“The MacBook Air laptop that CEO Steve Jobs unveiled last week turns heads. And now that I’ve used this Twiggy-thin, 3-pound marvel for several days, I can also report that it’s a remarkably sturdy-feeling machine, especially given its size and weight,” Ed Baig reports for USA Today.
“The skinny — the word can’t be emphasized enough — $1,799 (and up) computer will make students and frequent business travelers gush. Encased in aluminum, Air has a comfortable-to-type-on full-size keyboard, widescreen 13.3-inch display and an iSight video camera,” Baig reports.
“But with too few ports, a sealed battery that you can’t replace on your own and no built-in CD/DVD drive, Air is not the ideal laptop for everyone. And while battery power is impressive, it pooped out in my tests well short of the best-case, five-hour scenario Apple has been touting,” Baig reports.
MacDailyNews Take: There must be solutions for people trying to use an Air in ways it was not intended to be used, right? Well, you could carry an external battery for MacBook Air, which, we suspect, will soon become available. It’s pretty much the same as having to carry a second battery, except you’ll have to live with it not being stuck into the Air itself. You could pick up a tiny, inexpensive USB hub and turn one port into three or more. You could get Apple’s US$99 SuperDrive for CD/DVD use. If any or all of these solutions strike you as untenable, the Air really isn’t designed for you. You’re probably more of a MacBook or MacBook Pro user.
Baig continues, “Air opens and closes with a magnetic latch. The wide, backlit LED screen is lovely. The keyboard keys light up the dark — there’s a built-in ambient light sensor. Just below the keyboard is a spacious track-pad on which you can ‘pinch,’ ‘swipe’ and apply other iPhone-like touch gestures. You can resize pictures, for example, by placing your thumb and forefinger together.”
“As with all new Macs, Air has the latest virus-resistant OS X Leopard operating system. (It puts Windows Vista to shame.) The top-notch iLife multimedia suite includes iPhoto (for photo management) and iMovie (video editing),” Baig reports.
“Given the compromises, I don’t expect anyone to use Air as their only computer. But it is a yummy machine for people who spend a lot of time traveling,” Baig reports.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Citymark” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: Baig’s right, “Air is not the ideal laptop for everyone.” Just as Apple’s Mac Pro is not designed to serve the entire desktop market, Apple’s MacBook Air is not designed to serve the entire portable market.
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.
I can’t wait to see one in person at my Store…
…I think I’ll leave my credit card at home, just in case temptation gets the better of me.
<sarcasm> Too bad it’s the Cube 2.0 </sarcasm>
I was thinking about this the other day when rejigging the cables on my mini in the spare room, to a certain extent if a device doesn’t have enough ports then you need a hub, in which case it almost may as well only have 1 port anyway – especially if we’re just talking about a mouse or iPod or something minimal like that.
Personally, I would love one of these but with a 24″ iMac a laptop as a second machine is a luxury at any price. Personally I would like a Macbook but with the features stripped down the same as the air, almost like a wireless terminal. Of course that would make the Macbook a real budget machine which is perhaps not the market they want.
The MacBook Air is going to be the future of laptop computers.
It all has to do with heat, processors cannot be made any faster or better without incuring a lot of heat, which requires more cooling and a larger battery.
This is one reason why Apple switched to Intel processors, because RISC processors by nature have more heat.
So instead of carrying around a suitcase laptop, performance was reduced (see MBA processor specs) and battery hogging functions (optical) were moved to external devices.
Note: The MBA “only” Superdrive uses more USB power than normal and may not work with other computers or with hubs/other devices on a hub.
The MacBook Air is a first in a whole line of new laptop computers and external devices. Where reliance on the internet for storing files, even running apps will become the norm.
I am predicting a new sort of device for the mobile professional that requires all the functions of a MBP, it will have a larger case so the larger battery and more processor performance can be utilized.
So another shoe is going to be dropped by Apple shortly.
It would be an ideal laptop for students of all ages. You could take notes, send e-mail and research on the web without having to lug a larger computer.
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I feel the same.
It’s been some time since Apple introduced a computer that I don’t really need but want so much. I shall also leave my credit card at home when I go and see it here in Berlin.
“Yummy”? Did he lick it?
Why couldn’t they just bring back the old 12″ Powerbook in a new slightly less skinny form. I don’t agree that the non-replaceable battery is a big deal. I’ve had a 17″ Powerbook for 4 years and I’m still using the original battery. But the lack of ports *is* a big compromise on this machine. And the price is a little high. I guess I’m not in the right market demographic, huh? (I wonder who is?)
MAC Book Air is the sissy MAC for MAC sissies. A real laptop has Windows, ports and girth. Believe it or not at one time Apple had two out of three of those. When this moron reviewer is gushy about how thin and lightweight this toy is I want to puke. Who cares? It doesn’t come with Windows so it’s totally useless.
I suggest you MAC sheep get to the gym so you can have a little more choice when it comes to laptops. And give it up with the fascination with MACs. Apple won’t be around in a couple of years.
Your potential. Our passion.™
The whole world is starting to think like him: that Leopard puts Windows to shame…
The hardware is stunning but the software is even better.
APPL is going to be a case study when it bounces mightily in a few weeks time.
I am going to NYC next week. and I am getting me one.
I don’t care about the battery crap they keep complaining about.
and of corse I am getting a USB network adapter.
