So how many more of you would buy MacBook Air's

Already bought the current configuration and love it. Still have a MBP, but it spends its days as a paper weight.

The MBA is a fantastic machine for what it was designed as; I certainly have gotten lots of good and important work done with mine over the past two weeks.

No complaints from this power user.

Air's what?

That's just it, it's not simple. They're not using standard 2.5" drives, they're using 1.8" drives like the ones in the iPods. IIRC, those don't go to 5400RPM, at least not without great cost.

I've been a big detractor of AIR and believe that in its current form is unacceptable to me. It would not take much on Apples part though to change my mind. Get analog IN to go with the OUT and Firewire and the machine becomes more attractive. Add one USB port and we are much farther ahead, even though Firewire would greatly reduce the need for a second USB port.

Well all of the above and adjust the price a bit.

To be honest though the new MacBooks are very attractive indeed.

Dave

actually APPL is catering it towards the upscale business class that has the expense accounts for 1st class airfare and 3000 dollar lappies
cause it had an ad in the Economist (inside the front cover)

And those people dont care for the best specs

Just bought the SSD MBA & love it - was using a 17" MBP prior to that but decided to swap to MBA & iMac.

Can't believe how much I like the MBA - screen is great & not really missing the real estate as much as I thought I would. Had a 12" PB in the past & the small screen in that irritated me!

The 17" MBP seems really big, clunky & old fashioned when I use it now!

Nope. The MacBook Air requires a 5 mm tall drive. Toshiba's are 8 mm.

Are you using your MBA as a primary computer. If so, what is it like. Please share your experience.

If rumour on here is to be believed, Apple will update the Air in June with a new 45Nm Penryn processor on a Centrino 2 (Montevina) board. It will also get a 128 Gb SSD.

Simply a 128 Gb SSD would be enough to make me buy one already. That said a second USB port would be fantastic.

Anyway, goota love the MacBook Air. it's revolutionary.

My Air is basically a primary computer when I am away from home... which is a lot. It is fantastic.

Yeah, my 15" MBP looks huge compared to the MBA.

I still don't get how anyone can think it's worth that amount of money?

Its funny you say that.. 3 years ago thinking of buying a laptop was just stupid and expensive now it is "good value"
the differnce between then and now is that I make a little bit more money and as my dad says "You live too how much money you make."
this is exactly what it is these people are living to how much money they make they can afford to buy a MPA no problems.
I consider it a waste of money for me because I do gaming and some Audio/Video Work. and its really expensive.

~Regards
Name101

have you looked at the price of other thin laptops? compared to the others it's really not that bad

If I was living on airplanes again I'd get one...

Did you read what you quoted?

You obviously don't have the same job and needs as I do.

For people who make money while traveling around value is sometimes dependent upon ease of use, not necessarily raw power. If the MBA is just a little easier to carry and whip out and use, then it makes my life easier and more productive, which leads to more money (thus my ability to afford the MBA), more free time and less stress. How much are the latter two worth?

Traveling with the MBA is much easier than even with a MB not only because of the compact size and lower weight of the MBA itself, but also because of the smaller size and lower weight of the power brick, which makes a big difference over several days of hotel hopping.

The MBA is absolutely amazing once you use it; simply gawking at it in the Apple Store doesn't let one appreciate the feeling of sitting back in an easy chair in a nice hotel, leaning forward to pick the MBA up off the table with one hand and very little effort (a MB takes two hands to toss around), then relaxing with the MBA on your lap and settling into a work hour (I'm a writer of sorts). You simply forget that the MBA is there and get engrossed in your work. I have used the 12" PB, a MBP and a MB and can say that the MBA has the best user experience of them all, hands down.

I'll buy a macbook air once I get it for between 1300-1500 canadian.

Null.

Sebastian, long time no see (well, in the threads I have spent my time in lately).

The F5 and F6 buttons have a little image that looks like a light on them because they are for the backlighting of the keyboard: you can adjust the brightness up and down (or off). It is really helpful to have in low-light conditions.

I love the keyboard. I don't type on the MB so often (it's my wife's) but the MBA has a much nicer keyboard than the older MBP.

Haven't paid too much attention to times, but I also have never felt the battery life to be short. I usually have three hours between charge opportunities and have never run to zero, even while doing some photo work and downloading over wi-fi. The estimated time meter often shows 4 hours or more even after I have been using it for an hour. Right now it shows 6 hours and 20 minutes, then changes to 4:54 when I start typing and it has a 79% charge (fully charged it yesterday morning, typed for an hour and a half in the afternoon, surfed for a little bit (about half an hour), then slept the machine until today).

Have never gotten a low battery warning, but then I am not using the MBA to edit video or such.

Null.

Yeah that kind of says it all.

Waiting for 64GB SSD at the 80GB HD price, I'd love a 1400x900 screen too

The ambient sensor does adjust the level of brightness, but these are manual overrides to allow for personal preference. As I suggested in my other post, I often use my notebooks in hotel rooms while at conferences, etc., rooms that tend to have rather less lighting than my desk at work. I like to have the keyboard set to intensity 1, just enough for the lighting to be seen, almost as if the labels on the keys were florescent.

I'm a teacher and an educational materials developer who spends a lot time at conferences, meeting clients and simply doing research, all of which take place well away from my home and office... not to mention writing scripts and storyboards. If I have free time, I tend to go on a working holiday. The lighter my bags and gear, the easier it is to move around and get stuff done. Before the MBA came out, I had a Palm with a separate keyboard. Not great, but it worked for a while. The MBA has changed the way I get stuff done and has already paid for itself.

