I'll second the motion. I loaned my MBP to a friend because after buying the MBA I never used it anymore. Don't mess with my Air.
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MBA: "What about me?"
- Thread starter Mr. Savage
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I'll second the motion. I loaned my MBP to a friend because after buying the MBA I never used it anymore. Don't mess with my Air.
My wife and I each have a 15" MBP (aluminum, but not unibody). I never use mine anymore since getting the MBA last summer. My MBP hasn't been turned on in months. My wife will use hers very occasionally, but she is waiting for me to pass down my MBA to her once a new MBA is introduced. In the mean time, she will only choose to carry it on about 25% of our trips... instead using just her iPad. At home, she only uses her iPad and 27" iMac.
If I was in a position to only own a single computer, I would buy the MBP. However, owning a 27" i7 iMac gives me the flexibility to use an MBA as my laptop. I like that combination a lot.
/Jim
I agree that the MBA's sleek form factor is almost as big a deal as its light weight.
I have never used a desktop at home for anything but Windows apps. Consequently, when I got an MBP and installed Windows, which I run in a VMware Fusion virtual machine, the Windows desktop got relegated to file server duty. As impressive as the iMac is, particularly the new one, I'm through with desktop machines.
Moving Pictures was the band that wrote an originally recorded the song and it was flogged to death on the wireless then.
Shannon Noll revamped it and it was played ad nauseum once more.
everytime I hear the song now I want to kill myself - talk about overdone.
which is a bit like these multiple threads that bleat: 'when are we gonna see a new Air'
answer: when Steve's good and flippin' ready, that's when.
agree - fully - +1.
patience is the key here
^ Yes a good combination for people who are involved in production that requires horsepower. For a regular old school teacher like me the better option is just to have a 27" Cinema Display that I can dock my Air on when need be.
On a side note, I love reading the sentiments in this thread. The MacBook Air is definitely for me the best notebook Apple have ever produced. It is literally perfect for my line of work, running between classrooms, word processing, internet browsing and presentation production is literally all I do. Wonderful primary machine. Can't wait to see what they have in store for the next revision, though screen size is non negotiable! 13.3" at least or I'll concede and move to a basic MacBook Pro.
Heres my prediction of realistic next gen, high end Air specs...and what I want to see...
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66GHz
4GB DDR3
256Gb Solid State Drive
But the two key features I want are
Glass trackpad without separate depressing button
NO black bezel or glass screen
Let me explain that last point, most people WANT the black bezel and glass screen on the Air and so did I before buying one, but after OWNING one, it's the silver border and regular screen that gives the Air an even lighter look over the other machines. I love being just that slight bit different, the MacBook Air is one classy machine and as long as Apple follow my predictions (unlikely), it will remain so! The glass must add a fair bit of extra weight on the Pro's anyway?
On a side note, I love reading the sentiments in this thread. The MacBook Air is definitely for me the best notebook Apple have ever produced. It is literally perfect for my line of work, running between classrooms, word processing, internet browsing and presentation production is literally all I do. Wonderful primary machine. Can't wait to see what they have in store for the next revision, though screen size is non negotiable! 13.3" at least or I'll concede and move to a basic MacBook Pro.
Heres my prediction of realistic next gen, high end Air specs...and what I want to see...
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66GHz
4GB DDR3
256Gb Solid State Drive
But the two key features I want are
Glass trackpad without separate depressing button
NO black bezel or glass screen
Let me explain that last point, most people WANT the black bezel and glass screen on the Air and so did I before buying one, but after OWNING one, it's the silver border and regular screen that gives the Air an even lighter look over the other machines. I love being just that slight bit different, the MacBook Air is one classy machine and as long as Apple follow my predictions (unlikely), it will remain so! The glass must add a fair bit of extra weight on the Pro's anyway?
The MBA is just that great. But people don't understand unless they use one. This whole "more power" attitude is in people's brains. In the real world, the MBA does EVERYTHING and seems a lot faster with the SSD version. People think they need "more power" because that's what they're trained to think.
