Shipping Estimates for Entry-Level 11-Inch MacBook Air Slip Slightly

[CyberBob859]

Hope they start sending 4GB RAM models to the Apple Retail Stores so that it's easier to buy them.

The only thing that disappointed me with these new models is that they didn't come standard with 4 GB of RAM.

You would have to think that these new Airs had Lion in mind when they were being designed. Can we assume that Lion will run well in the standard configuration with only 2 GB of RAM?

For future proofing, 4 GB of RAM seems like a better way to go, and it would be nice if you can just go into a store and pick one up.

 

[Xavier]

Makes you wonder if the macbook air's going to eventually kill the macbook.

The Macbook Air is the Macbook really. I never cared for the name Macbook Air anyway.

 

[Brinkman]

Makes you wonder if the macbook air's going to eventually kill the macbook.

Hmm, maybe, MacBook I feel was designed for the college student, so not having a built in DVD drive really hinders it from being a replacement model.

 

[tripjammer]

$1299 13" MBA is better than the $999 11" MBA ...

i wonder who are these people buying them in tons

Some people don't have the extra $299...but everybody needs to order then with 4GB of ram....the SSD size does not really matter...since it can be upgraded after the fact.

I got a dell mini 9 with 64Gb of SSD it is fine...but 128GB SSD option is ideal on the MBA.

 

[J400uk]

They really are excellent can see why they are selling so fast. Its a much more usable machine than the entry level MacBook at the same price. I'm delighted with mine, and its my 'main laptop'. I've found the 1.4GHz - 2GB - 64GB combo more than adequate. It never feels slow thanks to the fast SSD and there is enough space for a dual boot Windows 7/ OS X Snow Leopard install with all my software including iLife, Office on both partitions and Adobe CS5... with about 25GB free. The future is streaming content and cloud Computing so there is no longer a need for massive amounts of storage of a mobile device.

Lots of very positive reviews of the $999 model this is going to be a big seller for Apple, I can see them dropping the white plastic 13" MacBook in the not too distant future.
- http://www.cultofmac.com/11-inch-ma...rtable-and-surprisingly-powerful-review/65776
- http://www.chipchick.com/2010/10/macbook-air-11-inch-review.html
- http://www.cultofmac.com/11-inch-macbook-air-first-impression-its-freakin-fast

No complaints about the performance anywhere, this thing is a lot quicker than people said it would be.

 

[manhattanboy]

In other news, the bathroom line at Starbucks has increased slightly.

 

[CrackedButter]

Imagination and patience go a long way but don't tell that to anyone that owns a Macbook Air or iPad. There are enough people using outside of our defintions.

I don't even dare bring up Apple's own production cannibalization. You see one Core 2 + nVidia you've seen them all. Getting a surprise out of Apple would be a miracle. I just want a damn backlit keyboard now.

Personally I think jaded and bored would be more appropriate.

I'm not quite so sure about product cannibalisation. I have an iPad and if I had an iMac I would still buy the 13" MBA. The iPad is totally different to an MBA in useage.

 

[Caliber26]

In other news, the bathroom line at Starbucks has increased slightly.

Ugh!!! I absolutely DESPISE the inevitable association there is between Apple notebooks and Starbucks!

 

[Boston007]

Help Me Decide

I need to replace my 15" powerbook G4.
I have a Mac Pro that I love and use but need a mobile computer for school.

It's toss up between a stock 13" MBP or 11" MBA with 4G ram. I am perfectly fine with 64Gssd.

Help me decide!

 

[Bregalad]

Makes you wonder if the macbook air's going to eventually kill the macbook.

Eventually is a mighty long time so eventually yes.

However, 64GB of storage ( ~27GB of it used up by the operating system and applications) is definitely not much so it looks like the entry level model is being snapped up by people wanting a small, light second Mac for travel.

The MacBook also offers a faster processor, double the RAM, more ports including an SD slot, optical drive, and longer battery life for the same price. For many people those features are worth hefting around an extra couple of pounds.

