# MacBook Air - What's the point?



## Qion (Jan 16, 2008)

Apple's new machine is impressive for obvious reasons, but does it really fill any preexisting gap in our market? And at that, a gap larger than the difference between the Mac Mini and the Mac Pro? (I feel the iMac is in a class of its own and doesn't really compare to either machine. No interchangeable graphics, etc.) 

The way I see it, the MacBook Air is slower, less practical and substantially more expensive than the baseline MacBook. In all reality, you're paying an extra $700 to loose 400MHz, an optical drive and two pounds. Both computers' screens are exactly the same size and resolution, and that being so, it's not like having a completely new form factor. 

The MacBook Air isn't even a proper multitouch device; the features it has, such as rotating pictures and scanning through Safari tabs, can be implemented in every Apple laptop since the Intel switch.

Can anyone enlighten me?


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## bbloke (Jan 16, 2008)

Unfortunately, I can't be of much assistance, as I tend to agree with you!  When I first saw the MacBook Air, I was impressed by its size.  That said, I immediately felt it was not the sort of thing I'd ever buy.  

Compared to the MacBook and MacBook Pro, the processor is slower (1.6 or 1.8 GHz), it can have a maximum of half the memory (2 GB), the maximum hard drive size is smaller (80 GB), I expect the graphics hardware to be less capable (than the MacBook Pro at least), it has fewer USB ports (only one), there are no FireWire ports, it doesn't appear to be suitable for Front Row, the audio output is mono, it does not include an optical drive as standard, there is no ethernet port, and it is similar in price to a low end MacBook Pro and beginning to approach double the price of a low end MacBook.

I tend to prefer higher end machines, but would certainly choose a MacBook over a MacBook Air.  To me, the MacBook Air looks amazing and is a nice piece of design, but it simply has not got the features I'd virtually take for granted.  I hope the MacBook Air is not the new Cube.


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## Greg Reez (Jan 16, 2008)

When I was going over the specs, it sounded to me like they are trying to get this thing to appeal more to business travelers & executives... Those that don't necessarily have time to mess with CDs, wires, and such. I'm sure they ran the whole gamut about pros and cons, and I'm sure they saw that if you want a little more you'll just go with the MacBook Pro, but for me, I think its brilliant for them to try to appeal to these people. It's lighter & smaller (easier to fit in your lap on an airplane & easier to carry amongst your magazines & newspapers), only one USB port (big deal, most of us who travel frequently for business alot only need one USB when you think about it). Its pretty clear that this system isn't meant to have several laser printers, scanners, dual monitors and such... In fact, as it was going through development I'm sure they wanted to target it to those that move around alot.

As for us, I'm pretty sure most of us are graphic designers like myself, IT Pros, developers, etc. there's is nothing that we can benefit from in purchasing the MacBook Air.

If you ask me, I think its brilliant. May not be very popular on the whole, but I think its awesome. Rather than more technical, it seems like they went more practical for a certain market... I don't think WE are in that market.


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## Rhisiart (Jan 16, 2008)

The production process and innovation required for development of the MacBook Air may extend to improvements in other existing Apple products in the future. That said, I hope it sells.


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## Soulwar (Jan 16, 2008)

It is innovation. It has to start somewhere or it will never be. 
 And isn't that the point?


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## Qion (Jan 16, 2008)

Greg has a good point; myself and most of the people contributing to this forum are not in the target market of the MacBook Air. A traveling airplane-oriented executive type would buy it all day long I suppose; however, it's not something practical for a majority of we artists and IT people.

I'll admit I had my own idea of what the new MacBook would look like, and it was quite a bit more risqué than the Air. Touchscreen instead of a keyboard, what.


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## Mikuro (Jan 16, 2008)

The way I see it, the only problem with the MacBook Air is the price. And the same is true of all super-small laptops. This isn't really strange. Most technology starts off being obscenely expensive. I hope that these big flash drives take off and come down in price enough to fit inside the Mini and MacBook. (By the way, they _are_ flash drives, right? They never refer to them with that word, just as SSD drives, so I'm not sure it's the same technology.)

I was excited about the specs, until I saw the price. An extra $999 for a flash drive is shocking.

Personally, I'm not sorry to see the optical drive go. I wish the desktop systems didn't come with them, to be honest! To me, it's a waste of money. I wonder how many functionally-identical optical drives I've bought over the years. I've almost always had a more capable external model. Of course, laptops are a bit different. Apple is obviously pushing their iTunes agenda. The question is, do people need an optical drive on the go for anything besides movies?


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## Satcomer (Jan 16, 2008)

The only problem I see is the lack of High speed connections throughout the USA & Canada. Just because you are in major city doesn't mean you have access to high speed connections to the net. Even in the US capital of Washington D.C there are large swaths of suburbs not covered by ANY high speed access! 

The last i was in Canada when you get away from Toronto (less than 100K then high speed is not available. Contrary to belief the Western Hemisphere is WAY behind the rest of the developed world in access to high speed, especially the USA.


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## fryke (Jan 17, 2008)

With the SSD harddrive, it's almost my perfect subnote. Its screen and overall footprint is *MUCH* too large, but the weight and thickness are okay. So there _is_ a need. For me. However: It's much too expensive with the SSD. I still want one, but I won't buy one just now. It might become a Cube (or has to go down in price).


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## Natobasso (Jan 17, 2008)

Qion said:


> Greg has a good point; myself and most of the people contributing to this forum are not in the target market of the MacBook Air. A traveling airplane-oriented executive type would buy it all day long I suppose; however, it's not something practical for a majority of we artists and IT people.
> 
> I'll admit I had my own idea of what the new MacBook would look like, and it was quite a bit more risqué than the Air. Touchscreen instead of a keyboard, what.



