MacBook Air demand trails that of original Intel-based MacBook - Page 2

The key for me was this part of the article: "[For these] reason[s] resellers indicate that sales of the MacBook Air have been additive to their overall Mac sales in the quarter," Munster advised clients. "The MacBook Air addresses the need for mobility unlike any other Mac, and as such we believe it is not cannibalizing sales of other Mac laptops."

That, to me, shows the MBA is doing its job.

Methinks you are an angry person from up North because the iPhone has not been released there, and Apple has not lowered its prices there for its Mac products to compensate for the US$ depreciation.

Buy something else. And stop posting nonsense.

PC people are not going to buy 2 computers because 1 is thin and light! PC people are not going to buy an MBA unless their PC's run Leopard. You don't think a PC can be manufactured just as thin or a fast ? It's not like the iPhone where it can't be duplicated due to the OS and touch screen technology. It's just not as compelling a reason to switch if you have to buy 2 computers at once. And it's not an iTouch where Itunes has a Windows version.

Yeah I think it will.

This is a new class of machine that Apple previously didn't offer. At least since the demise of the 12" MBP.

Yes, it will increase Mac and Leopard numbers, The people buying this are either replacing a Mac notebook (wash), replacing a ultralight from another vendor (increase), or buying it as an additional machine (increase).

It won't be a large increase by any means, but it will be an increase.

And are more powerful the MacBookAirs- hello?

You completely misunderstand me (and it seems like you're mostly agreeing with me).

Many people buy two computers, a desktop and a laptop. And I think people are willing to have those two machines on two different platforms, particularly if the laptop is intended for simple things like email, web, word processing, and media playback.

Before the MBA, people who wanted an ultralight only had PC options (I'll bet there were even mac users who went with a PC laptop because it was the only option in that size/weight). Now those people have mac as an option.


Yep. And are thicker and heavier. Is it that hard for you to understand? Or do you think that laptop hard drives are a ripoff because they're more expensive and smaller capacity? Oh, if only someone would make a 20 pound laptop with a desktop drive, your dream would come true...

On the contrary I very much believe they have. Frankly in much the same way they did with the CUBE. Besides that it is a mistake to call the technology in AIR bleeding edge, all they really did was leave out a lot of stuff important to the average user. Outside of the processor it is a run of the mill machine.

I actually don't th in the storage issue is a problem. Certainly more never hurt sales storage wise but it isn't really needed for all markets. Same thing with the processor speed. The big issue is the cost of the machine which is totally outrageous for what you get.

If you are acknowledging short comings of the AIR then actually the trolls, as you call them, have been successful. In any event I can hardly call somebody a troll if they point out very real short comings in a device. If nothing else it gives people a different point of view to consider. As to the issues with the AIR yeah the battery and USB ports are and issue but you have failed to acknowledge that and audio in facility, Ethernet and other ports are of concern to many.

A computer like AIR, especially for its intended market of frequent travelers, really should be able to support VoIP without any effort at all. The killer here is that Analog in could have been handled the same way as on iPhone and not impact the current design one bit. What this tells me is that was not well thought out or the development team was so focused that they missed the whole concept of VoIP. Oh and yes I know about Bluetooth head sets but many of us like to keep high frequency transmitters away from our ears.

That is a good sign!

I hope people don't get me wrong here but I do see incredible potential in AIR. It has the form factor that many could easily love and an excellent screen. The problem is the price is simply way to high for just that. Apple needs to both lower the price and address some of it short comings to really hit the sales numbers.

Dave

No one's buying it for its supercomputer status... they'll buy it for its portability.
I think the bigger concern is that after lifting both the Air and the Macbook, Macbook sales will suffer because they feel so heavy.
People have to get over this myth that 90% of users need massive processing power. For the things most people spend 99% of their time doing, the bottleneck is bandwidth, not cpu speed.

Since Apple brings out new products to make beaucoup bucks, it seems to me that a mid tower would fill that bill better than the Air or the new MacPro. What am I missing? Would a mid tower be more of a niche product than the Air? I don't think so!

You don't think an thinner, ultra-light PC can be produced with appeal to a PC owner? What makes you think that only Apple can produce this?

When will people understand that this computer is not aimed at the average user?


Compare to other portables weighing 3 lbs and you will find that you are wrong.

History.

It's a niche market- end of story. I'm sure you would be the first in line to buy the next one if it's .5 inch thick and weighs 1 pound and cost $15,000

The MacBook Air is a niche product designed for an ultra premium market.
If all you can afford is a MacBook, then go and buy that, or that ugly Toshiba you seem to be enamored with.

Anyone who would buy a computer from Staples deserves an ugly machine anyway.

However, Apple has nothing to apologize for with the MacBook Air. It is what it is, and as CEO-bait to get Macs into the business market, doesn't have to sell in really high numbers to be successful.

On the contrary if Apple hadn't messed up the AIR I could have seen it selling in numbers far exceeding the MacBook. The killer is it wouldn't have taken a lot to change people impressions of the machine. Better pricing and the proper port configurations would have done it.

