MacBook Air will not see 2010?? <-Question, not fact.

[Veinticinco]

haha...wow, I've really dented your ego on this, haven't I? Ah well, I suppose you have spent a lot of money on the MBA and, yeah, I'd be wetting my pants too if someone tried to tell me something I didn't want to hear.

If you like the MBA. Great. Congratulations. Let's hope it's a hit with the ladies. However, netbooks are a threat to the MBA, and cost about 10x less. Fact.

I don't currently have an MBA due to other QC issues (screen) so no dented egos here.

Sorry to prick your bubble, but you're not telling me anything I don't want to hear - you're just spouting ill-informed prejudiced nonsense, the sheer ignorance of which, given you started this thread, leads me to think you're just a wind-up merchant getting kicks by taunting folks with MBAs. Whatever, you're embarrassing yourself. Go and play with your netbook.

 

[Veinticinco]

FCP huh? With no firewire. All those Alu Macbook owners are all totally wrong then..all this time, firewire didn't matter to video editing!

And still, you continue to embarrass yourself further...

FW is not a "system requirement" of FCP, something that Jobs basically said as much last year (to much controversy), when FW on the MB was dropped. And here's a clue, once imported, you can edit on the fly - which my friend does on his MBA.

Your ID gives a massive hint as to your agenda, quite pathetic actually.

 

[iSlave]

I don't currently have an MBA due to other QC issues (screen) so no dented egos here.

Sorry to prick your bubble, but you're not telling me anything I don't want to hear - you're just spouting ill-informed prejudiced nonsense, the sheer ignorance of which, given you started this thread, leads me to think you're just a wind-up merchant getting kicks by taunting folks with MBAs. Whatever, you're embarrassing yourself. Go and play with your netbook.

My post was to question the practical business viability of a VERY expensive ultraportable against the current trend towards netbooks (and more importantly Apple's sudden interest in the market). However, as sometimes happens on forums like this, things have degenerated into an MBA circle jerk.

You can call me ignorant and ill-informed as much as you like, I honestly couldn't care less about what you think.

 

[nick9191]

A Macbook Air is a premium ultraportable, that provides a hell of a lot of performance in a lightweight form with a large screen.

A netbook is a cheap word processor and internet browsing device.

Those who want a $399 netbook are not going to buy a $1799 Macbook Air, those who want a $1799 Macbook Air are not going to purchase a $399 netbook. Same for tablets.

 

[Airforcekid]

A netbook would run modified OSX like the iPhone little to NO thrid party apps etc. So in the end MBA is still a big winner!

 

[iSlave]

A Macbook Air is a premium ultraportable, that provides a hell of a lot of performance in a lightweight form with a large screen.

A netbook is a cheap word processor and internet browsing device.

Those who want a $399 netbook are not going to buy a $1799 Macbook Air, those who want a $1799 Macbook Air are not going to purchase a $399 netbook. Same for tablets.

At last, a clear distinction being made with a decent reason for my original question being invalid. Cool. Now, can we close this thread before the fanatical Apple drones reappear?

 

[Veinticinco]

Since the OP has now been dragged away by the MR men in white coats and given a thorazine drip, can we lock this thread now?

 

[drjsway]

FCP huh? With no firewire. All those Alu Macbook owners are all totally wrong then..all this time, firewire didn't matter to video editing!

I'm a filmmaker and have directed two feature films you may have already seen in theaters or on DVD and I use FCP on my MBA all the time. The MBA is great for being on set and making a rough assembly of the previous day's dailies. I run around set all day with my laptop, so weight is important. I couldn't live without my MBA. I've shot all my films on 35MM but if I were shooting digital, it would be even more useful. I can edit the scene while it is being shot!

Firewire is irrelevant if you're working with less than 100GB of footage since all your footage would be on the blazing-fast SSD drive anyway.

The MBA is NOT even close to a netbook. It has the same display and keyboard size as the MB. It is NOT less powerful than a standard laptop. It runs every pro app that a MB/MBP can run.

The appeal of a netbook has nothing to do with size and weight. A netbook is a crippled low-priced machine that can not run any intensive apps and thus derives most of its value from being able to surf the net, hence the name "Netbook".

PC makers have been releasing high priced ultraportables (usually $2000+) for the last decade and every PC maker continues to do so now (Dell Adamo, Lenovo X301, HP Voodoo Envy were released even though each of these companies has netbooks in the market). The netbook has NEVER cannibalized the sales of ultraportables.

iSlave, please do not argue about topics in which you know nothing about and then call your misinformed opinions facts.

