[skew]

Innovative design. Check.
Under powered. Check.
Over priced. Check.

This has cube 2008 written all over it. Don't get me wrong - it looks great. I'd really like one but I can't think of a reason I'd like less power and space for more money.

YMMV

Skew

[fisherKing]

i use several portable drives (iomega, lacie) that are firewire/usb.
what just occurred to me...when i use them with usb, i need to plug into TWO usb ports to power these drives.

the new macbook air has ONE port...so, problem? hmmm (will bring a drive to the apple store to test this when...)

[The Placid Casual]

OMG> This thing is going to bomb...

Build in battery. Stupid Stupid Stupid.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by The Placid Casual 

OMG> This thing is going to bomb...

Build in battery. Stupid Stupid Stupid.

Isn't that what people said about the iPhone?

[ibook_steve]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

But you can BTO the better processor in the lower model, which gives you exactly the same effect.

Duh. How did I miss that?

Steve

[mfbernstein]

---

[packet of krisps]

I too am still waiting for the replacement of my powebook, this is not it.

No video card.

Enough said.

Would have settled for something a tad bigger for one.

[The Placid Casual]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

Isn't that what people said about the iPhone?

Fair point, but not having a replaceable battery in a laptop, where they are much more prone to fail, for me, is a major design flaw.

Also, no hot-swapping for long trips, long meetings or presentations... that is a retrograde step for me.

Every Apple laptop I have ever had has had to have a battery changed along the way either due to failure, wear and tear, or the battery reaching it's charging cycle limit.

[Podolsky]

I was hoping for somethng smaller actually, a bit more durable, touch screen and generally more iPhone/iTouch lineage. But this just looks like a Mac Book "light" and I was looking for a iTouch heavey.....oh well.....I get to save several thousand dollars.....

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by The Placid Casual 

Fair point, but not having a replaceable battery in a laptop, where they are much more prone to fail, for me, is a major design flaw.

Also, no hot-swapping for long trips, long meetings or presentations... that is a retrograde step for me.

Every Apple laptop I have ever had has had to have a battery changed along the way either due to failure, wear and tear, or the battery reaching it's charging cycle limit.

Oh, I know. I think my PowerBook's third battery is about to give out now.

[iFan]

I disagree with those who say there is little use for CD drives anymore. They are still integral.

[f1000]

All of the Johnny-come-latelies harping about price need to come down off their high horses. Way back in 2006, some were suggesting that an ultralight, especially one using flash drives, would be cheaper. Talk about not having a clue.

The MacBook Air is an executive notebook. It's not meant to be a school child's cheap copyright violater, but a bonafide back saver for the on-the-go executive who flies first class on a weekly if not daily basis. Some months I travel every weekend, and the last thing I want to lug around to meetings and restaurants is a 3-4 pound anchor.

As far as I can see, the MacBook Air is everything I predicted and then some, even down to the price. My only problem with it is now that the iPhone is out, I anticipate being able to use the latter as my primary travel computer. Even the MacBook Air is a brick compared to the iPhone, and for many of my needs the iPhone is more than adequate.

[Tomchu]

The C2D chip in the Air is using a much smaller die process, and thus probably considerably lower voltage, and thus much lower heat output.

Temperatures will be fine. I don't see any vents for fans in it. It probably runs cool.

[Tomchu]

Originally Posted by f1000 

... and the last thing I want to lug around to meetings and restaurants is a 3-4 pound anchor.

Then I guess the MacBook Air, at its 3 pounds, is not for you.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by iFan 

I disagree with those who say there is little use for CD drives anymore. They are still integral.

For some people, perhaps. I accidentally broke the drive in my PowerBook a year ago and haven't bothered to replace it since I have an external that I can grab if I ever need.

[f1000]

Originally Posted by Tomchu 

Then I guess the MacBook Air, at its 3 pounds, is not for you.

No, I don't think it is either. For one thing, I wouldn't be able to flip its screen into tablet mode. That would've been a killer app for me. Secondly, as you've already noted, the MacBook Air is still quite a bit heavier than an iPhone, and since I always need to carry a phone with me there's no question that it'd be the Air that would get left behind when needing to go light.

Having said that, I'm sure the MacBook Air is going to be industrial magic to behold. I hope technolust doesn't cause me to make an impulse purchase.

