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Its an ultra portable....

D

DaLurker

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 30, 2006
364
0
Quick look through the forums and I can't even begin to comment on the inane chit chat about not powerful enough, not enough ports, no included optical drive, too expensive, 1k for SSD?!, and all that other garbage.

Well since everybody has thrown in their 2 cents, I'm going to throw in mine.

I'm not sure why anybody is surprised by the pricing or the features. It reminds me somewhat of the 12" Powerbook; But I think its a much better ultra-portable. A couple of key points to this comparison:
1: The 12" PB was price more than the 14" iBook, but less than the 15" PB
2: The 12" PB was NOT much lighter than the 15" PB (4.6lbs)
3: The 12" PB was SLOWER than the 15" PB (albeit slightly faster than the iBook)
4: The 12" PB was as thicker than the 15" PB

The MBA along the same lines of comparison:
1: The MBA is priced more than the 13" Blackbook, but less than the 15" MBP
2: The MBA is MUCH lighter than the 15" MBP and the 13" Blackbook
3: The MBA is SLOWER than the 15" MBP and the 13" Blackbook.
4: The MBA is MUCH thinner than the 13" Blackbook

With the above 4 comparisons, you can see the MBA is (by my definitions) a fantastic ultra-portable that fits in with the existing Apple marketing for an Ultra-portable, between the MB and the MBP.

In engineering, they teach students that good quality is fit for purpose. I think the MBA is a good quality product because it fits the purpose it was designed for. It is lighter and thinner (which makes it more portable), it is powerful, has a full size keyboard, screen and trackpad.

On the other hand you can argue portability if your definition of portable is also a smaller footprint which unfortunately the MBA doesn't have, but of course the trade off would have been a smaller screen and keyboard.

So if you're one of those people, stop bitching and consider other products. A company such as Apple has responsibilities to sell their product, but not necessarily to everyone. They've made a marketing decision and defined an ultra-portable in this sense. They've done a fantastic job building the MBA. Engineers and computer techies alike can not deny how hard it is to build such a powerful product in such a small space.

If you're buying an ultra-portable to encode DVD's or play games, then you need to reconsider whether you need an ultra-portable, or a desktop replacement. Usually ultra-portables are a second computer that frequent travelers lug around on business trips. These trips usually mean a spreadsheet here, word processing there with a bit of keynote (or powerpoint).

Its interesting, if HP released an ultra-portable, people may say "Hey, specs aren't that great, expensive. Let me consider another product". With Apple it seems to be tear them a new one because they didn't design a product that suited all my wants.

If you don't like it or find it doesn't suit your needs, move on. Your complaining on this forum isn't going to get Apple to re-design their product.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say, I really like the MBA. Its a great size with great specs (for its size) and priced within Apple's marketing scheme (ie they're not ripping you off). I won't be buying one for myself because it doesn't suit my needs since I need a desktop replacement.

Edit: In response to Domoflodge's question: I say Blackbook to denote the top of the line Macbook, ie the Black Macbook.
 
Isn't is a macbook and not a "blackbook"? haha Other than that, you make a very compelling argument that deserves some attention. :apple:
 
Meh, honestly I don't see how the MBA is any more portable than a macbook. Because it can fit into an envelope? ROFL. One is 3 pounds and one is 5 pounds. One is .76 inches thick and one is 1.08 inches thick. If shedding 2 pounds and roughly .32 inches makes it or breaks it for you, that is your choice. For me personally, the MBA is an utterly useless machine.
 
nikhsub1 said:
Meh, honestly I don't see how the MBA is any more portable than a macbook. Because it can fit into an envelope? ROFL. One is 3 pounds and one is 5 pounds. One is .76 inches thick and one is 1.08 inches thick. If shedding 2 pounds and roughly .32 inches makes it or breaks it for you, that is your choice. For me personally, the MBA is an utterly useless machine.
Click to expand...

Yeah I think it is more portable. 40% weight shedding and making it thinner is a big deal. Most people carry around a pad of paper anyways :)

Its useless to me too though, not because its not lighter but I need features that Macbook Air doesn't have. its a product not catered to my situation.
 
It's not an ultraportable.

Ultraportables/subnotebooks have screens <11''.

