Comments on: The MacBook Air Question http://gigaom.com/2008/01/24/the-macbook-air-question/ Trusted Insights and Conversations on the Next Wave of Technology Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:03:54 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Job board blog » Blog Archive » Macbook Air Goes On Sale In SF, Out OF Stock http://gigaom.com/2008/01/24/the-macbook-air-question/#comment-861704 Job board blog » Blog Archive » Macbook Air Goes On Sale In SF, Out OF Stock Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:04:46 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=11285#comment-861704 <p>[...] There were only a lucky few who got their hands on the ultra-light laptop that has received mixed reviews thus far. Throngs of curious onlookers, however, didn’t pay any attention to what experts had to say. [...]</p> [...] There were only a lucky few who got their hands on the ultra-light laptop that has received mixed reviews thus far. Throngs of curious onlookers, however, didn’t pay any attention to what experts had to say. [...]

]]> By: One 3G USB Modem That Works With Macbook Air - GigaOM http://gigaom.com/2008/01/24/the-macbook-air-question/#comment-860048 One 3G USB Modem That Works With Macbook Air - GigaOM Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:34:27 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=11285#comment-860048 <p>[...] Macbook Air made it virtually impossible to use a 3G modem (USB version) with the skinny machine. It was one of the machine’s shortcomings that felt like a real deal [...]</p> [...] Macbook Air made it virtually impossible to use a 3G modem (USB version) with the skinny machine. It was one of the machine’s shortcomings that felt like a real deal [...]

]]> By: james braselton http://gigaom.com/2008/01/24/the-macbook-air-question/#comment-859939 james braselton Tue, 05 Feb 2008 02:27:32 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=11285#comment-859939 <p>WILL I AM GETTING THE MACBOOK AIR WITH THE 1.8 GHZ AND THE 64 GB SSD DRIVES I HOPE TO START SEEING SSD DRIVE COMPUTERS AT THE LOCAL COMPUTER STORE SOON WITH THE EXTERNAL OPICAL DRIVE I CAN PLAY HALO ON THE GO MAC HAS HALO FOR MACS.</p> WILL I AM GETTING THE MACBOOK AIR WITH THE 1.8 GHZ AND THE 64 GB SSD DRIVES I HOPE TO START SEEING SSD DRIVE COMPUTERS AT THE LOCAL COMPUTER STORE SOON WITH THE EXTERNAL OPICAL DRIVE I CAN PLAY HALO ON THE GO MAC HAS HALO FOR MACS.

]]> By: dj b-rad http://gigaom.com/2008/01/24/the-macbook-air-question/#comment-859589 dj b-rad Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:18:19 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=11285#comment-859589 <p>Excellent blog. I have ordered a 1.6 SSD MBA. I have been stoked about the SSD for a very long time. Not as stoked about the upgrade price apple has set. The things that apple have decided to take out of this portable computer are not the end of the world people. Comments generally tend to imply that apple is going to end the optical drive, firewire ports and all amenities altogether ... come on, use your head - this decision was made for their PORTABLE offering. Not everyone wants or even cares about portability but I certainly do and have been waiting for apple to come out with this product. My 12" powerbook has served me well, every day, for more than 4 years now. It is been banged, dropped, modified (HD & ram myself), traveled hard, orange juice spilled across the keyboard sitting in the middle seat in coach, even had the jack from my earbuds sink the jack into the computer upon one of the many crashes! The outer shell of the bottom half is wrinkled due to abuse through heavy work and the batter is now duct taped on !! That little sucker still WORKS LIKE A CHARM.</p> <p>The MBA is the perfect replacement for me - the only design regret for me personally is that it didn't follow the perfectly sized footprint of the 12". The bezel around the screen and keyboard seem somewhat wasteful to me after seeing the insides. I am no engineer but it kind of looks like they could have trimmed that back without compromising anything but the full sized keyboard. Again, the 12" compact keyboard has always worked well for me. Sometimes when I jump back to a full sized keyboard I am thrown off actually.</p> <p>Good job apple - a little heavy on the price point for the SSD option but it is still not stopping me. I spent exactly the same amount on my 12" 4 years ago.</p> Excellent blog. I have ordered a 1.6 SSD MBA. I have been stoked about the SSD for a very long time. Not as stoked about the upgrade price apple has set. The things that apple have decided to take out of this portable computer are not the end of the world people. Comments generally tend to imply that apple is going to end the optical drive, firewire ports and all amenities altogether … come on, use your head – this decision was made for their PORTABLE offering. Not everyone wants or even cares about portability but I certainly do and have been waiting for apple to come out with this product. My 12″ powerbook has served me well, every day, for more than 4 years now. It is been banged, dropped, modified (HD & ram myself), traveled hard, orange juice spilled across the keyboard sitting in the middle seat in coach, even had the jack from my earbuds sink the jack into the computer upon one of the many crashes! The outer shell of the bottom half is wrinkled due to abuse through heavy work and the batter is now duct taped on !! That little sucker still WORKS LIKE A CHARM.

