How would you change Apple's MacBook Air?

Ah, the MacBook Air. Quite the expensive piece of kit, but if you're one to pay a premium for design, chances are you may not mind. Apple's latest ultraportable is certainly one of the most polarizing products to emerge from Cupertino in quite some time, as it makes no apologies for throwing utility to the wind in favor of absolute sexiness. After Stevie J's keynote at Macworld 2008 concluded, many were left wondering why Apple didn't (re)introduce the compact MacBook Pro, and while this little bugger did indeed demand a double take (for a couple of reasons), the initial excitement of such a minuscule machine was quickly deflated after taking one solid look at the specifications.

Make no mistake, the MBA has quite a bit going for it. Three pounds, ultrathin, oodles of attractiveness, a LED-backlit display and a trackpad worth drooling over. But for all the things this device is, it seems that folks are honing in on everything it isn't. During our time with the unit, we found plenty of reasons to love and hate it, but folks looking for an impressive showing at the benchmark marathon won't find it here. We already heard quite a bit of ranting when we polled you dear readers and asked if you were plunking down the $1,799+ that Cupertino was demanding, but now that the MacBook Air has shipped to early adopters and has landed in Apple stores everywhere, how would you owners go about changing this hot hot hunk of aluminum? Integrate a user-serviceable battery? How about the ability to upgrade your RAM? Would you toss in an option for built-in 3G? Beyond the typical hopes and dreams, we're also curious as to how you actually will change your MacBook Air. Got an eye on a specific USB hub? Springing for a Bluetooth mouse to keep that sole USB port open for more critical tasks? We're absolutely positive the choices are endless, so don't be shy -- here's your chance to tell Apple how you really feel about its tiniest laptop ever.

[Bobs @ Feb 8th 2008 11:29PM]

Id give it a 54" LCD, the one they have on it now is too small

[Ireland @ Feb 9th 2008 2:25PM]

I think some is missing the point here, as ultra-portables go this screen is actually big. Me myself wouldn't need the CD+DVD slot, I never use it anyway.

No, what I think the Air needs:

"Built-in" ethernet port

2 USB slots which are actually accessible to all peripherals

120+GB fast hard drive.

A $100 price drop.

[Macha88 @ Feb 9th 2008 12:17PM]

Built in Sharper Image Air purifier, oxygen tank.

[Ellianth @ Feb 9th 2008 4:42PM]

Ireland, were you kidding about the $100 price drop? How did you come to that conclusion.

[e_grz(Zune 80 originals owner) @ Feb 9th 2008 10:42PM]

Make it not suck. Ohh, yeah take the Apple off of it. And make it not suck.

[bryant85x @ Feb 11th 2008 10:43AM]

Well, a bigger screen would be nice, yes. I would be better off getting a nice 17 inch Macbook Pro that's way faster and still thin. The main thing is the price. If the SSD version were as much as a Macbook and not the Macbook Pro, then the Air would be tizight. For now, it's just crazy expensive, but oh so pretty.
I would love it to have an **extra USB port (USB 3.0 would be stupendous... if it were widely available NOW).
I think that's it... I mean, if I were to use it as my second machine, then it would need some **faster processing power (2.2GHZ+), a bigger SSD (128GB+), and some **more RAM (4GB... or even 6GB!!! haha). The screen isn't a big deal, but it would be nice. The keypad was a bit odd, mixing aluminum with black. It should all be consistent and pretty, with the same style of sturdy key's, but in aluminum.
For a pretty machine to take around with you, it's fine. I would use it to display work to clients and as a toy for web, email, chat, and (some) music. With just a second or even third USB port and cheaper price, I would be a happy pappy. Everything else is fine, it's supposed to be a convenient, highly portable, light, and beautiful mini machine.

...I want one :(

[Lane @ Feb 8th 2008 11:30PM]

Make it cheaper and give it a DVD drive.

