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Macbook Air Reviews

robrose20

robrose20

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 5, 2007
275
0
Is it me or have all the reviews that have come out for the macbook air been pretty neutral to negative. Macworld only gave it 3 1/2 stars, and they pretty much like everything Apple makes.

My advice to all of you is to wait, never be the first on the block to buy something new .. especially something like this. I think a lot of people are going to drop a lot of money on this thing and be very very very disappointed.

I have yet to see a really positive review of this product ... They all say things like "elegant design, but severly limited".

be careful.
 
Pish posh.

There's no surprises here. It is not "severely limited" beyond the exclusion of ports and components that we already know about. Either you care about that, in which case the MBA would rate 0 stars for you, or you don't care, in which case it might rate 5 stars for you.

If MacWorld were saying that the keyboard sucked, or that the display was dim, or that the weight was actually a pound more than specified, or that the WiFi range was limited, or that it ran hot, then I would be wary. But they are not saying those things - they are instead reiterating that it has no Ethernet, no replaceable battery, small HD, yada yada, and that it is not for everyone.

Computers are cool, and getting a new computer should be exciting. I'll maximize my price/performance ratio when deciding on a new electric razor. When I buy a new computer, I want to be excited enough to read the MacRumors forums in every spare moment for the three weeks before it arrives.

If you think the MBA is cool, don't care about the trade-offs, and have the money to buy it, go for it, and enjoy the hell out of it. I know I sure will.
 
robrose20 said:
Is it me or have all the reviews that have come out for the macbook air been pretty neutral to negative.
Click to expand...
I would say that it's you since you really want to see the MBA fail. At least that is the impression that I get from reading your other posts.

The MBA looks like a very nice computer for those who want a lightweight Mac laptop that can easily be carried. Wireless connectivity is the way of the future. The MBA is definitely made for the person on the go who needs to do presentations. Very nice machine.

As with all lightweight or ultra-portables, there are compromises. The MBA is no different. I think that Apple's approach has been good and is future looking.

One area that tickles me is those who say they want to watch a DVD. A week ago I took my PB15 on a trip. It has a DVD player. Did I use it? Nope. I took along an external HD that held about 100 movies to choose from. Much more convenient than a DVD player. And now with iTunes movie rentals, this decreases the need for a DVD player.

Apple is looking to the future and the MBA is a great start.
 
I'm really contemplating ditching my old fat Dell laptop for the Air. I have an iMac already and a 1TB External so my memory is not an issue. Plus having such a compact laptop to take to class and travel with is what has me leaning toward getting one. While the performance isn't ideal for people who will rely solely on a laptop, for those of us who have a desktop already will probably be more inclined to buy the Air.

~Dave
 
The Macbook Air won't fail. At a minimum, the Mac fans that will mold their needs around it will buy one. Just search around on the net to see what I mean. In the grand scheme of things, the next generation Air is going to be the one that will appeal to none mainstream Mac users.

A lot of the reviews have been fair. The Macbook Air is a huge compromise to be ultra-portable, when it really isn't ultra-portable, but they still have to love it because it is thin. Apple is thinking different right now. Most geeks know an ultra-portable to be a slim, "small", sub laptop that can do things remotely and is very portable. Apple is trying to get people away from that.
 
robrose20 said:
I think a lot of people are going to drop a lot of money on this thing and be very very very disappointed.
Click to expand...

The average consumer isn't going to expect it to do more than it can. Hardly anyone I know does anything processor or hard disk intensive on their laptops. It's pretty obvious you shouldn't run Final Cut Pro or Pro Tools on it, but most people won't want to do that.

Most people who buy the MBA will use it for email, web browsing, Word docs and spreadsheets, and it's more than capable for that. Whether it's worth the cost for that is strictly subjective.
 
If the MacBook Air was being reviewed by Travelers Digest, it would get 4 stars. It would lose a star for not having a replaceable battery.

