Why do some people appear to HATE the MBA?

[weckart]

I use a 17 inch G5 MPB at home.

Impressed. I thought those weren't being released until next Tuesday.

The ultra portable market is a proven failure.

If the ultra portable market is such a success then maybe you can provide me with some evidence that the UP notebooks sell well? I have yet to see a single person with an UP notebook and I have yet to see a single person recommend a UP notebook or consider buying one. They sell EXTREMELY bad compared to regular notebooks.

Some people have clearly been living under rocks the last few months or so. If UPs are a proven failure and not selling then why is ASUS struggling to meet demand for its UP? Why is its UP in the top ten selling laptops?

Half a million sold in just a handful of countries it has been launched in since October and projected to sell 5 million this year once production has been ramped up. These sell so badly that they are being sold at a premium on ebay.

Even Amazon is selling these hand over fist

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/pc/all

 

[shadowfax]

btw I like the MBA, but not enough to buy one. Am I a hater?

not a MBA hater, just a hater

 

[shadowfax]

Even Amazon is selling these hand over fist

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/pc/all

Man, even the MBA holds #30 (1.6/80GB) and #72 (1.8/64GB).

And you know, I didn't see any Tablet PCs, other than the nokia "Portable Internet Tablets," which look more like the iPhone than a Tablet PC, and this horrifying and horrifyingly expensive device.

a number of "ultraportable" laptops in the top 100, and not a single Tablet PC. Nice.

 

[cenetti]

Man, even the MBA holds #30 (1.6/80GB) and #72 (1.8/64GB).

And you know, I didn't see any Tablet PCs, other than the nokia "Portable Internet Tablets," which look more like the iPhone than a Tablet PC, and this horrifying and horrifyingly expensive device.

a number of "ultraportable" laptops in the top 100, and not a single Tablet PC. Nice.

sigh!!!
13.3 inch screen is NOT ULTRAPORTABLE....NOT...
go pick a sony TZ and see what an ultra-portable looks like.....
business people are buying those like hot cakes....because ITS SMALL!
not because its THIN!

I had this discussion with my co-workers....we all agreed.."air" is NOT portable...end of story...

 

[MazingerZ]

sigh!!!
13.3 inch screen is NOT ULTRAPORTABLE....NOT...
go pick a sony TZ and see what an ultra-portable looks like.....
business people are buying those like hot cakes....because ITS SMALL!
not because its THIN!

I had this discussion with my co-workers....we all agreed.."air" is NOT portable...end of story...

I'm glad you and your co-workers have come to an executive decision on what an ultra portable is...now go away!

 

[ctt1wbw]

sigh!!!
13.3 inch screen is NOT ULTRAPORTABLE....NOT...
go pick a sony TZ and see what an ultra-portable looks like.....
business people are buying those like hot cakes....because ITS SMALL!
not because its THIN!

I had this discussion with my co-workers....we all agreed.."air" is NOT portable...end of story...

So the smaller the screen, the better? What about Windows Vista on a calculator? That would be the mostest awesomest ultraportable in teh world!

 

[ctt1wbw]

Okay, what about this:

A 12" portable that weighs *hypothetically* 75 pounds versus a 3 pound 13" widescreen. Is the 12" more portable because it fits a few people's definition on an "ultra portable" just because it has a smaller screen?

 

[Sweetbike40]

I'd imagine anything smaller would be difficult to type on especially for a big guy or anyone with big hands. The widscreen (regular footprint) is good to keep in a "ultra-portable" yet it's thin and very light. I'd imagine it would fit in many nice bags and you would barely know your carrying it.

 

[Tosser]

Playground psychology 101; sour grapes. I bet if you presented any hater with a free MBA, they'd gush.

Yup. I could sell it and get something neat. Does it come with a receipt?

 

[stainlessliquid]

Impressed. I thought those weren't being released until next Tuesday.





Some people have clearly been living under rocks the last few months or so. If UPs are a proven failure and not selling then why is ASUS struggling to meet demand for its UP? Why is its UP in the top ten selling laptops?

Half a million sold in just a handful of countries it has been launched in since October and projected to sell 5 million this year once production has been ramped up. These sell so badly that they are being sold at a premium on ebay.

