What do you think of a 17" MacBook Air?

[Incision]

The one question that i have about this thread really has nothing to do with a 17" MacBook AIR.

My question is why does almost everyone that i run into think that the 17" Macbook Pro is not very portable. I carry it every day and i don't think that it is unreasonable AT ALL. I think that it is the perfect size, the 15" would be the only other one that i could use, i dont know how people use the 13.3 with that little screen

Disclaimer. I do not mean to offend anyone who uses the 13.3". It could just be me i have the 17" Macbook pro and a Mac Pro with one 30" Cinema Display and another on the way.

 

[appleguy123]

The one question that i have about this thread really has nothing to do with a 17" MacBook AIR.

My question is why does almost everyone that i run into think that the 17" Macbook Pro is not very portable. I carry it every day and i don't think that it is unreasonable AT ALL. I think that it is the perfect size, the 15" would be the only other one that i could use, i dont know how people use the 13.3 with that little screen

Disclaimer. I do not mean to offend anyone who uses the 13.3". It could just be me i have the 17" Macbook pro and a Mac Pro with one 30" Cinema Display and another on the way.

I think that the 17" is VERY portable i carry mine around a lot too i now think at 15" is way to small and that the 13.3inch is a toy!
Edit: i'm not a big person either im under six foot and weight only 130 lbs

 

[GoCubsGo]

I think that the 17" is VERY portable i carry mine around a lot too i now think at 15" is way to small and that the 13.3inch is a toy!
Edit: i'm not a big person either im under six foot and weight only 130 lbs

You are out of your mind!

 

[appleguy123]

You are out of your mind!

Why?

 

[chrisd1974]

I'd love a 17" air. I guess if a MacBook air was 17", but still with the same proportions as the 13" it would be thicker in the center in absolute terms, and a lot of the constraints on space they have in the air wouldn't apply, including room for stereo speakers, a larger drawer for more ports and space for full laptop spec processor and HDD sizes. The smoothing of the leading edges of the 17" macbook would really reduce the amount of aluminum being dragged around in backpacks!

I use an air as an overpriced netbook alternative and a 'proper' macbook pro for everything else. But the macbook feels so clunky that unless I know I'm going to need the difference (music and video essentially) it's the air I grab for first.

 

[swingerofbirch]

a 17 inch MBA sounds like the DUMBEST notebook idea i've heard in a while.

I wouldn't take anything you hear from Apple's live chat to be real. the day unibody macbooks came out i asked them about the base model having a backlit keyboard and the rep straight up lied and said it did, as did the hipster kid at the apple store i bought it from did.

It's weird, a lot of MacRumors know the specs of every mac inside and out, yet the people being paid by apple can't be bothered.

The rep did not lie to you. I worked for Arise the day those MacBooks came out. We were being told through our channels that they both had backlit keyboards. Those of us who in the internal chat pointed out the discrepancies were chastised for doing so. We *had* to say the bottom one had a backlit keyboard because that was the official information apple gave us, even though many of the agents knew better. Some people like me gave the correct info against orders--I often chose to give correct info against orders, such as letting customers know that they could upgrade the hard disk of a unibody MacBook without voiding the warranty (and in fact giving them the link to the instructions to do so on the apple support web-site), I caught hell for that.


As for the OP, I worked this chat line before, there are some die hard mac enthusiasts who work it, but the supervisors know one thing: sales. They do not know anything more than what they see on the web-site. They don't know the history of apple, they are not apple enthusiasts, they often get their facts wrong and stick to em! And you quickly learn that you never try to correct, even gently, an Arise supervisor (called PFs).

Also, we were never paid by Apple. Most people you think work for Apple, don't. We are independent contractors who form our own corporations who are then contracted by Arise which is contracted by Apple to provide sales support. We work from home. I finally figured out the scheme they have going that they fire people every once in a while to open up new classes as they make a lot of their revenue from the training you have to pay to go through. It's unethical through and through. But thought you should know. Sometimes customer service reps want to help, but aren't allowed!

 

[appleguy123]

The rep did not lie to you. I worked for Arise the day those MacBooks came out. We were being told through our channels that they both had backlit keyboards. Those of us who in the internal chat pointed out the discrepancies were chastised for doing so. We *had* to say the bottom one had a backlit keyboard because that was the official information apple gave us, even though many of the agents knew better. Some people like me gave the correct info against orders--I often chose to give correct info against orders, such as letting customers know that they could upgrade the hard disk of a unibody MacBook without voiding the warranty (and in fact giving them the link to the instructions to do so on the apple support web-site), I caught hell for that.


As for the OP, I worked this chat line before, there are some die hard mac enthusiasts who work it, but the supervisors know one thing: sales. They do not know anything more than what they see on the web-site. They don't know the history of apple, they are not apple enthusiasts, they often get their facts wrong and stick to em! And you quickly learn that you never try to correct, even gently, an Arise supervisor (called PFs).