[Fatima @ Feb 9th 2008 12:20AM]

Cheaper yes, DVD drive no. Any disk drive is quite useless. I never use mine.

[jeeesus @ Feb 9th 2008 8:26AM]

just cause YOU dont use it, it doesnt mean that everyone else does. that is such a selfish comment. ahhh. now i have no rage. its good to write things down. yes.

[Pep @ Feb 9th 2008 9:09AM]

Hey jeeesus. It's obvious that there are people (like me and Fatima) who never use the optical drive. So it's good to have a computer without it. Your comment seems to imply that since YOU use it, then EVERY computer needs to have one. If Fatima is selfish, I think you are too.

[ryan @ Feb 9th 2008 10:02AM]

By the way, Jeesus, the name of the post is "How would YOU change Apple's Macbook Air?".

[[e-mail] @ Feb 9th 2008 10:14AM]

You do know it's a notebook, not a laptop, don't you? Forget the drive, pickup stuff you need for it wirelessly at home, and off you go. If Apple really wanted to get minimal, they should have dropped the keyboard, made it a touchscreen and made the screen a touch smaller, say 10". It would then be more of a tablet I know, but much handier, I think.

[Asha @ Feb 9th 2008 12:58PM]

And better designed USB and power ports. The ones on it now are just stupid.

[Akhan Almagambetov @ Feb 9th 2008 2:16PM]

Would love to have a 10" screen instead of the 12"... if you are traveling, might as well travel light...

[SK @ Feb 9th 2008 4:27PM]

Too big a screen-if you are going to use it for traveling, then a 13" screen is a burden, not a benefit. Opening this thing on econo class in an airplane, or even sitting at a restaurant table waiting for an airplane, would be no different than a "regular" laptop. They should have gone for 10" or less.

[Mr Lizard @ Feb 9th 2008 7:15PM]

That's called a MacBook.

[John @ Feb 8th 2008 11:30PM]

Understand that "ultraportable" doesn't just mean thin, it means light and highly functional. It doesn't bloody matter if it's that thin.

[Pep @ Feb 9th 2008 12:39AM]

I'm all for that. With a 12" screen and one inch smaller on each side it would be much better. Ultraportable doesn't mean thin, it also means small. This is the same size than the MacBooks.

[Ethan @ Feb 9th 2008 12:58AM]

The Thinkpad X300 is half a pound lighter and has an optical drive. It's the same price, if not a little cheaper, and while a little slower it probably gets about three weeks of battery life. Oh, and it's thinner too. 0.74 < 0.76.

I'd make the Air an Apple version of Mr. X300 there.

[tnkgrl @ Feb 9th 2008 1:17AM]

Mmmm... Not quite!

The Thinpad X300 is 0.73 to 0.92" thick.

The MacBook Air is 0.16 to 0.76" thin.

[pundit @ Feb 9th 2008 4:40AM]

@ Ethan

The specs for the Thinkpad show a battery life of 4 hours. Those estimates are usually high (think 5 hours for MBP). With real world testing showing up to 4.27 hours, the Air's got a better battery.

[Dorian @ Feb 9th 2008 7:00AM]

I point you to the Sony VAIO TX670P/B it's now 3 years old (05) but it has similar specs to the MBA, but costs only 1800 (3 years ago)
1.2GHz Intel Pentium M ULV 753
1GB DDR SDRAM PC3200 400MHz
Intel 915GM/GMS
910GML Express 128MB
Toshiba MK6006GAH 60GB 4,200rpm

and it was only 1" thick
Apple has a long way to go in the Ultra-portable area if it's only just able to beat these specs, and cost almost $1000 more...

Now Sony makes the : VGN-SZ780. This config is $1791.00
*Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T8100 (2.10GHz) [Estimated ship date 2/19/08]
*Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
*2 GB DDR-SDRAM (DDR2-667, 1 GBx2)
*160 GB Hybrid Hard Disk Drive
*DVD±R DL / DVD±RW / DVD-RAM Drive
*Camera
*LED lit 13.3" WXGA
*Wireless LAN (802.11a\b\g\n with Bluetooth® technology)
*Trusted Platform Module / Biometric Fingerprint Sensor
*Lightweight Carbon Fiber Casing
*.92" to 1.2" thick

Ok, again, it's a little thicker than the MBA, but the specs are far better.

