More MacBook Air Details and Notes

[sas76]

Maybe for you. Fortunately, you're not the entire computer market.

Lots of people like the fact that they can get a nice sized screen on a Mac with a 3 lb computer and none of the removed things matter to them. Personally, I couldn't care less about Ethernet, Firewire, optical drive, multiple USB ports, etc on a laptop. And since I'm carrying a laptop and power adapter on my shoulder through airports > 20 weeks a year, cutting the weight by more than 50% is a great thing.

Just because you don't like it doesn't mean that other people won't. If YOU don't like it, then don't buy it.

50% of what.... 6lb You will just put something extra in the bag now. Say an extra pair of shoes and maybe some shorts, water bottle or two.

No wonder more people are becoming obese (I am not directing this at jragosta just a general observation) , complaining about carrying 6lb.

 

[Rendwich]

And again, your ignorance and lack of intellectual acumen shows itself. The fact that I only took time to dispute ONE of you arguments in a substantive way does not invalidate that argument

What about the total lack of a rebuttal? Does that invalidate it?

Well, while I COULD spare a couple of pounds from the middle, (but no more than 5 or I'll be asked to be on "American Gladiators" again!)

Okay, now you've gone completely stupid. A few posts ago you were complaining about an extra 2 pounds, now you're an American Gladiator?! LMAO! If you think I believe anything you say which I cannot check independently, think again. You're full of crap.

I certainly can spare the $1800, or even the $3300, for a computer. When you grow up, you may be able to command such finances, (but only if you work hard to develop your intellectual capabilities beyond the point you have so far exhibited).

Okay, Mr. Gladiator-Who-Must-Shed-Two-Pounds-Of-Computer-Weight:

1) I retired at age 27 and I've spent my time since then travelling the world. I'm in good shape but I'm short and I'm older (40). I have no money problems at all, but my experience has clearly demonstrated that having money is convenient but hardly the guarantee of a happy life. I can give you financial advice if you need it, because I found that being retired was the best decision I ever made. It was possible because of my "intellectual capabilities" which are being attacked by you.

2) "Intellectual capabilities" are a gift from God. We can improve them a very small amount by hard work, but not very much. There is no amount of work you can do to become significantly smarter, nor can I. We can definitely learn from experience, but some learn more than others. I learned that you're full of crap when you talk about 2 pounds saving your life, then you mention that you were asked to be on American Gladiators. I have that much "intellectual capability" at present, here in my 4000 square foot home which is totally paid for on the Oregon coast.

I'm not getting into a pissing contest, I'm calling you an obvious liar. Two pounds is of no concern to an American Gladiator whatsoever. I hope your REAL life is successful and happy, and that you're loved by your family and friends. I really do.

It's just the nature of the troll.

Yes, you're definitely giving a lesson on the nature of the troll. I'm very sorry I don't like the MacBook Air, and that I expect it to be Apple's worst bomb in a decade. I'm very sorry that I don't like Apple wrecking third-party programs on the iPhone with every update.

I've been a Mac user since the 128K and I will continue to be one *until something better comes along*. Right now, it's the best OS and it has been since my teenage years.

But it's not my religion. It's my computer. If something better comes along, I'll use it.

 

[AidenShaw]

Or use WiFi? Heck, almost every homeowner I know has WiFi.

Right, I guess that after buying a house one probably has the money to spend a couple of hundred on networking.

Too bad about the renters, students and others who need to think about every $10 and $20 bill that they spend.

It's not a value judgement on the design. The point is, the clamshell iBook is 8 years old! It shows MS trying to copy what was once cutting edge.

Cameron

Are you really so paranoid or blinded by hate that you believe that Microsoft is involved in every hardware design produced by the hundreds of companies that are building systems with Intel components?

 

[Rendwich]

Habla Espanol?

I guess I didn't realize that you were a starving, homeless person who couldn't afford a wireless network.

Sorry.

I guess I didn't realize you couldn't understand the English words "through a wire".

Sorry.

USB 2.0 has a max of 480 Mb/sec.
802.11g has a max of 54 Mb/sec.

