[marcos_davi]

one thing I haven't seen addressed in the MBA reviews is to what extent is the thinness a necessity, and to what extent it is simply about style, especially in relation to weight an cost.
First, weight: there is really no reason to want a thin computer (besides it being so cool), but a really light 13" makes all the sense in the world. Is the thinness of the MBA what makes it so light, or could Apple have designed a thicker 13" with the same weight, but that could perhaps include an extra port or a faster processor (which certainly wouldn't add extra weight)?
Cost: I am willing to make all the compromises the MBA requires, but the price just came a little too salty. I would love to have a MBA as it is, but it's hard to justify that much more money for a computer that has so lot less than even the entry level MB. Could've Apple built a slightly cheaper (I mean $150-$200 less) if they weren't so obsessed with thinness? From an academic perspective (my case), a $1500 MBA with the same specifications and weight would make all the sense in the world.
hope these get addressed
thanks

[wardoggie]

marcos_davi said:

Cost: I am willing to make all the compromises the MBA requires, but the price just came a little too salty. I would love to have a MBA as it is, but it's hard to justify that much more money for a computer that has so lot less than even the entry level MB. Could've Apple built a slightly cheaper (I mean $150-$200 less) if they weren't so obsessed with thinness? From an academic perspective (my case), a $1500 MBA with the same specifications and weight would make all the sense in the world.

You'd probably save that much on a refurb from the Apple store. Just wait a few weeks.

As for the thinness question, it's typical of Apple to "zag" while others all "zig". It makes it a different kind of subnotebook. I imagine it would've been a little lighter if Apple had made it a 12" screen, but then it would've been just like other subnotebooks (albeit one that runs OS X). Could Apple have made it thicker? Sure, but any time you add anything, even extra material for a casing, you add weight. Ask a cyclist about "gram counters" (a.k.a., weight weenies). They're fanatical about saving every last gram of weight to the point of being ridiculous. But on a spec sheet, those little things add up.

[Gatesbasher]

There's such a thing as perception: if you want people to shell out premium prices for something on the basis that it's light, it has to look light, for one reason or another. There are basically three ways to do this: Make the footprint smaller (and accept the smaller screen and keyboard,) make it thinner, or make the case out of cheap-looking plastic. Apple rejected the first and third and went with the second. I think they made the right choice. There will be a market for computers with small footprints, and who's to say that won't be the next thing from Apple? But the full-size screen coupled with the light weight is a winning combination. They could have gone with a thicker case if the made it out of nerf--which might not be a bad idea if you think about it. Thin aluminum looks really elegant, though, and elegant is Apple's chosen design space.

Also, a faster processor would add weight; it wouldn't be this new small, low-power processor!

[moose_n_squirrel]

spinoza2 said:

From the reports I've read on the MacBook Air, also of a similar sturdy aluminum, I'm assuming it continues Apple's emphasis on robust design that can handle the rigors of heavy mobile use... at least in a way that will withstand sharing a backpack with books better than our old Vaio.

I wonder how many of the design decisions had to do with wanting to make sure it was durable and strong. One good way to reduce the strength of the case would be to put a bunch of holes in it. Like a removable battery compartment, an optical drive slot, and some ports...exactly the things Apple cut out. If these make it possible for the MBA to have a strong one-piece metal shell, then maybe it was worth it. But if the MBA is as crushable as a Vaio, then maybe we lost all those features for nothing.

[Jason Snell]

marcos_davi said:

one thing I haven't seen addressed in the MBA reviews is to what extent is the thinness a necessity, and to what extent it is simply about style, especially in relation to weight an cost.

Well, I think I devoted quite a bit of space in my review to that very topic. Personally, I think the thinness is not particularly useful. It looks great and it allows Apple to boast, but it's not the dimension I would choose to slim, because it doesn't help the laptop become more usable in cramped quarters on a plane, train, or bus. But it does look cool.

[sumisu]

Just went to the Apple store in Ginza, Tokyo (I'm here on business) so I could actually play with one of these.

All I can say is "WOW"

Compared to the MacBook I'm lugging around now the MBA felt like almost nothing. Seemed speedy enough for me. Seriously considered seeing if I could buy one then and there - Japanese keyboard and all. But...I think I want the 1.8 with the 80G drive - so time to place the order.

For all these people taking pot shots at the MBA - I would guess very few if any have actually touched one.

js

[marcos_davi]

yes, of course, you adressed extensively the issue of thinneness, but my actual question was: how much are we paying for the thinness?

of course this is always speculation, but I what I was wondering is: is the thinness the only way to make a 13" so light (again, I think its weight AND screen/keyboard size is the MBA's main advantage), or are we paying extra bucks just to get it to slide it under the door. you see what I mean?