If I were to change the macbook air. I would make it thicker to accommodate faster, -higher performing parts.

-Better HDD

-Faster CPU (or at least a full 1066FSB)

-bigger HDD (80GB is nice, but c'mon, seriously..)

-User Changeable battery. 5 Hours is nice, but if you're traveling, say on a bus, or train (I'm Canadian, trains are a good, comfortable way to travel across Canada) you may not have access to a plug, and having a changeable battery would be nice.

-stereo speaker, it's not that hard.

-Real audio output. minijack is fine and dandy, but I don't want to have to buy a converter just to use my headphones with my laptop Especially if I'm traveling, those things are small. AND the speaker sucks.

-More than 1 USB Port. 1 for mouse + 1 for external HDD (to make up for the lack of space included) + 1 for USB headphones + 1 for a just in case.

-Full space for a USB port, most Flash drives don't fit.

-Instead of a converter (that is lost easily due to size) a real video output, HDMI
isn't that much bigger, and dongles to convert from HDMI to DVI are rather cheap, and common.

- include the darn $19 adapter for microdvi to Svideo, almost every other laptop has Svideo out standard, this is optional on the MBA.

-built in Ethernet port, not all hotels offer wireless.

Yeah, I think that's about it.

[Moze @ Feb 9th 2008 10:31AM]

A 11" or 12" screen, minimum 2 USB ports, and it could be little bit thicker for better ports placment.

[z @ Feb 9th 2008 10:54AM]

I would jump on one if only it had a higher res 12'' or 10'' screen. I had a the last 12'' and boy do I regret its small form factor. 13.3 is just a tad too big.

[Ben @ Feb 9th 2008 12:22PM]

Dorian, you do know that the Macbooks and Macbook Pros are already 1" thick, right? By your definition, the Macbook is already an ultraportable.

[Nicholas @ Feb 9th 2008 2:16PM]

I disagree. In a briefcase, small is thin. A twelve inch screen is nice to have. Sure, I’d rather have a tablet, but that doesn’t seem to be happening…

My wishes for making it purchasable for myself include: 4 Gigs of ram, 2.4ghz processor, and 128 or larger SSD. This essentially makes it the next revision. I like it, but simply don’t need it…

BTW, an external DVD is fine IMHO! I use mine once a quarter at best.

[Andy @ Feb 11th 2008 12:33AM]

Dude, Dorian, I challange you to find me a notebook with 4 USB ports, ethernet, Svideo, HDMI and a full sized audio jack. They don't exist you fucking nit. I think the only change I'd make is the user changeable bat.

[Nathan @ Feb 8th 2008 11:31PM]

This post reeks of flamebait.

Here we go,

User serviceable battery
Multiple USB ports
Optical drive (slot loading?)
1/3 less cash

That's really my bag of complaints.

[Justin @ Feb 9th 2008 12:42AM]

Isn't that the MacBook?

[max andrews @ Feb 9th 2008 12:44AM]

I agree with everything here except I don't think it's possible to fit an optical drive in there currently. I could live without it. What it must have for me to consider picking one up is an actual 2.5" disk, or a flash drive that is actually faster and worth the $$$. The HD is definitely the biggest bottleneck in this machine.

[pundit @ Feb 9th 2008 4:38AM]

The lowest price I've seen for the Thinkpad is "at least" $2,744. That was on Engadget last night. Last time I checked, that's roughly the price of the Air with SSD. So the base model of the Air is actually 1/3 cheaper than the base Thinkpad. More USB on the air would be nice, but hey, the Air is actually low on flaws, unless you want it as your primary machine.

