Doesn't the HDD eat up like 3.5 watts vs. an SSD with .5 watts. I thought it did save a few ounces. Tricky as it still comes in a 1.8 inch enclosure.
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First Look at the MacBook Air
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Doesn't the HDD eat up like 3.5 watts vs. an SSD with .5 watts. I thought it did save a few ounces. Tricky as it still comes in a 1.8 inch enclosure.
Also, the majority of women computer users are not so fixated on having the biggest most powerful penis-substitute for a computer as the guys are. I find that the number of guys on this forum who are loudly complaining about this laptop both before and after it was introduced, just boggles the mind.
The majority of them seem to start their argument with ...
"I usually run multiple copies of Aperture on my MacBook Pro and have half a terabyte of image files... "
or
"How am I supposed to compile my code while watching a DVD and encoding a video stream at the same time on this thing?"
Or some other oblique braggadocio about how powerful and fully spec-ed their MacBooks are and how they need even more!
Apparently if you are satisfied with your laptop and only use it for light office work or entertainment, you are not a "real" man.
Too bad, I was hoping for something in the 10" or less screen range, but I guess that's not going to happen now. It's pretty cool how thin they got that machine but otherwise overall as a product I can't see myself ever wanting something like that. Oh well.
Margin is always important for the reasons I've already outlined. I agree that Apple is successful, for now, because they've managed their bling very well. What I disagreed with was your statement that the MBA was reasonable priced. I disagree. I said the same thing about the iPhone and surprise, surprise, Apple dropped the price, not because of a decrease in production costs, but because of flagging sales.
AS for walking an ambitious path, I don't really think you can say that. I fear that Apple's arrogance and its love of all things bling that appeal to the paparazzi is leading it right down the same path that it walked in the late 80's/early 90's when it had the chance to make the MacOS the default on all
desktop computers. We all know how that turned out. Apple now has the chance to break into the mainstream. If it carefully crafts its margins and designs products with broad and affordable appeal, it stands a real chance of becoming a serious player in the computer market, not a the niche player that it is now. It's a simple matter of ecology, the specialists always evolve themselves into a dead end from which there is no recovery when the environment changes. The generalist lives to fight another day. I love Apple software and Apple products. I don't just want them to "walk a tightrope" in order to maintain outlandish profits ( not to mention their billions in the bank). I want them to crush Windows and the dull beige box mentality that pervades computing. Most people with pay a premium for good design, good software and computers that just work. Most, including myself, resent having to bend over for the privilege of being an Apple owner.
Huh? Are you searching for something to complain about?? Yeah, the sun might shine today. But I'm sure it's gonna rain tomorrow - or some day.
I agree with you there. I think this will be a lot more attractive offering in a year or two. I don't think adding any extra ports will matter that much. But in a year or two I would like to see a faster processor on a smaller dye, more Ram (3 or 4 Gb), a slightly smaller footprint (remove the space around the screen if possible), maybe touchscreen technology or possibly make it a convertible tablet, and most importantly a much less expensive option for a flash drive. (I doubt we will ever see a dedicated GPU in this form factor any time soon. Those that want it are just dreaming)
The main reason for the flash memory it is so much more durable than hard drives. I'm 26 and since my father works in the computer industry, I have had access to a computer at home for about 20 years. In that time, the part that has broken the most out of all of our computers are hard drives (probably about 4 or 5 of them). Sure it isn't a big deal to replace them or in this case wait 2 days or so for Apple to do it, but the lost productivity can be devastating if you need your computer at the time. Maybe I am just sensitive since I had a 2 year old HD based iPod go out and I vowed never to buy a HD based media player again.
Seems to me you are letting your (imagined) personal issues with Steve Jobs interfere with your reason here.
This reads like Eyore making another self-fulfilling prophecy to me, and buys into a lot of false Jobsian mythology to justify it.
