“There can be no real question that the MacBook Air is a truly innovative product. One close-up look at its incredibly bright, clear screen; its stunningly light and thin design; the inclusion of multi-touch functions; and the combination of wireless technologies show that the MacBook Air continues Apple’s tradition of next-generation innovation and design,” Ryan Faas reports for Computerworld. “But does that mean that it’s the perfect portable Mac for everyone?”
“Probably not,” Faas reports.
“For users who want a second Mac for the road, the MacBook Air could put you on cloud nine. If you already own another computer to balance out the MacBook Air’s limitations at home or work, you may not even notice them. Even if you don’t rely on another Mac, an external hard drive – either connected directly or shared via an AirPort Extreme or the new Time Capsule – may be all you need, though it’s still a wise idea to get the USB SuperDrive,” Faas reports.
“For users who want a Mac that goes anywhere and weighs next to nothing, the MacBook Air is an incredible solution. Any road warrior will love both its size and weight, as well as the battery life. While there may not be a huge number of Mac users ready to pay for such portability, there is no doubt a market for the MacBook Air – especially when you consider that it is aggressively priced compared with the competition. And like all Intel Macs, it allows you to run both Mac OS X and Windows,” Faas reports.
“The MacBook Air won’t be out for another couple of weeks, but anyone who spends a few minutes with the machine will be amazed on many levels. It may not be the portable Mac for everyone, but no one can say that it isn’t an incredible achievement. And for those for whom it makes sense, it is also an incredibly sophisticated next-generation computer,” Faas reports.
Full review here.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
My head wants one, but my wallet won’t allow me.
What’s a guy to do?
I like the way it appears to float when you are looking down at it. Genius!
And like most Apple products it is a forward thinking machine. What most reviewers are calling “cons” are really things that are unnecessary and or soon will be obsolete.
Since a built in wireless modem is really out of the question due size and carrier lock-in, Apple should design USB modems that will work for the different carrier networks.
I want one but the price and lack of features scares me off. Like having a Lamborgini with a 4 cylinder 90 HP engine
My wife is interested. Can wait to see a real one.
I guess the stock is really going to 130.
I might have bought one…
…if my nest egg hadn’t just got scrambled.
“My head wants one, but my wallet won’t allow me. What’s a guy to do?”
Easy. Get a new wallet first.
I’ve yet to see any review(er) grab the corners of the display and try to twist them. Is it flimsy or not? Same for the base. Just wondering.
Nice ‘second’ Mac but too expensive for that purpose. It is beautiful though!
I find it surprising that so few even make mention of the DRM Apple has installed at the core level of the OS where Remote Disc won’t let you play, transfer, or move copies of any media files. This can have massive implications if you are trying to restore your system from a back-up drive and have any collection of purchased media. For me this a major deal killer as I will never support DRM in any fashion, and I simply don’t want or need Uncle Steve treating me like a thief. Perhaps they haven’t been paying attention to the main reason most kids I know won’t upgrade to Vista and are instead considering Linux; primarily because of the core level embedded DRM. I will be watching Apple closely on this issue and if they continue on this trend I may find myself making a reluctant switch to Linux.
I find it surprising that so few even make mention of the DRM Apple has installed at the core level of the OS where Remote Disc won’t let you play, transfer, or move copies of any media files.
Care to back that assertion up with a reference? I can’t find any.
If I read one more ‘journalist’ refer to Mac fans as ‘the faithful’ I think I’m going to puke.
Is it required or something?
“My head wants one, but my wallet won’t allow me. What’s a guy to do?”
Sell the wife.
Most kids won’t upgrade to Vista because it has DRM and therefore cannot be bootlegged.
Computer makers know who they’re dealing with, as do retailers, who know that 45% of the theft from their stores is from their own employees. People are thieves and don’t consider it stealing to run bootlegged software. Apple, HP, Adobe, Quark etc etc know this so they face reality and treat everyone as thieves to mitigate the risk.
Before you kneejerkers reply, note I didn’t say ALL people.
“care to back that up…”
Okay.
http://tinyurl.com/363ojs
Dilbert’s right, the MBA is exactly like a Lamborgini, most people simply can’t afford it, and make excuses. They are both in a class by themselves, and if you could afford it, you’d buy one. Honestly, with a Lambo you have to worry about insurance, theft, service, not to mention it’s not a family car, yet Lamborgini still finds people on this planet who’ll want it, and buy it.Steve Jobs has thought of everything when it come to the MBA, it’s just not for the masses, like a Lambo or 8 core Mac Pro. So why don’t the masses just be honest like me and say “it’s perfect, but it’s outta my league”.
This unit needs to be seen and touched before any judgement is made. Students are going to eat this thing up later in the year.
C1, making scrambled eggs on your yacht a few months later than planned is no big deal.
Awesome in pictures, better in person… but I want that giant pinch-zoomin’ trackpad more than I want the light weight.
The price is right, but if new MacBook Pros get the multitouch stuff soon, I’ll go that route instead. I don’t travel much.
Says maclover, “the MBA is exactly like a Lamborgini, most people simply can’t afford it”. Well, not exactly. It’s more like a BMW 335xi coupe for those who can only afford a Mazda or Ford. Many compromises, but a real joy nonetheless. The Lambo’ is an order of magnitude more expensive than the mainstream product, which the MBA is not.
LOL – Raymond, you know what I mean, quit nitpickin, this forum does enough of that, I even get up on my soapbox and do it sometimes, but your point is well taken. As a matter of fact, it’s 3:30pm on a friday here in New York, I need to find something
better to do, like hard drinks and soft women.
Have a great weekend evryone.
I have never missed an optical drive, user-replaceable battery or ethernet on my iPod Touch. What is my point? That the MBA is a Mac designed as if the iPod Touch was the design of computers.
Think Different – remember…
With the MBA you can’t rip a DVD over the WiFi network using a remote disk. You can rip a DVD using the optional external Superdrive.
Tell me, how is that evidence of built in DRM on the MBA, if you can still rip a DVD with a MBA?
Go spread your FUD elsewhere.
“Dilbert, I want one but the price and lack of features scares me off. Like having a Lamborgini with a 4 cylinder 90 HP engine.”
Appropriate name.
Yeah, I’m with C1 on this. I’ve got 1670 shs of Apple now, since I doubled down this week. I need the stock to go up $1 in order to pay for my MBA! Actually, I’d like it to go up $20, before I’ll feel comfortable enough to take some money out to buy an MBA. Actually, actually, I’ll wait until the first units are out to make sure there aren’t any bugs, and then start shopping the refurb store!
Here you go, guys:
http://www.barakhusseinobama.com/
“With the MBA you can’t rip a DVD over the WiFi network using a remote disk. You can rip a DVD using the optional external Superdrive. Tell me, how is that evidence of built in DRM on the MBA, if you can still rip a DVD with a MBA? Go spread your FUD elsewhere.”
Glad to see you finally figured it out. In order to simply watch a DVD or listen to a CD, you will need the optional optical drive; a drive that will only work on the authorized MBAir and nothing else – just like an iPod – to make sure you can’t transfer media files. That’s DRM on a hardware level. And furthermore, how will you rebuild your iTunes library from a back-up network harddrive when it refuses to let you import your already paid for music files? Oh yeah, that’s right, I forgot – you can just buy them all again from iTunes.
Enjoy your Kool-Aid fanboy.