First MacBook Air Reviews: Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, USA Today

[gotohamish]

Maybe you need to actually read Walt's columns then. He fawned all over the Apple TV 1.0 and Digital iLife '08 (most notoriously iMovie '08). As a professional reviewer you won't find anyone more pro-Apple than Walt. I'm all for having allies, but sometimes Walt is just an enabler to SJ and minces words when something needs improvement on an Apple product.

I remember a lot of people right here in this forum were bleh about the TV 1.0, and quite a few—myself included—have just bought one in time for the update, and are very, very, satisfied. And it's still on version 1.0. Maybe Walt only gushes when there's something to gush about, which might be often.

 

[CaptainCaveMann]

I guess we just disagree then.

I would strongly disagree that the MacBook Air is "for Road warriors and professionals" at all. I think you are just reading that in.

IMO the "Pro" in MacBook Pro is for Professionals and a "Roadwarrior" is a professional by definition. You should be using a MacBook Pro.

It seems to me that the Air is much more for the upper, trendier end of the MacBook consumer-level market. It's so obviously a computer (along the lines of Apples other products), wherein it has everything in one sleek box and as few buttons, doo-dads and gee-gaws as possible. Despite it's speed and large memory, it's not intended to be a "Pro" machine at all.

It's a consumer product for people that want a computer that just turns on and works, for all the usual things that people tend to use a computer for. As Jobs himself noted, it's a bit pricey right now, but this is definitely a consumer level laptop IMO.

It also depends on what kind of professional your referring to? If your talking about a professional video editor who may need a built in optical drive then yes your right. But if your talking about a professional writer, why not?

 

[Tosser]

Oh sweet, I get what your saying. Like maybe have an airport express on the other side of the room with my speakers plugged in over there. Then I could sit on my bed and listen to music in the whole room. How awesome is that!

That is exactly what I was thinking. It's a neat set up, and you don't need to plug/unplug and you can use the usb-port for something better.

Does the airport express have the true line out that your talking about? I've always just used my headphone port to connect speakers. I didn't know there was a better option? Thanks for your help man!

You're welcome. And, yes it does. In fact, it's a "weird" miniplug, not only is it a true coaxial (copper) line-out (with volume control, meaning you can connect it directly to a power amp/active speakers without volume control), it also has optical out.
If you don't like that solution, certainly take a look at the Squeezebox from slimdevices or one of their other products. They are even better than the airport express/extreme when it comes to audio streaming.

I, myself, stream most music. Most of the times from a dedicated audio server (it's not a computer), and when I edit audio, I use a USB-preamp/DAC connected to active monitors (this solution is needed because of the inherent lag with wireless). Otherwise I use one of my many headphones, which is always a nice solution

 

[bigmc6000]

well, 3.5 hours in all the reviews, and I believe both of them were with the settings maxed out. with half brightness (should be fine on an LED-backlight), and WiFi off (like on a plane), I can really see this thing rocking 4.5.

MR didn't quote Newsweek's battery drain test - I'm quite disappointed arn, it seems as tho you are trying to make people think it doesn't last very long. As quoted from AI via the newsweek article "Battery life is quite acceptable--I didn't have time for a definitive study but was getting only slightly less than the five hours per charge that Apple promises."

Come on ARN - why the selective Journalism? WSJ test is just stupid - who would actually play music for 3.5 hrs with the speakers going? I never listen to music on my laptop speakers except for when I listen to the 30 second previews on iTunes. Newsweek's evaluation is more of what people use their laptops for.

 

[MacTO]

Walt Mossberg's review was very thorough. I don't travel much and don't mind a couple of extra things to carry, such as a USB hub. But that's just me.

It'll be interesting to see how MacBook Air starts to appeal to long distance travelers once they actually have their hands on it.

Cheers.

 

[devilot]

In one of the articles, the battery duration was based on 100% full brightness. Maybe a lot of users keep the screen so bright when not plugged in, but heck, if I'm shooting for battery longevity, I'll easily stay within the 3-7 "bar" range (on the MB). I'm guessing that 3+ hours w/ full brightness would translate to closer to Apple's slated 5 hours once the brightness is lowered.