Even Amazon is selling these hand over fist

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/pc/all

I already said the EEE is an extraordinary success. But dont classify it as a UP. It is a new breed of laptop, like half UMPC and half UPPC. And you managed to prove my previous point. EEE is doing so extremely well because it did something new and fixed what was wrong with the UP market, it gave people what they wanted. A UP is not meant to replace your main computer, so why price it like one? The EEE did everything right, it made a compact ultra small notebook and priced it so low that the mainstream could afford it as a compliment to their main computer. The MBA did absolutely nothing at all like the EEE, it managed to do the complete opposite.

 

[dsnort]

We are not kidding and Apple did make a 12" PB three years ago. That's what I use as my main machine. I have three desks (on three locations) setup with screens larger than a 17" MBP. That's what I connect to when doing real work, such as editing video. The 12" screen is for my daily two hour train rides or longer travel.

So you're saying the 12" screen is alright for a short train ride, but you switch to something bigger as soon as you get the chance!

Are YOU kidding? Do YOU use the screen and keyboard of the laptop during daily work at your desk?

No, I'm not kidding. As a "Road Warrior", ( gads I hate that phrase), I'm at a new desk almost every night and every day. I've found the 13.3" footprint to be a good compromise between portability and usability. I've at some of the "ultra portables". No way I'm staring at that screen or pecking at those keys trying to write a proposal.

I had this discussion with my co-workers....we all agreed.."air" is NOT portable...end of story...

I had a discussion with my co-workers....we all agreed.... you and your co-workers don't get a vote.... end of story

 

[NAG]

Make a great looking laptop that was super thin, has a full keyboard, and a good sized screen so that you can do actual work on it rather an oversized PDA?

See, the name game can go both ways.

Eee is good for some people. The Macbook Air is good for some people. They are not diametrically opposed. Just because you like one doesn't mean the other one sucks. Get over yourself.

 

[kuwisdelu]

What the MBA haters don't realize when faced with the "it's not for you" argument is that it both implies that there ARE people for whom it's perfectly useful and it's a recognition that people do have DIFFERENT needs.

I have no trouble with those disappointed with the MBA because it's not what they were hoping for. However, I don't understand the MBA haters who say that it's a terrible laptop because of it. They refuse to realize that their needs aren't everyone's needs. Some people want a larger footprint because they find the 12" and less screen size restrictive and the small keyboards difficult. The MBA is perfect for some people. I have yet to see any say the MBA is a bad computer without resorting to either insulting its specs (which are quite good for its size) or saying "I need this, I need that." Yes, you may need that, but the MBA is for people who need the other thing.

We have different needs! Hence different laptops! That's really all there is to it.

 

[semiconstructiv]

Not running OS X, not with a big LED-Backlit display, or a full-size keyboard, and not with a dual-core C2Duo.

man, the sections I bolded... classics.


Link.


So... the UP market is slouching... and the Tablet PC market is slouching... but, the UP market is a dead end, and the Tablet PC market has potential. I disagree, I think that's ridiculous. I would posit this instead: They both have a TON of potential. I would say that the trouble with the UP market is that it's full of a bunch of machines that trade power for smallness in a big way, or laptops that are clunky and crowded in their shrinkage, that tried to do too much. I think there is a big opportunity for a laptop that has the thinness, the lightness, but packs a significant punch, all the while being tolerable to use on a day-to-day basis, and pleasant to look at--something people would envy, like an iPod for the UP. I think the MBA is a move in the right direction. It's a laptop that I think is nice, but not quite for me yet. But I am extremely excited about where it will go in the next year. I think the MBA is going to grow the UP market by making people want a UP, the way I do now, they way I hated smartphones till the iPhone came out.

The Tablet PC market also desperately needs something new. I think it would have been awesome if Apple had done a tablet. Evidence has long pointed to the idea that they have been working on it. The iPhone was spun off of Tablet development several years ago. They are probably working on it still. It's just not ready to release yet. That doesn't mean never, and it doesn't mean that it's a mistake to make the MBA. What gives? your argument hinges on the idea that the MBA and the Apple Tablet are mutually exclusive products, but they aren't.
rotflol!



well, that seems to be a 2 way street. But I would go for more like "49 ways from Sunday" instead.



I'm actually a TI-ho. I love my TI-89 to death, but it's the devil I know. It's also the reason I have such a poor grip on calculus in my brain, too, because it makes it so easy to plug in rather advanced symbolic functions and derive/integrate them...


rotflol!