 

[SeaneyC]

My post was to question the practical business viability of a VERY expensive ultraportable against the current trend towards netbooks (and more importantly Apple's sudden interest in the market). However, as sometimes happens on forums like this, things have degenerated into an MBA circle jerk.

You can call me ignorant and ill-informed as much as you like, I honestly couldn't care less about what you think.

Except that the Macbook Air ISN'T a very expensive ultraportable. Granted, it's not the cheapest of laptops, but ultraportables have NEVER been the cheapest of laptops. They are never going to be, obviously, due to the fact that they are trying to cram current gen tech typically into 3/4 - 1/2 the volume of a standard laptop. Sony, IBM/Lenovo, Dell - They all have their ultraportable lines, and they are all priced quite similarly to the MBA when it boils down to it.

 

[manhattanboy]

what Apple is planning on releasing is a tablet/netbook with 3G wireless. This will not be low-end but rather a high end computer that will be subsidized by the required wireless contract.
I think it's unfortunate because I don't use the MBA internet all the time so requiring a wireless contract will kill it a little... however, having a $500 computer would be pretty sweet deal...

 

[Dr_Maybe]

If you like the MBA. Great. Congratulations. Let's hope it's a hit with the ladies. However, netbooks are a threat to the MBA, and cost about 10x less. Fact.

Please. Netbooks are not of the same quality or performance. And they are not even macs. Netbooks have been around since before the MBA, but MBAs still sell. So it's not some new threat that is going to kill it, MBAs have sold with netbooks being available the entire time.

MacBook Air is pretty much as light as a netbook but with about the same performance as a normal MacBook.

Why would they stop selling a successful product?

 

[gotzero]

I use mine with Vista on bootcamp and Linux via VMs, and on the OSX side I regularly use Logic Studio to sequence audio.

I have found that it does everything I want in a 3lb package. There are things that it could do better, but you have to make sacrifices for any laptop. For things that are too processor heavy, I remote into my workstation, and all is well.

I bet that an incredible majority of users that complain about the need for more power would have their needs more than served by the MBA. To people that are really power users, any Mac laptop is a sacrifice, and it is hardly worth arguing about the merits of a 1.86 C2D vs a 2.4 one when you have octos at home or work.

I think that the MBA platform will be around for a long time. If anything, I wish they would make the macbook an air with an extra pound and a half of battery...

 

[Scottsdale]

I think that the MBA platform will be around for a long time.

I really pray you are correct! I love the MBA.

 

[manhattanboy]

I really pray you are correct! I love the MBA.

there's no reason to love it if you can get the same thing cheaper!
I'm pro apple netbook

 

[ppc750fx]

A Macbook Air is a premium ultraportable, that provides a hell of a lot of performance in a lightweight form with a large screen.

No, it's just a stylish laptop. I'd argue that it doesn't really earn the "ultraportable" moniker; sure, it's light and thin, but it's still got a pretty big footprint.

An ultraportable is something like the ThinkPad X61s: < 3 lbs, designed for extended periods of mobile use, dramatically smaller footprint than a regular notebook, etc. The MacBook Air is basically just a thinner MacBook with fewer ports, worse cooling, and a heftier price tag.

 

[iMacmatician]

there's no reason to love it if you can get the same thing cheaper!
I'm pro apple netbook

Netbook ≠ MacBook Air.

The MacBook Air is basically just a thinner MacBook with fewer ports, worse cooling, and a heftier price tag.

…and lighter.

 

[ppc750fx]

Netbook ≠ MacBook Air.

…and lighter.

Right you are. It is indeed lighter (but not much smaller.)

 

[Veinticinco]

Right you are. It is indeed lighter (but not much smaller.)

Thinner = Smaller

Footprint is not the same as dimensions. Carry it around in a bag, as designed, and it takes up significantly less space than a MB. Hence 'ultra-portable'.

There's plenty of people, some of whom have posted on this negative agenda-driven thread, with significant experience using an MBA for highly intensive 'Pro' applications, and have no complaints whatsoever, quite the opposite.

Anyway a netbook will be nothing like an MBA. It will be the natural evolution of the existing Mac netbook.....i.e. a hypertophied iPhone/Touch, with maybe an 8-inch touchscreen and an Atom CPU, probably runnning a cut-down OS X. Carbon fibre casing too.

