I bought a 13" Air high-end with additional RAM and it arrived just yesterday. Prior to the Air, I was using a PowerBook G4 12" as my main portable Mac for all my on-the-go needs, later supplemented with an iPad 2. As such, for me, this was a huge jump in many aspects.
The good
Ridiculously fast
As I used a machine that was released some 8 years ago, there are times today where things might lag a bit. Even so, I kept using it as it suited my needs just fine. However, circumstances dictated that I had to upgrade, and that too to something lighter. As such, I got the Air..and was blown away by it (pun not intended). Startup is instantaneous, applications open and close quickly...I was definitely wowed.
Ridiculously light and thin
I always believed that the PowerBook was one of the lightest machines for everyday usage, and at least when it was released, it was definitely so. But after carrying the PowerBook around for quite some time, lifting the Air felt even lighter, despite the fact that it has a bigger screen. I can now carry some other things with the Air when I head out easily.
Ridiculously long-lasting
Like many reviews say, the Air has insane battery life compared to the PowerBook, and this is despite me using a relatively new battery on the latter (bought it late last year). I feel this is my first laptop where I don't have to worry about power usage when I'm out.
Unfortunately, there are a couple points I like more about the PowerBook over the Air.
The could-be-better
One too many ports missing
I knew of this as I bought the Air, given how long the Air has been out and the sheer number of reviews are out there, but I still was a bit peeved to see FireWire, Ethernet and display-out missing. I feel I can complain about this as I used all three on a regular basis. Also, I realize that they aren't gone for good, as there are dongles for all three, but I don't necessarily want to use more dongles. Bit hey, at least they aren't completely gone.
One side for ports was better
One thing I absolutely loved about the PowerBook was that all of the ports were on one side only. It was really convenient for me to have everything on one side so I could keep the other side uncluttered for other things. However, with USB ports on both sides, I will have to pay a bit more attention to what I keep next to the Air.
Keyboard feels shallow
The typing experience on the Air feels a little lacking compared to my PowerBook. Maybe it's the shorter key distance as it is so much thinner than the PowerBook, but I feel I'll need to type a few documents before I get used to it.
However, having said all that, I don't regret buying the Air. The negatives are annoyances, not dealbreakers for me, and I hope to use the Air for just as long as I used the PowerBook.
Thanks for reading.
The good
Ridiculously fast
As I used a machine that was released some 8 years ago, there are times today where things might lag a bit. Even so, I kept using it as it suited my needs just fine. However, circumstances dictated that I had to upgrade, and that too to something lighter. As such, I got the Air..and was blown away by it (pun not intended). Startup is instantaneous, applications open and close quickly...I was definitely wowed.
Ridiculously light and thin
I always believed that the PowerBook was one of the lightest machines for everyday usage, and at least when it was released, it was definitely so. But after carrying the PowerBook around for quite some time, lifting the Air felt even lighter, despite the fact that it has a bigger screen. I can now carry some other things with the Air when I head out easily.
Ridiculously long-lasting
Like many reviews say, the Air has insane battery life compared to the PowerBook, and this is despite me using a relatively new battery on the latter (bought it late last year). I feel this is my first laptop where I don't have to worry about power usage when I'm out.
Unfortunately, there are a couple points I like more about the PowerBook over the Air.
The could-be-better
One too many ports missing
I knew of this as I bought the Air, given how long the Air has been out and the sheer number of reviews are out there, but I still was a bit peeved to see FireWire, Ethernet and display-out missing. I feel I can complain about this as I used all three on a regular basis. Also, I realize that they aren't gone for good, as there are dongles for all three, but I don't necessarily want to use more dongles. Bit hey, at least they aren't completely gone.
One side for ports was better
One thing I absolutely loved about the PowerBook was that all of the ports were on one side only. It was really convenient for me to have everything on one side so I could keep the other side uncluttered for other things. However, with USB ports on both sides, I will have to pay a bit more attention to what I keep next to the Air.
Keyboard feels shallow
The typing experience on the Air feels a little lacking compared to my PowerBook. Maybe it's the shorter key distance as it is so much thinner than the PowerBook, but I feel I'll need to type a few documents before I get used to it.
However, having said all that, I don't regret buying the Air. The negatives are annoyances, not dealbreakers for me, and I hope to use the Air for just as long as I used the PowerBook.
Thanks for reading.
Best part, though, is that the PowerBook is still ticking. It looks battered, but it still works. I'm keeping it as a fax machine now.