Anyone else addicted to this damn MBA

[froll]

I'm a new MAC user and got the MAB 1.8/128 SSD to be used mostly for traveling. Here I am at my desk, with a 22" monitor on my PC and yet I'm constantly on my MAB with it's 13" screen. I can't stay away from this thing. Granted, when working on document files, I still go back to my PC, but for everything else I'm on the MAB. Please help me .... is there a MAB Anonymous Forum with a 12 step program? I love this machine and I truly appreciate the expertise in this forum from which I have learned so much.

[froll]

P.S. One more thing. I jumped the gun a tad and rushed to get a wireless mouse since I'm not a fan of trackpads. Now, I love this pad with the gestture movements. While I will use the mouse in traveling if I'm working on documents, haven't used the mouse once for anything else -- it's way too easy to use the pad. Oh my ... I'm hooked

[andreab35]

It's MBA buddy. ;)

I am a fairly new Mac user myself, and the MBA suites me perfectly. I love everything about it.
I'm not highly addicted to it and constantly on it 24/7 though. I use it mostly for my personal and work use. But when I first got it, I was on it a bit more so I could learn more about the laptop and more about OS X. Now I have gotten a bit used to things, but I still think I've got a ways to learn.
But it is a great companion to have. Have fun with it and enjoy it!

[zer0tails]

great to hear how much you're loving it. Now get rid of that thing you call a "PC" :D and get an imac or 24" ACD to hook up your MBA to:p

[justit]

so taking it with you on the can is not normal? :eek:

[zer0tails]

so taking it with you on the can is not normal? :eek:

eek, i wouldn't do that. :p

[eba]

Like the OP, I also bought a MacBook Air thinking I would use it just for travel. But I now hardly even look at my other Macs. This thing is so dang convenient that it's just a hassle to lug even my 15" MBP out of its case. And the Nvidia graphics card in the new model handles everything I need to do - MS Office, some Photoshop and some Windows gaming. I'm frankly amazed at how versatile it is.

[Scottsdale]

Sorry -- meant MBA

Go back and edit it... easy enough.

I loved my first generation MBA (but it was more of a Netbook). I sold it a week before the new generation was announced. The second generation sure is a much better computer. A real MACBOOK! In the ultra-portable Air version.

I am holding out for the MBA 3.0! I want the glass trackpad, 2 GHz CPU, 4 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, and I am willing to pay $2999 (maybe more) for it... please Apple, take advantage of me! It will be my only Mac when those things happen as a BTO or premium version.

[Turmoil]

I've only had mine since Friday. I can't seem to take my eyes off it. My wife is wondering.

[Cheffy Dave]

I've only had mine since Friday. I can't seem to take my eyes off it. My wife is wondering.

I am envious of all you folks with a MBA;)

[mikey28]

Wow. I just upgraded from Rev A 1.6/80G to Rev B 1.8/128SSD

What a big difference! It is soooo much snappier. really fast. I was so nervous when I opened the box (ordered from Amazon) because I was afraid that I would see the "dreaded" lines. But the screen is fine. Also the keyboard seems to "rattle" a lot less.

I love the AIR.

[faxao]

....my brand new 1.8Ghz 128SSD (hopefully) tomorrow. It will replace my Macbook Black 2,4Ghz which has done an excellent job over the last year...:p

Just arrived and guess what.......no lines on the screen !!!

[numbersyx]

Wow. I just upgraded from Rev A 1.6/80G to Rev B 1.8/128SSD

What a big difference! It is soooo much snappier. really fast. I was so nervous when I opened the box (ordered from Amazon) because I was afraid that I would see the "dreaded" lines. But the screen is fine. Also the keyboard seems to "rattle" a lot less.

I love the AIR.

Ahh the box opening of a laptop... I still feel giddy when I think of the day two years ago....

[Olvenskol]

It is strange... despite being the least powerful computer I own, I definitely use my MBA first, often while sitting right next to a "better" desktop machine!

Of course, the fact that I can now comfortably do a majority of my work while sitting in the easy chair is very nice too! :)

[coupdetat]

Someone's a couple cards short of a full deck. The main post still says MAB, but the title has been updated to say MBA.

[elgruga]

had my Air for over six months now - excellent battery life, clean, light beautiful computer.

No more clutter on my desk.

It does all my invoicing and emails for my small business.

It is the best Mac I have ever had.
Apple Care warranty and I will keep it for another two years - I dont need anything faster - I find this model very snappy and, so far, totally reliable.

