[trip1ex]

Some folks would rather have the MBA form factor and larger (and nicer) screen and larger trackpad than a few extra ports.
I know it's hard to quantify the quality of the screen and the usefullness of a larger trackpad and the utility and enhanced experience of a thin aluminum form factor, but don't dismiss those improvements so easily even though you can't neatly compare those features in a spreadsheet.

[Dan Frakes]

greg30307 said:

I disagree that Apple really had to make the other compromises it made. As you said, the X300 is in a different class than the conventional HD MBA. A better comparison is the X61s, which is slightly older but still a current model. The X61s has many options; the below is configured as close as I could to the MBA.

The system you configured has a smaller, inferior-quality display; a significantly less-powerful processor (the low-voltage L7700), and, if you go by Lenovo's specs, shorter battery life. (It's also 50% to 60% larger, by volume.) There are other minor differences, as well, not counting software and OS, which is another debate altogether ;)

I'm sure some will claim I'm nit-picking here. But if two laptops aren't in the same class with respect to some of the most-important laptop features?performance, screen size/quality, and battery life?it's tough to argue they're comparable, regardless of similar weight. Apple compromised with respect to ports; Lenovo compromised with respect to screen, processor, etc.

Again, if someone wants to argue that a thicker Air with more ports would have been better for them, personally, that's great. Heck, even I would have liked to see an Ethernet port, one additional USB port, and a security slot. But I disagree with the people who claim that it would have been easy for Apple to add a slew of additional features without dramatically changing the Air's shape and size, and without impacting the Air's price or, more important, its primary feature set?full-size screen, full-power processor, and full-size keyboard/trackpad. I just don't see any machines out there that show such a product is feasible right now.

And with that, I'll stop beating this dead horse ;)

Quote

But it is just too bad, in my opinion, that Apple, the company that originally built "the computer for the rest of us" seems to deliberately not want to appeal to more ordinary people in this and many other ways.

"More ordinary people" have the MacBook, which offers better performance, lots of ports, and more "traditional" features for less money. The Air is for a specific group of people: those who value weight and size over other features.

[nom]

I think the MBA is indeed an amazing design - but it just misses the boat in a few major ways - the primary being cost

like the Cube, people are being asked to pay one hell of a lot for aesthetics as well as the questions,

*if weight is the key selling point the, 'why not make it smaller and thereby even lighter?'
*if functionality is key then, 'why not add ports which even smaller laptops can accommodate?'

I know the mantra of trade-offs but the choices seem odd - and will stop a lot of potential purchasers i their tracks

I hope it succeeds for the sake of apple but I find myself in the odd position of seriously thinking my next laptop might well be my first ever non mac computer purchase

not a windows machine, of course (I haven't gone completely mad) but things like the eee pc running linux look interesting as well as cheap to buy

but I seriously hope that Apple bring out something smaller before I need to upgrade from my PB 12" (G4 1.5ghz) - and yes, it is time for my tablet now - mactablet preferably ;~)

[phacker]

I bought a macbook air as a second computer. I have a 15" MBPro which, for me, is entirely too heavy and bulky to travel with. In the last 60 days I have not picked up my macbook pro more than 4 times. Every time I have it seemed so big and bulky.

The MBA is amazing to use, feels great in my hands, I can carry it anywhere by slipping it into almost anything. I have tossed it in a backpack, in a padfolio, and just carried it around. I can use it everywhere and it is a pleasure to carry. I have not once missed the optical drive. I rarely use more than one usb and if i do need another port I can carry a small hub. I purchased an ethernet adapter but have only used it once. I own a verizon wireless card that plugs into the side. Since I am a road warrior, this is the only way to go.

The display is beautiful, the backlit keyboard is fantastic and the trackpad is so wonderful I have a hard time adapting back to a mac without the new features.

As for the poster who likes the 12" PB. Please. The MBA is much lighter and takes up way less space. Its barely bigger than a sheet of paper and almost as thin. The powerbook was a little brick with a way too small screen.

Lenovo, asus, toshiba, i cant even fathom using one of them. As for deal breakers the have one major one, Windows.

the MBA is beautiful and solid. The curved top and bottom make it remarkably rigid. It is so thin and light that I don't even want to put it in a case.I have even used as a writing surface when doing inspections, with a legal pad right on top of it. Walking for hours and barely noticing it in my hands. I have an 8gig flash drive that serves as a great way to transfer files and I have a .mac account for the rest.

