Curious minds need to know -- despite the built-in RAM, the
fixed battery, single (and soon to be
overworked) USB port, lack of integrated 3G and the lofty $1,799 starting price point, did you still pull the trigger on a MacBook Air
pre-order? We know, it
is ridiculously thin, and it
is ultra-light, so we're wondering just how many of you ponied up the premium for all that sexiness. Drop your answer in the poll below, and feel free to add a couple pennies (or more, we won't mind) in comments.
Did you pre-order a MacBook Air?| You bet! I'd pay anything for all that sexy | 3443 (7.6%) |
|---|
| Not yet, but I'm close to nailing that Submit button | 11321 (24.9%) |
|---|
| Not a chance! (see my reasons / rant below) | 30761 (67.6%) |
|---|
posted January 15th 2008 4:30PM
I would buy one if I had the cash and the need, I have MacBook at present so I don't need to change.
One USB? No problem, why do I need more for everyday use, it is only occasionally that I need 2 or more and rarely when I travel, worst case I have a very small 4 port USB hub, problem solved
No Ethernet? I truly can't remember the last time I plugged my laptop into a network, in work, in a hotel or anywhere.
No Firewire is a pain as I have Video Camera that plugs in nicely to my MacBook. I reckon I'll be changing that in a couple of years anyway, probably around the same time I change my Macbook.
When you look at technology and the advances that happen, they only occur because someone keeps pushing the boat out and striving for the next thing, which is what Apple has done here.
I'd put an awful lot of money (if I had any) on Sony/HP/Acer all coming out with a similar machine within a year. Why? Because Apple have just pushed the technology boundary big style and eventually the world in general will catch up with them.
60% smaller CPU, that's amazing, guarantee in a year, every new laptop has a micro CPU in it, running at todays speeds.
SSD - again give it 2 years, until the price drops to a reasonable level and I guarantee it'll be hard to find a new laptop with a HHD.
No Optical drive? I don;t remember the last time I bought software that I didn't download, and I long time ago realised that DVD's are not the future, they scratch. Give me my media digitally like I have my music, why would I ever want to burn it onto disk again?
Ultra think LED backlit screen, again every manufacturer will be wanting that for the battery save alone.
5hr battery life who doesn't want that - I'd admit the non changable battery is a pain the in ass, but we may see that change in Mac Book Air 2.
Mark my words you will see all of this technology in every laptop within a short space of time, history and common sense tells us that. Some of them might have 2 or three USB and a few other ports, but they'll be running Windows Vista, and whatever benefit you gain from the extra ports will be very quickly wiped out by an OS that sucks so badly. (On that note I have a work laptop that is an HP with 2GB Ram, etc, good machine, but I find that Vista runs faster and better on my Mac using VM Fusion! go figure).
No way! Way too expensive for what you get. A small hdd, small screen, slow processor. Here in Australia the cheapest Air is $2500 and the better one is $4338, thats right $4338! Its a rip-off, all you get is a slow, lightweight notebook. I would not sacrifice storage and speed for low-weight or some gimmicky multi-touch. I'm keeping my MBP.
I have a 20" iMac in my den so I could see getting the MBA so I can have a laptop that I can use anywhere in the house for quick stuff like checking email, paying bills, scheduling shows on my Tivo etc.
If I take it with me to a coffee shop or the like, its good for what I need, again, email, some browsing, some writing etc.
I bet if I walked into a room with the MBA and most of the posters here who are negative about it were in that same room, that EVERYONE would crowd around to see it. However, if I walked into the same room carrying some Sony/Dell/Acer/EEE/Etc no one would pay it any attention!
I think the MacBook Air is super-sexy, and good for extreme portability, but I've already got a MacBook Pro as of the beginning of the new year, so I really don't need a new machine.
There have been a lot of compromises on this machine that I have a feeling Apple will make up for soon, but not soon enough for me to buy one.
