Is the MacBook Air the New Cube?
January 15, 2008
So I was all pumped to get a new Laptop. I've been using a 12 inch G4 for over 3 years now and want to upgrade to the new Intel chip MacBooks.
About my needs:
I'm an executive so form is really important to me. I like stuff with a small footprint and that looks cool.
Rich media authoring apps are not important.
I like a snappy machine. I have a lot of apps open at the same time. I try out a lot of new apps. (I am not going to change).
I travel a lot.
I do a lot of media presentations and video conferencing.
So, MacBook Air seemed right. I was about to place my order for the new MacBook Air and everyone in my office was - "I wouldn't buy that. It looks nice, but it isn't worth it at that price."
Immediate flash back 7 years to the Apple Cube. I was in the market for a new desktop and was about to buy The Cube and everyone in my office was - "I wouldn't buy that. It looks nice, but it isn't worth it at that price."
Now people in my office are smarter than me in most things, but especially when it comes to computer hardware. I thought the Cube made sense for an executive desktop, but in the end I still appreciate value. The price of the innovative design versus functionality was a bit unrealistic - I bought a tower. I am now leaning toward a MacBook.
It makes me wonder if Apple has another "Cube" on their hands.
Who's buying the Air?
Update (Jan 15, 19:10):
I just made a similar comment on Ethan Kaplan's post.
The more i think about it the more I am pretty certain that Apple will not have a hit with Air. I truly think Apple may have another Cube on their hand.
This is form at the expense of function at a higher price point. Just like the Cube.
Unlike the original iMac, which dropped the floppy drive, also provided smaller foot print with the all-in-one design, had colours instead of beige, had a firewire port for video cameras, and USB ports. It wasn't functionally neutered for the design. Had Apple just dropped the optical drive in the AIR fine, but not being able to upgrade the ram or change a battery and no ethernet which is still needed in many hotels is severly limiting and I have to pay more.
As the target demographic for that laptop - I’m giving it a pass. I fear others will, too.
Update (Jan 16)
Although the comments so far do not share my opinion, I hold to it. I think the Air is not going to be a winner in its present configuration and/or price point. Darek K Miller has balanced and informative review.
Price is competitive and it fits my needs
First, the main argument is that people can't justify the price.
Well how can people justify the $2k MBP in the first place? or the $2100CDN for a Sony TZ series?
At $1899CDN, it's rather competitive for a thin and light laptop. And it doesn't have the same complaint as the thin and lights. I've handle the TZ and their precursors, and I've handle a Dell equivalent. All of them suffer from small screens and small keyboard with useful keys at weird places. Mind you I'm a CompSci student, and the ~ key placement does matter to me.
I can count the number of times I've used Firewire. Once, in fact. To mount my MacBook as a firewire drive to another Mac to run a piece of software on it. The number of times I've used the cdrom drive is just as rare. When I used to own an old Sony thin and light, I've mounted a desktop's cdrom drive as a network share to install software. The Air is no different.
I consider the USB port complaint a legitimate one. They should've offered 2. Currently, you won't be able to use your Ethernet dongle with a USB flash drive. But the dongle is just chump change (about $30USD afaik from the keynote), especially for an executive.
Wireless is pervasive in the workplace, at home, and even in coffee shops, so you're right, it probably happens only when you're trying to use internet in your hotel room. I only use mine to transfer Gigabytes at a time.
It's funny that you complain about the amount of RAM. I was just upgrading a Sony TZ series to 2GB of RAM, 2 months ago as a computer technician, and still end up exorcizing the demon named Vista. The machine is slated as $2200CDN, and it is preloaded at 1GB, and it has 1 slot. Just 1. At the time, they didn't even offer the 2GB version to Canada, and required a single bar of 2GB, instead of an extra bar of 1GB (which can now be had for $20CDN if you knew where to look). The machine came unusable with Vista at 1GB.
This has 2GB preloaded. I did my cryptography homework, working with large numbers - e.g. primes in your typical PGP keys, on a MacBook with 2GB of RAM. I play first person shooters on a 2GB machine, and the memory comsumption was then brought up to 80%. I really want to know what you're running that would top out a 2GB laptop.
Lack of user-removable batter would be a legit gripe for the road warriors. But this isn't a machine just catering to such crowds. You have the computer geek, the gadget types, and even possibly the disabled using light machines. I got a Sony thin-and-light from the P3 era from a friend of mine, who was born with a spine defect. Once he had it corrected, he cannot bear too much weight on the shoulders. To this day, I know he has bought light laptops to minimize risks of damage. These are the types of people who would be much less likely to fork over ~$150 for extra battery. And frankly, if they can truly deliver an approx. 5 hour battery life, even I wouldn't complain.
I'm not really much of an Apple fan boy. In fact, there are some gripes that I have with my MacBook and OSX Tiger. The battery life has an average performance, and leaning towards getting PC laptops with modular bay for a second battery. But I can tell you, had someone drop a lump of cash on my lap, I would definitely give the SSD version of the MacBook Air some serious thought, in comparison to the PC thin and lights that I've been eyeing.
It's Beautiful
I don't agree. I ordered the hard drive version the moment the Apple Store site opened. It's beautiful. That sometimes is enough.
here's a nice rewiew on the
here's a nice rewiew on the Apple's Macbook Air pros and cons: http://www.maconair.com/the_pros_and_cons