So apart from being thin...

[lasuther]

I was very disappointed with the MacBook Air. I love the size, but the computer is just so underpowered.

I remember the 12" PowerBook being popular because it had some power behind it. This MacBook Air is very underpowered in comparison to the MacBook. The MacBook has a much stronger Processor, larger and faster hard drive, a Super Drive, more ports, and the ability to upgrade your memory and HD. The foot print of the two computers are the same, so for the extra $450 or so you get a thinner and much weaker computer.

Definitely not for most people, but some will like it. Once the track pad makes it way into the rest of the portable line, there won't be much of a reason to get this. I'll be more interested in Rev B if it can at least equal the power of a MacBook.

 

[meagain]

I've come to the conclusion that everyone here wants a MacBook pro in a 2 pound small machine for $1300.

And what's even funnier, is no one realizes the cost of this ssd drive and how the price of Air is beyond resonable especially compared to others out there like the Toshiba R500 which is in my house right now and is a $3k POS.

If one wants to do photoshop, gaming, etc. and need a beefy laptop - why would you even consider a light/slim laptop? Where are all these great skinny 3 pound laptops that are so amazing? I'd like to know.

Further, Apple has 5 other laptops to choose from other than Air. What am I missing here?

I remember the 12" PowerBook being popular because it had some power behind it. This MacBook Air is very underpowered in comparison to the MacBook. The MacBook has a much stronger Processor, larger and faster hard drive, a Super Drive, more ports, and the ability to upgrade your memory and HD. The foot print of the two computers are the same, so for the extra $450 or so you get a thinner and much weaker computer.

For $450 you get TWO POUNDS lighter (significant), super-slim to fit better in bags/luggage, more comfort in hauling it around & on your lap, cool form factor, backlit keys, and is Multi-Touch of no value/interest to anyone?

'Some' of us have an iMac or MacPro already and need a laptop for use as NOT their main machine. 'Some' of us travel a lot and yes, the size/weight is valuable.

I'm astounded at what people expected out of this. It's a great computer IMO.

 

[mick4394]

The iphone did cost too much, had problems and had a none removable battery... this is exactly the reason that I have not nor will I ever buy one.

That's nice, but it has nothing to do with this discussion.

 

[iW00t]

For $450 you get TWO POUNDS lighter (significant), super-slim to fit better in bags/luggage, more comfort in hauling it around & on your lap, cool form factor, backlit keys, and is Multi-Touch of no value/interest to anyone?

'Some' of us have an iMac or MacPro already and need a laptop for use as NOT their main machine. 'Some' of us travel a lot and yes, the size/weight is valuable.

I'm astounded at what people expected out of this. It's a great computer IMO.

You speak as though there are no compromises to accomplish those gains.

It also has a much weaker processor, soldered on memory modules, non user replaceable batteries (seriously, lol!), and no ability to play optical disks.

Hey, if I need such a small computer the Fujitsu P series does all everything the Macbook Air does, with non of the drawbacks - it has a optical drive, a 10" screen, a ULV processor, oh and the ability to carry additional batteries so I can... you know... bring it to a picnic and stuff to watch more than 2 movies.

It is portable, true, since it is portable you do not need much power anyway, but the amount of compromises taken to get it small is kinda ridiculous.

What does a Macbook Air give me over a Fujitsu P? The Japs have done it 5 years ago! Core 2 Duo processor? Who cares, it is for light use anyway, not like Core 2 Duo is going to affect me a lot more for surfing the "Internets".

 

[mick4394]

I'm astounded at what people expected out of this. It's a great computer IMO.

Thin wowed us when the RAZR came out. It's been done.

 

[meagain]

You speak as though there are no compromises to accomplish those gains.

It also has a much weaker processor, soldered on memory modules, non user replaceable batteries (seriously, lol!), and no ability to play optical disks.

Hey, if I need such a small computer the Fujitsu P series does all everything the Macbook Air does, with non of the drawbacks - it has a optical drive, a 10" screen, a ULV processor, oh and the ability to carry additional batteries so I can... you know... bring it to a picnic and stuff to watch more than 2 movies.

It is portable, true, since it is portable you do not need much power anyway, but the amount of compromises taken to get it small is kinda ridiculous.

