MacBook Air Selling Out

[hayesk]

I think that the saddest part of it all is how people complain about the weight
of the macbook. When did we humans in general become so flimsy?
Lugging a macbook on a subway is not as tough as you portray it to be.
I do it with a 15" macbook pro and i really dont see what the big deal is with
the air. Not a hater 3 people i know swear by it but like you they idolize its weight.

Hey, I could carry a 24" iMac on the subway if I had to, but that doesn't mean I want to. The same could be said for a 15" MBP. It's amazing the difference a few pounds make.

I played with an MBA for the first time yesterday. While it doesn't meet my needs, I can certainly see how it's a perfect machine for others.

That's something I don't understand - people here are relatively intelligent yet cannot fathom how other people have different needs for computers.

 

[sleepingworker]

If you ever want to see just how much people are prepared to pay in order to save carrying a few grammes, go to an serious outdoor store and look at the prices of all the titanium/carbonfibre equipment relative to the stainless steel. Camping stoves and so on are sometimes priced at a 200% premium for 15% less weight.

So true. Same with bicycles, running shoes, race cars, and pretty much everything else that needs to be mobile.

What is the ipod touch after all? A smaller lighter web browser (with a lot of other perks). Whoever champions HEAVIER portable equipment really is a bit out of touch with the world of ID and the evolution of portable design.

 

[sleepingworker]

to follow up from my last post:

Just received a Fed EX (minutes ago) of a 250 gig GDrive mini (3 port - FW800, FW400, and USB2) to replace my 100 gig GDrive mini - and the new one is lighter and thinner than the original. (This is a great external HD to complement anyone's new MBA purchase who has too much digital media for the diminutive MBA's HD.)

Would love to see the same lighter/thinner design happen to the next gen of MBP's. Soon.

 

[50548]

For the sake of transparency, can the admins at least tell members when their posts are erased for whatever reason? Thank you.

 

[uNext]

Hey, I could carry a 24" iMac on the subway if I had to, but that doesn't mean I want to. The same could be said for a 15" MBP. It's amazing the difference a few pounds make.

I played with an MBA for the first time yesterday. While it doesn't meet my needs, I can certainly see how it's a perfect machine for others.

That's something I don't understand - people here are relatively intelligent yet cannot fathom how other people have different needs for computers.

I thought people in general were smarter then to fall for a manila envelope
marketing strategy. My fault for putting the general mac population on a pedestal.

Not every notebook user is just commuting on a subway. My 17" PB is taken all over the world with me as I need it for my work - that includes Beijing, Tokyo, Paris, Berlin, and London. I carry the PB (plus external HD - a small light one!, power-cords, sketchbooks, mouse, etc.) in a backpack and then also my luggage. You are obviously not a "flimsy" human as you like "some weight" but many of us just want lighter equipment where we can find it. Unfortunately the MBA does not suit my needs but I look forward to when they redesign the MBP for us "flimsy" humans.

BTW, my 87 year old father is buying the MBA tomorrow on my recommendation (he has been using the 12" G4 PB) - guess he's just a "flimsy" human too. Not everyone is an uberman like you.

Is not about being uberman but is it that serious to idolize the macbook air for its weight compared to a macbook and overlook everything it does not offer?

 

[sleepingworker]

Is not about being uberman but is it that serious to idolize the macbook air for its weight compared to a macbook and overlook everything it does not offer?

Read my post again. There is nothing in it that talks about "idolizing" the MBA. My post was a reaction to your inability to understand that many people have a need for lighter portable devices ... and for name calling these people "flimsy" humans. MBA is perfect for my father but not for me. Soon though, the MPB will be lighter and thinner. That is the way of technology. If the tech world and designers didn't think this way our desktop towers would still look like this:

 

[coffey7]

I guess a ton of people are buying them to do heavy duty video editing. It has that much power.

 

[jfull15]

Exactly which things about the Air do you wish your macbook had? No optical drive, no ethernet port, no firewire port, no interchangeable battery, . . .?

what about multitouch trackpad, smaller power brick, lighter weight, backlit keyboard, solid state drive? maybe he wishes for some of those features?

 

[jfull15]

I guess a ton of people are buying them to do heavy duty video editing. It has that much power.

hahahah. lmao.

for the sake of argument, nobody is buying the mba for video editing, heavy duty audio editing, etc. They're buying it for a mobile extension of thier desktop, for a cool toy, for a portable accessory, for a way to browse the internet, write email, work in iWork, conveniently. Not everyone puts CS3 or FCS2 on their laptops, most people have never heard of these things. For most people, the air has plenty enough power for them with a perfect totablity size, what the laptop is all about. Sure, some of us need a portable powerhouses - for us Apple made a little thing called the MacBook Pro.

And yeah "little" was sarcasm for all the people on these forums who can't figure that out.