[Mister Snitch]

It's fairly amazing (and sad) to have to point out something so glaringly obvious, but here we go:



How to you lighten the laptop? You use components you can sell (i.e., that don't cost so much no one will buy the thing - Apple remembers the Lisa, after all), but don't compromise functionality (to the point where, again, no one would buy it). That's a judgement call. Obviously, the expense comes in making the components both functional AND light/compact.



You also are striving to make the thing as transportable as possible. That is, you are trying to make it SMALLER. You don't want to make it as small as an iPhone because, well, you already MAKE an iPhone. You could make it some size in-between an iPhone and your smallest (say, 12") laptop, like a couple of companies are doing now. And those machines are cute, but they're severely cramped. In fact, Apple's recieved lots of grief over the old MacBook Pro 12" screen over the years, and finally concluded that the size was a bit too small for their customers.

Since roll-up screens and roll-up keyboards aren't very practical (at least not yet), Apple feels locked-in to the height-width factors dictated by the screen. (In this, they are almost certainly correct.) What does that leave them to reduce, to make the laptop lighter and more elegant/transportable? The depth.

Thus, the desire to make the 'world's thinnest laptop" was born out of pragmatic considerations: They simply could not reduce the other dimensions, given the constraints of modern technology and the demands of their anticipated user.

So there you go. I fully expect Apple to develop this form factor for the next 5-10 years, fitting more computing power (and maybe cellular data capabilities) into the unit as it becomes practical. We all know the drill there.

What's next? I expect there's still a hole in Apple's lineup, but it's a new(ish) kind of product. It's a tablet - kind of. It's also a Newton - kind of, and an iPhone - kind of. It probably will be billed as an iPhone pro. It will be at least twice the size of an iPhone, with ports allowing attachment tovarious drives and peripherals - including those roll-up keypads. It will run full OS X and also be switchable to run as an iPhone.

I think such a device is inevitable, but first I expect Apple will work on establishing and refining its new product line, including Apple TV (which has more bottom-line potential than most people give it credit for, if Apple manages to get the right combination of features together). The Air will find its niche, and it's a niche that can grow. I think that's all Apple really expects.

[dtohmatsu]

I have been a lightweight portable user for 25 years starting with a Grid computer, followed by the Toshiba T3100, Sharp Moebius and most recently the Toshiba Portege, which I have had for about 5 years. Let me offer a few comments on the MBA.
1) If you are not on the road a lot and carrying your computer around all day long everyday you will have no appreciation or understanding about the features and benefits of an ultralight. The MBA is not for you and you will think it's a useless machine.
2) Light is more important than thin, but from a marketing point of view, the focus on thin was brilliant. The MBA is heavier than the Sony or the Toshiba so redefining the game was very smart. The MBA is still a little heavy. I'll need to heft one in my hand before I buy one.
3) Portable users tend to centralize their data....IMAP mail servers, network drives, files stored as email attachments, etc. I have had a 18Gbyte hard drive on my Toshiba for 5 years with no problems even though I have over 150,000 emails on my system. 80Gbytes in more than enough.
4) The MBA is quite reasonably priced for a ultalight. Ultralights are not cheap. The Grid was $8k back in 1983. I think the MBA is cheaper than current offerings from Toshiba, Sony, etc.
5) There have not been a lot of improvements in the ultralight market in the last five years since Sharp, Toshiba, and Sony came out with models that were very light, reasonably fast, and had good battery life.
6) The real important advances in portables were hinged display (Grid), fast (T3100 with a 286 processor), and light.
7) Unless you watch DVDs, the optical drive is totally unnecessary. The only time you need one is to install Microsoft apps, (a distasteful task at best), but one for which a remote drive works fine.
8) I have never used two USB ports at the same time. One if fine.
9)No Ethernet is not really problematic. Wifi is so convenient that I always carry an Airport Express. (Apple, an even smaller Access Point would be nice.)
10) No modem is more of a problem. Travel in third world countries and the rural U.S. still sometimes requires a dial up connection.
11) Battery life on the MBA seems OK. Most portable users seem to buy extra power adapters (one beside the bed, one at the office, one in the briefcase.)Long distant flights are the only problem, but a lot of these now have power outlets in business and first and I prefer a sleeping pill to trying to work when I'm in economy.
12) The improvements I would like to see over my current Toshiba are: a) better contrast on the display so I can work outside in the backyard or on the balcony, b) better WiFi (802.1g at least for better throughput, a more robust association algorithm (like the iPhone), higher output on the transmitter to get better range), c) an OS other than Windows, d)rounded front bezel which is a little more comfortable on the palms, e) bigger keyboard and display and f) slightly faster than my current 800Mhz processor. The MBA does a good job of addressing all of these issues.
13) The only knocks I would have on the MBA is that a) it's little heavy, which may be unavoidable with the bigger display and b)the lack of an SVGA or regular DVI port. A lot of people who are on the road do a lot of presentations requiring connection to a projector and don't want to carry around an extra dongle.
14) Bottom line, there are a lot of people who really need and use very light portables and have been waiting a long time to get rid of their Windows OS. Thanks Apple!