[shiseiryu1]

I have the unibody MBP, not the MBA...however, I have to say that once you get used to the big trackpad and gestures, it's hard to go back. My boss bought a cheap "netbook" and I cringe anytime that I have to touch it (to fix some dumb Windows problem). The glass trackpad is such a pleasure to use! I finally enjoy using a laptop computer...not missing my mouse at all. :)

[Mactagonist]

It is strange... despite being the least powerful computer I own, I definitely use my MBA first, often while sitting right next to a "better" desktop machine!

Of course, the fact that I can now comfortably do a majority of my work while sitting in the easy chair is very nice too! :)

Agreed. I find my self almost never touching my desktop now. I have been thinking about just tossing its harddrives in a NAS and getting rid of it actually...

[mikey28]

Of course, the fact that I can now comfortably do a majority of my work while sitting in the easy chair is very nice too! :)

I find myself just sitting on the couch now. We have a fairly recent iMac, but I let the kids take that over. I do use "screen sharing" a lot so I can see what my kids are looking at. I love that!!

[iPaull]

I find myself just sitting on the couch now. We have a fairly recent iMac, but I let the kids take that over. I do use "screen sharing" a lot so I can see what my kids are looking at. I love that!!

what program is that?

[drummerlondonw3]

its built into leopard (not sure about tiger)

1)Open a new finder window and those macs that are on your network will be shown under devices >>> see my MBP and TC

2)Enter this on finder and you will see Share Screen

3) this will automatically launch the screen sharing app and enjoy!

D:apple:

[nph]

What do you mean by 'enter this on finder'?

[mikey28]

what program is that?

screen sharing is great because I can actually put THEIR screen (in real time) on my desktop. I can quietly look at what they are browsing, and who they are talking to. (I don't want to open a "can of worms" about privacy. These are my young children and I want to know what's going on "on-line")

[HLdan]

screen sharing is great because I can actually put THEIR screen (in real time) on my desktop. I can quietly look at what they are browsing, and who they are talking to. (I don't want to open a "can of worms" about privacy. These are my young children and I want to know what's going on "on-line")

I certainly don't blame you on this one....BUT....don't you think that's a bit unfair? Try to remember when you were their age, did you want your parents snooping upon everything you were doing? If you're not comfortable in what your kids are doing on their computers you should insist on activating the parental controls in Leopard rather than "quietly" invading their privacy, TBH, that's kinda mean.

[drummerlondonw3]

What do you mean by 'enter this on finder'?

If you see on my second screenshot after you have selected the the mac on the sidebar in finder you have to connect using a username and password and then you will be able to select screen sharing. TBH it's really easy just give it a try!

D:apple:

[justit]

I certainly don't blame you on this one....BUT....don't you think that's a bit unfair? Try to remember when you were their age, did you want your parents snooping upon everything you were doing? If you're not comfortable in what your kids are doing on their computers you should insist on activating the parental controls in Leopard rather than "quietly" invading their privacy, TBH, that's kinda mean.

Have you raised teens these days? :D

mikey28 has a great use for a free app.

[Scottsdale]

I certainly don't blame you on this one....BUT....don't you think that's a bit unfair? Try to remember when you were their age, did you want your parents snooping upon everything you were doing? If you're not comfortable in what your kids are doing on their computers you should insist on activating the parental controls in Leopard rather than "quietly" invading their privacy, TBH, that's kinda mean.

Do you have kids? Surely NOT! It is difficult. We are all looking out for the best interest of our kids, NOT SPYING! This is different than snooping. What if you have a kid chatting with his drug dealer? Or worse? My house, MY RULES. I have two little ones, but I will watch them like a hawk on computers. Too many predators and bad things. And parental controls are not any kind of perfect science.

[mikey28]

Do you have kids? Surely NOT! It is difficult. We are all looking out for the best interest of our kids, NOT SPYING! This is different than snooping. What if you have a kid chatting with his drug dealer? Or worse? My house, MY RULES. I have two little ones, but I will watch them like a hawk on computers. Too many predators and bad things. And parental controls are not any kind of perfect science.

Thank you! That's my job as as a mom. They are KIDS, they don't always make the best decisions. Well, on the internet, that could be dangerous. So yeah, I look, I invade their privacy. Because that's my job; to see them healthy and safe.
(Also, when I was their age, there was no internet. I didn't have to worry about a 40 year-old pedophile pretending to be 12, trying to get me to meet him at the mall.)

[jessica.]

I don't know if I can say that I am addicted, but I am using it far more than I thought I would. I simply love the form factor and the performance is great for what I need it to do.

[freelancier]

I certainly don't blame you on this one....BUT....don't you think that's a bit unfair? Try to remember when you were their age, did you want your parents snooping upon everything you were doing? If you're not comfortable in what your kids are doing on their computers you should insist on activating the parental controls in Leopard rather than "quietly" invading their privacy, TBH, that's kinda mean.

