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Macbook Air: "Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor with 144MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared...."

iW00t

iW00t

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Nov 7, 2006
3,286
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Defenders of Apple Guild
Wow, this is making it such a wonderful Powerbook G4 replacement.

Tell me why is the Macbook Air so wonderful again? For one thing I know that dante guy cannot even use it to show off his creations!
 
if it doesnt suit your need dont buy it. for some people its perfect, its not exactly suitable for say gaming anyway because they need a disk inserted. I think its cool, ahead of the times for some people and a sign of the directing all notebooks will take. Im glad to see the back of optical media i only hope blue ray etc follows.
 
How much video ram do you need to check your emails and browse the web, use office, iwork etc...

For what the ultra-portable is designed to do, the gpu is more than sufficient.
 
yeah, this is not a gaming laptop, heh.

i could see myself doing keynote / powerpoint and reports on this thing. very nice. just not the price
 
It was obviously going to be integrated, how would they seriously fit a dedicated graphics card into that thing!? And as far as integrated goes, this one isn't bad. I did notice The Sims 2 icon in the downloads stack of one of the demo machines, if it can run that okay on low settings, it exceeds what I'd expect from such an incredibly small laptop.
 
it is kind of a shame though, i do presentations/demos on photoshop and illustrator and could use some decent non-shared memory

i'm still very excited to see this thing
 
while I'd love a 13" laptop with a dedicated GPU I didnt really believe this to ship with one. Clinging to my delusional hope that a future macbook will reintroduce dedicated GPUs.
 
xUKHCx said:
IN all honesty what were you expecting in a thin MB?
Click to expand...

IN all honesty, a lot of us weren't expecting "a thin MB." We were expecting something with Pro features that was maybe a little smaller than a regular MacBook.

You know, like the 12" PowerBook.
 
You know what is laughable is that they are selling it with Aperture pre-installed as an upgrade. Now that is just robbery. That Air will run Aperture like molasses. It's even too slow on the 17" MBPs.
 
iW00t said:
Who said it is a thin MB? It is a thin MBP with its AL casing.

You know, AL = Pro?
Click to expand...

Not anymore. look at the iMac or even the Mac Mini. Those days are gone.
The MBA is in another category. A MacBook can be your main machine. A MacBook Air cannot, unless you have very very specific needs. It complements nicely an iMac or a Mac Pro, though.
 
Yeah I'm not much a fan of the MBA but I was never expecting any sort of power (moreover a dedicated GPU) to actually come out of the deal.
 
Juan Moro said:
The MBA is in another category. A MacBook can be your main machine. A MacBook Air cannot, unless you have very very specific needs. It complements nicely an iMac or a Mac Pro, though.
Click to expand...

Actually these are wise words indeed. Apple has compromised on all the things that you can do IF you have another Mac, but generally don't need when you're on the road.
 
iW00t said:
Who said it is a thin MB? It is a thin MBP with its AL casing.

You know, AL = Pro?
Click to expand...

Um, how is it more like a MBP than a MB? It doesn't have a dedicated GPU (doesn't need one anyway for its purpose), 13.3" screen, MacBook keyboard etc.

It is a pro laptop - designed for professionals on the go, business people on an aeroplane etc.

I don't think they could fit anything better into the size of the damn thing anyway.
 
Juan Moro said:
The MBA is in another category. A MacBook can be your main machine. A MacBook Air cannot, unless you have very very specific needs. It complements nicely an iMac or a Mac Pro, though.
Click to expand...

I completely agree. The MBA will be my first Mac since 1993 and I plan on using it to be the remote computer that I take to my classes and to the library.

Aside from the price, the Macbook Air is ideally suited for students (I'm trying to look at its few limitations as positives)...
1) Can't really play games so that helps limit distraction
2) Mono speaker so not going to use it as a stereo while studying
3) Fits into a messenger bag already stuffed with books.
4) 5hr battery life will keep you near power source... such as the library.
5) Boot camp => One Note, my best friend :p

If all goes well with the MBA I'll look into replacing my main PC somewhere when the Mac Pro gets its next update or if a Mac tower is released, so not in the near future.
 
CalMin said:
Actually these are wise words indeed. Apple has compromised on all the things that you can do IF you have another Mac, but generally don't need when you're on the road.
Click to expand...

Still, I will really appreciate it if I can at least have the option of bringing extra batteries.
 
iW00t said:
Still, I will really appreciate it if I can at least have the option of bringing extra batteries.
Click to expand...

Well, options are good, but in 4 years of PowerBook ownership, I have never changed my battery on the go. It's one of those things that I think I would like to do, but, never have a spare battery charged when I need it. Same thing goes goes for my Vista work laptop.

This is individual of course, but power outlets are everywhere these days. And on flights longer than 5 hours, I rarely need to actually use the computer that long. Besides, you can't open a MacBook Air in a coach seat and if you're flying business class, you get a power dongle anyway!
 
The one time I actually have played computer games was a trial of World of Warcraft. Worked fine on my ibook g4 lol. I imagine if I want to play it again for some reason it'll work fine on my MacBook air. If you are hardcore computer gaming I think a machine made for that would be better.
 
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