[Podesta]

My initial intention was not to comment because of the 'I run this' attitude of a couple of commenters on this thread. However, I believe that I can be of some assistance to people who are on the fence about buying a MacBook Air.
I've used my MacBook Air at least a couple hours each day since getting my first one February 6. (It had a problem with the backlight, so Apple requested it be sent back for a replacement, which was also brand new. I was back on my MacBook Pro, 2.16 Ghz full-time for those five days, and missed the MBA already.) I have encountered nothing that I cannot do on my MacBook Air that I do on my MBP. I realize that I may feel differently about PhotoShop and GarageBand, but that will just mean using my other computer for processor intensive applications. The same thing would have happened if I had bought a MacBook.
The weight, 3 pounds versus 6.8 pounds for my MacBook Pro, is truly wonderful. I already have a semi-frozen right shoulder which improved with physical therapy last year. I do not want to risk having it regress. I would be willing to pay the $1600 + a free extra adapter I paid for my MacBook Air for that alone. I can only guess that the commenters mocking the weight issue are young and in excellent condition...which will change.
As for some commenters' insistence that the MacBook Air is a failure, data suggest otherwise. According to market sources, the MBA made up as much as 20 percent of Apple's recent computer sales. Even if it maintains 10 percent, that will be quite successful.
I don't really understand why any person would think that a corporation has a duty to design an item such as a computer with his personal preference for a 12-inch footprint. I think the assumption that more buyers prefer a 12-inch footprint to a full screen and keyboard is unproven. I know that at least one of the laptops referenced, the Lenovo X300, weighs more than three pounds with its battery and optical drive, contrary to what was asserted. There are compromises in designing all laptops, even more so with lightweight laptops.
I hope this owner's view helps.
Sent on my MacBook Air.

[eastrow]

re: A niche machine.... I've been tracking MBA on Amazon. It's been a top ten-seller since it became available. i admit, its only one retailer, but I was surprised to see what appears to be an initial broad appeal.



http://www.amazon.co...c/565108/ref=pdtscthmore?&pfrdp=364098901&pfrds=right-4&pfrdt=101&pfrdi=565108&pfrdm=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pfrdr=0EQPRZA3FBT70Y08ZPR5

[MBAuser]

I've flown 30k miles this year and have carried the MBA on RJs, CRJs, 737, 757s and the Accela.
This is just a better computer to travel with. The features, from the bright very clear screen, the trackpad with gestures, the backlit keyboard, all are great for daily use and for use while traveling.
I have a 15inch MBP 2.1 ghz, great machine, only gets used when I have to do heavy duty photo or video editing, which is a hobby not how I earn a living. And when I do use the MBP I miss not being able to use multi-touch and the more generous trackpad, as well as the screen and weight.
Oh and I also traveled with a Sony ultralight and they can't compare.

[greg30307]

I am glad the MBA meets your needs. A couple of comments, though. First, did you ever own a PB 12"? I know the 12" vs 13.3 screen is a debatable issue, but in fact the PB 12" had a full size keyboard. The keys went all the way to the edge without leaving any wasted space on the side. And of course the IBM/Lenovo X series has a full size keyboard too. (I have not seen the new X300.) So a full size keyboard is perfectly possible in a smaller form factor. Second, I do agree that portable laptops do not need optical drives (see IBM/Lenovos and Toshibas). But, thirdly, these Windows machines weigh just as little, have full-size keyboards, but also have built-in ethernet and multiple USB ports. I also see that you and others who like the MBA have more than that computer to use. I do not have the money for the MBA + another computer. Unfortunately for me, the MBA is just too many compromises for being my only computer.

[quote name='Podesta']
My initial intention was not to comment because of the 'I run this' attitude of a couple of commenters on this thread. However, I believe that I can be of some assistance to people who are on the fence about buying a MacBook Air.

I've used my MacBook Air at least a couple hours each day since getting my first one February 6. (It had a problem with the backlight, so Apple requested it be sent back for a replacement, which was also brand new. I was back on my MacBook Pro, 2.16 Ghz full-time for those five days, and missed the MBA already.) I have encountered nothing that I cannot do on my MacBook Air that I do on my MBP. I realize that I may feel differently about PhotoShop and GarageBand, but that will just mean using my other computer for processor intensive applications. The same thing would have happened if I had bought a MacBook.

The weight, 3 pounds versus 6.8 pounds for my MacBook Pro, is truly wonderful. I already have a semi-frozen right shoulder which improved with physical therapy last year. I do not want to risk having it regress. I would be willing to pay the $1600 + a free extra adapter I paid for my MacBook Air for that alone. I can only guess that the commenters mocking the weight issue are young and in excellent condition...which will change.