The problem is the AIR just isn't the machine for many of us that need to budget our computing purchases and expect those purchase to be useful for a long time. For many of us the AIR would be OK as a secondary computer but not a primary one.

Dave

Steve just wanted a laptop that he would want to carry around. He isn't interested on what the masses want . If he was, the low end model laptop would be out-pricing the opposition like the ipod is out-pricing the zune. They will have the same attitude about the iphone.

I just don't get the cube comparison.

The cube took a machine that didn't need to be small, and made it small. It was a solution where there was no problem.

The MBA took a machine that people want as small and light as possible and made it as small and light as possible. It made some sacrifices, but it made them to optimize one of the features people value most in laptops, size and weight.

There's no logic behind calling it a "cube", it's just a knee jerk reaction.


If that were true, what other competing machines offer that combination of speed and screen size at that weight and price? Looking at similar machines, the MBA seems to compare well.

The complaint here seems to be simply disbelief that ANYONE would want a smaller machine, or at least pay more and make sacrifices for a smaller machine. The trolling isn't pointing out the shortcomings of the machine, it's insisting that nobody is interested in trading the size/weight benefit for those shortcomings. Or failing to understand that smaller=more expensive.


Straw man, and straw man. Who said either of those things?


What the hell are you talking about? Do you actually have a point, or are you just trolling?

That's great for you if you can afford it. But most people are on a budget and don't want to have to "upgrade the hard drive in a year or so." Also, you could definitely argue that would be a pain in the butt to have to hook up your iPod every time you want something.



Finally, someone that sees my point of view. And you are right, in its class it's very competitive. All I was trying to do was offer an alternative argument. Everyone has hyped the MBA like it's the best thing ever, which it is pretty sweet, but if you're in the market for a laptop there are definitely other options that may be just a good if not better.

Like a lot of people have said, it's a niche market. So unless you have a specific use for it, it's not worth the money. If you're an average user, you would be better suited to get a cheaper and faster Macbook that will last you longer in terms of speed/power before it becomes obsolete.

Well if he actually used that word "cannibalizing" then he has lost all credibility with me.

Nope I think it is to early to tell. As with all things Apple you more or less have to discount the first three months of sales before you can get a reasonable trend. The problem is that Apple has many a customer that do not make rational purchasing decisions. Call them fan-bois, early adopters or rich boys with little sense, just realize that many have needs to be meet when the purchase computing hardware that has nothing to do with the cache that comes from being the first.


Dave

Of course. And those options include the MB and MBP. Do you really think every model should try to appeal to all people?


So get a macbook. I'm sure apple will be fine with that. Why do people seem to think that the MBA will only be a success if it steals sales from the MB? Unless you have a specific use for a mac pro, it's not worth the money. Unless you have a specific use for a MBP, it's not worth the money. Unless you have a specific use for an iPod classic, it's not worth the money. But does that mean apple should only sell the cheapest model in each line because they sell the most?

If you need a pickup truck, buy one. If you need a compact car, buy one. But complaining that a compact car isn't enough like a pickup truck is just stupid.

I don't disagree that it's too early to make a definitive statement, but for all the people here saying it's a failure already, to me, if it adds to the Mac base by defining its own category and doesn't "encroach" (rather than "cannibalize") on the rest of the lineup, then it's doing its job.

For the last time, the MBA is meant to be a niche machine. It was never expected to exceed the MacBook in sales, and no reasonable person would expect it to do so.

Apple didn't leave out ports because they thought it would be fun. There is no room for standard port configurations and if that's important to you, go buy a MacBook or MacBook Pro.

If you need to "budget your computing purchases and expect those purchase to be useful for a long time" you are not the target consumer for the MBA.

I never know where you are coming from, Teckstud. I never said another OEM could create one, in fact, Apple is late to the table. The question was whether the MBA will increase Mac sales.

Because it is critical to the units success. The wants and needs of the average user are in many ways universal.

Frankly i"m not interested in comparing the AIR to hardware that has never been successful in the market place. What concerns me is the value of the hardware I'm buying and the excess profit that will go to Apple. The value equation is so unbalanced that the AIR only becomes attractive if you have money to burn. Even then it is so constrained on capability that even people with money to burn will often reject such hardware.

Look at it this way computer are commodities and no matter how well you dress them up at their heart they all have the same hardware. You can pay a little bit for that hardware or a lot it is all up to you.

Dave

I'll just add, "Well, duh!" and leave it at that.

You also have to realize that people are actually getting something for the money they spend on a Lexus. Not so with the AIR as they are actually getting less.

Dave

If anything you're the one trolling. We were discussing the pros and cons...price, speed, whatever...then you jump in and act like you're Billy-Bad-A** with all the answers. Apparently if we don't agree with your opinion we're idiots.

Now that I've been thoroughly distracted from the the topic at hand...my main point is that unless you really want the thinness/portability of MBA, then your money would probably be better spent on a Macbook.

