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Walt Mossberg Reviews the New MacBook Air
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Put the screen on a swivel and make it a touch screen and I'd be all over it giving up both my iPad and 13 inch MBP. You could call it the iHybrid.
Most people are normal...
...And normal people don't spend hours compositing video, or rendering 3D images of cut-glass chandeliers.
Most regular computer users run a word-processor, hammer a bunch of websites, watch video. Dull, regular stuff.
So for regular, normal people, there's a good case that this is all the computer they need. I am not even sure that 4GB of RAM would make much of a difference to typical users. They are far more likely to feel the benefit of the flash storage. Remember that SSD makes paging faster too.
Don't believe me? Try one of these suckers out in an Apple store, and see how fast and responsive it is.
But there is one area that I think needs improving: Storage capacity.
I think typical users carry around a ton of data: iTunes databases, some movies and TV shows.
It's that aspect that needs to be upgraded. Which will come in time. Once 250GB is affordable, I reckon Apple can put the heavy old Macbooks into retirement. The Air will be its heir.
C.
...And normal people don't spend hours compositing video, or rendering 3D images of cut-glass chandeliers.
Most regular computer users run a word-processor, hammer a bunch of websites, watch video. Dull, regular stuff.
So for regular, normal people, there's a good case that this is all the computer they need. I am not even sure that 4GB of RAM would make much of a difference to typical users. They are far more likely to feel the benefit of the flash storage. Remember that SSD makes paging faster too.
Don't believe me? Try one of these suckers out in an Apple store, and see how fast and responsive it is.
But there is one area that I think needs improving: Storage capacity.
I think typical users carry around a ton of data: iTunes databases, some movies and TV shows.
It's that aspect that needs to be upgraded. Which will come in time. Once 250GB is affordable, I reckon Apple can put the heavy old Macbooks into retirement. The Air will be its heir.
C.
Out of curiosity, has anyone who isn't a reporter noticed that much of a difference in wake time between the new MBAs and other laptops? I've tried closing and opening MBAs in a store and they seem to wake in about the same time as any other seeping laptop -- 'long enough that it's not instant, short enough that I don't think about it'. My pre-unibody MBP wakes in what feels like a couple of seconds, it's hardly long enough for me to care.
well if you think what the mba is about, you don't need a lot of storage, but a 128 should be standard. but more than that is a lot for a netbook-like macbook. for example on my normal laptop i DL plenty of bluray movies. the 11inch macbook air won't see a difference between HD or normal so basically you save up a lot of space like that.
but still, 1000euros for that, i think it's too much. if someone only needs the laptop for browsing and all those easy tasks, why not as well buy a netbook with 1/4 of the price?
but still, 1000euros for that, i think it's too much. if someone only needs the laptop for browsing and all those easy tasks, why not as well buy a netbook with 1/4 of the price?
Which is why I have no clue why people are making a big deal about wake times. Seriously, does it affect you that much?
I find it funny that those who accuse Mossberg of being an Apple shill can't articulate where he's wrong or going too easy on Apple.
Uh, hey Mossberg. I ran my previous Macbook Pro with that same processor for over 3 years, running much more than 7 or 8 "programs", in fact doing some serious AI development.
Im a heavy-duty user and Im still using my 3-year old first-gen Air (with HD, not flash) as my primary machine, for Flash and Photoshop and light gaming. The sacrifices (mainly speed) are real, but not nearly bad enough to drive me away from the portability benefits. And these new ones are much faster than this!
If I had to recommend one computer system that would be best for the largest number of people (without knowing their specific needs), it would be the 11 Air plus a cheap external display. Big screen when needed, super portable the rest of the time, and SSD speed for very low cost.
(And 64 GB isnt even paltry for me since I put lots of stuff on external drives: I have about 50 GB of stuff I NEED while away from the house. And maybe 80-100 that Id like! So Ill go for the 128 SSD for my next Air, but if I can survive on 64, many others can too. Flash storage isnt cheap so giving some space to save money can make sense.)
If I had to recommend one computer system that would be best for the largest number of people (without knowing their specific needs), it would be the 11 Air plus a cheap external display. Big screen when needed, super portable the rest of the time, and SSD speed for very low cost.
(And 64 GB isnt even paltry for me since I put lots of stuff on external drives: I have about 50 GB of stuff I NEED while away from the house. And maybe 80-100 that Id like! So Ill go for the 128 SSD for my next Air, but if I can survive on 64, many others can too. Flash storage isnt cheap so giving some space to save money can make sense.)
Mossberg is rather tame. The portability is nice but you have to go to build to order galore which just drives up the price.
Wakes almost instantly? Who cares? Every Mac laptop I've ever owned has woken up in a second or two. Usually slightly less time than it takes me to open the lid and move my hands to the keyboard.
64GB of storage seems like it would make it useless as a primary computer for most people. Maybe I'm a sucker, but I'm pretty happy with my $300 netbook as a secondary computer. It has enough storage that I can dual boot it, and an SD card reader which makes it good for a travel computer.
I get that Apple is trying to protect their reputation for design, but I think a cheaper/smaller MacBook makes more sense than an air. The MacBook has a nice form factor as is, and making a more consumer oriented netbook seems like it would sell better.
64GB of storage seems like it would make it useless as a primary computer for most people. Maybe I'm a sucker, but I'm pretty happy with my $300 netbook as a secondary computer. It has enough storage that I can dual boot it, and an SD card reader which makes it good for a travel computer.
I get that Apple is trying to protect their reputation for design, but I think a cheaper/smaller MacBook makes more sense than an air. The MacBook has a nice form factor as is, and making a more consumer oriented netbook seems like it would sell better.
Not anyone with half a brain. Mossberg is a tool, has he ever not liked an Apple product?
I don't buy that. The TSA crews asked me to take out my iPad even it's on the safe list.
As for the Mossberg's review, I really like the new MBA.
Apple has never offered a 1.4 GHz Core 2 Duo processor in a MacBook Pro, or any other machine until the 11-inch MBA.
This. Walt Mossberg should get his hand slapped every time he touches a piece of technology. Yes, the Macbook Air is a very nice computer, but this guy is a complete idiot.
Depends on your uses. If it is a secondary machine and you don't mind network or external storage, it's perfectly passable.
Mossberg is tame in the sense he doesn't benchmark the hell out of everything, but he has a good knack for what features will stick and appeal to people.
I think the poster was referring to the processor being from the same family (core 2 duo). All processors of the same family are essentially the same. It's binning, clock frequency, stock voltage and enabled cache amount that separates them.
It may be due to it being an electronic device too small to contain a significant amount of explosives. But as been pointed out, don't expect all of the security agents to be aware of this. I wouldn't buy one based on this rule. That's not to say I wouldn't buy one, just not based on this.