Everyone thinks that the Air needs to appeal to all users. That's just not the case. Some people need to be able to replace the battery, play games, have a higher resolution screen, etc. Those people should buy a MacBook Pro. Some people need a computer that's as cheap as possible. Those people should buy a MacBook.

But for a whole lot of people, the Air will be an excellent machine. Once you hold this thing in your hands and start using it, you quickly forget about its drawbacks.
 
Facts

I know everyone wants the MacBook Air to be a lighter Macbook Pro, but that's not what it is. Apple is NOT replacing the standard MacBook with the Air. It is adding ANOTHER option.

Also, we computer geeks are power users, but we sometimes fail to recognize that not everyone is. Remember that most people have computers that are two or three (or more) years old, and they often have no idea of their hard drive size. For example, I would be unsurprised if:
70% of computer users have or use 80 gig hard drives or less
90% of computer users don't use firewire
90% of computer users have less than 2 GB of RAM
70% of people only use one usb port or less
90% of people would find the MacBook Air is faster than their current computer (Remember that the Air is easily faster than the fastest G4 PowerBook.)

Personally, I love the compromises Apple made.

First, the weight difference of "just" 2 pounds. I have a MacBook Pro, and it weighs 2.4 pounds more than the Air. When I bought it, I thought it only weighs .4 pounds more than a MacBook: What's the big deal? Well, the difference is not just the computer. The power supply adds some weight. The protective sleeve is bigger and weighs more. The bag I carry everything in needs to be bigger to fit the bigger computer, the bigger case, and the bigger power supply. In all, my new bag and setup weighs about 2 more pounds despite the nominal .4 pound difference. I can only imagine what a small bag will be needed for the Air.

Second, other notebooks may be lighter, but they also have horrible keyboards and small screens (11" to 13" inches. I'm not sure if anyone else has used one of these 2 pound things, but they are uncomfortable and unpleasant to use for any length of time. I actually use my computer a lot and want to enjoy using it. I expect the Air will be very pleasant to use.

Third, the ports are fine. 90% of the time I don't use any of my computer's ports at all. The other times I use the headphone to connect to my office speakers or the usb port to connect a usb drive to transfer files. I have never used my Ethernet port, my microphone port, or my firewire ports. I have used the dvi connector through the VGA dongle for presentations. Basically, Apple has included the only three ports I've ever used on my MacBook Pro.

My current hard drive use is 71.4 gigs, which includes a 10 gig Parallels image for Windows. I have more than the average number of songs, podcasts, audiobooks, and pictures. Most of my work is using Excel, SPSS, Word, and Entourage. I also sometimes use Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and Illustrator to create brochures or presentations. I have 3.5 gigs of saved emails. I also have gigs of stuff on my computer that I haven't used in a couple years.

The only time I've ever taken out my battery is to upgrade the RAM. Come to think of it, I only know one person who has more than one battery, and he has only made use of it two times in the last year.

In all, I use my computer more than anyone else I know, yet the MacBook Air would do absolutely everything I need. If it would work for someone like me, I really doubt that ordinary people will find it lacking.

Apple excels in giving people the features they USE even when people complain about what they WANT. Still, this is another OPTION, not a replacement machine for power users.
 
Nilonym said:
Pish posh.

There's no surprises here. It is not "severely limited" beyond the exclusion of ports and components that we already know about. Either you care about that, in which case the MBA would rate 0 stars for you, or you don't care, in which case it might rate 5 stars for you.

If MacWorld were saying that the keyboard sucked, or that the display was dim, or that the weight was actually a pound more than specified, or that the WiFi range was limited, or that it ran hot, then I would be wary. But they are not saying those things - they are instead reiterating that it has no Ethernet, no replaceable battery, small HD, yada yada, and that it is not for everyone.

Computers are cool, and getting a new computer should be exciting. I'll maximize my price/performance ratio when deciding on a new electric razor. When I buy a new computer, I want to be excited enough to read the MacRumors forums in every spare moment for the three weeks before it arrives.