And of course MBA sales aren't going to be through the roof, like everyone has said a 1,000 times, it's a niche market. Hopefully the Apple folks weren't expecting these things to be their top sellers, because it's not gonna happen.

1. I own a 1999 BMW Z3.
2. I just bought an AirBook.

See me fit into target demo precisely. -- except that I never visit Starbucks.

If you don't clearly see the benefits of the Macbook Air, then you're not the target audience.

It's easier to like it if you fly twice a week, over 100,000 miles per year like I do for work (butt in seat miles, not bonus miles), and 20,000+ miles / yr for vacations.

If you take it from client site, to car / subway / bus, to hotel, everyday, the 3lbs savings over a Macbook Pro really makes a difference.

BTW, I wouldn't be caught dead bringing a white Macbook into a business meeting no matter what the cost savings. Nobody would take you seriously unless you were talking to other designers or creative people.

I agree that the Lexus example wasn't great but the logic is sound. There are many examples of expensive items that are not practical for the majority but cost more.

That's pretty much what he's been saying.

I think you've missed what's been said for the last two pages.

So I guess the Mac Pro is a failure since it is aimed at pros and not the Average User? Same with the MBP? Same with the ipod touch, iphone, and classic?

Heck, by that logic shouldn't car companies stop selling pickup trucks since the Average Driver wants a sedan?

Why is it so bad for a company to figure out that different buyers want different things, and make multiple products aimed at those different buyers?


This is the kind of statement that gets you labled a troll. People are getting a size and weight reduction for the extra money. Do you really not understand that advantage, or are you just pretending it doesn't exist for the benefit of your argument?


Um...what? I asked for a clarification on a statement...maybe you could help?


So what part of that is "discussing the pros and cons"? I just don't get the point. You just defended this statement, could you kindly explain it to me since obviously that means you must understand it?

Beyond that, the rest of your post agrees with what I've been saying...have you even been reading the posts you bitched about?

Repeating something that is not justified does not make it so!

The fact is that Apple has been mum on just what AIR market is suppose to be. As to sales I will put this forward - AIR could have easily been Apples leading machine, sales wise, if they had taken into consideration a few user needs. It is very difficult to walk into an Apple store and not be taken by AIR's appearance or the quality of its screen. The problem comes in thinking about how one can make use of the machine.


That is complete BS, anyone taking a look at the AIR would realize that there is room to address the leading issues with this machine.

In one case you don't even need to change the machine physically. Simply using the same Audio port as used on the iPhone would have given us Audio in and out for example.

Maybe maybe not, but even in the corporate world one has to budget for computing hardware. Sure there may be a few highly placed executives that have a free reign but to be honest even they expect value for their money. Many more depend on the support and guidance of their corporate IT departments.

In any event to take a 360 here Apple has been mum with respect to AIR's intended market. Frankly any high end market that many believe that this machine is targeted at simply doesn't exist in the Mac world. Or if it does is such a small part of the market as to be impossible to find. The AIR needs mass appeal simply because there are not enough potential customers willing to buy Apple hardware in the corporate world nor the frequent traveler world. Even if Apple stuffed XP into the box it still would not be attractive to this segment. Given Apple lack of comment on what market this machine is designed for maybe we can agree that it is the Blooming Idiot segment!

Dave

The question was whether it would increase the OS share.

Mac = Apple PC HW + Apple PC OS. It increases both. No one is claiming that it will be increased by leaps and bounds but it will be increased.

STOP CALLING PEOPLE TROLLS. Just because you points are wrong you have to resort to childish name calling? Haven't you ever hear that "If you name it must be because you are it." ONLY A TROLL WOULD KNOW HIS OWN TO CALL.
You're telling me to buy a cheap heavy laptop and I can't be a sarcastic back to you by telling you to buy a superexpensive ultra-light. Like why does that not make sense to you?

Yes and the market has shown again and again that that market doesn't exist. The problem is most people see the computer market as a tools market. Tools that you can't get work done with are not very valuable.

It is not a question of being able to afford it. It is a question of being able to leverage what you purchased after buying it. Especially considering that Apple itself has more capable machines at a lower price.

And just what is wrong with Staples. Time to grow up and realize that computers are commodities.

Well yeah it does.

Even if Apple stuffed XP on to this machine you won't be seeing many CEO's using this device. I'm beginning to wonder if anybody here has any understanding of corporate America or not.

Dave

Again how do you know this? Do you have a crytal ball? You always make these points as absolute when they are just predictions. Where did you read that PC people are buying MBA's?

I wasn't referring to his post specifically, I was talking in a general sense seeing how you jumped all over my posts/discussion with other people. All I was doing was using your words to reinforce my point. All you've been doing is looking for arguments or ways to insult/belittle other posts. It's truly ironic that you go and say other people are trolling. You sir, are the definition of a troll.

Apparently your trolling has worked too, because I am now lost at the topic at hand.