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First Look at the MacBook Air

I'm jumping in so if someone has already pointed this out, Sorry!

The Macbook Air. I think it has been established a thousand and ten times is not a breakthrough of any kind in the power region. It is not a breakthrough in the overall size because its footprint is exactly the same.

But I am sure a lot of you can agree that the iPod nano is a tiny piece of amazing! And the Macbook Air is THINNER (at its smallest point) than the iPod nano!!! THAT IS A BREAKTHROUGH! Plus it's beautiful.

Now is it a replacement of the Macbook or Macbook Pro? HELL NO. But is it a great addition to a desktop iMac or Mac Pro? HELL YES. I don't know about most of you but the beauty of the thing is worth the extra money. When I'm away from my main computer (24" iMac), I don't need much power and the extra money for the low end MBA is definitely worth it for me.
 
sanford said:
My favorite Jarre album is The Rendez-vous, presuming we are talking J.M., not Maurice, the album for which Ron McNair was supposed to record a saxophone part while in orbit on Challenger, but Challenger's main hydrogen tank exploded after launch, and the shuttle crashed killing all aboard -- so someone else played McNair's sax part.
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Win.

Oh i get you. But my home computer and my work computer are the *same* -- as I work from home -- and is portable. So all my data is accessible all the time on the same device I can easily carry with me. The MBA would be perfect if it could *replace* my current MB, but it's presently too a touch too short in the storage department, and I need a FireWire port. For one thing, sometimes, but I need it when I need it. Then two USB ports and the built-in optical drive are just nice to have, if I have to have FireWire, anyway.
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You're right. For people who own one computer, the MBA is essentially a non-starter.

Now that sounds like something Neil Peart would write (what do you mean, who's he!?!). ;)
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Saw Rush at the Toronto Rocks concert a few years ago. The man can seriously pound the skins.

I guess to expand on my original point, I've found in my own life that it's becoming less and less accurate to talk about "my computers", since the things I do with computers are diffused through many devices and stored in many places, including on hard drives I don't own.

This happened without me doing anything, but I think I might make a conscious effort to push it. I'm 90% sure I will get an MBA as a Powerbook replacement within the next three months, although I live in Korea, where wireless access is ubiquitous.
 
just bought MBA

Once seeing the MBA I immediately bought one. I have an iMac and my wife has a MBP. In all my years of travel for business, I do not recall using the optical drive to watch a movie or listen to a cd. That is what iphones and ipods are for. This notebook is for the executive that has to give presentations without the footprint of the MBP. I admit there are some drawbacks. This is not a primary computer. This is a secondary computer for me to use with my iMac. This is a beautiful device that I cant wait to get my hands on.
 
mutantteenager said:
It's gonna get hot. I had a 12" Powerbook, and guess what? It got hot. I don't care what processor they put in a metal laptop, it's gonna get.... HOT!
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Comparing a machine several years old with a new machine completely different in its design, processor, etc... is not objective in any way, shape or form. You have no way of knowing whether its temp will compare with your old 12" PB.
 
Thats so cheap to call the MBA ".16" inches thick. If my 3 inch thick VAIO tapered down at the end to .15 it wouldn't be .15 inches thick, it would be 3 inches thick. A laptop is only as thin as its thickest point.
 
darngooddesign said:
That should be the greatest indication that it will succeed. If we universally thought it sucked this thread would have lasted maybe 10 pages.
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Completely not true. 9/10 of the thread is bitching, moaning, and complaint-laden tales of why posters WON'T be purchasing a MBA.
 