Honestly, the MBP is a complete joke in terms of power and performance versus a PC counterpart. The MBP costs a hell of a lot more than PCs that have similar components. The MBA is NOT a complete joke in terms of power and performance versus a PC ultraportable counterpart. Most ultraportables that compete with the MBA cost more with similar features. When calculating this way, ratio vs. competitors, the MBA proves to be more powerful per dollar ratio over its competitors than the MBP is over its competitors.
This is not just true, it's very true, if you get what I am saying.
I don't think it's that close, but it is important. Try carrying a Sony Vaio Z in your bag, and you will quickly realize the extreme advantages of the ultrathin MBA. The MBA is so brilliant because it's the same display and full-sized keyboard as the 13" Macs, yet it offers an amazing weight advantage and the thinness feels far thinner than it is even. One has to truly use it to appreciate it. I feel Apple will ruin the MBA if they move solely to an 11.6" display. In addition, it will compete with Steve Jobs's beloved "Magical" iPad.
Yup. The best decisions were screen & keyboard size, and weight.
It's just all the other stuff that has been suboptimal enough to undercut the Air's competitiveness. And failing to communicate the big 3 great things (in my headline above) to the public.
The initial burst of publicity focussed on the side profile of thinness. Using a weird song, heightening the perception of novelty... when a commercial showing an average user saying "It's so light, I love it!" could've communicated the product's big advantage, in whatever is the shortest TV commercial slot you can buy.
I have studied innovation on and off for years. And seen good innovative products vanish from the marketplace just as I tried to buy them (remember Sony's solar charged Walkman?). My conclusion from decades of observation is this: If you have $ for design innovation R&D, don't bother unless you also "have" (or, are willing to allocate) money for a bigger than average publicity campaign to accompany the innovative new product. Nobody can buy something whose new neato advantages, or whose very existence, have never come to their attention.
Innovation requires communication.
A small question: Has the Air ever been seen in any movies?
It's just all the other stuff that has been suboptimal enough to undercut the Air's competitiveness. And failing to communicate the big 3 great things (in my headline above) to the public.
The initial burst of publicity focussed on the side profile of thinness. Using a weird song, heightening the perception of novelty... when a commercial showing an average user saying "It's so light, I love it!" could've communicated the product's big advantage, in whatever is the shortest TV commercial slot you can buy.
I have studied innovation on and off for years. And seen good innovative products vanish from the marketplace just as I tried to buy them (remember Sony's solar charged Walkman?). My conclusion from decades of observation is this: If you have $ for design innovation R&D, don't bother unless you also "have" (or, are willing to allocate) money for a bigger than average publicity campaign to accompany the innovative new product. Nobody can buy something whose new neato advantages, or whose very existence, have never come to their attention.
Innovation requires communication.
A small question: Has the Air ever been seen in any movies?
Yup. The best decisions were screen & keyboard size, and weight.
It's just all the other stuff that has been suboptimal enough to undercut the Air's competitiveness. And failing to communicate the big 3 great things (in my headline above) to the public.
The initial burst of publicity focussed on the side profile of thinness. Using a weird song, heightening the perception of novelty... when a commercial showing an average user saying "It's so light, I love it!" could've communicated the product's big advantage, in whatever is the shortest TV commercial slot you can buy.
I have studied innovation on and off for years. And seen good innovative products vanish from the marketplace just as I tried to buy them (remember Sony's solar charged Walkman?). My conclusion from decades of observation is this: If you have $ for design innovation R&D, don't bother unless you also "have" (or, are willing to allocate) money for a bigger than average publicity campaign to accompany the innovative new product. Nobody can buy something whose new neato advantages, or whose very existence, have never come to their attention.
Innovation requires communication.
A small question: Has the Air ever been seen in any movies?
It's just all the other stuff that has been suboptimal enough to undercut the Air's competitiveness. And failing to communicate the big 3 great things (in my headline above) to the public.
The initial burst of publicity focussed on the side profile of thinness. Using a weird song, heightening the perception of novelty... when a commercial showing an average user saying "It's so light, I love it!" could've communicated the product's big advantage, in whatever is the shortest TV commercial slot you can buy.
I have studied innovation on and off for years. And seen good innovative products vanish from the marketplace just as I tried to buy them (remember Sony's solar charged Walkman?). My conclusion from decades of observation is this: If you have $ for design innovation R&D, don't bother unless you also "have" (or, are willing to allocate) money for a bigger than average publicity campaign to accompany the innovative new product. Nobody can buy something whose new neato advantages, or whose very existence, have never come to their attention.