So you geniuses go on with your Wi-Fi on your MacBook Air. The USB --> Ethernet guy will finish while you're just getting started. And he won't be happy because it still takes too long on USB.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you called me "uninformed" and then posted this trash.

 

[1239689]

Engadget you disappoint me!

-

 

[cornercuttin]

no way

i am not an apple fanboy, but a realistic human being who applies logic to his decisions. that allows me to realize that the macbook air is nothing but a sexy piece of crap.

for the same price, one can get a great macbook pro, and for just a few hundred bucks more, one can get a crazy nice macbook pro. the macbooks blow this thing away.

the only people who would buy one of these things are one of three different types of people: people with enough money that they can drop a couple grand and laugh it off, apple fanbois who would buy a polished turd if apple released one, and idiots.

dont get me wrong. i love apple. i think they do some very innovative things. i go way back with them. i am writing this post on an old power mac G5! i've had an imac that looked like the top half of r2d2 with a screen attached to it. i've had the ipods. i have an iphone. i've bought people in my family imacs and ibooks. i wanted to take a dump on my iphone and send it to steve jobs in an envelope when i heard we have to actually pay for ringtones, but i bought all of my apple gear because either there was nothing better, or the next thing out there that was better was way too expensive. but come on! the macbook air?!!

if you are seriously trying to say that the macbook air is great because it is portable, then grow an effin backbone and learn to carry around a few pounds. the macbook air is 1/4" thinner than a macbook pro (at the macbook air's thickest point). it may be a pound or 2 lighter, but so what. if you are seriously going to complain about carry around 3 or 4 pounds, then you need a macbook pro with a weight tied to it so that you can build up some muscle on those scrawny arms. my wife carries around a purse the size of a small child and doesn't complain for Christ's sake! my grandmother has a purse that is almost as big as the friggin towncar she drives! many people increased the size of their phone by switching to the iphone, but now, for some reason, size matters...

and you know what? 1/2 the people out there with these super-portable macbook airs will have their little laptop bag with them with the superdrive and external ethernet accessories.

for the money, this thing is just not economical. for those who actually want it, say what you are really thinking and quit trying to justify your decisions. the thing is sexy and cool, and that is it. it is an overpriced, thin, underpowered macbook. you want it because it is cute and sexy, just like the iPod mini. in fact, that's what they should've called it... the macbook mini. but it's a computer. but if you are making laptop choices based upon coolness and sexiness, use the money and get a gym membership, get some exercise, get a tan, buy some trendy clothes, and you will be way sexier than this laptop will ever make you.

if the price was at least midway between that of a macbook and a macbook pro, i would be a lot more convinced, but it's not. don't say that it is comparable to sony's thin laptop, or whatever. money talks. and when comparing the money to other apple laptops, this thing is a bad decision.

apple has figured it out. they have figured out how to manipulate a group of people into buying whatever they release and praising it to no end. how they got so many of you to buy into it, i will never know.

 

[badNameErr]

I've spent my time since then travelling the world.

Five star hotels and cabs from the airport, right?

If you've ever really traveled (I mean you've carried your life on your back) you'd understand that every pound you carry counts.

That is my argument. 'nuff said.

 

[jragosta]

Right, I guess that after buying a house one probably has the money to spend a couple of hundred on networking.

Too bad about the renters, students and others who need to think about every $10 and $20 bill that they spend.

If they can't afford a $50 wireless router, they're not likely to be buying a $1800 laptop, are they?

I guess it was assumed that Apple's target for any of their computers was not the dirt poor, can't afford any more than macaroni and cheese crowd.

 

[jragosta]

I guess I didn't realize you couldn't understand the English words "through a wire".

Sorry.

I guess I didn't realize that you were too stupid to realize that there was no reason to use a wire when something better was available.

And if you're too cheap to buy a $50 router, then feel free to buy a different computer.

 

[jragosta]

the only people who would buy one of these things are one of three different types of people: people with enough money that they can drop a couple grand and laugh it off, apple fanbois who would buy a polished turd if apple released one, and idiots.

Or a person who has to travel reguarly and doesn't wish to carry any more weight than they have to.

Why is it that you seem to forget the obvious target audience?