 

[drconehead2000]

hahahah. lmao.

for the sake of argument, nobody is buying the mba for video editing, heavy duty audio editing, etc. They're buying it for a mobile extension of thier desktop, for a cool toy, for a portable accessory, for a way to browse the internet, write email, work in iWork, conveniently. Not everyone puts CS3 or FCS2 on their laptops, most people have never heard of these things. For most people, the air has plenty enough power for them with a perfect totablity size, what the laptop is all about. Sure, some of us need a portable powerhouses - for us Apple made a little thing called the MacBook Pro.

And yeah "little" was sarcasm for all the people on these forums who can't figure that out.

So I am somewhat of a newbie to macs...but after having and loving my Iphone since day one, I have decided my next computer is an apple. So my question is:

I take my computer everywhere, everyday, and really I just use the internet, word, and powerpoint. That said, I just got Adobe CS3 Design Premium so that I can do a bit more advanced Web design. Will an Air easily handle this software? I looked at a MBP, but it really is very large for my needs. I am going to be a first year med student, and carrying the extra 2.4 lbs is actually significant when you are carrying 20 lbs of books.

The money of one system isn't an issue, so I could spend maybe $3000 on one computer, but not enough to buy an air and a pro. What do you think?

Thanks

 

[jfull15]

So I am somewhat of a newbie to macs...but after having and loving my Iphone since day one, I have decided my next computer is an apple. So my question is:

I take my computer everywhere, everyday, and really I just use the internet, word, and powerpoint. That said, I just got Adobe CS3 Design Premium so that I can do a bit more advanced Web design. Will an Air easily handle this software? I looked at a MBP, but it really is very large for my needs. I am going to be a first year med student, and carrying the extra 2.4 lbs is actually significant when you are carrying 20 lbs of books.

The money of one system isn't an issue, so I could spend maybe $3000 on one computer, but not enough to buy an air and a pro. What do you think?

Thanks

Well, according to Adobe, the Air fits the System Requirements. (Besides the 3D Requirements, I think) However, the Pro will run CS3 Beautifully. So, the Air will obviously be slower and such at CS3, so if you are in the market for the student-type laptop and the other things you said, the Air is fine, but stick to running CS3 on your other machine. Now, if you want to move your CS3 to the mac, well obviously the Macbook Pro is the desired system, but the Air will get the job done, slower. Now, the Macbook could run CS3 a little smoother, and provide more portability than the Air.

Final verdict: Get the Air for your student needs, and stick to using CS3 on your current computer. Of course, this is all your personal preference.

 

[drconehead2000]

I really appreciate the response!

 

[Maclomaniac]

Man, this product has taken such a beating! I have a MacBookAir and I love it. I don't really understand all the people saying it's stripped of power, peripherals, etc, because for the correct audience, those things are unnecessary IMO. For me, doing any kind of design work or video editing on ANY laptop screen would be painful, so a powerful desktop-portable laptop combo is ideal.

I don't miss any of the peripherals at all. The new touchpad is a joy to use. I don't miss using a mouse, which I used to plug into my old Powerbook G4 all the time. What else do people plug into laptops these days when they are traveling anyway? An external HD, a camera, a USB stick - but I don't see why you'd be desperate to use more than one at a time in most cases. The only time I'll need an ethernet port is when I'm in hotels without wireless, so during those times, I'll carry the dongle. And sure, maybe it's pricey, but as a business user, a few hundred bucks either way isn't really a deal breaker like it is for most consumers, and the added portability makes it worth the price. I can carry this puppy around like it's a legal pad. It's a HUGE difference between the MBA and my Powerbook. I use Back to My Mac to access files back and forth easily between my two computers. This setup meets my needs to a T.

 

[kuwisdelu]

I take my computer everywhere, everyday, and really I just use the internet, word, and powerpoint. That said, I just got Adobe CS3 Design Premium so that I can do a bit more advanced Web design. Will an Air easily handle this software? I looked at a MBP, but it really is very large for my needs. I am going to be a first year med student, and carrying the extra 2.4 lbs is actually significant when you are carrying 20 lbs of books.

I'm going to basically echo jfull here, but just so you have a second opinion...

The Air will definitely be able to run CS3 and run it decently, but it will be a lot slower than on a MBP. If it's something you're going to be spending a lot of time working in, you'll probably want the MBP, which will run CS3 beautifully and snappily. The Air can handle it, but it'll be slower, and it'll eat up a lot of your disk space (which is very precious on a 80GB/64GB machine).

So basically, you can run CS3 decently on the Air, so if you would really find the portability a major help (which, as a student, I can certainly appreciate) then you can probably feel comfortable getting the Air. However, if you plan on spending a lot of time in CS3 and it'll really bother you if it feels slow, you may want to get the MBP. It really just matters how much time you'll be in CS3 and how important its speed is to you vs. how much you'll enjoy the lighter load. It'll be usable on the Air, certainly, just not as fast.

