MBA 'first thoughts' review up on NBR

There ya go.

I don't know why but with each review I get more excited about the mba, even though I don't really need it, my mbp meets all my needs. But man that thing is hawt!

 

but has no optical drive...

 

Seems like a pretty disappointing review to me. Other than the MacBook Air being good looking (sorry, I can't see any laptop being "sexy") The review doesn't sound very promising. I really wanted to get a Mac but unfortunately as much as I like using OS X I will pass until Apple makes a proper 13" MacBook Pro that competes with the Sony SZ's and Dell XPS M1330's of the world.

 

Ya i was completely siked out, the first time i seen it..and if i needed an ultra portable laptop, i would get it..but not untill they made a cheaper solid state hard drive and maybe a slightly faster cpu....it would be really hard for me to downgrade from a year old mbp to a newer comp thats not as fast. And i would not refrain from calling the mba sexy

 

I agree with cos. I skimmed through the review and it doesn't seem to be all that great. Sure it is "cool" and all but it doesn't seem practical.

 

It's thin, just that.

Would possibly have made an "ultraportable" if it weren't merely thin but had a smaller footprint as well.

A person whose judgment I trust has characterized the MBA as merely an "iPod PC", and not really a Mac. I think that's pretty accurate.

 

the MBA's specs are actually quite passable for a 12" ultraportable too...it's too bad Apple kept it a 13"

 

but has no user replaceable battery

 

MBA vs. Toshiba Protege.

Battery = Toshiba
Removable Battery = Toshiba
Thinness = MBA (only .01 thinner)
Optical Drive = Toshiba
Ethernet Port = Toshiba
Price = About Equal
Footprint = Toshiba
Screen Size = MBA
USB Ports = Toshiba

Yea... there we go

 

But..... fit's in a manila envelope....? DOESN'T THAT COUNT FOR ANYTHING?!


lol

 

Sure it does. It's much easier to conceal a MBA after you steal it if you can simply slide it into an inconspicuous manilla envelope . . . a good substitute until you get an opportunity to put it into your bag or something.

 

You know what. I'm sure that the Toshiba Protege fits in a manila envelope as well, I want someone to test that out. Or I'll just go look at the specs.

 

I have manilla envelopes that can fit my MBP too

..well..it's shaped like an envelope, and it's manilla in color at any rate

http://www.buyonlinenow.com/viewproduct.asp?sku=WEVCO984

 

And just a heads up to everyone that this is the official discussion thread for the MBA First Looks .

I have to say, I like the MBA's design and innovations, but its just not practical. Too high a price, some major compromises.

 

But it doesn't have osx

aww my first official anything thread *tear*

 

That little Asus on the review puts the MBA to shame. Once again:

What is the point of making a merely-thin laptop, which you will nonetheless *have to* carry in your bag----and in your bag, the merely-thin laptop will take up about exactly the same space as an MB or MBP. One can fit that Asus inside the pocket of one's jacket, or the front pouch of one's bag.

I can't see the connection between portability and 'thinness'. It's a gimmick, that's all. It's as if current laptops are all 'too thick' to fit in some mystical narrow crevice of portability (would be a nice name for a He-Man episode), and that getting them thinner would solve the problem. If the free space in your backback for a MacBook is too narrow, remove a book and you'll be fine.

Maybe, Apple was under pressure from manilla-envelope users. "We'd like a computer that fits inside our envelopes!"

And that latch at the side reminds one of tv sets from the 80s; the ugliest piece of 'design' to come from Apple in a while.

reminds me of:



and both comparisons are very just (seriously)

 

While I laugh at the comparison between the MBA and Commodore SX-64 , I can't say they're very justified...I mean, no internal CD/DVD drive...instead, it can remotely access another drive's data. No built-in Ethernet...instead, it has 802.11 Draft-N.

I guess I always sound to be defending the MBA...when I really am not . I'm not going to buy it, its impractical for me. I just think its being over-attacked.

 

it would be over attacked, if it weren't for the fact that mac has to make such a big deal about it. When a company who gains such great media attention for a single product being released it opens them up to a great amount of scrutiny, especially when they create a product that doesn't efficiently serve just about anyone between the price being paid and the specs.

 

I should have made clear what I meant by "just": Well, the purpose of that comparison with the Commodore is to parody Apple's reliance on gimmicks----such as mere thinness, or a 'backlit keyboard'----when hyping their products. It's ludicrous, for instance, that on the list of MBA's distinctive features on the Apple website, the Magsafe connector too is listed. Well, yes, one might say that the end-user would find that much more relevant than some point about clock speeds etc.; but the point remains that with so many functional shortcomings of the machine that they're marketing, it amounts to pure dishonesty on Apple's part to advertise their products merely via gimmicks.