I agree!! But there are plenty of things we don't want our parents to know and we should have. The most honorable way to do it is by making your kids trust you. As a parent, you should know your kids trust you to tell you everything you need to know so you don't need to sneak around and spy on them. If you don't think your kids trust you, well you have a whole set of different issues..

but then again it depends on how old...at a certain age, it's just not COOL to tell your parents EVERYTHING...hahaha

[miffed]

Love it ! , absolutely

I have White iMac, and a White Macbook , and felt I needed to upgrade one of the machines , for little reason other than everything was now Aluminium and all my Macs were white ! :D
So , I bought a new MBP just before Xmas , which had a couple of problems - 1 dead pixel , and a sort of 'flickering' of the backlight (not the widely discussed flickering that seems common among MBP , this seemed to be coming from the backlight ) - other than this , I loved the MBP - But there is NO WAY I am spending £1,400 on an imperfect machine , so I returned it.
After spending a little time reading these forums , I got the impression that buying an MBP really was a lucky dip ,so I decided to delay my purchase until things were a little more stable
... Then I stumbled across a post here about the 1.8 SSD being £749 + VAT on Viking , I know a couple of people with these already ,and had heard positive things , so I thought "What the hell" and ordered one , - this would give me a new aluminium toy for the the lowest price I have ever paid for a Mac !
Spec sheet aside , I'd say it is the BEST Mac I have ever owned , OK so the MBP would have blown it away in terms of spec , but TBH it was probably overkill for my needs from a laptop , the Air is the best compromise of Brilliant screen , nice light form , quick performance for my daily tasks (Browsing , Mail , Office stuff , Photos , etc , the usual stuff) - and I seem able to watch video without any problems (or none that I am aware of , and if I am not aware of them , there's no problem ! , right ? )

Yep , absolutely love it ! the plan was that this was going to be an interim purchase to keep me happy for a few months , but TBH I just don't feel the need for a MBP now :D

[groovdudeyo]

Someone's a couple cards short of a full deck. The main post still says MAB, but the title has been updated to say MBA.


;);) thats funny

[groovdudeyo]

I find myself just sitting on the couch now. We have a fairly recent iMac, but I let the kids take that over. I do use "screen sharing" a lot so I can see what my kids are looking at. I love that!!

Some friends of mine would be in trouble if their parents found that feature....;);)

[groovdudeyo]

Like the OP, I also bought a MacBook Air thinking I would use it just for travel. But I now hardly even look at my other Macs. This thing is so dang convenient that it's just a hassle to lug even my 15" MBP out of its case. And the Nvidia graphics card in the new model handles everything I need to do - MS Office, some Photoshop and some Windows gaming. I'm frankly amazed at how versatile it is.

you have to lug your MBP out of its case? ever thought of pushups?

[mac jones]

Uh... I'm addicted to computers if that's what you mean.



;)

[janstett]

so taking it with you on the can is not normal? :eek:

That's what the iPhone is for.

By the way, interesting trivia -- the iPhone's height is exactly the same as the width of a sheet of toilet paper.

[kyrian]

I love seeing people's faces when they hold the MBA for the first time and realize how light it is compare to their HP Pavillion and Dell XPS... :p
The SSD of the MBA is perfect for a dizzy like me. I dropped it from about 3 ft onto a carpet floor several times now, once while it was converting video files, and everything still work, the file even came out perfect. My old Dell would definitely shut down and give me the blue screen whenever I dropped it.
I heart my :apple: MBA

[mhnajjar]

That's what the iPhone is for.

By the way, interesting trivia -- the iPhone's height is exactly the same as the width of a sheet of toilet paper.

It seems that you place your iPhone on a toilet paper and then place it on the sink counter so it does NOT get dirty :p

That is how you knew the sizes :rolleyes:

[The Toddfather]

I agree!! But there are plenty of things we don't want our parents to know and we should have. The most honorable way to do it is by making your kids trust you. As a parent, you should know your kids trust you to tell you everything you need to know so you don't need to sneak around and spy on them. If you don't think your kids trust you, well you have a whole set of different issues..

but then again it depends on how old...at a certain age, it's just not COOL to tell your parents EVERYTHING...hahaha

As a parent, I believe in the Reagan theory, "trust, but verify." There are too many dead children because their parents "trusted" them to be safe on the internet.

[bbotte]

My wife and I fight over ours...... We time each others usage. :) "You've had it for 2 hrs now, it's my turn!"

[BobF4321]

I'm totally addicted to my MBA/SSD128... now thinking of an SSD for my Mac Pro! Apple should make that available as a build option on all Macs.

I've had it for a couple of months now and only have two gripes:
- It could be a little lighter (I think Apple's working on it)
- WiFi sometimes has problems reconnecting after sleep mode
(turning Airport off/on fixes it)

If you're waiting for an Apple netbook, reconsider.... the 13" screen is nice!

