http://www.appleinsider.com/article...port_docs_reveal_one_of_a_kind_solutions.html
I've taken a lot of heat on these forums for an interest in the MB Air, yet still asking questions over concerns about it. Having read the above bit, and Apple's documentation behind it, oh please, my kids are easier to raise than this thing is to manage. For $600 more, a third inch and two pounds off the MacBook. Yes, I've read the MacWorld review, and I can see coming from a 17" MB Pro, both in dimensions and almost four pounds, but if the MacWorld reviewer is comparing to a standard MacBook, or he has *nothing* else in his ultra-light, super-thin nylon backpack, the perception of lighter weight by two pounds slung over his shoulder is all in his addled head.
As I've mentioned before, moving bulk data files, backing-up large files, etc., over WiFi, even draft n, is going to be dog slow -- as Apple confirms by telling you to buy an ethernet adapter to migrate. Good thing people might not be likely to keep large movie files on that 80GB drive, because backing them up will kill you.
Obviously, from the documentation, the external optical is pretty much required, too, obliterating any hope of ultra-portability. If you need to dual-boot Windows, certainly. If you need to install software or rip CDs. I know, some of you claim you never use your optical drive. Maybe some of you really do buy all your music from iTunes. I can grant a lot of people don't watch DVDs on a computer, but, really, you don't rip CDs? You can't play CDs or watch DVDs from a shared drive on another computer, presumably you can however rip them to your MB Air. Over WiFi. Ripping a DVD over WiFi, that should be a joy. CDs, not so bad. If you turn off WEP. Drive sharing won't work with WEP. I know, WEP is bad security, everyone should use WPA. That's great, nobody does. Home commercial broadband installers, all WEP. Home DIY WiFi installers, WEP. Public, free hotspots with any security, WEP. Only commercial services like T-Mobile use WPA, not because they give a flip about your data, but because they don't want anyone stealing access via WEP's weaknesses. Many, many, many, many offices use WEP when they should be using WPA. Still, they use WEP. Call IT, ask them if they'll turn off WEP, turn off *all* security that is, on the company WiFi, 'cause you need to install some software. And for home users with WEP, they turn it off, sure, but do they turn it back on? Maybe. Even if they do, they're wide open while they're drive-sharing.
Sure, you can rip CDs and DVDs, do all this on another computer, then copy all this whopping load of data over to your MB Air. Sure, you can copy from the second computer to a USB2 hard drive and then sneakernet it over to the MB Air -- boy, that's a step forward -- or you can just wait a day and copy it over WiFi.
The list goes on and you people know it. It's a large, $1,800 iPhone, except no phone, no mobile wireless data. Please buy one. It's your money. I think anyone who likes something and can afford it should buy it. It's good for the economy, and personal taste is, well, personal. But it's beyond the pale to suggest I'm some sort of fool for stating the absolute fact the MB Air is impractical. It's Apple's leveraging the trendy cachet of iPod and iPhone to sell an overpriced, not very ultra-portable ultra-portable. Look even at the so-called thinness: Had Apple not tapered the thing to create the illusion of very thin, for the addition of very little extra weight, you'd have had double the hard drive storage, an optical drive built-in, maybe even ethernet or FireWire ports.
MB Air buyers will buy it for looks and then spend loads of time babysitting the thing. Buying for looks is fine, but totally out of line is going nuts on me or any other critic of the MB Air as a practical device in order to fabricate for yourself practicality of your purchase that isn't there, or to avoid admitting you're buying it on design or fashion sense, not practical use.
MacBook Air is an odd name for a computer. There seem so many options more appropriate to a slim, lighter Apple notebook, options that would still maintain Apple's penchant for unusual branding. MacBook Air is so loaded with irony I'm starting to wonder if it wasn't intentional.
I've taken a lot of heat on these forums for an interest in the MB Air, yet still asking questions over concerns about it. Having read the above bit, and Apple's documentation behind it, oh please, my kids are easier to raise than this thing is to manage. For $600 more, a third inch and two pounds off the MacBook. Yes, I've read the MacWorld review, and I can see coming from a 17" MB Pro, both in dimensions and almost four pounds, but if the MacWorld reviewer is comparing to a standard MacBook, or he has *nothing* else in his ultra-light, super-thin nylon backpack, the perception of lighter weight by two pounds slung over his shoulder is all in his addled head.
As I've mentioned before, moving bulk data files, backing-up large files, etc., over WiFi, even draft n, is going to be dog slow -- as Apple confirms by telling you to buy an ethernet adapter to migrate. Good thing people might not be likely to keep large movie files on that 80GB drive, because backing them up will kill you.
Obviously, from the documentation, the external optical is pretty much required, too, obliterating any hope of ultra-portability. If you need to dual-boot Windows, certainly. If you need to install software or rip CDs. I know, some of you claim you never use your optical drive. Maybe some of you really do buy all your music from iTunes. I can grant a lot of people don't watch DVDs on a computer, but, really, you don't rip CDs? You can't play CDs or watch DVDs from a shared drive on another computer, presumably you can however rip them to your MB Air. Over WiFi. Ripping a DVD over WiFi, that should be a joy. CDs, not so bad. If you turn off WEP. Drive sharing won't work with WEP. I know, WEP is bad security, everyone should use WPA. That's great, nobody does. Home commercial broadband installers, all WEP. Home DIY WiFi installers, WEP. Public, free hotspots with any security, WEP. Only commercial services like T-Mobile use WPA, not because they give a flip about your data, but because they don't want anyone stealing access via WEP's weaknesses. Many, many, many, many offices use WEP when they should be using WPA. Still, they use WEP. Call IT, ask them if they'll turn off WEP, turn off *all* security that is, on the company WiFi, 'cause you need to install some software. And for home users with WEP, they turn it off, sure, but do they turn it back on? Maybe. Even if they do, they're wide open while they're drive-sharing.
Sure, you can rip CDs and DVDs, do all this on another computer, then copy all this whopping load of data over to your MB Air. Sure, you can copy from the second computer to a USB2 hard drive and then sneakernet it over to the MB Air -- boy, that's a step forward -- or you can just wait a day and copy it over WiFi.
The list goes on and you people know it. It's a large, $1,800 iPhone, except no phone, no mobile wireless data. Please buy one. It's your money. I think anyone who likes something and can afford it should buy it. It's good for the economy, and personal taste is, well, personal. But it's beyond the pale to suggest I'm some sort of fool for stating the absolute fact the MB Air is impractical. It's Apple's leveraging the trendy cachet of iPod and iPhone to sell an overpriced, not very ultra-portable ultra-portable. Look even at the so-called thinness: Had Apple not tapered the thing to create the illusion of very thin, for the addition of very little extra weight, you'd have had double the hard drive storage, an optical drive built-in, maybe even ethernet or FireWire ports.
MB Air buyers will buy it for looks and then spend loads of time babysitting the thing. Buying for looks is fine, but totally out of line is going nuts on me or any other critic of the MB Air as a practical device in order to fabricate for yourself practicality of your purchase that isn't there, or to avoid admitting you're buying it on design or fashion sense, not practical use.
MacBook Air is an odd name for a computer. There seem so many options more appropriate to a slim, lighter Apple notebook, options that would still maintain Apple's penchant for unusual branding. MacBook Air is so loaded with irony I'm starting to wonder if it wasn't intentional.
