[Macworld]

Post your comments for Review: MacBook Air 1.6GHz here

[mretondo]

I'm a bit confused by this review. The review seams to suggest that the new model is a big leap forward over the old model. Yet the new model doesn't even gain an extra half mouse rating.

[montgomery_burns]

Why does the new MacBook Air still have the trackpad from the previous model, instead of the new glass design?

[cmdahler]

I really don't know why Apple is even continuing to bother making these things. I work in the airline industry; I'm on airplanes and walking through airports constantly. It gives you a pretty good idea of what laptops are selling well. I see lots of white and black MacBooks, and slightly fewer (but still quite a few) 15" MacBookPros. I hardly ever see anyone with a 17" MBP, and I still occasionally see a 12" Aluminum Powermac - I've been told by those folks that they are consistently deeply disappointed with Apple's discontinuation of that size of Pro-level laptop, and you'll pry those 12" PMs from their cold, dead hands.
But one laptop I have NEVER seen, not even once since its introduction, is the MacBook Air. That tells me a LOT about how popular this thing is. Vastly overpriced and deeply underpowered with a whole ton of critical limitations (no optical drive, and a single USB port is all you get), it's absolutely mindboggling that Apple sells any of these things at all. I mean, all of those disadvantages, and essentially the ONLY thing you gain for your extra $500 when buying one of these is a laptop that is a mere one-quarter inch thinner than the MacBook. It simply makes no sense no matter how you look at it.

[robco]

I would disagree. For folks who want to save 1.5lbs in weight, it's worth it. Though Lenovo's X200/X300 are arguably better. I would consider one if I traveled more. The only sticking point is the 2GB RAM limit. With Leopard, and Snow Leopard on the horizon, it should have at least 4GB. I'm sure the sales volume pales in comparison to the MB and 15" MBP, but I doubt Apple would continue to offer the Air if it weren't selling.
With wireless printers much less expensive, faster wireless networking, wireless access to hard drives, etc. the Air can work. I rarely use my optical drive and could easily live without it (in fact I would have preferred Apple left it out of the new aluminum MBs and put in a FW port and ExpressCard slot instead). I rarely use more than one USB port at a time and there are USB hubs. Give the MBA wireless cellular and it would be even better.
It all depends on what you need and how important weight is. But don't assume that because the MBA won't meet your needs, or you don't see people using them, that it isn't selling. As for me, I'll probably trade in my white CD MacBook for a 15" MBP when (if?) Intel releases mobile chips with the i7 core. I want the screen real estate and dedicated graphics - but others will have different needs and that's OK.

[montgomery_burns]

robco said:

>I rarely use my optical drive and could easily live without it (in fact I would have preferred Apple left it out of the new aluminum MBs and put in a FW port and ExpressCard slot instead).

All the more reason Apple should have made their new unibody laptops with hot swappable optical drives than can be easily removed and replaced with a second battery or other accessory. This would be especially useful for the 17 inch MacBook Pro which does not have a user replaceable battery. If Apple or any Apple defender is serious about not needing an optical drive, then they should fully support the idea of a hot swappable drive bay.

[dlbyron]

I've traveled with the MBA and it's one of my fav macs because of the weight , screen, and keyboard. As Macworld has said in reviews, Apple made their choices on compromises and for what I use it for, it's ideal: blogging and writing. Careful with the playah hatin' critics out there that criticize it for what it isn't instead of what it is. When I travel, it's with a bike and 3 pounds makes a huge difference. I've blogged about my experience with the Air on Bike Hugger and yes you can use it as a primary computer. I videoblogged with it recently from Kona.
Message was edited by: dlbyron, added link, fixed typo

[robco]

A swappable bay would be handy, but would require more space, making the laptops larger. Everything is a trade-off. I'd like to see the built-in optical go just because more and more software can be downloaded. An external works fine for the occasional install. I'd rather use the external for the Air than have swappable drives.

Even more Windows laptops are chucking the idea of swappable bays - especially in their thin and lights (check out the slimmer Dell XPS notebooks). It's a nice idea, but because the form factor isn't standard, there's no feasible way for third parties to develop accessories. I'd be willing to bet that the majority of users never bother to swap out the optical drive.

