the mac book air, there are something i like and there are something i dislike.
i still can't make a decision buy it .
omg
i still can't make a decision buy it .
omg
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MacBook Air Ordered
- Thread starter Ozy
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i myself think air is an awesome product! especially for ppl that want something light and thin.. yes i also agree that it is pricy for what it is
and the sacrifices apple made to get to this size are insane and sucks
HOWEVER for those ppl comparing apple to a pc
remember where you are! and who your buying it from
this is APPLE!
i dont' recall apple being known to be "cheaper" than a pc laptop or desktop
you always pay more for apple products i dunno why everyone is complaining and comparing them to a pc now...
and also there IS a reason why apple did not get rid of the macbook line and the macbook pro line...
macbook for the more affordable product
macbook air for ppl that want something thin and portable
macbook pro for ppl that want something powerful enough to be a desktop replacement
lots to choose from! if you think the air is not for YOU then go for the pro or the normal macbooks.. theres different models depending what your intentions are... lots to choose from! apple can't make a super laptop that will fit everyone;s needs.. well they can but they will go bankrupt pretty fast
i however, i'm tired of carrying my macbook pro around.. i want something portable and thin.. and since i have a mac pro at home.. i dont' need anything super powered...
i ordered a Macbook Air
set to ship start of Feb for me
and the sacrifices apple made to get to this size are insane and sucks
HOWEVER for those ppl comparing apple to a pc
remember where you are! and who your buying it from
this is APPLE!
i dont' recall apple being known to be "cheaper" than a pc laptop or desktop
you always pay more for apple products i dunno why everyone is complaining and comparing them to a pc now...
and also there IS a reason why apple did not get rid of the macbook line and the macbook pro line...
macbook for the more affordable product
macbook air for ppl that want something thin and portable
macbook pro for ppl that want something powerful enough to be a desktop replacement
lots to choose from! if you think the air is not for YOU then go for the pro or the normal macbooks.. theres different models depending what your intentions are... lots to choose from! apple can't make a super laptop that will fit everyone;s needs.. well they can but they will go bankrupt pretty fast
i however, i'm tired of carrying my macbook pro around.. i want something portable and thin.. and since i have a mac pro at home.. i dont' need anything super powered...
i ordered a Macbook Air
set to ship start of Feb for me
The MacBook air is NOT more portable than the MacBook in my opinion though. If you look at the 10 or 11 inch notebooks which Sony sells, they might be slightly thicker but their overall footprint is much smaller meaning that they will fit in places where a MacBook won't.
The MacBook Air is the same width and depth (roughly) as a MacBook. The only difference is thickness. This is not what I would describe as an ultraportable because it still requires the same size of bag in order to carry it. I've never had problems with depth in my bag.
MacBook Air at its thickest point is 1.94cm while MacBook is 2.75cm. That's a difference of 0.81cm. Find me a textbook which is 0.81cm thick or anything which I can benefit from carrying in that extra 0.81cm of space that justifies paying hundreds of dollars more for it.
The MacBook Air is the same width and depth (roughly) as a MacBook. The only difference is thickness. This is not what I would describe as an ultraportable because it still requires the same size of bag in order to carry it. I've never had problems with depth in my bag.
MacBook Air at its thickest point is 1.94cm while MacBook is 2.75cm. That's a difference of 0.81cm. Find me a textbook which is 0.81cm thick or anything which I can benefit from carrying in that extra 0.81cm of space that justifies paying hundreds of dollars more for it.
After the keynote, I went out and purchased a Macbook. My common sense is telling me that the MBA is not worth the money, but for some reason, I am strongly considering taking the Macbook back and ordering the MBA. 
I just don't get it. Sigh.
I just don't get it. Sigh.
I think that sums it up nicely. Everyone was getting excited for a new MacBook and what came along is sadly unsuitable for the masses which is why people are annoyed.
I spoke to a few people about it today, nobody was impressed. Which is unusual for a new apple product these days.