If you think the MBA is cool, don't care about the trade-offs, and have the money to buy it, go for it, and enjoy the hell out of it. I know I sure will.
Click to expand...

I agree with you. I can't wait to see these beautys in person. If I had the money and the need, I would get a MacBook Air. I have a desktop, so an ultra portable to me doesnt need a lot of HD space, doesn't need to be extremely fast. I want one. :p
 
dwsolberg said:
I know everyone wants the MacBook Air to be a lighter Macbook Pro, but that's not what it is. Apple is NOT replacing the standard MacBook with the Air. It is adding ANOTHER option.

Also, we computer geeks are power users, but we sometimes fail to recognize that not everyone is. Remember that most people have computers that are two or three (or more) years old, and they often have no idea of their hard drive size. For example, I would be unsurprised if:
70% of computer users have or use 80 gig hard drives or less
90% of computer users don't use firewire
90% of computer users have less than 2 GB of RAM
70% of people only use one usb port or less
90% of people would find the MacBook Air is faster than their current computer (Remember that the Air is easily faster than the fastest G4 PowerBook.)

Personally, I love the compromises Apple made.

First, the weight difference of "just" 2 pounds. I have a MacBook Pro, and it weighs 2.4 pounds more than the Air. When I bought it, I thought it only weighs .4 pounds more than a MacBook: What's the big deal? Well, the difference is not just the computer. The power supply adds some weight. The protective sleeve is bigger and weighs more. The bag I carry everything in needs to be bigger to fit the bigger computer, the bigger case, and the bigger power supply. In all, my new bag and setup weighs about 2 more pounds despite the nominal .4 pound difference. I can only imagine what a small bag will be needed for the Air.

Second, other notebooks may be lighter, but they also have horrible keyboards and small screens (11" to 13" inches. I'm not sure if anyone else has used one of these 2 pound things, but they are uncomfortable and unpleasant to use for any length of time. I actually use my computer a lot and want to enjoy using it. I expect the Air will be very pleasant to use.

Third, the ports are fine. 90% of the time I don't use any of my computer's ports at all. The other times I use the headphone to connect to my office speakers or the usb port to connect a usb drive to transfer files. I have never used my Ethernet port, my microphone port, or my firewire ports. I have used the dvi connector through the VGA dongle for presentations. Basically, Apple has included the only three ports I've ever used on my MacBook Pro.

My current hard drive use is 71.4 gigs, which includes a 10 gig Parallels image for Windows. I have more than the average number of songs, podcasts, audiobooks, and pictures. Most of my work is using Excel, SPSS, Word, and Entourage. I also sometimes use Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and Illustrator to create brochures or presentations. I have 3.5 gigs of saved emails. I also have gigs of stuff on my computer that I haven't used in a couple years.

The only time I've ever taken out my battery is to upgrade the RAM. Come to think of it, I only know one person who has more than one battery, and he has only made use of it two times in the last year.

In all, I use my computer more than anyone else I know, yet the MacBook Air would do absolutely everything I need. If it would work for someone like me, I really doubt that ordinary people will find it lacking.

Apple excels in giving people the features they USE even when people complain about what they WANT. Still, this is another OPTION, not a replacement machine for power users.
Click to expand...

wow. great post. i agree.
 
Yeah, there are some drawbacks like no DVD burner built in or firewire or a removable battery which are deal breakers for some (thankfully, not me).

But power is really not an issue. It comes with 2GB of RAM standard, which is twice as much as the regular macbook comes with and the same as what the macbook pro comes with standard.

Granted, you can upgrade those machines, but only a small fraction of people who buy new computers buy additional upgrades at the time of purchase (at least in retail, where I work not far from the sales people).

I work in computer repair, and about 98% of computers I work on have standard configurations. Only about 2% have upgraded their computer internally with aftermarket parts. So assuming you're the typical consumer (which you all are not, but bear with me) you are getting twice the memory of a regular MacBook and as much as the MacBook Pro.