I think many people forget that its not called macbook thin or macbook sliver or something like that, it is called macbook air. That may be a reference to its lightness, but more so to the fact that it is designed to be used wirelessly. That is why it has very few ports. It is not mean to have lots of things attached and dangling. Put your stuff on line and pull it off via a wireless connection. Transfer what you need to the machine when you can then travel.

If these things aren't what you want, oh well. Adapt or buy another computer, but please stop bitching about the MBA. It is a fabulous machine with a beautiful design made for the masses. And since they are selling lots of them, Apple obviously did there research.,

If you are a nay sayer who doesn't own the MBA, shut up already until you own one. Then you can complain about what you don't like about your own machine once you've actually figured out what you don't like.

BTW, I travel 75,000 miles a year and spend too much time carrying crap around. Since I've switched to the MBA it has made a world of difference. I used to carry so much "just in case" accessories that I rarely or never used. Now i've slimmed my backpack down not only the 2 lbs from the laptop, but probably another 1 lbs in stuff I don't need.

I realize it is first generation. Like all other Apple products, it will only get better.

Perry

[Dan Frakes]

phacker said:

If you are a nay sayer who doesn't own the MBA, shut up already until you own one.

Remember, keep it civil, please.

[phacker]

Forgive me. My frustration got the better of me.

[Martian]

I think some of the ah, “confusion” here is because we are discussing a jumble of at least four questions plus the #5 factor:
1. Did Apple omit some features from the Air for marketing strategy, therefore cripple it beyond what was necessary just to meet the size, weight, price and engineering targets?
2. If 1 is “yes”, are those omitted features really a handicap for the target niche’s practical needs?
3. If 2 is “yes”, is the Air still better for me than any other Mac irrespective of whether it should have been even better?
4. Also if 2 is “yes”, is the Air still better for me than either a heavier Mac or an ultra-portable PC?
5. The religious argument — Apple/Jobs good, Micro$oft/Gates bad!

[OlsonBW]

phacker - Keep in mind that there is only one person on the planet that matters as to what they think. I don't think that person, being Steve Jobs, visits this website.

There are an infinite number of views of any kind, not just two sides. All of them are valid but don't matter as long as Steve Jobs doesn't agree.

I don't work for Apple or any company that sells or, sadly, even buys Apple branded hardware or software. I'm just a non-business customer that likes Apple products because Windows and Linux aren't as good "for me" at this point in time. Times change, things happen, this isn't the future or past or someone else. It's me.

Most of your complaints can be "overcome" by buying an AirPort Express Base Station. Again I said, "most".

Keeping in mind that the Air is not a "Pro" machine, performance should not expected to be top speed. If you are looking for one or two extra ports, there you go.

Instead of limiting yourself to be next to the ethernet jack in your house, hotel, etc., you are still wireless. It has a ethernet port built into it so it plugs you into the wired ethernet network where ever you are. It also has a USB port which you could then connect to a USB hub if you need more than two USB ports.

As for FireWire, the very simple answer is that there is a USB 2 to WireFire 400 adapter you can buy for the Air. If it is too much expense or trouble for you to pay $19 plus tax or plus it into the built in USB 2 port, I can't help you there. I'm here just to offer to solutions to the "symptoms" of not having extra ports built into the Air.

If this still can't make you happy about the Air, I suggest trying to ignore that it exists for now. Steve Jobs may change his mind in the future.

[MBAuser]

George,



I've carried the Lenovo X series computers and they have two major problems:

1. they run slow flawed OSs

2. They feel much heavier than the MBA. Both the X41 and 61's weight is distributed in such a way that they feel heavier. I've also experienced multiple crashes and HD failures with both models. And their keyboards can't compare, not full sized, no backlighting.

No good.



I travel 100k+ per year. I'm carrying an MBA everywhere, remote desktopping into my desktop, VPNing everywhere.

Only thing I'd change is an easier way to connect to an EVDO network.

[phacker]

OlsonBW,
I am not sure if this entire reply was meant for me or just the first two lines. I love the macbook air and agree with everything you just said. I think my post represents that as well.
Phacker.

[philipdr]

"During our trip, we never regretted not having an optical drive; I had loaded a few movies on the hard drive"
Can someone comment on the legality of this? I recently took a trip to the U.K. and, since I didn't want to carry the original DVD's, ripped a few movies from my personal collection to the hard drive on my MacBook Pro. Since I own the originals I assumed this was OK and maybe it is in the U.S. but a friend in the U.K. told me that over there ANY copying of DVD's is illegal and subject to heavy penalties, including jail time. I'm not sure if he's correct or not but it got me wondering about how different countries apply the copyright laws and what risks world travelers might be running.

