The real point of MacBook Air - and why everyone is missing it.

[mikes63737]

I'm glad they killed the optical drive... I never use the one on my MBP.

If the MBA had a firewire port, I would sell my MBP and buy one right away. But it doesn't, so.....

 

[Masquerade]

And ever newspaper reader and TV news watcher of today's unveiling will remember for the next 10 years that Apple were the first to do this modern new design that everyone else is now copying, and honey, shouldn't we see what they have in their store before we look at a PC laptop?

you maybe right in all the points, and do you know more? they should price it at $1000 even if the macbook comes from the future. would sell like cakes as iphone does

 

[milo]

you maybe right in all the points, and do you know more? they should price it at $1000 even if the macbook comes from the future. would sell like cakes as iphone does

Hey, if you're going to price them for less than they cost to make, why not go all the way and sell them for $149? Woohoo, free laptops for everyone!

 

[daze]

It seems to me that everyone is missing the real point of the MacBook Air.

This computer was not released to be a great laptop. It wasn't released to sell in large volumes and it wasn't released to give you everything you currently get in a MacBook or MacBook Pro...

Nicely written. Good job.

 

[rstansby]

Never mind the future, today in 2008 I almost never use the optical drive on my PC laptop (I actually have an extra battery in the slot). If I want to install software I get the latest version from the internet.

 

[namethisfile]

agree times infinity

My 2 cents, maybe 3.

Yeah, I totally agree. I think the real point of the MBA is that apple can and they can do it better. The MBA is not just an ultra-portable because it’s thin, but it’s also ultra-portable because of its concept. If apple can make-do without the mag-safe adapter and have the MBA recharge its battery wirelessly, then they would have done it. And if wireless was up to speed and/or as reliable as a wired USB, then they would have taken away the USB port, altogether, too. So, yeah, the MBA might not be an all-in-one but it is an all-for-one. all-for-wireless-connectivity… all-for-digital-content… all-the-time… it’s like going into the school supply section of a store and seeing all these notepads with 250 pages, 150 pages, or 50 pages… which one is right? Some people go for the 250-paged one just to be safe, so as not run out of paper. Well, the MBA is like an infinity-paged notebook. there no running out of harddrive space since more space is theoritically available in the air, thru wi-fi. as apple sees it, wireless is the new-firewire port, the new-superdrive, the new-new... actual drives or ports or rpm speed is inconsequential in this wireless vision of tomorrow.... so get with it already, people and stop your whinings.

 

[rstansby]

My 2 cents, maybe 3.

it’s like going into the school supply section of a store and seeing all these notepads with 250 pages, 150 pages, or 50 pages… which one is right? Some people go for the 250-paged one just to be safe, so as not run out of paper.

Well stated.

 

[jvillarreal1000]

My 2 cents, maybe 3.

Yeah, I totally agree. I think the real point of the MBA is that apple can and they can do it better. The MBA is not just an ultra-portable because it’s thin, but it’s also ultra-portable because of its concept. If apple can make-do without the mag-safe adapter and have the MBA recharge its battery wirelessly, then they would have done it. And if wireless was up to speed and/or as reliable as a wired USB, then they would have taken away the USB port, altogether, too. So, yeah, the MBA might not be an all-in-one but it is an all-for-one. all-for-wireless-connectivity… all-for-digital-content… all-the-time… it’s like going into the school supply section of a store and seeing all these notepads with 250 pages, 150 pages, or 50 pages… which one is right? Some people go for the 250-paged one just to be safe, so as not run out of paper. Well, the MBA is like an infinity-paged notebook. there no running out of harddrive space since more space is theoritically available in the air, thru wi-fi. as apple sees it, wireless is the new-firewire port, the new-superdrive, the new-new... actual drives or ports or rpm speed is inconsequential in this wireless vision of tomorrow.... so get with it already, people and stop your whinings.

Well said, I hadn't looked at it from that point of view but I guess it does make sense. I guess what it all comes down to is personal preference. For some this might be the type of computer they are looking for, and as for others like myself we maybe wanting certain things that aren't available on the MBA. Thankfully Apple has a product for pretty much all different markets/ buyers. Here's a video of the MacBook Air that I'm sure the majority of you have seen already.
MacBook Air Video

 

[Matiek]

By 2010 you've bought your 3rd MBA for daily use, because of non-changeable battery. If you like to buy a whole laptop instead of new battery, just keep buing MBAs every year. Share holders will be pleased.

