First Look at the MacBook Air

[ipedro]

Strange that nobody has mentioned this: no speakers?

I'm not a fan of the black keys. Other than that, it's Apple's most envy inducing notebook for sure.

 

[mmccaskill]

Is it just me, or does it look like exhaust vents on the bottom towards the back?

 

[maccuser]

They probably gonna announce new design for the MBP and the MB together with the 3G iphone..No wonder the apple stock is going down like crazy...

 

[SiliconAddict]

Sorry. No go. If I'm spending $1700 I'm getting a tablet PC. I want something personal and small...not just a replacement for my Macbook Pro

 

[weing]

VERY disappointing. Even though it looks great.
It may be thin but the footprint is HUGE. As big as my 15" pb. Note to apple:
People dont like to carry 8 1/2 by 14 manilla evelopes around because they are too BIG.
Oh. And thanks Apple for nickel and dimeing us for a 29 dollar ethernet dongle on a near $2k purchase that would take about 3 dollars off your margin if you had just put it in the box!

 

[kkat69]

Strange that nobody has mentioned this: no speakers?

True Mac users are deaf anyway. LOL j/k

 

[JoshJosh117]

.

 

[Macula]

IF (and only IF) the battery is non-replaceable, then indeed this is a gadget for high-end executives and affluent coffee shop idlers. No one with respect for his money would buy it without trepidation.

 

[buffalo]

WHERE does one watch the KEYNOTE????

Be patient. It hasn't been posted to Apple's website yet. Look for it in a few hours.


As for the MB Air, the real pictures make it look very nice. I guess I gotta figure a way to do in with my MB so I can get one of these babies.

 

[mongoose8p]

i have a mbp now if this had been out in july (when i got my mbp) i woulda gone for it but not now!

drawbacks for me
soldered ram-???
lower processing power- understood
non replaceable batter wtf?
mono speaker- not that i care that much but is that joke?

 

[ATH44]

It's a beautiful machine for those that don't need power or expandability. On the other hand it's a giant leap forward in wireless computing that will hopefully spread to other Macs.

 

[maccuser]

They are not gonna even update their MBP with the new intel processors...what a shame, every other laptop is already updated with the new intel processors...No apple remote for MBA..

 

[mutantteenager]

Fanboy rationalisations!

I think quite a few people have made valid points about this new laptop. What a surprise that the fanboys try to shoot them down.

The first is...(if true) non-removable battery. Who sells a laptop for people who are regularly on the road that doesn't allow you to swap the battery. Name the manufacturer and I will eat my left foot.

Built in iSight - Some corporations do not allow their employees laptops with webcams. Obviously this isn't everyone, but it is at least true.

It's gonna get hot. I had a 12" Powerbook, and guess what? It got hot. I don't care what processor they put in a metal laptop, it's gonna get.... HOT!

Lack of Ethernet. Yes it's true some people still use ethernet. I know God should strike them down, but until he does, they still need it. Sony manage to put ethernet and an internal dvd writer in their TZ sub-notebook, and theirs weighs less, and strangely has a removable battery. Oh and it's smaller.

Lack of Firewire. Just because Apple are favouring USB, doesn't mean that everyone who bought a Mac before the Intel switch doesn't use Firewire devices. Like say a hard drive?!

If you want to hate me you can. But just because Apple don't do it doesn't make it wrong.

PS : This machine is probably going to sway a lot of people in person, but I won't buy one. I need a graphics card AND a small form factor.

 

[kellen]

Sorry if answered prior -- how (un)bearable is the 80GB hard drive speed

-- Is the 64 SSD Flash that much faster?

80 gig hd speed is 4200. Don't know if thats the limitation due to size or what.

 

[Bubbasteve]

Sorry, Can anyone tell me what artist and song plays in the macbook air ad? Thanks!

New Soul by Yael Naïm

 

[ildondeigiocchi]

I REALLY WANT TO GET A MACBOOK AIR. I currently own a black Macbook C2D 2.0GHZ with 1GIG of ram and 120GB HD. How much do you think I'll be able to get for that setup?