The problem is, it doesn't compete with larger laptops for screen real estate, and it doesn't compete with smaller micro-laptops like the Sony Vaio either in it's 13" size. It has other drawbacks already mentioned due to the lack of space and physical hard drive. Seems like it's stuck between two worlds with this iteration. I think they would have been better served making a mini laptop on this go around and at least committing to the business traveller 100%.

As it is, what we have is a nice extension of the keyboard that was released earlier this year (see the similarity?!) that is trying to have a foot in both worlds for mass appeal. This worked for the ipod, but it doesn't work for a laptop in my opinion.

Maybe this is a foot in the door to an entire range of 'flash drive' based laptops?


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## fryke (Jan 17, 2008)

The business traveller is the one who'll _appreciate_ the 13" goodness 100%. He's mainly worried about the _weight_ and _thickness_ of the device. I guess he won't mind the screen real estate. 13" is okay even when flying coach.

Then again, the thing has an incredibly large _FRAME_ for something that tries to be small and light. _That's_ the thing I don't really get, why they had to keep the MacBook's incredilarge frame around the screen and keyboard.


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## Qion (Jan 17, 2008)

fryke said:


> Then again, the thing has an incredibly large _FRAME_ for something that tries to be small and light. _That's_ the thing I don't really get, why they had to keep the MacBook's incredilarge frame around the screen and keyboard.



That's something that escapes me. I don't think the extra space around the screen and keyboard adds any aesthetic value; in fact, it detracts from the overall effect.


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## Natobasso (Jan 17, 2008)

It's probably required for the wiring to keep the over height flatter for the screen and the entire notebook. I'm sure if they could have made it thinner they would have (just look at the iphone: Pretty thin edges there! Ha ha)


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## fryke (Jan 18, 2008)

It probably went like this:

1.) We could remove the frames or make them smaller.
2.) We'd need to add a little thickness for the battery, then.
3.) Well then let's _not_ remove the frames or make them smaller, because else Sony is going to release a notebook that's thinner than ours and we won't be able to say ours is the thinnest in the world any longer. I'm sure people will understand that the most important thing here is not to actually deliver a really good subnotebook, but rather to "think different" and to be able to brag. A lot.

Actually, it probably didn't go down like that, but I'm sure the battery life was an issue. While you can have the battery take any form with Li-Polymer, it still needs volume, and if you don't give it volume with any thickness of the notebook, then it needs the larger area instead. (And to that I'd say: Double the battery life by increasing the thickness by a few millimeters.)


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## Qion (Jan 18, 2008)

I found a blog article that I personally think is brilliant: 

http://blackfriarsinc.com/blog/2008/01/macbook-air-is-ideal-product-in-right



> If you're an executive at Ralph Lauren or Prada, the ugliness of carrying around a Dell laptop would give you hives. For these people, style and design isn't a luxury; it's an essential job requirement. And its a category of people whom the computer industry has not served well to date with boxy designs, techie jargon, and a general rejection of the value of fashion. Said another way, how many computers look good with an Armani suit?


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## chevy (Jan 18, 2008)

fryke said:


> [...]
> Then again, the thing has an incredibly large FRAME for something that tries to be small and light. That's the thing I don't really get, why they had to keep the MacBook's incredilarge frame around the screen and keyboard.



Imagine using it on your seat in a plane... you'll really hate this extra frame. I don't understand neither. But it's clearly a very great device.


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## Timotheos (Jan 19, 2008)

Qion, that blog sums it up so well! I hope it works well.

If it does work and they bring the rest of the mac laptop range upto that standard then their laptop design will once again be years ahead of every other companies design like it was 5-6 years ago - not that their current design has been surpassed yet, anyways.


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## icemanjc (Jan 20, 2008)

What I don't get is, since it has an iPod hard drive, why can't they have a 160 GB option. Hopefully that will come soon.


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## Qion (Jan 20, 2008)

icemanjc said:


> What I don't get is, since it has an iPod hard drive, why can't they have a 160 GB option. Hopefully that will come soon.



...so that the SSD looks larger?


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## michaelsanford (Jan 20, 2008)

I'm a grad student, run around all the time from teaching to office to home to girlfriend's house to train to...you get the point. My iBook G4 also needs replacing.

As a _primary_ computing device, as a MacBook can be for many people, the Air will fail. But that's fine, because that's not what it's _for_. It's designed for people who have a Mac Pro or iMac at home, as I will soon. I would love the Air, carrying around my laptop in an interoffice mail envelope is the prefect camouflage against library laptop thieves! And hey, if I lose it, it'll just get mailed back to my office 

Seriously, though, initially I was disappointed with the meagre 80 GB hard disk offer, but then I thought back to my decision on iPod. If an iPod battery lasts 8 hours, is there much point to having an iPod that can hold 5000 hours of music? No (unless you travel without your music source, but I suspect that this is not the case for the vast majority of iPod users). So, assuming that you have your permanent files on a primary iMac, you'd only likely move some choice music, maybe some photos and working files over to the Air. If you're the kind of person who needs instantaneous access to 5 TB of data from an airline seat, well, I'd like to meet you because I think you're a myth!


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## ApeintheShell (Jan 20, 2008)

People need lots of storage for their laptop. Especially when they are making an iMovie of their dog and need the remix of "Who Let The Dogs Out" while they tell you all about in the middle seat. Hmm, maybe that was a commercial.


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## michaelsanford (Jan 20, 2008)

I agree that some people do indeed, and those people will probably use a MacBook Pro. I mean, if you're making a video, how would you capture the video it to an Air in the first place (sans the FireWire).

I'm a big space hog, I've got over 2 TB connected right now (USB and NAS), but I don't need access to that stuff while on the go. But, that's just me.

I do think, though, that the change from 80 to 80 GB SSD is a joke. A cool joke, but a joke.


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