[spinoza2]

I purchased my first Sony ultralight (a Vaio N505) in 2000 and paid $2200 for it. It had a 10+ inch screen and weighed just under three pounds not counting the included external optical drive. It had a whopping 64MB of RAM and a 6GB hard drive. The basic design for these Vaio ultralights hasn't really changed much since 2000; the weight has stayed under three pounds, I believe the display is now a tad bigger, the optical drive is now integrated, and it still costs around $2200. Rather than the Vaio, Apple is actually following the same design strategy as Toshiba with its Portege in keeping a full-sized keyboard and a functionally large display. The Portege, like the MacBook Air, is able to do this by being very thin and light. The MBA has a larger display, and its noticeably more robust than the fragile-seeming Portege. The MBA also has a better keyboard and brighter display than the Portege, and it's a couple of hundred dollars cheaper.

The MacBook Air is slightly heavier than the Vaio because of the sturdier aluminum case, which makes the MBA more durable under mobile conditions than the (relatively thin) plastic Vaio or Portege. The decision to go with aluminum at the expense of a bit more weight is a good one, design-wise.

Apple made the right decision in keeping all the 'doodads' off the MacBook Air (ports, optical drive, etc.), and to let consumers decide which ones they may need as separate add-ons. Geez, I can't recall the last time I have used an external modem, it's been several years now, at least. I've used Ethernet perhaps twice in the past six years. The same with having used more than one USB device at the same time on the road. From my experience, I would probably make use of a serial or VGA port (older data projectors...) before a modem or Ethernet, so the critics of Apple's minimalist strategy might as well demand having these ports as well "just in case". For the folks that do make use of any of these doodads, adding on external adapters and the like is very easy and relatively inexpensive.

[nmouncey]

You really can not get through 5 or 6 hours without 3 separate devices?
I got rid of my cell phone because I couldn't stand being reachable all the time.
Come out and play in the fresh air for a little while. You'll feel much better!!!

[Don69]

Thanks for a great and thorough review. I'm just surprised however, that you didn't discuss the fact that the MacBook Air only comes with a glossy screen. I just can't stand glossy screens. It's a real deal-breaker for me.

I'm a big Apple fan and I'm now worried that glossy is the way of the future for Apple. First the iMac was glossy only, now the MacBook and the MacBook Air. I'm worried that the MacBook Pro and Cinema Displays are next. If more users feel like me, please let Apple know that they need to offer matte screens as well. At least for the pro lines. And to me, the MacBook Air fits in the pro category. So does the 24" iMac.

I can understand that a glossy screen makes sense if your main purpose with your computer is watching movies or photo slide shows (but not for editing and color accuracy!) in a dark room with no reflections. For me, I'd rather have a matte screen when spending hours upon hours in front of the computer working.

Don

[tony12345]

> I just can't stand glossy screens. It's a real deal-breaker for me.

I'm a big Apple fan and I'm now worried that glossy is the way of the future for Apple. First the iMac was glossy only, now the MacBook and the MacBook Air. I'm worried that the MacBook Pro and Cinema Displays are next. If more users feel like me, please let Apple know that they need to offer matte screens as well. At least for the pro lines. For me, I'd rather have a matte screen when spending hours upon hours in front of the computer working.

Don
[/quote]


As a mac-user for over 15 years and being a graphic designer, I too am worried about the future product lines of Apple being ‘glossy LED’ screens only.
I suppose we shall realize where Apple are heading with the release of the next Macbook Pro range and Cinema Screens. If these are ‘glossy’ only without matte options, then I think Apple’s plan is no longer catering for the creative industries (who have been the bedrock for Apple’s existence since the beginning) and moving onto the consumer/lifestyle market, no doubt influenced by the success of the iPod and now the iPhone. I hope I am wrong.
Apple’s core identity is for being a creative and innovative company that has a faithful following of users from the creative industries. This ‘creative industry’ is still a ‘niche’ market in comparison to the mainstream, but one which I hope is still at the heart of Apple’s future. The nightmare scenario is that Apple evolves into just another Microsoft that caters solely for the mainsteam.

Macworld, what is your opinion on this?

[jaff74]

Hi Jason:

Any word on when the MBA with SSD is coming out? Is it really worth spending $ 1000 extra?

thanks