Apple’s new MacBook Air is “the Cube 2.0,” according to CNET executive editor Molly Wood.
Wood writes, “The Air has no Ethernet port (!), no optical drive, no removable battery, and requires a micro-DVI connector for output to an external monitor.” In addition Wood bemoans the MacBook Air’s 80GB drive, which she calls, “hilariously, half the capacity of the largest iPod Classic.”
MacDailyNews Note: The so-called battery issue is way overblown by MacBook Air naysayers and the fact that users have to use the included Micro-DVI to DVI adapter or Micro-DVI to VGA adapter for an external monitor is a total non-issue. Also, for US$29, the MacBook Air has an Ethernet port. Shocker. For US$99, the MacBook Air has a physical optical drive, a SuperDrive, in fact. Or for no extra cost, the MacBook Air can use the optical drive of a nearby Mac or PC via the included Remote Disc software. Double shocker. If the MacBook Air’s internal drive sizes are an issue for you, then you either don’t understand the intended use of the MacBook Air or you need to carry along some additional storage (for example, an iPod in Disk Mode) or the MacBook Air isn’t for you (please see take below).
Wood writes, “I think in the future, I’ll be able to update this post with one more important comparison: the Cube, although a stunning piece of industrial design, was a commercial flop, and I think the MacBook Air will be, too.”
Wood writes, “The top-of-the-line black MacBook offers the same sized screen as the MacBook Air, a more powerful processor, twice the hard-drive capacity, and with 2GB of RAM to match the Air’s, still costs $150 less. And your tradeoff is what, 2 pounds and a little bit of baby fat?”
“So that leaves you in Cube-land again: with a very small and well-heeled potential audience willing to spend $1,800 or more (or just over $3,000 if they opt for the 64GB solid-state drive for maximum tech-forwardness) simply to bask in the glow of outstanding design,” Wood writes.
“Let’s hope they’re not cranking out MacBook Airs by the hundred-thousand, because I just don’t think they’re going to need them,” Wood writes.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Okey Dokey. Wood has been iCal’ed for future use, right or wrong. One thing to remember is that people who are outside of a product’s target market often have difficulty making accurate predictions about that product’s viability. People who see Apple’s MacBook or MacBook Pro as preferable to the MacBook Air are simply not in the MacBook Air’s target market. We’d venture to guess that Apple will be just fine with those people choosing MacBooks or MacBook Pros instead.
Those who critique MacBook Air as if it’s designed to serve the entire portable market are fools.
I’m still running my 12″ PB from ’04… but… the MB Air is the perfect product for writers, bloggers, traveling photographers, etc…. I use my optical drive minimally and usually just need wireless to get online and a machine to type on…. the air fits MANY people’s needs.
If it fits in my briefcase it will cut my carry-on luggage in half. In some airports now you can only have one item. This is huge — for me at least.
Besides, I think my MacBook Air will look great next to my Cube.
I still use my G4 Cube at home and it’s a wonderful computer; no regrets here on not only a beautifully designed machine, but a quiet and fast one at that. Apple should have more “flops” like the Cube.
Why try to predict ?
I personally do not know anybody using or even wanting a “sub notebook” and I know i’m not qualified to judge the MacBook Air’s features.
Still the gut feeling isn’t there for this latest laptop as I felt it for the iPhone, iPod Touch and even Apple TV. I don’t know what’s missing (or what i’m missing) but there seems to be a lack of “Eureka!” with this product like there was one with the first incarnation of apple TV.
Has Apple taken a new trial & error tactic for product development (somewhat akin to M$) ? Is this a sign that steve needs new market feedback to “guess” what people want ? None of these are bad things if done right mind you.
In any case the macbook air will either succeed or fail and something good will come out of it either way, even if it’s just lessons learned by apple for the next incarnation of it or of a new product category.
why doesn’t anyone realize what the MBA is really for….
