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Why do some apple user hate the MBA

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Heavenkittykat

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 6, 2008
149
0
So I'm an apple convert. My first laptop is MBA. I had it for six months and I'm completely happy with it. It replaced my sony vaio sz and it tops it performance and speed wise. When I bought it last march many people are against me on buying it (including apple employees in the apple store). But I still bought it because its right for my needs.

I couldn't be happier with my purchase. However it puzzles me because everytime I visit the macforums outside of the Macbook air thread, many people bash the MBA calling it a "useless underpowered machine" or something similar along those lines. I don't understand why some other apple users themselves hate the MBA like it's kinda like the "black sheep" of the apple notebook lineup. Can anybody explain to me why this is the case?
 
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Grizzly Adams

macrumors member
May 20, 2008
59
0
Because while they enjoy their products, they can't understand why someone would want a computer with lower specs and a higher price. I love my MBA and wouldn't trade it for anything else in the apple lineup. It does exactly what I need in a size and portability factor that I couldn't do without.

Everyone that I have met IRL that also has a MacBook has been curious as to how I like it and how I do without standards like an optical drive. I have even had some people strike up a conversation with me because I was holding it.
 
M

Mikebuzzsaw

macrumors 6502
Oct 1, 2007
409
4
Los Angeles, CA
Cause most people who frequent this forums only care about more power. Faster specs is always better.. even if they don't utilize the computer to it's full potential.
 
Hawkeye411

Hawkeye411

macrumors 68000
Jun 6, 2007
1,833
12
Canada EH!!!
Funny ... I was just browsing through eBay and came across an MBA for sale and I thought ... why would anyone pay that much for a used, underpowered computer.

What are the odds that I would then happen across this thread ... hmm ... strange ..

Anyway .. glad to hear that your happy with your MBA :)

Cheers.
:):apple:
 
Digital Skunk

Digital Skunk

macrumors G3
Dec 23, 2006
8,097
923
In my imagination
Because most people are consumers in the mindless sense of the word. If it's a new Apple product they just want it even if they don't have a need or use for it.

Many MBA owners or former owners bought it and didn't know what it was for, or had no idea about the market it filled and how to use it for what it was built for. The employees didn't want to sell you one most likely because it was your first Mac, and there's a good chance you would have returned it and picked up a Macbook or just been an Apple basher.

I would love to own one eventually, but I need to make sure I am not wasting my money first, since i have a desktop and portable.

The MBA is a wonderful ultra slim, wireless, secondary machine, and better built than any Apple machine next to the Mac Pro and iMac. Anyone that can't see that is very shortsighted.
 
gooddeal

gooddeal

macrumors regular
Aug 3, 2008
207
0
PA
From: Bobjob186- Blackbook is more diverse. Allows you do to handle more if you need to. Air is limited, however if you can handle the limitations then it's phenominal. It's like a 2 seater roadster, it's fun as heck until you need to pick your parents up from the airport with their bags or go to home depot for 2x4s. But if you don't have an airport near you or never do hardware stuff, it's the best thing ever.

I like this analogy. People (who are just bashing the Air) are crazy. They need to learn the intent of a product. I like to drive my G coupe. I have no doubt that some people who love SUVs would think that I'm crazy to pay a lot of $$ for a useless car that I cannot transport anything.

I got the Air 3 months ago. I like it, so, I decided to sell my 6 months old Macbook w/ 4GB of RAM one month later.
 
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gonyr

macrumors 6502
Jul 9, 2006
293
0
Niagara County, NY
In my case, it's because I was hoping for a netbook like the msi wind or the asus eee. The mba is neither small nor cheap. My hopes were dashed for another year. Oh well, there's always mwsf 2009.
 
swiftaw

swiftaw

macrumors 603
Jan 31, 2005
6,328
25
Omaha, NE, USA
Because it is a niche product. Those that don't fit into that niche do not understand the point of it. I personally love mine, it's so much nicer to carry that around all day that it was my 15" Powerbook G4.
 
D

dogsbody

macrumors regular
Jun 13, 2004
120
0
Channel Islands
No sign of MBA haters here...

Well, I work in an APR over here, and we've had an awfully large amount of people in who come in just to look at it. Admittedly, most of them go off with a MacBook or MacBook Pro as the Air turns out not to be what they are looking for. But we have still sold a lot of them, people still come in specifically for them, and the ones that have them are over the moon with them.

We all thought it was the sleekest, sexiest piece of Apple design in a long while and were like a crowd of over-excited schoolboys when the first demo model arrived way back.

I thought I'd never buy one, personally, but having borrowed our demo model to do some quick typing for a magazine article in the local café, I found it was both glorious to carry and awesome to use.

