Yes it has some shortcomings, but it is the greatest notebook since the PB titanium.
Actually, since I bought the iPad, I realize how great the Air is.
Compared to the iPad, I get 40% bigger screen, 128GB HD, much faster processors, a superior OS and great keyboard, while the weight difference is negligible.
I wish that apple would instead improve, rather than shrink it.
Make the motherboard smaller, add RAM, faster processors, move from 1.8'' SSD to the 2.5'' standard, hence increase the size and speed.
As someone use and carry their computer all the time, this is a dream machine.
Is the heat/video problems. We had one and loved it but watching video content would heat it up and then the processor would throttle and the video would fall apart. So we sold it. If they fixed that problem we would buy another one in a second. Size was great price I would agree was a little high.
About time! As a 12" PowerBook G4 owner, I was very excited with the Air until I saw the footprint of it
About time they got the message the footprint is as important or more important than thickness or weight!
The irony - with the iPad I'm not so sure a new Air is that appealing to me. The only thing the ipad can't do for me on travel is transfer files from compact flash to a hard drive, but that iPad compatible external hard drive has that covered... Again I have a hard time getting excited about this now \
... I wish that apple would instead improve, rather than shrink it. ...
Well, this may be yet another of those "iPhone mini" rumors, where we are told that Apple will make it smaller. It makes sense that they shrunk the iPod nano, making it more of an "on the go" device, but, none of these other rumors -- iPhone mini, 7" iPad, smaller MBA -- seem to really carry any weight, nor do the rumored devices improve the device in any real way.
I'd rather see something which looks like a small MacBook Air, but is really an iPad+Keyboard design.
I have no doubt Apple will produce an iOS laptop and desktop eventually. Maybe not a desktop - since the dock with keyboard turns the iPad into a desktop machine for the most part. If I could just use the magic trackpad with the keyboard...
It's not happening. The Air would be merged with the macbook before the iPad. The Air is supposed to be a full fledged notebook in an impossibly thin shell. As the macbook shrinks, the distinction between the two is blurred.
I'm not saying anything will happen but it could imo. So as the Air and MBP merge (as you suggest) and become the new MBP the Air becomes the pad in a clamshell. I believe that IOS and OSX will, over time, come together some way, if not completely - trucks and cars as SJ put it but over time IOS (the car) will be what most people use including business users. It is difficult to predict, of course. Personally I can't see why power users such as coders, graphic designers etc cant use a future iteration of IOS, or at least an OSX with a very IOS like interface. IOS is very tied down to screen resolutions and I have no idea how things will pan out in this area but I am dead curious to look into a crystal ball and take a look at IOS 8, or OSX 12. I think we will see great synergies.
My perfect solution for the new Air would be a combo OS X and iOS. With touch screen that can be turned in all directions, ... You could use is as a laptop or as an iPad. It needs Facetime, AirPrint, AirPlay, and a reversible screen. iOS could be a icon in the OS X dock just touch it and you are instantly in iOS. Another option would be to have iOS as the primary OS and just replace the Spotlight search page in iOS with OS X, ...
I would love that!
I had 3 PC Convertible Tablets (Toshiba and Fuitsu-Siemens) and I loved the switched screen, the ability to hand-write notes during meetings, voice-annotate it, then have them searchable as text. But in laptop mode I hated it, from Win to size (2kg) to thickness to heat... so finally I swapped it for a MBAir and forgot hand-written notes. Love my MBA 1st gen (writing this on it) although 80G HDD is too small, 1.6GHz processor too slow and 2Gb sucks. But it is ideal for travel, ideal to write while laying on a couch (right now). For serious work I use MBP 15" or the iMac.
I hoped iPad would allow handwriting for taking notes at meetings. Disappointed. Now I carry both iPad and MBA which is silly, I like iPad for unobtrusive use, Apps and portability and 9hr working time, but need MBA for serious work. A MBA with iPad-like functionality would be a KILLER combo for me! It could be both a professional (work) AND a personal (play) machine.