Innovation requires communication.
A small question: Has the Air ever been seen in any movies?
Yup. The best decisions were screen & keyboard size, and weight.
It's just all the other stuff that has been suboptimal enough to undercut the Air's competitiveness. And failing to communicate the big 3 great things (in my headline above) to the public.
The initial burst of publicity focussed on the side profile of thinness. Using a weird song, heightening the perception of novelty... when a commercial showing an average user saying "It's so light, I love it!" could've communicated the product's big advantage, in whatever is the shortest TV commercial slot you can buy.
I have studied innovation on and off for years. And seen good innovative products vanish from the marketplace just as I tried to buy them (remember Sony's solar charged Walkman?). My conclusion from decades of observation is this: If you have $ for design innovation R&D, don't bother unless you also "have" (or, are willing to allocate) money for a bigger than average publicity campaign to accompany the innovative new product. Nobody can buy something whose new neato advantages, or whose very existence, have never come to their attention.
Innovation requires communication.
A small question: Has the Air ever been seen in any movies?
It's just all the other stuff that has been suboptimal enough to undercut the Air's competitiveness. And failing to communicate the big 3 great things (in my headline above) to the public.
The initial burst of publicity focussed on the side profile of thinness. Using a weird song, heightening the perception of novelty... when a commercial showing an average user saying "It's so light, I love it!" could've communicated the product's big advantage, in whatever is the shortest TV commercial slot you can buy.
I have studied innovation on and off for years. And seen good innovative products vanish from the marketplace just as I tried to buy them (remember Sony's solar charged Walkman?). My conclusion from decades of observation is this: If you have $ for design innovation R&D, don't bother unless you also "have" (or, are willing to allocate) money for a bigger than average publicity campaign to accompany the innovative new product. Nobody can buy something whose new neato advantages, or whose very existence, have never come to their attention.
Innovation requires communication.
A small question: Has the Air ever been seen in any movies?
"... decades on this?"
Depends on what you mean by "this". I started studying architectural design several decades ago, and have never stopped. Industrial design can be seen as a close cousin. The topics of Bucky Fuller and of energy alternatives which came to the fore in oil embargo of 1973 aka "the energy crisis", clued me in to how innovation is hard to do. It's not just a designer with a good idea; it plays out in a larger context that can make or break it. Though industrial design's a small fraction of my design interests, some of the best innovation studies I've seen have been about industrial, not architectural design.
Depends on what you mean by "this". I started studying architectural design several decades ago, and have never stopped. Industrial design can be seen as a close cousin. The topics of Bucky Fuller and of energy alternatives which came to the fore in oil embargo of 1973 aka "the energy crisis", clued me in to how innovation is hard to do. It's not just a designer with a good idea; it plays out in a larger context that can make or break it. Though industrial design's a small fraction of my design interests, some of the best innovation studies I've seen have been about industrial, not architectural design.
I agree with that, but would add, that the communication has to start at 'home'. To me the kiss of death for the MBA has been the sales people at the Apple store. I have gone in and almost pulled the trigger several times in the past year. But each time I came up against an employee at the Apple store who steered me to the MBP. They would talk about how you 'get more for your money'. I would then 'go home and think about it'. I wonder how many 'money' conscious buyers felt that it would be wasting their money to buy an Air and purchased the MBP 13' instead.
Et tu, Brute
The MBA does not have enough memory to compile my stuff or to do Photoshop. This is not because I have been trained to think that I need more power, but because 2GB sucked in 2008 already, and are unacceptable in 2010.
Most ultraportables that compete with the MBA (Samsung, Sony, Dell, Lenovo, Acer, Fujitsu) have a Core-i-processor and at least 4GB. They tend to weight less and often run longer on a single charge. Also, many of them are considerably cheaper. Please don't move into Apple Fanboy Denial Syndrome. The Sony is pretty much the only one that costs more, but it comes with Bluray, 2nd SSD and lots of memory.