MBA's are great machines - and perfectly suited for mobile users. My friend uses his on photo shoots with Lightroom and a 3G USB dongle - he is more than happy with it. :apple:
 
C

CalmEnvy

macrumors 6502a
Feb 9, 2008
555
39
It's just not for everyone, I know I wouldn't pay anything near the amount there asking for it (but then again I don't care about how thin a laptop is). I'm perfectly fine with the MacBook's size.
 
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PkennethV

macrumors 6502a
Aug 16, 2006
853
9
Toronto
also, some people don't need something that small...I use my 17" MBP during breakfast at the table, on my desk, on the couch, in bed (heck i even use it in bed with a 6x11 graphics tablet, though i admit that is something no one else i know does:rolleyes:).
 
Sesshi

Sesshi

macrumors G3
Jun 3, 2006
8,113
1
One Nation Under Gordon
Heavenkittykat said:
So I'm an apple convert. My first laptop is MBA. I had it for six months and I'm completely happy with it. It replaced my sony vaio sz and it tops it performance and speed wise.
Click to expand...

Perhaps it's because we don't have the same blinkers. Or maybe it's the Born-Again-Switcher thing of comparing a two/three-year-old Windows machine against a current Apple one. I use my current SZ's pretty much every day - which have significantly higher performance than the Air. The Air - when I have to (i.e. when I need an OS X machine that's actually truly portable). For me, the Air should be an exact fit as a regular user of lightweight / ultraportables on the move - but it just struggles to do even the little that I ask of it without a notable degree of fuss / compromise.
 
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Heavenkittykat

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 6, 2008
149
0
I actually bought my SZ a year before I bought my MBA. The reason why the performance of air is better than my SZ is probably because of OS X. With vista I have to have so many anti-spyware, anti-virus etc. installed which slows it down significantly.

Sesshi said:
Perhaps it's because we don't have the same blinkers. Or maybe it's the Born-Again-Switcher thing of comparing a two/three-year-old Windows machine against a current Apple one. I use my current SZ's pretty much every day - which have significantly higher performance than the Air. The Air - when I have to (i.e. when I need an OS X machine that's actually truly portable). For me, the Air should be an exact fit as a regular user of lightweight / ultraportables on the move - but it just struggles to do even the little that I ask of it without a notable degree of fuss / compromise.
Click to expand...
 
H

Heavenkittykat

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 6, 2008
149
0
Sesshi said:
Perhaps it's because we don't have the same blinkers. Or maybe it's the Born-Again-Switcher thing of comparing a two/three-year-old Windows machine against a current Apple one. I use my current SZ's pretty much every day - which have significantly higher performance than the Air. The Air - when I have to (i.e. when I need an OS X machine that's actually truly portable). For me, the Air should be an exact fit as a regular user of lightweight / ultraportables on the move - but it just struggles to do even the little that I ask of it without a notable degree of fuss / compromise.
Click to expand...

And also I forgot about the portability and battery. The SZ might be considered an ultraportable but my MBA is much more portable for me. In addition the battery life in the SZ is significantly less than the the MBA and since I planned to use my laptop everyday to take notes in class. My MBA is more useful to me.
 
Abstract

Abstract

macrumors Penryn
Dec 27, 2002
24,837
850
Location Location Location
I love the concept of the MBA, and in a way, I love the product itself.


I'm never going to buy an MBA. I'm much more likely to buy myself a 15" MBP plus the upcoming Lenovo S10 netbook/Dell Mini 9/Samsung whateverit'scalled next time I upgrade and buy new systems. I'll probably never buy a desktop again, and hence, am not really the target consumer for the MBA. It doesn't serve my needs at all. However, the MBA clearly has its place in the market for those with a particular computer setup, particularly if you have a more powerful desktop and want mobile computing capabilities using both a full-sized keyboard and large screen. You can argue that a 12" MBA would have been better, but unless the MBA adopted the 4:3 aspect ratio (like the old 12" PowerBook), I find 12" widescreen laptops too cramped if what I'm looking for is a screen that provides eye comfort. A netbook would certainly be out of the question.

Liking the MBA is not a matter of fanboy-ism. I'm certainly not a fanboy, as other people here can attest. It's a good computer that will satisfy most users with a specific computer setup. However, I've also bashed the MBA for what it isn't. For someone who will always have a laptop as his main system, the large length and width of a 13" laptop, or even a 12" laptop, means that there isn't much benefit of owning an MBA if my main computer is a 15" or 17" MBP. For a laptop owner, this is where netbooks come into play.

If you enjoy the MBA, then great.
 
Q

quasinormal

macrumors 6502a
Oct 26, 2007
736
4
Sydney, Australia.
Hate is a very divisive word. It is not about hate- it is about preferences and needs.

Some of us were disappointed because of our expectations. I personally wanted;
- Something smaller- More like the eee pc than a Macbook.
- Built in 3G HSDPA support.
- Firewire port
-a price more like a eee pc than MBP.
- a bigger hard drive.