I think you're onto something I was kind of dreaming up when the iPad came out. A way to detach the screen from the laptop and have it function like the iPad, but when you dock the screen to the keyboard, it functions like a full-OSX machine.
Better yet, why not allow the iPad to work fully sync'd to your primary computer via wifi. That way you're working off a single platform instead of an iOS and and OSX...like a remote login.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GregAlexander
I'd rather see something which looks like a small MacBook Air, but is really an iPad+Keyboard design.
A4 chip, iOS, touch screen, keyboard.
Much thinner than the MacBook Air, much lighter, longer battery life.
Made for Safari, Mail, Pages/Numbers/Keynote, Photo/iMovie.
I wouldn't be so cock sure. There will probably always be two OS's but they may become a lot closer over time.
Quote:
Here's the thing: Apple is a company that "experiments" within their labs. Not on the market. When they place a product in the market, they don't do it to use actual people as guinea pigs for their crazy ideas and see what fits. They take that hard work for themselves.
It depends on your definition of 'experiment' in the Apple world. In this context I would classify Apple TV as an experiment. I would even classify the Air as an experiment. We are not talking Beta product - just something that is unproven. Like the iPad, come to think of it.
The only reason I'd like to see an "iBookAir" (bad name) - or a laptop running iOS - is because an A4-based touch laptop could be smaller/lighter/cheaper. And it would do enough for a great many people.
I know this is hard for techies to fathom but there are far more people who don't want the complexity of a general purpose OS like Mac OSX than people like you and me for who it's no big deal.
I fully expect a laptop like iOS device with a keyboard at some point to support these people.
This is the huge untapped market I see Apple gearing up to fully dominate. I see Windows being relegated to the Office in the near future.
I was literally just about to ask that. To me, it makes alot of sense for apple to include an internal 3g cabability to the air to further differentiate it from their other laptops. The air is clearly targeted for the business type who wants a small portable fully functional laptop. For these people 3g is most likely a must.
Good point. They already have the relationships with the network providers around the world and most have data plans for the iPad anyway. Put 3G inside so you don't need a dongle or a wifi hotspot.
I know this is hard for techies to fathom but there are far more people who don't want the complexity of a general purpose OS like Mac OSX than people like you and me for who it's no big deal.
I fully expect a laptop like iOS device with a keyboard at some point to support these people.
This is the huge untapped market I see Apple gearing up to fully dominate. I see Windows being relegated to the Office in the near future.
This may come to pass. I think they need to work out a few details, like the security of a shared file system, for example, but, it's entirely possible that minimalist iOS systems could become the norm. I think we could see these in both notebook and imac form factors, but, like AppleTV, just because they are iOS, doesn't mean they will have touchscreen interfaces.
Good point. They already have the relationships with the network providers around the world and most have data plans for the iPad anyway. Put 3G inside so you don't need a dongle or a wifi hotspot.
Even of they don't offer cellular data having a GPS chip as standard with MobileMe integrated with the HW IDs for Find My Mac would probably help sell more Macs and MobileMe subscriptions.
As for cellular, having a card that could be inserted, like with the original AirPort cards could solve the issue of carrier lock-ins, and keep consumers who don't want it from paying it or keep Apple from having to stock double the notebook models.
I kind of agree with you here. With the iPad out now, there really is no need for apple to produce a smaller form-factor laptop. However, for me (and I presume many others) the necessity of a keyboard while on the sofa is an important factor in not getting the iPad. So I kind of hope this new MBA would be more like a convergence of the previous MBA and the iPad. That said though, I think we're just going to see a smaller version of the previous MBA when/if it comes out soon. That will probably satisfy the current crowd that owns the MBA (early adopters, toy geeks and CEO's).
Apple has kind of addressed the problem of not being able to transfer files, through MobileMe. But as you probably already know that's not a really good solution and it costs money to do so. I agree, a USB interface in the iPad would be nice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DocNo42
About time! As a 12" PowerBook G4 owner, I was very excited with the Air until I saw the footprint of it
About time they got the message the footprint is as important or more important than thickness or weight!
