http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/ Engadget Comments for MacBook Air with SSD tested: performance boost nowhere to be found http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 4:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 5:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 6:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 7:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/
Of course, the $1000 difference in price buys you a lot of redundant platter-based storage, so by cost analysis, you still can't win with the SSD's yet.
]]>Feb 6th 2008 7:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/lets try $1000.
(you can "ugrade" to SSD without upgrading the processor.)]]>Feb 6th 2008 4:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 4:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/
Considering what you're getting (or more importantly, NOT getting), $500 is a much more reasonable price.]]>Feb 6th 2008 5:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 10:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 10:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 4:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/
I don't like Apple, but I love an Apple.]]>Feb 6th 2008 4:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 5:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 5:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/
iPod Touch: iPod + web browser + email, notes, maps, calender contacts,e.t.c +(soon) 3rd Party apps; using multi-touch Screen

MBA: iPod + web browser + email + notes, maps, calender contacts,e.t.c + 3rd party apps; using keyboard and multi touch trackpad

ipod: cannot replace battery
MBA : cannot replace battery

ipod: needs another computer to import CDs/DVDs
MBA : needs another computer to import CDs/DVDs

iPod: one USB port (obviously)
MBA : one USB port]]>Feb 6th 2008 5:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/
Yes we know the difference between an iPod and a computer.....

A computer is glorified. He didn't make that clear enough? O.o]]>Feb 6th 2008 5:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/
I don't like Apple products, but I like eating apples, which explains my odd comment.]]>Feb 6th 2008 5:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/
iPod Touch: 4" 480x320 screen
MBA: 13.3" 1280x800 LED screen

iPod Touch: No physical keyboard
MBA: Full sized backlit keyboard

iPod Touch: No second display support
MBA: micro DVI, supporting second display at 1920x1200

iPod Touch: ~600 MHz ARM processor
MBA: 1.6-1.8 GHz Core2Duo

iPod Touch: NO USB port, you cannot connect a USB peripheral.
MBA: 1 USB port

iPod Touch: No possible optical media support
MBA: Optional Superdrive, or Remote Disc access.

iPod Touch: No filesystem access, or document handling.
MBA: Filesystem access, and document handling.

iPod Touch: Doesn't run Windows.
MBA: Runs Windows

iPod Touch: Needs a computer to sync content, CDs, DVDs.
MBA: Does not need a computer to sync content, CDs, DVDs

iPod Touch: Runs no Mac OS X applications, cannot use Rosetta.
MBA: Runs 10,000s of Mac OS X applications, many through Rosetta.

iPod Touch: No iSight.
MBA: Built in iSight.

iPod Touch: iPod dock connector.
MBA: No iPod dock connector.]]>Feb 6th 2008 7:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 4:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/
JAmerican]]>Feb 6th 2008 4:38PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 5:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 5:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 4:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/
*yawn* For the price I would get a big laptop instead. I don't like ultraportables and I can bear the weight of a big laptop everyday, anyway. Plus, the big 'tops don't carry the Apple sign.

I don't like Apple, but I love an Apple.]]>Feb 6th 2008 4:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 5:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm....................]]>Feb 6th 2008 5:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/
Oh wait no, it's EXACTLY like that.]]>Feb 6th 2008 5:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/
Oxymoron?]]>Feb 6th 2008 5:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 5:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/It's called the Sony TZ. It's got these crazy things called "Features". Still trying to figure out what to do with them... :-)]]>Feb 6th 2008 6:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/
So the TZ is thicker than an Air, and yet it's an ultraportable and the Air isn't. Sure, that makes perfect sense. Really.]]>Feb 6th 2008 6:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 9:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/
Lol. You're right. It's not as thin. It's .1 inches thicker. Oh god forgive the lies that comes from my mouth.

**Wicked Grin**]]>Feb 7th 2008 12:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 7th 2008 3:47AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 4:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/
"anyone who buys this thing IMO need their head examined."

I guess you're not in the target market for this then. There are plenty of sub-notebooks out there without optical drives. The Air is just another one of them. What's more, price-wise, it's comparable. Why exactly would someone need their head examined?]]>Feb 6th 2008 5:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/
1) Are fanboys or fangirls
2) Have other computers and feel the MBA fills some gap in their collection.
2) Have enough money to afford it. (I just ordered a $600 RAID card for my workstation at home rather than using on-board RAID. My mom would probably think I'm crazy if she knew. Am I actually crazy?)
3) Consider the style of the MBA to add value to the device
4) Consider the low weight of the MBA to add value to the device
5) Don't spend hours of days on the internets debating about Apple producs, or researching what competition is out there.
6) Watch commercials.

In summary: You != Everyone Else.]]>Feb 6th 2008 6:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 6:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/


right on man.... right on]]>Feb 6th 2008 10:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 4:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/

On the hard drive version, 4200 rpm is to be expected..but PATA?

I figured everything in new computers nowadays would be SATA. Does this make a difference in the read/write speeds of such a slow-spinning hdd?]]>Feb 6th 2008 4:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/
Basically, if you do the math on power consumption, the hard drive accounts for a minority of a notebook's power use, and thus no matter how efficient you make it, it wasn't using all that much to begin with.

The slight advantages of marginally better power consumption and faster random access speeds did not seem worth the cost and loss of storage capacity to me. But to each their own. For some people the random speeds may be important, and that extra battery life worth the difference. Or perhaps you could be using it in an adverse environment and need the shock resistance. But for most of us, I suspect we'll stick with the cheaper and higher capacity HDD option for a while longer.]]>Feb 6th 2008 4:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 4:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 7:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 10:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 7th 2008 1:39AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 7th 2008 12:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/Feb 6th 2008 4:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/
I remember when I bought my 1.67 Powerbook. Claimed 5 hours battery life, but in actuality I've never had it live for more than 3.

Annoying.]]>Feb 6th 2008 4:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/macbook-air-with-ssd-tested-performance-boost-nowhere-to-be-fou/
So, it is possible, but I use my laptop to watch movies when I'm on battery power, which makes it around 3 hours tops.]]>Feb 6th 2008 5:10PM