I noticed that every poster seems OBSESSED with this spec is better and that spec is better; the most IMPORTANT question -- and the one not being asked -- is: can the MBA RUN what you need? If yes, then buy it. If no, then buy a Windows system.
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The Wait Continues - and is becoming exciting: Are your expectations for RevD rising?
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That's just the point. Most of us are happy about everything except two main points. The largest concern is the RAM; with only 2 GB of RAM, and sharing 256 MB of it with the GPU, the MBA isn't capable of even covering the minimum RAM requirements of both OS X Snow Leopard and Windows 7. I have to run Windows 7 in Boot Camp on my MBA, and it's frustrating. I actually have found Windows 7 to be a much better OS to run video and graphics apps on, so it's important to me.
The second problem is the drive space. While 128 GB of SSD space is acceptable to many, to many others they have just that much in music... add in movies and most cannot even come close without at least 256 GB of SSD drive space. With the Sony Vaio Z, the user gets up to 512 GB of SSD drive space.
The real problem here isn't the base machine configurations for the many, it's the lack of BTO options allowing those who want a Mac that fits all of their needs and WANTS. We don't all buy the computer we need, as you state; most of us buy the computer we want. In addition, we all know our needs change greatly over time. What I need right now might be fulfilled by 4 GB of RAM and 256 GB of drive space, but what I might need two years from now is 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of drive space. If Apple had the options to BTO these things, more people could get the Mac they really want.
I also want OS X, so a Mac is important to me too. I would love to have a Sony Vaio Z, but I would much rather prefer an Apple MacBook Air that met my very fair demands from a computer sold in 2010.
Scottsdale -- You touched on the precise reason why the current MBA is not for me. I routinely run Windows 7 in a VMware virtual machine on my MBP but my MBP has 6Gb of RAM. I learned from sad experience trying to run Fusion and Windows 7 on my MBP when it had only 2Gb of RAM that it doesn't work very well. As for Bootcamp, I used it briefly when I first got my MBP and hated having to reboot every time I wanted to shift between an OS X app and a Windows app. Then, I ran, not walked, to the VMware Web site, ordered Fusion and never looked back. It's too bad that Fusion running Windows is such a memory hog but there it is.
Based on how long the updates are taking I now predict that the next MBA will be a holographic computer tattooed on our wrists.
Agree with all of this in general, but I also put a financial value on the lack of updates.
We (work) put a 3 year lifetime on new hardware, so at 9 months old, purchasing a £2000 MBA today is roughly equivalent to throwing away £500 instantly. Every other supplier would have reduced prices by now.
Right you are! That'll teach me not to use acronyms. I meant to say that I upped the RAM in my Macbook Pro. Nevertheless, contrary indications notwithstanding, I really do know the difference between a MBA and a MBP. Trust me on this.
I agree. Apple's system sucks for those of us who actually care about PERFORMANCE. Most people just want "it just works," for the simple things they do. As an AAPL shareholder, I am really glad sales of the iMac, MB, and supposedly MBP are really strong. At the same time, I find it most disgusting that the Pro user cannot buy a current MBP or Mac Pro. And I find it nearly equally problematic that the luxury brand buying MBA lovers cannot buy something really innovative and competing against the latest ultraportables. Who ever thought the MBA would be challenged by computers that are thinner, weigh less, are more powerful, have more features, and are far less money? Not only that, there are many choices now. And when considering the weight of the Sony Vaio Z is the same as the MBA, yet it has BluRay, Core i7, Nvidia 330 GT, 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, aluminum or carbon fiber shell, and is better in virtually every way and probably more "pro" than the next MBP. It doesn't matter that it costs more, it matters that the buyer who wants those features can get it from Sony but there is NO Apple alternative.
As a buyer, and MBA fan, I really hate the system. IF Apple lowered the prices consistently through the end of the product's version life cycle, it would at least be fair. ALL other computer manufacturers update every three months or the prices drop severely. That's just the thing. At six months of age, a computer is absolutely technologically severely inferior to a new product and in terms of new technology is obsolete. As a buyer, I cannot justify spending money on ANY technology device except when it is brand new as in just released within a few months (weeks or days usually). I buy an iPhone the day it comes out, and I think people would be pretty wasteful with their money if they were willing to buy one today, yet people keep buying them. Doesn't everyone know that a new one is coming out in a few months??? But that's just it. Most people don't do themselves any favors when it comes to buying Macs or Apple products at all. I mean, the nature of technology is supply, demand and innovation... so surely Apple would be the same? But Apple is different, and people just don't realize that a Mac of ten month old technology is a terrible buy at the same price as the day it was released. If people really wanted to help themselves out, they would stop buying old products from Apple. If people stop buying this crap, Apple will update more regularly. So it comes to this - the reports are MBPs are selling like hotcakes, so why would Apple give a damn? As an AAPL shareholder, it's great... and remember Steve Jobs is shareholder number one! As a customer, I wish I could update every six months if I wanted to.
