More MacBook Air Details and Notes

[neversink]

Removable batteries is the biggest issue!!!!

Bottom line, when your battery dies and you can't replace it with another, then you can't work if you are without AC power. And this will frustrate many, many users.

Removable batteries are important. There is no defense to having a soldered battery that can't be changed with back up batteries when they charge down and only Apple can replace when they no longer can hold a charge. It makes NO sense, except to Apple's pocketbooks.

I have a MBP and I carry two extra batteries where ever I travel, particularly where there is no outlet or outlets are few, and the few that are there at airline terminals are already being used....

I'm sorry, but there is no excuse for this. A battery compartment that would have weighed on ounce could have easily been incorporated. it is sad to me that innovation, which Apple is famous for, could not match the Toshiba lightweight machine.

I will stick with my MBP, even though a lighter machine is much more desirable for me. Hopefully, apple will eventually see the light and make some changes to this very "cool" product that is missing so many esentials....

 

[Machaelangelo]

Exactly. The people targeted for the MBA do not need a full-blown notebook when a desktop takes care of heavier storage tasks. I am gonna get one because it's awesomely faster than my old iBook and light as a feather, that's all.

Lots of executives I've talked to are gonna do the same, as they care about weight, a good set of features and the elimination of features that nobody uses anymore. Example? Just the meetings I've been to in LA...

SIX notebooks on the table and NONE using Ethernet; NONE using Firewire; NO NEED whatsoever for optical drives; it's all about presentations and wireless features...this is the floppy-less iMac revisited...Apple shows the way in terms of technology trends and others will surely follow.

After purchasing several high end ultra portables and paying for features that have never been used the MBA is a welcome machine. I have not used an ethernet cable in two years. There has never been a disc loaded in my vaio or MBP. My company uses both PIM and CRM applications that are web based. My accounting program is a web based application. This machine fits well for us. NO COMPLAINTS HERE.

 

[NAG]

Bottom line, when your battery dies and you can't replace it with another, then you can't work if you are without AC power. And this will frustrate many, many users.

Exactly! This is why the iphone will fail!

 

[totoro]

The Macbook Air is the iPod of apple's line. Yes before the ipod if we wanted to carry around all of our music we would have to have to lug around at very least in 2001 a five pound 60gig external hardrive that you could plug into your laptop an listen to through headphones. That was really the only solution.
So Apple introduced the fist gen iPod, and if you search for that thread on MR you would see that the comments are almost exactly the same. The iPod couldn;t play video, there were no games, and it only used firewire. But it was a good solution to carry around a reasonable amount of your music collection.
The air is NOT meant to be the only computer you have, eg: the shared op drive. It is meant for people who need to work on word, transfer digital pic and browse the internet. And you know what, it is JUST like the forst iMac, remember the i meant INTERNET. It was a simple thing meant for simple basic tasks!
I know that very few people ever use the full capabilty of the MBP when used as a secondary computer. Which it is most of the time!. They only really type check email, do reports, and use for itunes. The only reason that peopl buy it is because it says it is for pros. There is almost no real difference between the processor of the base MBP and the MB, except one is bigger and one has a glossy screen.
Also for you guys with the 12in the lowest macbook blows it away! The graphics are fast enough and the c2d blows away every powerpc except the quad core G5.

 

[AidenShaw]

Originally Posted by neversink
Bottom line, when your battery dies and you can't replace it with another, then you can't work if you are without AC power. And this will frustrate many, many users.

Exactly! This is why the iphone will fail!

There are two pretty big differences:

1. The Iphone battery easily lasts for a full day of normal use - the period of time that one would expect to be away from a charging station. I would bet that many Iphone users don't bother to bring the charger on short multi-day trips unless they plan to watch videos....
2. If you have your laptop with you, the Iphone can be recharged at any time through the USB port, even if normal AC power is not available.

In contrast, the MBCA does not have enough runtime for many commonly expected uses, and there's no recourse if you can't get AC power (short of bringing a big heavy battery and an AC invertor along).

 

[digitalbiker]

Yeah, I mean an all in one that pulls out the floppy drive, eliminates the ports, has a new ppc in it, and it is an amazing technological marvel! Go figure.

I usually love Apple products but the iMac is destine to be a flop!



Yeah, I mean another MP3 player with a hard disk, an integrated battery, a fancy scroll wheel, and it is an amazing technological marvel! Go figure.