Exactly. It seems as if Apple is trying to make fully legitimate the claims of anti-Mac-fans as to the outrageous price/specs imbalance of their products. I'm aware that I did "pay a premium" for my MacBook, but do not regret it in the least bit----the premium for an MBA is simply not justifiable, on the other hand.

This is the iPod-PC; far from being the "computer of the wireless age" this is the computer to breed iTunes Store dependency.

 

I have to agree, simply because the wireless capabilities in the MBA is pretty much the same stuff going on in the MB, MBP, and while we're at it pretty much any notebook on the market with WiFi, minus "remote disk" which is useless in other laptops since they have their own drives. Instead of doing wild new things to justify them claiming it's the computer for the wireless age, they simply take what they did already in previous laptops and just stick it in the MBA, and remove hardware to make it more dependent on these wireless features.

It's thinner. That's pretty much it. But a Macbook is only 1-inch thick too, and much cheaper, with much more ports and a more powerful processor, removable battery, and a CD drive. Thinness in the Macbook line was not an issue this generation, and they should have focussed on footprint size, instead of pointlessly throwing away hardware and making it thinner, which no one had a problem with! It's really beyond me as to why anyone would chose it over a standard Macbook, unless they're spending their days thinking "you know what... I have waaaaay too much money, and I'm really bored.... how can I throw this wad of cash away.... hmmm...."

 

Below is a list of support documents by Apple:

You can't install Windows via RemoteDisc: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=307310

Not only certain USB devices, but audio jacks may be incompatible with the MBA:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=307322

Third-Party routers might not work (why not get an Airport Extreme?): http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=307288

Now, let's see: It looks like for 'efficient use', the $99 superdrive is imperative. Bootcamp today, some other installation problem tomorrow. And how about your existing dvd collection that you might want to view on a backlit-screen? Even if that weren't the case, your existing router might refuse to work with the MBA, in which case the expensice Airport Extreme becomes a necessity.

You will probably need a USB-ethernet adaptor [isn't this needed to set up the router anyhow?], a USB-multiplier thingy, etc. as well. Not to mention new earphones, if the jack on yours is not thinnovated enough to fit in.

The author of what I think is the most intelligent Mac Blog on the web (whom I can't cite because he writes in Turkish alone) reaches the conclusion that the number of add-ons and adaptors etc. with which to be able to use the MBA as a computer proper, and not as an iPod actually add up to quite some "thickness". Carrying about a host of cables and an external dvd drive with you at all times? Portability? Thinnovation rules, eh?

I repeat: This is the iPod-PC; far from being the "computer of the wireless age" this is the computer to breed iTunes Store dependency.

 

You left out "screwdriver" in your list of items to carry. How else are you going to replace that battery?

Although, to be fair, you don't always need a ethernet jack to set up a router the first time.

 

I agree with everyone on the price, yes it is a bit overpriced, maybe they should've started it at $1500 or something. What I don't agree is the ipod pc or whatever. Remember, some people don't need all the ports, want something light, and NEED mac osx.

You can argue that if someone wants portability they can buy a windows ultraportable with better or similar specs, more ports, etc. But the thing is, for the WHOLE mac userbase, their only choice for ultraportable laptop is this. Yes you have to buy the dvd addon, and ethernet dongle, (if you need em), etc etc, but a lot of people wont use bootcamp, most people use wifi, even in my country which is far behind in technology compared to the us, I cant pee anywhere in the city without feeling a wifi signal and therefore wetting my pants And remember, people who buy all these addons dont usually carry them with them, they would just leave them at home, just like if you had your mbp connected to an external monitor you wouldnt take it with you all the time eh?

The removed weight is a blessing to some, you do notice the lessened load on your backpack or briefcase, sure it's the same footprint as the macbook, but to some people that's not a problem.

Personally, I like the air, mostly. I would've preferred 12.1" screen size, and one expresscard slot for wireless internet, but hey, not all notebooks can be perfect, even the mbp, which I consider to be the best notebook for it's size, has it's flaws, like being too hot for example, I know all notebooks have this, but it doesnt justify it.

Lack of usb ports dont bother me, I only carry with me a genius mini traveller mouse, which i probably wouldnt use since multi touch trackpad seems far more intuitive. The ethernet dongle I wouldnt get either, I have a netgear wpn824 g router at home, which I might sell soon and get a 500gb time capsule, mostly cause ive wanted a nas for a while...

