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Walt Mossberg Reviews the New MacBook Air
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Please do go on, I can't stop drooling.
I'm already imagining the internal layout and marketing.
I don't see it as competing. the truly high-end ipads have 3g and (in the U.S. at least) a decent no-contract 3g plan that's hard to beat (and is not available on the air). Maybe the best alternative is the $40 all-you-can eat month-to-month prepaid virgin mobile plan.
And people who care about a keyboard probably weren't looking too hard at ipads, anyway.
+1
My conclusion: It doesn't.
An iPad is a perfect relaxing-at-a-cafe/sitting-on-the-couch/lying-in-bed device. Just touch the screen and it does what you want it to do.
A MacBook Air is a great little laptop, but it would feel almost the same as a larger laptop in all of those situations I just mentioned. You still have to deal with the folding lid/screen, the keyboard and the trackpad.
the guys practically a paid apple spokesman!
I think he as nothing new to offer and did not mention anything about the loss of the backlit keyboard. its a douche bag review if I have ever saw one.
I think he as nothing new to offer and did not mention anything about the loss of the backlit keyboard. its a douche bag review if I have ever saw one.
Probably not much at all. If compare 3G-less iPad to 3G-less MBA 11" then it is
iPad 9.6" 64GB $699
MBA 11.6" 65GBB $999
The iPad has a $300 advantage. That is a -30% reduction from MBA price and a 42% increase from the iPad price point. Those are significant percentage differences which goes far to negate cannibalization effects . If your budget is $800 (or less), the iPad is far more attractive. For $800 can get a keyboard with your iPad and have money left over for some apps.
Windows PCs have a bigger problem where $400-500 netbooks collide with $500-700 laptops. Or $400-800 laptops/netbooks collide with $499-899
iPads.
Are their people who bought a iPad this spring/summer who would have bought a MBA 11" if it had existed in the $999 price range? Sure. That's not cannibalization though; at least in a negative sense. Most of those folks where forced into compromising for an iPad when really preferred the MBA 13 capabilities. The MBA was just overpriced from their viewpoint (not enough value). Matching the right priced products with perceived value to a market that was forced into a less than desirable compromise is simply delivering the right product. Labeling that as cannibalization is a flawed connotation.
Almost no markets are 100% perfectly segmented. Unless there are gross external factors in play, there is always a bit of overlap as transition from one segment to another on the continuum.
I can second the SSD option. I am using a OWC SSD and it works quite well on my MBP. Between the MBP's SDD, and my 64GB iPad I've learned I can do quite nicely with less storage space on my mobile devices than I previously thought. The funny part is I have 40GB on the MBP, and 64GB on the iPad
I'm a prime candidate for an Air given my needs. The MBP is my employer's BTW so it only cost me the price of the OWC SSD to experiment.
I'd say if you already have a MBP and don't mind the weight and thickness, I'd say try an SSD in it.
Me Too
I have had a 64gb iPad for about three months - sold it two days ago and getting an Air11 next week.
My thoughts...
1. I will miss some features of the iPad, but as a web designer in an online environment the MBA will handle it far more effectively.
2. I liked Kindle on the iPad, but i can live with the MBA.
3. I just got an iPhone 4 so the iPad is not as critical as it was when i just had an old phone.
4. At least on the MBA11" I still have extreme mobility, decent battery, full OSX etc
5. As much as people say you can be productive on an iPad, it is far more easy on MBA. Gos i can run CS5 and InDesign!
6. So what if i dont have my 'apps and games' on iPad - i got my iPhone4.
7. What was i using my iPad for? Lots of podcasts and a bit of music - that all shifts to iP4 now.
Thanks Apple!
I have had a 64gb iPad for about three months - sold it two days ago and getting an Air11 next week.
My thoughts...
1. I will miss some features of the iPad, but as a web designer in an online environment the MBA will handle it far more effectively.
