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Apple Announces MacBook Air

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Since the G4 days it seems like Apple have been looking for ways to separate the ibook/Macbook from the MBP/PB - when component prices come down I suspect MBA is the beginning of how they're going to do that. Once flash, OLED etc are cheap enough, Macbook gets phased out, MBA *maybe* gets a couple more ports, slightly more grunt, and then takes the Macbook's (affordable) place in the line-up.

People are always saying Apple "don't waste time on niche products!" when people suggest a mid-tower or tablet.. I think more accurate: Apple would rather not make niche products. They'll tout this as an expensive luxury, its price will drop (like the iPhone).. And it won't stay so niche. They likely want this to be huge but the market isn't necessarily ready for it yet. :/

Anyway - then there would be a much more significant gap between the Macbook and Pro, and you'd need a Pro to do anything even remotely, well.. Pro.. Because of the ports/inputs etc. Macbook (Air for now) will be enough for internet, light use, extreme portability etc.
 
homeboy said:
Thin = Best

Apple has manged to create zoombies who are noncritical and fall in love with everything that's thin. What many people don't have in the back of their minds is that:


Thin = Scarifies

Not only that but in most cases thin doesn't mean smallest either. This laptop is thin but is by no means the most portable laptop on the market. It might fit in a large A4 document envelope but it doesn't fit in a small bag like many of the 11 and 12 inch laptops out there.
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I know. Waterfield awaits my new case order!!! Yeeeehaaaaaa! :)
 
ArmyKnight12 said:
I don't like the keyboard. Should be silver like the rest of the computer. My MBP is still better.
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Probably inspired by the new iMac design, but ironically that also meant going full circle, back to the original Titanium PB G4 with black keys on silver.

It made me chuckle a little, just like when they introduced the black MacBook. Once there was the PowerBook G3. PC manufacturers followed suit and soon all laptops were black. Then came the Ti G4 which made the black G3 and PC notebooks look really dated. Then came the all-silver PB G4. Then the white MacBooks. And the transition to an all silver/white lineup was completed. Then came the black MacBook and people were like WOW... what a deep and mysterious color, I've never seen anything like it, gotta have one now!
 
Well folks...don't be so cynical just yet. That's exactly the reason why you guys are not up there with the CEOs. They have far more insight than you guys do.

MBA is aimed at those social dandy/ business traveler class customers. Once all of those CEOs and their sons switched to Mac, their corporations are gonna switch as well. Who'll need Vista Business?

Apple is going to take over the world!! Smart move Apple
 
For anyone who doesn't think that the weight reduction and thickness make a difference in how portable a laptop feel hold a Pismo and a TiBook (that was only 1# reduction, or the first curvy iBooks and the later G3 iBooks (that was closer to 2#s) and then decide which you'd be more inclined to carry around.

That may not be an issue if you only carry your MB around, but if you carry around several pounds of stuff then its the difference between carrying a MBP and a regular MB.

If you travel by car then the weight reduction isn't an issue, but if you travel by bicycle, motorcycle or by walking 3 pounds is a big reduction as well.
 
I still hate the name...
But its awesome.. when i first saw the Sony pictures i thought that was it :confused:, and i was like damn thats ugly.
 
puffnstuff said:
I don't even get why he used the sony tz to compare to the dell xps would have made more sense. I do not care about the optical drive although it really would have been nice better yet have the option for an extra battery or optical (but that would have ruined the thinness). The 13.3" screen size is just to0 much if it was 11" the price would have been justified.
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So, let's see here. If the screen was smaller and by extension crappier it'd be worth the money but since it's larger and better it's not? Hmm, I'm thinking Apple needs to understand that and start charging a premium for their MB and drop the price of that 17" in behemoth they call a MBP ;)

Personally I have a 12" PB and I've been itching for something with a slightly bigger screen but with some juice to it (and not plastic). If this thing had just come with at least an option for a 160GB HD they might have sold me on it. Alas my 12" PB lives on!
 
me_94501 said:
Tell that to many of the customers I've sold lightweight ThinkPad X60s, Latitude D430s, and really lightweight Sonys to. Again, especially in an academic setting that I worked in where people are carrying lots of books and stuff, weight does matter, even if it is only a couple pounds.

Now ease up on the rhetoric. Not everyone thinks like you or has your priorities.
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I would be loathe to stick the MBA in a backpack full of books. I would be scared that it would come out flatter than ever. Seriously, there is no way that thing should go in a book bag. It will never survive.
 
Gosh, this thing is ugly.

Plus I don't see the point of it at all -- even I, a 5'2" 95lbs woman, have never had a problem carrying a 17" MBP to business meetings or on an airplane, so what's the benefit of this thing?