[lpkmckenna]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

For some people, perhaps. I accidentally broke the drive in my PowerBook a year ago and haven't bothered to replace it since I have an external that I can grab if I ever need.

I wonder if you (or me) might be able to use the new Apple $99 drive.

[Tomchu]

Originally Posted by lpkmckenna 

I wonder if you (or me) might be able to use the new Apple $99 drive.

The Air might be providing more than 500 mA out of that USB port, with the external USB-powered SuperDrive in mind. If not, and the drive works fine at 500 mA, then I don't see why not.

[iampivot]

I would mostly like to have something the size of the macbook, but with the internal optical drive replaced with another battery, and the option of a solid state disk, to reduce battery time. The thickness is not really an issue for me, although anything lighter is better. I just want a laptop that lasts a full day (8h) without recharge.

An ultra thin laptop is mostly a gimmick / show-off in my book. I just don't need it.

[Daniel Bayer]

All I have heard is people complaining about the price of the SSD drive. What I want to know is how fast is it and can you bridge an external at USB speeds if need be?

SSD is the way it is going to go for portables, so how do they pan out against say, the Hitatchi 100GB 7,200RPM?

[anthology123]

The battery complaints are interesting. Does anybody really know what the expected battery life per charge is on the MBA?

[MacosNerd]

Originally Posted by freudling 

Soon, all laptops will be this thin, including Apple's MacBook and MacBook Pro. I love how thin it is.

I wonder how flimsy it is. Being so thin, it doesn't look at that sturdy. To be fair, since I'm only looking at pictures, I'll hold off judgement until I get to play with on at my local apple store.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by anthology123 

The battery complaints are interesting. Does anybody really know what the expected battery life per charge is on the MBA?

Apple says five hours, so probably like three.

[Dakar the Fourth]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

Apple says five hours, so probably like three.

Yeah, my first thought was, "Nice a light notebook should get five!" and then I realized manufacturer numbers are always optimistic.

[glideslope]

Poor Name Choice. Should be the "MacBook Toy."

Where is my F****** Mid Range Tower? Dam you Apple!!!!!

[Cadaver]

I caved... I ordered the 1.8GHz model with the 64GB SSD.

Price-wise, its no more expensive than a Sony Vaio TZ series machine with a SSD. Memory-wise, the Sony TZ is also limited to 2GB of RAM. The Sony TZ also uses a 1.06GHz or a 1.2GHz ULV Core 2 Duo processor - not exactly a barn-burner. Screen-wise, the $3000 Sony TZ has an 11" screen (glossy) at 1336x768 (16:9), so I think the 13" 1280x800 (16:10) is fair.

The Sony does have an internal optical, and while quite thin, is thicker than the MBA. The Sony TZ uses GMA950 graphics, while the MBA uses better X3100 graphics. The Sony has only VGA video out; MBA has a (micro) DVI port.

The Sony TZ does have built-in Sprint cellular broadband; no such option on the MBA, unfortunately (though external USB solutions exist).

The MBA, in my opinion, is a reasonable competition to the Sony Viao TZ series machine, which I was STRONGLY considering, but held off specifically to wait for the MacWorld expo to see what Apple had to offer.

The MacBook is good competition for the Dell XPS 1330, and IMHO the MBA is good competition for the Sony Viao TZ.

Though I think MacBook air is a stupid name.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Dakar the Fourth 

Yeah, my first thought was, "Nice a light notebook should get five!" and then I realized manufacturer numbers are always optimistic.

With the solid-state drive, it might be true. I understand they're supposed to be much more power-efficient than traditional disks since they don't require any moving parts.

[anogee]

I think its cool, and a some will want it, but you sure give up a lot. I just bought a Macbook Pro, and I'm thinking, should I have waited? Not in the least. Unless you travel a whole lot, the extra few pounds aren't really a big problem. If I used it for business travel, the lack of the ability to carry an extra battery is a BIG problem. And no DVD, and only ONE USB port. Come on, how much space does a USB port use? Not even a mic jack and only a mono speaker? For $999 I could accept that. For $1799, I think its very over-priced.

[Mastrap]

You guys are getting this all wrong.

This is NOT a primary machine. This is not a PRO machine. This is the Mac you're grabbing when you're flying off to a meeting with a client and need more than your iPhone. This is the Mac we'll probably be buying as a home notebook to replace the Macbook when it wears out. It's the Mac my wife will be using for email and browsing and writing the occasional document.