To me the Air seemed more like an enticement to PC users, than a Mac aimed at committed Mac users. Because it is a portable it will be seen by others and is an obvious status symbol to the typical fashion victim.

That said, I will be buying one when it gets native 3G support, just like I'll be buying a iPhone when having one doesn't mean being held to ransom by the telecommunications companies and Apple.
 
T

The Awesome

macrumors member
Sep 11, 2008
78
0
Philippines
Heavenkittykat said:
Can anybody explain to me why this is the case?
Click to expand...

Some of the flak comes from 12" PB owners. They wanted the smaller footprint of their G4 (and most of the PowerBook/MBP goodies) yet all that Steve gave them was an "anorexic" MacBook with a little bit of MBP.

I personally would have wanted a MacIntel 12" (or a modern version of the very expandable, excellent battery life Pismo) though I still think the MBA is damn sexy - no other current laptop I can think of right now comes close. :)
 
H

Heavenkittykat

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 6, 2008
149
0
Abstract said:
I love the concept of the MBA, and in a way, I love the product itself.


I'm never going to buy an MBA. I'm much more likely to buy myself a 15" MBP plus the upcoming Lenovo S10 netbook/Dell Mini 9/Samsung whateverit'scalled next time I upgrade and buy new systems. I'll probably never buy a desktop again, and hence, am not really the target consumer for the MBA. It doesn't serve my needs at all. However, the MBA clearly has its place in the market for those with a particular computer setup, particularly if you have a more powerful desktop and want mobile computing capabilities using both a full-sized keyboard and large screen. You can argue that a 12" MBA would have been better, but unless the MBA adopted the 4:3 aspect ratio (like the old 12" PowerBook), I find 12" widescreen laptops too cramped if what I'm looking for is a screen that provides eye comfort. A netbook would certainly be out of the question.

Liking the MBA is not a matter of fanboy-ism. I'm certainly not a fanboy, as other people here can attest. It's a good computer that will satisfy most users with a specific computer setup. However, I've also bashed the MBA for what it isn't. For someone who will always have a laptop as his main system, the large length and width of a 13" laptop, or even a 12" laptop, means that there isn't much benefit of owning an MBA if my main computer is a 15" or 17" MBP. For a laptop owner, this is where netbooks come into play.

If you enjoy the MBA, then great.
Click to expand...

Yes I do very much understand the disappointment of other apple users who are expecting a different type of laptop after the "ultraportable macbook" was rumored. However what I cannot understand is some people can call the MBA "useless and crappy underpowered machine" even though they haven't used it and even though it obviously works well with other people targeted by this "niche product"
 
PowerFullMac

PowerFullMac

macrumors 601
Oct 16, 2006
4,000
1
The MBA sucks and all it does is shows how Apple can sell you anything for a stupidly high price even though they put thinness wayyy over functuality, something Apple loves doing these days.

Why do I say this? Look at the specs for the entry-level MacBook: 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1GB RAM, 120GB HD for £700. Now, look at the entry-level MacBook Air specs: 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM (which you can get on the MacBook for a extra £30), 80GB HD... For £1,200!

Now, which do you think is better value?
 
H

Heavenkittykat

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 6, 2008
149
0
PowerFullMac said:
The MBA sucks and all it does is shows how Apple can sell you anything for a stupidly high price even though they put thinness wayyy over functuality, something Apple loves doing these days.

Why do I say this? Look at the specs for the entry-level MacBook: 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1GB RAM, 120GB HD for £700. Now, look at the entry-level MacBook Air specs: 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM (which you can get on the MacBook for a extra £30), 80GB HD... For £1,200!

Now, which do you think is better value?
Click to expand...


I beg to differ. Apple is not the only manufacturer selling ultrathin and ultralight laptops for a high price. This is not because they wanted to make their consumers laughing stock, the simple answer is that it costs so much more to make a product much thinner and lighter than a regular one because of the parts they use and because of the innovative engineering involved in being able to compress a functional machine in a very thin package.

How can you justify your statement that MBA sucks? Do you own it? Have you tried it? I for one have used mine for 6 months and its a fully functional and very portable machine. I am a light user and I travel a lot. I don't care if my applications open 2-3 seconds later than it would have been if I own a machine with higher specs. What I care about is the WEIGHT and PORTABILITY. I carry my laptop every day in my backpack walking miles around a very big campus and carrying it to every class I have.
 
yetanotherdave

yetanotherdave

macrumors 68000
Apr 27, 2007
1,768
12
Bristol, England
Because it gives the "apple are over priced style over substance" crowd a lot of a good argument. You cannot argue that it is very overpriced for the spec.
I don't hate it, I wouldn't buy it, for the money I would absolutely get a MBP without giving the MBA a second glance, but a laptop is my only computer, and the MBA wouldn't meet my requirements.
 
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