As for some commenters' insistence that the MacBook Air is a failure, data suggest otherwise. According to market sources, the MBA made up as much as 20 percent of Apple's recent computer sales. Even if it maintains 10 percent, that will be quite successful.

I don't really understand why any person would think that a corporation has a duty to design an item such as a computer with his personal preference for a 12-inch footprint. I think the assumption that more buyers prefer a 12-inch footprint to a full screen and keyboard is unproven. I know that at least one of the laptops referenced, the Lenovo X300, weighs more than three pounds with its battery and optical drive, contrary to what was asserted. There are compromises in designing all laptops, even more so with lightweight laptops.

I hope this owner's view helps.

Sent on my MacBook Air.

[eteen]

I agree with [~42502].

The MBA is perfect as a second or more machine...but not as the sole machine in the house.

This been said, I beleive that was the drive behind this machine. Just the soft to use other PC or Mac optical drive for software install tend to reinforce this assomption...

[JoeBlowe]

I own a MacBook Air and absolutely love it. I'd carry it in my back pocket if my arse were large enough to require pants with 13" back pockets.

But a fantastic feature that is rarely, if ever mentioned is the silence of this little gem. Every time one opens a traditional Apple laptop, there's that mechanical noise of the optical drive re-zeroing that sounds like a 1985 VCR preparing to spit out a video tape. I also purchased mine with the flash drive, so I don't even hear the quiet, yet ever-present whirring of the hard drive. On the rare occasions the fan powers on, I'm pressed to hear it.

Another benefit of this machine is it generates no discernible heat! I've used it for hours straight and can only say it reaches body temperature, for which I cannot determine whether it was generated from the computer itself or from extended contact with my lap.

As for those who mewl about the price: get over it. The best and the newest always cost more. If it didn't, no company would develop the best and the newest.

[nbarham]

I think I see what is going on here. I've been following Air news since it debuted and up until yesterday had never actually seen and held one. Anyone who argues that it isn't small enough (even in footprint) has never seen it in person and if they have they're arguing out of spite and not out of any actual necessity.
I carry a MacBook Pro to work and around work every day. There is an incredible difference in these two machines. In your hand, it almost doesn't feel like a real computer (not to mention that it also feels incredibly sturdy). The build quality is excellent.
I thought that the tiny measurement for thinness (not the .75 but the smaller) was just marketing, but when you actually hold it, you realize that .75 is only a measurement of the back edge. Nearly ALL of the computer is less than .75. I know that if I had the money to replace my desktop at home with something that had the power of my MB Pro, that I would immediately buy an Air as my portable. It's small enough to fit inside my folio that also carries an actual pen/paper notebook. There'd be almost no use for a bag with this thing.

[montgomery_burns]

All the complaints about lack of connectors could have been addressed if Apple provided docking capability with the MacBook Air. They could have designed a matching docking station that when combined with the MacBook Air, the whole unit would look like a 13 inch MacBook with all the standard connectors and a dvd drive. Furthermore, the docking station could be designed so the dvd drive can be removed and replaced with a second battery. Since people are already speculating about external battery packs, why not have a complete solution that also address the other issues? People could choose to carry the MacBook Air + docking station as a single unit or separate the 2 halves when increased portability is desired. This would be a better solution than Apple's current external dvd drive offering which provides no other functionality and does not integrate with the laptop.

[sachxn]

MBA is as sexy as hell.
Sachin

[Martian]

Dan Frakes said:

But the Air could not have been "just as thin and light" with a removable battery. Switching to a replaceable battery means adding several layers of body material (which add weight and thickness) and making the battery itself more compact (which means considerably thicker) with its own protective shell (which adds both weight and thickness). Some people would have deemed the added weight and thickness to be acceptable tradeoffs for a removable battery, but there's no getting around those tradeoffs.

After watching this battery removal video, I see you are right about the battery. I am guessing that the Air gets its excellent torsional rigidity with “monocoque construction”, just like an aircraft. The large but flat battery itself, along with the thin sheet aluminum bottom, are both stressed members and therefore must be tightly secured in many spots (most practically with screws), and must have no large openings like huge battery doors.
I humbly retract the battery portion of my objection to Apple’s deliberately crippling the Air.
My disgust remains over hobbling the Air’s connectivity just for marketing rather than engineering reasons. But if Apple comes out with a similar model (“AirPro” ?) with the addition of even just Ethernet and ExpressCard (but hopefully also adding Firewire and memory card reader), I will be first in line. That is unless I have given up waiting and purchased yet another PC laptop.
Perhaps the “AirPro” is just waiting for solid state drives to drop a bit in price.