My company offered me a choice of MBP and I opted for 17". The 15" model is a bit smaller and lighter, but the larger screen is well worth the trade-off.

 

[Boston007]

Ugh!!! I absolutely DESPISE the inevitable association there is between Apple notebooks and Starbucks!

Was just in *$™ and saw two peopel side by side using 13" MBPs LOL

 

[drjsway]

$1299 13" MBA is better than the $999 11" MBA ...

i wonder who are these people buying them in tons

According of analysts, the bill of materials for the $999 model is $718. The $999 has the lowest profit margin and therefore, the best value.

 

[mcmlxix]

64gb of storage seems so small to me. You would hardly get any usage out of the drive once you get most of your apps on it.

I survived using my iBook G4 with 60 GB HD (and blessed Tiger) until this past spring when I got the 15" MBP. It was briming with apps and files. Admittedly about 6 months prior I had to move to using a Time Capusle for media strorage. I would have held on to the iBook for a while longer if it hadn't started experienceing kernal panics on a regular basis. But I suppose it was time to move on anyway. It's funny how emotional it was for me to decommision it.

 

[BornAgainMac]

I never thought it would be so popular. I wonder if the Mac Pro (rebooted) will get that kind of turnout?

 

[Chupa Chupa]

I need to replace my 15" powerbook G4.
I have a Mac Pro that I love and use but need a mobile computer for school.

It's toss up between a stock 13" MBP or 11" MBA with 4G ram. I am perfectly fine with 64Gssd.

Help me decide!

Easy. It really comes down to whether you value a full featured portable machine but heavier or a featherweight one that is stripped down to bare basics. There is no right choice only a right for you choice.

Personally I compromised and put an SSD in a 13" MBP. No regrets but that was last year when the MBAs were pokey. Not sure how I'd go today, but prob 13" MBA low end.

 

[mcmlxix]

I need to replace my 15" powerbook G4.
I have a Mac Pro that I love and use but need a mobile computer for school.

It's toss up between a stock 13" MBP or 11" MBA with 4G ram. I am perfectly fine with 64Gssd.

Help me decide!

If I had a Mac Pro, then I'd go for the 11" MBA and likely use Drop Box or some such.

With having a Mac Pro already, power isn't a big issue with the notebook, and the ultra portability would cinch it for me.

Edit: and power is relative. I taxed and pushed my G4 (with 1.5 GB RAM) to the limit...and it performed admirably.

 

[Boston007]

If I had a Mac Pro, then I'd go for the 11" MBA and likely use Drop Box or some such.

With having a Mac Pro already, power isn't a big issue with the notebook, and the ultra portability would cinch it for me.

This is exactly what I was thinking. I use Drop Box now. My Mac Pro houses all my data needs and I just network connect with my laptops to it to access my data.

My only issue is the screen size, will 11" be sufficient for my needs.

 

[Caliber26]

This is exactly what I was thinking. I use Drop Box now. My Mac Pro houses all my data needs and I just network connect with my laptops to it to access my data.

My only issue is the screen size, will 11" be sufficient for my needs.

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but DropBox files still reside within your local drive, no? (provided you have the application downloaded on your system, and not solely using their web interface)

 

[Boston007]

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but DropBox files still reside within your local drive, no? (provided you have the application downloaded on your system, and not solely using their web interface)

YES they do. I try to limit my DropBox to about 1G max, so that wouldn't be an issue.

 

[Caliber26]

YES they do. I try to limit my DropBox to about 1G max, so that wouldn't be an issue.

Ok, that's what I thought, thanks for clarifying. I actually use it at work when I'm bored and download music. It's nice to just drop the files in there and have them ready when I get home, for importing into iTunes. Saves me from having to browse through music and downlading it on MY personal time.

 

[wisty]

Why do people insist that it's only good as a secondary computer?

Look at the current MacBook. The MBA has the same RAM, the same GPU, a slower processor (who cares?), and a smaller but faster HDD.

