I just don't get people's problems with products that don't suit your needs. If the MBA is not for you, move on to something that is. There must be a reason Apple is selling it, it makes them money, it may not be their biggest seller but it's making them money somehow. I've seen a few of them around so people must be buying them.
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New MacBook Air Improves H.264 Playback, Reduces Heat
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I have SSD. I would *not* use this as my only PS machine. I shoot with a Nikon D300 w/ 10MP+ files. The MBA is fine for on the road PS use, but real PS work is done in a Mac Pro 2x 2.8Ghz quad core with dual monitors, 4 G RAM and 1 TB storage.
I don't really understand why there's so much picking on the Air's footprint.
The MacBook Air's footprint is about the size of a piece of paper. It fits into an envelope, remember? So it fits easily into anything I carry my usual paperwork around with. Even more portable are things which can go into my pants pockets That would be the iPhone then. But I cannot see at all why an in-between footprint would be better than the Air's. The interface elements (keyboard, screen, touchpad) would have to be smaller, thus less user-friendly - yet it wouldn't be any more portable ...unless, of course, you're a woman carrying a petite purse/handbag
But otherwise, into what would you put a smaller notebook, that the Air can't go into?Would be nice though if the Air were a tad lighter...
So, if a "subnotebook" has a 10.4" screen or less, and if a "subnotebook" is larger than an "ultraportable", and if a 12" notebook is "full-size" - then how can a 13.3" notebook be an "ultraportable"?
____
Not picking on the footprint per se, just the idea of using the term "ultraportable" for a large-screen laptop.
I'm a bit perplexed . Why do you link to an old and outdated revision of the wikipedia entry? Well, because it supports your point, I might guess?!
I have two gripes about that definition: Firstly, they do not "often" weigh less than 1 kg (not even the 9" Asus EEE PC really do), secondly, I would certainly not call 12" notebooks "full-sized". Neither would most people I know, and neither most wikipedia authors, it seems. Let's look at the current revision:
"Subnotebooks are smaller than laptops but larger than handheld computers. They often have smaller-sized screens, usually measuring from 7 inches (17.7 cm) to 13.3 inches (33.78 cm), and a weight from less than 1 kg (2.2 lbs) up to about 2 kg (4.4 lbs)"
Well... the current revision of the wikipedia suggest "subnotebook" and "ultraportable" are synonyms. But these definitions are a bit subjective and arbitrary anyway. I'd agree with your notion of "ultraportables" being smaller than subnotebooks. The "ultra" suggests so. I'd say:
subnotebook = smaller and / or lighter than traditional notebooks/laptops.
ultraportable = smallest / lightest devices in the marketplace which can run traditional desktop OS (windows)
Agreed, the MacBook would be a subnotebook but not ultraportable.
Rdf
...I'm glad someone noticed that. Wikipedia is fluid and mostly unpatrolled - it's not uncommon for an older version of a page to be more accurate than the latest, or at least useful to help understand the history and background of the page.
It's not that
That's the strongest reality distortion field of all - when Apple can arbitrarily redefine the words to mean what she wants!
Like when Apple said "first 64-bit desktop computer" when she really meant "Even though 64-bit desktops have been around for over 10 years, this is Apple's first desktop computer with a 64-bit processor, even though it's utterly incapable of executing 64-bit applications or OS with our software".
Brilliant...
I'm a bit perplexed . Why do you link to an old and outdated revision of the wikipedia entry? Well, because it supports your point, I might guess?!
...I'm glad someone noticed that. Wikipedia is fluid and mostly unpatrolled - it's not uncommon for an older version of a page to be more accurate than the latest, or at least useful to help understand the history and background of the page.
It's not that
Apple calls the MBA an ultraportable because the current Wikipedia entry says that a 13.3" is the upper limit for ultraportables
it's thatthe Wikipedia article was changed (probably by Apple fans) to match what Apple was calling an ultraportable.
That's the strongest reality distortion field of all - when Apple can arbitrarily redefine the words to mean what she wants!