I usually love Apple products but the iPod is destine to be a flop!



Yeah, I mean a phone without 3G, an integrated battery, locked into AT&T, and it is an amazing technological marvel! Go figure.

I usually love Apple products but the iPhone is destine to be a flop!

Hey if you like to write other people's posts for them then have fun but I don't think that any of your altered posts are analogous to my original.

I also never thought the imac, ipod, or iphone were destine for failure. They all had merit and appealed to a large market.

The only recent items I thought would fail were The Cube (pretty but too expensive for the market), Apple TV gen. 1 (interesting but too low res, needed a computer, and not enough content) and now I think the MBA will fail.

It just doesn't meet the needs of a large enough niche and it is most certainly not a technical marvel.
1) It is not small enough to be considered ultra-portable (footprint too large)
2) The batteries aren't user-friendly swappable with a pre-charged set.
3) No WWAN support.
4) Too expensive and performance limited for the average college student. (ie HDD too small & too slow, slow graphics and CPU compared to similar priced MBP)

The only market it fits are the
1) Paris Hilton's of the world
2) The fashion conscious exec who doesn't really work on a laptop but would like to have something at his side that he could use to read email and that wouldn't over tax his dainty biceps.

The MBA will sell well it's first quarter of release and then wither and die.

 

[appletastic]

4) Too expensive and performance limited for the average college student.

The MacBook Air is not aimed at students - I thought that was the MacBook.?

Each Apple product is aimed at different markets.. I am pretty sure that Apple know a hell of a lot more about Market Segmentation than anyone on this forum... They're bloody good at it!... just look at their bank balance!

 

[digitalbiker]

The MacBook Air is not aimed at students - I thought that was the MacBook.?

That's the point, what market are they aiming at?

The poweruser? No
The student? No
The working business man? No.
The commuter? No.
The rich computer illiterate exec? Yes
The fashion conscious elite? Yes

Just how big are those markets? Big enough to create a first wave splash but not big enough to sustain a profitable longterm product.

 

[appletastic]

That's the point, what market are they aiming at?

The poweruser? No
The student? No
The working business man? No.
The commuter? No.
The rich computer illiterate exec? Yes
The fashion conscious elite? Yes

Just how big are those markets? Big enough to create a first wave splash but not big enough to sustain a profitable longterm product.

They are expanding their market so it doesn't matter. Your list above just proves my point:

The poweruser? - MacBook pro
The student? - MacBook
The working business man? MacBook Pro
The commuter? - MacBook/iPhone
The rich computer illiterate exec? Macbook Air
The fashion conscious elite? Macbook Air

Now they have all your example markets covered, not just 65% of them..

See my point?

 

[digitalbiker]

They are expanding their market so it doesn't matter. Your list above just proves my point:

The poweruser? - MacBook pro
The student? - MacBook
The working business man? MacBook Pro
The commuter? - MacBook/iPhone
The rich computer illiterate exec? Macbook Air
The fashion conscious elite? Macbook Air

Now they have all your example markets covered, not just 65% of them..

See my point?

Yes, I see your point and I agree that the Macbook Air is a different machine than the rest. My point is that I don't think that market niche is significant enough to justify this machine.

I think the Macbook Air is an interesting prototype of possible things to come but the hardware isn't quite there yet.

If large SSD drives were available at a reasonable cost so that the Macbook Air could load up with software, media, and data then it might be more feasible.

Also if a folding CPU, keyboard unit, and multi-touch pad could be placed in a check book sized device with a large bandwidth BT video display device built into eye glasses. This would be the killer ultra-portable for execs.

Apple is missing two huge markets right now. The video gamer ( a multi-trillion dollar industry) and the mini tower mac market, between the mini and the mac pro. The imac is really a different animal altogether.

 

[tomacintosh]

One thing I don't understand about the MBA is why does the bezel around the screen have to be so large? Take that away and the footprint becomes small enough to fully justify the thinness, as it is it's just a thin MB, it could've been so much more (or less in this case)

 

[LizKat]

/snip snip snip/
The only market it fits are the
1) Paris Hilton's of the world
2) The fashion conscious exec who doesn't really work on a laptop but would like to have something at his side that he could use to read email and that wouldn't over tax his dainty biceps.

The MBA will sell well it's first quarter of release and then wither and die.

I daresay you are mistaken about the market for MacBook Air, even based solely on my own decision to purchase the thing.

