The Other (Bigger) Market for the MacBook Air

[Dustman]

Maybe but it really is meant to be a 2nd machine, a true notebook in the sense of being just what you need to travel with and travel light. The desktop at home is your main machine or if you really need 15" or 17" size and power, then you do what people have done all along, carry the larger and slightly heavier machines. I think this machine really fits a perfect niche. Small, light, does what you need, surfing, writing, photos, etc, w/o the cumbersome aspects that a heaver machine brings.

As far as the port, get a pocket usb hub, those things are tiny, really my wife has one the size of a compact and it is 5 yrs old. I'm sure there are some pretty sleek ones out there. Better yet get one of those usb keypads that have two ports on them. Then you get a keypad and a couple ports. How much do you really need to hook up to this, especially at one time..

Forgot about a hub, I didn't realize that they have gotten so small. With the lack of a ethernet port i'll have to use an adapter for high speed at home (I' dont mind though, having another wire where a wire normally is anyway doesnt bother me) but I'd like to be able to charge my iPod aswell.

All issues aside, I think Apple's bringing back the innovation that they used to have back in the late 90s to the early 2000s. The Macbook Air is gorgeous.

 

[roland.g]

reasons I have not ordered a MBA yet.

1. My wife and I just had our first and she would kill me.

2. I don't really need it.

3. I just got a 2.8Ghz 24" iMac in August and so while this would my 2nd machine and only portable, I think I need to wait on it.

4. While most of my machines and most Apple products have been new rev. A products (yes I'm an addict), I think that I will wait this one out, mostly b/c of reasons 1, 2 & 3, but they really give me good reason to see what if anything a rev. B brings - especially since this is Apple's first foray into this sort of product (no the 12" PB doesn't count).

5. And once that rev. B comes out, I will either go refurb on a rev. A or wait till the refurbs comes out on the rev. Bs. Since you can't do much with the RAM etc., the refurbs will be the way to go.

 

[iSee]

Unbelievably funny!

They trim 0.24 inches off the thickness of the MacBook, reduce or remove most of the features and add $700 to the price. Suddenly it's "slim enough to throw in a purse"! That extra 1/4 inch was apparently more important than anyone outside of Cupertino realized.
...

The 2lbs difference between the MB and MBA is what makes the difference. There's a threshold between something that is easy to pick up and hold in one hand vs. something that's not. Obviously, that threshold is different for different people, but the MBA is going to be on the rigth side of that threshold for many more people that the MB. There are other subtle factors to this besides weight, too. For example, a closed MBP has no good place to grab and hang on to one. The tapered design of the MBA *might* function as a sort of handle--a good place to grab on (would have to get my hands on one to see for sure).

 

[iSee]

And it would have made a big difference:

Because the internal storage is so small on either MBA model, users are quickly going to figure out they need to hang an external hard drive on this baby. (Do YOU want to try to figure out what part of your normal computer contents you want to take with you prior to every road trip, and figure out how to sync the work you've done while on the road, every time you get back? No. So you'll want to use an external, either to carry all your files (remember how much space your music, photos, even video take) or even as a boot drive--so no matter where you are, and so even if you connect to and work off another machine at home or your destination, everything about your work space AND content is identical at all times.)

But how do you back up that external? Gotta have backup, right?

With a 2nd USB port on the machine, it'd be simple.

But with only one USB port, it's not: You might a) Carry a powered USB port with you--one more piece of gear to offset the weight and size savings the Air delivers otherwise; b) keep backup drives at work AND the office, and a powered USB hub in each location, and carry the MBA physically to the backup drive and connect it with cables, each time you want to back up, which sort of defeats the purpose of the "Air"; or c) use Time Machine and Time Capsule or another NAS drive. But wait: according to apple's guys and gals at MWSF, Time Machine can only back up to a single destination. So the NAS drive will only work with a backup program other than TM. I'll choose SuperDuper, but it defeats apple's efforts to provide hardware and software solutions that integrate neatly.

