many of you are complaining that the MBA isn't for you (although the degree might be). You all are overlooking the fact that there are millions of people out there who need exactly this product: the students of the world.

I am a college student who needs a new laptop. I carry around a backpack everyday with books and whatnot so my laptop has to easily fit in the backpack. So I was going to go with the MB until today; now I have a difficult decision to make. Many of you are overlooking the fact that the thinness really does matter. A smaller footprint doesn't really make it easier to fit in a backpack, but a thinner laptop means I can fit more stuff in the same space. In fact, I like the size of the MB's footprint.

And just to address all the other "negatives" of the Macbook Air.....The lack of optical drive isn't too important. I'll spend the $100 for the external one. Only having one USB is fine for my needs. I'll get an adapter if I find I need it. Firewire-don't need it. It won't perform like the MBP and I don't need it to. The inability to upgrade the RAM and batter are a little concerning. I can address those issues in a year or two though.

So here's the real decision breaker for me....the speaker. I'm not looking for much, but I still need to be able to hear sounds on the web and the occasional song on itunes. I mean nothing is better than checking out Youtube on a 15 minute study break. I don't want to have to connect earphones all the time. I need to see one in a retail store and play around with the sound before deciding if it would be sufficient.

And the consensus is.......I'll wait to see one in a retail store to be sure, but......I will probably be the proud new owner of a Macbook Air.

I'm not criticizing, but I feel if that is their intended market, they missed, by a lot. Having just graduated college, I would not pay $1800 for what I could essentially get for $1000. Maybe you CAN afford that while going to school, but I just could not justify it without substantial income. If that is the market they were trying to hit, they should have done a thin tablet or a smaller form factor computer. What real incentive would a college student have for buying this over a m1330 from Dell for substantially less? (from a cost to returns perspective)

 

[Lonon]

What percentage of people (college kids, etc.)
- Buy an extra battery?
- Replace their internal hard disk, RAM, etc?
- Even know what an ethernet cable looks like?

I don't think these things even register to most people. Sure some of you might "need" these things, but most don't. That's why Apple offers different models to suit different needs.

Just sayin'

Common sense entered the room.

 

[elgruga]

Y'all crack me up. "MBA's ONLY feature is thin-ness! NOBODY buys things just because they're thinner! CERTAINLY nobody would PAY EXTRA for thin-ness!"

You might remember a little product called 'RAZR'? Perhaps the worst software on a mobile device in history, OK RF performance, and with a strong tendency to fall apart after a few months.

Only the MOST SUCCESSFUL mobile product in history. Sold at a premium price for two years, widely copied, and then eventually made its way into the bargain basement.

But RAZR2 is now for sale, and what are they promoting about it? THIN!!

apologies for yelling, but the 'it's only thin!' argument is making me crazazy!

As one of the 'THIN is bad' people here, I kinda agree with you.

Thing is, time went by and the iPhone obliterated the Razr.
So I guess many people expected the MBA to obliterate the opposition, like the Vaio or whatever, but it doesnt look as if it has the cojones.

Too thin, I guess.

 

[azentropy]

Apple is not going to make a stupid tower. Get over it.

or a true sub notebook it seems....

 

[dgdosen]

Me Too!

I'll just keep my 12" Powerbook, thanks but no thanks steve....

Me too! I've got two Apple notebooks - My MBP for work, and my old 12" PB - which is pretty maxed out (7200 RPM HD, 1.25 MB Ram) - but this thing runs Leopard just fine, and is extremely portable. One of the ways Apple should have looked at portability is footprint for a coach airline seat. I'm sure the new MBA is still to big to be used comfortably.

Long live the 12" PB!

 

[macenforcer]

Common sense entered the room.

I don't think you two are in the common sense room but rather are in the opposite one.

 

[El Magnificante]

Beautiful design but far, far too expensive in the North American (United States) market. I won't be buying.

Where's the MPB update!!???

 

[sbaik]

from an insider

-sir we don't have a space for firewire
-"no problem"
-sir we don't have a place for wired network
-"skip it"
-sir we have a problem with the battery
-"put it inside"
-sir can't let people get into the ram
-"..they don't need to"
-sir the optical drive is too big
-"excellent..they will buy an external one"
-sir we have only a space for one usb
-"mmm..I think its more then enough"
-sir we run out of silver keys
-"put black...no one will notice"

 

[fewture]

Why are people so convinced that a quarter inch thinner and 2 lbs makes it so much more portable? Overall I am pretty disappointed. No one will buy this thing- yea its awesome but its awesome in that sort of "wow thats awesome" kinda way. I guarantee people will walk by the store, say holy S thats awesome and then keep walking because no one in their right mind would ever want to drop so many features just to save a little less than an inch in thickness. Unless you really need to look that cool at the coffee shop. This has to be some sort of novelty attention getter for Apple. There is no way they actually could expect this to be a hit.

Totally agree - this thing looks wow, but its not something I want to do my computing with -
I don't really care if its thin - its still 13" - and its shaved a whole bunch of things which you expect to have with you with a laptop.

Its more of rich person's toy than anything else. Something cute to surf the internet on, on the coffee table or at the cafe. Its way too image driven.

Personally, I am not into the design either, too curvy.
Holding out for the revised MBP.

 

[Lonon]

Is this a joke? I mean seriously! You might as well just buy a PDA and save yourself $2k!!

I can live with all the limitations (which are quite a few) except for the no optical drive art! What the hell were they thinking!! Just because your on a "business trip" doesnt mean that you wont need an optical drive!

What if u get to your destination and go in the meeting room and your boss has a cd full of a bunch of figures he wants you to analyze?? Thats great for you people that supposedly never use the optical drive, but what about all the rest of us? Were not at the stage where we can use USB for everything.

Apple covers that problem. It's called a Macbook. Buy one and be happy.

 

[Lonon]

What am I to do if I want to hard wire to the net instead of using wifi and also need to use an usb accessible device, like say my optical drive!

You can buy another portable. Maybe, oh I don't know... A Macbook?

 

[dgdosen]

What they really need...

Instead of the MBA, I'd rather have:

- The Apple MID

- something like a multi-touch mac tablet
-- "Docking" station (or a stand) for home use that connects keyboard, mouse, optical drive
-- screen/guts easily picked for on the go usage
-- screen uses multitouch
-- screen can display keyboard, if needed
-- instant on capabilities of the iPhone
-- size - about the size of a folded up piece of notebook paper. That makes the need to type with thumbs pretty manageable. This is the size of my old Franklin Planner, which I used to carry everywhere, and would do the same with this new device.
-- runs the complete Leopard OS


Wait till SSD drive prices come down and sell it for $1300

 

[Lonon]

It's gaining momentum yet Apple strips it from it's premier media players (and now computers)? That's a laugh. Firewire isn't dead by any means, especially since a fair amount of cameras and hard drives still use it, but i fail to see how it is gaining momentum.

That makes two of us.