The MBA is the perfect replacement for me – the only design regret for me personally is that it didn’t follow the perfectly sized footprint of the 12″. The bezel around the screen and keyboard seem somewhat wasteful to me after seeing the insides. I am no engineer but it kind of looks like they could have trimmed that back without compromising anything but the full sized keyboard. Again, the 12″ compact keyboard has always worked well for me. Sometimes when I jump back to a full sized keyboard I am thrown off actually.

Good job apple – a little heavy on the price point for the SSD option but it is still not stopping me. I spent exactly the same amount on my 12″ 4 years ago.

]]> By: Macbook Air Goes On Sale In SF, Out OF Stock - GigaOM http://gigaom.com/2008/01/24/the-macbook-air-question/#comment-859385 Macbook Air Goes On Sale In SF, Out OF Stock - GigaOM Fri, 01 Feb 2008 22:43:51 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=11285#comment-859385 <p>[...] There were only a lucky few who got their hands on the ultra light laptop that has received mixed reviews thus far. Throngs of curious onlookers, however didn’t pay any attention to what experts had to say. [...]</p> [...] There were only a lucky few who got their hands on the ultra light laptop that has received mixed reviews thus far. Throngs of curious onlookers, however didn’t pay any attention to what experts had to say. [...]

]]> By: brent http://gigaom.com/2008/01/24/the-macbook-air-question/#comment-858543 brent Mon, 28 Jan 2008 11:26:38 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=11285#comment-858543 <p>Thin is not the issue here, rather light weight and easy to whip out and use at any or all occasions is. After looking through all the early reviews, I am amazed that people jump to erroneous conclusions without having all the real facts about the macbook air. Take for instances the SSD. Yes, it is expensive at 999 for just the hard drive, but take a look at the advantages. http://www.previewgadgets.com/gadget/comparison-between-ssd-vs-hdd-apple-macbook-air/ For some advantages will outweigh the cost. Plus, have confirmed that the SSD is user replaceable, as is the battery. If you can use a screwdriver, you can replace both these items in the future. When SSD prices come down, buy a bigger SSD and add it to your computer. Most issues people have are solved with the SSD option. The computer costs 3098.00 with cutting edge technology. I paid 3200.00 7 years ago for the titanium G4 powerbook, which was then the cutting edge tech. I still use my G4 today, although the ancient .500 GB chip won't run leopard, so I must update to the new machine. Most other laptops on the market lack in the area of, ease of use. I am less likely to carry the heavier laptops around and don't want to have to wait for boot-up, etc. to put down ideas. Macbook Air is an ideal tool to become more productive. My imac 24" does the heavy computing tasks. As a destination point for heavy duty applications. The files and things I have on my computer are more valuable than the computer itself. If I can become more productive with a device that I am prone to use more because ease of use, isn't that really a more powerful tool than the higher spec'd heavy laptops that we hesitate to take everywhere with us?</p> Thin is not the issue here, rather light weight and easy to whip out and use at any or all occasions is. After looking through all the early reviews, I am amazed that people jump to erroneous conclusions without having all the real facts about the macbook air. Take for instances the SSD. Yes, it is expensive at 999 for just the hard drive, but take a look at the advantages.