Just because someone is paranoid doesn't mean people aren't still out to get him. Whether or not the poster has "issues" with Steve Jobs really has no bearing on the FACT that with Mr. Jobs it's always been "Do it my way or hit the highway." His mercurialness is well known and has been reported on in a variety of biographies and exposes (The Pirates of Silicon Valley; Steve Jobs the iCon; various press interviews with Steve Wozniak, and various oldtime Apple employees). The question really boils down to whether his imperiousness produces good products. Sometimes it does, Sometimes it doesn't. Personally, I think Jobs is a closet anorexic, how else to explain his obsession with thin and light at the questionable expense of every other product feature?
Hey if this had come out one year ago, I would have bought it instantly. I was still using a desktop and desperately needed a laptop for trips.
However, I bought a mbp instead, which turned into a desktop replacement. I still have a need for something lightweight though, so I am still part of the target demographic.
I can live without the ports, speakers, optical drive, even firewire. One usb is silly, but workable. But the battery is absurd. Though if someone at an Apple store can replace it, then I can too. I highly doubt anyone there has a higher skill set than me. But I shouldn't have to go to that trouble. And frankly, this thing needs to be about $1500, not $2000. Your talking about a marginal(in terms of power) SECONDARY computer. A dinghy.
bigger footprint bullcr*p
The MacBook Air is bigger by fractions of an inch (hundredths of an inch actually.)
OMG!
This has to be the lamest "dig" imaginable and I really wish people would just shut up about it.
Do people really think that someone is going to look at this thing and go "On Noze! it's 0.02 of an inch wider!?!!!" Is anyone going to *not* buy it because of that 0.02 inch difference?
The "bigger footprint" argument is insane IMO.
Please note that this comment is not directed at you personally, but this is the fiftieth time I have read this about the "bigger footprint" and I am really sick of it.
The MacBook Air is bigger by fractions of an inch (hundredths of an inch actually.)
OMG!
This has to be the lamest "dig" imaginable and I really wish people would just shut up about it.
Do people really think that someone is going to look at this thing and go "On Noze! it's 0.02 of an inch wider!?!!!" Is anyone going to *not* buy it because of that 0.02 inch difference?
The "bigger footprint" argument is insane IMO.
3rd Party Developers already make a USB Broadband card for connecting to the internet, I believe Sprint & T-Mobile makes it.
It would probably last you but in 4 years you probably would be ready for a change and want something more powerful. I went from a 12" Powerbook to a 20" iMac simply because I didn't use the portability and I got tired of limiting hard drive space and power and squinting at the screen. Now I am about ready to have a nice portable again since my girlfriend bought a 24" iMac recently...
If you decide to do this you should look at that Time Capsule product they released today or another brand of wireless network storage device. It isn't really overpriced at all since it would give you a fast wireless network in your dorm or apartment if you allowed to use one and a huge amount of storage space. It seems to complement the MBA quite nicely...
Why is everybody falling over the price? Went online to look for the prices of the sony's there even more expensive!! Don't look as nice and there specs aren't any better.
Face it people this machine is for people that don't care about burning DVD's (how many times do you burn dvd's or cd's when you're actually traveling? Besides burning stuff eats juice like gozilla eats people), don't care if visualhub takes longer to encode movies and don't do FCP.
They just want something thats really light, not to small, just something they can easily take with them.
It's a beautiful machine that's well thought out, I could see the battery thing coming from a mile away so that's no surprise either, and it will sell.
Again there are people out there that want something like this. Not me cause i'm still waiting on a new MBP.
Face it people this machine is for people that don't care about burning DVD's (how many times do you burn dvd's or cd's when you're actually traveling? Besides burning stuff eats juice like gozilla eats people), don't care if visualhub takes longer to encode movies and don't do FCP.
They just want something thats really light, not to small, just something they can easily take with them.
It's a beautiful machine that's well thought out, I could see the battery thing coming from a mile away so that's no surprise either, and it will sell.
Again there are people out there that want something like this. Not me cause i'm still waiting on a new MBP.
