First Look at the MacBook Air

[emotion]

I just can't see Apple intentionally introducing a product they know is doomed to fail.

I didn't say it would fail. Just that their expectations can't be that high for massive sales of such a niche device.

As I say it will be a success if it informs our eye as to newer design cues. Don't forget Apple are a design house on some level too.

Did the MacBook suddenly become this huge behemoth of a machine? It's really not all that larger or heavier than the Air, it really isn't.

No argument from me. I have a C2D Macbook (it replaced my lovely 12" powerbooks).

 

[captain kaos]

1. Your assuming everyone has an Apple store close to them.
2. Your assuming "unlikely"... which isn't realistic.

What I find strange is that people didn't mind the non replaceable battery in the iPhone, yet, non replaceable batteries in the Air isn't good - despite having the exact same problems!!

I second that. My nearest is Oxford St, which is lovely to get to. Not! And I dont think its realistic that it wont fall over!

As for no replaceable batteries. Batteries are problem with me as at the moment all our gadgets are getting more sopificated but not the battery technology. We relaying on old technology to power these things and they will run out and start to not hold a charge. Until we come up with the next gen of batteries anything that says you have to send it back to the manufacture to replace it is not good! (downtime, delivery problems, etec, etc!)

 

[NC MacGuy]

Have you seen this feature or are you assuming?

It's a real feature. Take apples MBair "tour" and it clearly shows it.

 

[willdenow]

Intel innovated, Apple followed

I don't really care if no one buys it. What I am grateful is that Apple is pushing and challenging companies like INTEL to make smaller and smaller heat resistant chips….. to think the next iPhone could have the power of a Core Duo 2 ! That’s a good thing. Yes the Air is right out there but its advances in miniature technology will only benefit consumers in future products. Tech companies don’t make every product to have the same stellar success as the iPod. However they do have a responsibly to bring some products to the market which can be of use to some users but more importantly the technology being used in these “niche” products will be mainstream in 3 years time.

Your alternative is to get into a situation we had in the 90’s with the WINTEL collaboration where both companies slowly pushed out upgrades to software and hardware to which each required the other forcing continued upgrade process.

To think that if every band that produced music to reach the top 10 it would all sound the same. Thankfully there are some pioneers in the music industry who stray from their former formulae to success to make new and exciting music. These “new” styles and less commercially successful music is what the bands 10 years down the line try to copy - for mainstream success.

So the MacBook Air is not what everybody wants right now but in 3 years time we’ll be very thankful that the device came to market.

Dude, if you took the time to read the posts, you'd have read how Intel engineered and designed the ultralaptop that Apple released today on its own accord (The Intel Metro, which they released to public acclaim in the first quarter of 2007). Intel is interested in selling chips, they don't need Apple to "push" anything. Since the switch to Intel chips, Apple's engineering "skills" have largely gone into the pretty industrial design, NOT the heavy lifting involved in the design and construction of the internals, without which Aopple products would be mere shells. Apple largely abandoned its innovative engineering when it left the PowerPC consortium on hopped on the x86 bandwagon. If anyone is teat sucking, it's Apple on Intel's teat, not the other way round.

 

[Tosser]

If that happens, which is probably unlikely...you just go to your Apple Store and they will have to service or replace it.

Excellent! Especially considering not everyone has an Apple-store in their vicinity. Let alone in our country.

Here, if anything goes wrong, we have to call Apple (which is actually a call centre in Ireland, and if lucky we get a dane, otherwise we will have to speak english with the swede or norwegian over there, because they don't understand danish, weirdly enough). When that is done, you have to convince something is really, really wrong, and that it _has_ to be dealt with _under warranty_. With that done, they open a case. With that number in hand, you get to choose whether they pick the thing up (actually DHL picks it up), and while Apple prefer DHL to pick it up at your home address, in real life DHL prefer to pick it up at your work adress (they incorrectly assume that any- and everyone works in some cubicle at some office).

