OFFICIAL I LIKE the MacBook Air Thread. Haters stay away!

[ray648]

I think the macbook air is an excellent buy for anyone who already has another computer and just needs something light to carry around and use when not at home. The size and weight are excellent, it looks amazing, and the specs are easily good enough for general usage. Unfortunately, I already own a macbook, and most of the time im using it, I don't have access to a power socket. As the macbook air's battery life isnt any better than the macbook's, I won't be buying one. If I didn't have the macbook already though, I would be seriously considering it.

 

[Cybergypsy]

I bought it just for surfing...really dont do much more....have a new macbook and always wished it had alum, and backlite keys......best of both worlds as i always hated MBP keyboard

 

[iZac]

there is NO service charge on the battery replacement so why all the fuss?

Since ive been away from the forum (you know ... work and sleep, pfft) whats the source on this delightful news? If thats the case, ill certainly get one sooner or later.

 

[mashinhead]

well how i feel about the price of this thing has really be covered so i won't mention it. what i did want to say is that i kind wish it had a black i mac like bezel for some reason rather than an aluminum one and instead of the black keys. i really like that look. i'm sure they tried it but i wonder why they didn't go with it.

 

[neiltc13]

Love it! Just ordered! It has the things that I was Hoping for a SSD , Powerful CPU, 3100x GPU, magnet latch and a backlit keyboard. Sure it costs a lot but so do most ultra's. The only BAD thing is I have to wait 2 weeks to get it.

It's not ultraportable though, ignoring the thickness the laptop is roughly the same size as a MacBook and nobody ever says that is ultraportable.

 

[Buschmaster]

I like it.

The computers it is competing with, it simply defeats.

I'm not in their target market, but those people who buy the compact HP's will have to reconsider next time they're in the market.

 

[Buschmaster]

It's not ultraportable though, ignoring the thickness the laptop is roughly the same size as a MacBook and nobody ever says that is ultraportable.

Ok, well, ignoring the Holocaust Hitler wasn't as bad.

Yeah, I just made that comparison. Let's not ignore things, seems silly to do when we know they're there.

 

[arkitect]

Since ive been away from the forum (you know ... work and sleep, pfft) whats the source on this delightful news? If thats the case, ill certainly get one sooner or later.

Apple will replace MBA battery free of charge:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/15/macbook-air-battery-replacements-129-free-install/

 

[iZac]

Apple will replace MBA battery free of charge:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/15/macbook-air-battery-replacements-129-free-install/

cheers for the link. I wonder if the battery connectors will be soldered or clipped? if it turns out they clip in, i can see some very dodgey third party batteries making their way onto the market!

 

[Mastamarek]

count me in, dont have money yet for one but I want one soooo bad.

 

[Maui19]

The MBA is exactly what I was looking for: a light, easy-to-carry laptop that travels very well. I need portability, not a small heavy laptop that is trying to be all things to all people. The battery issue doesn't bother me at all--there will be 3rd party external options available in a few weeks. Firewire? If I need it, I'll just get an adaptor. Same with Ethernet (gee, when was the last time I had a laptop connected to anything with Ethernet?).

I'm in line for the SSD model.

 

[lostfan916]

This blog post made my day. Sums up what I've been thinking, but couldn't get it on on my computer screen.

I've read nothing but whining about the MacBook Air on Mac news sites since it came out this morning. Honestly, I just want to shake these people. Not, like, shake some sense into them, but shake them like you're not supposed to shake a baby.

The criticism all basically goes like this: "It's not like a MacBook Pro!"

No, really? Seriously? I mean, they introduced this new product, and it doesn't have the same specs as the MacBook Pro? God, that is bizarre. I wonder why they gave it a new name, and continue to sell the MacBook Pro, then, if it's not going to be exactly the same. I mean, that hardly makes sense, does it?

Ok, fine, there are some people who want, like, an extra battery Pack. But let's admit amongst ourselves that the overwhelming majority of people out there have never pulled the battery out of their existing laptops, and didn't even know or care that it comes out. In fact, if something goes wrong with their battery, this majority -- whom we'll call "NORMAL PEOPLE" for convenience -- will just take the damn machine to the store and get it fixed, whether it's user-serviceable or not. Because we don't want to hassle with it.

And there are people out there who do video editing on their MacBooks and want FireWire. Great! I respect your choice! You should buy a MacBook! It's an awesome machine! If you want to do that! Which I don't!

I've read journalists complain that you can't get at the hard drive in the MacBook Air. What? I have no ****ing idea where the hard drive is in my MacBook Pro, and even if you drew me a damn diagram with labels and numbers and gave me a replacement drive I wouldn't open my machine even in exchange for a year with Zooey Deschanel. Ok, yes I would, but you get my point. I'm sorry, Zooey, I didn't mean it, baby.

Some journalists get so close to the truth it hurts, yet miss the large print. "OMG! The unit is all sealed and self-contained like the iPod!"

Yes... the iPod. That huge failure. Also, the iPhone. Stunning disappointment that it was. I mean, jeebus, why would Apple make ANOTHER device incredibly simple? Clearly the market has spoken, and it wants tons of ports and screws and geegaws and flippers... no, wait, no it doesn't.

You guys are TECHNOLOGY JOURNALISTS. You are GEAR HEADS. There is no shame in this, but, come on, recognize that what you think is cool is NOT what my mom thinks is cool, or what an executive thinks is cool, or what a lawyer who just wants to write a deposition on her laptop thinks is cool.

I'm a programmer. I just want a machine I can write software on. Once, I loved gadgets, too, but now I really just want a gadget that (a) works, and (b) is beautiful and easy-to-use. Sure, my iPhone doesn't have as many raw features as my lawyer's Blackberry + RAZR combined (she carries both). But I understand my iPhone, and I don't have to learn it, because it's learned me. I can take a photo in three seconds, and so can she (we tested) even though she'd never seen an iPhone before.

I'm not the freak, here. In this one instance. I'm with the majority. All software developers should be hailing the advent of the computer-as-appliance, because it means we'll be reaching into markets that are afraid of self-service machines.

I can't take apart my Kitchenaid blender. If they come out with a new motor, I'm screwed. It's not upgradeable! And when the motor blows (as it DID... grrr), I have to send it back. I can't take apart my car. When Lotus came out with a bolt-on supercharger, I had to (gasp) take it to the dealer to have it put in. Somehow I survived.

I don't buy a laptop because I want to replace its drive in a year. I buy it because it seems great and meets my needs today. If my needs magically morph over the coming year, I guess I'll sell it on eBay. Or pay Apple to throw in a different drive, or something. Honestly, I think we need to admit that just because machines get faster every year, doesn't mean that the majority of people need faster machines.

In two weeks I'll be writing Delicious Library 2 on a MacBook Air, every day. Because it's simple and beautiful, and I crave those things.

And all you haters can... well, buy one in six months, when you realize how nice it is.

 

[Catch]

Absolutely stunning. The perfect addition to the Apple lineup. Really just hope the battery life is not overstated though. It would be a shame to have such a portable computer crippled by battery life. I ordered mine with the SSD in the hope battery life will be 5+ hours.

Regards,

C