Macbook AIR...who is buying it?

Anyone going for it? I like MBP...but the awesome portability and technology in the AIR make it look good to me...but a 4200rpm drive?

 

I'm not going for the current one. Maybe a few generations down the road, with a price drop...but at the current rate, I'd much rather get a MacBook if I was looking for a 13.3-inch. There's just a lot of compromises that I can't take.

 

Like what the lack of video card, etc?

I'm between 4...XPS M1530, Alienware M15X, MBP, and MB AIR

Its an "extra" computer in terms of I already have a great desktop...so I dont "need" it to do anything specific, just want something that does a LOT of things well (some games, some office stuff, email, just a strong multitasking laptop)

The AW is the MB AIR are the two most unique I think.

 

If they eventually add multiple USB ports and more storage, I'll definitely consider it.

Especially the USB ports. USB ports are used for EVERYTHING, you can't have just one.

This doesn't make sense to me. You're considering both the Alienware m15x and the MBA? That's not quite like someone considering the HP HDX and the Eee, but it's not that far from it.

 

But I think that at the price, you could have a way,way better stuff. I mean, yes it's portable but $3000 for a X3100+?

 

I wouldn't do it. Like Sam said, not now. For that price, you can get so much more. At least for me, I'd rather impress people with what my notebook and I can do than how it looks...

 

I wouldn't do it. Macbooks and Macbook Pros are still real thin. Just ask yourself this: isn't 1-inch thick already thin enough? And is it really worth it to pay much more and sacrifice many things in order to get it a little thinner?

It doesn't make sense to me, really. It's simply not worth it. And if someone says "oh but it is to some people" give me a real reason why, since I seriously can't think of one.

 

Good point. Arquis how do you like your MBP

 

I agree with jcms and pixelot; its nice that its thin but for $3000 you can and should get so much more. And even for 1700 you should get more for your money.

 

I love what it can do. Although this one has given me a couple of hardware issues. Nothing major, and Apple has been helpful enough to fix it for me when I can part with it for a few days. Anyway, it works beautifully, screens great, can play modern games well and I just love OS X

Needless to say, I don't regret buying it at all.

 

At that price point - I'll rather get a MB Pro or two MBs. 1 USB, no dedicated GPU and a non removable battery pack outweighs the great design and form factor but sacrifices which I find justifiable. 13-1400 maybe.

 

You're right, even Apple has basically admitted that USB is the standard although the pros still use Firewire. However your idea is good except adding more ports defeats the purpose of the "AIR". It's suppose to be a wireless computer and not really a desktop replacement to hook everything up to.

The AIR is near perfect for me, I only need one USB port for when I plug in my digital cam or video cam or GPS.
My iMac is my living room entertainment/media system. I have my EyeTV hooked up to the USB port and I have a bluetooth keyboard. So I only use on more port for my cams and GPS.
I can't speak for everyone but I don't think many people are using several USB ports at the same time consistently on their notebooks.

 

Well, I see the MacBook Air as a great companion notebook when one has a more powerful Mac notebook or desktop at home to rely on. When you want something thin and light to carry around for say meetings and such, the MBA is really nice. Its definitely not meant to be a main computer.

 

I agree that you certainly don't need more than one USB port all or even most of the time, but there are situations where it comes up, even on-the-go. The main thing, though, is the storage. More and faster, please..

True - but that's another issue. The pricing is generally in line with notebooks that can be used as desktop replacements. The MBA can't be used as a primary computer. However, I realize that's not the market Apple is going for.

I don't know. I just don't see the reason to get the MBA instead of an MB or MBP. I'm a huge MBP fan, though, so I guess I would think that way.

 

I agree with hldan (for once ). I do need a lot of USB ports at my desk (printer, mp3 player, external hard drive, external keyboard, mouse...), but a USB port expander (with audio and ethernet) can take care of that. I only really need at most one USB port while on the go. And DVD drive... just use an external... I hardly ever use mine anyway. And while the CPU isn't the fastest, it's at least respectable.

But the one reason I wouldn't want an MBA as my main computer is the hard drive. Slow and small. The SSD takes care of the slow part... but it's really expensive right now and you still don't get much storage space. If they had used a 2.5" hard drive, I would have considered it practical enough to use as a main computer.

 

Personally after owning a HP HDX and now my 17" Macbook Pro...13.3" is way too small for my tastes. Not to mention it's very overpriced for what your getting. The Macbook Pro will still fit into an envelope.

 

im not wasting my money on it "yet", even though i like how thin it is.....it's just slow and it doesn't give the things that i need for work, school, and games .....i might buy the later generations of it which should be better, it's a lesson that i've learned from buying the first gen ipod nano too early i regret it so much...now that i've thought about it i got ripped off for a piece of only 2gb junk lol .... now back to the macbook with 3000+ dollars i can buy a macbook PRO with spare money in da pocket XD so yea thats my POV

 

I plan to wait for the 45 nm processor, a faster/larger hard drive (or cheaper SSD), and maybe built-in 3G before I look at the MBA again. Perhaps we will see a refresh with the first two items this summer or fall.

 

If you recall the first gen of the MBP, they were in and out of the shop all the time. I'll be interested to see if the MBA follows this same pattern. It might take a gen or two for all the kinks to work themselves out.

 

i might buy one if i had the money. get that for using at school and have an imac or a 17" mbp at home.

 

Yeah, generally speaking, buying a first gen Apple product is a bad idea.

 

Haha, I think that applies to almost anything...first generation Zune? First generation cars?

 

lol true. Pretty much any first-gen product has some issues since they aren't noticed until people start complaining...... except for Nintendo stuff for some reason.