 

[ppc750fx]

Thinner = Smaller

Footprint is not the same as dimensions. Carry it around in a bag, as designed, and it takes up significantly less space than a MB. Hence 'ultra-portable'.

The only dimension in which it's smaller is height -- it's about the same as a normal MacBook otherwise.

It's not even that light, considering what it omits.

There's plenty of people, some of whom have posted on this negative agenda-driven thread, with significant experience using an MBA for highly intensive 'Pro' applications, and have no complaints whatsoever, quite the opposite.

Indeed. I'm one of those folks. I tried using an MBA for about two weeks, and found it totally unsuitable.

There was too little space on the drive, HD performance wasn't that great, it didn't save any space in my bag, it ran quite hot indeed, and to top it off it lacked many of the ports I would have expected on a $1500 laptop.

I could've lived with those limitations though, if it offered me savings in terms of weight, or better performance, or longer battery life than competing laptops. Problem is, it didn't.

I'm not saying it's not a decent laptop for some folks -- I'm sure it is -- but trying to claim that it's an ultraportable (a category occupied by < 3lbs, small form-factor subnotebooks) is a little silly.

Anyway a netbook will be nothing like an MBA. It will be the natural evolution of the existing Mac netbook.....i.e. a hypertophied iPhone/Touch, with maybe an 8-inch touchscreen and an Atom CPU, probably runnning a cut-down OS X. Carbon fibre casing too.

I dunno... I have a feeling that Apple would want to use their "netbook" (if they were to make one) as a transition product -- a cheap, but capable device meant to move PC users from their iPhone over to a Mac. Running a crippled OS X wouldn't really achieve that -- but a full version of OS X might just be enough of a "taste" for most users to persuade them to make their next desktop (read: high margin) purchase from Apple.

 

[manhattanboy]

Netbook ≠ MacBook Air.

Why do you say that?
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/05/asus-eee-pc-shell-1008ha-white.jpg

The netbooks look and act more and more everyday like the MBA... it's just a matter of time until the specs align.

This is good not bad.... significantly cheaper is better!!!!!

 

[iMacmatician]

The netbooks look and act more and more everyday like the MBA... it's just a matter of time until the specs align.

Just like with notebooks and desktops?

 

[Mhkobe]

Macbook air not leaving

The Macbook Air is a technology unlike any other, it is an ultra-thin, ultra-light notebook that has comparable specs to mid-level notebooks. It is still a very niche market, however it is a scapegoat for apple that has allowed them to get way ahead in ultra-thin heat management technology. As Apple continues to develop the Macbook Air, it will in turn allow them to get more advanced and ahead in the high-end portable device market (iPod touch). Eventually (4-7 years) this will become their standard Macbook (With spec upgrades of course), and the Macbook pro will be a thicker very high-end high powered device. This makes sense because most people do not use high-end industry specific programs that require massive processing power and memory such as cinema 4d or large photoshop documents. One thing people can use is a lighter more portable computer that has a large enough screen and can run mid level programs.

 

[jamesryanbell]

However, netbooks are a threat to the MBA, and cost about 10x less. Fact.

Source?

 

[stockscalper]

Why do you say that?
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/05/asus-eee-pc-shell-1008ha-white.jpg

The netbooks look and act more and more everyday like the MBA... it's just a matter of time until the specs align.

This is good not bad.... significantly cheaper is better!!!!!

Netbooks are not computers. They run on the puny 1.6 GHZ Atom processor that powers many smartphones. The MBA has an Intel dual core 2 computer processor. All the netbook can do is websurf, check email and do light wordprocessing, all things I do with my iPhone. The MBA is capable of doing any computing tasks its larger siblings do. Not to mention the build quality, screen and keyboards on netbooks is crappy - they feel like toys. The MBA looks, acts and feels like a business computer. This is one instance where you truly do get what you pay for.

 

[bowlerman625]

I love my MBA; it was my first Mac and it fits my needs perfectly. Before that, I had previously bought 2 netbooks. Gave one away (the Linux one) and the other one has not been powered on in a long time since I got the MBA last December. My needs are not terribly heavy duty so the MBA works great! I just love the portability of it.

When I bought it, I had Windows XP installed on it with Parallels. I hardly use the XP and am even considering removing it at some point to recover drive space. I don't need the drive space now, so there is no pressure to do this soon.

At this point, I do not think the proposed tablet would do anything to make me stop using the MBA. I have an iPhone 3GS and with the MBA those are a great pair!