The irony - with the iPad I'm not so sure a new Air is that appealing to me. The only thing the ipad can't do for me on travel is transfer files from compact flash to a hard drive, but that iPad compatible external hard drive has that covered... Again I have a hard time getting excited about this now \
This may come to pass. I think they need to work out a few details, like the security of a shared file system, for example, but, it's entirely possible that minimalist iOS systems could become the norm. I think we could see these in both notebook and imac form factors, but, like AppleTV, just because they are iOS, doesn't mean they will have touchscreen interfaces.
I have a feeling even Apple is learning a lot from iOS in regards to how archaic the desktop OS condept really is. I wouldnt be surprised to see Mac OS X 10.7 being a complete UI overall to an extent we haven't seen in the computing world since the change to a GUI.
Don't get me wrong, most of CocoaTouch makes no sense for a physical keyboard and trackpad input with a mouse pointer, but there are many ways to streamline the complexity of the system for the average user. On top that, there is a lot Apple could gain by making the Mac OS UI familiar to those who have only used iDevices running iOS. The iPad was a brilliant rewrite of CocoaTouch for a large I/O, so much so that some of jesters here said was exactly the same as the iPhone OS used for the 3.5" displays.
Compared to the iPad, I get 40% bigger screen, 128GB HD, much faster processors, a superior OS and great keyboard, while the weight difference is negligible.
The weight difference between a MacBook Air and an iPad is negligible?!?!? The difference is 2-to-1. 1% or 2% would be negligible. 5% already transcends negligible.
The weight difference between a MacBook Air and an iPad is negligible?!?!? The difference is 2-to-1. 1% or 2% would be negligible. 5% already transcends negligible.
two paper clips are twice as heavy as one paper clip. the difference is still negligible.
They should hold it up and make sure that it is their first offering with that new Liquid Metal stuff.
Make it light and super strong.
They should also include a pico-projector on this. Everyone seems to be waiting for a phone to have this first. I think it would be more practical here.
Also, Apple had a patent application showing how they could have both iOS and OSX on the same machine. Put in that new ARM dual core chip, you will have a pretty Deluxe Model there.
two paper clips are twice as heavy as one paper clip. the difference is still negligible.
LOL I was going to use a similar argument using atoms.
It should be noted that it's negliable in regards to the user, not a comparison of their weight in regards to each other with the difference being negligible.
Comments
Yes it has some shortcomings, but it is the greatest notebook since the PB titanium.
Actually, since I bought the iPad, I realize how great the Air is.
Compared to the iPad, I get 40% bigger screen, 128GB HD, much faster processors, a superior OS and great keyboard, while the weight difference is negligible.
I wish that apple would instead improve, rather than shrink it.
Make the motherboard smaller, add RAM, faster processors, move from 1.8'' SSD to the 2.5'' standard, hence increase the size and speed.
As someone use and carry their computer all the time, this is a dream machine.
About time they got the message the footprint is as important or more important than thickness or weight!
The irony - with the iPad I'm not so sure a new Air is that appealing to me. The only thing the ipad can't do for me on travel is transfer files from compact flash to a hard drive, but that iPad compatible external hard drive has that covered... Again I have a hard time getting excited about this now
... I wish that apple would instead improve, rather than shrink it. ...
Well, this may be yet another of those "iPhone mini" rumors, where we are told that Apple will make it smaller. It makes sense that they shrunk the iPod nano, making it more of an "on the go" device, but, none of these other rumors -- iPhone mini, 7" iPad, smaller MBA -- seem to really carry any weight, nor do the rumored devices improve the device in any real way.
I'd rather see something which looks like a small MacBook Air, but is really an iPad+Keyboard design.
I have no doubt Apple will produce an iOS laptop and desktop eventually. Maybe not a desktop - since the dock with keyboard turns the iPad into a desktop machine for the most part. If I could just use the magic trackpad with the keyboard...