I suppose if I had that much disposable income, one of my kids would like it.
does anyone else disagree with the 'super sexy' comment that is being thrown around about the macbook air? I haven't seen one in the flesh yet but i'm beginning to see a distinct lack of cohesion in apple design lately. since when did three dimensionally curved surfaces become a part of the apple design language (i mean the 'good' apple design language). I much prefer the braun/muji/plusminuszero esque design of the macbook and macbook pro. i think they dodged a bullet with the imac update and created something great, but the macbook air could easily have a sony logo on it and no-one would care.
pop-out cable ports? seriously? apple has always been about simple clean lines, no moving parts, no little doors / covers or sliding latches.... and here they have the genius solution of retractable ports. the whole thing is so seriously limited in terms of connectivity they should have gone the full distance and made it completely free of i/o s ( except the minijack which could have fitted beside the magsafe ).
the idea of light and thin is great, but i'm brutal with my macbook. all it gets is an incase sleeve to protect it, i throw it in a shoulder bag, on the car back seat, in the plane seatpocket in front of me, and it handles fine. if youre spending the kind of money the macbook air retails for i can guarantee you're not going to carry it around in a manila envelope, so why is thin such a big deal? they could have shaved 5-10mm off the macbook and kept people happy. the macbook air is a 'filler' product.... watch their stock prices fall and hope a new iphone arrives before its too late.
i dont think its a bad idea at all...yea i wont get one namely cuz the next mac im buying is a big one cuz i need windows for school....but the design of the "air" is great....the new dvi is great also but....the majority of laptop users dont need that analog port, they dont usually use a seperate screen to do stuff with a notebook. they shoulda done away with that port and added another usb port, namely cuz u can hook up a seperate screen with a usb connection too....only a few do that but they coulda gone that route....the thing they smartly did was made sure they had the whole thing backed up with the drive if u really need it that bad, though you can buy a cheaper one for far less and alot faster thats compatible with macs.....and they made the wireless networking airport extreme....this product would be totally useless if they didnt have those 2 releases....the notebook has all the mac features still and more....with the remote disk and the iphone shaped mouse pad, acting like a iphone in that fact but touch screen being about 20 times more advanced.....other then the lack of another is the fact that for the disk transfer.....apples all for buying music but if i see cheaper prices on cds in the store ill buy it....thus the chore of going back and forth putting the disk in a differnt drive to send it ovr to the mac.....that'd be very time consuming but hey mayb you can lose a few pounds in the mean time.....they price yes, one of the reasons i wont buy it.....im spending that on a loading up imac....but i want the big screen......also to upgrade to the ssd is retarted cuz it is less memory...wtf....couldnt they have used the 160gb 1.8 inch drive and the 320gb ssd?....if ur paying high end i expect higher end then a downgrade in mem.....that is anouther bad move.....but overall....i think its a good idea in the long run....if digi life is heading in that direction...but well see....i was really hoping for a new ipod that featured bluetooth or wireless usb or something....that would have been nice....or a thin ipod....thus what im waiting for.....sorry about all the spelling errors....don't really wana go thru the whole thing to check my mistakes....
I hate the size. This thing has a gigantic footprint. It may be thin, but so is a cafeteria tray -- thin doesn't mean portable. I was prepared to buy anything smaller than a MacBook. I just can't imagine buying a new laptop that's too big to fit in the bag that carries my 12" Powerbook.
I might be going against the general consent here but I would actually like to see the MacBook Air with less features:
I don't need 80Gb nor 64Gb. A mere 32Gb might be enough and would cut the cost of the SSD option , I have a 60Gb drive on my PowerBook 12 and it's plenty enough (I use 20Gb). I have an iPhone for music and for work, my development environment (Xcode, gcc 3 and 4, fortran compiler, netlib, FLTK, VTK, ...) largely fits on this machine ... So, this is a perfectly good machine to work as long as you don't work on tons of data (video, photo).
Why would I use more than one USB port for a travel laptop? I am traveling, I don't want to carry an external mouse, keyboard, printer, ... if one already carries all these devices, a hub on top is not a problem. One USB is great for USB thumb drives, cameras, ...
The lack of firewire doesn't bother me either even if I do have a camcorder with a firewire output. I can't imagine choosing my laptop over my iMac to do any video editing, the screen is much larger, I have a real mouse and yes, an iMac is more powerful.
As for the optical drive, I can't remember when I last inserted a CD in my PowerBook. That must have been for an OS install about two years ago. In every meeting or conference I went to, everyone use USB thumb drives to share data quickly. I haven't seen anyone use a CD-RW for this for quite a while. So the external drive or remote drive is fine for me.