Now, if you're really insisting, you can make an "under-the table" deal to bring it in at an Apple retailer (not an Apple store, as we don't have such things here).

When you have done so, it will first go to a repair centre in Denmark, and after spending a day or two at that center (sometimes it takes weeks), they will check the computer and order the part gone bad. If on back order from Apple, it will take several weeks, and the service centre won't follow – you have to call the service centre and convince them to call Holland, Netherlands (where the spare parts enter Europe).

Then (Sigh!) when the sparepart comes to Denmark (in my case), they will try exchanging that exact part. In fact, you will be told that you computer is fixed. Yet, if it isn't, and you notice the minute you arrive (say it boots up funny, it doesn't work at all or anything else), you have to call apple to have them open up a new case number, and the circle is complete. This will happen at least three times in a row, untill Apple tries something else: Pull a microsoft on you, and tell you it's somehow your fault.

But it continues: If the Apple Service centre (it really just is some PC-shop that is paid to repair Apple's stuff) can't fix it, and you have to have another one, they'll ship it to the netherlands, and only when (if) the computer arrives in Holland, they will (maybe, they tend to forget) order a new one, that - not surprising, when it comes to Apple - willl be shipped from Taiwan.

When it does "arrive", you won't be there, as you will be working (remember, Apple insist on home adresses), and you will find a letter in the mail two days after DHL had been there, that you can the next day to make another "appointment". In the end, is much quicker to collect it yourself, even i you have to spend hours.


This may sound like a one-off, but has happened to me numerous times in about a year and a half with apple-products. And Apple Eww(!)rope's CS sucks. Plain and simple.

Now, what will you do if you're having a slight problem with the battery - say, it only lasts two hours? Are you suggesting that it's all fine and dandy to have to run the risk of Apple keeping your computer for perhaps more than a month?

And you wonder why people think this is a big deal to people - even when you consider how many battery recalls there have been worldwide (not only Apple, of course)?

The MBA is not an iPod (although …), and I doubt they will do the iPod "trick" and simply send you a new one – and if so, that present a whole newslew of problems with back up and set up.

 

[gnasher729]

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.

Really curious. What manufacturers do you know that _refuse_ to work with Apple?

 

[tremendous]

Apple never left me without a battery. They would send out the replacement first and you'd return the old one in the same box.

Also, taking the laptop to an Applestore isn't an option for some people. Despite the fact that I live within 3 miles of Apple's European Headquarters, there still isn't any Applestore in the country.

well there you go - it was even better than i expected (i never had to return a battery). Can't see them mailing you a complete laptop until yours is ready...

 

[headfuzz]

I second that. My nearest is Oxford St, which is lovely to get to. Not! And I dont think its realistic that it wont fall over!

FYI there is an Apple Store opening in Churchill Square Shopping Centre soon, not to mention the fact there is already Cancom on Queens Road, Solutions Inc on Old Shoreham Road in Hove and in Brighton Square in The Lanes, GAK Pro Audio in North Laine and Robert Harding in Sackville Road in Hove, all of whom are Apple Authorised Resellers and Service Centres. Short of places to buy new Macs or get existing ones fixed, we are not.

 

[willdenow]

