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No flash plus Ars Review = no MBA for me...

R

rebscb

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 6, 2002
97
0
Let me throw out the Molotov here for discussion....

Wanted to get an 11.6 MBA for my wife who is an international airline worker: we use skype (facetime with our iPhone 4s and now macs with the beta) - and she needs something much lighter than her blackbook for easier travel. New 11.6 is the ticket - yes? No...

She needs a machine that has flash and a processor that can handle it for business purposes (scheduling with Airline proprietary programs over the web). Ars Technica review of this shows - apparently that the MBA is a strategic move by Apple to force us to post-flash.

We'll be waiting sometime now before we buy this transitional machine that cripples our need to work/entertain in our family. Perhaps the iPad gen2 will work and be $500 less....
 
I think you can download the flash plugin for free. It just doesn't come with the mac already.
 
Are you serious? You can install flash on the new air, it just isnt preinstalled. Thats like not buying a computer because the browsers homepage isnt google.
 
poor baby, you have to install flash yourself.

sounds as ridiculous as "i'm not buying it because there is no keyboard light, but i don't really need the light but it's so cools man"
 
Let me further explain.... flash with an insufficient processor is the culprit (based upon Ars analysis) - though - in fairness - I'll wait to review benchmarks to confirm or disconfirm.
 
You do know that you can install Flash on your own, right? It's just not included as a standard OS installation...
 
rebscb said:
Let me further explain.... flash with an insufficient processor is the culprit (based upon Ars analysis) - though - in fairness - I'll wait to review benchmarks to confirm or disconfirm.
Click to expand...

1) Flash is easily installable by the user.

2) Flash 10.1 is GPU accelerated, and the NVidia 320M is MORE than powerful enough to handle it.
 
M87 said:
Are you serious? You can install flash on the new air, it just isnt preinstalled. Thats like not buying a computer because the browsers homepage isnt google.
Click to expand...
This is the post that should have ended the thread. The OP is simply unreal.
rebscb said:
Let me further explain.... flash with an insufficient processor is the culprit (based upon Ars analysis) - though - in fairness - I'll wait to review benchmarks to confirm or disconfirm.
Click to expand...

You should wait ... seriously. I ran flash fine on my rev B air. That's a ridiculous reason to say you're not buying an Air.
 
rebscb said:
Let me further explain.... flash with an insufficient processor is the culprit (based upon Ars analysis) - though - in fairness - I'll wait to review benchmarks to confirm or disconfirm.
Click to expand...
I think you're misreading the Ars report. And it's not even their full review. Wait for that, some benchmarks, and, if you can, check one out in person.

And yeah, you can install flash, as has been pointed out.
 
rebscb said:
Let me further explain.... flash with an insufficient processor is the culprit (based upon Ars analysis) - though - in fairness - I'll wait to review benchmarks to confirm or disconfirm.
Click to expand...

haha, yeah man. C2D is an insufficient processor and wouldn't be able to handle flash media :p

It's so old school, the pentium kids are just behind them
 
You need a 12-core Mac Pro to use Flash. Didn't you guys get the memo?
 
wow....way to shoot your gun a bit early there cowboy.


Download the stupid plugin. Or are you stuck on a remote island? Then in that case, is flash needed?
 
Thanks... let me restate my main point: why is flash not shipping with the MBA? Is is due to the necessary trade-off in CPU performance for a machine in a typical web environment (flash heavy). Why do we have to go the extra step to download?

Again - fairness: I'll look to the benchmarks to confirm or disconfirm my suspicion. The macbooks allow us to work with proprietary programs: the MBA may - or may not given the new architecture of CPU combined with flash.
 
rebscb said:
Thanks... let me restate my main point: why is flash not shipping with the MBA? Is is due to the necessary trade-off in CPU performance for a machine in a typical web environment (flash heavy). Why do we have to go the extra step to download?

Again - fairness: I'll look to the benchmarks to confirm or disconfirm my suspicion. The macbooks allow us to work with proprietary programs: the MBA may - or may not given the new architecture of CPU combined with flash.
Click to expand...