[djrobx]

I'm *VERY* addicted to the 4 finger Expose gestures. I used to run Windows the majority of the time but this is seriously pulling me to the other side. It's just fascinating how such a small silly feature can strike such a chord.

The SSD 128 is doing what I'd hoped. It keeps the "lesser" processor feeling snappy!

[The Toddfather]

Another thread about happy MBA owners, who whudda thunk it. Like many MBA owners, it has become my primary laptop as well.

[Patriks7]

Thank you! That's my job as as a mom. They are KIDS, they don't always make the best decisions. Well, on the internet, that could be dangerous. So yeah, I look, I invade their privacy. Because that's my job; to see them healthy and safe.
(Also, when I was their age, there was no internet. I didn't have to worry about a 40 year-old pedophile pretending to be 12, trying to get me to meet him at the mall.)

Wow. I kinda feel sorry for them. :rolleyes: I would get really angry if my parents would do that. But I just managed last year to get my mom to buy a computer and my dad is getting one sometime this year. So it's more like me looking after them, computer-wise at least :p

[The Toddfather]

Wow. I kinda feel sorry for them. :rolleyes: I would get really angry if my parents would do that. But I just managed last year to get my mom to buy a computer and my dad is getting one sometime this year. So it's more like me looking after them, computer-wise at least :p

Give yourself 15 years and let me know if your opinion changes.:eek:

Nice of you to help out your parents.

[mikey28]

Wow. I kinda feel sorry for them. :rolleyes: I would get really angry if my parents would do that. But I just managed last year to get my mom to buy a computer and my dad is getting one sometime this year. So it's more like me looking after them, computer-wise at least :p

I would expect someone who is not a parent to have a different viewpoint. However. I absolutely standby my opinion on this one. The internet can be a very dangerous place for unsophisticated, trusting young minds. period.

[tubbymac]

The internet can be a very dangerous place for unsophisticated, trusting young minds. period.

So can the world :)

[jackfrost123]

Agreed. I find my self almost never touching my desktop now. I have been thinking about just tossing its harddrives in a NAS and getting rid of it actually...

That's my next step too actually, when's somebody gonna come up with a great nas for the mac...there are a few out there but they leave a few things to be desired in terms of integration...btw I think apple is unwise for not coming up with a home server four bay time machine, what they they think it will canibalize on sales of imacs...shhhhh....

Macs were supposed to be on the forefront, getting airtunes when the rest had to play tracks from their crappy pc speakers. And now the forefront are homservers were on can store most of the media in centralized and above all safe (ie redundant arrays) way...Wake up apple....

Apple home servers would sell like hotcakes....shame....

[sushi]

Apple home servers would sell like hotcakes....shame....
Agree.

I wish Apple would use something like the Mac Mini as the controller and have modules that you can add to increase the storage. Remotely access to control it. Awesome.

This would augment the MBA very nicely. :)

[jackfrost123]

Agree.

I wish Apple would use something like the Mac Mini as the controller and have modules that you can add to increase the storage. Remotely access to control it. Awesome.

This would augment the MBA very nicely. :)

That would fit hand in glove with the mba and the apple tv tune, stream from your server to any apple tv without even need to open a computer. Cause as I said before, what't the use or ingenuite of the apple tv if you already open the computer up to tranfer teh files wirelessly to the :apple:tv. It's dumb, dumb, dumb to me without the home server nas. Cause if you have to turn on a computer and get the files off there wirelessly to :apple:tv then you might as well just copy (as I do) in matters of seconds nowadays to your 16+gb pen usb drive anything you want to and stick the pen drive then to the dvd or other media player hooked on your tv. You 've already turned on the pc, it's no big deal copying something over thus, over streaming it. But had there been a home server THAT WOULD make sense, cause you d have it permanently on on power save ready to stream to whatever pod/laptop/pc/:apple:tv requested to.
Nowadays say you want to watch a video and I am belabouring a point here but humour me, say you want to watch a video you just donwloaded to your pc, go into one room, turn on the pc, boot in, then go to tv, turn on apple tv, request video wirelessly, go to other room shut down pc (or what most people do as I said just copy it over with a pen drive), it doens't make any f. sense without the server. :apple:tv is supposed to be the wireless client, WHERE IS THE SERVER THEN APPLE?

[tubbymac]

Apple home servers would sell like hotcakes....shame....

It would sell like hotcakes to Apple users. The rest of the world? They'd rather buy a cheaper Linux NAS or server machine,

[sushi]

<snip> I am belabouring a point here <snip> WHERE IS THE SERVER THEN APPLE? <snip>
No worries.