1) it will be a major factor in increasing sales in Japan where the sub notebook market is huge
2) it also will protect Apple’s image as a state of the art design/manufacturer even if the sales numbers are modest
imagine the negative effect an MBA-like machine from someone like Dell would have had on Apple’s status as THE notebook to buy
Alright, complaining that there isn’t an ethernet port is like complaining that there isn’t a serial port. It is a laptop, why do people buy laptops, so they don’t have to be plugged in. It is rapidly becoming a wireless world. I could understand how the lack of a optical drive could be scary to some. However, if the software that comes with it works then why bother, chances are you have another computer in your house that does have an optical drive, and if not, get a companion one for 100 bucks, no big deal. I personally find myself downloading most of my software off the internet these days anyways. I mean how often are you downloading huge apps that require an optical drive, and how many music CD’s do you burn a day? Do you even listen to CD’s anymore? I can understand your hits on the processor power and HDD size and speed (since it is only at 4200). Understand this though, the Air was not ment to be your mobile media warehouse. This is a general-use, business type computer that is meant to be easily transported. You don’t need all that power, what is the point if you more than likely are going to use it for things like web surfing (wirelessly I might add), word processing, or e-mailing. And yeah, maybe listening to some tunes while doing it, but hey, this computer isn’t equiped with a 486, you’ll be just fine, don’t worry your little head. If it can handle what you want to use it for, and you can use it anywhere with a signal easily then why not make it look hot and shave off some pounds.
Does that make a “Macbook Air killer” a Cube 3.0?
To be honest, the cost is too much for me and I know I’m not the target market, but personally, if I could buy a regular Macbook with the same “stripped down” features of the Air but the same thickness but cheaper then I’d love it. I realise the size and weight is a premium and I have no problem with that.
I think we have to keep in mind that this is Apple’s subnotebook. How viable is the whole subnotebook market? I noticed on Cnet reviews last week that there are a lot of subnotebooks with the features of the MBA with a smaller screen and slower processor selling in the $1500 to 2000 range. And butt ugly too.
MDN constructive critism is necessary … especially when its warranted. An 80g hard drive is a joke – especially in a machine w/o an optical drive … i.e. it implies the owner would carry every thing he needs on the laptop itself. At the very least Apple could have included an Flash memory port.
I also wish they’d come out with a $700 laptop.
If Apple is not interested in making a range of laptops or desktops to fit everyone’s needs it should really just go ahead and license the OS to Lenovo, Toshiba and HP … we’ll never get above 10% market share at this rate!
The MBA is going to be attractive to a very narrow audience. If someone wants performance then they can save money and get a better model from the Mac Books. I just think that for it has, or does not have, it is way too expensive..especially heading into a recession. My guess is price cut in the summer.
According to everymacdotcom, the Cube was introduced on July 19, 2000 at a price of $1799. On the very same day, Apple introduced a PowerMac G4 that was only $1599. The Cube was a flop because out of these two DESKTOP systems, the PowerMac gave much more bang for the buck. All the Cube had to offer was silence and style.
Fast forward to the present, a MacBookPro starts at $1999, but is bigger and heavier than the MBAir. So the MBA is not like the Cube in that it is cheaper and it weighs less than it’s nearest sibling. (I’m not counting the MacBook in this comparison due to it’s consumer-grade nature and lack of Aluminum body)
I’m looking to buy a new laptop, but as a former Cube owner, I’m afraid I think he’s right – the Air has far too few features built in (other than light weight) to really appeal to people.
I know people will say that there are optical drives and other perepherals available for it if you need them, but if you have to go to the trouble of carrying them with you in your laptop bag, then doesn’t that just make it up to the weight of a normal, fully featured MacBook?
I’m just waiting for the MacBook Pro to be upgraded with it’s rumoured faster processor and multi-touch track-pad and I’ll get one of those (if it’s got all it’s normal features left in place…)
Wood is very often right about a lot of things, and that’s all I’ll say about that. (She is notoriously anti-Apple too though, I’ve listened to her podcasts for years)
I agree w/ Mac_Atty. Not sure who they were trying to please here. Sort of an ego design if you ask me. Just wanted to show that they could make the lightest (NOT the smallest) laptop. Really, where is the poll or market research that says a 3lb laptop is a huge niche that needed filling? A 3.5 pounder with small footprint would be great. That’s what “spaces” was made for. The Air still has a huge footprint, which makes it that much more vulnerable to damage in your backpack or case. They SHOULD redo a cube 2.0. My cube is still running and holds all my family junk in the house on an external drive. I was hoping to replace my 12″ powerbook, but it looks I have to wait longer…. (sigh).
I’m sure there is a niche market for the MacBook Air, the question is how big is that niche? I think thats what people should be discussing. If I was a globe trotting rich guy who was more concerned about size than performance or price, I may be in the market. I am however none of those things.
