Walt Mossberg Reviews the New MacBook Air

[tttexxan]

THinking about getting 11 tom

I currently have a 17 in MBP and thinking about getting the 11 inch tom but unsure what size memory I would like to have. This will be a secondary machine to use for email, checking online office manager and so forth. I would love to put CS5 on there to use in a pinch, but not sure it will handle it. Anyone know??

I used to own an Ipad and there is really no comparison. I dont care what anyone says the Ipad is a big Itouch. The typing on the Ipad is a joke and takes forever. Navigating around our Office manager with the Ipad is a JOKE!! It requires tabing to different areas and the Ipad falls short of this big time. Ipad is a great invention, but just not for me. Having an actual keyboard is 100x worth its wt in gold.

 

[cmaier]

I currently have a 17 in MBP and thinking about getting the 11 inch tom but unsure what size memory I would like to have. This will be a secondary machine to use for email, checking online office manager and so forth. I would love to put CS5 on there to use in a pinch, but not sure it will handle it. Anyone know??

I used to own an Ipad and there is really no comparison. I dont care what anyone says the Ipad is a big Itouch. The typing on the Ipad is a joke and takes forever. Navigating around our Office manager with the Ipad is a JOKE!! It requires tabing to different areas and the Ipad falls short of this big time. Ipad is a great invention, but just not for me. Having an actual keyboard is 100x worth its wt in gold.

Two things that grate on me like fingernails on a chalkboard:

1) "itouch" - what the heck is an "itouch?"
2) It's iPad and iPod, not Ipad and Ipod.

 

[tttexxan]

Two things that grate on me like fingernails on a chalkboard:

1) "itouch" - what the heck is an "itouch?"
2) It's iPad and iPod, not Ipad and Ipod.

you got the point thats all that matters really

 

[cmaier]

you got the point thats all that matters really

That's actually not all that matters. Throw some typos on your resume and see what I mean.

 

[CFreymarc]

Very straightforward review. A notebook computer this thin is going to have some functional trade offs. If you want a balls-to-the-wall Apple laptop, get a MacBook Pro. I'm sure the extra centimeter is bearable for you.

 

[nutjob]

Two things that grate on me like fingernails on a chalkboard:

1) "itouch" - what the heck is an "itouch?"
2) It's iPad and iPod, not Ipad and Ipod.

Wow, a mac fanboy grammar nazi. I think I'm going to throw up.

 

[nutjob]

I currently have a 17 in MBP and thinking about getting the 11 inch tom but unsure what size memory I would like to have. This will be a secondary machine to use for email, checking online office manager and so forth. I would love to put CS5 on there to use in a pinch, but not sure it will handle it. Anyone know??

I used to own an Ipad and there is really no comparison. I dont care what anyone says the Ipad is a big Itouch. The typing on the Ipad is a joke and takes forever. Navigating around our Office manager with the Ipad is a JOKE!! It requires tabing to different areas and the Ipad falls short of this big time. Ipad is a great invention, but just not for me. Having an actual keyboard is 100x worth its wt in gold.

Agreed. I'd go further and say what makes the difference is:

- mouse and keyboard
- non locked down, restricted OS
- decent dual core processor, memory, flash drive (all much faster)
- standard ports
- external screen

People who say you can do real work on an ipad and compare it to a laptop and kidding themselves, or they think browsing is real work.

 

[MacKeeper-fan]

I'm glad that Uncle Walt likes the MacBook Air but, as usual, he whispers his praise as he tiptoes through his review for fear of offending the legions of Windoze morons on whom his career depends. At least he has the decency to take off his collar and leash before appearing on camera.

 

[rdlink]

A review without benchmarks is just personal interest fluff.

The 1.4 GHz appears to be terrifying for some users. 6-8 applications open on PowerPC was fine, you just needed the RAM. You still need the RAM and disk drive speed today. 4 GB of RAM was easily standard 3 years ago.

It takes longer for me to type my password than it takes to wake any of my computers.

Perhaps you should take a typing class. Get real. You're running Windows. You're lucky WHEN they wake up. Don't try to make it sound like it happens with any reliability. I know better. I run Windows and support Windows PCs (1500 of them) as well as my personal Macs. They're crap. Buggy. Slow. Crappy hardware. Power hungry, fat hogs.