http://www.previewgadgets.com/gadget/comparison-between-ssd-vs-hdd-apple-macbook-air/
For some advantages will outweigh the cost. Plus, have confirmed that the SSD is user replaceable, as is the battery. If you can use a screwdriver, you can replace both these items in the future. When SSD prices come down, buy a bigger SSD and add it to your computer. Most issues people have are solved with the SSD option. The computer costs 3098.00 with cutting edge technology. I paid 3200.00 7 years ago for the titanium G4 powerbook, which was then the cutting edge tech. I still use my G4 today, although the ancient .500 GB chip won’t run leopard, so I must update to the new machine. Most other laptops on the market lack in the area of, ease of use. I am less likely to carry the heavier laptops around and don’t want to have to wait for boot-up, etc. to put down ideas. Macbook Air is an ideal tool to become more productive. My imac 24″ does the heavy computing tasks. As a destination point for heavy duty applications. The files and things I have on my computer are more valuable than the computer itself. If I can become more productive with a device that I am prone to use more because ease of use, isn’t that really a more powerful tool than the higher spec’d heavy laptops that we hesitate to take everywhere with us?

]]> By: Dimitrios Matsoulis http://gigaom.com/2008/01/24/the-macbook-air-question/#comment-858527 Dimitrios Matsoulis Mon, 28 Jan 2008 08:25:40 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=11285#comment-858527 <p>Om just use it as a review tool so that we get to know your opinion when you have actually got hold of the Air. Then you can get rid of it if you don't like it or cannot use it for your work. http://electronrun.wordpress.com/</p> Om just use it as a review tool so that we get to know your opinion when you have actually got hold of the Air. Then you can get rid of it if you don’t like it or cannot use it for your work.
http://electronrun.wordpress.com/

]]> By: Jorge http://gigaom.com/2008/01/24/the-macbook-air-question/#comment-858492 Jorge Sun, 27 Jan 2008 23:05:38 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=11285#comment-858492 <p>Let us know about the heat thing when you get yours. Being that you aren't using this heavily, it shouldn't matter really. For those who are ditching other hardware for this as a replacement, might have some issues.</p> <p>Oh, another thing. Mossberg has major conflict of interest issues. As a "journalist" for the WSJ, he should know better and give full disclosures when commenting on Apple. He might also be singlehandedly be responsible for upcoming mac viruses.</p> <p>Anyway, can't wait to hear about your experiences. Cheers!</p> Let us know about the heat thing when you get yours. Being that you aren’t using this heavily, it shouldn’t matter really. For those who are ditching other hardware for this as a replacement, might have some issues.

Oh, another thing. Mossberg has major conflict of interest issues. As a “journalist” for the WSJ, he should know better and give full disclosures when commenting on Apple. He might also be singlehandedly be responsible for upcoming mac viruses.

Anyway, can’t wait to hear about your experiences. Cheers!

