Apple Announces MacBook Air

[latestmonkey]

Like they say on sports radio: long time listener, first time caller...

I can't believe the utter whining that's going on in this thread. According to some people, this thing is a POS because it doesn't have everything THEY want and at $500! Hey guess what? When you go smaller, you have to sacrifice a few features. And just because you don't need it to be thinner and lighter doesn't mean that it's not f'ing sexy and slicker than anything out there right now

I'm a little concerned about the speed of the drive and the max ram at 2GB but I will wait for some benchmarks and also weigh the pros and cons against a MBP. Yet, according to some, this thing is garbage.

OMG OMG OMG. I can't believe Apple couldn't fit a 17" screen into a ultraportable 10" laptop!!!!!!

Jesus H Christ people. Seattleboy (or whatever) and macsrsocool need to have their posting privileges removed. Two complete morons who add nothing to this discussion.

 

[johndoe588]

It's kind of a relief, I won't have to go out and spend a bunch of money now. I would like to see one in real life, though.

What WOULD get me to the Apple store and spending money would be a black MB with the MBAs backlit keyboard, LED backlighting, and new trackpad. That would be just perfect for me. Couldn't be that hard.....

John B.

 

[Digital Skunk]

how do you guys Photoshop (or any other Creative Suite product) will run on the new MacBook Air?

It will run like crap! I am glad that we finally get an ultra-portable slim notebook to replace the 12" PowerBook but Good GOD look at the price. And Apple gets away with charging $1000 for a 64GB SSD. The 1.8" drive is pathetic, but it is an ultra portable, good luck running any serious iLife stuff. It will make my girlfriend happy to see it, but not happy about the price.

The Wireless Air Disc thing is cool and a new take on the lack of an optical. The external optical is a better option for those that can't rely on the machines around them. I hope I can buy some separately to use as external drives for various reasons.... that would make a perfect portable studio. It's a nice machine that I would buy if I was in need of a slim notebook and didn't do high end video editing.


Since I DO work with video however, I am VERY disappointed that Apple didn't update the now 4 years old displays or lower their prices, I am very upset that we may have to live with the old MacBook Pro for another 4 or 5 months, but I am glad to know that we may get the new trackpads and micro DVI to make more room for PRO FW ports or eSATA, and HOPEFULLY apple will give us a new design for the MBP and make the 17" a to-die-for machine with dual HDD slots, dual 2.8GHz Penryn, etc...

As of right now... I am going to go and find me a new Mac Pro to purchase and (if my girlfriend lets me) find a Dell monitor to put next to it, maybe a used 23" ACD instead since I need the PRO FW ports and not the consumer card reader on the Dell.

The keynote was mediocre... I am sure the iPhone junkies are happy to get technology that has been around for some years now, the Touch is forming nicely, and Time Capsule will be sitting on my desk in a few months.

 

[Anuba]

Wow 25Mbps!
The average for the UK is about 1.2Mbs

I'm on 0.5Mbs

I've been on 100 Mbps for 2,5 years and I'm certainly not in Japan, but in Sweden... what is it with the UK and US?! Roll out the damn fibre already...

 

[bj3949]

Wake up people!!

Wake up people!! you can get a MacBook Pro for basically the same price and with so much more productivity. Everything about the MacBook Pro is better except for size and weight. Size and weight were DEFINITELY not the number one complaint for MacBook users. Face it. Apple is not ready to introduce a TRUE NEW CUTTING EDGE laptop like iPhone, so they tried to hoax us into this Air crap. If you think this thing is the best laptop ever, you're an AIRhead.

 

[Selenolycus]

Wow, there are some stupid people posting today. Case in point:

"No gigabit ethernet? This sucks."
"No 2.4 GHz processor? This sucks."
"No built-in optical drive? This sucks."
"No 200GB HD to store all my porn videos? This sucks."

That's not what this product is for. It's like saying a hammer sucks because it doesn't work like a saw.

Wake up.

This is a Mac for people who want to do writing and email and internet and some other "lighter" applications (like listening to music, or watching some videos), and not carry around a heavier, bulkier machine.

The VAST majority of that market will not care about gigabit ethernet ports. Nor will they care about storing a huge amount of data on a hard drive. You could possibly argue that optical media is more useful, but it's getting much less useful by the day.

