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I won't get a MBA until Apple ships with 4GB memory as standard and..
- Thread starter sparkie7
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WTF is it with people and FW?
Look buddy, sometimes you have to sacrifice size/weight for features. The purpose of the MB Air is not to force you to be tethered to wires. It is supposed to be a truly mobile computer. If you want something with FW then the MBP is where it is at. Unfortunately, you have to have something that is bigger and heavier, but that's just the way it is.
You can sit around and hold out in buying the Air until it has those two features but I will be glad to bet you any thing that you will not see FW in an Air in the next two years or even ever. 4GB ram, maybe, FW, not a chance.
Also your hopes for a 12" or 13" MBP are even more lofty.
Look buddy, sometimes you have to sacrifice size/weight for features. The purpose of the MB Air is not to force you to be tethered to wires. It is supposed to be a truly mobile computer. If you want something with FW then the MBP is where it is at. Unfortunately, you have to have something that is bigger and heavier, but that's just the way it is.
You can sit around and hold out in buying the Air until it has those two features but I will be glad to bet you any thing that you will not see FW in an Air in the next two years or even ever. 4GB ram, maybe, FW, not a chance.
Also your hopes for a 12" or 13" MBP are even more lofty.
FW800 port.
Unless of course they release a MBP12" or 13" with matte screen
Anyone think the same?
Good luck with that.
WTF is it with people and FW?
Look buddy, sometimes you have to sacrifice size/weight for features. The purpose of the MB Air is not to force you to be tethered to wires. It is supposed to be a truly mobile computer. If you want something with FW then the MBP is where it is at. Unfortunately, you have to have something that is bigger and heavier, but that's just the way it is.
You can sit around and hold out in buying the Air until it has those two features but I will be glad to bet you any thing that you will not see FW in an Air in the next two years or even ever. 4GB ram, maybe, FW, not a chance.
Also your hopes for a 12" or 13" MBP are even more lofty.
yeh, why is that. As I see it Apple still has a gap in the line up. The gap they left void when they stopped making/updating the 12" G4 Powerbook. Essentially there is No 12" MBP
There are still pros who are highly mobile who want a small laptop without sacrificing connectivity to hi-speed devices
Why is that so hard to get across
FW800 port.
Unless of course they release a MBP12" or 13" with matte screen
Anyone think the same?
Ummm.. Okay then Maverick
Hey sparkie, how's that waiting working out for ya?
You're going to be doing it for a while.
yeh, i waited 3 yrs for a new MBP release. And when it came it sucked. So I bought the 'updated' MBP 17, 2.6GHz SSD Anti-Glare. I'm VERY patient. Been using and supporting Apple for 19 years and don't see it changing anytime soon
yeh, why is that. As I see it Apple still has a gap in the line up. The gap they left void when they stopped making/updating the 12" G4 Powerbook. Essentially there is No 12" MBP
There are still pros who are highly mobile who want a small laptop without sacrificing connectivity to hi-speed devices
Why is that so hard to get across
It is not hard to get across. Check your delivery approach and perhaps that'll answer some of your questions.
I understand there are pros who are mobile and want to be able to attach themselves to a high speed device. However, that is what the still very portable MBP is for. I carried a slightly heavier 15" PowerBook all through college never once regretting my decision to get the 15". Now, if they had the Air I would have gotten that. However, if I am a "pro" (which btw I am not sure wtf you're referring to as far as "pro" goes) and I need to be mobile, I am probably not mobile all of the time. Therefore, a 15" MBP is not so heavy that I cannot take it out here and there.
Whatever gap you detect is going to be there out of Apple's fear of cannibalizing their own lineup. I hate that myself, but if I need ultra portable and lots of ports I'll get a Dell or an HP. I don't hate windows all that much.
It is not hard to get across. Check your delivery approach and perhaps that'll answer some of your questions.