So imho a 2nd USB port would have gone a long, long way to sustain the premise of the Air and its functionality.

If you expect to use an external drive with your MBA anything more than rarely, you are not in the market for a MBA. I think you might as well count on upgrading your home or office network to 802.11n when considering a MBA--probably you just want to count on getting TC.

Seriously, if you aren't ready to embrace wireless, this computer is not for you. Ports are so 2009...

 

[neutrino23]

... I can buy a MacBook (new or refurb) for $800 or $900 cheaper that has a faster processor, more USB ports, an optical drive, a bigger hard drive, and a replaceable battery. And it only weighs just a small amount more and is still less than an inch thick. I just don't see why I would be willing to pay $800 more for less of a machine with the only advantage being that it is slightly thinner and lighter.
I guess that might make a huge difference if you live in an inner city, urban area like NYC where you walk and carry your stuff everywhere daily, but 90% of us don't do that and we carry our electronics and so forth in vehicles. So an extra pound and an extra half inch is certainly not worth $800 more to me.
...

"Only a pound". That may not sound like much to you because you drive everywhere. In many countries, and in many professions, people walk more than they drive. In Japan people ride trains and walk. In many large companies and schools you may drive to the building or campus but then you walk around most of the day. In these cases an extra pound is a big deal. Japan produces thousands of lighter, smaller products each year because people want to pare down on what they carry.

This could be a great product for a student, or for a worker at any level in a large company or hospital.

Some are complaining about the specifications. However, the specs only look light in comparison to top of the line products available today. A 1.6GHz, dual core processor would have been leading edge just a few years ago. For most day-to-day needs this is a fast machine with a large hard drive. It is more than enough to let you participate in the modern digital world. You can view and produce presentations with Keynote. You can send videos to Youtube. You can join video chats. You can view and produce all sorts of PDF documents. You can listen to and produce Podcasts. You can listen to music. You can create music with Garageband.

For special projects at home you can connect a larger monitor (up to 23 inch).

Some things will run a little slowly, but they will run. If you look at the competition, Sony and others produce machines with just 1GHz processors and they charge more. The MBA is not for everyone but it is a solid addition to the MB lineup.

 

[BRH]

"Only a pound". That may not sound like much to you because you drive everywhere. In many countries, and in many professions, people walk more than they drive. In Japan people ride trains and walk. In many large companies and schools you may drive to the building or campus but then you walk around most of the day. In these cases an extra pound is a big deal. Japan produces thousands of lighter, smaller products each year because people want to pare down on what they carry.

This could be a great product for a student, or for a worker at any level in a large company or hospital.

Some are complaining about the specifications. However, the specs only look light in comparison to top of the line products available today. A 1.6GHz, dual core processor would have been leading edge just a few years ago. For most day-to-day needs this is a fast machine with a large hard drive. It is more than enough to let you participate in the modern digital world. You can view and produce presentations with Keynote. You can send videos to Youtube. You can join video chats. You can view and produce all sorts of PDF documents. You can listen to and produce Podcasts. You can listen to music. You can create music with Garageband.

For special projects at home you can connect a larger monitor (up to 23 inch).

Some things will run a little slowly, but they will run. If you look at the competition, Sony and others produce machines with just 1GHz processors and they charge more. The MBA is not for everyone but it is a solid addition to the MB lineup.

Don't get me wrong; I definitely agree that the MBA would be great for students and people in inner city areas that do a lot of walking. I do agree it has it's place, but I just think that it is way overpriced for the power that it packs and for what is left out. If it was priced in the same range as the MacBook, I could see it being a more viable product. I just personally can't see myself paying an extra $800 for a 1/4 of an inch less in thickness and a couple of pounds in weight.

