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Poll: Did you pre-order a MacBook Air?
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. %Poll-8314%
MacBook Air battery replacements: $129, free install!
We've got word back from Apple on MacBook Air battery replacement. The good news is a new MBA battery is the same as a new MacBook Pro battery: $129. And hey, installation is even free! The bad news hasn't changed though, you'll still likely have to hand over your machine to Apple until they can get the new battery installed. Who knows, maybe they'll roll out a program for end-user battery installation.
Champagne wishes & caviar dreams: the SSD-equipped MacBook Air
The solid-state-drive and the MacBook Air. 64 GB of goodness and no moving parts. You know you want it; fast, quiet, cool, power-saving and simply the finest laptop money can buy -- plus, you can shave with the front end, or slice cucumbers. One minor note, however, for those who measure their tax refunds in the thousands instead of the tens or hundreds of thousands: this prime bit of kit will take a huge bite out of your bankroll.How huge? Check the Apple Store (and marvel that the number wasn't mentioned specifically in the keynote except to say "pricey") -- a whopping $3100 for the new hotness. Sure, it may be worth every penny, but first you have to find all those pennies and herd them into a recognizable grouping of some sort.Would the SSD MBA be worth it to you? Extra points if you don't have an actual M.B.A. graduate degree and you can still afford one.Thanks Rich
Video: MacBook Air hands-on
Now with real-live multitouch action! Check out the video after the break.
Accessories for MacBook Air: External USB SuperDrive
More additional gear to carry for the lightest laptop you can buy -- Apple's external SuperDrive DVD writer, with a USB 2.0 connector and all the capabilities of a normal laptop optical drive. It's a $99 slot-loading 8x SuperDrive, full specs: DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW (gesundheit!) Writes DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL discs at up to 4x speed Writes DVD-R and DVD+R discs at up to 8x speed Writes DVD-RW discs at up to 6x speed and DVD+RW discs at up to 8x speed Reads DVDs at up to 8x speed Writes CD-R discs at up to 24x speed Writes CD-RW discs at up to 16x speed Reads CDs at up to 24x speed It's USB-powered and, I'd expect, a legit boot disk source. While you won't need a DVD drive for installing software, it'll definitely be handy for watching movies (the ones you don't rent).
Apple USB Ethernet Adapter brings RJ-45 to your MacBook Air
Haven't spent enough on that recently pre-ordered MacBook Air just yet? Cupertino's got just the thing: Apple's USB Ethernet Adapter. As the title implies, this USB dongle enables your mostly wireless MBA to become a bit more wired by adding an RJ-45 that supports 10/100BASE-T. 'Course, for $29, we'd recommend just scraping up a used WiFi router, but to each his / her own.[Via TUAW]
Apple offers up Micro-DVI to DVI / VGA / Video adapters for MacBook Air
We know, Apple's been selling these video-out adapters separately for awhile now, but at least it saw fit to toss 'em in with its new $1,799 (or much, much more) machine. Still, those to-be owners of the MacBook Air who want extras will have to shell out $19 a pop if they're interested in snagging an additional Micro-DVI to DVI Adapter or Micro-DVI to VGA Adapter (both pictured after the jump). For those scouting composite / S-Video outputs, you'll have to cough up $19 in addition to your lappie's purchase price in order to claim a Micro-DVI to Video adapter. Per usual, these suckas won't play nice with any piece of hardware other than the MBA, but you saw that one coming a mile away, now didn't you?Read - Micro-DVI to Video adapterRead - Micro-DVI to DVI AdapterRead - Micro-DVI to VGA Adapter
Accessories for MacBook Air: USB Ethernet
Get used to hearing the word 'dongle' in casual conversation, because Apple is shipping one for the MacBook Air -- an Ethernet to USB adapter for those who absolutely must use a wired network. For $29 you get a 10/100Base-T Ethernet connection and the opportunity to use up your one USB port for connectivity (hint: either get used to typing on the full-size keyboard on the laptop, or pick up a small USB hub). It's not the fastest gun in the West but it will certainly get the job done.
MacBook Air doesn't have a user-replaceable battery
We sort of understood it with iPods, and we grudgingly accepted it with the iPhone, but the MacBook Air has a sealed, non-user-replaceable battery, and that means we're suddenly a lot less in love. We're digging for details on how much it'll cost to swap out -- and what Apple expects road warriors to do when their slick new ultraportable dies on the go, stick with us.
Apple MacBook Air first hands-on
Yeah, pretty much sexy. Every element is super sharp, the hidden ports are a thing of beauty, and the backlit keyboard is certainly a nice touch. It's almost silly how light it is, and multitouch is smooth as butter. With the dimensions and curves Apple is playing with, we can almost forgive the lack of removable battery -- almost.%Gallery-13880%
Apple's MacBook Air is available for pre-order
If you're the type who just has to be the first to have everything, then don't waste any time and rush over to Apple.com to pre-order your MacBook Air. Aside from the regular list of MacBook accessories, you'll have to decide if it's worth $300 to go from a 1.6Ghz Core 2 Duo to a 1.8Ghz. The only other choice to ponder is if your also the SSD type. Sure, SSDs are faster and use less power than their spinning brothers, but at $999 -- and 16GBs less capacity -- it's a hard pill to swallow. Of course you can get the ultimate MacBook Air for $3,098 and while you're at it, go ahead and get an all but useless optical drive for $99 and what is almost sure to be a required accessory on any first gen product; AppleCare at $249.