What does a Macbook Air give me over a Fujitsu P? The Japs have done it 5 years ago! Core 2 Duo processor? Who cares, it is for light use anyway, not like Core 2 Duo is going to affect me a lot more for surfing the "Internets".

I cannot compare a computer with a 10 inch screen to a MAC with a 13.3". Sorry, not interested in a Fujitsu.

Apple dissapointed because they didn't take the current MacBook Pro and lighten it up 2-3 pounds. Your time will come. This is it's own computer/niche. For now.

 

[angelneo]

My previous job requires me to travel often to meet clients sometimes for support, sometimes for presentation etc. MBA is fine where it stands now for the target market it is aiming at.

The laptop (IBM) I was using before was only 2G single core with 1G ram, with a 80G harddisk, it suits me just fine and the only complaint I had was that it is butt ugly and heavy. After lugging it for half a day, you will appreciate it being 2 lb lighter.

In terms of foot print, I am already carrying standard sized documents around in my bag. With that size, MBA will fit snugly into my bag compartments. With some smaller sized laptop I tried, I had to find a strap in my bag to make sure it doesn't shake too much.

Problem with many whiners here is that they try to think how this product suit THEIR needs, well, if you think it is sub-par, then this product is not for you, there's still MB and MBP.

 

[LethalWolfe]

Problem with many whiners here is that they try to think how this product suit THEIR needs, well, if you think it is sub-par, then this product is not for you, there's still MB and MBP.

Exactly, horses for courses as they say.


Lethal

 

[Zwhaler]

You can add the MacBook Air to the list of Apple flops as far as i am concerned.

It was released less than 5 hours before you posted this... how about you wait and see how it sells before calling it a flop.

 

[Mastamarek]

Hey, if I need such a small computer the Fujitsu P series does all everything the Macbook Air does, with non of the drawbacks

It doesn't run Leopard at a very respectable speed

What does a Macbook Air give me over a Fujitsu P? The Japs have done it 5 years ago! Core 2 Duo processor? Who cares, it is for light use anyway, not like Core 2 Duo is going to affect me a lot more for surfing the "Internets".

C2D is wayyy faster then ULV cpu. Even if it is meant for very simple stuff, ULV is still slowwww. All Sont TX, toshiba's are slooowww + they run widows xp/vista which needs lot more performance just to run Aero. Leopard on the other hand ...

 

[Justinerator]

Old Idea + Apple + New Hardware - Function = Revolutionary?

 

[EDdoc]

Yeh it's called a macbook.

The macbook weighs: 5lb

The macbook Air weighs: 3lb

Really if you can't stand carrying the equivalent of an extra bag of sugar i feel sorry for you.

There will be a lot of people interested in the MBA, those who carry a regular sized or narrow briefcase for their daily business. I can now stop carrying a second bag and yet still have the same screensize and keyboard as a regular laptop minus 2 lbs. Those pounds feel like a ton when you carry them for months.
Not an issue for everybody, but I see plenty of business people with briefcases, maybe that's why it is also being called the MBA. I ordered mine after I stopped at an Apple store and handled it for a few minutes. It will replace my 15 inch G4 laptop. For the heavy video and photo editing lifting I have a Mac Pro at home.
Again, a niche market product, but one for a large market.
....and I agree with a lot of the other posts: It feels better once you have had one in your hands. Impressive

 

[sushi]

For the price of a new MBA, you could buy *two* refurbished Macbooks, and use one as an outdoors machine (taking it to classes, on airplanes, to the beach), and one as an indoors machine. And they'd both have better stats than the MBA. This one's a no-brainer, folks. Save the money, and get the Macbook.

And your point is?

heatmiser it is obvious that you do not like the MBA for what ever reason, and hope that it will fail. This can easily be seen by your numerous posts around MR on various threads.

However, I would suggest to you, that some MR members and others can easily drop 2-3 grand on a lightweight Mac laptop such as the MBA if it fits their needs/wants whatever they may be. For some it will be style. For others functionality in that it is lighter and thinner. Some may prefer it over the MB because of the lighted keyboard in conjunction with their work area. Each person will make their own decision on what works for them.