The Air has a 13.3'' screen with a massive bezel. The footprint is way too big to be called an ultraportable.


And you can't compare the Air with the 12'' PB. The 12'' PB was a full-featured laptop. Anything you could do on the 17'' PB, you could do on the 12'' PB.

The Air is a featureless Macbook. You can't do everything that you did on a 12'' PB on it. You can't do everything you did on a Macbook on it. It's pointless.
 
I find the MacBook too heavy and sporting a display that I find crappy, but you haven't seen posts of me bitching about it.

The OP is right. Get over it kiddies.

zioxide said:
It's not an ultraportable.

Ultraportables/subnotebooks have screens <11''.

The Air has a 13.3'' screen with a massive bezel. The footprint is way too big to be called an ultraportable.
Click to expand...

No, it's not an ultraportable. Ultraportable, while they do have their purpose, are crappy for getting a lot of work done. It is also not a DTR. It is the most portable full-sized laptop in the world. That isn't a bad thing.
 
meagain said:
Just look at this pic with 12" Powerbook next to Air

http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,1205,l=223531&s=1473&a=223534&po=2,00.asp

Uh - I'll take the Air thank you very much.
Click to expand...

That's amazing. I'll take one as well! It really isn't that much bigger than the 12" Powerbook. I used a 12" iBook for almost 3 years while studying Architecture. I was on a budget and really wanted a Mac. The 12" screen is not big enough. I don't know how I made it through school or how I was able to get some of the stuff done that I did. The 13" screen makes a big difference. I think this is the perfect "secondary" computer.
 
nikhsub1 said:
Meh, honestly I don't see how the MBA is any more portable than a macbook. Because it can fit into an envelope? ROFL. One is 3 pounds and one is 5 pounds. One is .76 inches thick and one is 1.08 inches thick. If shedding 2 pounds and roughly .32 inches makes it or breaks it for you, that is your choice. For me personally, the MBA is an utterly useless machine.
Click to expand...

For you... fine.

But it's dumb to think everyone has the same needs as you.

What if they launched a new computer that was 10lbs and 2" thick? The percentage difference between that and the 15" MBP is exactly the same as it is between the MBP and the MBA (80% heavier and an average of 2x as thick). Would you get on here and tell people who buy the 15" MBP that they're making a dumb choice in picking it for portability reasons over this fictitious behemoth of a laptop?

These are real weight and size savings. Just wait until you feel one of these things in your hands.
 
nikhsub1 said:
Meh, honestly I don't see how the MBA is any more portable than a macbook. Because it can fit into an envelope? ROFL. One is 3 pounds and one is 5 pounds. One is .76 inches thick and one is 1.08 inches thick. If shedding 2 pounds and roughly .32 inches makes it or breaks it for you, that is your choice. For me personally, the MBA is an utterly useless machine.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Less weight is the only benefit of MBA over MB.
 
JasonBourne9 said:
For you... fine.

But it's dumb to think everyone has the same needs as you.

What if they launched a new computer that was 10lbs and 2" thick? The percentage difference between that and the 15" MBP is exactly the same as it is between the MBP and the MBA (80% heavier and an average of 2x as thick). Would you get on here and tell people who buy the 15" MBP that they're making a dumb choice in picking it for portability reasons over this fictitious behemoth of a laptop?

These are real weight and size savings. Just wait until you feel one of these things in your hands.
Click to expand...
I said FOR ME, not for everyone. The MB and MBA occupy the same amount of space in terms of width and height, that is my point. To me, a 10" screen is an ultra portable, not something the size of a macbook. Again, FOR ME the machine is a wasted effort.
 
zioxide said:
Anything you could do on the 17'' PB, you could do on the 12'' PB.
Click to expand...

i want to point out that is not an accurate statement.

on the 12", you could not:

-connect to a gigabit network (no 10/100/100 ethernet, only 10/100)
-add in a PCMCIA card (no PCMCIA slot)
-expand more than one slot of RAM (it has only one open slot and one soldered slot, not two open slots)
-have a screen resolution larger than 1024x768 (max res on the 12")
-connect FW800 peripherals (no FW800 port, only FW400 - i am not 100% sure on this one but i think thats accurate)

so no, you could not do everything on the 12 that you could on the 17. apple made compromises to get into a smaller form factor, because some people wanted a smaller form factor laptop and were willing to accept these compromises to get it.
 