It's because Apple wants HTML5 to be standard and is sticking the middle finger up at Adobe by not pre-installing it.
 
rebscb said:
Thanks... let me restate my main point: why is flash not shipping with the MBA? Is is due to the necessary trade-off in CPU performance for a machine in a typical web environment (flash heavy). Why do we have to go the extra step to download?

Again - fairness: I'll look to the benchmarks to confirm or disconfirm my suspicion. The macbooks allow us to work with proprietary programs: the MBA may - or may not given the new architecture of CPU combined with flash.
Click to expand...



Dude, wth are you talking about?
 
A couple of comments from reading the review (which is only of the specs, not the user experience).

(1) the CPU decision was made for reasons of heat, graphics ability, and space. This tells you that Apple was thinking of all three when it redesigned the Air

(2) user experience is why they design things, and what they get best, and why they will continually blow the competition away. They ask what you need something for, and design around it. They could care less about spec wars--that's so last century, to be honest.

(3) given (2) above, ask yourself what will you be using your device for? Playing movies and surfing the web? get an iPad. Traveling a lot with a need for document and presentation prep--get an Air. Skype and Face Time (which appears to work as well if not better than Skype in my limited testing yesterday) will work just fine.

A device cannot be all things to all people. Those days look to be over, if they were ever here. The days of customizing your device portfolio to your life has arrived.
 
OP, congrats on your soon-to-purchase 10" PC netbook with Flash pre-installed.
 
rebscb said:
Thanks... let me restate my main point: why is flash not shipping with the MBA? Is is due to the necessary trade-off in CPU performance for a machine in a typical web environment (flash heavy). Why do we have to go the extra step to download?

Again - fairness: I'll look to the benchmarks to confirm or disconfirm my suspicion. The macbooks allow us to work with proprietary programs: the MBA may - or may not given the new architecture of CPU combined with flash.
Click to expand...

You do realize that PCs don't come with Flash pre-installed either?
 
GroundLoop said:
It is to avoid situations like this....

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/940361/

GL
Click to expand...

Understood and noted: user experience (from early adopters) - again - will determine the outcome for our own user needs. We begin with consideration of the specs and engender discussion with all of you. Once I filter out the fanboy comments - I learn and adapt and gain knowledge toward the device.

Thanks to all....
 
OP

Re-reading your post, she should be able to Skype and use the scheduling program in Flash--I see your concern, however.


Apple would say to you--there are going to be tradeoffs. If you want something very thin and very light to give you a decent user experience, there are certain things we think aren't going to work that well. You can do them, but don't blame us if they don't.

Their thought is that the vast majority of business travelers can accept the tradeoffs, thinking about what they do every day.
 
PittAir said:
OP

Re-reading your post, she should be able to Skype and use the scheduling program in Flash--I see your concern, however.


Apple would say to you--there are going to be tradeoffs. If you want something very thin and very light to give you a decent user experience, there are certain things we think aren't going to work that well. You can do them, but don't blame us if they don't.

Their thought is that the vast majority of business travelers can accept the tradeoffs, thinking about what they do every day.
Click to expand...

Exactly... well stated... and thank you: as for any user - we do have to consider - heavily - the use of the proprietary programs and booting in Windows may be the answer as I now look to specs on the MBA 11.6 in parallels or bootcamp. Thanks.
 
PittAir said:
OP

Re-reading your post, she should be able to Skype and use the scheduling program in Flash--I see your concern, however.


Apple would say to you--there are going to be tradeoffs. If you want something very thin and very light to give you a decent user experience, there are certain things we think aren't going to work that well. You can do them, but don't blame us if they don't.

Their thought is that the vast majority of business travelers can accept the tradeoffs, thinking about what they do every day.
Click to expand...

Tradeoff? You can install flash and use it on a Mac. WTF?
 
I highly doubt that OP will ever use more than 20% of the CPUs power.
 
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