Okay I am not going to even read your post after I read business center. Go to the home center where everyone including people for business shop because they have the best deal and you will see that default price. It is 1499. The dell is a better deal even if it was 2200. That is why dell owns the market share for computers. IT WILL BE LIKE THAT FOR A LONG LONG TIME! People are just not going to wake up and say wow, I really want a MBA with no cd drive, no speakers, no upgradeable battery that will lose have its charge in less than a year, soldered ram. Apple has gone to far. Expect big, and I mean Expect big criticism from every computer mag and no one will ever buy this. Unless if you are a MAC FAN BOY!!!! OMG i must have this....grow up please what are you 14? anyway I have a life I have to go run with my "real" friends! And I am not anti-mac and pc pro. I own a pc and I own a apple 30inch LCD waiting to be hooked up with a notebook. I am not some fan boy that goes and glorifies anyone unless you are extrempley honest and sucessful and there have been only three people to this date 1. President Turman 2 Carnegie 3 President Lincoln Steve jobs is no where near this list. He made this product, so you can use all of the other apple products, any dam moron with brains can figure this out, but you cant because you are a MAC FAN BOY! Get over your self! Yes I have high expectations, that is why I am a lawyer who makes a good salary and has supportive people around me. If I said well apple this is really good then my expectations wouldnt be so high now would it. SO FAR MAC PRO (WASTE OF MONEY GPU TOTALLY OUTDATED) NOW (MAC BOOK AIR PIECE OF GARBAGE) This wont be such as good year for apple

Fact of the matter is that you can get superior notebooks in the same size/weight class without the extreme loss of functionality for the same or substantially less cost. A lot of fanbois can't get past this because they don't want to admit to themselvews that they care more about how the hardware looks than how it operates. Sadly, this problem is rampant in our society ranging from our choices in prospective mates to our choice for president, and look where that lead us.

By the by, Mac OS X (Tiger and Leopard) can easily be installed on a Sony, Dell, Toshiba or any other laptop that uses standard Intel parts. Buy a copy of the OS, then get yourself to osx86project.org. You'll have the best of both worlds with BOTH the hardware and sodftware you want. (yes, I know its a violation of Apple's EULA but do you really think the software police are going to do a home invasion based on this!). Besides, you've paid Apple for the OS. If you're like me, you'll gladly buy Apple hardware when Papa Steve starts to let you decide how you want your hardware configured again. Don't be a lemming. THINK DIFFERENT!

 

[gnasher729]

When is the last time you defragmented or scanned for viruses and malware on a Mac? I know there may be a time when it is needed but right now it really isn't. The only time I have used a DVD to troubleshoot one of my Macs is when my hard drive died and I had to boot Disk Utility off of the install DVD to scan it. At this point, you could spend $80 on Alsoft's Disk Warrior or you could just take it into the Apple Store and let them deal with it.

One tip: When you buy a disk for use with Time Machine, make sure it has USB, add an 8 GB partition, and copy your Leopard install DVD onto that partition. That way, if anything goes wrong, you can just boot from your backup disk, even if you can't find your install DVDs anymore.

 

[captain kaos]

Macbook air no optical drive!

Lets just say you dont have "official" software on you new macbook air. If all it needs is a OS install then do you really want it going off to Apple, and it taking an age to get back, this is after chatting on the phone for an hour to get them to agree there is a problem!!

It also forces you to take out applecare so that say 2 years down the line it needs a OS install it will be covered. Its strange, as really this is going to make a hell of lot more work for them. Instead of people sending back equipment that has a real problem, they'll be inundated with macbook airs that only need a quick OS re install, so this will slow down the whole apple warranty system for everyone!

 

[nomad01]

One tip: When you buy a disk for use with Time Machine, make sure it has USB, add an 8 GB partition, and copy your Leopard install DVD onto that partition. That way, if anything goes wrong, you can just boot from your backup disk, even if you can't find your install DVDs anymore.

Does this work? I couldn't get my Leopard disk to copy correctly at all. Copied over being about a 3rd of thr size it should have been,

 

[Zadillo]

I dont know about you but when i travel to california and new york and chicago
for business my lenovo never drops tghe signal. I also have a mbp with a hsdpa expresscard and have no problems.

But if apple is touting this envelope fitiing portable you will ever need
why not just go the hwole 100 yards and make it that.

I really dont see how anybody that demand high productivity from their computer can even think about the macbook air.

How would go about installing boo camp on it if you dont have the external drive ohh you have to buy it because the remote function will not work so there goes apple forcing a sale of something that other companies include with a portable purchase for free.


people are wasting some much resources in defending it that some very important questions are not being asked.