 

[ValSalva]

Agreed. I'd go further and say what makes the difference is:

- mouse and keyboard
- non locked down, restricted OS
- decent dual core processor, memory, flash drive (all much faster)
- standard ports
- external screen

People who say you can do real work on an ipad and compare it to a laptop and kidding themselves, or they think browsing is real work.

Agreed. I guess Apple felt they needed to fill out their lineup but the 11.6" MB Air destroys the iPad in usability and even light 'work'. I'm loving my 11.6" MB Air.

 

[Regbial]

I have always felt that the MBA and the iPad are for rich people with too much time and money on their hands, who just want to have "the new thing" because everyone else has it.

 

[KnightWRX]

1) "itouch" - what the heck is an "itouch?"

A keyboard sold by Logitech a few years ago.

I have always felt that the MBA and the iPad are for rich people with too much time and money on their hands, who just want to have "the new thing" because everyone else has it.

The price tags on those 2 items don't particularly scream rich to me. Adding up a base iPad and a base MBA 11.6" is still less than my monthly mortgage, which I cover in less than 2 weeks pay. I'm not even close to rich, I drive a beat up 2003 Subaru and live out in the country, 30 minutes outside the city.

People thinking like you are either very, very poor or just envious you can't just impulse buy something with a 999$ pricetag due to too much debt.

 

[nutjob]

I have always felt that the MBA and the iPad are for rich people with too much time and money on their hands, who just want to have "the new thing" because everyone else has it.

The iPad maybe, but the 11.6" MBA is the equal cheapest laptop that Apple sells and contrary to what might be written here it's a fully fledged machine, so what you're saying makes no sense.

 

[frankly]

Is it really that much of a hassle? Also you're going to be waiting a while for every TSA employee to conform to that standard - a computer is a computer to most of them.

Removing a laptop from a bag is not a hassle in and of itself but this statement proves to me that you've never actually travelled with a laptop and definitely never by yourself. When you are going through airport security with a carry-on laptop bag and you have to put your bag in one bin, your shoes and coat in another, and your MBP in yet another while still keeping an eye on the bins as they go through the x-ray and you simultaneously go through x-ray so that someone doesn't pick up your MBP and walk away with it you come to appreciate how great it would be to be able to leave this in the bag.

It is not the truth it is the convenient leaving out of other truths. For example from the review.

Every Macbook/MBP for last 2-3 years (at least ) can practically do the exact same thing. They all wake up and the screen comes alive. If were using a lightweight program before sleep can jump right back in. Pragmatically, the vast majority of folks are not waiting 3-4 days to use their computer again so practicality of the 30 sleep "feature" is dubious. Who buys $1000 computers not to use them for months at a time and can't wait a minute for the drive to spin up if they do?

The difference is when hit a disk access after sleep. The hard drives take longer to spin up.

Again not strictly true. The number of pixels are the same. The dpi is different. If open TextEdit and type a sentence on the 11" screen and do the same on the MBP 13" screen, then the text will be bigger on the MBP 13" screen. If aiming the discussion at "normal folks" then really should note that it is harder to read text off the screen on the 11" version.

• False. The difference between waking up my MBP and my iPad is absolutely noticeable and completely different. I purposely don't let my MBP go to sleeep and instead go into screensaver mode when I'm using it during the day because I don't want to have to wake it back up, allow it to spin up the drive, bring up my login window, reconnect to the network, and then be ready to go. With my iPad I put it to sleep WHENEVER I'm not using it for a few minutes because it wakes up INSTANTLY. The box for my security code is there immediately, I punch in the code and it is 100% ready. Period, end of story. If you don't understand this then I would say you haven't used an iPad.
• 11.6" MBA 1366 by 768, 13" MBP 1280 by 800
  
  It may not be significantly different but 25,088 pixels is more, at least when you use actual math.

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.

This is true but keep in mind that with each year that passes we do push our machines further to their limits so there are some things that don't run as well on a 3-4 year old machine.

I'm glad that Uncle Walt likes the MacBook Air but, as usual, he whispers his praise as he tiptoes through his review for fear of offending the legions of Windoze morons on whom his career depends. At least he has the decency to take off his collar and leash before appearing on camera.

As much as you think he is lapdog, that is how crazy you sound to normal people.

Agreed. I guess Apple felt they needed to fill out their lineup but the 11.6" MB Air destroys the iPad in usability and even light 'work'. I'm loving my 11.6" MB Air.

