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MacBook Air Review
- Thread starter ucfgrad93
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A review one could (and you did, presumably) deliver without even testing a Macbook Air....
I agree with the review. It sort of made me realize I'm wasted my $ on the macbook pro.
Have I ever taken out my battery in my cell phone, iPod, laptops, etc.? No.
Do I ever use my optical drive? Just to install software every few months...
What sort of USB devices do I use? Just my key every now and then. I usually just transfer stuff over my airport extreme network because it's easier than turning around my 24" iMac to have access to the USB Port (I guess I'm lazy!).
What do I store on my hard drive? Just school stuff. All my music is on my iPod and on my iMac at home.
At the time, the MacBook pro was only 400 or so more than the macbook. It was worth it for the backlit keyboard, the cooler, aluminum design, and most importantly the larger screen. I obviously could have done fine with the regular macbook, but I think the bigger screen is better only because the weight of the mbp is so close to that of the macbook. the MBA would probably be the best choice, but I guess i'm still happy with my MBP!
Have I ever taken out my battery in my cell phone, iPod, laptops, etc.? No.
Do I ever use my optical drive? Just to install software every few months...
What sort of USB devices do I use? Just my key every now and then. I usually just transfer stuff over my airport extreme network because it's easier than turning around my 24" iMac to have access to the USB Port (I guess I'm lazy!).
What do I store on my hard drive? Just school stuff. All my music is on my iPod and on my iMac at home.
At the time, the MacBook pro was only 400 or so more than the macbook. It was worth it for the backlit keyboard, the cooler, aluminum design, and most importantly the larger screen. I obviously could have done fine with the regular macbook, but I think the bigger screen is better only because the weight of the mbp is so close to that of the macbook. the MBA would probably be the best choice, but I guess i'm still happy with my MBP!
A good review imho. Well presented describing exactly that this is obviously not going to be all things to all men. It's targeted at a very specific group.
I'm still in two minds as to what to get MBA or MB Pro. I love the idea of the light MBA for ultra portability, would make a huge difference I think as you make your way through the hell that is Airports today. I do use optical drives to watch DVD's when I'm on Biz trips though, when I'm in Germany or Holland, Belgium etc the hotel TV is normally quite rubbish and there's only so much CNN you can take before you go mad. Don't think I'd have a major issue taking the external drive with me. I may occasionally need to work on creating documents maybe with Photshop or just Pages but I don't believe that would be a huge issue on the MBA.
I'm still in two minds as to what to get MBA or MB Pro. I love the idea of the light MBA for ultra portability, would make a huge difference I think as you make your way through the hell that is Airports today. I do use optical drives to watch DVD's when I'm on Biz trips though, when I'm in Germany or Holland, Belgium etc the hotel TV is normally quite rubbish and there's only so much CNN you can take before you go mad. Don't think I'd have a major issue taking the external drive with me. I may occasionally need to work on creating documents maybe with Photshop or just Pages but I don't believe that would be a huge issue on the MBA.
I played with a 1.8/SSD model last night -- the performance is stellar; on par with my MBP 17" 2.4SR for all of the mundane tasks. I didn't get to try any of the hardcore multimedia creation/editing stuff, though. The word from an Apple employee is that even something as processor intensive as HD video encoding could be as fast on the MBA SSD model as the top MBPs due to the far faster storage.
The REAL Air experience lies in the top configuration, no doubt. Based on the pricing for the 64GB SSD at retail, I wouldn't be surprised if Apple was kinda-sorta subsidizing it. $3k began to feel justified after some firsthand use.
The REAL Air experience lies in the top configuration, no doubt. Based on the pricing for the 64GB SSD at retail, I wouldn't be surprised if Apple was kinda-sorta subsidizing it. $3k began to feel justified after some firsthand use.
No trade off s for me its, perfect
Any apple user who has never owned an ultraportable, will have an adjusting period. Mainly because ultraportables have been around for years, but you don't have one. A $400 true ultraportable is out, and you don't have one. The Macbook Air is a nice "slim" laptop, but that is about it. Users will work harder with the 2lbs loss, than they would if they simply purchased a macbook.
The main compromise will be with media as the HD is too small. This can be solved with a portable external drive though, but we inch closer to the macbook Air being even less portable than the Macbook with every "but I can" being thrown into the equation.
It seems like a lot of Macbook Air buyers are trying to force upon themselves that the Macbook Air is perfect for them, when if it is, they would have had one of the many ultraportables on the market already.
That being said, I am grabbing a Macbook Air sometime after I find out if they actually perform well, but in no way does it make sense to get rid of my current macbook, as it is far more superior for use within the home on a network than the Macbook Air is, which happens to be where most buyers (people on this forums have indicated such) will be using it.
That is probably a big spill, but I hope that users will understand that they don't have to keep campaigning why the Macbook Air was born for them. We don't care, go spend your money and be happy.
No doubt about it, the SSD version would be sweet, and I seriously considered it before ultimately going with the black macbook. Personally, I can't justify $3k for this machine in the least bit. SSD is a great and all, but not $1k+ great.
Ibook Comparison
lol
That's no iBook. It's a 12" Powerbook.
I also did that size comparison with my personal PB 12", check out my images from the press event in Sweden:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zanoii/sets/72157603731292793/
Although mine are somwhat worse aligned..
2 pointsJust found an article over at PCmag.com on a review of the Macbook Air
Here's a picture they had showing the thickness comparison to the Macbook Pro
12" Powerbook Comparison
1. The 12" Powerbook is thicker than current MBP's so the picture is comparing a new product with a discontinued one.
2. A picture from the rear of the machines would show substantially less of a difference. This picture is comparing the thinnest edge of the MBA with a Powerbook of uniform thickness
Yeah, one of the many portables that run OSX.
Or the ones with excellent displays and desktop quality keyboards.
I've owned the Sony X505, the U1 and U3 (both smaller and more feature-packed than the EEE PC despite being nearly 5 years old), the handheld UX series, etc. I'm no stranger to "true" ultraportables -- the compromises made with the screen and keyboard on these computers make them non-starters for me and many others. And that's before you start talking about the ridiculous premium these computers command (far more expensive than the MBA for far less performance).
The reality is that, once you realize that these things aren't pocket-size (even the diminuitive VAIO UX280 is too big), footprint ceases to matter. You still need a bag. The slight increase in the number of situations where a smaller computer makes sense is immediately overcome by the fact that you are loathe to use it because of the tiny screen and keyboard.
The MBA makes the smartest compromises -- big, beautiful screen; big, comfortable keyboard; smallest body possible that will allow for the former at the expense of features that are used less than half of the time.
Damn, look at the size of that "footprint"! It's enormous, how are people supposed to use that thing? I mean, did they have to get a flat-bed truck to tow that up there for the pics?
Isn't this what Steve said word for word?
I can't believe that the size difference between a MBA and a MB are big enough to matter to most folks.
OMG I just read that post too. I been debating whether I should go SSD. I think my pants feel a bit wet now.
If dual 1.6 Ghz 64-bit Core 2 CPUs = toy, then most computer users in the world--even pros doing real work--are using LESS than toys.
It's the slowest Mac currently made. And faster than pro towers from not long ago.
People have a warped obsession with certain spec numbers.
Why are you comparing it to towers made years ago? This is 2008, correct? I stand by my statement. Decide which matters more to you--weight or performance--and you'll know whether the MBA is right for you or not. And you won't even have to compare it to desktops no longer in production to do so!
MacWorld said:
Like leather pants, the MBA isn't for everyone.
I can't stop laughing at your quote! Maybe it's because i'm so tired, i dunno...but i found it very funny indeed!