For everything else there are MBPs and Macbooks.

[mfbernstein]

---

[fisherKing]

Originally Posted by Mastrap 

You guys are getting this all wrong.

This is NOT a primary machine. This is not a PRO machine. This is the Mac you're grabbing when you're flying off to a meeting with a client and need more than your iPhone. This is the Mac we'll probably be buying as a home notebook to replace the Macbook when it wears out. It's the Mac my wife will be using for email and browsing and writing the occasional document.

For everything else there are MBPs and Macbooks.

therein lies the problem; $1800 or $3100 for a 'non-pro' machine seems a little...insane...
if i decide to go for this (not the ssd model, alas), i will use it as a pro machine (ie music production, indesign, etc).
think it's up to those tasks (as apple offers final cut express, logic express, aperture as options)

[philm]

I reckon that the price is great - basically the same as the black MacBook with 2GB RAM. For UK users, it's £1,020 + VAT on the Apple Store for the base model.

[bearcatrp]

Just finished watching the little clip about this. I don't know about you folks but it bears alot of features of the killed Palm Folio. Alot of the same functionality. Makes me wonder if the x workers from apple who joined Palm recently had something to do with this. the folio would have been pretty good if they would have added wifi to it. What do you folks think, pretty similar?

[Tomchu]

Originally Posted by philm 

I reckon that the price is great - basically the same as the black MacBook with 2GB RAM. For UK users, it's £1,020 + VAT on the Apple Store for the base model.

Except that the MacBook has a faster processor, upgradeable RAM slots, another USB port, a Firewire port, a DVD/CD burner, analog+optical audio output and input (Air doesn't have optical out, just analog), and a replaceable battery.

I think that's everything. :-P

[DKeithA]

Apple will not be seeing profits from me this MacWorld. Sorry, this 'MacBook Air' thing is a rip-off. One would be MUCH smarter to max out a 13" MacBook if one needs portability. The specs are so underwhelming and the price is SO high. Sorry, my beloved Apple, you missed this mark this time, and I think you're about to go beyond the pale.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Mastrap 

You guys are getting this all wrong.

This is NOT a primary machine. This is not a PRO machine. This is the Mac you're grabbing when you're flying off to a meeting with a client and need more than your iPhone. This is the Mac we'll probably be buying as a home notebook to replace the Macbook when it wears out. It's the Mac my wife will be using for email and browsing and writing the occasional document.

Is a tertiary machine really worth an extra $3,000 when any other Apple laptop (with perhaps the exception of the 17" MPB) is equally capable of doing all this stuff?

[freudling]

Everyone seems to think they know how this will turn out. People will buy this, no idea how many. Anyone in the market for a subnotebook, this is it, unless you need something really, really small. In the context of subnotebooks, there are really no cons to this machine. You get a large widescreen, full size keyboard, quick processor, etc. When you compare it to a MacBook Pro, of course you could come with all sorts of cons, but that is the wrong context to put it in.

Right out of the box, however, I could use the MacBook Air as a desktop replacement, even though it houses less features and power than the MacBook Pro.

Not enough USB ports? Buy a bluetooth mouse and keyboard, with a wireless printer, then plug in your drive with the free USB port. Or, if you must plug in, buy a USB dongle.

[mfbernstein]

---

[henjin]

I read that you have to get the Apple Store or dealership to change the battery! It's a free service but you cannot swap it on the go. This means spinning wheel of death, hard rest is impossible.
I am also really bored with Aluminum, all products look the same... well thinner or thicker.

Really not that interesting... it is not bad but not great. The battery is a deal killer if I have it correct it has to be another example of Apple being daft. Also should have solid state drive from the get go.

No sale here.

[icruise]

Originally Posted by henjin 

I read that you have to get the Apple Store or dealership to change the battery! It's a free service but you cannot swap it on the go. This means spinning wheel of death, hard rest is impossible.

Oh, I'm sure you'll be able to reset it. Just look at iPods. They haven't got removable batteries and you can reset them. And you can generally turn off Mac portables just by holding down the power button. I'm just concerned about not being able to carry around an extra battery. With the iPod or iPhone, the battery life is so good that it's not an issue, but a 5 hour estimated battery life means at best 4 hours in the real world and probably less. My 12" Powerbook is supposed to get 5 hours battery life as well, but I have to swap batteries if I'm going to be using it for a long time throughout the day. It just seems too limiting to not have it be removable.