Apple has said that the battery can be replaced at the store. It cost something like $125 dollars, not bad compared to the other batteries.

 

[coolant113]

you really hit the nail on the head precisely!!!!!.... what a good explanation that is very!!!! accurate...

 

[veeco3110]

I'm missing the point because Apple want to show the world what a great laptop they can build? Don't be naive. Apple don't build this, ASUS or Acer are building this.

Is it a good design? Yes. Does it make it worth buying? No.

Is the Ferrari Enzo a good design? Yes. Could you drive this monster car to work and back and also do the shopping in it? No.

If they wanted to show the world how good they are at pushing the envelope, they could start by fixing their god-awful build quality, then putting proper 24-bit displays in their laptops instead of some tired old 18-bit displays. If they did that I would buy a new laptop, actually I need one as some bastard stole my laptop on Friday in Brussels. I want from Apple, a no compromise 17" 1080p 4gig, 320gb monster that can do anything a desktop machine can do, not a piece of cack that looks good on a coffee table in StarBucks.

you probably could goto work and do the shopping with an enzo. if you can afford a enzo you probably dont care to much about gas. get about 8 city/12 highway...better thn some trucks out there...shopping with no passenger is possible....ok continue the macbook air rants...

 

[mmulin]

Wtfp!?

..

However, ethernet is not even close to being obsolete and is still very much a prime technology that's constantly used in many environments.

.. in principle, I agree. But what is the problem with using an USB ethernet dongle? Loosing the ethernet port?
The USB complaint has been mentioned so many times (mind, not by you). Go to the USB section in any tech market, dept. store, etc. You will be amazed how many choices you will have for a thing called USB Hub. Those two items fit in the manila envelope as well, me thinks.

ps: he did mention a Mac & PC application which lets share the optical drive of the node it is installed on, didn't he?

 

[jamikica]

good post

I have to agree that Apple has taken a leap of faith here and set a new bar. The Macbook air, time capsule, wireless keyboard and mouse, iphone... could all this be leading to other yet to be released products which are wireless and/or depend on being connected to the internet. It could be pointing the direction Apple is looking for the future where wireless communication is the key. Many digital cameras are shipping with built-in wifi ability and there is a new SD card that does this if your camera can not.

The Microsoft Table PC the Bill Gates showed off last year also showed the potential for wireless communication between devices.

Yes the Macbook Air is not perfect for every one, it may never be. But I think it is a big indicator of what is to come from Apple and other tech companies.


John

P.S. I will say that I was surprised that the Macbook did not come with some form of a built in edge or 3g connection. That would have been a true wireless Air machine. There is always the next model.

 

[Stuart in Oz]

Thanks to everyone who gave me kudos for my original post - my first post ever on MacRumors!

If I may drag out a couple of specific points (and make a few shrewd guesses) that follow on from that:

• The HDD version will probably die quickly. Apple obviously whacked the P-ATA HDD in there so that there was a more reasonably priced version available here and now. The MBA should really push along SSD wholesale market volumes, which will inevitably lead to cheaper prices. So when the first revision of the MBA product line comes along the HDD will probably go, the 64GB SSD will come down in price to what the HDD model is today and a 128GB or larger SSD will become the premium option. When will this happen? I'd guess for Christmas '08, certainly by MacWorld '09.
  
• RAM will almost certainly go up as prices come down. 2GB is plenty for webemail, MS Office, etc and will probably stay the standard in the base models but look for a 4GB spec in the premium model next year as the range develops and Apple try to broaden its appeal.
  
• Graphics. I'm not an expert on this as I don't game or crunch 3D animations but if the volumes of MBA are reasonable and growing, you can expect the graphics card manufacturers to develop miniaturised graphics cards to suit. If you were running NVidia and Apple had just shown you that their MBA line was selling quite well already but what they really needed to make it their new bestselling line was a small but powerful graphics chip.... you'd probably get down to work!
  
• So why does everyone need FireWire? (Don't flame me, I'm being rhetorical). It's for video cameras and external HDD's, right? Well, consumer video cameras are moving to USB already. I sell video cameras for a living for a major electrical retailer and all the new HD camcorders this last year were either HDD or flash memory based, they all used the new AVCHD format and they all used USB. I myself have a FireWire HDV camera but I know it's now the previous generation of technology. And my sales figures tell me that by the end of 08 almost all the camcorders I sell will be High Def and either HDD or flash memory with USB as the connection.
  