[z @ Feb 9th 2008 11:06AM]

On the MBA the battery looks like it's two thirds of the total size. Who would really carry one extra? And are we actually so many who do have changed or have a second battery on our current machines?

[JLP @ Feb 8th 2008 11:31PM]

swivelscreen

[Jkswiss @ Feb 8th 2008 11:57PM]

like a Macbook right? Just joshing man.

[gimme ur cookie @ Feb 10th 2008 12:46PM]

-Please, please, just more power - better cpu/gpu (USE 45nm core!)
-Lose internal speakers all together
-Offer an adapter solution for a Ethernet port
-Have a black variant
-Don't offer internal disc drive no matter how much people bitch.

[Kalen @ Feb 8th 2008 11:32PM]

DVD Drive
User Replaceable battery
Stereo Speakers
User access to RAM
5400 RPM HDD
Increased battery life (4-5 hours is pretty shameful for an ultraportable)
2+ USB ports
12 inch form factor
Ethernet port



If it had all this in it I would buy it without a moment's hesitation.

[TMM @ Feb 9th 2008 4:15AM]

I don't get it: you're talking about the MacBook.
So, what?

[thegreatino @ Feb 9th 2008 12:49PM]

I think thats exactly the point, the MacBook Air does *not* need to exist. The MacBook already has all the stuff people want and need in a laptop, all your getting with a MBA is a flashier conversation starter, with one USB port, no ethernet port, low battery life, and a slow CPU.

[ark_v2 @ Feb 9th 2008 1:28PM]

Everyone's saying that 4-5 hours for an ultraportable is bad. Have you read the actual reviews of the real units? Apple lied about battery life more than ever. It's not even vlose to getting 4 hours with low brightness.

[John @ Feb 10th 2008 4:27AM]

Yea, what he said. (Kalen)

[Michael @ Feb 8th 2008 11:33PM]

You guys need to work on your vocabulary. Do you know what it means to loathe something?

[Jonathan Zencovich @ Feb 8th 2008 11:55PM]

edit: "as to the subject of"
No way of editing our own posts? hmmm

[CUBSWILLWIN @ Feb 8th 2008 11:33PM]

make it edible and I'm sold! Nah, I'd like ethernet, more USB and a built in drive. It's apple, they make all things that you thought coudn't get smaller smaller. They could probably get a dvd drive in.

[zephead @ Feb 8th 2008 11:33PM]

Make it as user-serviceable as the MacBook. That's what'll do it for me. If the hard drive wasn't user-serviceable, but the RAM and battery (at least!) were, then I think I'd live.

[ben @ Feb 8th 2008 11:43PM]

Yeah... had to read through that one a few times. Still doesn't really make sense. Usually 'but' means you're going to switch things up.

[Ben @ Feb 8th 2008 11:33PM]

i would:
- removable battery!!!!!!!
- SSD as standard (80GB+ tho)
- stereo speakers not mono
- built in 3G
- ultra ultra thin DVD burner/reader etc
- better designed USB ports so you can fit in most things aka flash drives etc etc.
- have the screen be also a touch screen like the iPhone.

[austin @ Feb 8th 2008 11:38PM]

your suggestions would make the price through the roof.

through the atmosphere.

[007baf @ Feb 9th 2008 8:18AM]

I am fairly certain that larger SSDs will be available and at much lower prices and they'll be noticeably faster. I suspect a day will come when I'll be able to bring this to the Apple Store's "Genius Bar" and get an upgrade to say a 500 GB SSD drive. If they don't let the code bloat in the OS, this machine should be good for some time. I say "this machine" because I am typing on a MacBook Air right now.

[HOOPER @ Feb 9th 2008 9:14AM]

Oh. I figured you said "this machine" because it's what everyone else is talking about too.

[austin @ Feb 8th 2008 11:35PM]

while its still early, im gonna say it.
its dead sexy.
bash it as you may, but it is still the coolest damn laptop in my opinion