The MacBook Air doesn't have a GPU, plenty fine with me, everyone complained about this issue when the MacBook came out but Apple still succeeded at selling tons of them.
I don't use any bluetooth device, please take that off! I would also be tempted to remove the audio out but I do occasionally procrastinate watching useless stuff on the web and don't want to bother people around.
I have mixed feelings re. the network jack but again, I haven't plugged my laptop in months even with a much slower WiFI than the MacBook Air.
My main real complaints are the shape ratio and the price. There seem to be a fair amount of space around the keyboard and screen and I would have preferred a smaller footprint even if meant a slightly thicker machine. As for the price, I am like anyone else around, I'm cheap.
So many reasons why im not buying it... And steve, where are the new Cinema Displays? And make them full featured, not watered down and skinny ;-) Thank you...
I am afraid that the MacBookAir is the Cube no one will buy in the numbers needed to keep it alive even though it is a technical marvel like the Cube. Funny, I think it is the same price point, starting out. I was personally disappointed with the overall Macworld this year. Booth looks like a waste of space for the money Apple spent and to put out only the Air and the "afterthoughts" makes me think Steve needs to be brought down to earth to understand that not every product from the iPhone forward
has to be so Steve/IPhone. (To be fair CES had iriver and that is about it.) He had to drop the price of the iPhone because he thought he could get away with it as a high priced status symbol.
In the case of the Air he can't because it is being sold with a lot less margin, I believe. If it was a bit smaller and cheaper ( 600 or 700 ) with a dock and screen combo (another 600 or so dollars) the profit on the dock would pay a lot more to the bottom line IMO. And if he released a mini tower in a silver and a black box for less than or at 999.99 we could have A LOT more switchers filling in the head count.I need one right now and was ready to place an order. I love the Air, but I don't NEED it. The minute I saw the iPhone I NEEDED IT, bad. Sure glad Santa was good to me ...could not have lasted much longer. Get it.
I felt let down yesterday...just a little sad because I am praying that Steve is not starting down the bad road.
In full disclosure; I own way too many Apple products to say out loud.
I think the Macbook Air would be a nice replacement for the original Macbook if it was about $300-400 cheaper.
So my question is this: Will Apple drop the MBA's prices, just like they did with the iphone's price drop by one third in two months?
And when are the MBP updates coming?? It's not hard putting the multi-touch track pad and new processors in...
couldn't agree more..
MacBook Air is just Apple's market strategy to make people get hooked on iTunes. People will be at their hotels/travel with the airbook and wont have movies to watch cause oh wait, no DVD player. So guess what... rent it from iTunes. $$$ CHI Ching $$$ for Apple.
I think everyone here is missing thee primary target market for the MBA. It is Japan and the rest of Asia. Apple has never done well in Asia--just look at any previous quarterly report and you will see that computer revenues and profits in this sector are abysmal. While those potential consumers have desperately wanted Mac computers (based on my own personal experience , knowledge and many trips to Japan and the Far East), they are way too big for their tastes and lifestyle. Techno-life in Asia is much different and far more advanced than in the USA. 3G cellphones are an integral point of Japanese life. These devices are used for everything including buying train passes,clothing, coffee, groceries, watching TV, net-surfing,etc. As for their computers, small, thin, light and wire-free are all necessary and required attributes. The MBA gives Apple its first real chance to penetrate the highly competitive Asian computer markets and add significant dollars to their bottom line. If the MBA is well received there as I expect it will be, it could also provide great momentum for the adoption of the 3G iPhone which will be released later this year in Asia. The MBA and the 3G iPhone are thee most important opportunities for Apple to finally establish a significant presence in Asia beyond the iPod. The added revenue will only bring a big smile to those of us who are significant Apple stock holders.
I think you are spot on! I did not think about that strategy at all. Apple needs Japan/Asia for growth. But at this size is it "small" enough?
Also, don't you think he should have done a little more for us in the US.I know we have 50 weeks left in the year but we always wait and wait for things.
Just think of the buzz if the Mac Mini was grown up into a "Macceiver" or a nice aluminum UPGRADABLE box.
