“It fits in a manila folder, you can slide it under a door, and if you threw it hard enough you could probably chop someone in half with the thing. It’s the thinnest, and if we may say so, sexiest laptop around today: the MacBook Air,” Ryan Block writes for Engadget.
“It’s hard to take lightly (har) the purposeful design that went into the Air, it’s simply and without a doubt the most beautiful laptop we’ve seen in a while,” Block writes.
“There are a lot of things that the Air gets right, and a decent amount of horsepower is one of ’em. Apple didn’t take the easy route and go with an etiolated Ultra Low Voltage (read: ultra low performance) chip, they actually pushed Intel to repackage a slower version of its full-on Core 2 Duo processor. We were a little disappointed when Steve announced this wasn’t the new power-efficient, lower-heat 45nm Penryn chip design, but in the time we’ve played with the Air, it’s still rarely managed to output enough heat to raise an eyebrow. This is actually a laptop that belongs on your lap — without any fear of sterility. Of course, as our Mac-on-Mac benchmarks showed, the 1.6GHz chip is still a little on the slow side, but the Air is by no means unusable. It’s not really one of Steve’s ‘screamers’ — but ultraportables aren’t really intended to be,” Block writes.
“The Air isn’t supposed to be everything for everyone. For those in need of a machine that masters basics in a super thin, light form-factor, and who have the coin to pay for that ultraportability, the Air absolutely nails it like few others,” Block writes.
“Apple’s learned to take the next step in miniaturizing their portable computers. While not all Mac users are going to stand in line to get this latest machine, Apple is doubtless welcomed back into the ultraportable laptop market by the technology world. Perhaps the largest side-effect of the Air won’t be ditching optical drives, though; for the rest of Apple’s consumer base it’s now just a matter of time before other Mac laptop lines benefit from the technical and engineering advances that made this thing so thin and light. Give us the lovechild of the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro, and it’s all over,” Block writes.
Full article here.
ChrissyOne,
Don’t forget the tops, dear.
Old Mac Man,
Doesn’t matter. All blood supply is already diverted to critical area.
Z.T.,
You fool. The name Harry P. Ness is an alias for Asami Yamazaki.
Japanese restraining techniques is an understatement. Run while you still can, or you won’t have a foot to stand on. Don’t say you haven’t been warned.
@ LorD1776
I never neglect a good top.
these posts provide a very good laugh… thank you all
ChrissyOne,
Yeah, but it’s ALL good as far as I’m concerned.
Now, about poor Zune Tang …
There are a lot of well-heeled students in the world (or at least a lot of students with well-heeled parents), and they’re going to be a big market for the MBA.
Just imagine, you have an iMac on your desk in your room (or rooms) and you only have this light and sexy device to carry around from lecture to lecture.
With that combination, all the ‘disadvantages’ disappear and the advantages become irresistible.
Young people love things with a strong, sexy image, and it could well be that the MBA will become a real must-have device on the world’s campuses.
I want MacBook Air with 45nm penryn
Gavron,
It’s just seems so obvious, doesn’t it? I don’t understand why more people can’t see this.
macmekrazy,
Steve says “NO”. Sorry.
It’s so simple:
If you don’t like it, don’t buy it!
I LOVE the machine, but in my case, my MacBook pro is a more convenient machine. Yes, I’m a road warrior, and my laptop is practically my office. Yes, it’s bigger, heavier and not as sexy as the MBA (it still looks sexier than the other PC laptops in the room, though) and I use my SuperDrive a lot.
So, the MBA is NOT the laptop for me. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s an amazing achievement, and a super cool computer. I WANT one, but I don’t NEED one. Would I have some spare cash, I’d buy one just to have it.
So… again if the critics don’t like it, get a MBP!!
Grifterus,
“bigger, heavier and not as sexy “
Well, I believe that ChrissyOne and I would beg to differ with that comment, sir.
I went and read the full article and then some of the comments.
GOD!! This windows whiners and fan boys are such a stick in the mud.
” For an ultra light it should have larger battery, more ports, smaller keyboard, bla, bla, bla.”
“Its too expensive (compaired to all the more expensive ultra pcs)..”
“Its made by Steve Jobs so it sucks… “
AAAgggggghhhhh. Are all these people so stupid or clueless or is there just a large base of well paid Windblows that spend all day posting MS fanboy crap????????