Also, we were never paid by Apple. Most people you think work for Apple, don't. We are independent contractors who form our own corporations who are then contracted by Arise which is contracted by Apple to provide sales support. We work from home. I finally figured out the scheme they have going that they fire people every once in a while to open up new classes as they make a lot of their revenue from the training you have to pay to go through. It's unethical through and through. But thought you should know. Sometimes customer service reps want to help, but aren't allowed!

Apple outsources the chat line? if not what is Arise?

 

[swingerofbirch]

Apple outsources the chat line? if not what is Arise?

Yes, I started a thread about it some time ago. Apple Store Chat, Apple Sales, and Apple Store Customer Service are all at least partially outsourced to Arise. Arise is a strange beast. No one actually works for Arise. People like me pay Arise for the ability to "provide" work to companies like Apple. It's all contracted out. So technically everyone that worked like I did was the employee of their own corporation. It saves Apple and Arise from having to follow labor laws, pay into social security, pay minimum wage, pay for training, etc. There are up front costs of about $200. Then you pay for classes.And you pay a monthly fee for the ability to access the "tools" you need for the job. It's very stressful. Very unethical. Don't want to thread hijack with more details though.

 

[appleguy123]

Yes, I started a thread about it some time ago. Apple Store Chat, Apple Sales, and Apple Store Customer Service are all at least partially outsourced to Arise. Arise is a strange beast. No one actually works for Arise. People like me pay Arise for the ability to "provide" work to companies like Apple. It's all contracted out. So technically everyone that worked like I did was the employee of their own corporation. It saves Apple and Arise from having to follow labor laws, pay into social security, pay minimum wage, pay for training, etc. There are up front costs of about $200. Then you pay for classes.And you pay a monthly fee for the ability to access the "tools" you need for the job. It's very stressful. Very unethical. Don't want to thread hijack with more details though.

how much did they pay you?

 

[queshy]

The one question that i have about this thread really has nothing to do with a 17" MacBook AIR.

My question is why does almost everyone that i run into think that the 17" Macbook Pro is not very portable. I carry it every day and i don't think that it is unreasonable AT ALL. I think that it is the perfect size, the 15" would be the only other one that i could use, i dont know how people use the 13.3 with that little screen

Disclaimer. I do not mean to offend anyone who uses the 13.3". It could just be me i have the 17" Macbook pro and a Mac Pro with one 30" Cinema Display and another on the way.

In terms of 17" laptops, the MBP is surely one of the thinnest and lightest ones around. However, if you're a student, have fun fitting a 17" frame on a tiny desk at university. Sometimes it's just nice to toss a tiny laptop into your bag and forget it's there til you need it. It's just much more practical for some people to have a smaller notebook.

My MacBook Air is really nice, but then when I get to where I have to go and I find a nice big desk to work on, I sort of envy the people with 17" laptops

If I won the lottery or something, I'd buy a 17" MBP and keep it around the house, transport it from room to room, etc.

 

[Incision]

In terms of 17" laptops, the MBP is surely one of the thinnest and lightest ones around. However, if you're a student, have fun fitting a 17" frame on a tiny desk at university. Sometimes it's just nice to toss a tiny laptop into your bag and forget it's there til you need it. It's just much more practical for some people to have a smaller notebook.

My MacBook Air is really nice, but then when I get to where I have to go and I find a nice big desk to work on, I sort of envy the people with 17" laptops

If I won the lottery or something, I'd buy a 17" MBP and keep it around the house, transport it from room to room, etc.

See thats the funny thing is that i am a student and i bring it with me to classes all of the time. I understand what you mean but to me it takes up the whole desk and i just use it from there, its not like its spilling over the desk. For me its fitting in those tiny desks thats the problem. I am 6-5" 265 and built like a linebacker so it is really interesting.

The sad part is that i really would like an air but i really cant justify the purchase when i have the 17" MBP right there.

 

[queshy]

See thats the funny thing is that i am a student and i bring it with me to classes all of the time. I understand what you mean but to me it takes up the whole desk and i just use it from there, its not like its spilling over the desk. For me its fitting in those tiny desks thats the problem. I am 6-5" 265 and built like a linebacker so it is really interesting.

The sad part is that i really would like an air but i really cant justify the purchase when i have the 17" MBP right there.

heh, yeah, I know exactly what you mean. The 17" is a great machine, though, and is probably thinner/lighter than many 15" laptops out there! As long as you're comfortable with it, that's what matters. At one point I was using a 15" MBP and while I didn't find it too big to use on a small desk, the Air works much better. As a casual surfer and note-taker, the Air is a great choice, although the 8 hour battery of the MBP is very tempting!

 

[swingerofbirch]

how much did they pay you?