Also processing power-wise, you are getting a full Core 2 Duo 1.6Ghz processor. That is more than enough power for just about anything you throw at it. I used to have a Dell laptop with exactly the same specs as the Air (1.6Ghz Core 2 Duo with 2GB of RAM) and it was very speedy for everything including heavier things like Photoshop.

While 1.6Ghz seems like a big draw back to 2.0 or 2.2Ghz with regular MacBooks or even higher with the pros, unless you are going to be calculating Pi to the millionth decimal on a daily basis, you are not going to see a difference.

The only potential drawback is the hard drive, which is 4200 rpm. Quite frankly that is your biggest bottleneck in any computer. The good news is that once you load a program into memory it will be very speedy (even the second or third time you launch it), so this only is an issue the FIRST time you load something into memory after a reboot. And unless you keep working with large files that must be stored on your HD and are too big for the RAM to handle, you will be just fine.

Of course SSD takes care of that, and I'd venture to say load times for programs are faster on the SSD version of the Air than any other Apple laptop -- or at least very close. With the Air's HD seemingly being easy to replace from initial "inside" pictures, I bet one could get an SSD upgrade to a 32GB or 64GB SSD for less than $400-$500 by the time summer rolls around.

Of course this is not necessary for great performance for everyday use, but the few people who actually will find waiting 2 seconds for Safari to open unbearable and MUST have it open in 1 or less will be satisfied.

Overall, the Air is good for what it is. I personally can't wait to get my hands on one.
 
The MBA is a dream come true for many business users who do a lot of travelling. Trust me on this.

So much time trudging through the hells that are airports today, lugging your carry on bags, waiting at gates, waiting for taxis......Queuing, waiting.......

Anything that can reduce the weight you carry and enables you to travel lighter is a godsend imho.

Most travelling executives will just need something to write e-mails, connect to he Internet, open and edit documents and also, critically, to give PowerPoint presentations.

Stick MS Office for the Mac on this and that will satisfy the demands of 99% of business travellers. If you have to, install Windows if you need your Office outlook there.

Happy days. less weight, small footprint is the key.
 
tstarks33 said:
MACBOOK AIR DEFENSE FORCE, ASSEMBLE!!

I see some are already here :)
Click to expand...

Post of the day!! That made me giggle :)




But I agree too with other posters. If apples job was to produce a laptop that suits everyones needs - then they would only need 1 machine in 1 configuration. The fact they offer 3 different laptops with varying degrees of customization means that yes the MBA will not suit everyone, but for those that it doesn't Apple provide viable alternatives. So what the hell are you complaining about ?

As for other silly arguments such as 'it's not powerful enough for things like photoshop'... Then please tell me how a laptop which is more powerful than the last generation of 15" & 17" Powerbook G4's which a lot of pro's still use for photoshop on the move - is suddenly 'not powerful enough' ? It's an utterly silly argument that people are putting forward. Sure it's not as powerful CPU as the MBP... But to say it's suddenly NOT good enough is pure BS.

All I can say is that I have never seen Apple release such a product that has caused quite as much FUD populate the forums than the MBA.
 
Quite frankly I can see both sides of the 'argument' on this one. I probably don't need all the extras that are included in other notebooks (eg. an optical drive (at all times), ethernet, firewire, multiple usb etc.). So it makes sense to not have to have them there, but be able to add them if you want. I also don't really need a huge hard drive. I can easily just use an external drive to save most of my larger files and only use the bare minimum of my hard drives to store stuff regularly.

However, the price really makes me hesitate. I can get something which works just as well for cheaper that's not THAT much heavier and has more features. Putting it more simply... I CAN go without an optical drive... but I'm not sure I really want to. I'm not sure I really want to pay more for less storage space.

It's this constant struggle which makes me hesitate before buying an MBA... plus not knowing whether it would be a wasteful impulse buy.

However, I think buying an MBP would be just as wasteful since I'd not use a lot of its features.
 
pondie84 said:
Quite frankly I can see both sides of the 'argument' on this one.
Click to expand...