They could have put the current MB processor if they made it a little thicker and put a better hard drive..I don't think that would require much thickness and heaviness, it would still be under 4 lbs which is what I wanted..
*snickers*
All the "it has no build in optical drive" remembers me of back then, when machines started shipping without a floppy disk drive. zOMG, the world is coming to an end!!!!!111one
Gee, folks. It's not supposed to do EVERYTHING you can do with a computer. That's what you've got a desktop machine for. And for those mobile powerusers - well, there's other solutions. They didn't manage to stuff everything into the MacBook Air - but still enough to impress me.
That said - Apple seemed to have lost it's mind, I don't get their pricing policy. But then again, there's sure a pile of people willing to pay the price.
The price alone is a turn off. But, if they throw in super drive and time capsule for free then it's a deal!
$3000 dirt "cheap" US dollars for the MBA is no impediment for Asian buyers who I believe are the major market for this unit. In the USA, the MBA will be a big hit with CEO/CFO/CIO/CT types who want cutting edge "bling" to show off to their colleagues. Traveling businessmen like myself have lusted for the MBA for years. I can now get thin and light, an SSD drive, a 13" screen and most of all, the Mac OS--goodbye forever Sony TZ!
Some have responded privately to my thesis that the MBA is an Apple initiative to finally gain a computer foothold in Asia and "lead the way" in this part of the world to the widespread implementation of Mac OS and its use in a 3G iPhone. One question asked was "Is the MBA small enough to appeal to that market?". Having traveled on the Tokyo and Osaka subways as well as the Bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka many times, my answer is a resounding yes. The tactic Apple has chosen is to provide a larger, better, brighter, more readable screen compared to Sony, Fujitsu, Panasonic, Asus and others in a thinner, comparably lightweight package with a footprint not much larger than the existing competition. Combine that with their long desired ability to routinely use the Mac OS (My Japanese colleagues are in awe of the Mac's OS--they can't believe I don't have to use anti-malware software!!!) and you have the potential for significant growth in this market. I emphasize again that the MBA will be the first vehicle to inject the brilliant Mac OS and associated software into a market that desperately craves a far superior option to Windows OS.
And despite the fact that they're turning corn and sugarcane into fuel, you still find quite a few fossil stations out there on the road...it's nice to predict the future and plan for it...but be reasonably aware of the current needs of the times.
I'm sure people willing to spend nearly two thousand dollars for a less-useful laptop will also be willing to pay extra for bluetooth-enabled accessories. I can deal with a couple of wires and put the money toward something purposeful.
At my job in a library archive, where I am constantly lugging a laptop and scanner down between sites, I've needed three USB ports. Sadly, the machine I use only has two...
The thing very few people seem to be mentioning, and my number one thought was "wow, how long will it take to warp and dent something that thin and wide?" Am I just old fashioned in liking to feel that the purchases I spend a lot of money on actually exist?
Some of us don't buy things to impress other people. We buy things to make our lives easier and to impress ourselves.
why is everyone having a go at the macbook air? Ok i had a stab int he dark and said it was not what i was looking for but hey i have a asus eee pc, purchased few weeks ago and i have convinved myself i need an air. I always thought i needed a small laptop to chuck in with my work dell one in my bag. However, work laptop or no work laptop, i still want to carry my noise cancelling headphones, ipod and maybe even a book. So yeh it is over priced and if it were lets say $1500 or about £800 here in the uk, everyone will be going yeh lets get one. But it is a mac and lets face it they are a premium device. If Apple wanted everyone to have one, well they would be cheaper. I a englih, and we are noted to being negative or content should i say. You guys on the other side of the pond need to note one thing, how much would you be moaning if you had to pay $2400 for the standard model like we have to. If you dont like it dont moan. I only own a ipod from apple so cant say im a big mac fan, but i dont have expectations either. Hardcore mac fans have to realise one thing, apple are here to make money and have to look at the market. Take the motorola v3, when that came out first in the world to UK it was priced at £300, and everyone said no way the software is crap. Within two years it sold 55m worldwide on pure looks. Now the air is no phone but its sexy and it will sell.
