View Full Version : Macbook Air
iamthewalrus
2008-01-15, 19:20
Just announced: Macbook Air (http://www.apple.com/) 13.3'' screen notebook.
As expected, it's a really, really thin Macbook. Nothing that can be a considered a competitor to the NITs.
Expensive, too (my guess was around 2000 bucks) which also means that it's not a competitor to the Asus Eee.
iamthewalrus
2008-01-15, 19:42
Yes I should've posted it in off-topic.
TabletKev
2008-01-15, 19:44
Thin, yes, but it still won't fit in my pocket.
Yes I should've posted it in off-topic.
Nah, this is the right place. Because most of the posts are about near-competitors or non-competitors anyway.
Karel Jansens
2008-01-15, 19:53
It's a frigging laptop! And not even a particularly innovative or even aesthetically pleasing one.
What's all the fuss'bout?
Speaking of the MBA's multi-touch trackpad, is the N8x0's LCD multitouch-capable? That would be a neat software upgrade.
iamthewalrus
2008-01-15, 20:05
I could have named the post "No Mac tablet yet, just another boring notebook". My guess is that the tablet's real competition will come from some unknown Chinese company anyway.
No user-replaceable battery, either. That I don't like so much.
What's all the fuss'bout?
About all the thinnovation. :D
Yes, there would have been a bigger stir if after he finished the demonstration he casually folded it up and put it in his pocket.
aleksandyr
2008-01-15, 21:22
It's an attempt to replace the M1330 that's selling really, really well for Dell, as far as I can tell.
The multi-touch features are also on the Macbook and Macbook Pro, in some senses. Not sure if the hardware's quite as good.
Lack of a real graphics card, lack of touchSCREEN, lack of me wanting to purchase one.
Well - I'm impressed with it. The 0.76" thickness means you can zip it up into an A4 document folder and have it with you at meetings, classrooms, etc. Plus no compromise on screen real estate. Agree that it would've been much better in tablet pc form.
But OUCH at the price for a fairly standard spec laptop...
Intel Core 2 Duo processor
2GB memory
80GB 4200-rpm PATA hard drive1
Built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi2 and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
$1,799.00
Or with a 64GB solid-state hard drive instead - $3,098.00
It's a cool technological achievement, but I have to admit that I'm not really that much interested about thinness. Even my current Thinkpad laptop for me is clearly "thin enough", with something like 1.5 inches. I wouldn't want to pay much more to get thinner than that. But, to each his own.
johnkzin
2008-01-16, 02:11
Yeah, it's the same footprint as a MacBook (non-pro), just thinner. Bleh.
This is the year of MIDs. Where's Apple's MID (or even an UMPC, or even a tablet/laptop like gateway's swivel-screen tablet/laptop)? This seems to me like re-arranging chairs on the deck. Another conventional laptop, that's just thinner than everyone elses? who cares?
Though, the application add-ons to the iPod Touch at least make that device seem like it might be a LITTLE bit more useful as a half-assed MID. But it's still not going to impress me until it has an ssh client and can use a bluetooth keyboard (and a slide-out hardware keyboard would be nice, since I hate the portrait-only virtual keyboard they give you). Oh, yeah, and an open SDK. (and, what's up with charging $20 for apps that should have been on the device since day one!? I am SO glad I went with the NIT family instead)
I'm pretty much underwhelmed by this year's announcements. And very underwhelmed by the MacBook Air.
Where's Apple's MID (or even an UMPC, or even a tablet/laptop like gateway's swivel-screen tablet/laptop)?
Well, you can still get a Newton 2100 off eBay :D
johnkzin
2008-01-16, 03:44
Well, you can still get a Newton 2100 off eBay :D
Or I can just stick with my n810 :-)
barry99705
2008-01-16, 04:05
Uncle Steve doesn't like the idea of the tablet pc. He already has a "tablet" anyway, it's called the iPhone. Hey Karl, I think the spittoon is getting full. :p The air is a cool idea, would be neat to see some of the new stuff show on the other laptops, the trackpad is pretty sweet. The remote drive thing is too. Would be cool to have that on my macbook. Could replace the optical drive with another drive. About the only time I use cd's is when I'm making a disk image of them and throwing them up on the server. The one real problem I have with it is the lack of ports. I'm really not a big fan of usb2, I prefer firewire. It needs a real ethernet port as well.
luciditydigital
2008-01-16, 04:34
i have a sharp mm20 that is under 2lbs, and about 1/2 inch thick (at thin point) tho is doesnt have widescreen. but i love it, i even recently upgraded the hdd to a ssd. i dual-boot xp/linux with it. you should google it. they are fun, but aging.