But it's not really an argument. It either works for you, or it doesn't.

I can truly understand why people are upset about the MBA. If it's not something you are interested in - and I can certainly respect and appreciate that there are a lot of you - then you will look at the MBA as the reason that you don't have an updated MBP, 12" or otherwise, today. If you need an MBP, or even if you want an updated MB, you have to wait so that the MBA can have its day in the sun, and that's frustrating.

Having said that, there is a big difference between saying, "I don't like the MBA, and I'm mad that I have to wait longer for an updated MBP," and saying, "I don't like the MBA, and I have no tolerance for anyone who does."
 
It's only the Mac fanatics on sites like this who are railing against the MBA. Remember that.

People who focus on what graphics card is in there and obsess what speed the processor runs at are only a small minority of computer users. As I said, there is an army of business travellers and this will be perfect for them....

If your job specifically involves graphical work so Photshop or Illustrator is your main work tool then obviously this is not for you. Or if it was your sole computer.
 
dwsolberg said:
I know everyone wants the MacBook Air to be a lighter Macbook Pro, but that's not what it is. Apple is NOT replacing the standard MacBook with the Air. It is adding ANOTHER option.

Also, we computer geeks are power users, but we sometimes fail to recognize that not everyone is. Remember that most people have computers that are two or three (or more) years old, and they often have no idea of their hard drive size. For example, I would be unsurprised if:
70% of computer users have or use 80 gig hard drives or less
90% of computer users don't use firewire
90% of computer users have less than 2 GB of RAM
70% of people only use one usb port or less
90% of people would find the MacBook Air is faster than their current computer (Remember that the Air is easily faster than the fastest G4 PowerBook.)

Personally, I love the compromises Apple made.

First, the weight difference of "just" 2 pounds. I have a MacBook Pro, and it weighs 2.4 pounds more than the Air. When I bought it, I thought it only weighs .4 pounds more than a MacBook: What's the big deal? Well, the difference is not just the computer. The power supply adds some weight. The protective sleeve is bigger and weighs more. The bag I carry everything in needs to be bigger to fit the bigger computer, the bigger case, and the bigger power supply. In all, my new bag and setup weighs about 2 more pounds despite the nominal .4 pound difference. I can only imagine what a small bag will be needed for the Air.

Second, other notebooks may be lighter, but they also have horrible keyboards and small screens (11" to 13" inches. I'm not sure if anyone else has used one of these 2 pound things, but they are uncomfortable and unpleasant to use for any length of time. I actually use my computer a lot and want to enjoy using it. I expect the Air will be very pleasant to use.

Third, the ports are fine. 90% of the time I don't use any of my computer's ports at all. The other times I use the headphone to connect to my office speakers or the usb port to connect a usb drive to transfer files. I have never used my Ethernet port, my microphone port, or my firewire ports. I have used the dvi connector through the VGA dongle for presentations. Basically, Apple has included the only three ports I've ever used on my MacBook Pro.

My current hard drive use is 71.4 gigs, which includes a 10 gig Parallels image for Windows. I have more than the average number of songs, podcasts, audiobooks, and pictures. Most of my work is using Excel, SPSS, Word, and Entourage. I also sometimes use Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and Illustrator to create brochures or presentations. I have 3.5 gigs of saved emails. I also have gigs of stuff on my computer that I haven't used in a couple years.

The only time I've ever taken out my battery is to upgrade the RAM. Come to think of it, I only know one person who has more than one battery, and he has only made use of it two times in the last year.

In all, I use my computer more than anyone else I know, yet the MacBook Air would do absolutely everything I need. If it would work for someone like me, I really doubt that ordinary people will find it lacking.

Apple excels in giving people the features they USE even when people complain about what they WANT. Still, this is another OPTION, not a replacement machine for power users.
Click to expand...

References please, if you are quoting "facts" you need to say where you got these "facts" from ... otherwise it is nonsense.
 