“I ran into initial snags trying to remotely install software from the DVD drive in a Dell PC, until tweaking settings in Windows.”
There’s a shock.
And the price is a little high.
My opinion is, especially with the $3000 all flash drive option and the lack of moving parts, is that Apple forsee’s a decline in laptop sales from turnover with this MacBook Air.
The only thing I see that could wear out is the USB port from constant use. Sure the battery, but that can be easily replaced in under three minutes.
As long as no one sits on the darn thing, it could easily last 6 years or more, instead of the normal 3 year turnover rate.
It’s performance is hobbled anyway, mostly a internet/email, word/spreadsheet machine anyway.
So Apple may have made the best value computer, despite it’s higher price tag.
$3000/6 = only $500 a year for computer use.
Someone could come out with an external battery that plugs into the USB port. And it could give you a built-in USB hub, so that you don’t loose your USB port usage. This way, maybe you could charge the battery from the laptop itself later when you are connected to power. Or charge it from a “power to USB” module made for iPod or similar (might need to be bigger.)
An alternate unit could be a desk dock-type unit in which they include the Ethernet adapter, a modem, 3 USB ports, and maybe a card reader or other card capability, but without the extra battery.
to OldMacMan:
How do you figure that the MacBook Air’s life expectancy is any longer than that of any other recent Apple laptop?
The 12″ PowerBook was nothing more than a 12″ iBook in a metal case, which I suppose was meant to make it more acceptable to “business” types. It had identical specs as the iBook.
The Air is a new class of machine. It’ll be interesting to see how it evolves.
My guess is that we may see a user replaceable battery and at least one more USB port or, better still, a FireWire port. people seem to forget about Bluetooth. An Express Card 34 slot would be great!
The first MacBook Pro lacked FireWire 800, which was included in Rev.B. That’s why I waited for the Rev.C Core Duo MBP. The Air will be no different. Apple DOES actually listen to it’s user base… sometimes.
GizmoDan
I think the magsafe connector makes more sense than a USB model.
How is performance hobbled?
1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo on the entry level. The MacBook is using a slightly faster 2.0 GHz. Oh my god, it’s 20% slower than the MacBook, I can’t possibly use it. Get real.
How many users out there are using a PowerBook? That’s two generations behind this new laptop. Are you having problems sending e-mail, surfing the web?
People bitch just to hear themselves bitch.
I totally agree with you. This is the PERFECT computer for students. My wife is a medical student and carries around her MacBook. I think she has used the superdrive in it less than 5 times over the past year. She has all of her files come wirelessly from the school. I think she needs one of these when they get into the Apple Store by us. (That way I can steal it on the weekends)
And for students, business travelers, vacationers et al., there is the Voltaic Solar Daypack or a Solaris foldable solar panel. Possibly handy for daytime travel.
Here is another comparison:
May 2006- MacBook Intel Core Duo 1.8 GHz (notice it is not the Core 2)
Only 12% slower than that. But wait, that MacBook isn’t a core 2 while the MacBook Air is. I guess users of the MacBook from 2006 should just chuck them in the trash ’cause they’re crippled and you can’t get work done on them.
Being sold now – iMac Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz
Only 20% faster than the MacBook Air and that’s a desktop Mac.
It comes down to “what do you need?”. If it’s rendering stuff as fast as possible, then this is not for you, go buy a Mac Pro with 8 processors.
If you’re a sales person or someone who travels alot and needs to check e-mail, surf the web, work in MS Word and Excel, then I think this is the Mac for you.
Same crap was being said about the iPod when it first came out.
Now what’s the iPod’s current status? Kicking ass.
Sales of the MBA will really take off once more people have the opportunity to see one.
How do you figure that the MacBook Air’s life expectancy is any longer than that of any other recent Apple laptop?
Less moving parts, in in the case of the solid state flash drive model even more.
Certain programs still work very well over the years and never really needed much of a processor upgrade. Namely the internet, email and word/spreadsheet programs.
So elliminate the moving parts, use wireless to transfer data and your pretty much set with a longterm portable.
I’ve seen people bemoan the fact that the MBA isn’t a 12″ AluPB. I have a 12″ AluPB, I’m typing on right now. It’s lovely. However, I’d rather have a MBA. While 12″ sounds tiny, it is, in one dimension, ie footprint. It’s thickness, over 1 inch, far thicker than my TiPB, is annoying. The edge of the laptop is always digging into my wrists due to its height.
The question is what dimension of small is more beneficial. Is it footprint or thickness. I vote for thickness. My 12″ AluPB takes as much room in my brief as my 15″ TiPB, because it’s fatter. Sure, there’s more space around my 12″, but I don’t use that space, since I dont’ want the powerbrick, rubbing against the laptop.
A MBA is so thin, I can fit folders on both sides, just as if it were a folder itself. I don’t have to waste space in my briefcase. It’ll take up far less actual space, weigh less, and I’ll bring just as few dongles as before. Remember, the 12″ needs a mini-DVI dongle too. I use an Airport Express with it for ethernet connections and wireless print serving. The MBA has a smaller powerbrick. I have a USB Wwan. I just don’t see the downside.
“So elliminate the moving parts, use wireless to transfer data and your pretty much set with a longterm portable.”
Yep, and don’t forget LED backlight. The MBAs only real weak point would be that little spinning hard drive. Other than that it should be rock solid.