[OlsonBW]

{quote}"During our trip, we never regretted not having an optical drive; I had loaded a few movies on the hard drive"

Can someone comment on the legality of this? {quote}

I am not a lawyer. Anything I say here is probably laced with lots of ignorance of laws and what could be done to anyone for using a program to copy a movie onto their hard drive or even onto another DVD.

With my ignorance noted, here goes.

I think they only care about the following which is bad, bad, bad, bad, illegal.

They do not want you sharing movies or any other hopefully legally purchased media with someone or many someones else. Meaning, don't make physical copies or electronic copies and give them to anyone else.

While not permissible in the ULA, I think they are not worried about how you view things that you've legally bought since they are not losing any money because you aren't going to be buying multiple copies of the same thing.

Authorities may find that you have lots of movies (I don't know why they would know this or how they got this information) and wonder if you have them legally. They can then make you show proof of purchase. They may need electronic receipts if you bought a downloadable movie (this is assuming you purchased it as compared to rented it and it isn't past the rental period) and physical proof that you have the original DVD/BlueRay/etc..

If they have no obvious signs that you are sharing copies of the media physically or electronically and you legally own "like quality" or lesser quality copies of what you have, they shouldn't bother you anymore and go away.

The main thing the movie industry and music industry and the art community, etc., is worried about is losing money. If there are no signs that they are losing money because of what you are doing, then they should care and neither should the authorities since the companies don't feel they are being harmed.

Your experience may/will vary. This is just my own ignorant personal opinion from someone living in the U.S..

[georgep]

Took a while getting back to you, but there is more to life than blogging. This will have to be my last post to this blog.

First, I should say that I consider the 13.3 in format to be too big. For years I have carried the smallest Sony Vaio on trips, starting with the 505 (which I still have). Over a year ago, I decided to go Mac for my travel computer, and have carried a MacBook with me around the world. It worked great, as you would expect, but the format was just a little too big to fit into many of my carry-on bags comfortably - I have had to shrink these as many local airlines use small planes like Avro's, Bombardiers, and Embraers which do not allow much space.

But you ask ,"Which Windows laptop has
a 13-inch LED display, a full-size keyboard, and a full-size trackpad;
isn't made of cheap plastic; weighs 3 pounds or less; has "many ports"
(built-in, not via a docking station); has a replaceable 4- or 5-hour
battery; has comparable processing power; has a built-in optical drive;
isn't considerably larger or thicker than the MacBook Air; and is under
$1800?"

I have a couple of suggestions which I think are more appropriate than the X31 that has been suggested. Take a look at the Sony SZ series, and the Dell XPS 1330. These are both good looking machines (not as thin and sexy as the MBA), and can be had with processors almost as slow as the MBA to save battery life (though, with them you can change batteries easily, not, as OlsenBW suggests with a screwdriver, trying to keep track of tiny screws). The MBA has not tested up to the claimed battery life, but these machines come close, especially with a slow CPU like the MBA. They both have starting prices well under $1800 with comparable processors. They both have two USB ports, a Firewire port, a memory card slot (I think), an Ethernet port, video ouputs, an internal optical drive, and a Mike In jack. They have good cases which are more resistant to scratches and dents than aluminum.

An aside: I never understood why Apple chose aluminum for their notebook cases. I have a 12 in PowerBook and a 15 in MacBook Pro, so I know whereof I speak, and they a very easy to blemish. When I think of aluminum, I think of kitchen pots. Why not titanium or carbon fibre like fighter jets and Formula One cars?

Back to my suggestions. Except for thickness, these machines compare well to the MBA. You might argue that they are heavier, and they are a tiny bit heavier, but when you add the weight of your external optical drive, your USB hub, and your ethernet dongle, you end up heavier with the MBA.

Now, I have read many people ask "when do you really need all these other features. Well, I don't know when I might need to attach a USB Cell phone dongle and my optical drive at the same time, nor when I might want to connect my video cam to the Firewire port, nor when I might want to connect to an ethernet because there is no Wifi (I don't want to carry an Airport Express), nor when I might want to watch a film on a plane or in my hotel, nor when I might want to write some data to a CD because my hard drive is filling up, but when I do want (need) to do one of these things, I want to be able to. And, I always want to connect my mike to Mike in as I use Skype regularly.

So, the question is, why so I have to live with all these compromises?. And the answer is that Steve Jobs wanted his machine to be thin and sexy, and to hell with the sacrifice users might make. Now, I may be getting old, but I think that, while sex is great, after a while you might want something more from your companion. I do not buy my travel notebook for a one night stand.