The MacBook Air SuperDrive
Apple may think it's over for optical media, but we have a feeling a lot of MacBook Air customers are going to end up spending the $99 on the external SuperDrive. The 1.06-pound USB-powered dual-layer burner is as slickly encased in aluminum as the Air itself, has a built-in cable and features 4X DL read / write speeds, 8x DVD±R, and 24x CD-R. No official word on availability just yet, but we'd guess it'll ship alongside the Air in two weeks. Interestingly, the specs say it requires a MacBook Air -- but we'll be recklessly plugging it into whatever we have handy soon enough, stay tuned.
Meet the new MacBook family
Here they are! Your oh-so-recently refreshed family of MacBooks. From left to right, we've got the tried and true MacBook, the all new showstopper (you can call it MacBook Air) and the MacBook Pro. Unfortunately, the two wingmen aren't seeing any updates today, but that fellow in the middle sure is getting a lot of attention. %Gallery-13885%
Sizing it up: MacBook Air vs. the rest
So just how thin and lightweight is the new 13.3-inch MacBook Air. We've pitted it against the 13.3-inch Dell XPS M1330, 13.3-inch Sony VAIO SZ, and Apple's own MacBook to see how it stacks up, literally. Not bad Stevie, not bad.%Gallery-13884%%Gallery-13920%
The MacBook Air
Apple just announced the .16-inch thin MacBook Air -- a laptop so thin it fits in a manila envelope. The new machine features a full-size keyboard and LED-backlit 13.3-inch display with built-in iSight, and the new larger trackpad supports multi-touch gestures. Just like the iPhone, you'll be able to pan around, pinch to zoom, and rotate with two fingers, and move windows with a flick. Apple got the size down by using the same 1.8-inch 80GB drive that's in the iPod classic, but you'll be able to order a 64GB SSD as an option. The Air eschews optical media, but there's a separate external you can snag for $99 and Apple's also announced a feature called Remote Disk that'll let the Air get data off the optical drive in any PC or Mac running the Remote Disk software. Pricing starts at $1799, and the Air will be shipping in two weeks. We'll have a hands-on with the MacBook Air here in a just a few, stay tuned!%Gallery-13872%
Apple announces Remote Disc to wirelessly install software on MacBook Air
Wondering how you were gonna install all your software on that forthcoming optical drive-deprived MacBook Air? Enter Remote Disc, which essentially enables users to "borrow" the optical drive of another machine on the wireless network and pass along the data sans wires. Notably, hosts can be Macs or PCs, meaning that even a household Wintel rig can be used to beam OS X applications to your shiny new MBA. No word on where the "special software" for the host machines will come from, but here's to hoping it's boxed right in from the start.
MacBook Air features Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Not a bad turnaround time -- Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, ratified just a few months back by the Bluetooth SIG, has found its way into the MacBook Air's unnaturally thin shell. This should lead to improved (read: quicker) pairing, better battery life, and improved security over 2.0. Only trick is to find a few other 2.1 devices, of course.
More "MacBook Air" evidence wafts by
Sure, all will be revealed tomorrow, but rather than twiddle their thumbs, the Apple curious are scouring the internet for further evidence of the MacBook Air. A certain tipster named "byrd" searched for "macbookair" on Dogpile and found a Google ad listing up top, which redirects to the MacBook page of the Apple Store. Meanwhile MacDailyNews reader "mango" tracked down the macbookair.org domain name and found that it is indeed listed under Apple -- the Whois domain name lookup won't show any info on the .com or .net versions. Obviously these are pretty minor details that don't say a lot in themselves, but the more of these that pile in, the more we're inclined to believe in a magical ultraportable from Apple tomorrow that will fulfill all our wishes -- we're suckers like that. [Thanks, byrd]Read - MacDailyNews domain name lookupRead - Dogpile search results
MacBook Air in the air?
The kids over at 9to5Mac are making the case that Apple's rumored ultra-portable will be dubbed the MacBook Air. Besides all the anecdotal evidence supporting their case, one of their readers discovered a machine identifying itself as a "MacBookAir" in a January 9, 2008 Adium usage log -- 3 days before the "There's something in the air" MacWorld banner was revealed. If true, it's thought that the name could refer to the ultra-portable's weight, WWAN capability, or even Wireless USB support. As odd as the name might sound, just remember how strange we all thought "Wii" was back in the day. Ok, Air is still bad.Read -- 9to5mac Read -- week 2, 2008 Adium log in Google's cache