Also, as far as the power goes; I agree a 1.6 ghz processor is fine for most any normal use. (Heck, I have a 2.0ghz MacBook and a 1.83ghz iMac, but I still use my old 1.25ghz iMac G4 more than any machine I own. And it still has plenty of power to handle most anything I ever want to do. Plus, I still think that old "table lamp" design was Apple's coolest model ever). So anyway, you can see, I'm not saying that the 1.6ghz isn't enough power for most people; I'm just questioning the high price point for this item when it doesn't have the "latest" or "fastest" chips available.

So, basically, my main problem is not really the machine itself, but instead is the high cost for what you get. I really think it should be priced in the $1000 to $1200 range.

Also, on a sidenote; I wouldn't mind seeing Apple come out with a lower price point, more mass appeal product as well. They've done that in the mp3 market with iPods, so why not with notebooks or computers? I think the younger, educational market would be a good move for Apple. I'd like to see them introduce something like an entry level notebook for younger kids. Maybe something quirky and tough and colorful (like the old original clamshell ibook design). They could make them more basic, entry level machines and sell them lower than the MacBook price point (maybe in the $600 to $800 range) as an entry product for younger kids and schools. Also, they could take a lower price product like this and open it up and mass market it by selling it in places like Target, Wal-Mart, etc. the way they do with iPods. I think a more mass appeal product like this would be a great move for Apple at this point (plus a younger, educational model would be a great way to hook kids on Macs early). Anyway, I know that's off topic a bit, but that's a direction I would like to see Apple go, and I think it would be a great hole to fill.

 

[FX120]

Maybe I fail to see the point as I don't think most of my devices actually need the power. Does a dig camera, doesn't it use its own power. iPhone, I sync to my main machine, printer should also have its own power. Not sure how much of what I would connect via a hub would need the power. But then again I am usually only connecting one, maybe 2 usb devices and the need to have them both at the same time is rare.

Not sure if I was clear, I also meant keypad for number input not a keyboard, a keyboard is more than I want to carry.

Most portable devices (the ones you're most likely to use with the MBA to compensate for it's lack of internals) are usually powered off the USB bus, such as the superdrive, a jump drive, 2.5" hard drive, USB 3G modem, to charge an iPod, ect. I am really surprised that Apple even managed to get the external superdrive enough power off of the USB bus.

 

[jfreeman]

No where in all the complaining have I heard the following point: If Apple is pushing "wireless" as the new dogma of computing, which I'm actually partial to, why have they made no apparent effort to make the rest of their product line up match?

As an obvious example, I can't believe the iPhone (still) doesn't synch via Bluetooth or Wifi. When the iPhone came out this was excusable. But if Apple sells me a "wireless" laptop with only one USB port, I couldn't stand the irony of using that one port to synch their other famously "wireless" device. I love Apple, but I hate hypocrisy. If they are going to push wireless, let's see them push wireless.

That said, I will probably buy the MBA. Why? I'm a power user (neuroscientific analysis), and I use my 17" MBP heavily; I need the screen, storage, and speed, and sometimes I need to bring the whole shabang with me. But when it's at home I have it plugged into everything, and I'm tired of unplugging it and packing it up every day, and lugging it to and from my lab. Sure, the MBA won't be my only computer. Sure, if I'm going on a two-week trip I'll still bring my MBP. But for a weekend conference, or a coffee shop, or (especially) a plane ride, the MBA seems perfect. And I can leave the MBP plugged-in, wired, at home.

And for all the people concerned about replaceable batteries (especially on planes): I sympathize, but quite frankly, when I'm flying, I usually leave my 17" in it's bag because it's so f'in big -- when I take it out I just feel bad for the person sitting next to me. I'd rather pull out something sleek and sexy, that stays well within the confines of my tray table. Even if just to use it for a couple hours. But that's just me. I know a smaller MB or MBP might serve the purpose. I guess at some point I just love things that look and feel cool.