 

[sleepingworker]

hahahah. lmao.

for the sake of argument, nobody is buying the mba for video editing, heavy duty audio editing, etc. They're buying it for a mobile extension of thier desktop, for a cool toy, for a portable accessory, for a way to browse the internet, write email, work in iWork, conveniently. Not everyone puts CS3 or FCS2 on their laptops, most people have never heard of these things. For most people, the air has plenty enough power for them with a perfect totablity size, what the laptop is all about. Sure, some of us need a portable powerhouses - for us Apple made a little thing called the MacBook Pro.

And yeah "little" was sarcasm for all the people on these forums who can't figure that out.

Ditto and Amen!

 

[sleepingworker]

That said, I just got Adobe CS3 Design Premium so that I can do a bit more advanced Web design. Will an Air easily handle this software? I looked at a MBP, but it really is very large for my needs. I am going to be a first year med student, and carrying the extra 2.4 lbs is actually significant when you are carrying 20 lbs of books.

The money of one system isn't an issue, so I could spend maybe $3000 on one computer, but not enough to buy an air and a pro. What do you think?

Thanks

I use CS almost everyday on my old PB G4 and it works fine (slower when opening up RAW files but it works). Unfortunately for me, the MBA is much more powerful than my once all powerful top of the line laptop. So, unless you are in the design, publishing, art business where you rely on the fastest and best all the time, the MBA will be great for you. I wish it was what I needed but unfortunately for my line of work, I need the next portable powerhouse. All this being said, I think you should buy the MBA and enjoy!

 

[drconehead2000]

I appreciate all of the helpful responses!

Thanks again

 

[gwangung]

I thought people in general were smarter then to fall for a manila envelope
marketing strategy. My fault for putting the general mac population on a pedestal.




Is not about being uberman but is it that serious to idolize the macbook air for its weight compared to a macbook and overlook everything it does not offer?

Gee, I thought people were smart enough to realize that individuals have different needs. And that weight is a serious spec for a lot of people.

Obviously, I was wrong. Lots of narrow minded people out there...

 

[ebouwman]

Gee, I thought people were smart enough to realize that individuals have different needs. And that weight is a serious spec for a lot of people.

Obviously, I was wrong. Lots of narrow minded people out there...

I agree, i know full well the drawbacks of the air, but for the most part it wouldn't really matter to me. I'm mostly wireless anyways, wireless internet and wireless mouse. And for all of you out there who seem to need more than one usb port, you can use a splitter, it's not as nice looking but it works, i use one all the time at home so that i don't have to plug as many things into my computer when i drop it there, and as for on the go, i basically don't use my usb.

We all know full well why or why not we would or should buy an MBA, we don't need to be told that we're sheep because we like an add.

 

[twoodcc]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A102 Safari/419.3)

I guess they are selling pretty good

 

[sleepingworker]

We all know full well why or why not we would or should buy an MBA, we don't need to be told that we're sheep because we like an add.

Of course!

Just returned from the Prince Street Apple store where we bought my father an MBA, the external superdrive, and a 20" ACD (even though I've read that an update is imminent). I imagine that when he travels he'll leave the ACD at home

Baaaaaa Baaaaa. I think he's a happy sheep. MBA really is a stunning laptop. Period.

 

[sleepingworker]

I thought people in general were smarter then to fall for a manila envelope marketing strategy. My fault for putting the general mac population on a pedestal.

Speaking of a "manila envelope marketing strategy" I thought you would love this - I know I do ...

 

[drconehead2000]

So does anyone have an opinion as to whether Penryn processors will be added to the air? Also, do people have opinions as to the benefits of getting the SSD or the standard 80gb 4200 rpm drive?

Thanks

 

[davidy]

i HIGHLY DOUBT IS DEMAND.

everytime i go to an apple store
people play with it but then look towards the macbook.

I really dont understand the logic behind apple putting demos of the air next to the macbook. When people start comparing they see that for the money the macbook tops it in every way.

They should promote it next to the mbp's since both are silver and give a pro feeling.
Sell them a pro-entry computer.
or simply on a desk by itself.
Not clever marketing wise at all and apple should know better then to do that.

I know this is comparing Apples (Hah!) and oranges, but the Dell XPS series is far superior to the Air. Nearly the same size and with a optical drive. Ald 2/3 the price.

 

[jfull15]

Okay, we are thinking way too deep into this. We are accustomed to Apple always revving the speed up, making bigger hard drive size, making these custom improvements - the one time they change gears, everyone freaks out! Just because Apple did not create the computer for you, means that you need to trash it. Apple went in a completely different direction, by trading off power and instead creating a beautiful product for normal people. As far as the dell remarks, it has two major setbacks: Windows OS & Design. Why do so many people have a problem with the Air just because it can't Render Movies, publish a website, and cook their eggs all at the same time? We are completely forgetting that the mainstream computer market has enough trouble figuring out how to navigate the finer or work iMovie, much less know he difference between 1ghz and 3ghz. To them, its only a difference of two - so what's the big deal? I just don't know why so many people have a probelm with a product just because it wasn't aimed at their market..