What is wrong with you people! man everyone is kicking the air in the balls, even though i will never give up my 1530 for any mac computer, in my life, the truth is I'm happy that apple is releasing the air. at least they have enough balls to innovate. we all know wireless is the future, even microsoft have it's plans of "cloud" based future devices and intel and their future "fully wireless" pocket devices. apple has always been one of the companies willing to take risks and bring future devices and services to the present even if it doesn't workout in the long run. My suggestion is to take your head out of your rear, shut your mouth, and think. yes! the air doesn't have many ports ,any dvd drive, or is quite as wireless as we might hope, but it still a step froward. i have devices that i use that are wireless but never use those feature simply because wire is faster, but if we keep innovation on wireless technology and getting it to the costumers then eventually producers would be inclined to make better and faster wireless devices and protocols. the air is all about being wireless (hence "AIR") and i for one welcome it even tho i'm too cheap to buy one.
Would I buy one? Nope. Why? Well for one, I just got my MBP and still have my G4 SawTooth as a networked thing (still working on what I'm doing with it, currently my stereo and office Miro T.V.). Why would I not buy one? Well, it does look good, but for me it does nothing. I'm a "power?" Mac (XP when needed) user and this just doesn't cut it. If I traveled as much as I would like to, and had the ca$h, hell yeah I'd buy a new toy. I was really disappointed when I watched the key note, however, when I watched the hands on video! I have to admit that the thinness of the screen is freaking cool. I don't care who has done it better, hell, send me a link. Laptop screens that thin are awesome! As for the "iTouch" I don't care! I'm more excited that this kind of tech is becoming more prominent. How cool is that? Fuck arguing, lets revile in the fact that companies are starting to develop it. The "Big Fucking Table" aka Surface, how fucking cool is that tech? I love the future.
I wanted something more like an ASUS eeepc with memory/disk/CPU similar to MacBook (maybe one or two generations back from current MacBook). To me size is not about weight as it is about dimensions.
Only one thing to say....
(sung to the tune of certain marther reeves track)
Skinny mac...
ski-nny...
oh, skinny mac...
They must be smoking crack.
MT XXXX
The Emperor's New Cube... ;)
I havent been on apple.com in 2 weeks because 2nd semester has just started (not a valid excuse I know...) anyway - bam! Macbook Air! Cool name, cooler everything... Yet I kept asking myself "where's the superdrive?" So I checked out the gallery and the rest is history.
Macbook is like porn to those who know they're perverts and cant get enough, or fast food for the no-so-thin... Yet MBA's sexy appeals to everyone... I wish Mac had just built the superdrive in the book even at expence of not being the "thinest" in the world...
I havent seen MBA's Macworld Video Intro yet, but I can just imagine Steve Jobs saying "Theres just one more thing... Look at it... Its stunning... The thinnest notebook in the WORLD!"
Anyway, one usb port is dum on Mac's part. MBA is rediculously sexy but an unnecessary extra as classic Macbooks only needed an illuminated keyboard to become "gods" as powerbooks are... Despite the sheer pleasure of looking at MBA's, if shown to Windows users - the obvious lack of a built in superdrive and extra usb's would let the regular Macbook win by default.
David, 21 - Ja.
It's the lightest A4 sized notebook. It's basically got the capability of a VAIO SZ in the weight/stamina range of a VAIO T/G series. In that sense it's the ultimate mobile computer (excluding currently unpracticle niches like UMPCs). It's not designed to have a lot of stuff stuck on to it. If that's what you want, go buy a Dell and Zune or something and upgrade/modify to your heart's content.
Got very excited watching the intro by Jobs and would have rushed out immediately to purchase but after reading through these thoughtful and EXTREMELY USEFUL comments I have decided to go look at the small MB. This written from my MBP which I now find too heavy for it's intended purpose. So THANK YOU one and all for taking the time to give me the "marriage after the honeymoon is over" truth.
I can't believe APPLE believes that slimness in a product is what matters. No i do not want to carry around a clunker laptop, but I have a 12" laptop from dell that i bought about 2 years ago and its lasted me a long time, its thin and small and probably smaller than most of the laptops my friends have and i don't believe apple's product is revolutionary i like the smallness of my laptop and not the thinness to me thats not as big of a problem as the ports, i find that 2 usb ports isn't even enough for me but its acceptable. everything uses usb ports and i don't see why they needed to get rid of the optical drive in a laptop, i think thats a dumb idea considering dvds and cds are still heavily used to download software and i am definitely not lugging around an external drive... i have an external hard drive and i don't bring it everywhere i wouldn't want to lug around an optical drive either.