After the keynote, I went out and purchased a Macbook. My common sense is telling me that the MBA is not worth the money, but for some reason, I am strongly considering taking the Macbook back and ordering the MBA.
I just don't get it. Sigh.
Don't do it man... that damn RDF is getting to you.. .don't let it!
MBA has a lot of turnoffs. sure it's a nice thin notebook.
but lets look at a couple of the pitfalls of it.
You cannot upgrade the memory. 2GB is soldered onto the motherboard.
80GB 4200RPM hard drive. 4200 is balls slow. sure it was good for ipods, but not desirable for a laptop. Plus 80GB is not that much space anymore. but for $1400 more you can get the SSD hard drive.
Sure the product may look attractive, but honestly you could buy a standard macbook cheaper than these things and get much more utility and performance out of your purchase. I personally fully expect to see this product become another apple bluper.
but lets look at a couple of the pitfalls of it.
You cannot upgrade the memory. 2GB is soldered onto the motherboard.
80GB 4200RPM hard drive. 4200 is balls slow. sure it was good for ipods, but not desirable for a laptop. Plus 80GB is not that much space anymore. but for $1400 more you can get the SSD hard drive.
Sure the product may look attractive, but honestly you could buy a standard macbook cheaper than these things and get much more utility and performance out of your purchase. I personally fully expect to see this product become another apple bluper.
How many times - it's about the weight! Couldn't care less about how thin it was, myself. I'd gladly take a MBP if they made them in three pound flavours.
SO many people are just paying attention to Apple saying "oooh... shiny! thin! Go buy!" whereas the selling point for me would be the fact it weighs damn near half of what a MacBook does, with similar performance (well, the 1.8 with SSD). Rarely do I need firewire, discs and two USBs when on the go, so I'd certainly take a MBA in those situations.
The only thing stopping me picking one of these up is I don't have an infinite bank account like the target audience likely does..
Ordered an Air yesterday for the wife (birthday gift). She travels around the world for work many times a year. This is perfect for her. She usually takes my 17" MBP with her and it's such a pain for her due to size and weight. She's not a fan of the appearance of a regular MacBook, which is why I never got her one. She said this would be absolutely perfect for her though. So we have one one the way
I don't think Apple should charge for one either, but since lots of buyers probably already have one that came with their Mac, they might not need one. But still, for such an expensive machine, I don't see why it doesn't come with one.
Ordered a fully loaded Air yesterday... 64 GB SSD + external SuperDrive.
Now I just need to sell my MBP... don't need two laptops.
Now I just need to sell my MBP... don't need two laptops.
It has already been talked about a million times in these forums but I'll say it again. This is not meant to me a replacement for your desktop or macbook pro.Typically if you are on the go you don't need the power of a macbook pro or an optical drive. This is meant for people who need something that is "ultra portable". I will admit it is pricey, but all new electronics are, especially when they first come out.
Well that was nice of you. Hope you have a great day, too.
This is sort of like someone with a 160GB iPod classic saying to an iPod Touch owner, "Hope you enjoy having to cram all your stuff in that 16GB drive there."
The MBA, MB, and MBP are different products designed to different feature sets. Which one is right for each user will depend on each person's work patterns and preferences. And let's be honest, we're all paying a premium compared to PCs. So price/performance is all relative isn't it?
I think all 3 are great computers in their own way. And just easier to deal with in my experience than installing and maintaining linux on portable hardware.
Why all the hostility?
Read this up for ppl who still can't decide whether to buy macbook air or nt.
I total agree with what he said hence share with you.
================================================
The real point of MacBook Air - and why everyone is missing it.
It seems to me that everyone is missing the real point of the MacBook Air.
This computer was not released to be a great laptop. It wasn't released to sell in large volumes and it wasn't released to give you everything you currently get in a MacBook or MacBook Pro.