-ezra hilyer
The thinnest notebook in history... So wha? *_*
Karel Jansens
2008-01-16, 10:41
Uncle Steve doesn't like the idea of the tablet pc. He already has a "tablet" anyway, it's called the iPhone. Hey Karl, I think the spittoon is getting full. :p
Jobs's cup never runneth over.
Karel Jansens
2008-01-16, 10:42
The thinnest notebook in history... So wha? *_*
I have got the thinnest notebook in history.
But only for another minute or so; I really need that last page.
Well - I'm impressed with it. The 0.76" thickness means you can zip it up into an A4 document folder and have it with you at meetings, classrooms, etc. Plus no compromise on screen real estate. Agree that it would've been much better in tablet pc form.
But OUCH at the price for a fairly standard spec laptop...
Intel Core 2 Duo processor
2GB memory
80GB 4200-rpm PATA hard drive1
Built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi2 and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
$1,799.00
Or with a 64GB solid-state hard drive instead - $3,098.00
Things will get a lot more interesting when Apple offers this with 16GB internal memory, and giving the user options for CF and an SD card so it doesn't suck up power the way a hard drive does, yet offers the user flexibility to upgrade as bigger media cards become available. The quick startup time would be a bonus too.
One can wish...
apple is speculating with microns or mm's. Who darn care about 3 mm plus, or 1 inch plus screen diagonal. 13.5' screen is the same small screen, you need to atatch secondary moonitor to have serious work on it. Who cares about 1mm minus, if it weights the same more than kilo. Only design geeks to my mind :)
It's a nice, lightweight, thin laptop. No arguing about the technology developments necessary to deliver such a thin laptop...
But, it's just a laptop. UK prices are a couple of hundred quid more than I was expecting for it during the keynote. If I had to buy myself an every-day laptop, and it was within budget, it'd be a serious contender (for me, at least).
The new iPod Touch and iPhone apps are very interesting: again, it shows what software can do if you've got the resources and commitment from top-to-bottom in the company. The SDK next month will be another key moment in the future of the NITs.
It seems Apple are already at "step 4.5", how long until Nokia as a company have the commitment to the NITs that Apple has to the iPhone/Touch? Step 5? After step 5? Of course, they're very different companies, with Nokia having many more products. That just means they're all a little inferior to one or two which have so much *love* invested in them from the CEO down.
Well in my eyes the Macbook Air is pointless. Macbooks are thin enough. You just save over 600€ buying a Macbook instead of the Air and you have a faster laptop. And the Multitouchtrackpad... Pressing a 2key keycombination does the job.
And I don't agree to the "Apple is much further than Nokia". The iPhone's specs suck. No HSDPA and no GPS. No replaceable battery (wasn't there a phone where you could change the main battery while talking because they put in a small backup one?) I tried the iPhone. Some stuff is nice because it's easy on the eyes and the interface looks gorgeous. For the stuff I do with my N800 + my mobilephone the iPhone is no competition. If your iPhone runs out of battery because you watched too much movies over the day you can't call anyone. The only thing I really would like on my N800 is a decent PIM solution.
The 0.76" thickness means you can zip it up into an A4 document folder.
A big selling point for me! :rolleyes:
Seriously, until the price drops I see this as a niche product for overburdened travelers and the gotta-have-it-now crowd... within Apple's current user base, that is.
johnkzin
2008-01-16, 22:29
and corporate espionage ninjas. Sharpen the edges a little, and you've got a dual function laptop and flying guillotine. Take notes in the meeting, then lop off any heads when people realize you don't work there.
luciditydigital
2008-01-17, 14:59
I must say however; that it looks cool :P
lol, ya like that is a reason to buy anything....Yep, me too I am guilty of that.
-ezra
barry99705
2008-01-17, 16:03
Give it a few weeks and Dell will release the same thing that will have everyone drooling over. The only difference will be that it's made of plastic, a quarter inch thicker, and have an alien on the lid.
Greyghost
2008-01-17, 17:17
I agree with most here. Just another laptop. And an expensive one at that! With my apple bt keyboard, I have virtually the same tactile experience as typing on the mac. Plus, KDE means I have a similar toolset. For 1/4 the price!
violent ken
2008-01-18, 05:46
this sony from a few years back looks just as small and much nicer
http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/Products/PCG-X505/Images/wallpaper_1_1.jpg
Karel Jansens
2008-01-18, 14:01
this sony from a few years back looks just as small and much nicer
It's not an Apple, so it doesn't count.
Anyway, Sony is almost as bad as Apple in screwing its customers.
Hedgecore
2008-01-18, 14:14
Yes but Apple screws them out of their common sense whereas Sony just screws them out of their money.
Karel Jansens
2008-01-18, 15:17
Yes but Apple screws them out of their common sense whereas Sony just screws them out of their money.