• Why we won't miss FW for external hard drives is a big issue so I'll start a new thread soon that deals with it. It needs too much space to put here.

There were so many interesting points made in the hundred and something posts I can't reply to them all, so this will have to do!

 

[netdog]

I'm glad they killed the optical drive... I never use the one on my MBP.

Me too. And remember, they didn't kill it (as I do use it ever so occasionally) but just made it so that you don't have to lug it around.

 

[Cousin Dirk]

No it's not. It's 19mm thick. Put it in an room in, say, a desk, with less height than 19mm and you will realise it is 19mm thick. Not less than that.

When they claim it's the thinnest notebook in the world, and they claim that it is 4mm thick _as well_ as being 19mm thick. And they show pictures of it from the best angles possible. And I react to that with "it's not _that_ thin", I am of course referring to the fact, that it's not as thin as they would have you to believe. It's not somewhere in between the two.

It would appear that you are unable to grasp the concept of a gradient. When they say the MacBook Air is "4mm to 19mm thick" they don't mean that as an estimated figure, they mean it's 4mm at the front, thickening to 19mm at the back where the hinge is.

 

[JG271]

.. in principle, I agree. But what is the problem with using an USB ethernet dongle? Loosing the ethernet port?

Or get an airport express to plug into your existing network.

 

[AoWolf]

I think the OP is right on the money. Wireless is growing at an amazing pace and prices will go down.

 

[rickboy]

yeah...

ummmmm...ok...

 

[roland.g]

Well written and thought out, great valid points. Good job. Thanks.

 

[iHarry]

Terrific Post...

Totally agree with every single point you made...

I Remember switching to apple computers 5 years ago...

I was stunned at the difference between windows and mac and I became a mac obsessed fanatic ever since.

Look, Flaws or not, I'm still buying the Air with SSD and Full Extras

Long Live Apple

 

[allomerus]

What would make me buy an MBA

I'm fine with the specs of the MBA, but clearly, this machine is best for those who have another, bigger Mac.

I see the MBA as a super-duper iPod or iPhone. Those devices let me take parts of my mac with me without the weight: music, photos, internet.

The MBA lets me do all that, and adds computing.

So the MBA should have the same synchronisation functions that the iPods/Phones have. Let the MBA iPhoto sync to a main iPhoto machine, let the MBA iTunes sync to my main music library, and let me have an iDisk-like hard drive mirror with my main machine. Obviously, I'll have to make some choices, like I do with my iPod, but that's fine if the synchronisation is automated. Then I'm happy to walk around with the MBA and keep the machine at home for heavy duty storage and heavy duty tasks.

Alternatively, Time Capsule could be the file server, if it can be partitioned.

 

[vixapphire]

However, ethernet is not even close to being obsolete and is still very much a prime technology that's constantly used in many environments. Same with the battery. Maybe in a couple of years the battery life will be sufficient to never need swapping or replacing, but that's not the case today. Today and for at least the next few years many people still need swappable and replaceable batteries.

Jobs overshot the puck on this one.

on the other hand, throw a $100 airport express in your laptop bag or briefcase, plug the hotel room/wherever's e-net connection into it and relax wirelessly anywhere in the room rather than be tethered to an uncomfortable chair and too-high desk (as in many hotels/motels)...

the MBA isn't really up my alley, but i do see the point and the original poster had some good observations.

 

[eddietr]

on the other hand, throw a $100 airport express in your laptop bag or briefcase, plug the hotel room/wherever's e-net connection into it and relax wirelessly anywhere in the room rather than be tethered to an uncomfortable chair and too-high desk (as in many hotels/motels)...

That's exactly what I do already with my MBP.

 

[pb12y]

Right on, I hope

I think/hope the OP is right on. I still use only a 12inch PB 1 ghz, and as a graduate student who does a lot of writing, plays no games, bikes everywhere and travels internationally with a backpack-only budget and a load of books, I still prefer the 12inch to any notebook Apple's ever made. Nothing else makes as much sense for me.

The new MBA may not be particularly innovative in every aspect, but it sets a good formfactor for Apple notebooks to come, ideally in consumer and some pro configurations. And when the current MBA comes down in price (with a decent HD), it'll be the ideal mac for people like me... for the first time in years.

The MBA does feel like a 2nd computer, not a desktop replacement. And it is well suited (and practically calls out for), pairing with the currently non-existent headless midrange tower or successor to the mini. It's a less than pro machine that could be nicely complemented by less than pro machines, and not necessarily an all-in-one.