I just wish Apple would license MagSafe so we could have battery extenders, car chargers, etc.

[dlbyron]

Good point on the White Macbook. I bought my daughter a refurb (it was actually new, but listed as refurb) for school -- 2.5GHZ version and it's a surprisingly snappy computer. The updated version is a good value.

[petsko]

MikeGyver (mikegyver.com) sells a Kensington power adapter modified with a MagSafe connector. Works great on airplanes (where it will charge the battery as well as run the computer) and in cars. Their website has instructions on how to make your own if you already have a Kensington or iGo adapter or want to save some money (not difficult to do if you're at all handy). MikeGyver also sells an external battery with a MagSafe connector. I have both and they're well-made (though a bit pricey) and work great. The external battery gives me another 6-8 hours of working time on my MBA, so I bring that along on very long flights when no in-flight power is available (SeatGuru.com can help you find out if your seat has it). I travel up to 100 days a year and the 3 lb weight of the MBA - not to mention the slim profile - saves both backstrain and space in my bag. The MBA is not for everyone, but I love mine.

[dlbyron]

@petsko,

Yep -- I Wrote here about the flight to Kona with power with the Magsafe Airline adaptor.

[cmdahler]

None of these comments are even remotely convincing. You're an outdoors exercise nut carting a bike all over the place and you're complaining about a whole pound and a half?
Anyway, there's no doubt there's an extremely limited niche market for the Air amongst people who either have way more money than they know what to do with or who have a rather limited ability to do a cost-benefit analysis of a purchase. Given the tradeoffs of the Air, though, the thing certainly should be priced more like the MacBook - you can spend the same money and either get super thin, or you can get a much faster processor, an optical drive, twice the memory, twice the hard drive, and deal with the less-than-1/4" extra thickness and a extra pound or so. I mean, jeez, the Air doesn't even have an ethernet port, for crying out loud. How much can a silly ethernet jack possibly weigh?
Anyway, I never said Apple wasn't selling the thing. I'd be surprised if Apple sells more than a handful, though, because for the vast majority of people, the Air makes no sense at all when you factor in the cost.

[mblanche]

When someone don't need a think, they don't have to destroy it. Just don't buy it and nobody will blame you. I don't need a MBP 17in, and I never ask to someone to don't buy it and to Apple to stop produce them. For my part, I bought an UMPC two years ago. It's a Tablet PC with a 7in touchscreen. It's very useful for my job and my needs. Take notes in meeting, read my newspaper in subway, look my podcasts and connect to the web anywhere I found a wifi. It's only 1.5 pound and it's very appreciated in a mobile use. Unfortunately, it's a Windows device. It have 2 usb, no cd-dvd-drive, no vga-dvi port, no RJ45 port but I have a portable docking station with all these ports (tablet kiosk eo i7210). And it's very useful; more than my notebook computer. And I use it more often than my laptop, a 15in notebook with all the "old" external ports. I wait since three years a Mac with the same form factor, a super iPod touch with a 7in screen and a true processor and HD to use OSX and all the available true softwares, not only the Apple Apps. And, if the Apple don't make it in the next 6 months, I will buy a MacBookAir to stop using the very very bad Windows any awful OS. Also, I have an iPhone 3G since Christmas and it becomes my subway computer (newspaper, podcasts and short-time internet use). But a 7in Mac in slate mode or with a slip-keyboard like the HTC Shift will be my preference.

[moe68]

I never understand the comments bemoaning small difference in processing speed. I've been running huge statistical analyses and manipulating large data sets (a million genetic markers in thousands of people) all afternoon on my MacBook Air 1.86Ghz. These take a longer than on the 8-core mac pro in my office - but the macbook air handles it. Even the RAM limitations seem overstated - the system won't even let me dedicate more than 1.6G of ram to my stats software. My point is that the processing power offered in today's computers is rarely needed for average use. And when I think that I can do all of this on a computer that is probably smaller than the Mac Duo I used in grad school its pretty impressive. Now that was a slow computer and it cost more than $2500 more than 15 years ago.