How easily we forget rootkits and exploding batteries...
Hedgecore
2008-01-20, 17:50
And that $55 they charged me for Starwars Galaxies on an account that had expired. Well Sony, you got my $55 when that was the only money I had to my name, years later I've got thousands of bucks in electronics and none of it Sony.
MWAH!
skeezer65134
2008-01-21, 01:48
I'm so glad to see that (from the looks of it) everyone here would agree with me; the macbook air is a pointless product. It's a normal macbook stripped of everything you'd normally want (optical drive, network jack, extra USB ports and replaceable battery), with a slower processor to boot. If the thing was priced LOWER than a normal macbook as it should be, this would be a pretty cool product. But, a similarly spec'd (although faster and with all the features) macbook is some $300+ cheaper. This is a child's laptop at a grownups price, and that just doesn't make any sense. Once the macbook and macbook pro get the multi-touchpad, this will have no market.
Perhaps apple will have another price drop and refund for early adopters like they did with the iphone. (Suckers)
macbook air: Measures 0.76 inch at its thickest and 0.16 inch at its thinnest
macbook: Measures 1.1 inches thick
Sure there's the weight issue, but for how little you actually get with the air, I'd gladly spend less, get more and deal with the *slightly* thicker form and heavier result. Then again, I'd be much happier spending half the macbook's price on a similarly spec'd PC and running Linux on it ;)
Sorry for the rant, but it really bothers me that everyone is going crazy over the macbook air.
I find it interesting that after all of these years, there are those quick
to junk whatever Apple comes out with. I have learned long ago
to stay sort of trailing edge because I have gotten burnt buying a
first generation product.
However, I like to see good design and possibilities for future
products. Here we have a completely recyclable machine. We have
a screen that turns on in seconds like the Palms of old made of l.e.d.s
Solid state memory prices are getting cheaper and capacities getting
higher every day.
I am perfectly happy with my older 17" powerbook, but I see what is
coming in the future and I like it. I will be returning to school in the
fall, and the air would be a nice supplement if I had that kind of cash
lying around, which I don't. I thought the Palm Foleo was great for the
same reason - writing notes with a bit of screen real estate, but since
wireless is not yet universal, without the distraction of surfing the
net which is my second favorite past time.
I plan to use my N800, with my apple bluetooth keyboard in the
fall. It is great and light and will work for my purposes. Still I do not
understand why people feel the need to be critics and put a product
down because it does not suit their purposes, or is too expensive.
There will be many many companies that will follow suit and make
stuff to appeal to their customers - however, style and panache
will be necessarily missing. I happen to appreciate the cleverness of the
human imagination.
morrison
2008-01-21, 06:34
It's a frigging laptop! And not even a particularly innovative or even aesthetically pleasing one.
What's all the fuss'bout?
I don't get it either. Usually it has alot to do with simply the fact the Lord Jobs presented it to the people.
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/library/jobsmacbookair.JPG
morrison
2008-01-21, 06:43
Things will get a lot more interesting when Apple offers this with 16GB internal memory, and giving the user options for CF and an SD card so it doesn't suck up power the way a hard drive does, yet offers the user flexibility to upgrade as bigger media cards become available. The quick startup time would be a bonus too.
One can wish...
The eee has no hard drive, and battery life isn't all that great. I think the industry needs to focus more on developing a new breakthrough in laptop battery technology. Imagine having a battery which can run your notebook for 12 hours or more.
A thinkpad R62 with a 9cell main battery and a 3 cell ultrabay battery can run for 12+ hours. It adds a good amount of weight though to get the larger batteries, but it is doable and it isnt all that expensive.
Laughing Man
2008-01-21, 14:42
Well aren't there developments in battery technology already? I remember reading a article a few weeks or months back where they created some lithium battery that had several times its current capacity or charge.
The only problem is getting the cost cheap enough to sell to people.
I'll bet you that those who are saying "I don't get it" have never lugged a 17" Macbook pro through airports twice a week. Add in my nearly 40 year old spine with a ruptured disk and this thing looks pretty good to me.
David
I'll bet you that those who are saying "I don't get it" have never lugged a 17" Macbook pro through airports twice a week. Add in my nearly 40 year old spine with a ruptured disk and this thing looks pretty good to me.
In that case your spine would be wanting an Asus Eee: it weighs a whole pound less than the MB Air. :)
In that case your spine would be wanting an Asus Eee: it weighs a whole pound less than the MB Air. :)
Thanks but no thanks... While the Asus is a quite capable machine, I want something commercially supported that I do not have to screw with to make work. I want -n wifi and bluetooth without a soldering iron. I want a screen with enough pixels to see a full page of text without squinting or scrolling.