Plus I do agree with you.

It would sell like hotcakes to Apple users. The rest of the world? They'd rather buy a cheaper Linux NAS or server machine,
Maybe, maybe not.

Apple users are a big enough market. However, as Apple learned from it's iPod experience it is better to be cross platform. So we may see Apple creating a cross platform solution. Now that would be sweet. :)

[jackfrost123]

It would sell like hotcakes to Apple users. The rest of the world? They'd rather buy a cheaper Linux NAS or server machine,
True, I took it for granted, I meant to say sell like hotcakes to the apple smitten block.

No worries.
Apple users are a big enough market. However, as Apple learned from it's iPod experience it is better to be cross platform. So we may see Apple creating a cross platform solution. Now that would be sweet. :)

That would be super sweet! :D

[preacher]

Have been using Mac's since 1988 and bought the 1.6/80, then upgraded to the 1.86/128! Awesome! Good on your Apple!

Anyone interested in buying my mint 1.6/80?

[Young Turk]

Have been using Mac's since 1988 and bought the 1.6/80, then upgraded to the 1.86/128! Awesome! Good on your Apple!

Anyone interested in buying my mint 1.6/80?

What are you looking to get? PM me.

YoungTurk

[MorningZ]

As a long time Windows user, and someone who hasn't used an Apple-based machine since the IIe (yeah, i'm kinda old), I've been having a super hard time *not* using my MBA when at home

- I absolutely dig iPhoto and have been having fun organizing and reliving thousands of photos i have saved.....

- Flock (Firefox based browser) runs excellent on it

- Cisco (VPN Client) and Microsoft (Remote Desktop Client) have made it easy to connect to my remote servers with Mac versions of their software

- And it runs Windows XP just as good as my comparable Sony laptop ever did (when booted into via Bootcamp anyways)

So I would for sure lump me into the "addicted to this damn MBA"

[BobF4321]

Vacationing in Florida with my MBA and getting addicted to the trackpad multitouch gestures... Apple should add a multitouch trackpad to their aluminum keyboard so I wouldn't have to switch back to mouse on my Mac Pro, it's going to be a pain.

Also, I turned on Internet sharing so my iPhone can connect to the MBA wired ethernet connection in my hotel room via WiFi... much smoother than hotel WiFi. Too bad it only seems to support WEP encryption, not WPA-PSK.

[DHagan4755]

I love my MBA! I've had it since last March. I use it everyday. I just checked my uptime: 145 days! No slowdowns or crustiness after all that time without a restart. Still going on 10.5.5. WOW... Air: Best Mac that I have ever used.

[entatlrg]

I love my MacBook Air so much I joined this forum just to support this thread, lol.

It's my first Mac, I've had a LOT of notebooks such as Sony Z 570, Thinkpad X301, LG P300 then I finally got around to 'trying mac' and buying the MBA, 1.8, 128SSD drive model.

My only regret is that I didn't buy it sooner, lol. I held back from Mac's because I thought the OS wasnt' for me, I'm a business user, window's imprinted and resistant to change. Was I wrong, the Mac OS is GREAT, very simple, intuitive it has a nice flow to it. Windows is well "dry" :)

As for the Air, incredible keyboard, great screen - wow. I'm using it as my main computer, I have no desire to use my pc's anymore.

The only thing I need is Microsoft Publisher, I understand I can install Windows w/Bootcamp then install Publisher and I'm good to go with two OS's. I need to do that soon, then I'd be able to almost use my MBA exclusively, but I'm a little nervous on the Bootcamp/Windows idea...

Do you guys hook up to an External Monitor when you're at a desk for long periods, if so what monitor do you have and how do you hook it up; Mini Display Port to DVI or ?

I have an HP w2408h monitor, it has HDMI so I'm wondering the best way to hook that up. Once the learning curve is behind and I've had time to read up on and use the other features this little notebook gets better and better by the day!

[Lesser Evets]

I've been using Apple's since 1980 and have purchased 3 Mac laptops in the past 10 years. The last one I purchased in 2004 still works beautifully and is quite powerful for most all functions needed today.

I will NEVER buy another Apple laptop.... because I believe the tablet will take it over and be a better device within 2 or 3 years.

BUT, I played with an Air at the Apple store and am DAMN tempted to buy one. That is the greatest laptop on the market today for my needs--light, portable, fast. If a tablet isn't released in the next two years I will probably cave in and buy an Air.