I understand there are pros who are mobile and want to be able to attach themselves to a high speed device. However, that is what the still very portable MBP is for. I carried a slightly heavier 15" PowerBook all through college never once regretting my decision to get the 15". Now, if they had the Air I would have gotten that. However, if I am a "pro" (which btw I am not sure wtf you're referring to as far as "pro" goes) and I need to be mobile, I am probably not mobile all of the time. Therefore, a 15" MBP is not so heavy that I cannot take it out here and there.
Whatever gap you detect is going to be there out of Apple's fear of cannibalizing their own lineup. I hate that myself, but if I need ultra portable and lots of ports I'll get a Dell or an HP. I don't hate windows all that much.
My delivery? FO, I'll say it like it is. Heh
A "Pro" (AKA Professional) is anyone who makes their living with their machine. Not some muppet sitting around their bedroom watching youtube and "surfing" the net. and MSN chat. Hope you got that clear now
I have a 15 & 17. 15 is not what I call "ultra-portable". thats why I guess Apple in their wisdom released a 12" G4 Powerbook
I will Never get a Dell or HP. The experience and OS just plain sucks. I dont see how a hi-end 12" MBP or MBA Pro (if one wants to call it that) will cannibalise Apple's own line up
Apple are smart enough to leave out, add features to differentiate to make sure this does not happen
Yawn.
I have both the new 13" Macbook and a Rev A Macbook Air. Different machines for different purposes.
Maybe you can get a 17" Pro. It will be 5 pounds plus when it arrives in January. But at least you can get your 4 GB and maybe a FW port.
The Rev B Macbook Air is for a specific segment of users. That segment does not include people who need a FW 800 port, 4 GB of RAM, or an optical drive -- ie the vast majority of business and academic users who need quick and portable internet access, reasonable Windows interoperability, and the ability to run the vast majority of productivity apps reasonably.
Gaming and intensive video viewing are a bonus for those who want it.
Big time graphics or IT users are not the target of the Air--no surprise right now if you're not happy.
I have both the new 13" Macbook and a Rev A Macbook Air. Different machines for different purposes.
Maybe you can get a 17" Pro. It will be 5 pounds plus when it arrives in January. But at least you can get your 4 GB and maybe a FW port.
The Rev B Macbook Air is for a specific segment of users. That segment does not include people who need a FW 800 port, 4 GB of RAM, or an optical drive -- ie the vast majority of business and academic users who need quick and portable internet access, reasonable Windows interoperability, and the ability to run the vast majority of productivity apps reasonably.
Gaming and intensive video viewing are a bonus for those who want it.
Big time graphics or IT users are not the target of the Air--no surprise right now if you're not happy.
So what exactly are you using it for? Because I'm guessing if it's anything super "professional", the extra RAM and FW port are not going to give you the performance boost needed with the slower processor and integrated graphics already there.
Just accept that the MBA is not for you and move on.
I dont think there will ever be a FW port in the Air....
1) Space restraints
2) They removed it from the regular MacBook as well and it appears they're going to slowly move away from it all together. The new Pro may be the last Apple notebook with a FW port for all we know.
...also of note, I think the new Aluminum MacBook is the closest you're gonna get to a 12/13" macbook pro.
1) Space restraints
2) They removed it from the regular MacBook as well and it appears they're going to slowly move away from it all together. The new Pro may be the last Apple notebook with a FW port for all we know.
...also of note, I think the new Aluminum MacBook is the closest you're gonna get to a 12/13" macbook pro.
FO? Really kiddo.My delivery? FO, I'll say it like it is. Heh
A "Pro" (AKA Professional) is anyone who makes their living with their machine. Not some muppet sitting around their bedroom watching youtube and "surfing" the net. and MSN chat. Hope you got that clear now
I have a 15 & 17. 15 is not what I call "ultra-portable". thats why I guess Apple in their wisdom released a 12" G4 Powerbook
I will Never get a Dell or HP. The experience and OS just plain sucks. I dont see how a hi-end 12" MBP or MBA Pro (if one wants to call it that) will cannibalise Apple's own line up
Apple are smart enough to leave out, add features to differentiate to make sure this does not happen
Good luck waiting, keep telling it like it is sparkles. If you can't grasp the concept of cannibalizing your own lineup then I don't know what to tell you.