For me the N800 + bluetooth keyboard + host cable is better than the asus. If I am going live with that little screen real estate, it should fit in my pocket.
David
luciditydigital
2008-01-21, 17:18
http://www.straypoetry.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/photo_actius.jpg
here is a pic of my older notebook, 2 usb 2.0 ports, ethernet, b/g wireless, and i modified it with bluetooth and ssd. i love it. and only 1.98lbs too. i should note that it is .78 inch thick at thickest point.
apple is speculating with microns or mm's. Who darn care about 3 mm plus, or 1 inch plus screen diagonal. 13.5' screen is the same small screen, you need to atatch secondary moonitor to have serious work on it. Who cares about 1mm minus, if it weights the same more than kilo. Only design geeks to my mind :)
I want a laptop with a 13.5' projection screen! What hardware are you used to, anyway?!?
Yeah, I know it's way back in the thread. But I couldn't help myself when I saw the '/" slip.
Hedgecore
2008-01-22, 01:01
Higher resolutions:
http://www.eeeuser.com/2008/01/11/your-eee-pc-in-800x600-1024x768-1280x1024/
You don't have to solder that stuff in. Only if you want it internal. Otherwise dongles work fine. (There's really two counterpoints: One is you use BT all the time (!?) and a dongle is unacceptable. The other is that dongles are annoying and it's worth $1300 to not have to put up with them. Both are silly.) :D
Wow, nice "high res" screen there. Kind of like how the iPhone gives you "the full internet"(except you can only see a quarter of it, and as long as there isn't flash or java).
That is just a hack that doesnt work and results in a grain ugly image. The eee is gimped by its crap LCD and battery and given how they have jacked up the price, the limitations are unacceptable. It is worth $200, but at $400 It should at least have a 1024x768 display. And its not like a better, larger LCD wont fit, the LCD bezel is about 3 yards thick.
Edit: sorry for being a bit negative. Not trying to bash the eee.
Hedgecore
2008-01-22, 03:16
Sure ya were, but everyone's allowed. :) It definitely wouldn't be my choice of main machine but the roadtrip I just went on with it was any indication, it's great for travelling or sitting on the couch.
I'll bet you that those who are saying "I don't get it" have never lugged a 17" Macbook pro through airports twice a week. Add in my nearly 40 year old spine with a ruptured disk and this thing looks pretty good to me.
David
Which is exactly why I mentioned hardcore travelers. Man, does my Thinkpad get heavy...
johnkzin
2008-01-22, 06:42
I think there's also the factor that people are overlooking the main target market for this device (which is partially Apple's fault: they haven't really played it up). This isn't a device for people whose primary machine will be the MBA. Sure, you can add on all of the stuff that will make it worth of being a primary machine, but by that point you might as well buy an MB or MBP.
The primary market, I'm told, is people who have a desktop machine, and want a secondary travel machine. The MBA is meant to be a secondary machine. Thus, the ability to share your CD/DVD drive from your desktop, etc. The design trade-offs make a lot more sense when you think about it on that level.
(I still don't like the machine, but it does make _some_ more sense when you see it that way ... personally, I'd still rather have an MacBook ... and, yes, I HAVE lugged such a machine through an airport (not a 17" machine, but I don't really think that's an appropriate comparison -- those who want/need a 17" laptop aren't going to be buying an MBA either, nor visa-versa; the appropriate comparison is the 12" and 15" mac laptops, like the 15" Titanium Powerbook, 12" and 15" Aluminum Powerbooks, and the 12" and 15" MacBook and MacBook Pros; what I had was a 15" titanium)
(actually, on one trip I lugged 3 laptops: my titanium, my wife's titanium, and a sony vaio F490 I was giving to my mom (which was a bit heavier than the titaniums) ... I still don't see the objection to lugging an MB or MBP through an airport, not even a 17" one)
it's great for travelling or sitting on the couch.
But isn't that why you bought an n800?
Hedgecore
2008-01-22, 13:05
I bought a 770 which was railroaded out the door by Nokia quicker than GG Allin at a Whitehouse dinner. The 770 is great for light internet use while literally walking around or stopping off while wandering around, but if I know I'm going to be stuck in a car, at a coffee shop, or at someone's place, the EEE is much better for that. Sitting on the couch with a tablet browsing experience hurts knowing I've got a full desktop 6 feet behind me.
It's kinda like when I setup X-Link Kai for my Xbox. It allows you to join their free servers instead of Xbox Live to play online games. I've been playing online since modem connects of Doom 1 in the early 90's... but to be able to do it from my couch, with full depth of gameplay, completely different experience.
vBulletin® v3.8.8, Copyright ©2000-2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.