[dpoppitt]

Holy Moly! I just bought a Macbook Air (used from ebay) because i'm trying to pare things down and simplify. I've been playing with it over the weekend and had a couple of questions which i found answers for here. (Thanks!)
While browsing, I noticed the comments on using the trackpad. I hate trackpads and always turned them off in my pc laptops so I didn't even bother with the one on the Mac - went straight out and got me a bluetooth mouse. Well, golly gee, looks like I could have saved my self $35 bucks if I had read here first. I checked my System Preferences and turned on a few things and now I absolutely love this trackpad! Amazing.
This thing is absolutely blowing my mind. How could I have worked in the computer field for 20 years and never known about MACs???
I switched from a behemoth 17" HP Pavillion DV9720 with 4GBs of RAM, dual hard drives, blah blah blah. After two days on this tiny beautiful mac air, i've forgotten all about my HP. At first I thought i was going to have to carry around a PC laptop to run the couple of programs that - so far- I haven't found suitable replacements for but then i discoverd (again on this forum) a wonderful little program called Parallels that - get this - runs WINDOWS on my MAC desktop! Get outta here! I don't know any PC that can pull that off.

well, I'm rambling like a school girl in love but I can't help myself. I tell everyone. I tell people I don't even know. I LOVE this thing. Now, I'm saving up for a $3000 17" MacBook Pro. Seems like an ungodly amount of money for a laptop but then i also thought $500 for a cellphone was crazy til i fell in love with my iphone.

Ah, there is love after 50. And it was well worth the wait...

[DAMAC3]

I love my MacBook Air so much I joined this forum just to support this thread, lol.

It's my first Mac, I've had a LOT of notebooks such as Sony Z 570, Thinkpad X301, LG P300 then I finally got around to 'trying mac' and buying the MBA, 1.8, 128SSD drive model.

My only regret is that I didn't buy it sooner, lol. I held back from Mac's because I thought the OS wasnt' for me, I'm a business user, window's imprinted and resistant to change. Was I wrong, the Mac OS is GREAT, very simple, intuitive it has a nice flow to it. Windows is well "dry" :)

As for the Air, incredible keyboard, great screen - wow. I'm using it as my main computer, I have no desire to use my pc's anymore.

The only thing I need is Microsoft Publisher, I understand I can install Windows w/Bootcamp then install Publisher and I'm good to go with two OS's. I need to do that soon, then I'd be able to almost use my MBA exclusively, but I'm a little nervous on the Bootcamp/Windows idea...

Do you guys hook up to an External Monitor when you're at a desk for long periods, if so what monitor do you have and how do you hook it up; Mini Display Port to DVI or ?

I have an HP w2408h monitor, it has HDMI so I'm wondering the best way to hook that up. Once the learning curve is behind and I've had time to read up on and use the other features this little notebook gets better and better by the day!

I have the HP w2207 monitor, and I finally got around to hooking my MBA up to it this weekend. I bought the mini display -> DVI and bought a DVI -> HDMI converter at Wal-mart (monoprice would've been cheaper, but I wanted it now :) ). I've had good results. It works great. The only problem is the monitor is inferior to the MBA display. :( I wish I could pony up the cash for a new Apple display, but I can't right now.

[entatlrg]

Thanks very much DAMAC3 that helps, I'm going to go buy the adapters tomorrow ... here's to hoping that when I'm shopping for an adapter that I bump into a Mac Monitor and I buy the monitor instead :) .... we'll see, they're pricey and my HP monitor is only a few months old.

I'm only a step in the door with Mac's so far, it's this MacBook Air that's got me hooked, and my love of my iphone and everything about it is what made me look at the Mac laptops again ....

In 2008 at I worked hard, long long endless hours on my notebook, (I'm a business owner), too much work and no play brought me to the edge of burn out, at the same time I was feeling 'blackberry'd out' and bored with my notebook. I went through a Sony Z, LG P300, Lenovo x301 ... none of them really did it for me, each one had something I didn't like, either a poor screen or keyboard, etc etc ... plus I wanted something different, considered downloading Windows 7 for the change... but never did ....

Around that time I bought an iphone, with the idea that it would compliment my blackberry and I'd use it for entertainment, I loved the thing so much that I shut my blackberry off and used the iphone for everything, email was/is not as nifty as the blackberry but everything else is far better, (imo).

I was mac curious and bought the new 15" MacBook Pro in January, I loved the OS, everything was well laid out and interesting/fun to use, but I didn't really like the 15" MBP, for me the screen had too much glare, it was too heavy, ran a little warm, it had sharp edges uncomfortable on the palm of my hand when surfing etc ... there was enough little things that bothered me enough to return it.

I regretted returning it, it left me curious about OS X and what I could of done with it, I missed the keyboard so I kept looking at the Mac's whenever I was in the electronics store.

The Air had caught me eye since it came out, from reading around here I was convinced people seemed to like it enough for me to try one ... am I glad I did, this is the coolest, most fun and pleasure to use notebook I've ever owned.