I hope the next generation of MBP won't look anything like this, and will not have the abysmally ugly black keyboard. It's hard to imagine a perfectionist like Jonathan Ive would have come up with this.
 
bodeh6 said:
USB Modem. But then you take up the only USB slot.
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Honestly people, what are you doing with your USB slot that you need it ALL the time? Ok, so you're plugged into a network and you want to charge your iPod. That's about the only freakin thing I can think of and my iPhone came with an AC adapter so I hardly ever use the USB port on my computer for anything other than the rare occasion I use a flash drive.

Really tho - I want to know what you guys are doing with your USB ports all day long. (Granted I've got a BT Mouse and Keyboard so I don't have that issue either)
 
A lot of these comments is what they said about the iPod:

* too expensive
* lacking functionality
* substance over looks / pig ugly
* firewire - WTF!
* blah blah blah
 
I like it.

I wouldn't have bought this over my MBP, but I can see the place for this. It does fit, but the price should be about $100 lower to start and 64GB SSD @ $999?? Uhh.

Right.

A few worries of mine:

•*Internal battery - eek! Hope it lasts 10 years!
• Lack of USB ports - Two is a MINIMUM these days. I know hubs, but thats another mess.
• Too thin up front? How durable?

Anyway, this would be the perfect second machine for me - even a 15" MBP gets heavy after touting it around all day. Maybe in a few years!
 
asphalt-proof said:
I would be loathe to stick the MBA in a backpack full of books. I would be scared that it would come out flatter than ever. Seriously, there is no way that thing should go in a book bag. It will never survive.
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Just because it's thin doesn't mean it's structurally weak. It's freakin anodized Aluminum for crying out loud! The density is insane I'm sure (i.e. no weak points for something to bend). If people buy plastic MB and they don't instantly fall apart I guarantee you the MBA will be fine.
 
alion said:
Well folks...don't be so cynical just yet. That's exactly the reason why you guys are not up there with the CEOs. They have far more insight than you guys do.

MBA is aimed at those social dandy/ business traveler class customers. Once all of those CEOs and their sons switched to Mac, their corporations are gonna switch as well. Who'll need Vista Business?

Apple is going to take over the world!! Smart move Apple
Click to expand...
Uh... won't they be running Vista Business on the MBA?

Apple has had many hits over the years, but a few misses too (the Cube... Newton... ROKR). Where was their insight then? What makes you certain they didn't have a brain tilt this time?
 
Someone's post mentioned a feature on a Sony laptop. cellular broadband. That could have been an option to have all wireless platforms for this thing.

It couldn't have been too hard to add, but would have taken a toll on battery life.

I really think this is for corp execs that walk about the office and need to be connected when going into meetings.

Maybe once it's been out a while, there will be other models that will appeal to the masses. And be affordable.
 
What "niche"???

People keep saying, "hey, settle down! It may not be right FOR YOU, but this is a niche market laptop..."

Um, exactly what is the niche for which an ordinary MacBook is too thick?

Because as far as I can tell, the two biggest differences between a MacBook and a MacBook Air are:

1. Thinness
2. Price

Either computer will fit in an airport shoulder bag. Both are too big to tote around 24/7. Neither is too heavy for an adult to carry around all day. Both require that you lug around a power brick if you intend to use it for more than a few hours.

So what am I missing? I understand the R&D issues that make this require Apple to sell this for $600 more, but what are the real-world needs that would make it worth $600 more to a consumer?

We've reached the age where, thanks to wireless connectivity, Apple could make a dockless Duo that would sell like gangbusters. Why not make one?

Of all the dimensions of modern laptops, thickness is the least important. Every laptop on the market today is already Thin Enough.

Why spend all that money making the smallest measurement of the device a tiny distance smaller? What does that accomplish, in terms of function?
 
k2director said:
Imagine that you're a professional writer who's on-the-go a lot. Are you really going to stop yourself from getting a $1799 Mac that will lighten your load BY HALF (which is very important to you), when no other Mac in that price range can do that? Just think: are you going to insist on paying $1200 or $1800 on a Macbook or Macbook Pro, which has features you never use, but weighs too much? Or are you going to choose the machine that suits your work habits and needs more closely?
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Well, actually, if you're a professional write who's on the go a lot (like me, I have to freelance abroad in China and Russia for some news publications), you're going to want a laptop that has changeable batteries. So really, the Air is not an option for me, light or no light.
 
true777 said:
Gosh, this thing is ugly.

Plus I don't see the point of it at all -- even I, a 5'2" 95lbs woman, have never had a problem carrying a 17" MBP to business meetings or on an airplane, so what's the benefit of this thing?

I hope the next generation of MBP won't look anything like this, and will not have the abysmally ugly black keyboard. It's hard to imagine a perfectionist like Jonathan Ive would have come up with this.
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I agree. This thing will tank. Underequipped. Overpriced. Fanboys-only.
 
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