Also, I’m sick of people saying “theres a dongle for that”. Having anything dangling off my wafer thin laptop is highly inconvenient, especially one thats main feature is convenience. There is merit in the argument that many of the missing features are outdated and not required, but there is also merit to the argument that they are not there. Dongles are a messy, almost un-Apple like, solution.
The MacBook Air is what it is. Will it sell nearly as well as a MacBook? I doubt it. But Apple probably already knows that.
Part of the reason MacBook Air may fair poorly in comparison to the other MacBook models is that they are targeted at Apple’s “traditional” market – home users who are heavy on digital media – while the MBA seems to target business users more (perhaps its initials are not an accident?)
That said, the MacBook Air might be more attractive if it had a built-in cellular card that could use your iPhone data plan (with a small monthly upgrade of, say, $5 – $10 if AT&T;insists) – only problem there is lock-in to one carrier.
We are starting to get Dell laptops here at work that will take an internal cell card, either EVDO (Verizon/Sprint) or GSM/EDGE (AT&T;/TMobile) + a SIM card, and the road-warrior execs are really taking a liking this ability.
Are you all kidding me? the Air is *the* perfect writing machine. Palm / Visor tried to do this 8 years ago with keyboards for the handhelds… This machine is a writers dream! Anywhere and on ready to go… 80gb.. no, I’d get the SSD.. even so 64gb holds a lot of text or even .doc files!!!!
Oh and the microDVI will be unpopular with business users, at least until network-enabled projectors (which would allow you to connect via WiFi) become more common.
Currently the MacBook Air is the 3 best selling portable on Amazon.
“Molly Wood” and CNET, says it all.
Macs are bad and she has Wood for brains. NUFF said. LOL
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
PS, If she is anti- Apple, then we know she has been wrong about it many times. Just look at what she initially said (I have not so am taking a chance by saying this, but I think a small chance
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” /> ) about the iPod, iPhone, iTunes, Apple stores, etc. Most anti-Apple people just like finding pretend fault with anything that Apple does. And when Apple goes crazy with the product, “Well, they say, you can’t be right all the time.” But they seldom are.
Also, anti-Apple people usually play up the dull dross from places like Microsoft, HP, Dell, etc.
JMHO
en
MDN = view , as in JMH view.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
I agree that 1 USB port is pretty lame, and it should have a FW port or two perhaps… At least until everyone gets happy and comfortable with WIFI for everything.
Comparing it to the Cube is a mistake. As it was, the Cube was far more upgradeable. It had FW, USB, 3 RAM slots, a video card slot, even the processor is upgradable. All this by the end user.
The iMac, Mac Mini, and most of the new macbooks don’t offer any thing in terms of serious upgrade options. You have to get a mac pro for that.
All that being said, my 2 year old iMac Core Duo is doing just fine, thank you. As is my recently aquired Cube
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
I’ve got a deposition Thursday in some hick area where the closest airport is three hours away.
One of the things I need to go over with the witness is frame-by-frame photos (each stored as separate jpgs) on a CD. I’ve already done what I normally do in those situations–copy the CD to disk, and then copy that back to a thumb drive as needed. The CD itself isn’t used other than the original copying to computer.
If I had a MacBook Air I’d be able to just stick the machine in my file in the briefcase, and toss the power adapter in the bottom of my suit bag.
The hotel advertises itself as having internet, but not wireless. The only thing I can count on is an ethernet plug. So the lack of a jack on the Air wouldn’t really matter–either I’m go to bring along an airport express, or an ethernet cable. Bringing a USB dongle at the end of the cable I have to bring anyway wouldn’t trouble me much.
If I had a MacBook Air I’d be able to just stick the machine in my file in the briefcase, and toss the power adapter and ethernet cable in the bottom of my suit bag. The MacBook is too heavy for that, so that means another bag. There isn’t anything I need for this trip, or any other trip I’ve taken, that the Air doesn’t have or that the plain MacBook provides for me other than some extra weight and bulk.
Buy a $3000 MacBook Air and a $800 Mac Mini.
Problem solved.
NeoVoyager —
That’s the thing – Molly Woods is NOT correct about a lot of things. And yes, she has always been anti-Apple.
My friends: these “articles” are hit-trolling at their worst.
Just. Don’t. Read.
PS: Why is CNET a target for takeover?