So much so that now I want to do more with it and use it for my full time machine. To do that I'll need to install windows somehow so I can run Publisher an I'm all set, I still have a fast desktop for PC work, and I'll likely sell my x301 and even our T500, I'm hooked on the Air.

I realize the Air isn't the fastest machine and it's not expected to do everything, so I'm considering the next step and adding a Mac Desktop or even trying the 15" macbook Pro again and leave it on the desk most of the time ... network the bunch of them and I'd have the best of both worlds, I'd install Windows on the other mac for CPU intensive tasks and business software that isn't mac compatible.

The question what to do next, I'm still very much a mac newbie, its time to reorganize and rethink my computer set up, a little reluctant to change yet, but the MBA and my iPhone have impressed me so much ... using my notebook is fun again.

As it turned out I wasn't able to make the change to the iphone 100%, it worked for a few months, but I miss (and need) the push email of the blackberry and how the emails arrive (quickly) in one folder along with texts blackberry still has the edge in that regard .... imagine if Apple if ever improved their email, and brought it to a business level, or similar to a blackberry's email handling they would really bite into the blackberry market, surely Apple knows this too, it's a wonder they don't do it ... I have my blackberry, now a Curve 8900 activated just with a data plan for email and use my iphone for everything else.

That's enough rambling for now ... love this keyboard so much just can't stop typing :)

What do you Mac users suggest? Can the Air be a full time machine? Do you use another computer with your Air, if so is it Mac or PC, Desktop or Notebook?

Any comments appreciated!

[janstett]

The only thing I need is Microsoft Publisher, I understand I can install Windows w/Bootcamp then install Publisher and I'm good to go with two OS's. I need to do that soon, then I'd be able to almost use my MBA exclusively, but I'm a little nervous on the Bootcamp/Windows idea...

Check out Parallels or VMWare fusion -- they let you run Windows inside a Window on the Mac, or even the coolest thing ever, integrate the two side by side so your Windows apps appear next to OSX apps, appear on the dock, etc.

If you hook up a 2nd monitor, you can run Windows on one display and OSX on the other. It's very cool if you still have to keep a toe in the Windows world.

This is one of my complaints about the MBA -- stuck at 2GB RAM. Could use more for Parallels/VMWare.

You have to buy a proprietary adapter for the MBA to use DVI or VGA output (look in the little door hinge on the right). And stupidly it isn't the Mini Displayport that they're using elsewhere.

[entatlrg]

I'm a new MAC user and got the MAB 1.8/128 SSD to be used mostly for traveling. Here I am at my desk, with a 22" monitor on my PC and yet I'm constantly on my MAB with it's 13" screen. I can't stay away from this thing. Granted, when working on document files, I still go back to my PC, but for everything else I'm on the MAB. Please help me .... is there a MAB Anonymous Forum with a 12 step program? I love this machine and I truly appreciate the expertise in this forum from which I have learned so much.

This is a great post and thread to have reborn again. :)

Summer's here, nothing better than taking advantage of the weather and being mobile with an MBA !!

[h1d]

Trackpad certainly rocks. Haven't used a mouse for a year. (Except for gaming but surprisingly you can still play FPS games with trackpad somewhat.)

[groovdudeyo]

This is a great post and thread to have reborn again. :)

Summer's here, nothing better than taking advantage of the weather and being mobile with an MBA !!

I just love how he just keeps saying MAB not making fun of him or anything it just makes me laugh to say macairbook haha there ya go I laughed

[ayeying]

I'm addicted to mine... because its my only machine lol.

But I'm constantly using it at places like my kitchen, living room, backyard, starbucks, in the car (really lol). I've put on 44 battery cycles and I've had this system for only 14 days.

[steve31]

I'm addicted to mine... because its my only machine lol.

But I'm constantly using it at places like my kitchen, living room, backyard, starbucks, in the car (really lol). I've put on 44 battery cycles and I've had this system for only 14 days.I love mine also! 44 cycles ....I have only got 6 in 14 days. I have not touched my MBP since I got my MBA. Glad to see your enjoying it as much as me;)

[bbotte]

I love mine so much I may purchase a 2nd! I'm tired of fighting over it with my wife. That Refurb 1.8 128SSD is so tempting to become the twin I am using now to post this.

[46 Bear]

....I love mine so much I may purchase a 2nd! I'm tired of fighting over it with my wife. That Refurb 1.8 128SSD is so tempting to become the twin I am using now to post this....:p



What makes you love your MBA? I am fighting the great temptation to buy one....

[ayeying]

What makes you love your MBA? I am fighting the great temptation to buy one....