 

[pseudonymph]

That's funny, my girlfriend and her mom (both macbook users) totally didn't see the point of the MBA. They think the current Macbook is an ideal size/weight, and if they wanted something smaller they'd get more powerful cellphones to tote around. I haven't seen anyone fawning over the MBA so I haven't noticed any gender divide.

On the other hand, I see it as a perfect complement to a Mac desktop. I rarely use the optical drive on my laptop and I could do all my device syncing and media storage on a desktop, so I wouldn't need more than one USB slot. The MBA is probably my next laptop purchase (after an imac of course), but probably not for a couple of years since I just got my SR macbook. Hopefully SSD prices will be reasonable by then too

 

[Bye Bye Baby]

It will be ideal

Absolutely-- the other big market is for people who have a desktop and who need an ultra-lite portable for work, study or just going on holidays and keeping in contact with the world in general.

Second generation will be good enough for me. Iron out any bugs and I will be on the queue the next time I am in the States!

 

[sparks9]

Its quite funny to read these threads

Everytime Apple comes up with a new product line, people are whining about it...

Same thing happened when the first iPod, iMac, iPhone, and even iPod mini/nano was presented. 3 months later people love the products.


And btw: I dont see why the MacBook Air would be a laptop for women? If this is the case the iPod is an mp3-player for women.

 

[mutantteenager]

Example: Lotus Elise, it's quite bare. Quite stripped down. The motor is decent. It's not as pricey as say, a Ferrari, but it's considered pricey and a great performer despite being "only a 4-banger." Why is that? It's super light. And the power to weight ratio is superb! The handling is fantastic! Why pay a premium for a short, tiny, car that has no real luxurious features? For a different sort of ride. For a different kind of performance.

Computer and cars are totally different. When you are buying a computer it has to be right for the reason you bought it. I haven't read a post which clearly identifies the target market for this computer.

If you are an average user, then yes this would probably suit your needs really well. But hang on, how much does it cost?! Also, if it's aimed at bods, then why does it have an option for 64GB SSD? Surely that's geek territory?

Computers have been sold on spec since the year dot. Apple do it all the time, but when it doesn't suit them as in the MBA, they start saying that people don't need 'that extra stuff' - like a removable battery!

I would like to meet that guy's wife who is gonna stick and MBA in her purse! How big is that purse???

All moaning aside, it is an impressive feat of engineering let down by a crazy price - all those cube comparisons ring true for me.

 

[gwangung]

Computer and cars are totally different. When you are buying a computer it has to be right for the reason you bought it. I haven't read a post which clearly identifies the target market for this computer.

I've seen several.

 

[drditty]

purses are big enough

Big bags are fashionable! My wife has several purses that would easily accomodate the MBA.

On another more serious note, travelling by air in Europe would be ideal for this device. The baggage restrictions are much more severe than in the US, ie a carry on bag that is OK in the states may be too big in Europe.

Furthermore, in the UK you can have only one carry on bag and so in that situation, this device would be very adventageous.

I agree that this machine has great appeal to style oriented women. Remember that there is a large demographic that purchases "fashion." So the people who don't mind buying $ 500 jeans or shoes are really not going to care too much about the price point of this machine.

Apple knows this, and it is not coincidental that their NYC store are on 5th avenue across the street from Bergdorf Goodman and other stylish areas.

 

[blouis79]

Trickle down

After Apple has done the MBA engineering, it's a piece of cake to build a plastic MBA equivalent of the MacBook line and sell squillions. What schoolkid wouldn't want one? (or will they be getting the tablet Mac + bluetooth keyboard).

 

[seashellz2]

I predict the ladies will go crazy for it-like those tiny sample liquor bottles

 

[uber gorilla]

What about the OTHER demographic?

Hey, I think we're forgetting a specific section of the population here: today's metrosexual. A style-conscious (yet straight) lad such as myself is all over the MBA like stink on the proverbial monkey. Can't wait to get me grubby meat-hooks on one! (But need to wait another 16 painful sleeps...).