The MBA design is nicer than most, but has a lot of flaws:
- sharp wrist cutting edge
- easily dented casing and fragile hinges
- missing ports: DVI, Ethernet, HDMI, SD, 2nd and 3rd USB
- existing ports are badly positioned
- footprint slightly too large for airplane and train use
On the plus side, it has one of the best keyboards in town. Also, MacOS - which the iPad has not. In case you forgot, I repeat: the iPad does not run MacOS. No. No MacOS. No compete with desktop operating system. No no. A subnotebook is not a tablet. Also, it is not a netbook either.
I can understand that you are used to your screen size, but an 11.6in version would allow for a full-size keyboard and open the door for a fresh, non-tapered design.
The MBA does not have enough memory to compile my stuff or to do Photoshop. This is not because I have been trained to think that I need more power, but because 2GB sucked in 2008 already, and are unacceptable in 2010.
Most ultraportables that compete with the MBA (Samsung, Sony, Dell, Lenovo, Acer, Fujitsu) have a Core-i-processor and at least 4GB. They tend to weight less and often run longer on a single charge. Also, many of them are considerably cheaper. Please don't move into Apple Fanboy Denial Syndrome. The Sony is pretty much the only one that costs more, but it comes with Bluray, 2nd SSD and lots of memory.
The MBA design is nicer than most, but has a lot of flaws:
- sharp wrist cutting edge
- easily dented casing and fragile hinges
- missing ports: DVI, Ethernet, HDMI, SD, 2nd and 3rd USB
- existing ports are badly positioned
- footprint slightly too large for airplane and train use
On the plus side, it has one of the best keyboards in town. Also, MacOS - which the iPad has not. In case you forgot, I repeat: the iPad does not run MacOS. No. No MacOS. No compete with desktop operating system. No no. A subnotebook is not a tablet. Also, it is not a netbook either.
I can understand that you are used to your screen size, but an 11.6in version would allow for a full-size keyboard and open the door for a fresh, non-tapered design.
The mystery of staff avoiding Air sales...
The more I read these stories about people going into an Apple store, asking for an Air and being steered to a 13" MBp, the more I think it's not these individual salespeople just doing it.
Do Apple's salespeople get commissions? And if the computer gets returned, does the commission get taken back?
Even in a noncommission system, Apple could be sensitive to return rates, and be telling staff to - say this or that, to try to reduce that rate.
I can't imagine that the sales staff comes up with this stuff, individually, on their own.
The demo Air models seem to attract a disproportionate number of teen boys. Just wondering... do they buy the Air, and then a parent seees what they got, disapproves, and sends them back to swap it for a 13" MBp? Or one half of a couple buys the Air, gets it home, and the other person disapproves?
I've read that companies selling custom kitchens want to get both spouses in the showroom together, signing off on a design... before investing time working out the details. Due to what the article said was a syndrome of one spouse visits the showroom, and then takes home the sketches only to have the other partner nix it.
The more I read these stories about people going into an Apple store, asking for an Air and being steered to a 13" MBp, the more I think it's not these individual salespeople just doing it.
Do Apple's salespeople get commissions? And if the computer gets returned, does the commission get taken back?
Even in a noncommission system, Apple could be sensitive to return rates, and be telling staff to - say this or that, to try to reduce that rate.
I can't imagine that the sales staff comes up with this stuff, individually, on their own.
The demo Air models seem to attract a disproportionate number of teen boys. Just wondering... do they buy the Air, and then a parent seees what they got, disapproves, and sends them back to swap it for a 13" MBp? Or one half of a couple buys the Air, gets it home, and the other person disapproves?
I've read that companies selling custom kitchens want to get both spouses in the showroom together, signing off on a design... before investing time working out the details. Due to what the article said was a syndrome of one spouse visits the showroom, and then takes home the sketches only to have the other partner nix it.
As much as I admire the MBA, if I worked in an Apple Store I would nevertheless strongly recommend that a customer consider the 13 inch MBP instead of the MBA. I would want to make very sure that a prospective MBA buyer understood the limitations inherent in the MBA's non expandable 2Gb of RAM. In many applications it's inadequate now and, going forward, that inadequacy is going to show up in more and more apps. At its price, it seems to me that the MBA's memory limitations alone make it a bad choice right now.
Well, "should " and "why" are different things.