Usability Review based on first look at 5th Ave store

I just got back from testing an MBA for the first time at the 5th Avenue Store NYC. I am a long-time computer owner/user (over 20 years), have owned many laptops over the years (and certainly demoed nearly a hundred machines), and currently have a MBP 17" 4 GB at home (and there are 2 Windows laptops also in my household). I love Apple equipment and buy it every chance I get (MBP, 2 iPods, 1 iPhone, Airport Extreme, 5x Airport Express). I work in the tech industry and also have a video studio. I am just going to write this review without quoting any stats, purely a report on the UI aspects of the MBA.

YOU HAVE TO SEE IT YOURSELF. No video, picture, or article can truly convey the build of this machine--the robust and solid physicality of the construction, the elegance of the design, the ease of use, and the perfect size-point of the shape and footprint. I know there are other subnotebooks that are smaller, but it's almost as if at this size level, being small would not help that much--and in fact, it would impair basic usability issues.

THIN AS A BRICK (with apologies to Jethro Tull). People talk about how razor thin this thing is--but that's not the real stellar achievement. The killer design success here is that it is not only super thin, it has the solidity (without the weight) of a brick. I closed one, picked it up, put it down, and was just astonished. I don't know if I have ever held a laptop--EVER--that felt as sturdy. It is so sturdy, I would shove it into a briefcase between a few file folders without a second thought.

THE SCREEN AND KEYBOARD ARE FINE. They are perfectly matched together in size, and to the machine itself. The default resolution makes the screen extremly readable. I was able to use the machine without glasses. The keyboard's keys are sturdier than the MBP's, although you have to get used to the gap(s) between them.

TOUCHY-FEELY. Alright, I won't say it's "cuddly," but this IS a very "personal" computer (ha-ha). The feeling of using it is very...well, intimate. The downside of this is that you can't easily share the experience with someone sitting next to you while you work on your MBP 17", but the upside is that it's VERY relaxing and enjoyable using the machine.

KEYBOARD REDESIGN. I have seen nothing written about this yet: the F keys have new commands on them! A number of them have CONTROLS FOR ITUNES. And they work beautifully. I've never been big on these kind of key functions, but I like this. There are some other reassignments--you'll have to see for yourself.

SPEED. The machine I demo'd had the SSD option. This machine was FAST. It was definitely faster than my MBP (w/4 GB RAM) at opening things like Address Book and iCal. I use those for comparison because these apps wouldn't have much data loaded on them, and I don't have much data in these apps at home, either. OK, I wouldn't attempt to run video on this, nor even my 30,000 photo iPhoto library, but running Safari was REALLY fast.

SUMMARY. I know this is not a workhorse machine, and there are serious connectivity issues, but I think this is such a strong, unique entry into the technology field of portable devices that it will pave its own way, much like the iPhone did. The new "niche" created will be that of small, portable, intimate computer for easily computing tasks. Set it up to sync to calendar and address book on your .mac account, and that'll give you the important stuff. And it's so small, I can see never leaving home without it.
 
Usability Review based on first look at 5th Ave store

And the more and more I think about it, the MBA reminds me of the iPhone: basic apps, killer design, a little slow, and can't live without it. I bought and iPhone on impulse the day they came out and have never enjoyed a device more. I think this could happen to me with the MBA.
 
You'll never leave home without it

You're welcome.

And even though it may be true that "you should not buy this unless it's as a second computer," well, WHY NOT? I've owned two computers for periods of years--no problem.

The way I look at it, when I go out every day to work at some contracting job, I don't WANT to be editing my own video work, doing maintenance on my CRM database, or managing my 30,000 photos. I just want a laptop I can carry around with me during the day--to take notes, do some writing, and hook up to the internet with a fast, perfect machine with a beautiful screen, extremely sturdy hardware, and very usable keyboard. YES!

OW22 said:
Thanks for posting that Sandy, sounds an awesome device!
Click to expand...
 
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