1) No one would confuse me with Ms. Hilton.

2) There's no one around to notice whether I'm fashion conscious or not since my studio is at home and in a rural area populated largely by farmers, their livestock, creeks, hills, trees. Plus birds and animals who share the habitat. The only fashion of ours that the wild critters may try to keep up with is whether that's a walking stick in our hands or a long gun. Everyone else pretty much minds his own business.

Now, I am not alone in the market for MacBook Air, as is abundantly clear from representative messages already posted in the MacRumor forums.

And, one can "really work on a laptop" in many ways that will not tax the specs of the MacBook Air. It's possible, and still quite common, to get paid for the results of fairly arduous intellectual activity requiring a computer for nothing more taxing than text processing.

So, I conclude that your dire prediction for the MacBook Air is flawed

 

[zapp]

It's possible, and still quite common, to get paid for the results of fairly arduous intellectual activity requiring a computer for nothing more taxing than text processing.

So, I conclude that your dire prediction for the MacBook Air is flawed

Well said

 

[aswitcher]

They are expanding their market so it doesn't matter. Your list above just proves my point:

The poweruser? - MacBook pro
The student? - MacBook
The working business man? MacBook Pro
The commuter? - MacBook/iPhone
The rich computer illiterate exec? Macbook Air
The fashion conscious elite? Macbook Air

Now they have all your example markets covered, not just 65% of them..

See my point?

I think MBA is also for geeks who need a 2nd or 3rd machine they plan to carry around 24/7 and want a superlight machine...probably rich geeks until the next rev or they produce a 32gb model or next year when prices take a decent drop.

 

[John Jacob]

As people have been trying to point out, the MBA isn't really an "ultra portable machine". It's too big. Really, it's barely any more portable than a regular MB.

Maybe for you. For many people, the important thing when it comes to portability is the weight. For the same weight, the bigger the screen and keyboard, the better - as it makes the machine more useable. Part of the issue is that the term ultraportable means different things to different people.

My only complaints with the MBA are:
1. No ethernet port.
2. Only one USB port.
3. Too much space around the screen (they could easily have fitted a 14" widescreen in there).
4. Only mono speakers.

I'm sure all of these will be fixed in the rev B.

 

[AidenShaw]

3. Too much space around the screen (they could easily have fitted a 14" widescreen in there).

For others, footprint is also an important issue.

These people would accept a thicker laptop that fit into the foot print of an A or A4 sheet of paper.

With a narrow bezel, even the 13" screen could have done that. With the wide bezel that Apple is using, the MacBook Cube Air needs a laptop bag rather than a smaller briefcase.

 

[digitalbiker]

I daresay you are mistaken about the market for MacBook Air, even based solely on my own decision to purchase the thing.

1) No one would confuse me with Ms. Hilton.

2) There's no one around to notice whether I'm fashion conscious or not since my studio is at home and in a rural area populated largely by farmers, their livestock, creeks, hills, trees. Plus birds and animals who share the habitat. The only fashion of ours that the wild critters may try to keep up with is whether that's a walking stick in our hands or a long gun. Everyone else pretty much minds his own business.

Now, I am not alone in the market for MacBook Air, as is abundantly clear from representative messages already posted in the MacRumor forums.

And, one can "really work on a laptop" in many ways that will not tax the specs of the MacBook Air. It's possible, and still quite common, to get paid for the results of fairly arduous intellectual activity requiring a computer for nothing more taxing than text processing.

So, I conclude that your dire prediction for the MacBook Air is flawed

Look, I'm glad that you bought a MBA. I hope it works out well and turns out to be a great little machine. However, I still don't think it appeals to a very big market niche.

It just has too limited appeal as specified right now. Maybe a rev or 2 later, when high-speed high density SSD costs come way down, the battery compartment is made easily accessible, Apple shrinks the footprint a little, and WWAN is added then I think it will capture a much larger market.

 

[drsmithy]

Apple is missing two huge markets right now. The video gamer ( a multi-trillion dollar industry) and the mini tower mac market, between the mini and the mac pro. The imac is really a different animal altogether.

IMHO, a machine between the Mini and Mac Pro would also (easily) encompass the gamers market (as long as the video card was replacable). Such a machine would need to be, essentially, half a Mac Pro. Single CPU - either dual or quad-core - 8GB RAM max (4 slots), at least one (ideally two) x16 PCIe slots, room for 2 hard disks and a single optical drive. It should retail for a bit less than the different iMacs do.