I think this is an amazing product. It truly is a massive accomplishment. It finally fills the sub-notebook hole in Apple's lineup, but without compromising on keyboard or screen real estate. It's also a perfect compliment for Mac owners who already have a desktop, but need to be mobile as well.

It's going to sell very well...

Price point is too high for the average person who just wants to send e-mail, listen to music, etc. They'll go for cheaper over thinner - that's my bet anyway.

Edit: Added, people who want to import/watch/listen to DVDs/CDs will be baffled by the silliness of remote disc. Also good luck getting remote disc to work if Leopard on your MBA decides to stop working.

 

[mokeyjoe]

Awesome. I want one now!

Shame it's on the pricey side though. Never mind, when I get round to upgrading my iBook it'll probably be half the price anyway

 

[bigmc6000]

A note on battery life

For all those people complaining about battery life on a plane:

the 5 hours is actively searching the web. On a plane you'll have bluetooth off and the wi-fi off and more than likely you'll have the brightness down a bit (when I go on a night flight mine is all the way down and I can still see it quite clearly). In flight useage is going to be, AT LEAST, 6 hours. Especially since you aren't going to be watching DVD's off of your optical drive haha

 

[chillywilly]

Damn. I really was hoping for a 11-12" laptop. Thinness is a useless quality, small footprint would have been much better.

So was I. The size of the 12: Powerbook G4 was pretty nice. I mean, something to replace it only thinner, was something I could get behind.

But I see where Apple's target market is on this: execs that needs word processor, powerpoint and email. And some web. It's not for any power user.

Still, I'm always curious to see the new stuff.

 

[Stella]

Wake up people!! you can get a MacBook Pro for basically the same price and with so much more productivity. Everything about the MacBook Pro is better except for size and weight. Size and weight were DEFINITELY not the number one complaint for MacBook users. Face it. Apple is not ready to introduce a TRUE NEW CUTTING EDGE laptop like iPhone, so they tried to hoax us into this Air crap. If you think this thing is the best laptop ever, you're an AIRhead.

Macbook Pro and Macbook lite are aimed towards different markets.

God, so much whinning!

We will see that the Air will be a great seller and define new laptop standards ( in a good way ) for design.

 

[MacTheSpoon]

OK, I love almost everything about this beautiful-looking machine, it would almost be perfect for my needs. The only thing that's giving me pause is the battery life. What I'd really like is a machine that is this light, with a full-size keyboard just like this, but that has got something like 10 hours of battery life. I really expected super long battery life from this product, and when I got to the part in the keynote where Steve said 5 hours, I was just crushed.

This is the only potential deal breaker for me; and especially since this thing has an integrated battery, which means I can't take an extra battery with me. I was hoping for something light and small I could write on all day long. Slow hard drive, no firewire, and no graphics card are no issue for me. I have a MBP and I guess I'd hang onto it and use this machine as a secondary machine. But I think one of the selling points of an ultraportable, besides its weight, is its battery life, and I am pretty crushed that this was not a design priority.

I was all set to buy one of these, but I'll have to think pretty hard now. But I'm holding onto a glimmer of hope. They describe the battery life as "five hours of wireless productivity;" I wonder if that means that this is the time you'd get with wi-fi turned on. Perhaps it's even the time you'd get if you were actively surfing the web the whole time. I don't really need wi-fi enabled when I'm out writing. So if it would add a couple of hours of battery life with wi-fi off, maybe I could get this thing after all. I'll keep my fingers crossed. I guess I'll wait until MacWorld does some battery tests on this thing before making a purchase; hopefully Apple's rating was very conservative.

By the way, if anyone is hesitating to get this because of the possibility of no ethernet if they're at a hotel; if you have the budget, an Airport Express is 6.7 ounces and I think you could just plug the hotel's ethernet cable into that, and create a wireless network for your MBA that way.

