How would you change Apple's Rev. B MacBook Air?
By Darren Murph 
posted Feb 28th 2009 1:24AM
posted Feb 28th 2009 1:24AM
posted Feb 28th 2009 1:24AM
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-$1k
I agree, it's really dumb to be that expensive, and why would you want a laptop that thin, I'd be afraid of breaking it.
Now here's what apple should do, half the price, it's a dumb price. Double the size of the laptop, possibly it could give it some more room for cd-drives and yah-know, necessities. And add some more horsepower for christ sake. It's like the power of a netbook with a thinner laptop. And that would make it a smart buy.
@ Tiptup: As much as I share your sentiment that the MBA 2 is far from an ideal device, you do realize that you're describing the MacBook, right??
@tiptup
Dude, you just described a MacBook.
And let's not forget that the Air is a LOT more powerful than a netbook; it's much more comparable to a Thinkpad X200 or X301 (although I have to say, I much prefer those Thinkpads as they are much more no-compromise than the Air).
The problem with this machine is that Apple has not defined its user. Is this their Top business class laptop? or is it an underpowered machine with a mobile form factor for every day user? Lastly Apple needs to power it and price it appropriately. Right now, as is, it makes no sense.
I agree. The MBA has been out for a quite some time now, and it's not that "new" (or unprecedented). A cheaper MBA would certainly be good news.
I think Apple will make more money if they actually sell this at a cheaper price as tonnes more people like you and me will consider buying it.
I generally agree with the commenters above. Apple has done a horrible job positioning this product and defining a core user base. Who exactly is this supposed to be for? At the price it is at and the feature set it offers, it sounds like exactly what everyone stereotypes the Mac user as: trust-fund, more concerned with style than substance, unable (or unconcerned) with price/performance tradeoffs, and thinks that having the most "exclusive" is more important than "useful" or "practical". Sounds like Apple took a step about 5 years backwards with this product.
What they need to do is realize that their customers want a device in the sub-$1k range, with a mediocre processor, some ram / graphics capability, but a slightly more powerful netbook. If they positioned themselves against the Dell Mini-10, or squarely in the "a bit more from your netbook" camp, they'd have a lot of Mac users interested, but they'd cannibalize them almost entirely from the MacBook users - those that want style but won't pay for the performance.
Really, they don't have a product that matches their user base here. They need to re-examine where their customers place the value of thin vs. light vs. powerful vs. expensive, and draw up a very different product than the min/maxing unit they have here.
"The problem with this machine is that Apple has not defined its user."
It's for the people that are constantly on the move. Like you said, business men or probably students or other people that travel A LOT.
I'm a student and this is probably the last thing I'd spend my money on.
I'm a student and this is the first thing I'd spend my (parent's) money on.
No reason it needs a cd drive or even less a SDHC slot. I love the size (obviously) and think a netbook would be stupid. Hopefully Steve agrees.
My biggest request would be upping the battery life and horsepower, as a computer this mobile should last longer.
Evil comapny makes more money on 100 laptops $10,000 each vs. 1000 laptops $1000 each
Cost of support is minimal, profits are higher, less hackers writing viruses and so on...
And suckers buy more dumb Hollywood movies just to take a look ....
Wow you guys are so full of it it's not even funny.
You're clearly not customers. There's nothing Apple could do with the MBA to convince you guys to buy it. You'd just find something else to nitpick on.
Furthermore the MBA as it is is great. It's not perfect but no laptop I've ever encountered is perfect.
The MBA is defined and it's excellent. I love my MBA and I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world. It's the perfect companion to my HDX 18t.
So fuck all the haters. You guys are just cheap bastards who bitch about any and everything. If you don't like MBA then DO NOT BUY IT.
However stop complaining about something you'll never buy and have intentions of buying even if they do something to appease your nitpicking.
I'd love to get an MBA a little cheaper as well, though I think expecting a price at or below $1k is dreaming.
I just love all of the comments from folks who feel like Apple has "poorly defined" the market for the Air, or that they are missing the mark by charging so much, that they'd sell so many more at a lower price, etc, ad nauseum...
I suspect that the folks running Apple have a pretty clear idea of the market they are targeting. The company, under it's current (and/or recent) management seems to have sorted out these sorts of issues rather nicely. They simply aren't a low end manufacturer.