Agathon said:
Saw Rush at the Toronto Rocks concert a few years ago. The man can seriously pound the skins.
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I'm so jealous! How were they? They came to my city a few years ago, but I didn't hear about it until it was too late. Major respect for them; I can't think of any other band that's survived so long and is still amazing. Snakes and Arrows was damn good. The Eagles and Metallica have nothing on these Canadians.
 
kuwisdelu said:
I'm so jealous! How were they? They came to my city a few years ago, but I didn't hear about it until it was too late. Major respect for them; I can't think of any other band that's survived so long and is still amazing. Snakes and Arrows was damn good. The Eagles and Metallica have nothing on these Canadians.
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Not to keep highkjacking the threat, but Rush rules. Saw them 8 times and they are coming back again this Summer:) Rumors are they will play Hemispheres and A Farewell To Kings.:cool:

And as it relates to the Macbook Air, there will be some Rush music put on it when I get it. As for all the complaining, the product is designed perfectly for what it is intended to do.
 
tuneman07 said:
Thats so cheap to call the MBA ".16" inches thick. If my 3 inch thick VAIO tapered down at the end to .15 it wouldn't be .15 inches thick, it would be 3 inches thick. A laptop is only as thin as its thickest point.
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I think most PR from Apple on the MBA claims both the thinnest and thickest measurements. 0.16" and 0.76" I believe.
 
kuwisdelu said:
I'm so jealous! How were they? They came to my city a few years ago, but I didn't hear about it until it was too late. Major respect for them; I can't think of any other band that's survived so long and is still amazing. Snakes and Arrows was damn good. The Eagles and Metallica have nothing on these Canadians.
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They were excellent. It was a great concert. AC/DC, the Guess Who, The Rolling Stones. An excellent day out for half a million people.
 
These raised a chuckle ;)

joy_of_tech_macbook_air.gif


macbookcommodorecompare.jpg
 
sWaltuo said:
But is it a great addition to a desktop iMac or Mac Pro? HELL YES. I don't know about most of you but the beauty of the thing is worth the extra money. When I'm away from my main computer (24" iMac), I don't need much power and the extra money for the low end MBA is definitely worth it for me.
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I think the argument goes along the lines of it's a little too limited for a lot of people even in this role as second computer.

No doubt it is a bold design statement but it leans a little too much on the design and forgets about the functionality - for my tastes at least.

It may turn out that millions of people don't view it like this and this is more of a sales success than a lot of us expect. As ever, only time will tell.
 
TheNumberOneFan said:
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! :apple:
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I just hope Apple did its market research and this thing works out ... I need Apple to be a 'solvent' company so they can build the computer I *DO* want in the future!
 
deanbo said:
Installing software/OS is going to be convenient. So who can't make a notebook that thin by removing the optical drive. Just a wee bit ahead of themselves on this one I think.:confused:
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This may be true, maybe not, but the fact at hand is that apple had the guts to do it. I don't see other notebook companies making ripples in the water with the steps they are taking on the notebook industry.

Yes, ethernet, firewire would be very convienent, however, the target user for this machine won't need it. Creatives will still be working in the office on thier pros, but can now upload wirelessly to the AIR and be off for meetings, demos, or whatever.

This computer has a market!! We are just so used to the specs getting better and better on each release. This time the package was upgraded, and we're all 'underwhlemed'. Not me, I don't want this computer, because its not practical for my uses, but all those people that will buy it just because or because it is practical will make this computer a success!

Well Done :apple:!!
 
matticus008 said:
Oops, you're right. I used the wrong terms there--the old PowerBooks were 3:2 widescreens as opposed to newer 16:10 widescreens. True 16:9 monitors are fairly uncommon, not the other way around. This bears out in the rest of the explanation--just not the right two terms. I'll fix the original comment.
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I'll let you off then. :p
 
I just don't know about this.....I have to replace my ageing 12'' powerbook and this would be a great replacement. But the lack of optical drive baffles me, I mean why does apple have to make it so thin. For example, I saw a Vaio in john lewis the other day, sure it's about £400 more expensive, but it's faster has more ram and an optical drive plenty of usb and it was still thinner and lighter than a powerbook.....
 
MacBook Air - what is it all about?

I have a sneaky suspicion that most people don't understand what the MacBook Air is all about. I hear a lot of discussion but much of it misses the point.
 
Quillz said:
It's a computer. It's all about using it to help you do things.
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You are quite right Quillz but if you go to many of the entries on these forum threads you will see lots of confused discussion about detail by people who are comparing Apples with Apples without thinking about what kind of Apple it is.
 
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