It's not happening. The Air would be merged with the macbook before the iPad. The Air is supposed to be a full fledged notebook in an impossibly thin shell. As the macbook shrinks, the distinction between the two is blurred.
I'm not saying anything will happen but it could imo. So as the Air and MBP merge (as you suggest) and become the new MBP the Air becomes the pad in a clamshell. I believe that IOS and OSX will, over time, come together some way, if not completely - trucks and cars as SJ put it but over time IOS (the car) will be what most people use including business users. It is difficult to predict, of course. Personally I can't see why power users such as coders, graphic designers etc cant use a future iteration of IOS, or at least an OSX with a very IOS like interface. IOS is very tied down to screen resolutions and I have no idea how things will pan out in this area but I am dead curious to look into a crystal ball and take a look at IOS 8, or OSX 12. I think we will see great synergies.
My perfect solution for the new Air would be a combo OS X and iOS. With touch screen that can be turned in all directions, ... You could use is as a laptop or as an iPad. It needs Facetime, AirPrint, AirPlay, and a reversible screen. iOS could be a icon in the OS X dock just touch it and you are instantly in iOS. Another option would be to have iOS as the primary OS and just replace the Spotlight search page in iOS with OS X, ...
I would love that!
I had 3 PC Convertible Tablets (Toshiba and Fuitsu-Siemens) and I loved the switched screen, the ability to hand-write notes during meetings, voice-annotate it, then have them searchable as text. But in laptop mode I hated it, from Win to size (2kg) to thickness to heat... so finally I swapped it for a MBAir and forgot hand-written notes. Love my MBA 1st gen (writing this on it) although 80G HDD is too small, 1.6GHz processor too slow and 2Gb sucks. But it is ideal for travel, ideal to write while laying on a couch (right now). For serious work I use MBP 15" or the iMac.
I hoped iPad would allow handwriting for taking notes at meetings. Disappointed. Now I carry both iPad and MBA which is silly, I like iPad for unobtrusive use, Apps and portability and 9hr working time, but need MBA for serious work. A MBA with iPad-like functionality would be a KILLER combo for me! It could be both a professional (work) AND a personal (play) machine.
Better yet, why not allow the iPad to work fully sync'd to your primary computer via wifi. That way you're working off a single platform instead of an iOS and and OSX...like a remote login.
I'd rather see something which looks like a small MacBook Air, but is really an iPad+Keyboard design.
A4 chip, iOS, touch screen, keyboard.
Much thinner than the MacBook Air, much lighter, longer battery life.
Made for Safari, Mail, Pages/Numbers/Keynote, Photo/iMovie.
And very cheap.
The two OS won't merge. Period.
I wouldn't be so cock sure. There will probably always be two OS's but they may become a lot closer over time.
Here's the thing: Apple is a company that "experiments" within their labs. Not on the market. When they place a product in the market, they don't do it to use actual people as guinea pigs for their crazy ideas and see what fits. They take that hard work for themselves.
It depends on your definition of 'experiment' in the Apple world. In this context I would classify Apple TV as an experiment. I would even classify the Air as an experiment. We are not talking Beta product - just something that is unproven. Like the iPad, come to think of it.
The only reason I'd like to see an "iBookAir" (bad name) - or a laptop running iOS - is because an A4-based touch laptop could be smaller/lighter/cheaper. And it would do enough for a great many people.
I know this is hard for techies to fathom but there are far more people who don't want the complexity of a general purpose OS like Mac OSX than people like you and me for who it's no big deal.
I fully expect a laptop like iOS device with a keyboard at some point to support these people.
This is the huge untapped market I see Apple gearing up to fully dominate. I see Windows being relegated to the Office in the near future.
I was literally just about to ask that. To me, it makes alot of sense for apple to include an internal 3g cabability to the air to further differentiate it from their other laptops. The air is clearly targeted for the business type who wants a small portable fully functional laptop. For these people 3g is most likely a must.