The latter I'm hoping for as well; the former isn't going to happen for years to come. A 128 GB SSD at the current price of the 64 GB one, however, will probably happen within about a year from now.

Couldn't agree more. I travel a great deal and the MBA is easier to carry down incredibly long airport terminal hallways. It is easy to use in the hotels I stay in, because they all have wireless Internet. I can chat with my wife/kids when I want. Up to now (about a month of daily use), I've never had problems with running out of power; all the airlines I use have power plugs in business/first class and I don't do heavy duty Photoshop on the road. I would like a bigger SSD, but other than that, there's not much more I need from a laptop-the way I use it. Your needs may be different.

A faster or larger drive would be nice, and I'm sure as the skinniest 1.8" drives begin to get larger capacities and faster spin rates we'll see that happen. I doubt that we will have to wait for the second generation to see that happen, my guess is that it will be a speed bump in the near future.

Regardless of the meager HDD or expensive SSD, I'd own an Air today if it came with a single FW400 port. (Sigh...)

Where would we be without Internet grammarians? (Honestly, I'm just bitter because you beat me to it!).


Value means different things to different people. One person will think an Accord is a ripoff compared to a Kia, another person will think the Lexus is a ripoff compared to an Accord, yet another person will just pick out a Mercedes they like at any cost. :shrug:

There are many reasons not to buy that computer. If you want a light Mac and desperately want to kneel at the alter of Steve Jobs then I say go ahead, he's guaranteed not to pray for you

Why are you so intent upon insulting not only the MBA but now also those of us who have purchased it or may consider it? I have already put my MBA to very good use and continue to do so every day; a professional user, I believe the MBA was a very wise investment. The MBA is perfect for my needs, as well as those of many others. If it doesn't suit your personal needs or you can't put it to productive use, that's life; get over it. Neither a Cray nor an Asus web surfer suit my needs, but that doesn't make them any better or worse. This constant bashing is getting rather tiresome, especially now that it has started getting personal.

As I have said before: it would be very interesting to revisit the MBA in a year or two to see what the users accomplished with their machines; I suspect lots of business deals, books and even movies will be created on MBAs. We won't hear much from those who are suing the machines and putting them to good use, but we will hear a heck of a lot from those who cannot find the good in the MBA. Tom Clancy wrote several novels on a MacPlus, a computer many bashed as under-powered; he got rather wealthy and famous, but the bashers probably still run around looking for things to bash with little change in their lives.

A friend of mine is a chef. We went to visit another friend (let's call him Joe Average) and eventually ended up staying to dinner time. The second friend offered to cook, but said there was nothing in the kitchen and suggested a few bits and pieces. My friend the chef asked if he could have a peek in the pantry and help out. An hour later, we had a delicious meal. Point of the story: there is a major difference between what a pro and Joe Average can do with the same tools and supplies. The MBA may seem stripped down to some, but those who know how to use it, or have uses that fit it, will be able to make the most of it. Those who don't know how to use it will complain until the end of time that somebody didn't give them everything they wanted.

Get over yourself, I never insulted anyone, it was merely a bit of sarcasm.

You ought to look closer at the meaning of "sarcasm:" "A form of verbal irony, expressing sneering, personal disapproval in the guise of praise."


Basically, sarcasm always has a snideness to it, though most people tend to forget that, thinking it's simply humor. It has its edge that's a bit insulting.

Yet another definition: "witty language used to convey insults or scorn"

You may not mean it, but your posts do tend to "put-down" and "belittle" those who have created or bought MBA's. I know seven people who have them and love them. You know one person who is unhappy, but even then, I'd asked a few days ago about why your friend bought his MBA and what his expectations for it were, and you never answered. I'll go with my seven.

Oh gawd.

Yup. Just that.

Aargh, this is getting redicilous, a few weeks after MacWorld and people is complaing bout MBA specs is okay, but it has been 2 months and people are still complaining bout it specs.

Lets make it simple, if you are a person who use your laptop to do typing and website design (assuming you only work on text based, CSS, HTML, PHP, JavaScript, Java and etc) then the MBA is okay for you. But if you do any photo editing or video editing then the MBA is not for you.

Also if you are a student who dont know much about computer and mostlikely not goin to use all its features except to do school work (no watching movies either), then the MBA will also suit you.

Or if you are a network executive, a medical student, a producer, a novelist, CEO of a Fortune 500 company, a lawyer, a guitarist/composer for a multi-platinum band, and those are just the people I know. Don't be so quick to be simplistic and narrow in the options.

Here's the skinny: For those of you who don't like the Air, you have every right to pretend it doesn't exist. You don't like the lack of ports, the price point, or whatever, don't buy it and leave it at that. But to continue to insult the machine and it's users (even unintentionally) is just plain childish.

Thats why Im trying to point out

A normal 2.5" disk wouldn't fit.

The MacBook isn't a far cry from the Air. Many of you whiners should check it out, since it has basically all the features you bemoan are missing from the Air, in an enclosure that is as small as can be for accommodating these extra things. The Air is in an enclosure that is as small as can be to accommodate its features. If there were a way to get into the Air all of these extra features, don't you think they'd be options?


You win a cookie. Most people I know with salaries $1000/day and up are workaholics. The easier it is to stay connected, the easier it is to work, and the easier it is to justify a $3300 laptop. For this group it doesn't take a lot of hours of use for an Air to "pay for itself."

Today, there are a bunch of articles stating that the MBA is out of stock in many places.

The MBA is #1 on the US Apple Store, #17 (HDD model) and #46 (SSD model) on the US Amazon store (notebooks bestsellers).

This is quite an accomplishment, especially after the new MB and MBP have been announced and are shipping too.