 

[Gurutech]

For all those people complaining about battery life on a plane:

the 5 hours is actively searching the web. On a plane you'll have bluetooth off and the wi-fi off and more than likely you'll have the brightness down a bit (when I go on a night flight mine is all the way down and I can still see it quite clearly). In flight useage is going to be, AT LEAST, 6 hours. Especially since you aren't going to be watching DVD's off of your optical drive haha

You really believe in marketing hype?
Yeah right.
Apple said my MBP would last more than 5 hours, but in real flight, (non heavy stuff) I got about 3 hours of actual running time.

I'd be really amazed if it'd last more than 5 hours real time.

ps. BTW I have C2D 2.2 Ghz MBP now.

 

[UWF404]

There is a balance between usefulness and portability. In this case I think the MacBook Air is off balance and too much usefulness has been sacrificed for the world's thinnest bragging rights. Personally I think the thing is sexy no doubt. That said, I think it's overpriced for the specs. I'd much rather have a scaled down version of the MBP with more reasonable specs. This thing reminds me of the SNL spoof on Steve Jobs.. This laptop is ridiculously too much show and not enough substance

My Powerbook G4 15" is on it's last legs and I was desperately waiting with CC# in hand to make my purchase. Now I'll just wait on the next MPB pro rev.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Like they say on sports radio: long time listener, first time caller...

I can't believe the utter whining that's going on in this thread. According to some people, this thing is a POS because it doesn't have everything THEY want and at $500! Hey guess what? When you go smaller, you have to sacrifice a few features. And just because you don't need it to be thinner and lighter doesn't mean that it's not f'ing sexy and slicker than anything out there right now

I can't speak for anyone else here but I was ready to buy when I read the rumors. I'd LOVE a Mac subnote. And $1800 is reasonable as far a subnotes go.

My issue is that an Apple stated 5 hour battery life is a 3 hr battery life in the real world. That would be acceptable IF I could just change the battery. But I can't. That is the #1 thing that stops me cold.

Now besides being screwed when the battery goes dead mid-flight, think about if the MBA's battery develops issues like SOOOO many of Apple's laptop batteries have. I've had my MBP's battery replaced twice on warranty because they were defective. So now instead of having a Genius give you a new battery on the spot you'll probably have to leave it for servicing or worse, send it in.

 

[Decrepit]

I've been on 100 Mbps for 2,5 years and I'm certainly not in Japan, but in Sweden... what is it with the UK and US?! Roll out the damn fibre already...

Sweden is a little larger than California. We have a little more work to do for deployments across the country. Some vendors are selling fibre to the home, but only in new neighborhoods where they can lay the fibre before construction.

Sweden also has about the same number of people in the whole country as New York City has alone. We have some density and infrastructure issues to overcome.

We'll get better speeds at some point, but I think it will only come when some really decent wireless technologies come along. You can't exactly dig up NYC to lay fibre to all the different buildings.

 

[bj3949]

"Macbook Pro and Macbook lite are aimed towards different markets.

God, so much whinning!"

We will see that the Air will be a great seller and define new laptop standards ( in a good way ) for design.
people were expecting a lot more. i'm very disappointed that Apple introduced this for their year opener. this should have been a multi-touch screen at least. bottom line. everyone would have walked out of the keynote happy. basically, everyone walked out feeling cheated and robbed for their money and time. i know i did.

 

[bengst]

A lot of people use their laptop as a portable audio workstation for composing and recording music, and the internal soundcard doesn't cut it quality and latency wise. Most people use an external firewire box, but that's not happening with the MBA... and then there's USB, but with a single USB port you can't plug in your USB MIDI keyboard at the same time. And most likely your music software requires a copy protection dongle.

Yes, I use my iBook G4 12" on the fly to compose some music too. I use digi002+protools LE plugged in firewire port. And I dont think there's a laptop with decent soundcard built in (even Macbook Pro cannot handle the low latency). So why complaining about 'I have to bring external soundcard with air'?

This is a computer for execs, students and Paris Hilton...

Definitely, that's my point. I want to be like Paris hehe...

 

[NYCMacFan]

First Reactions

PROS:

1. Cool looking.
2. Didn't go with an ultralow processor
3. Full size keyboard for those of us that do a lot of typing
4. Full size screen for those that don't like squinting

CONS:

1. Could have been a touch lighter (competitors have beaten 3.0 lbs with an internal drive).
2. Could have had a touch more battery life.
(Cons 1 and 2 may be ameliorated with SSD, will see).
3. Could have squeezed in one more port.
4. Non replaceable battery (totally understand why this is the case however).
5. Curious why it could not have been closer to 11.5 inches in width.