$10/hour for three-four chats at once, which is pretty crazy hard when you do a good job like I did, and you have close ratios (with chatting you close a sale when you are with the customer as they make a purchase)--there are so many things to keep in mind--following the chat structure, adding items, you get knocked down if you don't try to add applecare, gift cards, you have to probe, etc....more than meets the eye...although the austin reps apparently weren't under the same pressure (those are the apple employees, versus us contractors), plus you have to respond to the last thing each customer wrote within 20 seconds, while finding links for them etc

but that $10/hour is not as much as it looks---with a "job" like this you only get hours you can find--there are no guaranteed hours--you also pay your phone bill, for the computer, internet and back up internet service, you pay arise a monthly fee, you pay for courses to train for this which cost hundreds of dollars, you have ongoing unpaid training and meetings with supervisors to go over your metrics, plus since it's not a job you're paying your own taxes (no matching social security)

and then arise can terminate you on christmas eve for no reason after the day before telling you you were one of the best chatters and receiving accolades from your supervisor (i know the reason now, but it's another long story)

I can go through a chat structure with you if you're ever interested--i haven't done chatting since december of 08 but the pattern is stuck in my head--it became so i was saying it in my sleep---Hi! how may I help you? ....Great! I'd be happy to help you with that!...Will this be your first Mac? ...Great choice! etc....too many exclamation points...lol

 

[appleguy123]

$10/hour for three-four chats at once, which is pretty crazy hard when you do a good job like I did, and you have close ratios (with chatting you close a sale when you are with the customer as they make a purchase)--there are so many things to keep in mind--following the chat structure, adding items, you get knocked down if you don't try to add applecare, gift cards, you have to probe, etc....more than meets the eye...although the austin reps apparently weren't under the same pressure (those are the apple employees, versus us contractors), plus you have to respond to the last thing each customer wrote within 20 seconds, while finding links for them etc

but that $10/hour is not as much as it looks---with a "job" like this you only get hours you can find--there are no guaranteed hours--you also pay your phone bill, for the computer, internet and back up internet service, you pay arise a monthly fee, you pay for courses to train for this which cost hundreds of dollars, you have ongoing unpaid training and meetings with supervisors to go over your metrics, plus since it's not a job you're paying your own taxes (no matching social security)

and then arise can terminate you on christmas eve for no reason after the day before telling you you were one of the best chatters and receiving accolades from your supervisor (i know the reason now, but it's another long story)

I can go through a chat structure with you if you're ever interested--i haven't done chatting since december of 08 but the pattern is stuck in my head--it became so i was saying it in my sleep---Hi! how may I help you? ....Great! I'd be happy to help you with that!...Will this be your first Mac? ...Great choice! etc....too many exclamation points...lol

Yes i would love to know more but avoid straying off-course i think we should carry this out by pm now, because people want to talk about the idea of a 17" macbook air but i like to see what happens behind the scenes so i will pm you.

 

[thegoldenmackid]

You are out of your mind!

really?


I will say that despite the fact iThink the 17" MacBook Air will never happen, the 15" is way less likely.

 

[tflournoy95]

you do realise that apple already sells a macbook right?

 

[appleguy123]

really?


I will say that despite the fact iThink the 17" MacBook Air will never happen, the 15" is way less likely.

Why is that? Also sine the thread is so old I have changed the thread title.

 

[Scottsdale]

you do realise that apple already sells a macbook right?

I don't even know where/when that quote was. Do you realize this thread is OVER SEVEN MONTHS OLD!!!

Talk about waking a thread from the dead!

I don't remember what the post was about, and you didn't quote it properly for me to find it. I think we were dealing with the MBP taking over the 13" aluminum MB. I would guess someone was talking about eliminating the plastic MB, but I don't know.

 

[appleguy123]

I don't even know where/when that quote was. Do you realize this thread is OVER SEVEN MONTHS OLD!!!

Talk about waking a thread from the dead!

I don't remember what the post was about, and you didn't quote it properly for me to find it. I think we were dealing with the MBP taking over the 13" aluminum MB. I would guess someone was talking about eliminating the plastic MB, but I don't know.

when I looked at my profile I thought there was a mistake. And then I thought someone may have had a new rumor, but alas disappointed.

 

[tflournoy95]

my bad for gettin your hopes up. i saw a link to this and didnt even look at the date. lol.

 

[seb-opp]

I saw this thread a while ago but its cropped up again and I had another look at the OP's chat screen shots, not sure if anyone else has noticed this but here's what I think:

The OP asks the apple rep whether the 17" MBP has LED or CCFL backlight, so the apple rep says he is 'researching that'. He comes back with saying there are two 17" notebooks: MBP and MBA. Its clearly a mistake, I think the Apple Rep meant to write 'there are two notebooks with LED backlighting'. The whole idea of a 17" MBA is ridiculous as many people here have suggested. Also Im pretty sure only the top people in Apple know of future releases, Id imagine that sales reps and those lower in the company are deliberately kept in the dark