Clearly Apple believes they are superior to every company because that price is outrageous I refuse to spend more than a thousand on a computer and I thought that apple was going to more affordable prices with the popularity of their brand but I guess they feel they can over charge customers because they are just so much better than a company like Dell or HP which are companies that make great computers and sell to the majority of the market. It's no wonder apple will never have a majority of hardware in the computer race. All this bashing of Microsoft and they can't even come up with an affordable laptop, I am kind of disappointed.
I never knew "air" was so expensive. $1,800 for a machine that does not include a removable battery and an Ethernet or Firewire port and only includes an 80GB hard drive is too regressive for me. I will wait until Apple figures why their stock is decreasing because of a lack of sales of this machine and invents the next "Air" with what I am looking for in a light computer at a fair price. Until then, I am not going to be one of the suckers who pays $1,800 for air.
Yeah, it decreased all the way to $160 after I bought it last year for under $100.... they have 30% smart phone share instantly... yeah, you should short the stock wise guy.
Strange to read these comments. I make a living using a portable macbook. Gross billing was just over 7 figures this past year. But I am not a power user. In fact, the Air is perfect for what I do. I never use the optical drive, except to install software, but now that most are downloaded even that is disappearing. I am totally wireless: printing, exchanging files, submitting for publication, et. I never link to ethernet either. Never use firewire - I back up wirelessly. So, I lose nothing with the AIR. But I lose two pounds in weight, gain a crash proof silicon disk drive, and gain battery life. What is not to like? Cost? You must be kidding. I looked at the Sony TZ, which is the only meaningful alternative. More expensive, less functional and I have to use XP or Vista? Not on your life. My time is too valuable. For people like, this is a dream come true
As a six-figure income earner and tax payer, I agree with you fully. The Air fits my needs as a cool little lap-dancer for work, travel and fun. If I need more it's available but 90% of the time the Air will work. Mine arrives in two weeks.
regards, BobMac
You haters sound about the same as those laughing at Apple for ditching floppy's back in the day...
With the LED screen, and light, thin case, and an SSD this thing does what you need fast and light. I do not need tons of USB with bluetooth and if you do you can buy a super-tiny hub.
Apple rules by not just including what everyone needs, but by eliminating the un-necessary. Moan about no ethernet, but when was the last time you used that on the go?
This is terrific for 99% of daily uses, the rest editing videos or such can get a MBP.
I am no fanboi, I have a Thinkpad, but you people completely lack vision which Cupertino DOES have.
ps the battery can be replaced in about 2 mins with a screw driver, it is not soldered in, so 3rd party batteries are coming, get informed and don't hate for no reason. If you would rather have a 7 lb alienware than that is terrific too. I feel lucky to be in this wonderous space age, but you punks out there are better at complaining than accomplishing anything....
Now I want you to admit when you are older... "Yeah, I remember when MBA came out, I thought it was stupid, but I was a punk back then who thought I knew it all..."
following those specifications, since i'm in Hong Kong and if ur in Hong Kong u know how bad the winds get, if it was, lets say, open, and you were using it on battery power, wouldn't it get blown away during a #7 wind warning?
*throws on flame suit*
I have a MacBook Pro that I bought back when it was first released to do some editing on the road. It ended up being more powerful then my G5 so I used it a lot more often. Now, I do a lot more HD work so I picked up a Mac Pro system. I use my MBP to show my clients videos that we've done, to write up invoices, pay my bills/"write" some cheques. Every thing's connected to my Mac Pro and I connect to everything through the network (printing, hard drives, etc).
Why am I telling everyone this? Because those who will purchase the MBA are in my situation. They don't need a power-house because they already have one. They need something portable to do their everyday things, to bring around everywhere, to show their product to their clients, etc.
I'm not part of the Engadget tinkerers, I guess, even though I like to check out the new gadgets that come out. I also like to be uber portable and I'll sacrifice things if I don't need them.
I can't even remember the last time I put a disc in my MBP, ha!
All i have to say is Engadget PLEEEASEEEE dont do a how would we change the MacBook Air. OMG!!!