Like when Apple said "first 64-bit desktop computer" when she really meant "Even though 64-bit desktops have been around for over 10 years, this is Apple's first desktop computer with a 64-bit processor, even though it's utterly incapable of executing 64-bit applications or OS with our software".
Brilliant...
Just for curiousity's sake: Has Apple ever called the MacBook Air "ultraportable". If so, when?
The PowerMac G5, once touted as the world's fastest "personal computer"?
Frankly spoken, I found the the notion of a "personal computer" highly questionable. These used dual-CPU configurations like workstations, but unlike other PCs, they even used water cooling in default configurations. Default graphics aside, these machines were essentially small workstations. And as far as I know, they were also priced accordingly.
Apple, however, billed these things as "personal computers". And they made a big fuss about how fast these "PCs" were, compared to other PCs (especially ones with the less than enthusing Pentium IV). Yet on the other hand, Apple shied away from making proper comparisons with rather similar workstations (Dual Xeon, anyone?).
Porn is always available on an Apple before you can see it on Windows
. It's what their "creative" folks want to watch when they're not Photoshopping....Oddly enough, Lenovo's screwing up the word too, using it with their 13.3" X300 and all. Bastards!
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/landing_pages/thinkpad/2008/X300
(If anyone needs to see the same quote in six different languages, let me know and I'll go through their international sites)
That X301 is a nice system - optical drive and gigabit Ethernet in a thin and large laptop!
Ooops, the MBA has neither!
Yes, it is a very nice system. We use ThinkPads at work. I like 'em a lot!
So I just noticed that Sony's marketing their 13" laptop as "ultraportable" also.
Same with Dell.
So it appears that pretty much every major notebook manufacturer is using the term "ultra-portable" in regards to their 13" models, which (IMO) makes the Wikipedia reference seem fairly correct (in terms of how the phrase is currently being used).
So I just noticed that Sony's marketing their 13" laptop as "ultraportable" also.
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...Id=10151&langId=-1&LBomId=8198552921665468412
Same with Dell.
(search their site for the term ultra-portable .. the E4300 is a 13" laptop)
So it appears that pretty much every major notebook manufacturer is using the term "ultra-portable" in regards to their 13" models, which (IMO) makes the Wikipedia reference seem fairly correct (in terms of how the phrase is currently being used).
All things being equal, I don't think you're comparing Apple to Apples.
Air = Proc. better. Graphics better. 2 X RAM. Faster bus. Larger L2 cache. Double SSD capacity.
Granted the Lenovo is same screen size and higher res. but the Air has it beat in performance hands down for basic model. Or it would seem on paper.
Price w. "extras" to get closer comparison & add optical drive gets near $4K!!
Extras:
Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate with Windows XP Professional Downgrade**** [add $149.00]
2 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM) [add $40.00]
128GB Solid State Drive [add $400.00]
Ultrathin DVD Burner [add $225.00]
Air = Proc. better. Graphics better. 2 X RAM. Faster bus. Larger L2 cache. Double SSD capacity.
Granted the Lenovo is same screen size and higher res. but the Air has it beat in performance hands down for basic model. Or it would seem on paper.
Price w. "extras" to get closer comparison & add optical drive gets near $4K!!
Extras:
Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate with Windows XP Professional Downgrade**** [add $149.00]
2 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM) [add $40.00]
128GB Solid State Drive [add $400.00]
Ultrathin DVD Burner [add $225.00]
I surrender
It seems that "ultraportable" has been redefined to include large screen systems...everybody's doing it.
It seems that "ultraportable" has been redefined to include large screen systems...everybody's doing it.
Companies seem to do it quite a lot... Google seem to have singlehandedly redefined 'beta'
Seriously?
Not to be mean, but we've talked about it before on this thread... iStat Menus will do just about anything you could want displayed in the menu bar.
What do I have to do so that my MBP shows the fan RPM and the heat in the top bar like on this picture
Not to be mean, but we've talked about it before on this thread... iStat Menus will do just about anything you could want displayed in the menu bar.
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia_180_vdpau&num=1
Hopefully this will filter through and it'll be good (as you can get for the moment) for mac users.
Hopefully this will filter through and it'll be good (as you can get for the moment) for mac users.