—
I just have to say that overall (on average), I see so much more intelligent comments made by Apple users than I ever see from Windows users. …… I have to guess that extended use of windows makes ones brain go bad……
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(legal note. I am talking average, not the ultra fanboy post from either side…)
en
Obviously fragile, because Wintrolls who never touched one say it HAS to be. (But if Dell made one so thin they’d be naturally all over it.)
It can’t possibly be amazingly rigid, with firm keys seldom seen on an ultraportable, as reviewers who actually USED one have said. Not possibly.
Because as everyone knows, anyone who likes an Apple product is a paid Shill. Liking an Apple product is PROOF of it. Only an idiot or a paid shill would dare venture away from the loving arms of Microsoft.
That’s why a $2000 Sony subnotebook is great, but a $2000 Mac subnotebook (which is both thinner and faster) is “grossly overpriced.”
That’s why subnotebooks in general are for stupid gullible people–if Mac users buy them. But it’s fine if Windows users buy them. Who would be so stupid as to buy a Mac, that can run both Mac OS and Windows? For the same price you can have a lovely Windows-only machine–and pleasantly thicker too! Best of all, you can use it as a desktop replacement! There’s no way (without a $5 USB hub) to do that with a MacBook Air.
Happy trolling, jealous Windows sheep–your insecurity speaks volumes.
@anti-creative cretin:
BINGO. Excellent point.
PS from my above post. CNET, PC Mag, Engadget, etc are still MS tools. Sorry but if you read a number of articles form any of of these sites and watch them compare a Mac and a pc or the software for either, you will get an article that ALWAYS finds major fault with the Apple side and even if the pc sucks big time they will give it a dull but so so review.
Sorry, but I want to look forward and for the better, not focus on old, boring, dull designs that give me nothing new and only stick me with someone elses hand off.
Moving forward.
en
I never neglect a good top.
That’s good to hear.
I had one dimwit that tried to paint her toenails at the same time.
We all know the MAC Book Air sucks.
Hmmm, guess that’s better than “blows.”
Every had a newbie actually “blow” instead of suck?
Quite a disturbing experience. Like Windows.
Doesn’t matter. All blood supply is already diverted to critical area.
I would like to be able to walk afterwards.
And in the case of a jealous boyfriend with a baseball bat, RUN!!
“And in the case of a jealous boyfriend with a baseball bat, RUN!!”
Good point!
Its all about style, baby. I have suits that cost more than the MBA.
“I have suits that cost more than the MBA.”
Are you a mob lawyer?
Harry P. Ness finally sent me a picture—IT’S A MAN!—and he wanted to meet me at the Dell kiosk at the mall tomorrow.
WTF?!!!!
Your potential. Our passion.™
For someone who hasn’t used an MBA, it’s always interesting to read how they know exactly how durable it is.
I’d wager, sight unseen since others feel qualified to make judgements like that as well, that the curved metal, adds significant rigidity to the MBA, just as curving metal makes car body panels stiff. And, the flexiest part of my TiPB is the area where the optical drive resides. Taking that out, probably makes the MBA stiffer, as well.
About stiffness is a good point.
My MBP is curving like a banana for some reason.
The curving took out the Superdrive, which was replaced.
Now if this curving continues in the MacBook Air??
Something to think about.
“Yes Mr. Happy, I’ll feed you the Frenchie right now”
The MBA will be a success. I know this because both my wife and one of the CAD operators in my shop, also a woman, both commented on it this week. Both of them are stuck on Winblows, but both of them are leaning strongly toward the Mac now because I use a MBP 17″ and they are both constantly needing help with their crappy Vista laptops while I just keep on using mine productively. In fact, my wife finally asked me last week, right before she saw the commercial for the MBA, if I could reload XP on her laptop because, and I quote, “Vista sucks. I hate it. It’s like your Mac, but really stupid.”
A lot of women really love sexy items like the MBA and most of them could care less about having a ton of ports. They want email and chat and MySpace, and the MBA does all of that and more without batting an eye.
The CAD operator won’t be buying an MBA any time soon, but I could see how much it appealed to her and I’m sure that there are a lot of others just like her that will see the appeal, too.
FINALLY!!!
Someone has gone and built an ultra-portable that can “chop someone in half”. My search is over!!
Enemies beware!!
Apple comes through again!