[eztider]

I bought my MBA right away. Didn't require a lot of rational thought or be logical, just picking it up was enough. I too have a large iTunes library, but I only carry 5-star rated songs. Really, do you want to listen to your inferior music on the road, or the good stuff? With my .Mac account, I have Back To My Mac, so if I don't have something with me on the Air I can bring it down from my Mini, remotely. Don't need EVDO or any laptop wireless card; I have ATT DSL, which gives me access to their hotspots all over town. Don't need that much since all my hotels have broadband. In short, I've found I just don't need to carry that much on the MBA. The peripherals like the dongle for the wired Ethernet and the Superdrive can travel in checked luggage, leaving my carryone thin and light.

[ryansinger]

AGREED!

the thing is this is a product that some people are going to think is the bee's knees and some people will wonder why it even exists.

It's really a toss up when it comes to value / pricing.. For cheaper, you can get a Macbook which outperforms the Macbook Air. And if you were going to plunk down $3100 for the faster Macbook Air (1.8Ghz), then comparatively you can get a really 2.4Ghz Macbook Pro for $2000! $1100 LESS! that's the price of a 2.1Ghz Macbook. HA! BUY BOTH!!!

here it is in simple math:

2000 Macbook Pro 2.4Ghz
+ 1100 Macbook 2.1Ghz
_
$3100 Macbook Air 1.8Ghz

[Dan Frakes]

JakeB said:

Despite Jason Snell's (otherwise excellent) Air review, it's clear that the Air is intended as a SECONDARY ultra-portable laptop

I was leaning towards such a judgement myself. Then I used one for a few weeks and -- perhaps more important -- my family used it. Now I think it really depends on the user. More on that in an upcoming article ;)

mac323 said:

I personally don't see the point of the MacBook Air. The MacBook and MacBook Pro are much better values, considering the processor power, price, and hard drive space.

Which is a "better value" depends entirely on the actual needs of the user. (Unfortunately, I think too many people buy computers based on their perceived needs.)

[alpayerturkmen]

I haven't understood your motives before writing this article. Have you bought the Air and then thought about how you could use it? Well that is a wrong line of thought :)

Regarding your hard disk space dilemma, If you were to go portable before the recent MacBook and MacBook Pro updates you probably would have ended up like me. A MBP with 120 GB of HD space on it and an external 250 GB drive or something else. This is the way to go if you have huge files you have to work when you or mobile.

Enjoy your new Air,

Cheers,

Alpay

The Unofficial Mac

The PSP Port

[Podesta]

I will add a few thoughts as another MacBook Air owner.
a??Bluetooth has proven the easiest way to transfer files, including music and photos, between the Air and my 'big' computer, a MacBook Pro Core Duo 2.16 Ghz. (I mean a few gigs at most.)
a??I have not come up with a way to use the Air to print at Kinko's or other copy centers. Here's hoping the rest of the world catches up with Apple.
a??I prefer Ethernet connections to Remote Disc, which has been iffy on both my MacBook Airs.
a??I do notice the speed differential sometimes. I think it is because I usually have two browsers open with as many as ten windows available.
a??I only have music and a couple rental movies at a time on my MacBook Air. TV shows, movies and podcasts are consigned to a new external hard drive, my big computer and my iPhone.
a??I have settled on the Timbuktu sleeve for 13-inch laptops for the Air. Neither the new Incase sleeve, nor the Brenthaven slim case with shoulder strap, nor the Incase sleeve for the regular MacBook, is a good fit.
a??My shoulder and back are already benefitting from reducing my travel laptop's weight by half.

[negreli]

I don't own a Macbook Air.
But my opinion is that, as always, Apple is a step forward (or many) and I have not yet read any comments espressing my toughts.
For me, the Air is the first computer of a new era, when all the connections will be wireless, and connectivity will be present everywhere. Many are going to complain that there are not wired connectors in it, and this is the goal : the gradual supression of all kinds of material connections. I am pretty sure that, in some years, cd's and dvd's are going to be obsolete, new kinds of storage will be developped, and over the air is going to be everywhere. There will be no need to carry huges HD in portable computers, just the necessary to run the OS and the applications. Maybe not even that: applications are going to be accessed remotely, as well as the access to files and transfers to other machines. Everything with not even one wire connected.
And in this years, everybody will understand this first step of Apple.

[macmirage]

I couldn't agree more. I'm in that demographic of Mac users that Apple must salivate over: people who can't walk out of an Apple Store without, A) Buying something, and
B) Wishing I could buy more, thus guaranteeing a return trip, which will result in yet another purchase.
It's not just the way Apple markets its products, although I admit they've got me there, too. More importantly, Apple seems to be always at least five full years ahead of the curve, the curve being of course anything Windows related. While Windows technology appears to move along slowly, even grudgingly, toward a brave new world, Mac tech not only finds new niches, it creates them, i.e. the iPod, iTunes, the iPhone, etc. Now along comes the MacBook Air, and talk about a truly wireless world is no longer just talk. Somebody has to turn speculation into reality, and Apple is never afraid to be that somebody. Does the first generation MacBook Air have drawbacks? It depends on what the intended user considers drawbacks. I don't own one - yet - but when I do buy one ( it's only a matter of time) I will couple it with my MacBook Pro and iPhone to create whatever unique user experience all of us Mac users enjoy. I suppose that's the point of every Apple product: every experience can be tailored to the individual needs and creativity of the consumer. So, how do we employ the MacBook Air in our lives? We'll each figure that out in our own way. Remember, the "how" will change along with each Apple innovation. Successive generations of MBA will not only incorporate tech evolution, they will help to force along tech evolution as well.

[esteban]

I will get a MBA if:
1) there's gigabit wireless networks
2) the SSD base MBA costs less than a base MBP
3) the battery lasts for half what my nano lasts (12 hours)
4) it has a better CPU than my 2.0 ghz C2D mini
...that pretty much sums it. The MBA is too alpha but Apple has once again innovated a new market: the ultrathin and light but with full I/O (large enough display, keyboard and multitouch pad) mobile computer.
With that said, it's pathetic that Apple wants to look greener but also encourage "disposable computings economics". The shuffle that is worthless when the battery dies, and now a "third personal computer".