Let's hold a solid thread here, and insights to why you purchased a MacBook Air. Was it for work? School? Or just for fun?
So post it here. Why did you buy your MBA?
So post it here. Why did you buy your MBA?
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Why did you buy your MBA?
- Thread starter Ryuukumori
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For school.
the best Mac for school, and alum, much tougher than the MB.
plus with all the books, reducing the weight in the backpack can never hurt.
... ok and i guess it looks sexy too
the best Mac for school, and alum, much tougher than the MB.
plus with all the books, reducing the weight in the backpack can never hurt.
... ok and i guess it looks sexy too
For both work and school.
I'm a high school teacher and I still need to attend evening school twice a week. I had a Macbook before and I usually just left it at work because it is kinda on the heavy side (I don't drive). Now with the MBA it's perfect for me to carry around, with a better screen and keyboard.
I'm a high school teacher and I still need to attend evening school twice a week. I had a Macbook before and I usually just left it at work because it is kinda on the heavy side (I don't drive). Now with the MBA it's perfect for me to carry around, with a better screen and keyboard.
Writer looking for quiet portability
As a novelist I spend the day writing. The Air SSD model offers a number of important advantages:
As a novelist I spend the day writing. The Air SSD model offers a number of important advantages:
- Utter silence
- Long battery life
- Comfort, both in form and weight
- Reliability inherent with solid state storage
Mostly for work... I am a computer consultant and carry my laptop everywhere, everyday. The light and thin ultraportable laptop is the only way to go. This replaced my older 3.4.lb Dell D410.
I also went with the SSD model and I love the fact that it can bang around in my bag and I really am not worrying about the HD getting damaged.
Also, on the side, I like to write as well. This usually happens at night in a dark room and the backlit keyboard is phenominal!
I also went with the SSD model and I love the fact that it can bang around in my bag and I really am not worrying about the HD getting damaged.
Also, on the side, I like to write as well. This usually happens at night in a dark room and the backlit keyboard is phenominal!
It reminds me of the best laptop I ever had: 12'' PowerBook G4. Sure, I lost the DVD burner but I rarely use discs anymore anyway. Aside from that it travels well (and I travel more often than I'd like), the screen is a huge improvement over my current MB and the keys light up (ya, I'm a sucker).
For school.
the best Mac for school, and alum, much tougher than the MB.
plus with all the books, reducing the weight in the backpack can never hurt.
... ok and i guess it looks sexy too
What do you mean by school? I have visions of a 13-yr-old in a uniform with a packed lunch under one arm and a MBA under the other.
Because I could.
Seriously, in my case it boiled down to my desire for a new machine (my MBP was almost two years old) that did what I needed. My MBP had a lot of features I didn't need and hardly ever used; my MBA has almost exactly what I need in a very light package, and in those areas where it might possibly come up short (I am thinking of disk space here), I've been able to come up with some cool ways to work smarter, not harder.
I have a question regarding the sturdiness of the MBA. Does it seem flimsy and easy to break because of its thinness? It just looks so delicate. I don't mean that I'm going to be dropping textbooks on it or something, but IF that should so happen, would it break in half?
No, it's pretty solid. I wouldn't use it to hammer nails or anything, but it feels like a slab of metal. Even open, it's very rigid, despite being lightweight.
I wouldn't recommend dropping a textbook on it, obviously.
I wanted the latest and greatest and to make the jump to Apple computers. What a way to make the leap. Couldn't be happier.
OK, I've been lurking for a long time, but here's my first post. Why the MBA? Oh, let me count the reasons...
I've been a Mac user since the late 80s, and have been through five desktop models since first purchasing a PowerMac 7100 in 1994. However, I tend to hold onto laptops much longer since they are not my primary computer, and I've had good luck with the reliability of my machines.
My first laptop was a PowerBook 1400c, which I got in 1996. It served me very well and nothing really caught my eye until 2001 when I just couldn't resist the titanium PowerBook G4, which has served me faithfully until last week.
The main reason I finally upgraded to the MBA had little to do with performance (it kills me to read all the whining about slow, underpowered, not enough memory - I've been doing perfectly fine with that 500mhz processor in my Powerbook, along with it's 256MB of RAM and 20GB hard drive). My major activities are working with Office documents, internet activities, and watching the occasional movie, and I really haven't had any problems until now. Sure, I noticed a difference in performance between my Powerbook and my current top-of-the-line desktop iMac, but it wasn't enough to make we want to upgrade.
Then the MBA came along and actually had some features that made a difference to me - thinness and weight. I need a laptop that slides easily into my work bag, and what matters is not the footprint, it's the thickness. The MBA is like just another folder, and allows me to carry everything else that I need. And finally, a Mac laptop that significantly decreases the weight I carry around (and believe me, that 2+ pounds makes a difference).
The last week with my MBA has been fabulous. It performs flawlessly for all my needs:
It runs the software I need.
It's plenty speedy.
The wi-fi has much better range than my Powerbook (or my iPhone, for that matter).
It has more than enough storage space (I've got 1.5TB on my desktop, and it's easy enough to transfer any files I need at a particular time).
Overall, I couldn't be happier with my purchase.
I've been a Mac user since the late 80s, and have been through five desktop models since first purchasing a PowerMac 7100 in 1994. However, I tend to hold onto laptops much longer since they are not my primary computer, and I've had good luck with the reliability of my machines.
My first laptop was a PowerBook 1400c, which I got in 1996. It served me very well and nothing really caught my eye until 2001 when I just couldn't resist the titanium PowerBook G4, which has served me faithfully until last week.