 

[cornercuttin]

If you've ever really traveled (I mean you've carried your life on your back) you'd understand that every pound you carry counts.

That is my argument. 'nuff said.

if you are carrying your life on your back, then you wont mind an extra pound or two. you probably wouldnt notice the difference. and if you are carrying your life around with you, in the case of the macbook air, you are still going to need your superdrive accessory, ethernet accessory, and probably an external hard drive because of the air's puny storage capacity.

how puny are you people? granted, i am 6'3", 300 pounds, and i about the size and build as your average college lineman, but that is because i go to the gym 5 times a week and stay healthy. how is an extra pound or 2 going to make a difference, especially when just about the same volume of space is being used? like i said, my grandma carries a massive purse with a ton of crap in it. hell, my other grandma carried her .357 magnum in her purse (this is oklahoma...), and never complained, and that thing weighed more than she did!

 

[AidenShaw]

Five star hotels and cabs from the airport, right?

Is there any other way to travel?
</sarcasm>

If you've ever really traveled (I mean you've carried your life on your back) you'd understand that every pound you carry counts.

Exactly. And exactly why the MBA is DOA.

The killer is the non-replaceable battery. I have a Dell with a replaceable battery (of course the Dell has replaceable batteries - but is the MBA the first laptop ever without a replaceable battery?). The Dell also has a drive bay, so that I can put a 2nd battery into the DVD drive slot.

When I travel, when I count the pounds I'll make sure that I can carry spare batteries to stay running on the biggest power gaps of the trip - whether that's a 20 hour series of plane flights or two days in the hill country of Thailand with kerosene lights at the "hotel".

Maybe if APC produces an "Air" adaptor for their external battery products (http://www.apcc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=358) I could consider an "Air". But with the probable 2 to 2 1/2 hour life of the internal battery - it's simply not worth considering.

And, I expect, that a lot of "power business execs" will come to the same conclusion - that a laptop that won't last a typical meeting without being plugged in is not on the list.

Time to check out the IdeaPad U110 (http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4182), 8 hours on a replaceable battery....

 

[iRabbit]

how puny are you people? granted, i am 6'3", 300 pounds, and i about the size and build as your average college lineman, but that is because i go to the gym 5 times a week and stay healthy. how is an extra pound or 2 going to make a difference, especially when just about the same volume of space is being used? like i said, my grandma carries a massive purse with a ton of crap in it. hell, my other grandma carried her .357 magnum in her purse (this is oklahoma...), and never complained, and that thing weighed more than she did!

While I understand what you're saying and myself think the Macbook is already small enough, that doesn't mean I can't see the value in even smaller, thinner and lighter for someone else. It doesn't matter how "puny" anyone is, or what your grandma carried in her purse... if it's important to someone else that their laptop be as small, thin and light as possible why not just respect that opinion even though you disagree for YOURSELF?

Not everyone wanted an iPhone. Not everyone wanted an iPod. Not everyone see the value in Time Capsure. Some of us have multiple laptops, some of us don't have one at all. Some like the Macbook while others prefer the Pro. And guess what? Some will like the Air. Why even argue it?

 

[dmr727]

USB 2.0 has a max of 480 Mb/sec.
802.11g has a max of 54 Mb/sec.

So you geniuses go on with your Wi-Fi on your MacBook Air. The USB --> Ethernet guy will finish while you're just getting started. And he won't be happy because it still takes too long on USB.

So you're saying that transferring data from an optical drive is a lot faster than 480Mbit/s USB? Ummm...okay.

 

[badNameErr]

When I travel, when I count the pounds I'll make sure that I can carry spare batteries to stay running on the biggest power gaps of the trip - whether that's a 20 hour series of plane flights or two days in the hill country of Thailand with kerosene lights at the "hotel".

I hear you (and respect your opinion). I used to travel with extra batteries but I just got sick of it - I've never been able to get enough time out of them to justify it. I just wait till I'm in a location where I can recharge and (if I'm lucky) get on the net and leave it at that. Its a PITA sometimes but I'm happy with that setup. Different strokes, different folks.

 

[NAG]

Is there any other way to travel?
</sarcasm>




Exactly. And exactly why the MBA is DOA.