Again, you can borrow an optical drive from a desktop machine..... or use an external drive. You're acting like Apple provides no options for dealing with this, which is silly.

Lenovo doesn't include an external drive for the ThinkPad X61 for free and I've never seen anyone complain about that. In fact, to use the one Lenovo makes, you need to buy the $199 docking bay too (you can of course use your own USB external drive).

 

[captain kaos]

FYI there is an Apple Store opening in Churchill Square Shopping Centre soon, not to mention the fact there is already Cancom on Queens Road, Solutions Inc on Old Shoreham Road in Hove and in Brighton Square in The Lanes, GAK Pro Audio in North Laine and Robert Harding in Sackville Road in Hove, all of whom are Apple Authorised Resellers and Service Centres. Short of places to buy new Macs or get existing ones fixed, we are not.

Fair point, we're not short of places. I just think with busy days of working where do you get the time to do it. I know i'd rather be spending 20 mins to re install the OS at home! Plus we've had to send G5's from work to cancom. Lets just say when you call them on the phone the "techies" on the other end of the line dont instill confidence! Apology's if anyone works for cancom!

 

[MrCrowbar]

One tip: When you buy a disk for use with Time Machine, make sure it has USB, add an 8 GB partition, and copy your Leopard install DVD onto that partition. That way, if anything goes wrong, you can just boot from your backup disk, even if you can't find your install DVDs anymore.

I never thought of it. That's genius! But wouldn't the Leopard Install disc pop up every time I plug in the backup drive? Is there any way to prevent it from doing that?

 

[Zadillo]

Lets just say you dont have "official" software on you new macbook air. If all it needs is a OS install then do you really want it going off to Apple, and it taking an age to get back, this is after chatting on the phone for an hour to get them to agree there is a problem!!

It also forces you to take out applecare so that say 2 years down the line it needs a OS install it will be covered. Its strange, as really this is going to make a hell of lot more work for them. Instead of people sending back equipment that has a real problem, they'll be inundated with macbook airs that only need a quick OS re install, so this will slow down the whole apple warranty system for everyone!

Again, most of the people who buy MBA's are not going to have it as their sole computer, meaning that short of buying an external drive, they could easily use the Remote Drive feature for something like an OS reinstall.

But seriously, from a comment like this, you'd think that Apple was the first company to release a machine without an internal optical drive.

Again, do you think Lenovo ThinkPad X61 owners are left helpless when they have to do an OS reinstall because their machines don't come with optical drives either?

And as I mentioned above, Lenovo's own solution is a drive bay that costs $100 that requires you to also buy a $200 docking bay, although you can just as easily buy your own $99 USB drive from somewhere else to use.

Frankly, Apple has gone farther; first by just offering the $100 drive directly without requiring an additional $200 add-on, and second by debuting this "Remote Drive" function, which Lenovo certainly doesn't offer.

But seriously, if the ThinkPad X61 and its owners can deal with it, and the X61 is one of the most popular and praised ultraportables on the planet, I think people will figure this out with the MBA as well.

 

[headfuzz]

By the by, Mac OS X (Tiger and Leopard) can easily be installed on a Sony, Dell, Toshiba or any other laptop that uses standard Intel parts. Buy a copy of the OS, then get yourself to osx86project.org. You'll have the best of both worlds with BOTH the hardware and sodftware you want. (yes, I know its a violation of Apple's EULA but do you really think the software police are going to do a home invasion based on this!). Besides, you've paid Apple for the OS. If you're like me, you'll gladly buy Apple hardware when Papa Steve starts to let you decide how you want your hardware configured again. Don't be a lemming. THINK DIFFERENT!

*sigh*

OS X works on Apple hardware because they write all necessary drivers for their hardware. This includes chipsets from Intel not available to other manufacturers. Hacking the kexts is not a miracle cure for running OS X on generic hardware. Using VIAATA.kext for any number of different ATA chipsets is an ugly hack. You are using kernel extensions that were not intended for use with that hardware.