[montgomery_burns]

>There are compromises in designing all laptops, even more so with lightweight laptops.

But didn't Apple say the MacBook Air was about no compromises?

[Brettcamp]

montgomery_burns said:

>There are compromises in designing all laptops, even more so with lightweight laptops.

But didn't Apple say the MacBook Air was about no compromises?

Where did Apple say that? On the MBA website, it says " It?s incomparably portable without the usual ultraportable screen and keyboard compromises." That's accurate, and a big difference from "no compromises." Did Steve J or someone else make that claim elsewhere?

[OlsonBW]

"But didn't Apple say the MacBook Air was about no compromises?"

Did you watch the KeyNote? If yes, then you saw and heard what Steve Jobs said and it is VERY obvious how it meant it.

If you haven't watched the KeyNote, do so at your next opportunity. This is almost always the best way to do things. Get the facts from the source of possible and listen and watch what is said and don't try to look at it with only your interests in mind.

What you want may not be what most people want and quite often, they don't even know what they want until it is put in front of them. The suddenly or slowly they realize that, like floppy drives when they were first gone from Macs, that we don't need certain things anymore.

Despite what quite a few people (maybe you) think. A LOT of people rarely use a CD/DVD drive.

With people and businesses having more and more have wireless routers (big question about how secure the home ones are) there is less and less of a need for ethernet ports on computers.

Apple has two products that let you access hard drives remotely on your network. I'll guess that you have heard about them. No the throughput/pipe is not as large as being connected directly but we are talking about a laptop here not a Mac Pro chucking away on a big program or graphics. MOST people don't need a big pipe for the files they typically don't need to take with them but need to access at home.

Lack of multiple USB ports - More and more devices that are required to plug into USB ports are become wireless also. Printers is a big one. More and more printers are becoming wireless OR the printer is connected to a wireless device which people are connected to and print through that or through another computer which is on the same wireless network (the second computer may be wired or not, even to the printer).

iPod Touch and iPhone. I see these getting wireless syncing as soon as Apple figures out a way to recharge them wirelessly. There ARE different technologies to do this already by wirelessly sending specific frequencies which, when the device is near it, has something like a tuning fork built into the battery. As it vibrates inside the battery it charges the battery. VERY cool. Now just to get is small enough.

The list could go on but I'll stop there.

I just might be a more typical person than you for the MacBook Air but the price is stopping me for now. Who knows about later.

I use an (white) 24" Core2Duo iMac. Most of the time the only thing I have connected to it is the power cord. Meaning that while I have a 250gb hard drive built into it and use about 200gbs of that hard drive, I also access files from a 1tb hdd attached to my wireless hub where the 1tb (terabyte) hdd and printer are attached. That hdd is also my hdd for my TimeMachine backups which I rarely notice when it is running. Usually it is only because I notice the animated icon at the top of my screen.

The ONLY times when I connect anything besides the power cord to my iMac is when I'm helping a friend or relative create a DVD of a home movie (like their daughter's on son's sporting event (usually soccer), play (Les Miserable), or orchastra they are in). When they do I have to connect their video camera to my iMac and usually move the external HDD so that it is connected directly to my iMac. This is rare though!

Most of these people have/had Windows XP and tried using MovieMaker and got tired of swearing at it and came to me for help.

The point is that most people including me rarely do home movies. Those that do need something more than the MacBook Air. I will agree with you there. But other than that, what specifically do you need to connect to it? Why do you need so many files that you need to carry around with you all the time?

If you need all this, then the MacBook Air isn't for you. But more and more, this IS what people will need and want. I can see when ALL Macs and later PCs will only come with wireless ethernet and only "luddites" will be connecting printers and hard drives, etc., directly to their computers because they won't need to.

I am NOT calling you a luddite so don't get confused on that. You apparently are a power user that needs more things on your computer. Quite a lot of people don't fit your profile.

[montgomery_burns]

OlsonBW said:

What you want may not be what most people want and quite often, they don't even know what they want until it is put in front of them.

I'm curious to know if this sentiment works both ways. For each person who wants the smallest laptop imaginable and doesn't mind sacrificing expandability or serviceability, there are just as many people for whom expandability and serviceability are important. So when other people want Macs that are easier to take apart and service, or laptops with a docking station and modular drive bay, will their opinions be taken seriously? Or would people (possibly yourself) still go on and on with responses like "who needs that", "but that would add weight and thickness", or "if you don't like it then go buy a PC"? Are opinions only welcome as long as they do not criticize Apple?