Why is the bezel so wide?

[Consultant]

If you actually read the dissambly guides you would know it's necessary due to the thinness of the edges.

Before the misconceptions get out of hand:
LED screen = no inverter board = less electronics

maybe to differentiate between lower and higher end models. Even though the Air isn't that cheap, it still isnt 'pro' performance wise

MacBook Air is benchmarked faster than PowerMac G5 Dual Core 2.5ghz (geekbench).

 

[macbook123]

I agree with this guy, somebody has already said on this forum that the air seems to levitate because of the tapered edges and I think this is why apple went with the extra width.

It gives the illusion of being slimmer and their thickness boast is able to start from a crazy 0.4cm.

considering how eager they were to make it look as slim as possible i'm convinced of this.

Can somebody help me understand these statements? I just can't see how a thicker bezel would make the laptop appear thinner. What do the two have to do with each other? If you look at the screen from the front, you don't see the laptops thickness. If you look at it from the side, you don't see the screen, so it wouldn't matter if the bezel were thinner. So you guys must be referring to some optical effect when looking at the screen from 45 degree angle or so? If that's the case, what in your opinion is the optimal bezel size for making a laptop appear slim? Let's say the bezel would take up 90% of the total surface area, and the screen 10%. Would this make the laptop appear super slim and sexy?

Doesn't make any sense to me...

 

[akm3]

Can somebody help me understand these statements? I just can't see how a thicker bezel would make the laptop appear thinner. What do the two have to do with each other? If you look at the screen from the front, you don't see the laptops thickness. If you look at it from the side, you don't see the screen, so it wouldn't matter if the bezel were thinner. So you guys must be referring to some optical effect when looking at the screen from 45 degree angle or so? If that's the case, what in your opinion is the optimal bezel size for making a laptop appear slim? Let's say the bezel would take up 90% of the total surface area, and the screen 10%. Would this make the laptop appear super slim and sexy?

Doesn't make any sense to me...

What they are saying is, the screen has a certain required thickness. They wanted it to APPEAR thinner, so by making the bezel bigger, the edges past the minimum required thickness could be tapered to a narrower point, thus appearing thinner.

 

[tony-in-japan]

The key is when it is closed...

Can somebody help me understand these statements? I just can't see how a thicker bezel would make the laptop appear thinner. What do the two have to do with each other? If you look at the screen from the front, you don't see the laptops thickness. If you look at it from the side, you don't see the screen, so it wouldn't matter if the bezel were thinner. So you guys must be referring to some optical effect when looking at the screen from 45 degree angle or so? If that's the case, what in your opinion is the optimal bezel size for making a laptop appear slim? Let's say the bezel would take up 90% of the total surface area, and the screen 10%. Would this make the laptop appear super slim and sexy?

Doesn't make any sense to me...

You are getting confused.

The key here is ‘when the laptop is closed’ and you are looking at it from the front edge. If you look at Apple’s photo of the Macbook Air when it is closed and floating on the shadow, the edges look thin. To be able to ‘taper’ (definition: diminish or reduce in thickness towards one end) the edge of the MBA and claim that it is 0.16" you would need to extend the bezel/frame on the inside of the screen more. Without this, the LED screen would be within the 0.16" area and that would structurally unsafe.

It makes sense now why the bezel is so thick: because they needed to ‘taper’ the design to give the optical illusion that it is ‘thin’. But it is only 0.16" for 1mm of length that actually gets bigger because it is ‘tapered’.

So it is not really ‘thinovation’ but more like ‘thin-illusion’.

Personally, a non-tapered design (thicker edge) with smaller bezel/footprint would have been a more practical choice (one which I would have probably purchased... maybe), but Apple’s wanted to take the ‘wow’ factor route.

 

[LizKat]

I don't got no gripes with the wide bezel... I guess it kinda makes the MBA look old-school, but old-school is hot these days, innit? Think about the whole the '80s revival: Transformers, RBK Pumps, fluoro, 9-inch high-heels for chicks, people making the switch to Mac again...

yeah you are right. But,,,, 80s revival, heck. The 1840s!! Those Necco Wafer colors on the 3rd generation nanos...