The two devices are made to do different types of work as someone that owns both a MBP and an iPad I will say that the MBP kills the iPad for certain tasks but that the iPad kills the MBP for other tasks. Pick the right tool for the job.

 

[phpmaven]

Which is why I have no clue why people are making a big deal about wake times. Seriously, does it affect you that much?

Well... It's not just the wake time, but since stand-by time is so good, most people will probably never shut them off. You will just open it up and resume where you left off, which is just like the iPad experience. Of course you could just leave your laptop plugged in and close the lid and do the same thing, but I don't think most people do that.

 

[azurehi]

You are absolutely right. Apple products are pricey, reliable and out of reach for people with lower income... sadly for Microsoft. This is why those netbook and cheap PC are flying out of BB shelves... only to be ridden with Virus, slowed down by antimalware applications and bloated with crapware so that the manufacturer can make a small profit on them at the expense of usability... hence making the pricier Apple product even more appealing to financially stable educated people.

"...hence making the pricier Apple product even more appealing to financially stable educated people."

Rather Elitist, IMHO.

 

[treynolds]

Well... It's not just the wake time, but since stand-by time is so good, most people will probably never shut them off. You will just open it up and resume where you left off, which is just like the iPad experience. Of course you could just leave your laptop plugged in and close the lid and do the same thing, but I don't think most people do that.

The instant-on (return from sleep mode) "feature" is the future. I never turn off my iMac. It wakes and is ready to go in 2 seconds. Wonderful time saver. All those seconds add up, at least they make a psychological difference. Sure beats my Windows experience...

Tony

 

[mariusaz]

Sleep What?

So the longer the thing is in sleep means in his experience it takes longer to wake up? WTF?

 

[frankly]

So the longer the thing is in sleep means in his experience it takes longer to wake up? WTF?

This is true of all Macs before the Air. When it passes a certain amount of time asleep the contents of RAM are copied to the hard drive. This allows for the computer to use less battery while it is asleep. However, when the computer wakes up the entire contents of RAM have to be copied from the hard drive back to RAM. This takes much longer than if the contents were already there.

 

[spyda]

If I wanted to browse the web on a tiny screen, I'd just pull out my iPhone.

 

[Bruce Oksol]

So, I'm driving to school. Stopped at a long red light. Choice: do I open my "instant-on" MBA --flip open the display and start surfing the net; or, do I pull out my iPad and do the same thing: or, do I pull out my iPhone and do the same thing?

It's a no brainer: it's the iPad or iPhone at a red light. I prefer the iPad.

It would be really geeky to be behind the wheel and looking at a laptop, no matter how cool. But an iPad behind the wheel -- no problem.

 

[AidenShaw]

So, I'm driving to school. Stopped at a long red light. Choice: do I open my "instant-on" MBA --flip open the display and start surfing the net; or, do I pull out my iPad and do the same thing: or, do I pull out my iPhone and do the same thing?

It's a no brainer: it's the iPad or iPhone at a red light. I prefer the iPad.

It would be really geeky to be behind the wheel and looking at a laptop, no matter how cool. But an iPad behind the wheel -- no problem.

Any of the three would be illegal in California.

You're driving - you should focus on that.

 

[KnightWRX]

If I wanted to browse the web on a tiny screen, I'd just pull out my iPhone.

A tiny screen with better resolution than a MBP 13".

Unless you're seriously blind and keep zooming into pages, you're getting more displayed on the screen.

 

[nutjob]

So, I'm driving to school. Stopped at a long red light. Choice: do I open my "instant-on" MBA --flip open the display and start surfing the net; or, do I pull out my iPad and do the same thing: or, do I pull out my iPhone and do the same thing?

It's a no brainer: it's the iPad or iPhone at a red light. I prefer the iPad.

It would be really geeky to be behind the wheel and looking at a laptop, no matter how cool. But an iPad behind the wheel -- no problem.

You should say "no-brain":

- with a laptop you can see the screen comfortably with no hands, the ipad has to be propped up
- you can operate the laptop with one hand comfortably (see above point)
- you can enter text (web addresses, passwords, whatever) much more quickly on a laptop

Lets face it, the iPad is a pretentious toy, people like the above have just convinced themselves it's useful... without any facts.

 

[entatlrg]

I don't know why, but the Air line has never appealed to me at all. But I'm not attracted to really skinny people either.... maybe we have a theme working here.

try it before you knock it ...