You bought a MacBook air. What other computers were you considering? For me it was basically between an MBA and a regular MacBook.
Please, MBA owners only!
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What was your second choice computer?
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It was either a MBA or MBP for me. The size/weight & portability is what lead me to getting the MBA.
I'm not crazy about all the plastic on the Macbooks, and they're pretty annoyingly thick (I know, I know - how quickly we get spoiled).
I would've purchased a 15" MBP, but it feels like such a cinder block compared to the Air. I don't know if anyone else cares about this - grabbing an Air off the desk is very natural, because you can slide your fingers around the edge and its weight doesn't resist you. The MBP, not so much - I can't grab it with one hand.
I would've purchased a 15" MBP, but it feels like such a cinder block compared to the Air. I don't know if anyone else cares about this - grabbing an Air off the desk is very natural, because you can slide your fingers around the edge and its weight doesn't resist you. The MBP, not so much - I can't grab it with one hand.
Aready have a Pro but needed something smaller for light work and travel. Would have liked a MB with LED lighting and multi touch but since Apple does not offer that I settled for a MBA 1.8 SSD...it is almost perfect...I would have liked to have a bigger hard drive. Also the smaller cache in the MB is a bummer.
I strongly considered the Sony SZ and Lenovo X300.
I'm another sucker for how beautiful the damn thing is.
I'm another sucker for how beautiful the damn thing is.
My second choice was a MBP. I had a Powerbook, and loved it. Then a Macbook. Didn't like the plasticy feel.
Reading this thread made me feel much better about my purchase finally. I knew lots of other people like myself were sucked in by the beauty of the thing, but still sometimes I thought I was just crazy for turning down another MBP..so thanks all!
I know I sold my MBA, and went back to my BlackBook 2.4 Penryn, but now I'm looking at the top of the line MBA after the next release. I miss the transportability and the 3lbs v. 7-8lbs. I'll be back! 
I picked the Macbook Air over the 15" Macbook Pro.
Not only did I like the Air better, but the 15.4" MBP is 0.2" larger than the PowerBook G4 so it wouldn't fit in a Montblanc briefcase. The Macbook was out of the question because I prefer aluminum. The only aluminum Mac that fits in the briefcase is the MBA.
Not only did I like the Air better, but the 15.4" MBP is 0.2" larger than the PowerBook G4 so it wouldn't fit in a Montblanc briefcase. The Macbook was out of the question because I prefer aluminum. The only aluminum Mac that fits in the briefcase is the MBA.
I already have other Macs and was waiting for Apple to come out with an ultraportable. The day I went to the Apple store to take a look at the MBA in person for the first time, I was hooked. As soon as they got in ones to sell (they initially had just a couple of display models) I bought mine. Love it! Great for travel, but also great for around the house and outdoor deck as well.
I had all the computing power I needed between a desktop PC, an iMac and two MBPs. I bought the Air for it's easy portability. I didn't really consider any other computer (since the other ultra portables do no run OSX).
Interestingly, I use the MBA more than all those other computers combined (except for gaming, which does sink a lot of time on that PC).
Interestingly, I use the MBA more than all those other computers combined (except for gaming, which does sink a lot of time on that PC).
My path to the MBA was also pretty short. I had made a list of what I wanted technically in a PC and another list of what I was really going to use it for. I had made the list a couple of years ago already and just waited until my eye would fall on something that hit the sweet spot of both lists. No laptop that I looked at ever had the specs to satisfy my needs on both lists until the Air came out.
It has taken a lot longer (timewise) than I expected, but when the MBA came out I knew that it had a great chance of being that sweet spot that I was looking for. So this April I bit the bullet and bought one, and it really is everything that I wanted it to be. And more.
It has taken a lot longer (timewise) than I expected, but when the MBA came out I knew that it had a great chance of being that sweet spot that I was looking for. So this April I bit the bullet and bought one, and it really is everything that I wanted it to be. And more.
The 4Gb eee PC buried in the recesses of my storage cupboard would be second choice to the Air. I can't generally think of anything less compromised.
The Air has been third choice to the TZ2500 / TZ32VNX and the X300. But the X300 didn't quite do it for me either, so it has been heaved out of the door. The Air currently stays as the Blackbook I bought to evaluate over the Air clearly is too heavy (not to mention just as much of a Cookbook as I remember it from '06) for the task at hand.
The fact that it is the only actually portable OS X machine is the only thing keeping it with me - but it doesn't change the fact that it is too non-functional and too heavy for what it is.
The Air has been third choice to the TZ2500 / TZ32VNX and the X300. But the X300 didn't quite do it for me either, so it has been heaved out of the door. The Air currently stays as the Blackbook I bought to evaluate over the Air clearly is too heavy (not to mention just as much of a Cookbook as I remember it from '06) for the task at hand.
The fact that it is the only actually portable OS X machine is the only thing keeping it with me - but it doesn't change the fact that it is too non-functional and too heavy for what it is.
That's a toughie.
If the MBA wasn't available when my wife's old laptop died (used for her law practice), I would have pushed for a MB or MBP, because I was sick of maintaining her Windows infrastructure. With the kind of apps she runs, performance is not an issue. She wanted a computer that is easy to carry between home, her office and court. A conflicting requirement was that she'd like a large, usable screen.
While the MBP has the ideal screen size for her, it is pretty heavy. The MB is a little less bulky, but the screen is only ~13". The MBA has only a 13" screen, but it's so light, my wife was willing to give an inch or two to get the superb portability.
Ultimately it would have been my wife's decision, so we probably would have ended up with some light Window machine with a relatively large screen.
Now that she's been using Mac OS X for a while, I'm not sure she would consider a Windows-only machine anymore.
If the MBA wasn't available when my wife's old laptop died (used for her law practice), I would have pushed for a MB or MBP, because I was sick of maintaining her Windows infrastructure. With the kind of apps she runs, performance is not an issue. She wanted a computer that is easy to carry between home, her office and court. A conflicting requirement was that she'd like a large, usable screen.
While the MBP has the ideal screen size for her, it is pretty heavy. The MB is a little less bulky, but the screen is only ~13". The MBA has only a 13" screen, but it's so light, my wife was willing to give an inch or two to get the superb portability.
Ultimately it would have been my wife's decision, so we probably would have ended up with some light Window machine with a relatively large screen.
Now that she's been using Mac OS X for a while, I'm not sure she would consider a Windows-only machine anymore.
sorry for resurrecting this thread but for those who got the macbook air, did it end up being your only computer (since you guys' first choice was mainly a MBP)?
No. At first I thought I was going to sell my older Asus laptop. But I decided to keep it as a dekstop.
This saves me the trouble of connecting and disconnecting my MBA all the time to my LCD, power, keyboard and mouse.
Besided that the VGA output of the Asus delivers are more crisp signal than the DVI on the MBA. No shame though because I've had Sony SZ and TZ and they also lost it to the signal of the Asus.
I considered the MBP and the Macbook Air underclocked to 800Mhz ended up being my main computer.