[wdonegan]

Agreed; this thing is seriously hamstrung in a number of ways, all in the interest of providing a small form factor with extended battery life. The design is sexy, but the price premium is hard to justify in light of the limitations.

[kipsmiller]

CUBE REDUX!

The same problems that sank the CUBE will sink the AIR. Why would anyone buy this computer when you can buy a cheaper/more functional MACBOOK? Some people will buy it because it's more stylish...about the same number of people who bought a CUBE over a G4 TOWER for the same reason.

[Jason Snell]

kipsmiller said:

The same problems that sank the CUBE will sink the AIR. Why would anyone buy this computer when you can buy a cheaper/more functional MACBOOK? Some people will buy it because it's more stylish...about the same number of people who bought a CUBE over a G4 TOWER for the same reason.

It's possible, but I don't think so. There's a very dedicated group of people who want the smallest laptop possible. Sure, some people may buy the MacBook Air because of style, but in reality most of them will by the MacBook Air because it's lighter and smaller than the other MacBooks. Not all of us are small-laptop people, but some people are and that's why they'll get this product. (Besides which, having a tiny Mac is a whole lot more relevant and practical when you're lugging it around than when it's sitting on a desk looking pretty.)

[macwilf]

I don't think this is a new Cube, either. I rather stick with my iMovie08-allegory, although you don't have the price as an important factor in the case of iMovie08.
In the case with iMovie08, it can be quite handy for people who just want to throw together a shorter videoclip for YouTube or similar purposes, but for people wanting more control over the editing, it is not an option.
In the case of MacBook Air (Why not just Mac Air?), I can see that it will be a group wanting exactly what it can offer and technically, it isn't a bad offer at all. I've been lugging around with my iBook some kilometres and with a light scanner in addition, paper and a pencilcase and whatnot, it is a heavy load after a while.
But the price is a little too much for me.
And I am afraid that is the case for many others.
And that will be even more the main obstacle when you come outside the US. You may have to add a few per cent to the 1799, but it is nothing like 20-25% which we have in Europe - and when it is added another few hundreds of dollars to that, you exclude a lot of potential buyers, who are not after a cheap solution, mind you - but there are limits.
No matter what reasons Apple may defend their European prices with, they cannot get around the psychological effect of people here looking at the American prices and then comparing that to what we are charged.
That is what is happening to the slower sales of the iPhone here, compared to US.
When Apple will realise that they need to do something about that psychological effect, their market share will go even more up.
And the Air won't ever become a Cube.
We are willing to pay more for less, but not that much.

[downunder]

I am at the MacWorld after traveling 12000 km to see the sub-notebook and really Steve, what a disappointment. The pricing (given the internals) should have been half the price you are asking. So I went to Best Buy and bought a MacBook Pro for $2000 (with everything I need), and I will live with the extra size, weight and functionality.

[jkross22]

Jason, would you agree that the Air is a niche lifestyle (i.e. halo) product? By that definition, it's appeal will be quite limited, as are many other ultra slim notebooks. I recall a comment earlier from someone who said he would buy the Air also owned a $700 Nokia phone. That is Apple's customer for this product. There's not a lot of those folks out there. Since Apple has not yet been effective at marketing to enterprise customers on a large scale where many of the consumers for this type of product exist, this really is a halo product. Maybe that's the intent here - a low volume halo product. That would be puzzling though... all those resources required to make the Air would be dedicated to a low volume product.



My point is that as a mass marketer, would it not have made more sense for the big new product introduction this year been an iPhone flip, redesigned MacBook Pro, mid level desktop below the MacPro, etc?



Just sayin'.

[Frantish]

The more I think about it, the more I conclude:
It must have FireWire 800.
FW 800 is backward compatible to FW 400.

ADDENDUM: I will agree to the 4 pin FW 400 (aka iLink), it is tiny connector and no power out to external devices.
But I absolutly cannot be without FireWire.
Until its put in, I do not want it, even if it was given to me for free.
FAIL

[Lamna nasus]

Hmmm.. so Apple has dusted off the Duo concept.