The most important concern I have as an AAPL shareholder is the fact that Apple doesn't take advantage of leveraging technology to keep all of its customers happy. Anyone should be able to buy a Mac that fulfills ALL of their needs and desires. If people want it, it needs to be at least a BTO option. If it's new tech, it needs to be at least available at a premium.
But this post surely will not do a bit of good and people will keep buying the crap Steve Jobs sells them. Outdated tech is more margin for AAPL, and always remember that Sir Steve does what's best for him... not what the average customer wants.
I think that most of us who are long time Mac users are as frustrated as you are by Apple's having fallen further and further behind on the technology curve. It is particularly galling when one compares the now dated Macbook Air to the remarkably impressive new Sony Vaio Z i7. With one exception, which I will get to in a moment, The Vaio Z i7 is superior in every way.
Unfortunately, I fear that Apple is rather sanguine about all this because they know that most of its current users are not going anywhere. Why are we staying with Apple? Because Macs are the only computers that can run both OS X apps and Windows apps right out of the box. That's why Apple still has me around. I am not the only one who really wants an ultraportable and the Vaio Z i7 would be perfect for many if not most of us -- except that it can't run OS X.
All of this said, high end niche products, such as the Macbook Air and Pro are always vulnerable to changing public tastes because nothing is forever. I've seen it many times. I remember when CompuServe was riding high, before the Web started to predominate. Then every special interest group known to man moved on to the WWW. That didn't work out well for CIS, to say the least and proved to me that nothing is forever. Thus King Steve and his court had better be careful going forward or they could be riding for a fall.
Nice post. I agree with everything you have stated... and it requires nothing more than a +1 to agree with that. However, it wouldn't be like me just to include a "+1," and I already did that once this week.
The VAIO Z is twice as thick as the MacBook Air so it obviously has more room for such things. They both have 13-inch screens. That's where the similarity ends.
Well technically, the MBA is .75" max and the Z is 1.3" max, so not exactly 'twice as think', but there certainly is a difference.
Decisions, decisions...
So I visiting my Mom last week and mentioned that I was thinking of getting a MBA so that I could Skype with my 2 year old when I travel for work. She showed up the next day with a 2.13 120SSD MBA for me. I know...crazy. I have a Dell E6400 I have to carry for work, but they have the whole thing locked down (no webcam, ability to install apps, etc.). Hence the MBA seemed like a good option due to size/weight. We have a 2 year old iMac as well at home.
So now that I've done some reading, I'm driving myself crazy trying to figure out what to do. Based on limited RAM and everyone's expectation that a new one is coming, not sure if I should return it and wait for the new one, or get a 13" MBP. My 14 day window ends 4/2. Wish I could predict the future.
I really have not idea what to do here. I'm thinking I would primarily use the MBA for surfing, Skype (when traveling), maybe watch a movie here or there, and some Aperture work on RAW files. The Aperture seems a little slow, but I'm wondering if that's more because I'm accessing the library on the iMac through the network, and not actually a RAM limitation.
Anyway, not sure if anyone has any thoughts. I'm driving myself nuts trying to figure out what to do. I really do like this machine. Seems very snappy (I'm thinking due to the SSD), but it's too much money to make a mistake.
I'd even consider the iPad if it had a webcam, but the Skype to my 2 year old is big driver here. I like being able to work/review pics in Aperture as well.
Thanks.
So I visiting my Mom last week and mentioned that I was thinking of getting a MBA so that I could Skype with my 2 year old when I travel for work. She showed up the next day with a 2.13 120SSD MBA for me. I know...crazy. I have a Dell E6400 I have to carry for work, but they have the whole thing locked down (no webcam, ability to install apps, etc.). Hence the MBA seemed like a good option due to size/weight. We have a 2 year old iMac as well at home.
So now that I've done some reading, I'm driving myself crazy trying to figure out what to do. Based on limited RAM and everyone's expectation that a new one is coming, not sure if I should return it and wait for the new one, or get a 13" MBP. My 14 day window ends 4/2. Wish I could predict the future.