The killer is the non-replaceable battery. I have a Dell with a replaceable battery (of course the Dell has replaceable batteries - but is the MBA the first laptop ever without a replaceable battery?). The Dell also has a drive bay, so that I can put a 2nd battery into the DVD drive slot.

When I travel, when I count the pounds I'll make sure that I can carry spare batteries to stay running on the biggest power gaps of the trip - whether that's a 20 hour series of plane flights or two days in the hill country of Thailand with kerosene lights at the "hotel".

Maybe if APC produces an "Air" adaptor for their external battery products (http://www.apcc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=358) I could consider an "Air". But with the probable 2 to 2 1/2 hour life of the internal battery - it's simply not worth considering.

And, I expect, that a lot of "power business execs" will come to the same conclusion - that a laptop that won't last a typical meeting without being plugged in is not on the list.

Time to check out the IdeaPad U110 (http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4182), 8 hours on a replaceable battery....

You might want to consider that there are new rules on how many batteries you can carry with you while flying now. At 5 hours usage with the network running (Apple's figures so it might be more or less) I honestly don't see the problem. People always complain about integrated batteries but people still buy them anyway (the iPod would have been DOA if this reason actually mattered).

 

[imacdaddy]

Not having a replaceable battery on an iPod is acceptable
Not having a replaceable battery on an iPhone is very annoying
Not having a replaceable battery on a laptop is unacceptable and down right idiotic

Look people, please try to understand where Apple is coming from. With all of the exploding batteries in mobile phones and laptops making the headlines these past few years, it's only natural for a company to protect themselves from lawsuits. What better way than to prevent user intervention, prevent replaceable battery by end users.

Its going to kill sales.

Sure...4M iPhones in 200 days.

 

[dsnort]

What about the total lack of a rebuttal? Does that invalidate it?

I specifically refuted one of your assertions, that you don't get that, I can't help. I found that my MacBook was much easier to carry around just based on it's slimmer profile, although it weighed the same as the Dell Inspiron it replaced. As I have at times travelled without a computer, I can easily calculate what the loss of weight would mean.

Okay, now you've gone completely stupid. A few posts ago you were complaining about an extra 2 pounds, now you're an American Gladiator?! LMAO! If you think I believe anything you say which I cannot check independently, think again. You're full of crap.

You should be laughing. The American Gladiator thing was obviously a joke, something else that went over your head. While I am 6'1", and in good shape, I have never been invited to be involved in American Gladiators. And if you think you have a problem believing anything I say, then you should understand how I feel about this next statement of yours.

1) I retired at age 27 and I've spent my time since then travelling the world.

By the way, I never claimed to be wealthy, just financially secure enough that a $3000 + expenditure for a computer wasn't a concern. If you claim retired at 27, I'm thinking trust fund, or your parents despaired of keeping you employed and decided to let you mooch.

2) "Intellectual capabilities" are a gift from God. We can improve them a very small amount by hard work, but not very much. There is no amount of work you can do to become significantly smarter, nor can I. We can definitely learn from experience, but some learn more than others. I learned that you're full of crap when you talk about 2 pounds saving your life, then you mention that you were asked to be on American Gladiators. I have that much "intellectual capability" at present, here in my 4000 square foot home which is totally paid for on the Oregon coast.

But it's so informative how much experience informs intellect.

Yes, you're definitely giving a lesson on the nature of the troll. I'm very sorry I don't like the MacBook Air, and that I expect it to be Apple's worst bomb in a decade. I'm very sorry that I don't like Apple wrecking third-party programs on the iPhone with every update.

As I pointed out in another post, this forum is infamous for "brand new members" attacking every new Apple release. Sorry if I mis-id'd you, but if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck........

And as for the iPhone, I'm sorry if you missed the oft posted and expounded upon point that it was locked to a single provider and closed to the third party development.

 

[jragosta]

I guess I didn't realize you couldn't understand the English words "through a wire".

Sorry.

USB 2.0 has a max of 480 Mb/sec.
802.11g has a max of 54 Mb/sec.