Upgrade the RAM to 4GB (you'd be mad not to), and you are looking at a machine that does everything that the 13" MBP can do, albeit at roughly half the speed if you are CPU bound (which many people can tolerate). You can't upgrade it to 8GB of RAM, but not many people need that much. Yet.

It's not a great machine for running Photoshop. You can't store tonnes of media without external storage, but no laptop can. The screens a little small, but you can get an external monitor, right?

It's not a real pro laptop, like the 15" MBP (with i5, discrete graphics, etc) or the 17" MBP (with the ExpressCard), but neither is the 13" MBP.

The only real weakness I can see is the limited storage.

 

[mcmlxix]

My only issue is the screen size, will 11" be sufficient for my needs.

If you have an Apple Store nearby, go there and put it through some user testing.

Why do people insist that it's only good as a secondary computer?

Look at the current MacBook. The MBA has the same RAM, the same GPU, a slower processor (who cares?), and a smaller but faster HDD.

Upgrade the RAM to 4GB (you'd be mad not to), and you are looking at a machine that does everything that the 13" MBP can do, albeit at roughly half the speed if you are CPU bound (which many people can tolerate). You can't upgrade it to 8GB of RAM, but not many people need that much. Yet.

It's not a great machine for running Photoshop. You can't store tonnes of media without external storage, but no laptop can. The screens a little small, but you can get an external monitor, right?

It's not a real pro laptop, like the 15" MBP (with i5, discrete graphics, etc) or the 17" MBP (with the ExpressCard), but neither is the 13" MBP.

The only real weakness I can see is the limited storage.

Which is why power is relative.

 

[mrboult]

People here can be so one minded. . . . .

"64GB is not enough"

"no way this can be a primary computer"

"no space left after 27GB of apps"

Ok the base model is not enough for your needs but the average computer user (like my mother) needs a computer for Internet, email, Word Processing and Photos, maybe a bit of music. For this kind of use the low end Air will be more than adequate.

Add to this the fact that Apple's reputation for easy, simple and reliable computing seems to be growing and growing among the masses. . . .

And ,as the success of the netbook form factor shows us, people like the Idea of a little computer they can carry around easily.

So it's no wonder the little fella is such a success already.

 

[mcmlxix]

Ok the base model is not enough for your needs but the average computer user (like my mother) needs a computer for Internet, email, Word Processing and Photos, maybe a bit of music. For this kind of use the low end Air will be more than adequate.

Add to this the fact that Apple's reputation for easy, simple and reliable computing seems to be growing and growing among the masses. . . .

You describe my mother and most of the people I know...and for my mother in particular, I think the base model iPad would suffice. Now if I can just teach that old dog a new trick...her mindset is still to be chained to a desktop...and touch would be a paradigm shift for her. People have been conditoned to be spec whores.

 

[KnightWRX]

Why do people insist that it's only good as a secondary computer?

Because they are jealous they can't afford one or they are trying to justify their purchase of one even though they have all the computing devices they need.

Seriously, the MBA is a great primary computer, even for users with more needs than just "Internet browsing". Photoshop ? It runs great on my MB currently with lower specs than this thing, it'll run great on this thing to. Even better with the higher res screen if I don't have access to my external monitor.

The storage is fine and plenty. External storage is a must anyway, you don't want your primary storage to be on the device you carry around with you that has much higher risk of damage or loss in the first place.

The fact is, people are grossly overestimating their computing needs. Eidorian is simply a spec freak, disillusionned with Apple and not wanting to move on because "his data is trapped in spotlight!" which makes about as much sense as Vanilla Sky. He wants a Core iX... for what ? "Moar threads". Why ? Who knows, he has some mystical software that fails to run and gives the error "Needs Moar Threads!".

At first, the people calling the MBA a "secondary" computer and "underpowered" were kind of pissing me off, but now I just take it for what it is : Bunch of jealous people who don't really understand how to spec a computer for needs rather than e-peen.