@TheLightSide
We're cheap bastards for not wanting to pay $1800 for an ok laptop?
@TheLightSide
Ummm you are a tool. The entire point of this entire article was to nitpick the MBA to make it better. Get a life. Read the title. Loser.
The price is actually QUITE PERFECT, because if you think about it, the other closest options are a Lenovo X300-X301, which are over $2000, a Vaio TT, which is slower and costs over $2000 dollars again, and a Vaio Z, which doesn't have the same thinness and usually costs over $2000 dollars again.
I actually have no idea on making this better, because there's really nothing like it to compare it to. It isn't a netbook, nor is it a full laptop or an ultraportable (ultraportables have serious power and are slightly bulkier, like the Vaio Z and the MacBook).
I think it needs to find a home. I realized that although the MBA is thin and light, I don't find it more portable than any netbook because of it's 13-inch size. Make it smaller, not thinner, Apple! I'd sacrifice a few millimeters for smaller dimensions and more power.
I’m a customer. Let me tell you why I bought it. Primarily, it is a light, fully functional laptop, and I need a Mac. After carrying a 17" PowerBook to Europe, I said, I need something lighter. I passed through a MacBook, and then went to this. It has a near full screen, which can be supplemented, and it is functional enough. Illustrator, Photoshop, Perforce, Xcode, and Interface Builder are where I live now, and none of these are taxing the thing.
The market is, a full machine, that is very light, has a life span of two years, and I’m not ashamed to bring to client meetings. Of course mine is covered in stickers...
I would get a better processor, 4 gig of ram, and a 256gig solid state drive. I will upgrade then. And, why can’t a radio fit inside or tethering work with this thing?
$1300 price tag and a 12" screen.
I don't mind the 1 USB slot or lack of DVD drive. However, since even tiny netbooks can fit 3 USB slots, and you need to pay Apple $1999 before you even have that many USB slots in a laptop, perhaps just giving people 2 USB slots, mini DisplayPort, and a headphone jack would be good enough.
The MBA is probably faster than the latest Lenovo X200 and X300, but since it's lacking in so many other departments, shouldn't it be faster for the same price?
Actually, I would raise the price. Those iFanboys will buy anything Apple sells at any price.
put racing stripes on it so it will go faster.
Easy; 4GB or 8GB RAM to enable VMWare Fusion to run Windows inside the MacBook Air with better performance
I'd think a price drop would be most welcome, we know they can afford to drop the price a little but then again the price is what makes them unique, in other words we buy a Mac because it makes us feel rich, well it does me anyway.
The MBA could really do with some more USB connects, wouldn't worry to much about firewire because it's not powerful enough to concider importing film then editing, or even when USB 3.0 comes out that would be a smart move. One thing i do wish they added to all Macs would be an HDMI output, those ridiculus display ports are very annoying, yes i know you can get adapters but still why should we have to we just spent the good part of a grand buying it.
I have to admit the size of the MBA is perfect though, maybe a little to thin they could afford a couple of extra 4-5mm onto it, would make it less likely to snap into two.
I love apple, but who cares?
I don't feel like the Air needs an SDHC port, as it already has plenty of space. It seems more like a requirement for netbooks to compensate for their small drives. I'd really love to see the new trackpad on there though! Other than that, I think the Air is a very capable machine when used as intended.
you can use multi touch gestures on there, it doesnt need to be the new one.
@ Craig: Already has plenty of space???
So, using an SDHC slot for downloading content from media cards that are used by cameras, camcorders, digital audio recorders, mobile devices, etc, etc, etc isn't a valid enough reason?
Beyond that, pretty much what everyone else has stated: more (usable) USB ports, more horsepower, cheaper price tag, removable battery, smaller overall footprint (not necessarily thinner), better graphics sub-system, 3G support... I guess we're talking about an entirely new machine :-)
@Craig: the SDHC slot is not for expanding the laptop's capacity, but to transfer files from cameras/camcorders to it without the cable.
My solution: I bought a SanDisk USB SD card which itself can plug into a USB port. Awesome gadget.
