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MacBook Air Ports, Opened

If you are saying that the open port door lifts the computer up, even slightly, then you must be claiming that it is therefore unstable. You cannot raise it up on one side only and keep it steady on the desk. You are talking rubbish. Period.
 
diabolic said:
I apologize. I actually was trying to be helpful.



There was a poster above who had hands-on experience that said it isn't a problem.
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Yep. I missed that amongst all the yelling at me -- not including you in that number, diabolic. WildCowboy.

Thanks for pointing it out and that's to the Cowboy for posting the info, also posting it without any kind of generally thrashing of some who has a legitimate concern. I'll take his word for it, as I see no reason why he'd falsify it. You have to admit, though, at a lot of angles, it certainly does *look like* it becomes a single, unbalance foot on the right side.

What really bugs me is that writing I like the device, I want one, but ouch! I just discovered something that might be a problem for me personally that would however likely be trivial for 90% of the market for the computer, and trying to get some clarification on it yield a bunch of carping like I'm trashing the computer. For one, so what if I am? Who cares? Did these people design the thing themselves? And then the stock response: Apple doesn't make design mistakes like that. Well of course they do. We have a G4 Cube which we love but it was a complete design mess for its intended market. The graphics card could be upgraded, the RAM could be upgraded, the hard drive could be upgraded; it has WiFi, FireWire, USB, physical ethernet jack, speakers, audio out, the works. But there is, or was, some rule even among Mac users that any desktop computer separate from its display must have expansion slots, the more the better. Now, almost *no one* with a computer complete with all those features will ever get an expansion card anywhere near one of those slots, but they must have them. Also, there is passive USB on the keyboard and powered USB on the Apple ADC display line that went with the Cube, but getting to the FireWire is royal pain, much worse than any standard tower design. But it still suits us, even, wow, many years later. Now a video producer or musician of the time, constantly plugging and unplugging FireWire devices, different story.

Of course Apple products have design flaws. Certainly a slight incline with port bay open, for everyone except professional writers, people who five or more days a week bang out a couple thousand words a day, it's not really problem entering text on a slight incline, and if your market for an $1,800 - $3,100 second computer is solely writers, man are you in trouble. So I can certainly see Apple let that slide if they couldn't readily work around it.

But the real deal here is if you're in the market for a new amplifier, you're a damn genius if you do months of research and ask a thousands questions on twenty A/V forums; but if it's an Apple product we're talking about, you're a fault-finding fool if you don't blindly pre-order and perhaps raise the least bit of doubt over a single issue.
 
skunk said:
If you are saying that the open port door lifts the computer up, even slightly, then you must be claiming that it is therefore unstable. You cannot raise it up on one side only and keep it steady on the desk. You are talking rubbish. Period.
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See what I mean?

The port door isn't the head of a pin; even if it did lift the computer, the computer would still have four stable points of contact with the surface underneath, at right about all four corners, just on a bit of an incline.

Woah. I just stuck a CD case less than inch under the top right of my MacBook, a couple inches from the top right corner. It's still perfectly stable; it's just on a slight incline -- which for me is uncomfortable for typing. But it's still stable.

Update: Anyway, I'm done. At least one guy reports having played with one and determining it sits flat, which answers my original concern. If it turns out another way, I'll see firsthand for myself. Carry on, gentlemen: Defend the ramparts.
 
sanford said:
See what I mean?

The port door isn't the head of a pin; even if it did lift the computer, the computer would still have four stable points of contact with the surface underneath, at right about all four corners, just on a bit of an incline.

Woah. I just stuck a CD case less than inch under the top right of my MacBook, a couple inches from the top right corner. It's still perfectly stable; it's just on a slight incline -- which for me is uncomfortable for typing. But it's still stable.

Update: Anyway, I'm done. At least one guy reports having played with one and determining it sits flat, which answers my original concern. If it turns out another way, I'll see firsthand for myself. Carry on, gentlemen: Defend the ramparts.
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My only question is do you even think you're right anymore? This thread went downhill fast, but people, quite reasonably showed that the odds of the problem you pointing out actually being a problem, are incredibly small. Since then it's been a pissing contest on both sides of you seemingly wanting to defend yourself, and then the other side bashing you.

You're going to look pretty foolish in a few days when someone writes a response in this post from a macbook air.
 
I think as WildCowboy reports having used one, and he writes it sits flat on a flat surface, odds are, it's not a problem. Unless he's lying, but I have no reason to believe he is. And his post was courteous and straightforward, as if he had nothing to prove beyond the fact of the matter.

But, no one quite reasonably pointed out the odds this wouldn't be a problem, save WildCowboy and some other guy mentioned that you'd think *at least one person* at the announcement who saw the real deal would have mentioned it, or a reviewer would have noted it.

For example, "Do you think Apple uses crappy design like MS?" is not a reasonable argument. It's an attack on MS, a company that doesn't even make notebook computers, irrelevant and apropos of nothing.

Succinctly: Do I think Apple could have left such a design flaw in, considering it of negligible concern to the target market. Yes. Considering a couple sane reports here, do I think they did in this case? No. And I'd take looking foolish to most of this crowd a compliment in the highest order.

I was supposed to be out of this, but you asked a fair question. In the event, I made a pro/con list and in the area of computer portability, my MacBook is portable enough for my needs. I don't need a desktop, too, as the MacBook is suitable as a desktop stand-in, again for my needs. And since the MB Air is just a teensy, tiny bit slower than MacBook in everyday use, and that wouldn't bother me, I can't really say I want a faster standard MacBook, either. Finally, my iPhone serves for my limited "ultra-portable" needs. So, considering I can pick up a Rega P3-24 I've had my eye on, including a decent cartridge, for about for $700 less than an MB Air, the P3 is better use of my disposable income. You know, personally.

So, for once and all, I'm going to move along, move along like I know you do. And even when my hope is gone, move along, move along just to make it through. Cheers.

wentwj said:
My only question is do you even think you're right anymore? This thread went downhill fast, but people, quite reasonably showed that the odds of the problem you pointing out actually being a problem, are incredibly small. Since then it's been a pissing contest on both sides of you seemingly wanting to defend yourself, and then the other side bashing you.

You're going to look pretty foolish in a few days when someone writes a response in this post from a macbook air.
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