I won't get a MBA until Apple ships with 4GB memory as standard and..

[fizzwinkus]

target disk mode.
with firewire, apple added the ability to boot the laptop as a battery powered firewire disk by holding down the "t" key.

they have added usb booting with efi on intel macs, but there is still no td equivalent with usb.

 

[dwsolberg]

4 Gb Ram

I know that a lot of people don't need 4 GB of RAM. Also, I realize that Apple wants to keep its product matrix clean with as few options as possible.

On the other hand, I literally have money sitting around waiting until I can get an Air with 4 GB, and I know the day will come sooner or later. I'm hoping for sooner, but I'll wait either way.

 

[coupdetat]

Hey, congrats! You have repeated every cliche complaint about MacBooks since.. well.. since the new ones came out.

I swear, probably half of the people out there who complain about glossy screens and firewire are just doing it to be fashionable and actually can get around it easily. It's really not that bad guys, get over it or buy a previous-gen MB. And BTW, the MBA's screen is barely glossy anyways.

 

[gglockner]

Just found this thread. There are some good points and also a lot of flamebait.

The issue is that a certain segment of the market needs 4GB of RAM. Those people - myself included - would love to have a MBA and would be willing to pay a premium for a 4GB configuration. The use case is clear: anyone who wants to run Windows alongside OS X via VMWare or Parallels virtualization. Boot camp is not a viable option since it requires you to shutdown OS X.

The annoying part about this thread is the number of flamebait posters who say "why would you ever want to run Windows" or "if you want to run Windows, why not get a PC"? This is just annoying and naive: many professionals need to run some specialized business software that only exists for Windows, and we don't want to own or carry multiple laptops. Been there, done that.

The more interesting question is the comparison between an MBA and an aluminum MacBook. They're pretty close in size, and the weight difference is smaller since the new aluminum model was introduced. The MacBook can be upgraded to 4GB and has a faster processor, and you can even upgrade it (yourself) to a faster hard drive. And of course, the MacBook is much cheaper. But it is still not as thin or light as a MacBook Air, especially when you consider the MagSafe Power Adaptor.

Personally speaking, whether I upgrade my existing MacBook to an aluminum model or to a MBA depends on the kind of computer I will have in my office. If I get an iMac for work, then a MBA will be powerful enough for on-the-road. But if I continue to use my laptop as my main computer, then I think I need something more powerful than an MBA. Until there is a 4GB MBA, of course.

Firewire would be nice, but it isn't a dealbreaker for me. Target Disk mode is nice, but you can restore a computer via a bootable backup.

 

[teflon]

Well eventually MBA will get 4gb as default. Hell, eventually MBA will get 16gb as default. However, when that day comes, people will be complaining that 32gb should be the standard.

 

[gglockner]

Well eventually MBA will get 4gb as default. Hell, eventually MBA will get 16gb as default. However, when that day comes, people will be complaining that 32gb should be the standard.

I won't be complaining until Windows requires that much memory - if I still need to support it!

 

[sayagain]

Handsome MBA?

What about having to stick a dongle up the Air's a*s just to get on 3G when there's hardly any OEM today that doesn't have a model shipping with built-in 3G. (yes I know I can use bluetooth to iPhone but it is limited by BT speed and noise, eats battery off your phone, and doesn't get near the reception you can get with built-in-screen antenna)

All AIR?.... Hell, they don't have Wireless USB, no WiMax, no 3G (or any cellular)

Thinnest ever? Only 3lbs?...... Hell again... Weighing less than 3lbs, Lenovo and Sony include DVD and all the ports and comm optoins you can imagine. Oh, and if they wanted to be "thinnest" they'll drop the DVD, and weight even less. Hell Sony even has 2x128GB SSD + BluRay weighing 3lbs, and double battery time too!

4GB?...See if you can find a single ultra-portable between 11"-13" in MBA's weight category that doesn't have 4GB option..


That said... I'm buying one

 

[sayagain]

Firewire would be nice, but it isn't a dealbreaker for me. Target Disk mode is nice, but you can restore a computer via a bootable backup.

Probably off topic, but do you mean you can't restore from MBA SuperDrive? Can you even install leopard from MBA Superdrive?

 

[gglockner]

Probably off topic, but do you mean you can't restore from MBA SuperDrive? Can you even install leopard from MBA Superdrive?

You can restore any computer to the original factory condition via the original media (DVD install disks). But if you want to restore to your last good configuration, use a clone or a Time Machine backup. For a great tutorial, read "Take Control of Easy Backups" by Joe Kissel.