As to weight, it's highly doubtful there is any difference. The Samsung hard disk is just about as small as they can make these things. From the standpoint of dimensions, the 1.5 inch hard drive and the SSD Drive are about the same, although the SSD Drive may be a few grams lighter. Where there may be a difference is in battery life since there are no moving parts. But remember, the tiny hard disk is only spinning at 4500 rpm and the distance the heads have to travel to access data is significantly less than even a standard 2.5 inch standard notebook hard drive, which is already a power miser. One would think if ANY case could be made for the superiority of the SSD, Apple would have touted it to the Moon. The fact they didn't leads me to believe there isn't,. I don't think we'll have to wait too long to find out. Sites like Barefeats and Engadget will run them through their paces as soon as these puppies ship.
Please note that this comment is not directed at you personally, but this is the fiftieth time I have read this about the "bigger footprint" and I am really sick of it.
The MacBook Air is bigger by fractions of an inch (hundredths of an inch actually.)
OMG!
This has to be the lamest "dig" imaginable and I really wish people would just shut up about it.
Do people really think that someone is going to look at this thing and go "On Noze! it's 0.02 of an inch wider!?!!!" Is anyone going to *not* buy it because of that 0.02 inch difference?
The "bigger footprint" argument is insane IMO.
I disagree. I think the argument is completely reasonable. The footprint, in most cases, is what determines the portability of the laptop -- its what determines whether or not the thing fits in your bag. The thing is just as hard (or easy depending on your personal opinion) to carry around as the macbook. (unless you need to carry your laptop around in an envelope i guess) To me this thing is no more portable than the mb. And 1" is not too thick.
That doesn't make any sense. You responded to a comment about user base with a treatise on margins. It's irrelevant.
The facts speak for themselves. It's cheaper than comparable Fujitsu and Sony ultraportables, and clings toward the bottom of a market that calls for MacBook Pro pricing. Not only that, but it tends toward a better CPU and is by far the slimmest and smallest ultraportable with a full-sized keyboard I've ever seen. Don't be overly misled by the .76" part until you've seen it in person. The majority of the machine is under half an inch thick. That in itself is an unparalleled achievement, truly. It's not powerful enough for me, and I have no interest in buying one, but I can respect that feat.
It already has "broken into" the mainstream market. Replacing Microsoft is a poor metric of success not consistent with Apple's goals and posturing.
Niche player? Where have you been? Apple has been leading the pack for ages. Its profits, popularity, critical reception, and customer satisfaction outstrip the entire industry. By any measure but volume, other companies wish they could be Apple.
They have. If you're waiting for them to dethrone Microsoft and take over, you'll die with your wish unfulfilled.
If you see it that way, then maybe you should buy a PC. The price premium is not extreme in any case--bordering on nonexistent, in fact--and certainly doesn't call for such a crude and crass metaphor.
Wouldn't it make sense to announce the Penryn-based MBPs at Macworld? It doesn't make any sense to delay an announcement if they KNOW that they'll eventually release them this year.
Apple has screwed me. I'm still @ the community college, and I want an MBP. I don't want to wait until I transfer to a 4-year school...but, it might take Apple that long, or we'll never see it.
If someone does not need something with power, that is fine.
But seeing that the only Positive difference between this and a macbook pro is about $200 less and 2lbs in weight you have to ask yourself if its worth it.
For $200 less you get taken away the following:
1- graphics card (worse in the air book)
2- slower processor (1 point ghz anything is old...we should be in the 3+ now)
3- small harddrive (fills up fast)
4- no fire wire (how do I use my firewire dvd to put all my stuff on this computer
4a- I dont have wi-fi and this is dependent on it
5- battery locked in, cant swap out...you need to recharge
Again, as you put it, a woman, (or man for that matter,) may not need all of this. I agree...but why pay the same price, basically, as something (macbook pro)that does come with all of this. - point is price is way out of whack.
It truly is for the executive who says, "well its a wee bit cheaper, aint coming out of my pocket, and I only need text documents anyway..."