2. I liked Kindle on the iPad, but i can live with the MBA.
3. I just got an iPhone 4 so the iPad is not as critical as it was when i just had an old phone.
4. At least on the MBA11" I still have extreme mobility, decent battery, full OSX etc
5. As much as people say you can be productive on an iPad, it is far more easy on MBA. Gos i can run CS5 and InDesign!
6. So what if i dont have my 'apps and games' on iPad - i got my iPhone4.
7. What was i using my iPad for? Lots of podcasts and a bit of music - that all shifts to iP4 now.
Thanks Apple!
You guys a re so full of it. Even the 11.6" compares favourably to machines that people were happily using as their main machine not so many years ago. Just because there's something faster with more capacity available doesn't mean that most people will find these machines perfectly suitable as their sole machine today.
The MBA 11 is an extremely useful machine. What is the iPad really good for, at $500 plus other than internet and media access in its various forms? It's an oversized iPod.
Yeah right. As if that would ever work out. You ALWAYS have to take out your notebook, no matter how small it is. And you wouldn't wanna argue with the security personnel ...
I even had to take out an Apple TV that I was carrying once in my carry-on baggage.
eh. what?
It still has a fan. And how does it matter if there are 'moving components' in it? Do you leave your laptop turned on when you put it thru the x ray machine?
I for one respect Mossberg.
You "Power Mac Heads" may not, but it's a free country. Mossberg writes for his audience, which is NOT people on MacRumors. He couldn't give a rip, just like his readers couldn't give a rip about specs: They just want it to work.
I realize he's not the techiest reviewer out there, but I don't believe he's a shill for Apple. I think he respects Apple products ans will call it like it is if he needs to.
Enough.
As for the 64GB storage on the 11" being paltry, I look at it this way: It's an iPad with a built-in keyboard and no need for a dock. Go ahead, price out a 64GB iPad with wifi, keyboard, dock, etc. You'll come very close to the base price of the 64GB 11". The extra bucks are easy to spend for someone who wants a full-up OS and an all-in-one portability. That 11" takes up a heck of a lot less space than the iPad with all of its accoutrements.
Do I wish that the Air had better specs? Heck yes. Will I be buying one? Most likely a 13". But it won't be my sole computer. I have an iMac and two XP machines.
Tony
You "Power Mac Heads" may not, but it's a free country. Mossberg writes for his audience, which is NOT people on MacRumors. He couldn't give a rip, just like his readers couldn't give a rip about specs: They just want it to work.
I realize he's not the techiest reviewer out there, but I don't believe he's a shill for Apple. I think he respects Apple products ans will call it like it is if he needs to.
Enough.
As for the 64GB storage on the 11" being paltry, I look at it this way: It's an iPad with a built-in keyboard and no need for a dock. Go ahead, price out a 64GB iPad with wifi, keyboard, dock, etc. You'll come very close to the base price of the 64GB 11". The extra bucks are easy to spend for someone who wants a full-up OS and an all-in-one portability. That 11" takes up a heck of a lot less space than the iPad with all of its accoutrements.
Do I wish that the Air had better specs? Heck yes. Will I be buying one? Most likely a 13". But it won't be my sole computer. I have an iMac and two XP machines.
Tony
As long as you don't mind ergonomics. Seriously, I'm lying in bed right now with my MBP. The trackpad is laying flat on the bed, the screen is upright so I don't have to get bent out of shape to read it. Typing this message is a breeze on the keyboard and none of the screen has to be hidden by the input device.
A laptop is a much more perfect relaxing-at-a-cafe/sitting-on-the-couch/lying-in-bed device than an iPad.
not a bad review. if i was in the market for another laptop, i would highly consider the 11" air, and reviews like this help my decision. but as much as i want one, i know i don't need it right now. i've got to save my money
They were in the bundle - not really a separate BTO option.
I used to hate the short screensaver timeout with password lock - but now I've made it even shorter since I can log back in by merely touching (with a swipe) the fingerprint reader.
If Apple included biometrics on AppleBooks, the fans would consider them a requirement and a deal-breaker if a lappie didn't have one.