I guess it depends what kind of user you are. If I was a little tighter with my cashflow, I probably wouldn't consider the mba. Basically the reason I havent bought it right away is because I want to get a 2nd mac for the house, and well, the mbp meets pretty much ALL my needs, but I would love to have more power to game and more portability to travel, easily solved with a mac pro and mba.

Anyway, I think the mba will do just fine, not only for having a great design, and because now thin is in , but for people who wants osx and want ultraportable, this is the ONLY way to go. Just like if you want a standard desktop tower, mac pro is the only way to go, no cheaper option.

 

Yeah, my AirPort Extreme was set up remotely (from a windows machine, no less) you just load the driver disk and away you go.

 

Initial chatter on the MacRumors forum is that the HD unit is noticeably slow (lots of rebuffering of streaming audio/video). The 4200 rpm drive may not be able to keep up with the other components in the MBA. It will be interesting to see what the bulk of the feedback looks like over the next several days.

 

All of this boils down to saying, "if you can pay that amount to Apple, there's no reason why you shouldn't". Anyone remember the "iProduct" fake ad?

Ignore what I've just said.

 

I can afford brussel sprouts too, but there's plenty of reasons for me not to buy them

 

I don't know about that 00fez. You should check out MacRumors. There are multiple threads on people calling store after store trying to buy one as if Apple was going to discontinue them. The Air is selling pretty hot on MR. Price is obviously not an issue and many of the MR members are buying the SSD model.

 

Well, there definitely are some that can afford it and will buy it...I mean, if I had the cash to spend like that, I would too . To me, there are more practical options (the MacBook would suit me better if I needed a 13.3-inch, which I have), but if I had the money to buy it, why not? I don't think anyone will deny its cool, even if its not the best choice.

 

Brussel sprouts??? Brussel sprouts should never be mentioned among civilized people, especially in a discussion concerning Macs - even the MBA.

 

I for one deny that it's cool.

 

Cool in the same way that the M1730's styling is cool, perhaps.

Thin != Cool.

 

I'm not anti-MBA, but it's just not something I would consider buying.. It's a skinny Macbook with less features. I guess if you really can't carry a Macbook around, it makes sense; however, I can't see that applying to many people. I think a lot of people will buy it because it's new, and, like every other new Apple product, trendy.

 

I don't understand the attraction to the MBA at all, and I love most Macs. Maybe there's an attraction that only becomes apparent to some when they actually see and handle the machine? I don't know; I haven't been to the Apple Store in a while so have only seen pictures and specs on the MBA. So far, it leaves me cold. I even prefer the "look" of the little white MB over the MBA, not to mention price and "stuff" missing from the newer Mac.

 

I'll also deny that it is cool. Sorry, its just not a laptop thats worth the money.

I laughed at my coworkers friend when said she was buying one. And after explaining all the things she would gain with either the MB or MBA, she switched to getting the MBP.

Reason why she wanted it? It was cute. Certainly a girly laptop :-D

 

The Ars review.

 

so the MBA is like a Porche? lol

 

In the ars review, they say the battery of the 80GB model lasted an avg of only 2 hours and 33 minutes... ouch. With wifi on and lowest brightness. That's not good.

 

L...M.....A.....O.....

 

That porsche is one of the fastest stock street legal cars out there

The MBA is DEFINITELY not the fastest of the Mac's so far..

 

well... In respects to it looking nice, but totally being for girls, lmao.

 

The latest reviews are looking pretty grim. It seems the only saving grace for the mba might be the ssd, but at a $999 premium... I don't know. Looks like I'm gonna wait for mba rev.a

 

Maybe not a porsche, but one of those small mini electric cars

 

That's terrible!

By the way, I have to congratulate Ars Technica yet again. They have great reviews and news coverage. I follow them constantly .

 

Yeah same here, I visit their site once a day.

 

Apple Insider's review. the hdd model.

 

I think i prefer Ars's review. It seemed to be more "true." Appleinsider seemed like the wanted it to score well from the start.

They claim 3-4 hours while ars claimed an average of 2.5 hours. Ars did 5 rundows and AI said they did Full brightness DVD playing.

Someone is lying!

 

Either that or Ars got a deffective battery.

 

As a PC user, I must say, the MBA is thin....

Big deal.

I don't want the only thing that I can say about it is that it's thin. I think Apple went a bit too far with the MBA.

 

As a Mac user...... I agree