FO? Really kiddo.
Yes really. And I'm no kiddo FYI. Probably been using Macs longer than you have.
I totally grasp the concept of cannibalization. RE-Read my last para. It might Register the second time around.
yeh, why is that. As I see it Apple still has a gap in the line up. The gap they left void when they stopped making/updating the 12" G4 Powerbook. Essentially there is No 12" MBP
There are still pros who are highly mobile who want a small laptop without sacrificing connectivity to hi-speed devices
Why is that so hard to get across
I got news for you my man, the 12" Powerbook G4 was nothing more than a glorified iBook G4. The 12" Powerbook had the same design limitations that the iBook did, outside from the aluminum there was nothing about the 12" Powerbook that was truly a "Powerbook".
It was released the same time as the 17" Powerbook yet the 12" Powerbook had the same ram limitations as the iBook, no FW 800, no PC card slot, no backlit keyboard, the CPU and GPU were always way below of what you could get on the 15" and 17" models and the screen was washed out like the iBook.
The new Macbook is not only a perfect successor to the 12" Powerbook, it offers a heck of a lot more and is much closer to the Pro line than the 12" PB ever was. You're giving it too much credit.
WTF is it with people and FW?
Look buddy, sometimes you have to sacrifice size/weight for features. The purpose of the MB Air is not to force you to be tethered to wires. It is supposed to be a truly mobile computer. If you want something with FW then the MBP is where it is at. Unfortunately, you have to have something that is bigger and heavier, but that's just the way it is.
You can sit around and hold out in buying the Air until it has those two features but I will be glad to bet you any thing that you will not see FW in an Air in the next two years or even ever. 4GB ram, maybe, FW, not a chance.
Also your hopes for a 12" or 13" MBP are even more lofty.
I think it's their reason to NEVER buy We love our two BMB's, when it comes time to replace them,I will, and use/take what 
offers. I use FW for the first time last week to hook up one of these,http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other World Computing/MOTGFWU2/ to a BMB,put in a 320 Gb WD Scorpio HDD. it also has USB2.0 capabilities as well ,so lack of FW wouldn't have been a problem
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other World Computing/MOTGFWU2/ to a BMB,put in a 320 Gb WD Scorpio HDD. it also has USB2.0 capabilities as well ,so lack of FW wouldn't have been a problem
USB2.0 is much slower than FW800. And you can't use TD mode with USB which can come in very handy
I still using G3s the 2gb and one USB is more than I need it's just a trick by apple to make you pay more to get things you will never use.
I agree with the consensus here on FW -- the Air is just not the machine you need if you are constantly hooking up to FW devices. (That said, I'd really like to see a FW option on the 13" MB. If there were one, it would at least shut the 12" PB G4 worshippers up...)
But I agree with the OP on 4GB RAM. 2GB is not enough for "reasonable Windows interoperability," because you can't run Windows and OS X side by side without horrible swapping in one or both OSes. 2GB is also not enough to run more than a few non-demanding apps at once in Leopard.
I'll buy an Air when there is an update, or a CTO option, to get 4GB RAM. I've told Apple that on their feedback page -- you should too.
But I agree with the OP on 4GB RAM. 2GB is not enough for "reasonable Windows interoperability," because you can't run Windows and OS X side by side without horrible swapping in one or both OSes. 2GB is also not enough to run more than a few non-demanding apps at once in Leopard.
I'll buy an Air when there is an update, or a CTO option, to get 4GB RAM. I've told Apple that on their feedback page -- you should too.
You're only look at it from "customer" standpoint. The new Macbook (based on your theory) is one machine that would slow people down from upgrading to Apple's next revision. You can upgrade the HDD, replace the battery and have up to 4GB of ram which is way more than most people need.
I don't think Apple purposely wired only 2GB of ram on the Air. Did it ever occur to you that the logic board (being as small as it is) could only support that much? Don't forget that Intel was a part of the logic board/chip design and most likely 2GB is that max that can be used in the current design. Apple isn't out to burn every customer.