I used to run a Hackintosh, and thought it was pretty cool, except for the fact that some very important stuff wouldn't run; Logic? Bombed out far too frequently. PCI Audiophile soundcard? Forget it.

Your mileage may vary. Using a penknife to unscrew a screw may work, but you still stand the chance of the blade snapping back up and relieving you of a finger

 

[headfuzz]

Fair point, we're not short of places. I just think with busy days of working where do you get the time to do it. I know i'd rather be spending 20 mins to re install the OS at home! Plus we've had to send G5's from work to cancom. Lets just say when you call them on the phone the "techies" on the other end of the line dont instill confidence! Apology's if anyone works for cancom!

Hehe no worries. And I don't work for Cancom!

There is a valid point at the beginning this (sub)discussion, however I cannot honestly see anyone buying this laptop who doesn't already have access to an optical drive not buying the add on. Quite frankly anyone who needs to go to an Apple Store or reseller because they haven't to reinstall the OS on their MBA because they haven't got access to an optical drive deserves to be made to wait, imho. If you can afford the hefty price tag of an MBA to begin with, you can afford the extra few quid for the optical drive.

Anyway, what is this "reinstall" of which you speak? Is it a Windows feature?

 

[captain kaos]

Again, most of the people who buy MBA's are not going to have it as their sole computer, meaning that short of buying an external drive, they could easily use the Remote Drive feature for something like an OS reinstall.

But seriously, from a comment like this, you'd think that Apple was the first company to release a machine without an internal optical drive.

Again, do you think Lenovo ThinkPad X61 owners are left helpless when they have to do an OS reinstall because their machines don't come with optical drives either?

And as I mentioned above, Lenovo's own solution is a drive bay that costs $100 that requires you to also buy a $200 docking bay, although you can just as easily buy your own $99 USB drive from somewhere else to use.

Frankly, Apple has gone farther; first by just offering the $100 drive directly without requiring an additional $200 add-on, and second by debuting this "Remote Drive" function, which Lenovo certainly doesn't offer.

But seriously, if the ThinkPad X61 and its owners can deal with it, and the X61 is one of the most popular and praised ultraportables on the planet, I think people will figure this out with the MBA as well.

I do know this isnt the first company to release a laptop with no optical drive, but also as i mentioned before remote disc uses wi-fi, which will only work when the os is running (ie switched on and running), this is the same for the UB bus, so what happens when your macbook air doesnt even boot up?? It really doesnt matter if its your only computer or one of many, its still a sod to fix...and its not exactly cheap so you cant just not fix it!

 

[sanford]

I think flash USB software and online downloads will pave the way. CD media will be available to download as it is only between 200-700MB in size anyway and DVD media will be made available with a slight premium on USB flash for ultraportable users.

I totally agree with you that the distribution model for software is changing. As of course is the model for entertainment media, although in entertainment it's far from a quick change to downloadable, Apple announced files, iPod-compatible versions of movies, actually coming stored on retail DVDs of those movies (and Sony announcing PSP playable files of movies coming on some Blu-ray releases) something I would have loved to have with CDs for a long time (I know, it's different, it's far faster to legally rip and encode a CD you own than do the same with a DVD you legally own, so why not let the user self-help with CDs? I mean, for some reasonable premium over download price, say I buy an iTunes music download album, DRM or no, and I check an option to be sent the CD release of the album I bought.) But with the MB Air, you make a choice in entertainment media: you can buy all your music via download, really almost all; you can limit yourself to movies available via download, or you can with the external drive or another computer rip and encode what you buy. That's a choice, perhaps at times an inconvenience but you make choice.