So you geniuses go on with your Wi-Fi on your MacBook Air. The USB --> Ethernet guy will finish while you're just getting started. And he won't be happy because it still takes too long on USB.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you called me "uninformed" and then posted this trash.

What about the 802.11n that's in the MBA?

Uninformed? Sure. You thought it was the same power adapter as the MBP and apparently weren't aware that it has 802.11n.

Oh, and if the USB is fast enough for it, it's an option, too.

 

[latestmonkey]

The Cube was a truly awesome Mac. A totally silent desktop computer is a thing of wonder. Yet it bombed. You couldn't expand it in any meaningful way, and if you set a book on top of it, it burned up.

It turns out that the market for unexpandable desktop computers which burn up if you set something on top of them is too small. So The Cube is no more.

But afte a LONG hiatus of useable, justifiable, sustainable products, APPLE IS BACK and it's back with with a vengance: Macbook Air!

Design Point 1: Thinness

Thinness is good with a your supermodels, your credit cards (credit blocks never caught on), your mints in Monty Python's *The Meaning of Life*. Thinness is good for laptops, too. TO A POINT. The real question is not "2D or 3D?" The real question is "How THICK can this be before I won't buy it?". For me, the answer to that question is "about 1.5 in/3.3 cm". That's the question Apple COMPLETELY MISSED. They made a wreck of a computer, but it's really, really thin.

Design: Point 2: Width and Height

Calling this an "ultraportable" is a joke. It has a 13.3" screen which is hardly "ultraportable". They have large, noticeable gaps between the keys which makes the keyboard bigger than any "ultraportable". It's 9in x 13in with a HUGE screen bezel and *significant* border on both sides of the keyboard. Despite being stupidly thin, it's not stupidly portable. So they blew it, plain and simple. You can't buy this if you need a small computer.

Design Point 3: Portless for Her Pleasure

Anyone, and I mean ANYONE who buys a computer with NO ETHERNET JACK for EIGHTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS in 2008 is a total and complete tool. The first time you have to do ANYTHING with a CD or DVD through your USB port, you are going to cry a river of regretful tears. It will literally take 7 hours to put 80GB of data through a USB 2.0 port. Don't believe me? Try it. That means putting a 760MB CD onto your Macbook Air will take... wait for it... wait for it... 4 minutes!! HA HA HA!

Design Point 4: Assault on Battery

For a mere work-week of your life, and 7 percent of the cost of the computer, Apple will replace your battery. Don't try this at home, kids. You'll void your warrantee and you can't find the battery anywhere else, either.

Design Point 5: Size Matters

The HD is 80 GB, which is a good size for an iPod. It's NOT A GOOD SIZE for a computer in 2008! It's a joke. So you want to add more storage? Great, you'll be doing it through.. wait for it... wait for... USB! HA HA HA (see above)!! The SSD is awesome and sexy and it adds a mere FOURTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS to the price. You can get a 32 GB flash drive for about $400, so you do the math. Hint: It's overpriced by SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS.

Design Point 6: Battering RAM

They soldered the RAM to the motherboard and there are no expansion slots. This is 2008 not 1988. To take a bigger step backward, they'd have to re-release the Mac Portable.

Design Point 7: The Short Bus

The processor is hugely underwhelming, probably for heat reasons. It's not easy being thin! If Macbook Air is a thin supermodel, the custom CPU is the slimming, heat-free methamphetamine.

Design Point 8: The Name's the Thing

Worst ever. The company is called "Apple", did they forget that?

Design Point 9: Black and Silver is Good

For the Oakland Raiders. It's not good for a Dell, an HP, or a MAC. So industrial and bland and ovelookable, it could have easily been designed by a Microsoft employee. When I heard that Johnathan Ives signed off on this, I realized that all good things must come to an end.

Conclusions (1-9)

TOO THIN. TOO WIDE. TOO ISOLATED. TOO LOCKED. TOO SMALL. TOO FORGETFUL. TOO STUPID. TOO MISNAMED. TOO UGLY.

This is the first MAJOR misstep for Apple in many years - and after so many shoddy business practices, I am truly enjoying seeing them jump the shark. I had a Mac 128K (!) and they've made a lot of great computers since then. This might be the worst.