 

[CaptainCaveMann]

This is a complete disappointment. No user replaceable battery? No optical drive, only 1 usb port. I use a laptop as my main computer so something like this is completely out of the question. I'll be waiting for them to update the macbook and macbook pro design. I will also add that there is now a gap in Apple's product line. The mac mini is underpowered for video and the low price is irrelevant because once you buy the keyboard and display your already up to 1000. My ideal set up is having a desktop at home and a portable for the road. I will probably end up buying an iMac and one of the new portables when they get updated.

 

[PDE]

IF (and only IF) the battery is non-replaceable, then indeed this is a gadget for high-end executives and affluent coffee shop idlers. No one with respect for his money would buy it without trepidation.

I have to agree. This is meant to be a light travel machine that has long battery life and connects easily wherever you go. The battery life will not be anywhere near 5 hours and then you''re stuck unless you have an outlet. Ethernet can be added, but really apple should have included it in the package given the high price tag.


I love the looks (except perhaps the wide display frame) as it reminds me of the old early powerbook days and my beloved 540c - but much much sexier.

 

[skinbubble]

Battery

Apple requires you to send the MBAir in to replace the battery.

No thanks.

 

[PharmD]

Strange that nobody has mentioned this: no speakers?

I'm not a fan of the black keys. Other than that, it's Apple's most envy inducing notebook for sure.

On the guided tour video, they look to be on either side of the isight. Tiny things so you'd be better off using headphones anyways.

 

[sikkinixx]

Strange that nobody has mentioned this: no speakers?

I'm not a fan of the black keys. Other than that, it's Apple's most envy inducing notebook for sure.

doesn't it have a mono speaker?



anyways, $30 Ethernet add-on, $100 DVD add-on, no extra batteries, no upgrades, 1 USB port, almost a $2k price tag (for Canadians anyway)? Ouch....very ouch.

 

[Kenya]

Excellent photos! You can really see just how thin the new Airbook really is. I don't want one but I can't wait to see it in person!

BTW, the black keyboard is disconcerting... don't know why ::shivers::

 

[kkat69]

They probably gonna announce new design for the MBP and the MB together with the 3G iphone..No wonder the apple stock is going down like crazy...

I fail to see it falling like crazy. Following the stock you see drops during annoucements due to uneasiness of the proposed changes and the consumer world (reading these forums you'd think everything Apple does is crap since it would appear that NO ONE is satisfied with anything they do) but it steadies out, right now for instance bouncing between 170 and 165. Dropped earlier but I wouldn't call it 'going down like crazy'

For instance today it started at 177 and only dropped to 167. Even the history doesn't show a huge drop.

I would say something rude like 'learn to read stock reports and base an informative response' but you might just be jumping on the h8r bandwagon.

 

[coolfactor]

I'll wait for the next revision, since the price is a tad too high ($1899 here in Canada). However, this machine fits into a very common and growing target market. I know a lot of people that have picked up a MacBook recently, rarely use the optical driver, never use the Ethernet, use only one USB port max, never use the Firewire port, and so on. Apple has done their homework and removed features rarely used, while increasing the value of the laptop through its form factor.

 

[koobcamuk]

I would have said I was the target market for this (2x powerbook 12" user, moved to macbook but wants a more polished machine) but I'm not interested.

The UK price is ridiculous (£1200 = $2400!, $4050 for the SSD!!), and the lack of firewire (I need it for external disk and audio interface), decent hard disk options and size of the bezel (the machine is the same size as a macbook) tip the balance.

I guess I'm wrong about being the target. I'll wait for the MBP update, there will be a small one of those (I know, unlikely).

Oh well.

Those prices almost made me sick. I would only ever buy this abroad (USA). Yes, I know, sale tax. You show me where sale tax is that much!!

Looks like the 12" PB is here to stay. It's not heavy, feels great to the touch and mine has a 250GB HDD which I love to have. I have two batteries and they both get 4.5 hours out of them.

Cool exec toy, but not what I hoped for.