]]> By: brent http://gigaom.com/2008/01/24/the-macbook-air-question/#comment-858489 brent Sun, 27 Jan 2008 21:34:44 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=11285#comment-858489 <p>MBA seems to be a real example of what everyday users need. 1. SSD will add longer battery life. When someone actually gets their hands on one to review, bet the battery life far exceeds 5 hours. SSD's have a 50+ year life span and with the SSD being removable, the next iterations will be cheaper and bigger as time goes by. Giving the one I order now, a longer life cycle. Battery is user replaceable, unlike what "the big 3" stated. 2. USB hubs are now very tiny and no big deal to add if needed. Glad only one on board, minimal is better, because most of the time traveling or even in the home, more than one is not needed. Hookup to time capsule and you're off to the races, with plenty of storage and accessibility. 3. The air will sell like hot-cakes. Understand design of bezel needing to be thicker for rigidity on such a thin screen. 4. Purchased 2001 Titanium and used it to date. 7 year life span and still clicking. Can't get that out of a Dell or PeeCee iteration. MBA is the Titanium for 2008 and beyond.</p> MBA seems to be a real example of what everyday users need.
1. SSD will add longer battery life. When someone actually gets their hands on one to review, bet the battery life far exceeds 5 hours. SSD’s have a 50+ year life span and with the SSD being removable, the next iterations will be cheaper and bigger as time goes by. Giving the one I order now, a longer life cycle. Battery is user replaceable, unlike what “the big 3″ stated.
2. USB hubs are now very tiny and no big deal to add if needed. Glad only one on board, minimal is better, because most of the time traveling or even in the home, more than one is not needed. Hookup to time capsule and you’re off to the races, with plenty of storage and accessibility.
3. The air will sell like hot-cakes. Understand design of bezel needing to be thicker for rigidity on such a thin screen.
4. Purchased 2001 Titanium and used it to date. 7 year life span and still clicking. Can’t get that out of a Dell or PeeCee iteration. MBA is the Titanium for 2008 and beyond.

]]> By: Mike Cerm http://gigaom.com/2008/01/24/the-macbook-air-question/#comment-858375 Mike Cerm Sat, 26 Jan 2008 10:40:23 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=11285#comment-858375 <p>I think that you should undoubtedly cancel your order. The MacBook Air compromises on way too many features which should be standard in any notebook - even an ultra-portable. If Apple can move even a modest amount of MBAs, you can bet that Apple will never offer a real ultra-portable, something akin to a modern version of the 12" PowerBook.</p> <p>I think that a successful MBA is also a slippery slope. If successful, I'm sure that you'll see its deficiencies ported to the next iterations of the MacBook and MBP. Buying an MBA is like voting to have no user-swappable battery in the next MacBooks. While the Pro will probably not be affected too much, you'll see the MacBook get dumbed-down so it won't compete with the Air (which it currently does, favorably).</p> <p>What I actually dislike most about the MacBook Air is that, truthfully, no one wants it. The Mac-faithful are starved for an ultra-portable. In this case, Apple has served up a steaming, 3-lb. pile of (nice-looking) garbage. Since Apple insists on being the sole-provider of hardware for their OS, it's either garbage or nothing - your choice.</p> <p>Mac users deserve better. This is what they deserve: a true ultra-portable. It would include everything in the current MacBook, have a 12" WXGA LED display, be slightly thinner, weigh 3.5 pounds, have integrated WAN as an option, and be styled just like the MacBook Pro. That's what they should be selling for $1699 ($2299 with SSD, and spec-bump).</p> <p>I have a Dell XPS m1210, which is almost exactly what I described above. It's almost 2-years old. Surely Apple could improve on it, give it Apple-styling and OS X, and Mac users would be racing to the stores. However, if enough suckers to buy the Air, the people who want something small AND functional will never get it. At least, not from Apple.</p> I think that you should undoubtedly cancel your order. The MacBook Air compromises on way too many features which should be standard in any notebook – even an ultra-portable. If Apple can move even a modest amount of MBAs, you can bet that Apple will never offer a real ultra-portable, something akin to a modern version of the 12″ PowerBook.

I think that a successful MBA is also a slippery slope. If successful, I’m sure that you’ll see its deficiencies ported to the next iterations of the MacBook and MBP. Buying an MBA is like voting to have no user-swappable battery in the next MacBooks. While the Pro will probably not be affected too much, you’ll see the MacBook get dumbed-down so it won’t compete with the Air (which it currently does, favorably).