[Stizo99]

I think they should've called it the Macpamphlet Flyer. And for the price they're wanting, they couldn't throw in the $19 Apple Remote? I'll admit it's cool tech, but not quite for my needs.

[analogika]

Originally Posted by icruise 

My 12" Powerbook is supposed to get 5 hours battery life as well, but I have to swap batteries if I'm going to be using it for a long time throughout the day. It just seems too limiting to not have it be removable.

I see your point on the removable battery, but the 12" PowerBook's battery management is nowhere *near* what Intel's done with the MacBooks.

Some days (especially with idling in between), battery life on this thing seems positively unreal.

[analogika]

Originally Posted by DKeithA 

Apple will not be seeing profits from me this MacWorld. Sorry, this 'MacBook Air' thing is a rip-off. One would be MUCH smarter to max out a 13" MacBook if one needs portability. The specs are so underwhelming and the price is SO high. Sorry, my beloved Apple, you missed this mark this time, and I think you're about to go beyond the pale.

I think you've missed *everything* that actually defines a subnotebook.

You're obviously not in the market for one; I'm quite sure that sales of this thing will make *you* pale as you realize just how completely and utterly wrong you are.

[ajprice]

Originally Posted by Stizo99 

I think they should've called it the Macpamphlet Flyer. And for the price they're wanting, they couldn't throw in the $19 Apple Remote? I'll admit it's cool tech, but not quite for my needs.

Don't think it has IR, no mention of it in the Tech Spec page that I can see. There's no mention of Front Row in the OS X & iLife section either (which would be the main use for the remote) Front Row is probably installed, Apple-Escape on a keyboard to launch it on my Macbook without a remote. There is a little black part on the front edge on the right hand side, but that might be the power light, I'm not sure.

[The Placid Casual]

I noticed, the RAM is not upgradable either...

I am thinking this is more and more a 'toy' disposable laptop somehow. I can't see many Power users (I include myself in that) wanting to buy one for serious work.

I mean, I just specced out a white (middle 2.2gig White) Macbook with all the BTO options on the French site, and it works out $400 cheaper than the Macbook air!

Yes the Air is smaller, but feature wise, is worse in every way... is it being paper thin really cool enough to justify such a huge drop in usability for a much higher price?

[aehaas]

The MacBookAir needs a faster processor, upgradeable RAM slots to at least 4 Gig, another USB port, a Firewire port, a BluRay/DVD/CD burner, analog+optical audio output and input, a replaceable larger battery, better and larger speakers, at least a 320 MB hard drive and a much cheaper option for 2 - 3 x more SSD memory, a video card with at least 256 and possibly 512 of RAM, a larger screen with much higher resolution, it weighs way too much and is too thick already. What a waste. Do not buy one. It is not even worth talking about, a shame, a scam.

aehaas

[icruise]

Originally Posted by analogika 

I see your point on the removable battery, but the 12" PowerBook's battery management is nowhere *near* what Intel's done with the MacBooks.

Some days (especially with idling in between), battery life on this thing seems positively unreal.

How much do you get? My Powerbook actually gets pretty decent battery life still, but 4 hours still doesn't cut it for me.

[icruise]

Originally Posted by The Placid Casual 

I noticed, the RAM is not upgradable either...

You need more than 2GB?

[The Placid Casual]

Originally Posted by icruise 

You need more than 2GB?

On occasions yep indeed, I very often have 2+ OS's running at the same time for work QA testing, as well as loads of apps open in each OS (and add in large PS files, DV rendering). 2 Gig is a just workable minimum for me for a 'working' machine.

[analogika]

Originally Posted by fisherKing 

i have been holding my breath for years, waiting for something apple to replace my 12" powerbook.

[...]

but the glossy screen....yuck. and 4200 rpm drive...hmmm. the ssd is WAY too expensive (for me, anyway).

guess i will go see this thing in action...

as someone who had a 12" PowerBook and is now using a 13" MacBook (with a 15" PowerBook in between), the thought of not upgrading because of *screen quality* is so beyond laughable.

The MacBook's screen is *so* much brighter and more useful that the ONE SINGLE TIME where I've had a problem with glare in the past 13 months (which was on a train and required slight adjusting of the screen) really just seems absurd to complain about - especially when I remember just how something as common as "direct lighting" (oooo...) would make the 12" screen IMPOSSIBLE to read...