shecky said:
i want to point out that is not an accurate statement.

on the 12", you could not:

-connect to a gigabit network (no 10/100/100 ethernet, only 10/100)
-add in a PCMCIA card (no PCMCIA slot)
-expand more than one slot of RAM (it has only one open slot and one soldered slot, not two open slots)
-have a screen resolution larger than 1024x768 (max res on the 12")
-connect FW800 peripherals (no FW800 port, only FW400 - i am not 100% sure on this one but i think thats accurate)

so no, you could not do everything on the 12 that you could on the 17. apple made compromises to get into a smaller form factor, because some people wanted a smaller form factor laptop and were willing to accept these compromises to get it.
Click to expand...

I was talking more about doing tasks on the computer.

For example, you could use Final Cut Pro, After Effects, Logic, iMovie, etc. The lack of connectivity on the Air doesn't allow you to do any of these. That's why it's not a replacement to the PB 12''.
 
While I understand the market of the MBA, I think a second USB port and a FireWire port should've been mandatory. Especially with the lack of optical drive. Doesn't OS X require a FW port, by the way?

I'm also not sure what to think of that I/O door... looks like something that could break off within a few weeks.
 
zioxide said:
I was talking more about doing tasks on the computer.

For example, you could use Final Cut Pro, After Effects, Logic, iMovie, etc. The lack of connectivity on the Air doesn't allow you to do any of these. That's why it's not a replacement to the PB 12''.
Click to expand...

I actually never knew anyone who did serious video work on the 12" PB. Everyone that I know who uses these programs on a regular basis use the 15" or bigger. Just because you could do something doesn't mean you have to or will do them.
 
nikhsub1 said:
Again, FOR ME the machine is a wasted effort.
Click to expand...

That's a nonsensical statement. You didn't make this effort and Apple didn't make it FOR you. Whether the effort is wasted or not will be told by the sales figures and only Apple will know if it turns out to have been worth it.

What you're really trying to say is that "FOR YOU" the MBA does not provide a compelling value proposition. Fine. It does for other people. Hopefully for enough people to be a good seller.

Your position is like some Windows fanboy coming in here and saying "I hate macs. For me Apple is wasting its time making macs . They should just give up."

That's just a waste of everyone's time. And so is your position. Just tell us you don't care for it and move on. Quit trying to make a business case out of your personal experience.
 
For me as a photographer the machine is useless. I think it's a great machine for someone that doesn't need the features that I need on a daily basis.

I can understand where some are saying it's a horrible machine BUT that's only because it isn't fitting the needs that they have. In this case the best thing to do would be to get a MacBook at the very least. I suspect some will say "But I want the MacBook Air's because it's lighter by 2 pounds, it's smaller size, etc." but that just isn't possible with the form factor the MBA has.

I'm sorry to say, and I'm a victim to it as well as everyone else, life just isn't fair. But I'm sure there are a lot of other things far worse to complain about then 2 pounds and point whatever of an inch. :)

~Crawn
 
JasonBourne9 said:
That's a nonsensical statement. You didn't make this effort and Apple didn't make it FOR you. Whether the effort is wasted or not will be told by the sales figures and only Apple will know if it turns out to have been worth it.

What you're really trying to say is that "FOR YOU" the MBA does not provide a compelling value proposition. Fine. It does for other people. Hopefully for enough people to be a good seller.

Your position is like some Windows fanboy coming in here and saying "I hate macs. For me Apple is wasting its time making macs . They should just give up."

That's just a waste of everyone's time. And so is your position. Just tell us you don't care for it and move on. Quit trying to make a business case out of your personal experience.
Click to expand...
Oh now I'm a windows fanboi because I think the MBA is stupid?
 
For all its would be flaws I like the Air but for one issue. It screams ultra portability. It screams "take me on you commuter train". It lacks the one thing to do so. I cannot use my HSPDA card. If only Apple would have included the chip to make this possible (only a very small piece of motherboard real estate and the hatch to slip in the SIM). I don't want to fumble around with USB devices that will spoil the whole experience. :(
 
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