Thats blowing money...for most people in practicality, the 2lb difference doesnt matter if its that crippled compared to the next level up with the price point.
Dont know how to make it much clearer...it seems there are some people that dont get that its not about the thinness and the lightness...its not even about features, but that it lacks features at a price point that you can get something with more features at basically the same price. - why do it? Do you need a computer that can only handle text documents for $1800? Get a iphone and type emails and send them to yourself.
Peace
dAlen
p.s.
I can imagine the executive trying to show a presentation but not being able to hook it up..."oh, got this cool 'text' book", "let me see here"...Really, its about price.
Hopefully Apple doesn't raise the Macbook price with the refresh, dont think they can afford to though.
1: Not all companies are in bed with Apple. Some manufacturers HATE Apple, and refuse to work with them. Given this limitation, not ALL companies can make custom screens to fill out the screen.
2: A 160GB drive isn't feasable for a laptop -- the search times would be too slow, and the price too high. Wait a few years, guarantee that SSD will come down in price. I hear Apple is going to install a midget in each computer that will act as a hard drive. And when you want your processor to go faster, you whip the midget, and tell him to pedal harder. No offense to you midget readers!
I actually scan regularly for viruses and malware because I have windows partitions on my Intel macs. And contrary to popular belief, Mav OS X is not incorruptible. Firstly, mac hard drive fragment significantly ober time, and this includes the file table. Also the HPS+ file table information benefits greatly by being defragmented and rebuilt on a regular basis. Ever wonder why your programs launch like sky rockets after a new install but a few months later can take six, ten or even fifteen bounces? Ever wonder why data transfer rates slowly degrade over times between the same disks using the same protocols? Fragmentation, the former of the file table, the latter of your hard disks free space. I like my computers to run snappily because that way I get more work done.
And of course, there are plenty of times when a hard disk is bootable, but is misbehaving or acting up. Those situations require troubleshooting. Of course you can always take tour machine to Apple and "let them deal with it." But what if your computer is no longer under warranty? what if the Apple store is closed or is more than an hour's drive away as it is for significant numbers of Americans. My time is important to me and I don't particularly like it when a manufacturer makes a design change that suits the needs of the company and not the end user. I certainly don't like being told to "get over it" when the same company charges more money for less product in the expectation of raking in even more dough in labour costs because they effectively foreclose self help. If you're happy with that, sounds like the MBA is the perfect machine for. Enjoy, but don't call on your computer fixit friends for help when you're on the road and your MBA crashes and you've got a do or die presentation to make the next day and have no way to even troubleshoot your laptop. We won't take your call.
Speak for yourself only please.
I think we're ALL disappointed.
Look at the Pos/Neg rating. These Airs may do well, but it's only the ones that value portability over power/functionality.
Mac Book AIR = low point for Apple.
dAlen-
I would say that everything you list is a non-issue for people who don't care about the laptop being powerful... How powerful does it really need to be to run office documents, browse the internet, and view pictures and a few movies? The hard drive size can be supplemented by external ones like the wireless one they released today.
The 2 pounds difference is a big one though for those that already have a lot to carry in their daily travels. My bag is already overflowing with books and notes, I don't want any more weight than I have to have. From that point of view though, I might just get a Touch or iPhone since I rarely even need to look at Office documents as an Engineering student. This pretty much has the functionality of an iPod Touch with the ability to open documents on the road and it can be a bit expandable at home with external network drives...
I would say that everything you list is a non-issue for people who don't care about the laptop being powerful... How powerful does it really need to be to run office documents, browse the internet, and view pictures and a few movies? The hard drive size can be supplemented by external ones like the wireless one they released today.
The 2 pounds difference is a big one though for those that already have a lot to carry in their daily travels. My bag is already overflowing with books and notes, I don't want any more weight than I have to have. From that point of view though, I might just get a Touch or iPhone since I rarely even need to look at Office documents as an Engineering student. This pretty much has the functionality of an iPod Touch with the ability to open documents on the road and it can be a bit expandable at home with external network drives...