The MacBook Air was released to remind the world that Apple is way ahead of the rest of the industry. It is to plant in the minds of the consumer today the seed that will sprout into a visit to an Apple shop for a new laptop in 2010.
Apple have always been deeply involved in the development and progress of portable computing and they want to stay at the cutting edge.
In 1989 they broke new ground with the Macintosh Portable, setting the basic design for modern laptops. In 1991, (to quote Wikipedia), "The Apple PowerBook series, introduced in October 1991, pioneered changes that are now de facto standards on laptops." In 2001 we got the Titanium Powerbook - that machine set the basic standard in design (both stylistic and technical) for laptops for the next 7 years (and still counting).
Now, once again, there are technologies coming together that make a radical redesign possible. And so Apple have given it to us. The MacBook Air. Think of the MacBook Air as the pioneering generation of the next 10 years of Apple laptops. Like the Titanium Powerbook it has set a basic size and shape that breaks new boundaries and it has brought together a grouping of technologies that will become standard over the 10 year life of this design.
* Multi Touch not very useful? Wait until the software makers have had 3 or 4 years to explore it's potential.
* Fixed battery with poor life? The battery industry is promising new generation batteries by around 2010 with double the current life and 5 minute recharging times (do a Google search - look for Hitachi especially).
* No optical drive? Think how far iTunes has come with music in the last 3 years. How far do you think it will go with movies in the next 3? And my local computer store is selling 8GB USB keys for A$49 (US$39) at the moment. In 3 years you don't think 64GB keys will be the same price? Who wants a DVD burner then?
* No inbuilt Ethernet & only 1 USB? 3 years ago I was the only person with a wireless network in my street. Right now my computer is detecting 18 home networks and my middle aged non-technical neighbour proudly showed me her new wireless printer two weeks ago. Wireless really is the future. Even hotels will catch up.
* Scared by the price of the SSD? 3 years ago a 64GB SSD would have put a premium on the machine of over $10 000. Today it's down to a few hundred dollars. By 2010 it will be the standard.
So sure, the MacBook Air of early 2008 has limitations, is missing heaps of stuff we all think is essential and probably won't sell that many. But when you go to buy your next laptop, and the one after that, it will likely be an upgraded version of what we have seen released today.
And ever newspaper reader and TV news watcher of today's unveiling will remember for the next 10 years that Apple were the first to do this modern new design that everyone else is now copying, and honey, shouldn't we see what they have in their store before we look at a PC laptop?
I total agree with what he said hence share with you.
================================================
The real point of MacBook Air - and why everyone is missing it.
It seems to me that everyone is missing the real point of the MacBook Air.
This computer was not released to be a great laptop. It wasn't released to sell in large volumes and it wasn't released to give you everything you currently get in a MacBook or MacBook Pro.
The MacBook Air was released to remind the world that Apple is way ahead of the rest of the industry. It is to plant in the minds of the consumer today the seed that will sprout into a visit to an Apple shop for a new laptop in 2010.
Apple have always been deeply involved in the development and progress of portable computing and they want to stay at the cutting edge.
In 1989 they broke new ground with the Macintosh Portable, setting the basic design for modern laptops. In 1991, (to quote Wikipedia), "The Apple PowerBook series, introduced in October 1991, pioneered changes that are now de facto standards on laptops." In 2001 we got the Titanium Powerbook - that machine set the basic standard in design (both stylistic and technical) for laptops for the next 7 years (and still counting).
Now, once again, there are technologies coming together that make a radical redesign possible. And so Apple have given it to us. The MacBook Air. Think of the MacBook Air as the pioneering generation of the next 10 years of Apple laptops. Like the Titanium Powerbook it has set a basic size and shape that breaks new boundaries and it has brought together a grouping of technologies that will become standard over the 10 year life of this design.
* Multi Touch not very useful? Wait until the software makers have had 3 or 4 years to explore it's potential.