In my several visits to try the Air and get questions ansswered, only one (at the W. 14th St. nyc store led to any skepticism from the salesman. Who wanted to know could I live with one USB2 socket? Since any monitor would not be connected by USB, and my big ergonomic keyboard would be linked by bluetooth, the answer seemed to be 'yes'. The USB would be just for the printer... which I might have to unplug if a hub couldn't power the 3G modem when I want a hub 'cause I want 3G and printer both plugged in simultaneously. Which if it's a problem... can be eased by a printer with wireless connectivity (bluetooth / wifi). But that was just thorough questioning.... not full-bore presumptuousness just whisking me to the MBp.
I overheard a sweet young thing in an Apple store, being sold an iPad as if her fantasy was true, that it could do absolutely everything and be her only computer. I suppose the salesman thought... take the path of least resistance.... that she would just come back a month later and buy a laptop too... and then they've sold her two things.
I've wondered if Apple's smart enough to collect public feedback from the sales staff. Of course if you say... "If the management ever asks you, what customers say about the Air, please remember I said "hinge" or "RAM"... they have a standard answer: there's a place on apple.com for feedback. They say mgmt never asks. True?
In my several visits to try the Air and get questions ansswered, only one (at the W. 14th St. nyc store led to any skepticism from the salesman. Who wanted to know could I live with one USB2 socket? Since any monitor would not be connected by USB, and my big ergonomic keyboard would be linked by bluetooth, the answer seemed to be 'yes'. The USB would be just for the printer... which I might have to unplug if a hub couldn't power the 3G modem when I want a hub 'cause I want 3G and printer both plugged in simultaneously. Which if it's a problem... can be eased by a printer with wireless connectivity (bluetooth / wifi). But that was just thorough questioning.... not full-bore presumptuousness just whisking me to the MBp.
I overheard a sweet young thing in an Apple store, being sold an iPad as if her fantasy was true, that it could do absolutely everything and be her only computer. I suppose the salesman thought... take the path of least resistance.... that she would just come back a month later and buy a laptop too... and then they've sold her two things.
I've wondered if Apple's smart enough to collect public feedback from the sales staff. Of course if you say... "If the management ever asks you, what customers say about the Air, please remember I said "hinge" or "RAM"... they have a standard answer: there's a place on apple.com for feedback. They say mgmt never asks. True?
Well, "should " and "why" are different things.
In my several visits to try the Air and get questions ansswered, only one (at the W. 14th St. nyc store led to any skepticism from the salesman. Who wanted to know could I live with one USB2 socket? Since any monitor would not be connected by USB, and my big ergonomic keyboard would be linked by bluetooth, the answer seemed to be 'yes'. The USB would be just for the printer... which I might have to unplug if a hub couldn't power the 3G modem when I want a hub 'cause I want 3G and printer both plugged in simultaneously. Which if it's a problem... can be eased by a printer with wireless connectivity (bluetooth / wifi). But that was just thorough questioning.... not full-bore presumptuousness just whisking me to the MBp.
I overheard a sweet young thing in an Apple store, being sold an iPad as if her fantasy was true, that it could do absolutely everything and be her only computer. I suppose the salesman thought... take the path of least resistance.... that she would just come back a month later and buy a laptop too... and then they've sold her two things.
I've wondered if Apple's smart enough to collect public feedback from the sales staff. Of course if you say... "If the management ever asks you, what customers say about the Air, please remember I said "hinge" or "RAM"... they have a standard answer: there's a place on apple.com for feedback. They say mgmt never asks. True?
In my several visits to try the Air and get questions ansswered, only one (at the W. 14th St. nyc store led to any skepticism from the salesman. Who wanted to know could I live with one USB2 socket? Since any monitor would not be connected by USB, and my big ergonomic keyboard would be linked by bluetooth, the answer seemed to be 'yes'. The USB would be just for the printer... which I might have to unplug if a hub couldn't power the 3G modem when I want a hub 'cause I want 3G and printer both plugged in simultaneously. Which if it's a problem... can be eased by a printer with wireless connectivity (bluetooth / wifi). But that was just thorough questioning.... not full-bore presumptuousness just whisking me to the MBp.