These articles did nothing but make me want one more... Their cons aren't really of issue to me. I don't need optical. I don't need FW. The damned storage is less than the highest capacity iPod and iPods don't have FW. As for movies taking up HD space that's what HandBrake is for, no? Hee.

 

[liberty4all]

Needs 3G Mobile Broadband Integral!

This is really the killer, in my view -- no 3G mobile broadband integral, and no WiMax either! All Mac laptops need this option at least BTO, not taking up a card slot either! The single carrier restriction argument is bunk, as you could bundle a combo radio with HSPA/EV-DO/WiMax, and all bases would be covered.


"Jobs told me last week that Apple considered [adding 3G mobile broadband] but that adding the capability would take up room and restrict consumers to a particular carrier. Through a USB modem, he says, you can still subscribe to wireless broadband with your favorite carrier."

 

[lazyrighteye]

added to story.

MacBook Air now shipping for some lucky early customers

Interested to see these babies in-store & in-hand.
Tho, like many, not a product I am interested in purchasing.

 

[PacMookBro]

Why do we care about the name?

Whatever the type of MacBook Apple offers, which type you should get depends on your computing needs. Just get the one you think it works for you. I use MacBook Pro but I do not have to be "A PRO USER" to use it. Of course, you do not need to be "AN AIR USER" to use MBA. I bought MBP years ago because it offers nice styling (looks never get outdated, I think) with more than all the features needed for my needs.

They all come down to this.
MB, MBA, and MBP: Each of them has a distinct characteristics and attitudes. But, they are all great for roadwarriors. They are all "Light", but MBA is especially light but to me it's insignificant.

So, in reality, it all comes down to what you want. Functionality didn't matter much to me. In fact I never used Express Card. I could save more than $1000 by going MB but I did not choose this option.

I love to have MBA despite the lack of functionality, but I already have a MBP with all the functionality. So, I don't need MBA despite its appeal.

Get MBP if you have to have GeForce. Go for MBA if you like the styling. Exciting to see some people are getting MBA tomorrow!!

 

[jmadlena]

...
Restrict consumers to a particular carrier is what Apple and Steve wants, just look at the iPhone. So it must have been "take up room".

With the iPhone it is a very different ballgame. They needed to work with a single carrier to have Visual Voicemail, as well as revenue sharing. But with a broadband card they wouldn't have to worry about any special features or revenue sharing.

I wish they had included a broadband card, but I don't think they excluded it because they wanted to tie you to a specific carrier. If size and weight are the most important aspects of the MacBook Air (as they should be for any ultra-portable), building in a card or a slot for a card would only make it larger than it 'had' to be.

 

[imwoblin]

I was just watching CNBC and they had Walt Mossberg on live to discuss the Macbook Air. He talked about how incredibly thin and powerful it was for a sub notebook, and started talking about the tradeoffs, including a non removable battery and lack of ports. He started showing the Air and they cut him off, saying they had breaking news, incredibly they went to commercial and the smug looks on the anchor's faces were priceless..

 

[NYCMacFan]

I bought one because I want the portability, but the lack of swappable battery is a major bummer.

I too hope that Apple releases an external battery. I don't think it's going to happen, but I am hopeful.

Is there an impediment to a 3rd party provider? Would seem to be pretty simple.

 

[gotohamish]

It's sad to hear that you can't watch DVDs shared from other machines. I was hoping that would be a front row features (and maybe even an TV 2.0 feature).

 

[jmadlena]

...
i mean come on!

Arrested Development reference? I hope so, as it's always nice to find another AD fan somewhere.

 

[pjarvi]

Sounds like pretty weak battery results ... Even if the SSD improves them, it won't be a drastic increase I think. I can live with a non-user replacable battery but you should be able to get 6+ hours being conservative (low brightness, some WiFi), and it doesn't look like we're there yet... I guess I'll wait the next iteration of the air (not that I had the need or the money now anyway ).

It has a small battery, if they had used a battery the size of the one in the regular MacBook or MacBook Pro, i'm sure they would've gotten well over 6 hours. However, they also would have gotten a lot more weight and a lot more heat. The only problem with the battery they went with, is it is not user swappable. I expect the 2nd revision of the Air to have a user swappable battery, or an external battery. External would be my preference.