* Fixed battery with poor life? The battery industry is promising new generation batteries by around 2010 with double the current life and 5 minute recharging times (do a Google search - look for Hitachi especially).
* No optical drive? Think how far iTunes has come with music in the last 3 years. How far do you think it will go with movies in the next 3? And my local computer store is selling 8GB USB keys for A$49 (US$39) at the moment. In 3 years you don't think 64GB keys will be the same price? Who wants a DVD burner then?
* No inbuilt Ethernet & only 1 USB? 3 years ago I was the only person with a wireless network in my street. Right now my computer is detecting 18 home networks and my middle aged non-technical neighbour proudly showed me her new wireless printer two weeks ago. Wireless really is the future. Even hotels will catch up.
* Scared by the price of the SSD? 3 years ago a 64GB SSD would have put a premium on the machine of over $10 000. Today it's down to a few hundred dollars. By 2010 it will be the standard.
So sure, the MacBook Air of early 2008 has limitations, is missing heaps of stuff we all think is essential and probably won't sell that many. But when you go to buy your next laptop, and the one after that, it will likely be an upgraded version of what we have seen released today.
And ever newspaper reader and TV news watcher of today's unveiling will remember for the next 10 years that Apple were the first to do this modern new design that everyone else is now copying, and honey, shouldn't we see what they have in their store before we look at a PC laptop?
About the "bad" battery life: Remember that Apple is quoting 5 hours with WiFi in use. They call it 5 hours of "wireless productivity."
Seeing that there were people asking why Apple included the Apple remote with the MBP when it came out (since I guess mobile professionals found the inclusion of the remote trivial for travel), I think it's fine that it doesn't have the remote. You get micro-DVI adapters instead.
I bought the MBA with the SSD HD because I already have a MBP 2.4 and I was using a MB 2.2 as a portable. I love the power and speed I got with my MB and think that the power of the MBA 1.8 GHZ / SSD HD will compare to the MB. So I sold my MB to fund it. I do agree that it is a VERY pricey notebook but when you compare it to the sony line....it's "in the ballpark". I did suffer from "sticker shock" when I saw the price.But I wanted something very close to the power of the MB I had only lighter.I dont keep notebooks for more than 3 years so by buying the apple care I should be all set.
I have no desire to boast, and made sure not to discuss anything about his expenditures. My point was that there are plenty of people, who are prolific in their production, who will have a very specific use for this machine. I would have discussed my use for the machine, but I don't have it. For me, the benefits of the machine do not outweigh the limitations. For me.
The reason the community attracts an attitude of "elitism" when people try "to score points" is that there are enough people here foolish enough to dismiss a product as having no market, when it clearly has one. I could create a fictional person to ascribe this need to, but that clearly wouldn't hold the weight of a real person. My friend does not make me superior to any person on these boards. But, my friend's needs make my assertion that there is a market for the product superior to the assertion that there is no market.
CLAY!!!!!! Great to see you. It's been too long since I've seen you around here. There's so much drama that you've missed (although, you seem to have picked a great thread to jump back in on
).apple makes money from having multiple product lines
if you want something with a remote for tv or entertainment system..
theres always the apple tv or the mac minis they come with remotes..
i do disagree about how the macbook is just as portable as the macbook air
yes same footprint roughly however cutting the weight down to almost 50%
and thickness also.. it does make that much of a difference! unless you drive everywhere and stuff then sure a 17" MBP isn't too heavy either but for ppl that walk, bus,bike,travel that extra 2 pounds and thickness is a major burden
if you want something with a remote for tv or entertainment system..
theres always the apple tv or the mac minis they come with remotes..
i do disagree about how the macbook is just as portable as the macbook air
yes same footprint roughly however cutting the weight down to almost 50%
and thickness also.. it does make that much of a difference! unless you drive everywhere and stuff then sure a 17" MBP isn't too heavy either but for ppl that walk, bus,bike,travel that extra 2 pounds and thickness is a major burden