I overheard a sweet young thing in an Apple store, being sold an iPad as if her fantasy was true, that it could do absolutely everything and be her only computer. I suppose the salesman thought... take the path of least resistance.... that she would just come back a month later and buy a laptop too... and then they've sold her two things.
I've wondered if Apple's smart enough to collect public feedback from the sales staff. Of course if you say... "If the management ever asks you, what customers say about the Air, please remember I said "hinge" or "RAM"... they have a standard answer: there's a place on apple.com for feedback. They say mgmt never asks. True?
I have yet to see an ultraportable that weighs less and has more power than the MBA. Could you please show me a link to one?
Weight worth the wait
I used MBA for a year, hand holding it tethered to DSLR for field shooting. It was perfect, but the hinge problem meant I had to treat it with kid gloves, clients, as soon as they got hold of it, would angle the screen to view which always was a nerve wracking experience. When I finally sold it, the screen had about an inch of play (wobble) and had intermittent screen shorting (a series of display lines that would appear, but would go away if you pushed a certain area of the screen frame). I had to upgrade to MBP because it felt like the MBA wouldn't last much longer. It shouldn't be that way, the MPBs are excellent in build quality and if there's any way to combine the sturdiness of the MBP into a weight-saving MBA, I'll gladly carry the extra ounces it takes to make it less fragile. I don't want a 'toughbook', I think that's overkill, just an MBA weight factor that can handle day to day regular use without it feeling like abuse.
I used MBA for a year, hand holding it tethered to DSLR for field shooting. It was perfect, but the hinge problem meant I had to treat it with kid gloves, clients, as soon as they got hold of it, would angle the screen to view which always was a nerve wracking experience. When I finally sold it, the screen had about an inch of play (wobble) and had intermittent screen shorting (a series of display lines that would appear, but would go away if you pushed a certain area of the screen frame). I had to upgrade to MBP because it felt like the MBA wouldn't last much longer. It shouldn't be that way, the MPBs are excellent in build quality and if there's any way to combine the sturdiness of the MBP into a weight-saving MBA, I'll gladly carry the extra ounces it takes to make it less fragile. I don't want a 'toughbook', I think that's overkill, just an MBA weight factor that can handle day to day regular use without it feeling like abuse.
I finally bought my Air
I got my Macbook Air with the SSD option. I finally got tired of waiting and seeing the updates of the Mac Pro and rumors of a smaller screen version of the Air finally helped me make the decision. I sold my 17 inch MBP beast and much happier with the MBA for my laptop needs.
My combination is the Mac Mini Server with the 24 inch Apple monitor and the Macbook Air.
Thanks for all your input on these informative Macbook Air threads including all the negative stuff.
I got my Macbook Air with the SSD option. I finally got tired of waiting and seeing the updates of the Mac Pro and rumors of a smaller screen version of the Air finally helped me make the decision. I sold my 17 inch MBP beast and much happier with the MBA for my laptop needs.
My combination is the Mac Mini Server with the 24 inch Apple monitor and the Macbook Air.
Thanks for all your input on these informative Macbook Air threads including all the negative stuff.
Did you buy it new or used? Im in the market for the current SSD version myself.
http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/...781CA29B4ECB9ADAD8E72CF6FD61&menu-id=products
there you go
- weights less (starting at 2,89lbs)
- better CPU + 4GB RAM (up to 8!)
- way more battery life
- optical drive
- ports!
- ....
only "bad" thing is the GPU, as it's the intel integrated.. but as long as you don't game, you're fine.
and please don't start with "looks" or "windows"... those are incredible computers! The best in my opinion. Unfortunately the lineup you can find after the link is somehow not available in germany. the german page only shows the e100 I don't know why, but it's "hard to get the current Thinkpads" over here..
there you go
- weights less (starting at 2,89lbs)
- better CPU + 4GB RAM (up to 8!)
- way more battery life
- optical drive
- ports!
- ....
only "bad" thing is the GPU, as it's the intel integrated.. but as long as you don't game, you're fine.
and please don't start with "looks" or "windows"... those are incredible computers! The best in my opinion. Unfortunately the lineup you can find after the link is somehow not available in germany. the german page only shows the e100
I don't know why, but it's "hard to get the current Thinkpads" over here..