@Fraggle.Rock
Yes, but the MacBook Air isn't made for multimedia editing etc, so that's probably why they won't ever put an SD card slot or anything of those sorts on there, plus, with the new cameras coming out, you can transfer wirelessly with bluetooth + EDR
@ChrisTheFeral:
A. The best cameras, DSLRs, as well as 99% of consumer cameras, do not have BT capability. You can get WiFi on DSLRs, but only for a a few grand more. Besides, BT is slow as hell. It's somthing like a 10MP pic every 10-15 seconds. That's totally unfeasible for a vacation or a photo shoot.
B. If the Macbook Air is supposed to be for people always on the move, i think it should have SDHC because the stated market is likely to bring this on a trip, and will run out of card space. Even if they don't photo edit, they photo store, and the MBA has more than enough power to photo-edit anyway.
I would get rid of it completely.
Exactly. I like most stuff Apple makes, but they seriously need to scrap this joke and replace it with an actual computer.
i would almost agree with this. I don't like the tablet idea because of risk of lcd damage. at least closing it keeps away scratches and such.
and I disagree about the positioning. somewhat. it has always been pushed as a machine for travel. my issue is that it lacks power. and because of this they need to be pushing that it is a secondary machine, not a primary. unless all you do is email from the road. cause that and googling for a good restaurant is about all you can do on it.
so I say if you are going to keep it, up the processor, get flash to a point of reasonable price and drop the tag. I'm fine with no optical drive but perhaps a second usb port would be nice. I personally don't see the need for a card reader since any camera is likely to have a usb out port as well. or instead of usb, how about a port for a 3g card if one wants to go that route for when wifi isn't available. I'm sure ATT would love to add extra lines for some of their iphone peeps and maybe they would even give a discount in such cases.
Totally.
Ditch it entirely and bing in a full line of netbooks. i would like to see three.
One "tablet", roughly the equivelant of 4 ipod touches stuck together, priced at $600. If it had one USB port you could stick a keyboard or CD-ROM on it.
One that is along the lines of an eee pc, at about $500.
And one that is like an Air, but with a normal-sized low end processor, and whatever else it takes to chop the price down to $900.
Flip the LCD to the outside and make a tablet ;)
I wish they’d make a tablet already! I would ditch the Air for that in a second!
Ditto! :D
Lower price point, one more usb, and display to match the new uni-body macbook and I'm sold.
The Air has a better LCD than the Macbook already. The viewing angle is on par with Macbook Pros, and it's the brightest of any of the family.
- It may not be the cheapest lightweight notebook around, but its also not the most expensive. I bought it over the standard Macbook because of the display, 700 grams weight difference and the less noticeable sharp palm rest. Pretty worth the extra 500 over the standard unibody if you ask me.
- I hardly even use the single USB port on my Air except for the occasional flash drive and Superdrive (I have a Bluetooth Mouse which every Air owner should have).
- The Display is better than those of the standard Macbooks, with better viewing angles and improved contrast and brightness. Oh, and it does not act like a mirror.
I agree with timbemo the screen is excellent and looks better than the new macbooks, and y do u need more than 1 usb port on the go???? I own the MBA and never need 2 usb ports on the go.......go buy a hub if u need more...
Working hinge, better battery life(I have an HD), lower pricing, better access to ports, more ports!!! , faster performance... Better keyboard. The keyboard I can live with. I'm getting a macbook pro tomorrow.
I need to stay mac based.
wow
Thinner, much, much thinner.
paper cuts?
No cake cuts, http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/01/hp-exec-cuts-birthday-cake-with-macbook-air/
make it sharper... Add Titanium blades to the rims
i really dont care about thin. the MBA is a piece of brick at 3.4lbs compared to other ultraportables.
if toshiba can make their 12inch ultraportables with all the bells and whistles at 2lbs. why cant apple?? come on man!!
Put a slot-loading dvd drive on it.
Knock a few hundred off the price, and give it a second (and maybe even third) USB port, and I'd be on my way to the apple store.
Yeah, I as a student, love the idea of a thin MacBook (my current unibody MacBook is a pain to carry in my shoulder bag for 6 hours a day) but the way the MacBook Air even lags just magnifying the dock icons really puts me off. So, I think Rev.B certainly helped there with the 9400 chipset, but I still think 1.6 or 1.8GHz is still too slow. At least it's not an Atom. But, I would improve it by more connectivity options. So, speed bump and more ports (maybe lower price) = perfect laptop. In my opinion at least.