ANNOYANCES:

1. Lack of detail on spec differences
2. Lack of detail on battery size and weight
3. Two week wait with lack of preview at present in stores (to check things like how hot it is underneath or get a sense of build quality).
4. No sense of sound quality.

 

[hierobryan]

someone tell me....what's the point of having a SOLID STATE drive when:

1. i don't plan on dropping my Air...and i probably will never drop it since i'm THAT careful with my laptops.

2. the Air has 5 hour battery life versus the Macbook's quoted "6 hours".

3. It costs over $1,000 extra.

??????

the only PROs I can think of are:

1. maybe better read/write time

2. less chance of physical HD failure

3. less heat (whoop-dee-doo).


edit: Apple's stock be dropping, yo!

 

[MacTheSpoon]

By the way, I really love the software they created that lets you "borrow" the optical drive of another computer. How cool is that!

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I don't really care about ODD nor ports. Ultra portable users can live without them. They've been since long ago.

Let me explain what ultra portable must have.
User replaceable battery. (oh man. if you don't know why you need this, with 4 hr, at most, possible real battery time.. What's the point of carrying ultra portable if you can't stay on, for example, for whole flight?)
Light weight.

I think that, in the airplane scenario, the non-removable battery is a valid criticism. But I can't see this as a deal-breaker strictly speaking. It is a potential weakness for frequent fliers who use their laptops at more than 4 hours at a stretch.

my personal preference.
laptop must be cool enough to not bother the work I do.

A totally subjective criticism - unless you provide us with a specific temperature. Everyone has a different tolerance for heat dissipation, unless your legs are made of wax.

also possible access to EVDO network (direct/indirect.. express card slot etc).

Get a USB adapter? The lack of built-in slot is not ideal, but it doesn't shut the door on EVDO use entirely.

If you still don't get it, and persuading me to get Macbook because of this, you just don't understand.

You aren't giving me much credit...you imply that I or others just don't "get it"...maybe you aren't explaining yourself very well? Or perhaps the MacBook Air's attraction lies primarily in it's design rather than it's spec sheet and "tech gurus" are the ones who aren't "getting it", Gurutech.

 

[Hmm]

All tech stocks rose due to Apple keynote expectations, so why shouldn't they all fall if the keynote was crap?

I'm just saying that there's more going on than the keynote, such as Citigroup announcing a 10 billion dollar loss, that's affecting all stocks, including Tech. If everything was going up, and Apple was tanking, perhaps that might be saying something. But as Cnn just reported:

"...Dow sees biggest decline in an already disastrous '08 as recession fears continue to pummel stocks..."

 

[Chupa Chupa]

By the way, I really love the software they created that lets you "borrow" the optical drive of another computer. How cool is that!

It was available on Toast about 3 years ago. It's nothing new.

 

[rockthecasbah]

I was jumping for joy when i saw the announcement at my school's library! This is the perfect solution for me: an ultra portable option with a 13.3'' screen (big enough for normal usage) that i can tote around on the college campus. 80GB hard drive is great, i'll be able to fit my entire iTunes library on there and then some (along w/ data), and the battery life is phenomenal. I am a big advocate of the external optical, and the price point is great! It's not the most economical laptop, but it is perfect for my needs since I'll really be using it for playing media, word processing, and web browsing.

Great job Apple!

 

[NYCMacFan]

someone tell me....what's the point of having a SOLID STATE drive when:

1. i don't plan on dropping my Air...and i probably will never drop it since i'm THAT careful with my laptops.
2. the Air has 5 hour battery life versus the Macbook's quoted "6 hours".
3. It costs over $1,000 extra.

Two:
1. It should have a longer battery life over HDD. So maybe 6 or 7 hours for SSD. Oddly Apple hasn't broken this out.
2. Saves a few more ounces in weight. So will the SSD be more like 2.7 or is the SSD 3.0 and the HDD more like 3.3. (I forget the actual weight savings in ounces of the SSD or a 1.8 HDD.)