What I actually dislike most about the MacBook Air is that, truthfully, no one wants it. The Mac-faithful are starved for an ultra-portable. In this case, Apple has served up a steaming, 3-lb. pile of (nice-looking) garbage. Since Apple insists on being the sole-provider of hardware for their OS, it’s either garbage or nothing – your choice.

Mac users deserve better. This is what they deserve: a true ultra-portable. It would include everything in the current MacBook, have a 12″ WXGA LED display, be slightly thinner, weigh 3.5 pounds, have integrated WAN as an option, and be styled just like the MacBook Pro. That’s what they should be selling for $1699 ($2299 with SSD, and spec-bump).

I have a Dell XPS m1210, which is almost exactly what I described above. It’s almost 2-years old. Surely Apple could improve on it, give it Apple-styling and OS X, and Mac users would be racing to the stores. However, if enough suckers to buy the Air, the people who want something small AND functional will never get it. At least, not from Apple.

]]> By: Alex Martelli http://gigaom.com/2008/01/24/the-macbook-air-question/#comment-858295 Alex Martelli Fri, 25 Jan 2008 19:19:25 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=11285#comment-858295 <p>If you have doubts, I think you should cancel and avoid the risk of aggravation -- it will only mean a small delay in getting one, should you doubts prove unfounded when MBA ships and is widely reviewed. Me, I ordered an entry-level model and the reviews confirm my opinion I'll be happy with it -- I also have an ASUS EEE and use it when I must, but the 7" screen is just too tiny and the 2-hours-in-real-use battery life quite limiting; MBA will remove those issues (I'd have chosen a 12" screen if I had my pick, but anything between 11" and 13" is probably going to be OK; and the battery life does seem like it will exceed 4.5 hours in real use, which matches my needs well).</p> If you have doubts, I think you should cancel and avoid the risk of aggravation — it will only mean a small delay in getting one, should you doubts prove unfounded when MBA ships and is widely reviewed. Me, I ordered an entry-level model and the reviews confirm my opinion I’ll be happy with it — I also have an ASUS EEE and use it when I must, but the 7″ screen is just too tiny and the 2-hours-in-real-use battery life quite limiting; MBA will remove those issues (I’d have chosen a 12″ screen if I had my pick, but anything between 11″ and 13″ is probably going to be OK; and the battery life does seem like it will exceed 4.5 hours in real use, which matches my needs well).

]]> By: pb12 http://gigaom.com/2008/01/24/the-macbook-air-question/#comment-858265 pb12 Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:25:46 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=11285#comment-858265 <p>All good things to those who wait. MacBook Pro 12-inch http://mbp12.com</p> All good things to those who wait. MacBook Pro 12-inch
http://mbp12.com

]]> By: Mike Steinbaugh http://gigaom.com/2008/01/24/the-macbook-air-question/#comment-858242 Mike Steinbaugh Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:12:34 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=11285#comment-858242 <p>Om,</p> <p>I would return the v1 MacBook Air and wait until the next release, which will likely feature the energy efficient 45 nm Penryn processor. Apple and Intel shrunk a 60 nm chip into this laptop but it uses more energy and produces more heat than the Penryn chipset. That and the fact that it doesn't support 3G connectivity kind of sucks. But it has a great design.</p> Om,

I would return the v1 MacBook Air and wait until the next release, which will likely feature the energy efficient 45 nm Penryn processor. Apple and Intel shrunk a 60 nm chip into this laptop but it uses more energy and produces more heat than the Penryn chipset. That and the fact that it doesn’t support 3G connectivity kind of sucks. But it has a great design.

]]> By: he hate me http://gigaom.com/2008/01/24/the-macbook-air-question/#comment-858232 he hate me Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:47:22 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=11285#comment-858232 <p>i am tired of you apple fanboys! the baggage handlers at JFK and HEATHROW love the macbook air! it will be easier to stea!!!!!</p> i am tired of you apple fanboys! the baggage handlers at JFK and HEATHROW love the macbook air! it will be easier to stea!!!!!