I really have not idea what to do here. I'm thinking I would primarily use the MBA for surfing, Skype (when traveling), maybe watch a movie here or there, and some Aperture work on RAW files. The Aperture seems a little slow, but I'm wondering if that's more because I'm accessing the library on the iMac through the network, and not actually a RAM limitation.
Anyway, not sure if anyone has any thoughts. I'm driving myself nuts trying to figure out what to do. I really do like this machine. Seems very snappy (I'm thinking due to the SSD), but it's too much money to make a mistake.
I'd even consider the iPad if it had a webcam, but the Skype to my 2 year old is big driver here. I like being able to work/review pics in Aperture as well.
Thanks.
Seems like a good problem to have....I'd use the MBA intensively over the next few days to see if it can really handle EVERYTHING you might throw at it. If a new one is announced on Tuesday, then if you want, go ahead and swap. If the current MBA proves to be sufficient for your current uses, keep it, otherwise I would consider returning it and waiting for whatever comes next (whenever that is....)
The MBA woud probably be more than adequate for your needs, with one possible exception: you seem like a long time Windows guy so if you wanted to be able to conveniently run Windows apps on a Mac, the current model MBA would be a poor choice. It's hardwired 2Gb of RAM would almost certainly be insufficient to run a virtualization program and Windows comfortably. If you don't need that, though, it seems to me that your MBA should suit you nicely.
Personally, I can't stand the "if it will run all of your apps, buy the current model" responses. (or keep it if you've already purchased it) Most people expect 3+ years of use out of a computer. (18-24mo for me) The real question you should ask yourself is "will this do what I need 18-36mo from now." Given the current MBP/MBA lines are already using 2+ year old technology, the answer is most likely not. (unless safari and mail are the only two apps you ever open)
Anywho, I'm in the same boat as a lot of you. I'm beyond frustrated with Apple and honestly considering a vaio Z. The fact that many of us require an update and apple will not give a time frame or even a slight hint as to new specs, makes me not want to own an Apple computer. I've become pretty dependant on OSX, but a move back to windows (and investing in software that I know I'll always have proper hardware to run) might be in my best interests. Ticks me off that apple has no problems leaving their notebooks in the dust to focus on some device that they're trying to find a market for.
Anywho, I'm in the same boat as a lot of you. I'm beyond frustrated with Apple and honestly considering a vaio Z. The fact that many of us require an update and apple will not give a time frame or even a slight hint as to new specs, makes me not want to own an Apple computer. I've become pretty dependant on OSX, but a move back to windows (and investing in software that I know I'll always have proper hardware to run) might be in my best interests. Ticks me off that apple has no problems leaving their notebooks in the dust to focus on some device that they're trying to find a market for.
Just my 2 Cents: I don't think the heigt of the Vaio Z is a problem, even if it's not as thin as a MBA or Vaio X.
Build quality is fine.I understand that the iPhone and iPod are cash cows and Apple hopes for lightning to strike the same way with the iPad. It's getting hard to remember that Apple started out as a computer manufacturer. But I digress.
My biggest frustration with Apple is that, despite the scandalous delay in updating either the MBA or MBP, they still own me. Why, because as frustrated as I am I'm not quite ready to give up on either OS X as my primary operating system or Apple as a company. I am still cutting them a little slack because I remember why there was a looong delay before Apple finally replaced the Powerbook G4 with the Macbook Pro. Apple got trapped that time by trying to figure out a way to shoehorn a version of the G5 into a new laptop but couldn't pull it off. I suspect something similar is going on now, although this time It probably has to do with the graphics processor rather than the CPU. Thus, I'm going to try to keep an even strain and wait and see what happens when something finally does happen.
Fortunately, the extended AppleCare coverage on my MBP has almost a year to run so I really can afford to wait. Nevertheless, I agree with you that it's really frustrating.
An interestin thought. And a thought I don't like. I like competition, not surrender.
As noted in my last post, I agree that the thickness of the Vaio Z is not a big deal. I posted earlier only to clear up any misimpression to the effect that the Z is thinner and lighter than the MBA. It's not. Nevertheless, it is still not inordinately thick, weighs only 3.06 pounds, and is far more advanced than either the MBA or the 13 inch MBP.Just my 2 Cents: I don't think the heigt of the Vaio Z is a problem, even if it's not as thin as a MBA or Vaio X.