MacBook Air

dynamik

Does anyone find the MacBook Air appealing? It seems like you'd be paying a premium for a notebook that's a quarter-inch thinner and two pounds lighter than the MacBook and has no optical drive or ethernet ports. Is a one-inch five-pound notebook really too much to lug around anymore? If that's the case, I think we're in desperate need of some iGyms.

With the possible exception of a tablet, it just doesn't seem like their notebook line needed another model. I don't know why they don't create a mid-range desktop in the $1500-2000 range. Your options are basically a Mac Mini, iMac (essentially a Mac Mini bundled with a monitor), or Mac Pro. That seems to be the product I see everyone pining for.

The only Apple product I own at the moment is an older-gen Nano, but I think they're a neat company and enjoy following what they do. I just haven't been impressed by some of the things they have been doing lately. It seems like there is so much more that they can be doing with the iPhone and other technologies that these other developments strike me as being rather trivial and unnecessary.

iowatech

It seems like there is so much more that they can be doing with the iPhone and other technologies that these other developments strike me as being rather trivial and unnecessary.

Of course they're trivial, but if they didn't develop new crap technology to spew out their shareholders might start selling shares instead of buying them.

I agree on the pointlessness of another thin notebook in the market.

Darthn3ss

i also agree that thin notebooks are pointless. notebooks are light to begin with. as long as its not over 10lbs, i don't think its a big burden on most people.

Tyrant1919

Got your PM Dynamik.

The 'Airbook' is just the newest thing. People always go crazy over the newest thing. Cellphones, cars, TVs, anything. I'm the same way with a few things like Paintball :^). Just human nature. This one now just can be considered one of the smallest laptops ever I guess, and it's a MAC! Isn't there a Pocket-sized PC out that's even smaller?

$3k for the one with a solid-state drive... Dang. 64gbs in straight up memory is a big number. I don't think it's worth an extra grand though. But I guess if I had a couple million sitting in my bank I might opt for it. I'd actually be interested in a solid-stater in my laptop, but not until the price of a 20gb~ model comes close to $100. Even then I probably wouldn't get it and just get a 250GB+ drive and live with the slightly longer load time, and slightly higher power consumption rate, and enjoy all the ISOs I can carry around on my laptop and such.

The battery life is pretty good, but not amazing. No CD drive, lol. that's completely useless. "OMG! Look at this small laptop I have! Let me plug in my external dvd drive so we can watch a movie!" Lame.... I believe the drive doesn't even come with the airbook, you have to buy it as an additional accessory.

Darthn3ss

other than pocket pc's (such as my PPC6800 and other models) you can get something like Asus's Eee PC. its not as thin, but its got a lot more to it.

Tyrant1919

I was actually going to get the EEE pc . But after they jacked up the price a bit more, I decided just to get a full blown laptop.

snadam

saw it on TV finally...looks like another thin notebook to me. Yes its REALLY thin, but it doesnt want me to go buy it.

dynamik

I just saw that the user can't even change the battery. They have to ship it back and pay $129 for the "free" installation. It seems that many people who value the ultra-portable form-factor and are willing to pay the premium for it are also the ones who are traveling the most and have to rely on multiple batteries for continued use. I don't get this at all.

sthomas

dynamik wrote:

I just saw that the user can't even change the battery. They have to ship it back and pay $129 for the "free" installation. It seems that many people who value the ultra-portable form-factor and are willing to pay the premium for it are also the ones who are traveling the most and have to rely on multiple batteries for continued use. I don't get this at all.

That is typical apple. It doesn't even suprise me that you cannot change the battery or upgrade anything on that flimzy notebook. I have supported Mac's for years and this has been the standard. I guess it is easy to upgrade a Mac though, just throw it in the trash and buy a new one.

Tyrant1919

sthomas wrote:

I guess it is easy to upgrade a Mac though, just throw it in the trash and buy a new one.

Make's it easier.

iowatech

I guess it is easy to upgrade a Mac though, just throw it in the trash and buy a new one.

Rofl, classic.

JDMurray

dynamik wrote:

I just saw that the user can't even change the battery. They have to ship it back and pay $129 for the "free" installation.

That's exactly how you replace the battery in an iPod too.

dynamik

JDMurray wrote:

That's exactly how you replace the battery in an iPod too.

That's how typical end users do it. I buy a kit and do it myself. There's really nothing to it, and it probably takes less time then driving to a Post Office. I'm sure us tech-savvy folk will be able to do the same with the MBA. It's just a pain though; I can't stand getting locked into stuff like this.

ally_uk

To be honest wouldn't pay the asking price don't get me wrong it's a nice bit of kit but a little bit to expensive.

I'm more interested in a Asus Eee pc or a Everex Cloudbook as I'm a avid linux user I can get the job done for little cost.

If I had a spare grand lying around in my back pocket then sure i'd get a Airbook but not everybody can afford the latest gadgets and unfortunately i'm one of them

Darthn3ss

JDMurray wrote:

dynamik wrote:

I just saw that the user can't even change the battery. They have to ship it back and pay $129 for the "free" installation.

That's exactly how you replace the battery in an iPod too.

bah forget that. ipods are fairly easy to work on.

petedude

There's still enough of a Mac fanboy left in me to say "wow, cool" at first, but then. . .

Really, there's a limited audience for this kind of thin notebook. I'd imagine some road warriors who are heavy on forms, Office applications and Internet access would find it useful. Others who are into multimedia are probably going to be disappointed at the lack of a DVD-ROM.

Kasor

Cool looking, didn't mean it is technology friend to our user. It is definitly for people that use for web surfing. DVD/CD ROM is a must....

If you have money... go for it. I will go for Sony..