Unfortunately Apple are unlikely to make it any time soon for the same reason I'm sure they haven't yet - such a box (if reasonably priced) would absolutely slaughter Mac Pro sales. I'm pretty sure most Mac Pro customers are buying one because they need more than an iMac, not because they need all of a Mac Pro.

The other gaping hole in Apple's lineup, IMHO, is a solid business-oriented laptop. All this would really need to be is a regular 15" MBP with a Docking Station (and ideally a 13" variant as well).

(Something else that would truly be cool and innovative, would be for Apple to update the MBP to be able to support *two* external monitors. Either via a dongle arrangement, or just two DVI ports built in. I'm well and truly off into fantasy territory here, however - although I must admit I'm amazed _someone_ hasn't done this yet.)


Both of these machines - a midrange desktop and a business laptop - would appeal to non-trivial chunks of the market, IMHO - certainly much larger than the MBA ever will.

 

[aswitcher]

The other gaping hole in Apple's lineup, IMHO, is a solid business-oriented laptop. All this would really need to be is a regular 15" MBP with a Docking Station (and ideally a 13" variant as well).

(Something else that would truly be cool and innovative, would be for Apple to update the MBP to be able to support *two* external monitors. Either via a dongle arrangement, or just two DVI ports built in. I'm well and truly off into fantasy territory here, however - although I must admit I'm amazed _someone_ hasn't done this yet.)

I would love two external screens for my MBP. I am thinking of getting one of those widgets when they are Mac compatible to give be a USB - DVI for a 19" 1280x1024 screen just to keep my email open on.

If Apple could slip an HDMI next to their dual-dvi then I guess that would work nicely and give better resolution. It would really set them out in the market.

I wonder if there is soemthing affordable that could split my dual-dvi to two 24" screens now...

 

[jragosta]

One thing I don't understand about the MBA is why does the bezel around the screen have to be so large? Take that away and the footprint becomes small enough to fully justify the thinness, as it is it's just a thin MB, it could've been so much more (or less in this case)

My guess is that if they made the computer the same size as the screen (eliminating most of the bezel), there wouldn't be enough area to cram everything inside.

 

[AidenShaw]

My guess is that if they made the computer the same size as the screen (eliminating most of the bezel), there wouldn't be enough area to cram everything inside.

My guess is that the taper towards the edges that is there for the optical illusion of thinness didn't leave room for anything inside the thin edges - it could have been much smaller (footprint wise) but due to "style" Apple had to make it much larger than it really needed to be.

It easily could have been a much more usable laptop - but when the top level design goal is "I want to go on stage in my jeans and turtleneck and say 'world's thinnest laptop'" a whole bunch of things useful to the eventual user of the system have to be ignored.

 

[phoxrenvatio]

I personally love the new MacBook Air but i notice there is no front row?Why the sensor can be locate on the upper par where isight is;but Why doesn't it have it then waiting for answer.or probabilities.

it's a very thin sensor, but yes it does have a sensor, not it does not come WITH the remote, but it does have front row.

 

[BWhaler]

I agree.

I was in for 1, maybe two of these until I heard about the non-replaceable battery.

I don't think it will "kill" sales outright, but these was definitely a loss of orders.

The bottom of the Air is beautiful. I get it.

But business travelers need more than 5 hours when they are on the road. Heck, parents need more than 5 hours when playing videos for the kids.

This was a big miss by Apple.

Shows what I know.

I just spent $3,100 on a loaded MacBook Air.

 

[jragosta]

My guess is that the taper towards the edges that is there for the optical illusion of thinness didn't leave room for anything inside the thin edges - it could have been much smaller (footprint wise) but due to "style" Apple had to make it much larger than it really needed to be.

It easily could have been a much more usable laptop - but when the top level design goal is "I want to go on stage in my jeans and turtleneck and say 'world's thinnest laptop'" a whole bunch of things useful to the eventual user of the system have to be ignored.

Or maybe Apple is selling to people who aren't as opposed to quality products as you obviously are. You don't even use Macs - why do you spend so much time bashing them?

No product is perfect for everyone. Apple made some design decisions that appear to satisfy a lot of people. Most of the bashers appear to be people like you - who would never own a Mac, anyway or who aren't in the target audience.

 

[Yankees 4 Life]

i can't believe that thing is sooo thin. If i had a need, i'd buy one!