You also made the remark, in response to my anti-Windows comment,

"The people in this thread have, for the most part, kept the discussion
civil, and most, on both sides of the discussion, have made reasoned
arguments. This comment really lowers the level of discourse."

I did not notice you censuring OlsonBW for this response to my previous comment:

"Those laptops you mention? They all have one serious problem that is
far, FAR bigger than anything I can get in a MacBook, MacBook Air, or
Pro. That is Windows. The first thing I would do is format it and
install Ubuntu or something else but Windows? Sorry, I'm not that
sadistic. (Note: I'm a computer systems analyst who has to travel from
time to time. I support Windows computer for a living. There is nothing
you can tell me about anything up through Vista that I don't already
need to know about.)"

I think that most of us, on this Macworld forum, are anti-Microsoft to some extent, and that does not lower the level of discourse. I first resented Microsoft when my company over-rode my recommendations and forced me to buy an inferior "IBM standard" machine in 1982. I resent Microsoft for having come to dominance on the back of IBM during the eighties. I resent Microsoft for having gone behind the back of IBM to develop Windows instead of going with OS2, which was an infinitely superior operating system. Though that might have been the death knell of Apple which floundered through the nineties to move ahead with the Mac OS.

During all this time, I have used Microsoft software, and while it was not a nice as the Mac, it worked, for the most part. In fact, as I write this on my Mac Pro, my keyboard is right beside my Dell Win XP machine which I bought before Intel Macs and Parallels to run software which could not run on the Mac. I have not get around to transferring everything to my relatively new MacPro. So, I switch between two keyboards, two mice, and two operating systems all day everyday. And, as I indicated at the beginning, I always used a Sony Vaio for my travel machine with Windows on it. So, despite being anti-Windows, I currently own four Macs and two Windows machines. And, I really regret that Steve Jobs ego is forcing me to buy another Wintel machine for travel.

Still, I am reassured that in the latest hack attacks, the MBA was hacked first, the Windows machine was hacked second, and my desired Sony Vaio TZ, but with Ubuntu Linux on it, remains unconquered. And, the Dell XPS 1330 is available with Ubuntu Linux preinstalled in some countries. So, while I may not be able to feed the Apple machine this time, I can try to avoid giving more money to Microsoft. Sorry if that lowers the level of discourse!

[Dan Frakes]

georgep said:

I have a couple of suggestions which I think are more appropriate than the X31 that has been suggested. Take a look at the Sony SZ series, and the Dell XPS 1330. These are both good looking machines (not as thin and sexy as the MBA), and can be had with processors almost as slow as the MBA to save battery life...They both have starting prices well under $1800 with comparable processors.

I looked at these models after you mentioned them in your earlier post, which is why I asked my question. Consider the XPS 1330 (which is a pretty good computer). Once you configure the 1330 as closely as you can get to the Air -- LED display, Bluetooth, comparable battery life, etc. -- what you're left with is a computer that's ~$150 less than the Air with more ports and a larger hard drive, but one that's slower (different processor model at the same clock rate), heavier and bulkier (significantly so on both counts), with slower wireless.

In other words -- have I said this before? ;) -- every computer in this class involves compromises, and there's nothing out there in this price range that gives you the Air's good attributes and all the things people wish the Air had. People have to choose which combination of features and compromises is best for them, and the Air, the XPS 1330, and the Sony SZ series are all good options.

georgep said:

Except for thickness, these machines compare well to the MBA. You might argue that they are heavier, and they are a tiny bit heavier, but when you add the weight of your external optical drive, your USB hub, and your ethernet dongle, you end up heavier with the MBA.

This is like saying that a station wagon isn't really bigger than a coupe, because once you add the U-Haul trailer necessary to get the same storage space, the coupe is actually bigger ;) This line of criticism, which I've seen often, misses the whole point of the Air: If you don't need that stuff -- and Apple believes that you normally don't -- you can enjoy the size and weight benefits of not having to carry it. If you truly need those features regularly, the Air probably isn't the right computer for you.

As an aside, your comments about size and weight made me curious, so I checked the numbers and came up with some interesting tidbits: The weight of the Air's drive, dongle, and a portable hub together (13 ounces) is less than half of the difference in weight between the Dell XPS 1330 and the Air (1.7 pounds). And the 1330 is nearly three times bigger than the Air: ~50cu.in. vs. ~130. I had to do that calculation three times to make sure I didn't make a mistake.