Pure gold! I was going to point out that in theory coal under pressure would turn into a diamond, not gold -- but you found a much more interesting way of pointing out carmenodie's mistake.
If look at the current Mid-2010 board for 15" would probably be similar.
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook-Pro-15-Inch-Unibody-Mid-2010-Teardown/2212/2
Even may be able to squeeze the new MBP 15" version's board in there. The major difference with current 13" board (http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook-Pro-13-Inch-Unibody-Teardown/814/2) is that it only has room for one fan.
Conceptually, you chop space taken by DVD up into 3 slices and reallocate.
1/3 for second fan.
1/3 for I/O hub + space for stuff squeezed further away from CPU by the VRAM and additional display circuitry. [ Like the 15" Core i5 board the new GPU would go adjacent to the CPU along with VRAM next to the GPU. That causes some other stuff to slide further away. The I/O hub is only 3-4W so can get away without a heat pipe if get most of the CPU/GPU heat out of the box efficiently at the bounderies. i.e., have the two fans blow it directly out the back. ]
1/3 for SSD
Probably not an even split. Fan probably takes up a bit more than 1/3 but could overlay part of new SSD space with that logic that got squeezed further away; so little less that 1/3. (in new MBA it is layered on top. Presume have equal headroom to layer inside thicker MBP 13" )
No huge increase in space for new batteries so maybe loose an hour off battery time in normal mode. Still in the 8-9 hour range depending if stay in low power mode (HDD sleep mode always and discrete GPU sometimes off). If crank up the CPU and GPU full blast probably kill battery time length down close to that of MBA, but normally better. If also crank up the HDD then worse than MBA. You can't get everything for free.
The 15" might get a boost in battery life because could use most of the old optical space for another substantive battery pack. [ Hours may stay the same since Apple says it is making the test harder. ]
If the 13" and 15" could share a common logic board that would drive down costs. (they would just mix up the CPU and GPU versions mounted to drive the price differences. ). Right now they can't because the 15" is a two fan design and the 13" can only have one (because need room for DVD ).
the 17" might drop battery time too since I'd guess they'd keep the DVD on it. However, if they want to make a consistent line-up, then it could use another battery pack too.
I would expect more folks would run the 17" in multidrive more often which will kill battery time if not increase battery capacity. Especially, if Apple is going to use "harder to pass" battery tests. [They probably would catch some grief from some of the $2,200+ 17" users if have to pony up another $80 for a FW DVD drive. Better be eye popping large battery life. My guess is those folks are most likely to buy software the will continue to come on DVD and will be tweaked to have to spend even more money to install it. ]
I beg to differ. I own both a MBP and an iPad. I know what I take to bed with me... um.. that did not come out right.
Anyway.. to each their own but I really have to disagree with you on this one. A lap top is big and awkward and dictates how you use it, an iPad lets you decide on how you want to sit or lay and its just there. I never found my MBP comfortable in bed, I do my iPad.
shrugs.
Really? You dish his review as nothing new to offer, and all you have to offer is loss of the backlit keyboard? So NOT an issue. I have had a backlight keyboard for years, never noticed it except when I took my hands away. Looks sexy, but doesn't really add anything.
How much is there to say about the MBA? It's a mac. its small. Its light. I think the Mossberg review was balanced.
they are actually so stupid that they are unable to make any difference between a 11-inch or a 17-inch laptop
they just follow the rules without thinking
last time they asked me to remove the ipad and my friend was asked to remove his netbook from his bag...
For what it's worth, the rules encourage some unpredictability - saying that "TSA won't check X" is a sure way to get people to try to break the system via "X".
I carry my 12" Dell Latitude XT2 in a Tocano "Second Skin" made for the 13" MBA. Supposedly TSA approved, but every 3rd or 4th flight I'm asked to pull the tablet out of the skin. Fine by me....
Never been asked to remove my 17" MBP from its tocano sleeve, or to remove my ipad from my messenger bag full of electronics. Guess some people are luckier than others.