FWIW, when I said the MBA was a pro machine, I qualified that:

More careful reading on your part before you accuse me of speaking nonsense is in order. Unless you are talking about someone else.

talking to someone else ;D

 

[chutzpah]

The reason some people dislike the air is because, yes, it doesn't suit their needs, but it still looks great while (not) doing so.

The reason others hate it is because the design cuts some serious corners for very little improvement and provides a good amount of fuel to further the criticism of apple becoming a money-hoarding monopoly as of late.

People can marvel all they want the the thin look of the machine, but the fact is, it's not .1 inches thin. It's really just three quarters of an inch thick, because apple wanted to give the appearance of it being incredibly thin. Really, what is that tapering doing for you when the computer is just sitting on a table?

When you do that, you compromise volume, and in turn you're left with a large footprint. The volume they're omitting to keep that thin appearance is volume that could be better used in a battery or faster components, or to make it even thinner overall by spreading the components out, or just make the thing cheaper overall.

That tapering also meant apple needed to add a flip down port thing, which for a real road warrior means a lot of wear and tear. What's the use in advertising the no moving parts inside angle when there's an easily bumped, extremely vulnerable port ledge on the computer?

And back to the footprint, does it really need to be so wide and deep? You could save more than an inch off the width and still keep that full size keyboard. The great thing about that 12" powerbook was it was the size of an 8.5 by 11 piece of paper — give the air a slightly smaller widescreen, and you'd still be able to keep those dimensions easily. Probably still thinner than it is now, given all that tapering going on.

Apple's going in the right direction with getting rid of the optical drive; however, this should open up more windows for a better design, one that doesn't compromise on features like the air does now. To be a laptop without an optical drive, the air should have a longer lasting battery, a smaller footprint, durable ports, and at the very least, varying levels of storage configuration.

If the air is truly meant to be a companion computer, it doesn't need to blaze new raw computing power trails. It should be able to browse the internet, run office, tinker with photoshop, play itunes, and edit photos; things the average user would do with it. As a student, who doesn't need to be editing video and rendering things (macbook pros are for that), I'd benefit a lot from an cheaper ultraportable. So would every other student, frequent flyer, businessman, lawyer, mom, and grandparent on the face of the earth.

Right now the air fills some void in the mac lineup that nobody is asking for; an overpriced, underpowered, lightweight, attention grabbing laptop. Form far, far over funching. Of course people are going to be pissed.

 

[MazingerZ]

The reason some people dislike the air is because, yes, it doesn't suit their needs, but it still looks great while (not) doing so.

The reason others hate it is because the design cuts some serious corners for very little improvement and provides a good amount of fuel to further the criticism of apple becoming a money-hoarding monopoly as of late.

People can marvel all they want the the thin look of the machine, but the fact is, it's not .1 inches thin. It's really just three quarters of an inch thick, because apple wanted to give the appearance of it being incredibly thin. Really, what is that tapering doing for you when the computer is just sitting on a table?

When you do that, you compromise volume, and in turn you're left with a large footprint. The volume they're omitting to keep that thin appearance is volume that could be better used in a battery or faster components, or to make it even thinner overall by spreading the components out, or just make the thing cheaper overall.

That tapering also meant apple needed to add a flip down port thing, which for a real road warrior means a lot of wear and tear. What's the use in advertising the no moving parts inside angle when there's an easily bumped, extremely vulnerable port ledge on the computer?

And back to the footprint, does it really need to be so wide and deep? You could save more than an inch off the width and still keep that full size keyboard. The great thing about that 12" powerbook was it was the size of an 8.5 by 11 piece of paper — give the air a slightly smaller widescreen, and you'd still be able to keep those dimensions easily. Probably still thinner than it is now, given all that tapering going on.

Apple's going in the right direction with getting rid of the optical drive; however, this should open up more windows for a better design, one that doesn't compromise on features like the air does now. To be a laptop without an optical drive, the air should have a longer lasting battery, a smaller footprint, durable ports, and at the very least, varying levels of storage configuration.