Software distribution is different, and this is where the MB Air can't be justified using the model for successfully dropping the floppy from the iMac. By then, for most commercial software of import, the distribution method *already was* CD, and developers grudgingly through a free floppy set in the box, and would send you one for a shipping and handling fee. When Jobs said, more or less, the floppy is dead, certainly on the distribution side, it was. But the DVD, even the CD, is far from dead in software distribution. Sure, a USB flash media at a slight premium for something that would fit on a CD anyway, under 1GB, or even under 500 MB. But take for example Apple's own GarageBand, easily used on an MB Air, the World Music Jam Pack, only $100, not a $2,000 pro software package, comes with about 12GB of content, on two double-layer DVDs (or one double, one single would do it, I think), and the premium for 12GB of USB flash media, even passed along at near break-even, would not be what you'd call slight. Witness the $3,100 MB Air: the extra $1,300 is not for that ext .2 GHz is in processor speed, I can tell you; it's the 64GB flash.

The $1,800 MB Air is an overpriced for feature set and weight/footprint ultra-portable, but can be justified perhaps as water-testing. But the $3,100 flash-based product is the dumbest Mac product since Sculley, you'd think intentionally, tried to run Apple into the ground. When you have to charge a $1,300 premium for less storage and no benefit but a storage media speed improvement not an issue for the target market -- drop protect is not the issue; with sudden motion sensors, dropping hard-drive based Mac notebooks doesn't break the drive; it's that expensive LCD you should worry about if you drop it -- it's just not ready. And mass flash storage is not ready for prime time. Not yet.

The sealed battery is just ridiculous. I don't swap batteries for more usage time, either; most people don't. But if I use my battery a lot and need to replace it has it no longer holds a good charge, it's one thing to spend $400 on an iPhone and then spend $80 to replace a $35 battery because it's sealed -- and Apple has a policy with iPods of not replacing the batteries, but swapping units out with refurbs of other battery replacers or it would cost even more than $60 to do a battery replacement on an owner by owner basis, with my iPhone I certainly don't appreciate that as I know how I take care of *my* iPhone -- it's another again to imagine doing a refurb swap for a $3,100 notebook computer; or, what, pay $400 and wait at least three days for a $125 battery replacement?

MacBook Air. Indeed. It's hot, the air I mean, not the product. Anyway, I don't mean to smash everyone over the head with MacBook Air, although from the looks of it, it wouldn't really hurt you. It's like most all Apple products beautifully designed; but it's just so impractical. I was quite pleased to be able to demote myself from the PowerBook MP Pro line with the advent of the powerful enough, small enough, nice enough MacBook; the Air seems like a reversal of a good consumer trend for Apple. And as for ergonomics, I have no evidence you really can be too rich, but any good clinician will tell you that you can certainly be too thin.

The iPhone software update was in my opinion the highlight of the show.

As for iTunes rentals, I either buy Blu-ray movies, or DVDs if not available on Blu-ray, or I'll even buy an iTunes Store download, but I'll no longer pay $4 for a day's movie rental on a non-subscription model. When you consider digitally that same movie is maybe $15 at most, $16 on a release-week discount up to $20 standard pricing for physical SD DVD media, perhaps only $30 for Blu-ray -- my stars, the remake of 3:10 to Yuma on Blu-ray was only $25 during release week -- and on SD DVD within 6 - 9 months you can find often find that same film on sale to own for $8, and I got my brand new copy of Scott's Black Hawk Down on Blu-ray for $12, a beautiful HD transfer and a couple dollars less than the SD DVD version at the time, on sale, the cost/benefit thing just doesn't work out.

As for the Time Capsule. 802.11n is lovely for streaming media. But I can stream a fully loaded AppleTV encode over 802.11b if not everyone else in the house is banging on the WiFi, and always a perfect stream in 802.11b/g mixed-environment mode (my daughter has a b-standard WiFi PSP). Backing up with Time Machine via WiFi, even 802.11n, is an awful solution, especially at $300 for 500MB. You can do the same with an Apple BaseStation for $280, go non-Apple for the WiFi w/ USB2 drive-sharing, but still a high quality product, perhaps as low $170; and you get a WiFi access point in the bargain -- as far as I know the Time Capsule is only a client to a WiFi network.