BTW, for those of us who may have to carry many things in addition to a laptop, 2 pounds can make a difference. And it is not only 2 pounds. You also have to consider the weight of the bag, cover, and other type items. It all adds up.

As for your suggestion above, why would I want two laptops? It may work for you, but I would rather have a nice desktop (iMac or MacPro) and an MBA. My point being that we all have different needs and wants.

 

[pesc]

Further, Apple has 5 other laptops to choose from other than Air. What am I missing here?

None is mobile! The three year old 12" Powerbook was.

 

[shadie]

I don't see it mentioned but I'm certain thin computing is the future, I already have a RAID NAS that does my iTunes sharing, BITorrent, SAMBA, FTP and backup, I use a multitude of different laptop computers (Thin Clients) including a Tablet to watch movies, access what I need when I need it using either wireless or remote access. Bookmarks are in sync between all machines using Gmail sync etc.

Even a lowly PIII 500MHz is capable of running what I need as all the heavy lifting is done on my server.

I think the MBA is perfect for me but I'll still wait for the reviews to come out.

Welcome to the future..

 

[ctt1wbw]

No there's plenty of us here that will buy it , it's just we generally avoid the 'i'm having a big whine at apple' threads.

Whatchoo talkin bout, Lewis? There's no whiners here.

 

[ctt1wbw]

None is mobile! The three year old 12" Powerbook was.

Laptops aren't mobile? Huh?

 

[NC MacGuy]

I too felt a little that way immediately after the keynote. What a let down same footprint as MB, underpowered, not enough ports, no optical, etc, etc, etc....

Well after really looking at it and accessing my needs I think the Air is perfect for me while traveling. It really isn't as underpowered as you'd think - C2D processors aren't all that shabby. It does have the 3100 graphics proc. Backllt keyboard, LED backlit display, magnetic latch, multi-gesture trackpad and the build quality seems to be the best I've encountered in an Apple product since my old G3 Irish built powerbook. They are really well built machines. I have a MBP that is too large for travel and a MB I used to use as a travel computer. The Mb while not that bad is for a different user. The Blackbook always looked tacky and greasy with fingerprints and frankly when using it at important meetings was not so professional looking. I got my new Air two days ago and so far love it and next week while going through three airports I'll love it even more. Can't tell much of a performance difference from the MB or MBP - really. Of course I'm using all the app's that this product was designed for.

 

[Cybergypsy]

My previous job requires me to travel often to meet clients sometimes for support, sometimes for presentation etc. MBA is fine where it stands now for the target market it is aiming at.

The laptop (IBM) I was using before was only 2G single core with 1G ram, with a 80G harddisk, it suits me just fine and the only complaint I had was that it is butt ugly and heavy. After lugging it for half a day, you will appreciate it being 2 lb lighter.

In terms of foot print, I am already carrying standard sized documents around in my bag. With that size, MBA will fit snugly into my bag compartments. With some smaller sized laptop I tried, I had to find a strap in my bag to make sure it doesn't shake too much.

Problem with many whiners here is that they try to think how this product suit THEIR needs, well, if you think it is sub-par, then this product is not for you, there's still MB and MBP.

Great statement, I could not agree more

 

[fluidedge]

None is mobile! The three year old 12" Powerbook was.

Are you seriously saying weight is the only factor in being mobile?

the MBA is exactly the same size as a macbook, same size screen too??

What the hell are you on thinking the 13" macbook is not mobile!?

 

[pesc]

Are you seriously saying weight is the only factor in being mobile?

the MBA is exactly the same size as a macbook, same size screen too??

What the hell are you on thinking the 13" macbook is not mobile!?

When I bought my 12" PB in 2005 it replaced a Dell Latitude L400. The Dell was 12" and had no optical drive. It was thinner than the PB, lighter and had a slightly smaller footprint. I was a bit concerned but the 12" PB had more power and was mobile enough. I'm very happy with it. Now, why do laptops get larger and larger over the years?

My priorities in mobile metrics are: (1) weight, (2) footprint, (3) thickness, and I place thickness far far below the other two.

Personally, I won't consider purchasing any of the current Apple laptops (possibly excluding the MBA). I think they are all much too bulky / heavy. I carry my laptop everyday. I travel a lot. And it is my main machine.