Yeah. You're absolutely right. They should just call everyone back to the moscone center and tell everyone they changed their minds and the MBA won't be shipping in two weeks. That team of designers and market researchers should all be shot. They should have just hired you.

I love focus groups of ONE.

 

[tirerim]

For all those ridiculing anyone who wants to save two pounds of weight from their computer: ever been backpacking? When you're carrying a forty pound or more pack, two pounds makes a very big difference, which is why you'll see people trying to save every possible ounce on things like stoves, tents, clothing, etc. Now, I'm not suggesting that I would take a laptop out into the wilderness, but when I travel in civilized places I still put everything in a framepack. Wheeled suitcases are just too ungainly and slow when you're hurrying to catch a train. Does that make me a wimp for wanting to make my pack a little lighter?

Now, at the moment my 12" PowerBook is still in good enough shape (even with only a 1 GHz, single-core processor and 1.25 GB RAM) that I don't need to replace it yet, but when the time comes I'll be very glad to get something lighter, and there's a good bet the MBA will be it.

 

[NAG]

For all those ridiculing anyone who wants to save two pounds of weight from their computer: ever been backpacking? When you're carrying a forty pound or more pack, two pounds makes a very big difference, which is why you'll see people trying to save every possible ounce on things like stoves, tents, clothing, etc. Now, I'm not suggesting that I would take a laptop out into the wilderness, but when I travel in civilized places I still put everything in a framepack. Wheeled suitcases are just too ungainly and slow when you're hurrying to catch a train. Does that make me a wimp for wanting to make my pack a little lighter?

Now, at the moment my 12" PowerBook is still in good enough shape (even with only a 1 GHz, single-core processor and 1.25 GB RAM) that I don't need to replace it yet, but when the time comes I'll be very glad to get something lighter, and there's a good bet the MBA will be it.

Lucky, mine died in the rainforest. Survived a long time though.

There are lots of little usb hubs for sale. I don't really see the need for a docking station if you just want more usb ports.

 

[Stella]

This is a very brave and good design.

remember when Apple went to pure USB - people said - it won't work, there's no parallel ports etc.

This echos the "Air".

No other manufacturer has done what Apple have: its revolutionary. PC manufacturers will be copying the Air in no time.

The only criticism IMO is:
- no drive included (external of course)
- no option for docking station ( i.e, support for extra USB connections ).

Blind sided.

 

[cthorp]

Are you really so paranoid or blinded by hate that you believe that Microsoft is involved in every hardware design produced by the hundreds of companies that are building systems with Intel components?

I was making a lighthearted observation.

A director at Microsoft presented the product at CES and mentioned they partnered with a European company called Ego. He directed people who wanted to know more to go to Microsoft.com. It may be MS using the same verbal usage as when the iphone shipped. Steve Balmer said they were already shipping x-amount of smart phones. When Microsoft doesn't even make a phone.

Again it was meant as nothing more than a light hearted antidote after watching the interview with the Microsoft guy. Sorry if I offended you.

Here's a link: http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/03/13/76354_HNhollandsego_1.html

http://www.funponsel.com/blog/archives/2007/01/08/ces-amd-tulip-ego-laptop/

The base pice is $5000.00 and it's AMD based

 

[NYCMacFan]

I just don't understand why the MBA doesn't match the competition in size/weight. Again, a Toshiba R500 is 11.1 x 8.5 x 0.77 and 2.375 lbs. Now the R500 is 12inch screen, but includes an optical drive and a ton of ports. Longer battery life and the battery is removable.

How significant is a .74inch MBA over a 0.77 Toshiba that is lighter by 8 ounces (1/6th lighter) and narrower by 1.7 inches. Again, 0.77inches with a removable battery.

They also have a 1.74lb version without the optical drive, an SSD and a smaller battery.

Review here:
http://www.ruggedpcreview.com/3_notebooks_toshiba_r500.html

Note the apple is cheaper, has 2gig of ram, and faster processor. Naturally a wonderful operating system with Apple. But Toshiba has a larger HDD or the same SSD.

Underwhelmed. Yet oddly I'll probably still buy as I want something light with Mac OS.