But I wouldn't even do that. I paid $120 for the high-end line of a premium brand of external drives, dual USB2 and FireWire as I happen to like FireWire, and I have that now mostly unused port; I could have had the same 500GB drive in USB2-only for $90. Time Machine back-ups are fast over FW or USB2. Over WiFi even 802.11n, they are awfully slow. I'm a writer, so a targeted set of back-ups, that's one thing, quite small. But a full back-up set, which is the whole point of Time Machine, to have on hand a full picture of your Mac if the worst happens, I can in an hour rack up more than 1GB for Time Machine to back up: I buy a TV show from iTunes, my wife goes a little nuts filming our kids with the digital camera in movie mode and I transfer those, I rip three or four new CDs. Sure, with Time Capsule, if I don't have to run out the door, the MacBook can sit and churn out the back-ups to Time Capsule all day if it wants, but do that with a couple or more Macs on a network at home, or even more with multiple Capsules in an office environment, you're beating down your lovely fast 802.11n WiFi network half the day.

I've wound on too long. Writer's weak tendon I'm afraid, and I need to get to work. But Apple it seems has a near-perfect software/hardware product line at the moment, and rather than do what is sometimes the wise thing, camp on your great line-up, spin out that iTunes rental store, do that iPhone software update, update that AppleTV software, then just call it a day, they went fishing or something new to ship. Not a smart move I think; I think a rushed-up release for which pricing is not yet low enough and the market is not yet ready. Had they wished to something innovative, something lots of people would appreciate, something that would sell even more AppleTVs than that $70 price drop, they could have announced a software update to activate the USB2 port on the AppleTV, not for extra media storage, but to WiFi share a third-party USB2 external hard drive: buy a Time Capsule, sure I guess, but better yet buy an AppleTV which rather readily makes you more of an iTunes Store customer, especially in the video segment, even if you already have a video-capable iPod or iPhone (my HDTV is a damn bit better than my iPhone for watching filmed entertainment), and you get a great media server and streaming client -- it really is; the AppleTV is the best on the market -- you get a WiFi storage client in the bargain.

 

[headfuzz]

remote disc uses wi-fi, which will only work when the os is running (ie switched on and running), this is the same for the UB bus, so what happens when your macbook air doesnt even boot up??

iirc the guided tour vid mentioned you could use it to install the OS, so I would expect wireless and USB drivers to be part of the EFI and therefore independent of the OS where necessary.

 

[takao]

Frankly, Apple has gone farther; first by just offering the $100 drive directly without requiring an additional $200 add-on, and second by debuting this "Remote Drive" function, which Lenovo certainly doesn't offer.

hm i installed software through the network over a remote computer disk drive just by clicking the "share button" in windows XP on the remote computer

in windows XP without any service packs (or additional software) ... more than 5 years ago

 

[sanford]

Again, most of the people who buy MBA's are not going to have it as their sole computer, meaning that short of buying an external drive, they could easily use the Remote Drive feature for something like an OS reinstall.

Last word of the day for me on the MB Air, I promise: I was so glad the day I finally felt comfortable with just *one* computer, not having both a notebook and a desktop. I can't imagine going back to the shuffle. Ugh.

 

[captain kaos]

Hehe no worries. And I don't work for Cancom!



Anyway, what is this "reinstall" of which you speak? Is it a Windows feature?

Yeah right!

 

[headfuzz]

hm i installed software through the network over a remote computer disk drive just by clicking the "share button" in windows XP on the remote computer

in windows XP without any service packs (or additional software) ... more than 5 years ago

You're referring to a wired ethernet, which operates faster than 802.11b/g wireless, which are also affected by other radio signals which impede its ability to transfer at consistent data rates.

Only recently have wireless networks got up to sufficient speed to provide a reliable data stream from a CD or DVD drive. Try installing something from a shared optical drive over 802.11b wireless from 5 years ago. Good luck.