The footprint is the most difficult size to get right. The reason the MBA has a large footprint is because Apple wants to have a large screen on it. Personally I think 12" screens give a better footprint. The resolution could be increased. I have good eyesight and why else is OS X going to be resolution independent? I also prefer a screen without reduced height (widescreen) for larger screen area but I understand that this is out of vogue.

Whenever I am at one of my desks I connect a large screen and large keyboard/mouse so I have a better display and better ergonomics than a 17" MBP. The laptop runs with the lid closed. (A 17" laptop still boggles my mind. It's obviously not ment to travel with. Don't people use real screens while working at their desktops?)

So I'm sorry, Apple doesn't sell a laptop with a small enough footprint for my taste. Cost is not a problem, but I keep my 12" PB.

 

[peterlobl]

All about the Pursestrings

When I think of sized for travel, I think Eee PC size. Small enough for my wife to shove in her purse. Not book-bag size.

exactly - if a mobile computer can't fit in a woman's purse, I want nothing to do with it...
it's literally the best to keep asking your wife every time u need to do a quick doc update or email send...
"Honey, can you pass me your pocketbook, pleeeeez"

 

[robrose20]

I know many people who love OS X but were forced into Windows evilness via the need for something more portable than a MacBook. This is for them. I expect it will do pretty well.

Its not more portable .... it is the same footprint as the MB. That is the point. It is thinner, it is lighter, but it is NOT more portable. Especially if you travel and have to carry an extra bag to hold the ethernet adapter, external hard drive, and superdrive.

Its superthin ... not a ultraportable.

 

[bearwise]

you two are being *incredibly* patronising and quite frankly rude.

i/we can see what apple are trying to do, I'm saying they've failed.

If you want travel/portable you can pick up a 12" powerbook/ibook (i know it's soooooo 3 years ago, but it is smaller than the MBA still.) Or pick up an Asus. Which Apple could have designed, 8" screen, 16GB solid state, all that crap.

I'm putting forward the view that Apple have dropped the ball/missed the boat with this one. If they wanted portability they could have made an Asus clone, say they made it 10 inches. I know SJ says companies comprimise on screen size etc but do you wonder why *every* other 'portable' laptop is sized around 10"?? Because it works.

The key fact here is that this is a sub notebook and in that niche it is neither underpowered or over priced. A Sony TZ starts at $2200 and is nowhere near as powerful. For a business frequent traveller lugging around even a 5 lb MB or MBP, pulling it out for security checkpoints in airports over and over starts to get old really fast. If you have specific power needs, the Air isnt for you but if you are like me and read and review documents, write 5-10 page documents, do the occasional spread sheet and spend 1-2 weeks a month on the road, the Air is perfect. I have have one and at least 3 of my colleagues who do similar work have just ordered one. If you have ever tried to write for 2+ hours on a typical subnotebook like I do all the time, you will realize that tiny keyboards and small screens do not "work". Every other subnotebook has a 10" screen, do you think a different approach might not appeal to many in the market for such a machine?

 

[kuwisdelu]

Its not more portable .... it is the same footprint as the MB. That is the point. It is thinner, it is lighter, but it is NOT more portable. Especially if you travel and have to carry an extra bag to hold the ethernet adapter, external hard drive, and superdrive.

Its superthin ... not a ultraportable.

So what, then, is the definition of an ultraportable? To many users, it is quite a bit more portable than a MacBook. I'm not sure what you carry your laptop in, but there are many, many people who need to carry around folders, spiral-bound notebooks, papers, books, etc., along with their laptop, and thus will have a bag at least as big as that, which is big enough for a MacBook Air. For us, a smaller footprint will make no difference whatsoever, while thinness makes room for more books, notebooks, etc.

A smaller footprint may be your definition of ultraportable, but it's not everyone's. Thinness adds a lot of portability for many people.

So far, most ultraportables have been characterized by a small footprint, which means a small keyboard and small screen. Apple realized that there is a gap in the ultraportable market for those who want portability without sacrificing keyboard and screen size--those who want to not notice that they're carrying a laptop while its in their bag, and then not feel like it's undersized at all when they open it up. And that's the way Apple went with it, which won't appeal the fans of a small footprint, but is perfect for many others.