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Engadget review is UP!
- Thread starter dominicdiep
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Thanks for posting that. No 11" review yet. Just not getting any love here
Everything they said seemed pretty fair to me, and it was all pretty much expected. They ended with good points about comparisons between Windows ultrabooks and the Air. One thing I have no interest in using is a touch screen. Why would anyone want such a thing!? Get the trackpad right (thank you apple) and it is unnecessary.
How can I be so sure? I use the external keyboard with the iPad. I HATE reaching up with my gorilla arm to do stuff. It is so annoying, but I put up with it, because it is the iPad. But, for a laptop? No way.
So now we have both Laptopmag and Engadget reporting drastically improved battery life. I'm excited to open my 13" MBA that was delivered today when I get home from work.
Thanks for posting that. No 11" review yet. Just not getting any love here
Everything they said seemed pretty fair to me, and it was all pretty much expected. They ended with good points about comparisons between Windows ultrabooks and the Air. One thing I have no interest in using is a touch screen. Why would anyone want such a thing!? Get the trackpad right (thank you apple) and it is unnecessary.
How can I be so sure? I use the external keyboard with the iPad. I HATE reaching up with my gorilla arm to do stuff. It is so annoying, but I put up with it, because it is the iPad. But, for a laptop? No way.
+1
Also waiting for a review on the 11". Not that it matters since I already ordered mine anyway
+1
Also waiting for a review on the 11". Not that it matters since I already ordered mine anyway
I just want to see what they say. I purchased it first thing in the morning after the announcement, about an hour after they arrived in the stores. I knew what I wanted. Unlike many users, I actually prefer incremental upgrades that make for a solid experience, rather than some cutting edge stuff that is buggy or not well-supported. I kind of like how Apple is usually one step behind the curve, but consistently delivers trustworthy, dependable products. The current MBA design is perfect
Windows drivers are an afterthought for Apple. They don't support a lot of the power saving features that are built into Windows 7. The main purpose of Boot Camp drivers is to make Windows boot, not to make the Mac an ideal Windows PC. They want you to use OS X, not Windows.
I wish others on here would read this and stop suggesting a Mac as an ideal Windows machine. I use bootcamp but if it surpassed 50% of my total usage, I'd switch to a non - Mac.
I just want to see what they say. I purchased it first thing in the morning after the announcement, about an hour after they arrived in the stores. I knew what I wanted. Unlike many users, I actually prefer incremental upgrades that make for a solid experience, rather than some cutting edge stuff that is buggy or not well-supported. I kind of like how Apple is usually one step behind the curve, but consistently delivers trustworthy, dependable products. The current MBA design is perfect
http://tinyurl.com/d2nl9fr
What does Engadget do with their MacBooks? In every review they mention "scratch prone". I've had a Unibody 15" for two years, sold it like new, no scratches, and my 11" air for a year, no scratches as well. I feel they are less scratch prone than the typical shiny plastics used in other computers.
But anyways...
But anyways...
I sometimes wonder too lol. Most reviews I've read never complained about the build quality.
I just want to see what they say. I purchased it first thing in the morning after the announcement, about an hour after they arrived in the stores. I knew what I wanted. Unlike many users, I actually prefer incremental upgrades that make for a solid experience, rather than some cutting edge stuff that is buggy or not well-supported. I kind of like how Apple is usually one step behind the curve, but consistently delivers trustworthy, dependable products. The current MBA design is perfect
I believe the incremental upgrades help the resale value as well. If every update is a major leap at the same price (or lower, as in the case with the Air), who would want to buy second models without a MAJOR price drop? I've owned 4-5 MBP and MBA in the past 3 years. The cost to switch to another was nothing - I sold my 10mos old 2011 13" Air a few weeks for $100 less than what I paid. Should I choose to buy a 2012 base 13" Air, it'd only cost me $100 and change, not to mention the current educational promotions.
I'm really tempted to with a 2012 11", but I want to see a review on the battery life.
I thought this was funny:
I had a 13" Air for the better part of a year, and when I sold it there was not a single scratch on it, let alone any dings. And I never once had any sort of sleeve or skin on it.
Hahaha. A link to the MBPr. Cute. As I said, it is an incremental upgrade. They upgraded the display. No major redesign.
More to the point, by this time next year I bet we will be seeing all sorts of displays with similar pixel density. Apple's refresh cycle is a yearly thing, so they will naturally leapfrog a bit -- there is currently no ultrabook that is a decent competitor for the Air. The Zenbook and others will hit store shelves soon, though.
If I were you, I would have mentioned the iPad. That was a rare gamble. But, in an interesting way, it was also an incremental upgrade. It was a big iPod. The iPhone was an iPod with cellular. Very smart. They don't come out with a retina display + a hinge to turn the thing around so it can face others, a two sided display, and a fingerprint reader. Ugh. They don't throw spaghetti at the wall and see if it sticks. Slow and steady. That's why I like Apple.
Not a major re-design? Really?
I don't see what more they could have done. It's a completely re-engineered chassis. Just look how much thinner it is in comparison to a standard MBP.
I consider it to be an iteration. It's not revolutionary.
If the iPhone, iPod, and iPad 3 retina displays didn't exist, the display might have impressed me more.
The body was slimmed down considerably, but it is not markedly different from the earlier models or the Air. The aluminum unibody from white plastic was a total re-design in my opinion.
Anyhow, this isn't really my point. What I like about Apple is that it mixes innovation with proven tech to produce nice results. I think you could arguably say that Asus and other computer manufacturers have all sorts of innovations. But some of them are not terribly nice in practice, don't work terribly well, or cause all sorts of unforseen problems. Melting screens from poorly placed exhaust vents (something I have experienced) would be an example.
So, to people who are disappointed in the Air because it doesn't have X, Y, and Z, I am saying that Apple probably isn't the company to look to for radical stuff. They are rarely the first to bring something to the market, but they are usually the best.
I've sold all my Macbooks completely scratch free so I feel that in the hands of someone who "loves" their computer then its not difficult to keep it looking good.
But on the other hand, Ive also never tripped over a PC laptop sending it crashing to the floor or shaken a hard drive into disk failure before. Yet Apple addressed those issues with MagSafe and SSD for a reason. "Regular" people treat electronics like garbage, and that includes our pretty little MacBooks.
I actually enjoy seeing a beat up MacBook because in the end then it reminds me how durable these things are and maybe I'm being too careful with how delicately I treat mine and its okay to treat it more like a tool than a pet.