If the air is truly meant to be a companion computer, it doesn't need to blaze new raw computing power trails. It should be able to browse the internet, run office, tinker with photoshop, play itunes, and edit photos; things the average user would do with it. As a student, who doesn't need to be editing video and rendering things (macbook pros are for that), I'd benefit a lot from an cheaper ultraportable. So would every other student, frequent flyer, businessman, lawyer, mom, and grandparent on the face of the earth.

Right now the air fills some void in the mac lineup that nobody is asking for; an overpriced, underpowered, lightweight, attention grabbing laptop. Form far, far over funching. Of course people are going to be pissed.

So in summary, you can't afford one?

 

[AppleIntelRock]

There were a host of negative iPhone and iPod comments at/before their release as well... look where those two products are now

Honestly, the Macbook Air is Apple's best notebook to date. I always missed the 12" Powerbook... I don't any longer. It isn't for everyone, but neither is the Macbook or Macbook Pro. I think Apple's has a complete notebook line- finally.

 

[chutzpah]

I'd pay my entire tuition for a smaller footprint

 

[duffyanneal]

I'd pay my entire tuition for a smaller footprint

Here you go. Works for the Chinese.

 

[kuwisdelu]

I'd pay my entire tuition for a smaller footprint

Why? All of those wanting a small footprint always say it's so important without telling us why they need it. I've explained plenty of times why thinness and weight are important to me and footprint doesn't make a difference, and I've heard one or two anecdotes from people who like footprint, but most people who talk about it never mention why.

So, not out of confrontation or hostility, but out of curiosity, why?

 

[duffyanneal]

sigh!!!
13.3 inch screen is NOT ULTRAPORTABLE....NOT...
go pick a sony TZ and see what an ultra-portable looks like.....
business people are buying those like hot cakes....because ITS SMALL!
not because its THIN!

I had this discussion with my co-workers....we all agreed.."air" is NOT portable...end of story...

Yawn..been there, done that, sold it.

 

[Shannighan]

Impressed. I thought those weren't being released until next Tuesday.





Some people have clearly been living under rocks the last few months or so. If UPs are a proven failure and not selling then why is ASUS struggling to meet demand for its UP? Why is its UP in the top ten selling laptops?

Half a million sold in just a handful of countries it has been launched in since October and projected to sell 5 million this year once production has been ramped up. These sell so badly that they are being sold at a premium on ebay.

Even Amazon is selling these hand over fist

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/pc/all

because those are only $400

 

[diabolic]

I'd pay my entire tuition for a smaller footprint

If the screen and keyboard were smaller, they would have lost 2 sales from me.

Right now the air fills some void in the mac lineup that nobody is asking for; an overpriced, underpowered, lightweight, attention grabbing laptop. Form far, far over funching. Of course people are going to be pissed.

While it's nice to assume everyone wants what you do, it's probably not true.

 

[kuwisdelu]

People can marvel all they want the the thin look of the machine, but the fact is, it's not .1 inches thin. It's really just three quarters of an inch thick, because apple wanted to give the appearance of it being incredibly thin. Really, what is that tapering doing for you when the computer is just sitting on a table?

I was under the impression it's not supposed to do anything when your computer is sitting on a table. It's for when you're carrying it. As I see it, the MacBook Air is the perfect laptop if you're someone who wants to toss it in your bag, forget you're carrying it, and then when you take it out and work on it, not even notice you're using a subnotebook, because it seems like a regular one.

Maybe some people want their laptop to feel tiny subnotebook when they're actually using it. But I think the MacBook Air is for people who want to feel like they're using a real laptop when they're using it, and don't want to notice they're even carrying anything when it's in their bag. And, personally, I think that's a pretty worthy idea.

 

[loghyr]

Why? All of those wanting a small footprint always say it's so important without telling us why they need it.

For me it is because the smaller footprint connotates lighter and more portable.

Perhaps I also associate higher quality parts because you have to get them working in a smaller form factor.

I've got a 10.6" Fujistsu Lifebook with a keyboard almost as large as the MBA one. My large hands fit it okay.

While I am a strong proponent of a smaller footprint, I did buy the MBA. And it looks huge to me.

But I can see it being the computer I sit in front of all day - it should run circles around my Lifebook.

and don't want to notice they're even carrying anything when it's in their bag.

Agreed, between the notebook and the accessories, I do not want to feel that weight on my shoulders.

And I don't want a bunch of stuff in my luggage, just in case.