 

[macshark]

I don't get it why Apple had to make the front of the AirBook so thin. It has no practical value - other than looking "good" in certain shots taken from certain angle.

A form factor that was uniformly thick would have been a lot more practical. This surely would have left room for a larger HD option, and maybe enough room for a second, removable battery option.

 

[EagerDragon]

Well, unless they come out with an external battery w/ MagSafe power-through connecter I won't be buying one. I want the lightweight machine but without getting more longevity out of it I am better off with my MacBook and 3 batteries for the long flights I take.

Here's hoping.

They let you take 1 battery in the MacBook and 3 spares in the plane????

Your bag must weight a ton.

How you keep all 4 charged?

 

[Digital Skunk]

Apple could have added 3G from Sprint, the fastest network, and just let users that would have wanted to use other networks buy dongles. They limited users of the iPhone to AT&T, so why the sudden change of heart?

Apple crippled the machine even further for no reason at all IMHO.

 

[Domofloge]

WSJ link doesn't work. Interesting articles otherwise.

It works now. Check it out.

 

[Lesser Evets]

'Felt Speedy'

....who is Speedy?

 

[EagerDragon]

If I had the money I buy 2 (wife wants one), my only complain is that it could go down another 2 to 3 hundred to make it even more pleasant on the bank account. Likely to get even more sales at 1499.

As long as it is a second system, mainly used to travel or away from a desk, it is a great machine.

Consultants of most kinds and writers should love this baby, most of the time they are in an editor, email, address book, or a CRM application. They don't do much with multimedia, don't edit much video, and carry maybe 1 to 20 Gigs of files that they need 99.999 of the time, so there is plenty of room and power. If you forgot something use back-to-my-mac to get the files.

This is not meant to replace a Mac Pro for connectivity and power, it is a writer/emailer dream machine.

If only I had the money.

One of my functions as a security consultant is to perform code reviews, this machine is plenty powerful to run Eclipse with several plug-ins for all the different languages I review and plenty powerful to handle all my emails and word for my papers. I can also log into other systems via SSH and look at their logs and take people by the hand using any number of remote control clients. Joining the web just about anywhere is easily done by getting the Ethernet dongle or using Airport Express. Most of the times the system would be in my hands, not even in a bag as I move from office to office or conference room and at home I can lay on the couch and work with the Air on my beer gut.

For my multi media I can use an iMac or Mac Pro with 1TB drives and plenty of power, memory, devices and connectors.

Sounds like a dream and impressive to my customers.

 

[NYCMacFan]

They let you take 1 battery in the MacBook and 3 spares in the plane????

Didn't they change the rules restricting the number of batteries. They say it takes 3 minutes to swap out, but I am trying to see you explain that thing in the x-ray to airport security and then why you are disassembling your laptop at 10,000 feet.

Two questions: (1) I fly internationally, but never bothered to use the power on the plane. Do you always use that Apple adapter and does it work on all carriers?

(2) At 45watts, won't this charge off the shaver socket in the plane's bathroom?

 

[72930]

As Jobs himself noted, it's a bit pricey right now, but this is definitely a consumer level laptop IMO.

Jobs noted that the SSD was 'pricy', not the laptop with the regular HD.

 

[EagerDragon]

Didn't they change the rules restricting the number of batteries. They say it takes 3 minutes to swap out, but I am trying to see you explain that thing in the x-ray to airport security and then why you are disassembling your laptop at 10,000 feet.

Two questions: (1) I fly internationally, but never bothered to use the power on the plane. Do you always use that Apple adapter and does it work on all carriers?

(2) At 45watts, won't this charge off the shaver socket in the plane's bathroom?

I was asking the guy the same thing, you responded to the wrong message, also he was refering to his MacBook not his Air..

 

[NYCMacFan]

I was asking the guy the same thing, you responded to the wrong message, also he was refering to his MacBook not his Air..

No NO. I know. I was thinking aloud. Clearly external spares are an issue for all machines these days. Just trying to picture what the MBA spare would look like in xray and how one would change it and smiling.

Questions 1 and 2 were serious though.