Size and Weight. For me, I have access to my dad's iMac if I seriously need heavy tasking. However, pretty much 99% of my stuff is Web Surfing, Chat, Some movies/TV shows, Music, Twitter, Facebook, yadada. Nothing that requires a super computer. I do game, but its so minimal that I probably log in 30 minutes in a week.

[daibach]

So much so that now I want to do more with it and use it for my full time machine. To do that I'll need to install windows somehow so I can run Publisher an I'm all set, I still have a fast desktop for PC work, and I'll likely sell my x301 and even our T500, I'm hooked on the Air.

Can I ask what you use Microsoft Publisher for? There may well be a Mac equivalent available which means you won't need to install Windows at all. If it's for producing flyers, brochures, etc., have you looked at Apple's iWorks and Pages?

[Jsimon9633]

I am loving my MBA. the weight and SSD are making this addictive to me.

The fact that it is up and running so fast (with SSD) makes this an instant on machine almost.

I use a uMacbook at work and using this MBA is making that thing seem like a slug. I get frustrated waiting for it to start up or resume from sleeping.

MBA is up and running within 30 seconds boot and a split second from sleep.

The weight makes it nothing to carry around and so I dont mind dragging it around the house :)

not to mention it can handle about 99% of the videos I watch (flash is sluggish because it sucks and because its always been an issue in OSX)

I love the screen size as well, I tried buying a Netbook but the screen size was just too small ( i had a 10inch) and the keyboard was atrocious. The MBA having a full size KB makes this amazing.

[MacFanNoob]

I'm now gonna sell the damn thing, (RevA week1) it's just too handy.... I'm becoming addicted to it....in bed...breakfast table..all day....sofa...bed again...affecting my life!!!!

Trading up for a 17"MBP as need the firewire/screen for HD video editing.

Hopefully my web surfing/messing will reduce a bit!!

Yours worried

[Jsimon9633]

I'm now gonna sell the damn thing, (RevA week1) it's just too handy.... I'm becoming addicted to it....in bed...breakfast table..all day....sofa...bed again...affecting my life!!!!

Trading up for a 17"MBP as need the firewire/screen for HD video editing.

Hopefully my web surfing/messing will reduce a bit!!

Yours worried

haha why sell one when you can have both :p i have both hah

[entatlrg]

This is always a good thread to bring back to life ... the little MBA ... not the greatest spec's on the market, short on ports and maybe even battery life ...

Regardless, most of us who own one and use it often know there's just something about the Air that makes it a real pleasure to use and work on, don't know what it is .... it just works and from a day to day user experience there's something great about it that you or at least I don't get from any other ultra portable or netbook ... I'll often find myself reaching for my Air instead of my MacBook Pro's or my Mac Pro ... it's just fun to grab sit back in the chair and surf / work away :)

[entatlrg]

This is a good thread to bump ...

Now we have the MBA's we wished for not so long ago ... more power, ports and a redesign too!

[teerexx52]

I like mine but I still look from time to time at the 13" MBP:)

[MrMacNasty]

I had a 2009 13" Macbook Pro, first generation iPad, 11" Macbook Air and the 2010 13" Macbook Air. I ended up selling all of them except the new 13" Macbook Air which has become my primary and only machine. I ended up using extra the money made from selling the machines on a number of strippers and whores.

I don't miss the other machines one bit, nor do I miss the backlit keyboard, but I may upgrade whenever a new MBA comes out with one just for the style factor. I also love the trackpad on my 13" MBA as I find it's way better than the ones on my MBP or 11" MBA, as the clicking noise is as minimal as possible.

I'd rather have fun with a number of strippers and whores, than having a bunch of machines and devices that sit around unused, as one person can only use one machine at a time. Unless you are a major geek who doesn't like a variety of woman because there are more things to do in life than using a computer after all.

[stockscalper]

I'm surprised you don't do documents on it. I do everything on mine, from spreadsheets, to wordprocessing (both in iWorks) and am writing my next novel on it using Scrivener. It has enough screen space for me to set up my outlines and corkboards with room for a writing column.

[janstett]

I'd rather have fun with a number of strippers and whores, than having a bunch of machines and devices that sit around unused, as one person can only use one machine at a time. Unless you are a major geek who doesn't like a variety of woman because there are more things to do in life than using a computer after all.



Well, as a "major geek" if your primary machine is a Macbook Air, you're probably posting to forums and updating your BookFace status and not much else. And if that's true, you only really need an iPad.

Personally I often have three machines (or more) going at the same time. I couldn't possibly do my work with only one machine because I'd be sitting idle waiting for things to finish (such as long compiles or file copy operations).

And I do have an air -- for checking email and light surfing.

[HiddenGem]

One has to ask themselves are you also addicted to the screen resolution solution and lack of colour depth.

If so to both, why?