Good point. They already have the relationships with the network providers around the world and most have data plans for the iPad anyway. Put 3G inside so you don't need a dongle or a wifi hotspot.
Apple isn't really even in the high-performance laptop market. I doubt that current customers would care about any of that.
I know this is hard for techies to fathom but there are far more people who don't want the complexity of a general purpose OS like Mac OSX than people like you and me for who it's no big deal.
I fully expect a laptop like iOS device with a keyboard at some point to support these people.
This is the huge untapped market I see Apple gearing up to fully dominate. I see Windows being relegated to the Office in the near future.
This may come to pass. I think they need to work out a few details, like the security of a shared file system, for example, but, it's entirely possible that minimalist iOS systems could become the norm. I think we could see these in both notebook and imac form factors, but, like AppleTV, just because they are iOS, doesn't mean they will have touchscreen interfaces.
Good point. They already have the relationships with the network providers around the world and most have data plans for the iPad anyway. Put 3G inside so you don't need a dongle or a wifi hotspot.
Even of they don't offer cellular data having a GPS chip as standard with MobileMe integrated with the HW IDs for Find My Mac would probably help sell more Macs and MobileMe subscriptions.
As for cellular, having a card that could be inserted, like with the original AirPort cards could solve the issue of carrier lock-ins, and keep consumers who don't want it from paying it or keep Apple from having to stock double the notebook models.
Apple has kind of addressed the problem of not being able to transfer files, through MobileMe. But as you probably already know that's not a really good solution and it costs money to do so. I agree, a USB interface in the iPad would be nice.
About time! As a 12" PowerBook G4 owner, I was very excited with the Air until I saw the footprint of it
About time they got the message the footprint is as important or more important than thickness or weight!
The irony - with the iPad I'm not so sure a new Air is that appealing to me. The only thing the ipad can't do for me on travel is transfer files from compact flash to a hard drive, but that iPad compatible external hard drive has that covered... Again I have a hard time getting excited about this now
This may come to pass. I think they need to work out a few details, like the security of a shared file system, for example, but, it's entirely possible that minimalist iOS systems could become the norm. I think we could see these in both notebook and imac form factors, but, like AppleTV, just because they are iOS, doesn't mean they will have touchscreen interfaces.
I have a feeling even Apple is learning a lot from iOS in regards to how archaic the desktop OS condept really is. I wouldnt be surprised to see Mac OS X 10.7 being a complete UI overall to an extent we haven't seen in the computing world since the change to a GUI.
Don't get me wrong, most of CocoaTouch makes no sense for a physical keyboard and trackpad input with a mouse pointer, but there are many ways to streamline the complexity of the system for the average user. On top that, there is a lot Apple could gain by making the Mac OS UI familiar to those who have only used iDevices running iOS. The iPad was a brilliant rewrite of CocoaTouch for a large I/O, so much so that some of jesters here said was exactly the same as the iPhone OS used for the 3.5" displays.
Compared to the iPad, I get 40% bigger screen, 128GB HD, much faster processors, a superior OS and great keyboard, while the weight difference is negligible.
The weight difference between a MacBook Air and an iPad is negligible?!?!? The difference is 2-to-1. 1% or 2% would be negligible. 5% already transcends negligible.
The weight difference between a MacBook Air and an iPad is negligible?!?!? The difference is 2-to-1. 1% or 2% would be negligible. 5% already transcends negligible.
two paper clips are twice as heavy as one paper clip. the difference is still negligible.
Make it light and super strong.
They should also include a pico-projector on this. Everyone seems to be waiting for a phone to have this first. I think it would be more practical here.
Also, Apple had a patent application showing how they could have both iOS and OSX on the same machine. Put in that new ARM dual core chip, you will have a pretty Deluxe Model there.
two paper clips are twice as heavy as one paper clip. the difference is still negligible.
LOL I was going to use a similar argument using atoms.
It should be noted that it's negliable in regards to the user, not a comparison of their weight in regards to each other with the difference being negligible.