]]> By: Patrick Hunt http://gigaom.com/2008/01/24/the-macbook-air-question/#comment-858206 Patrick Hunt Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:25:50 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=11285#comment-858206 <p>I ordered one too, and had a brief exchange with Gruber about it. Like many pundits, his initial reaction was that it was targeted as a secondary machine. I have a different take. I think its for a different user, and a strategic move by Apple.</p> <p>The target user is like you and me. We prefer Apple products to the competition in many situations. And our computing needs are more than met by the lower-powered feature set... web browsing, emailing, blogging, word processing, presentations, feed reading, spreadsheeting, calendaring, address booking, chatting... and maybe the occasional image editing, movie editing, heavier lifting required sort of stuff. Also, we're moving more and more of our content online and using the cloud.</p> <p>I think Apple got it right here: while many are saying a much smaller form factor would have been better, I'm personally excited to have thin and light, but a full-size screen and keyboard, two things I've never wanted to sacrifice in a smaller computer. I like seeing GigaOm and all the cool new stuff on the web in all their glory (though the Mobile Safari on the iPhone is a decent alternative). And writing is so much of what I do every day... email, blog, chat, reports, and so on, that the big keyboard is crucial.</p> <p>I also think Apple is only dipping their toes into thin clients and cloud computing with this device. Future generations of the form factor may go significantly further. But this iteration is a way to head down that path while still appealing to those wanting a more traditional notebook computing experience.</p> <p>Anyway, I'm excited to get mine. Wish I was one of those getting theirs early, but alas, I'm still showing the Feb 11 arrival date. I think you'll be happy with it.</p> I ordered one too, and had a brief exchange with Gruber about it. Like many pundits, his initial reaction was that it was targeted as a secondary machine. I have a different take. I think its for a different user, and a strategic move by Apple.

The target user is like you and me. We prefer Apple products to the competition in many situations. And our computing needs are more than met by the lower-powered feature set… web browsing, emailing, blogging, word processing, presentations, feed reading, spreadsheeting, calendaring, address booking, chatting… and maybe the occasional image editing, movie editing, heavier lifting required sort of stuff. Also, we’re moving more and more of our content online and using the cloud.

I think Apple got it right here: while many are saying a much smaller form factor would have been better, I’m personally excited to have thin and light, but a full-size screen and keyboard, two things I’ve never wanted to sacrifice in a smaller computer. I like seeing GigaOm and all the cool new stuff on the web in all their glory (though the Mobile Safari on the iPhone is a decent alternative). And writing is so much of what I do every day… email, blog, chat, reports, and so on, that the big keyboard is crucial.

I also think Apple is only dipping their toes into thin clients and cloud computing with this device. Future generations of the form factor may go significantly further. But this iteration is a way to head down that path while still appealing to those wanting a more traditional notebook computing experience.

Anyway, I’m excited to get mine. Wish I was one of those getting theirs early, but alas, I’m still showing the Feb 11 arrival date. I think you’ll be happy with it.

]]> By: Web Worker Daily » Archive What Does it Take to Separate You from Your Money for a Laptop? « http://gigaom.com/2008/01/24/the-macbook-air-question/#comment-858200 Web Worker Daily » Archive What Does it Take to Separate You from Your Money for a Laptop? « Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:01:17 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=11285#comment-858200 <p>[...] 25th, 2008 (6:00am) Judi Sohn No Comments Weeks later, The MacBook Air debate is still going strong. Fans compare it to other high-end laptops and argue that the price is more than comparable for a [...]</p> [...] 25th, 2008 (6:00am) Judi Sohn No Comments Weeks later, The MacBook Air debate is still going strong. Fans compare it to other high-end laptops and argue that the price is more than comparable for a [...]

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