The main reason I finally upgraded to the MBA had little to do with performance (it kills me to read all the whining about slow, underpowered, not enough memory - I've been doing perfectly fine with that 500mhz processor in my Powerbook, along with it's 256MB of RAM and 20GB hard drive). My major activities are working with Office documents, internet activities, and watching the occasional movie, and I really haven't had any problems until now. Sure, I noticed a difference in performance between my Powerbook and my current top-of-the-line desktop iMac, but it wasn't enough to make we want to upgrade.
Then the MBA came along and actually had some features that made a difference to me - thinness and weight. I need a laptop that slides easily into my work bag, and what matters is not the footprint, it's the thickness. The MBA is like just another folder, and allows me to carry everything else that I need. And finally, a Mac laptop that significantly decreases the weight I carry around (and believe me, that 2+ pounds makes a difference).
The last week with my MBA has been fabulous. It performs flawlessly for all my needs:
It runs the software I need.
It's plenty speedy.
The wi-fi has much better range than my Powerbook (or my iPhone, for that matter).
It has more than enough storage space (I've got 1.5TB on my desktop, and it's easy enough to transfer any files I need at a particular time).
Overall, I couldn't be happier with my purchase.
Bought my MBA because...
it's pretty
it's lightweight
it's elegant
it's functional
From the moment I laid eyes and hands on one I knew I wanted it.
I am using it primarily around the house right now but this will be my traveling machine, my take-along machine when I'm leaving the house or leaving town....
it's pretty
it's lightweight
it's elegant
it's functional
From the moment I laid eyes and hands on one I knew I wanted it.
I am using it primarily around the house right now but this will be my traveling machine, my take-along machine when I'm leaving the house or leaving town....
Well, I haven't bought one yet (waiting for my birthday in a couple of months), but when I do, it will be to replace my MBP that I carry between home and work every day. I use that machine primarily for general connectivity (web, email) and for Office-style applications when I want the documents to be wherever I am. I'll manage my iWeb site from it too.
I just don't know what I'm going to do with my MBP
I just don't know what I'm going to do with my MBP
I wanted something different. For the last 6 years, I had been using Pro machine, Tibook and CD Macbook Pro 17". Being young, I am able to carry these machines but at 19 I am feeling lazy so I wanted something for just Safari, Adium, Mail and T-Mobile EDGE internet. Watching over 3 servers, the Air is great for Apple Remote Desktop and MS Remote Connection.
It is also great for school for taking note and reading pdf files professors upload to the net.
Shared disc, and anything pro apps you might run into. But you won't go back to your MBP for the first 2 weeks with the air. But you will always love that screen size and resolution.
It is also great for school for taking note and reading pdf files professors upload to the net.
I just don't know what I'm going to do with my MBP
Shared disc, and anything pro apps you might run into. But you won't go back to your MBP for the first 2 weeks with the air. But you will always love that screen size and resolution.
EXACTLY the same for me... except instead of "From the moment I laid eyes and hands on one" it was "From the moment I read it was announced online"
Seriously, full OSX functionality + full Windows XP functionality + full keyboard in a gorgeous 3 pound package? Love at first...errrr... sight.I bought it to replace my 12" PB G4. and you know what? it's awesome and does the job. now you can flame me
I love my 17'' mbp, but carrying that, and some textbooks around is back breaking. Being able to do some quick edits on the road (I do photography to make some bucks) in wonderful with the mbp, but really, I could just wait and use my Mac Pro when I get home. the air is perfect for notes in class, and taking a quick look at some photos. carrying the mbp now seems so daunting.
I am what you would call a technophile, so of course I wanted it as soon as I saw it.
I was very very impressed with it when I went to see it in the Apple store for the first time, and since it was completely practical for me (slim and light, making it the perfect backpack companion) as well as having some really cool tech features (the shrinking of the packaging in this thing is a true engineering feat, seriously, it blew my mind...) and the sexy/cool factor (*drools*), I had to have it.
I must say, my want for it was completely materialistic and show-offy, but the practicality of the machine has blown me away as well. It is also the most comfortable notebook I have ever typed on. The fact that it is so thin means you can rest your wrists on the wrist rest (who would have thought!!!) and not have to arch up over the edge of the notebook (like my previous MB). I have carpal tunnel syndrome in my left wrist, so being able to maintain a straight wrist is really important to me, and as far as that goes, this is the most ergonomic notebook I've found.
And to restate what everyone is saying about the build quality, it is phenomenal. Very sturdy and solid, despite its size and appearance. Of course it is still a notebook and therefore quite delicate, but it is no more delicate than a MBP.
I was very very impressed with it when I went to see it in the Apple store for the first time, and since it was completely practical for me (slim and light, making it the perfect backpack companion) as well as having some really cool tech features (the shrinking of the packaging in this thing is a true engineering feat, seriously, it blew my mind...) and the sexy/cool factor (*drools*), I had to have it.
I must say, my want for it was completely materialistic and show-offy, but the practicality of the machine has blown me away as well. It is also the most comfortable notebook I have ever typed on. The fact that it is so thin means you can rest your wrists on the wrist rest (who would have thought!!!) and not have to arch up over the edge of the notebook (like my previous MB). I have carpal tunnel syndrome in my left wrist, so being able to maintain a straight wrist is really important to me, and as far as that goes, this is the most ergonomic notebook I've found.
And to restate what everyone is saying about the build quality, it is phenomenal. Very sturdy and solid, despite its size and appearance. Of course it is still a notebook and therefore quite delicate, but it is no more delicate than a MBP.