Why was the original Duo withdrawn?.. because it was too expensive for what you got in the basic package and because owners discovered they DID need the accessories not included because of lack of space in the design.. This meant a very, very limited market and the model was not economically viable.. I know because I used to sell them.

OS X is more reliable than the old Apple OS but it is not bullet proof, if the OS implodes (as Duo owners discovered to their cost) how are you going to access the 'Air' to reload it, without an external optical drive?

So how have Apple learnt from these mistakes?.. it looks as though they haven't and they have added some new ones -

Ram and Hard Drives should always be upgradable.. its better to have the potential and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

The average lifespan of an Apple portable computer battery is approx. two years, after which a significant deterioration in charge holding is apparent.. If the battery in this new model is not user replaceable, that is an insanely dumb move at this price bracket.

The port access is in a drop down module?... that IS going to get broken.. by ALOT of users.. another insanely dumb move.

I like Apple's products and I still sell them but both the Duo and the Cube were insanely great designs with an insanely small potential market place and the 'Air' appears destined to join them.

[the_macophile]

Looking at the machine, Apple has targeted a market that in the past, only the iBook G4 got close to. Although the price tag seems steep, as a person lugging a laptop and the required items to do the things I do (Digital Camera, Wacom Tablet, Power Adapter, Backup Battery, cables) and to be able to have a laptop as powerful if not more-so than my current, and cut the weight down substantially, I think I am willing to pay the premium for that ability. I just hope Apple can make improvements, especially considering the lack of firewire, in time.

[Frantish]

Sounds like you think it needs FireWire as well.

...

Can the 'Books boot of USB yet?

[Caligrown]

what kind of graphic card is in the air?

[martinezandrewalsk]

The macbook air's design is undoubtedly one of the coolest I have ever seen, so are the new touchpad features, but I am very disappointed that they did not include an optical drive in the computer. It was probably to thin to have a disc drive so they just invented some other way to load discs onto the MB air. This computer is pretty much for for looks and weight. What's it going to be next? a paper thin MB that only has two small features on it?

[jedi228]

It really isn't necessary for folks who aren't interested in buying the product to repeat again and again how the MacBook Air is missing XYZ--we already know that it is missing several items. I'm quite certain that the device isn't for everybody, so why rehash and attack it repeatedly.

I am interested in hearing things like: How sturdy is it? Can I hold it comfortably between thumb and index finger? Does it seem like a device that is easy to drop on the floor and break? Does it seem like something I can keep in a backpack without worrying about it, under a car seat, stick it under living room couch cushion?

To me it is obvious that this shouldn't be a primary workhorse computer. It is a second computer. Sticking it under a couch cushion makes it a convenient access device.

[Lamna nasus]

Booting from an external USB drive should be possible (though this means you are going to have to carry an extra accessory and choose a drive that takes its power from the port to ensure power is not a problem while on the road.. while hoping that the System crash has not nerfed your USB port control) -

'Yes, your drive needs special formatting. When you do this, you lose everything that is on your USB drive now.
Open your Disk Utility, and click on your USB drive (the manufacturer's info line, and not the line with the name of the partition), and click on the Partition tab.
Click the Options button at the bottom of that window.
Click GUID partition table (needed for booting on an Intel Mac.)
Click OK
Click on the Volume Scheme, and choose 1 partition from the drop-down list (or another choice if you think you need more than 1 partition.)
Click the Format drop-down, and choose Mac OS Extended (journaled)
Name your drive whatever you like, and click the Partition button.

That USB drive should now be selectable if you boot to your installer disk.

In the past, no Mac could boot OS X from a USB drive. That changed with the Intel Macs, and USB certainly boots an Intel Mac. But, you must change the type of partition, as listed above, or the installer ignores the USB drive.'
Posted by DeltaMac. 09-03-2007, 08:58 AM.
http://forums.macosx...hp/t-77649.html