OMG ... the new MacBook Air .. is thinner than a piece of PAPER!!
How in the world ... !!
What will they do next ??
What CAN they do next ??
What is LEFT to do ??
Figure out a way to make those darn hinges thinner and robust... Possibly using the liquid metal process. This will enable the back to be as thin as the front.
Not a bad computer, but it is 3 pounds, just a bit more than the Air. Plus you have to use Windows!
11" Air is 1.06kg.
13" Air is 1.32kg.
R700 is 13" and starts at 1.1kg (I'd expect it do be i3 model with SSD). I had one in my hands on Toshiba promotion and it feels reasonably robust, though I wouldn't expect it to feel as robust as unibody Macs; I personally don't care, though I accept some people do. There are also some shiny plastic parts (screen fringes covers, touchpad buttons) I didn't care much about but can live with. Also screen quality on R700 is only average.
But you do get decent specs for a price and weight is only 40g more that 11" Air. Like I said, if you don't care about OS (or actually prefer Windows - and believe or not, there's still a "handful" of people out there who do ), you will agree it looks like a good offer.
For OSX-only users, I think that both Airs are good choice for ultra-portable secondary computer. Even price doesn't feel that harsh, considering SSD. Sony Vaio X starts from $1,299 for significantly more modest (albeit a bit lighter) specs.
I was really, really tempted to buy the 11.6'' MacBook Air, until I read that it no longer has a backlit keyboard. Is this true? If so, it's a huge step backward.
LOL. Look up "phenomenon" in the dictionary and you'll see a picture of the iPad and Apple is sitting comfortably in the driver's seat.
I hope you aren't implying the iPad has outsold netbooks combined, because nothing could be further from the truth. Both are niche products, but I still find the iPad completely useless, whereas I could sort of see some usage for a netbook.
Anyone notice that the Windows Phone 7 reviews are going up today? Interesting coincidence? Apple dominates the news all day when Microsoft desperately needs the attention.
Hardly. I've yet to see a single tech site that isn't in bed with Apple that really cares all that much about the updated Air models and yet-to-be-released OS.
In fact, most of Apple's customers (read: those who do nothing more than e-mail and web browser on their notebooks) probably have no clue that new products were released today.
It's not a netbook, because according to Steve Jobs, Apple doesn't know how to make a netbook that isn't junk.
That said, the Air has specs that are much better than your typical netbook.
Considering that it was Intel?s creation of the Atom CPU that made the netbook-class machine possible, I would classify any such notebook as a netbook based on that criteria along. Since the 11.6? MBA uses a 10W TDP Core2Duo (BTW, a CPU that costs more by itself than many netbooks) I would classify it as ultraportable, a device category that came to be after Intel brushed off the dust and put into production (presumably at Apple?s request) their Small Form Factor Core2 chips.
I'm curious what the reasoning was behind taking away the backlit keyboard. Could the optics necessary to make the keyboard light up not fit into the enclosure or something? Or, will be the "most requested feature" on the first revision model?
Folks comment about the lack of storage space, but as long as you buy the larger version with the SD slot, you have a lot of added expansion options. True, the speed might be slightly slower in some cases, but the fact that AVCHD cameras can record HD video without dropping frames gives hope that this storage is adequate for many folks. They don't mention as to if the slot supports SDXC cards, but if they do, they can go up to 2 terabytes of storage. A 64 GB version sells for around $300 (prices will drop rapidly as adoption grows; throughput is 15mb/s. Not perfect, but adequate for an awful lot of uses. Here's hoping though that they don't have the SD card hang out of the chassis like they do with all of their other implementations, but I'm not hopeful. Come on - I've got a small Toshiba netbook in my largely mac household (mac since 1992), and they've figured out how to have the SD card slot accept the ENTIRE card rather than risk being broken off.
1) Finally - I can replace my 12" PowerBook G4 with the new 11" - woot!
2) Finally - some manufacturer had the guts to ditch the @^&$#! SATA layer and integrate flash directly with the computer. Chopping out that extra layer of abstraction should speed things up considerably. I can't wait to get my hands on one and do some testing.
I'm not surprised that Apple was the first to move away from SATA. I'm surprised SATA finally displaced IDE - took long enough. Then again some PC's still ship with floppies and legacy PS/2, serial or parallel ports...
I'm also blown away by the price - about $500 cheaper than I expected such machines to be priced. With my corporate discount the faster 11" unit with 4 gigs of RAM and the 128GB capacity is $1350 - woot!
1) Finally - I can replace my 12" PowerBook G4 with the new 11" - woot!
2) Finally - some manufacturer had the guts to ditch the @^&$#! SATA layer and integrate flash directly with the computer. Chopping out that extra layer of abstraction should speed things up considerably. I can't wait to get my hands on one and do some testing.
I'm not surprised that Apple was the first to move away from SATA. I'm surprised SATA finally displaced IDE - took long enough. Then again some PC's still ship with floppies and legacy PS/2, serial or parallel ports...
I'm also blown away by the price - about $500 cheaper than I expected such machines to be priced. With my corporate discount the faster 11" unit with 4 gigs of RAM and the 128GB capacity is $1350 - woot!
1) The 16:9 and 5 hour battery is a deal breaker for me. Heck the 7 hours on the 13? is a deal breaker for me.
2) Is the storage based on mini-PCIe or SATA or something else?
3) What do comparable vendors charge for these machines? I did a quick search for a 11.6? ultra-portable but didn?t find anything really close to this MBA.
he only thing i wish they would address, is the ability to sync or at least view files (Primarily via iTunes) back to your primary device.
Yup, it would be nice if notebooks could be treated like iPods...
Oh well, in the meantime check out SuperSync. I picked up 10 computer licenses in one of the recent bundle deals - it wasn't even one of the apps I originally picked the bundle up for, but is now the one I use the most. It's pretty flexible, if not a little weird in the UI department - takes a while to get used to. The functionality in SuperSync should be built into iTunes - until it is, it's a great product that I find indispensable.
Comments
You can get 6-10 hr batteries with most current netbooks. My HP Mini has a 6 hr (a 9.5 hr was optional), and it actually gets that 6 hrs too.
Not to mention you can carry extra batteries
You can get 6-10 hr batteries with most current netbooks. My HP Mini has a 6 hr (a 9.5 hr was optional), and it actually gets that 6 hrs too.
He said similar laptops.
OMG ... the new MacBook Air .. is thinner than a piece of PAPER!!
How in the world ... !!
What will they do next ??
What CAN they do next ??
What is LEFT to do ??
Figure out a way to make those darn hinges thinner and robust... Possibly using the liquid metal process. This will enable the back to be as thin as the front.
Not to mention you can carry extra batteries
If you actually carry an extra battery, I guess that's an issue for you. My guess is 99% of people don't.
Not a bad computer, but it is 3 pounds, just a bit more than the Air. Plus you have to use Windows!
11" Air is 1.06kg.
13" Air is 1.32kg.
R700 is 13" and starts at 1.1kg (I'd expect it do be i3 model with SSD). I had one in my hands on Toshiba promotion and it feels reasonably robust, though I wouldn't expect it to feel as robust as unibody Macs; I personally don't care, though I accept some people do. There are also some shiny plastic parts (screen fringes covers, touchpad buttons) I didn't care much about but can live with. Also screen quality on R700 is only average.
But you do get decent specs for a price and weight is only 40g more that 11" Air. Like I said, if you don't care about OS (or actually prefer Windows - and believe or not, there's still a "handful" of people out there who do
For OSX-only users, I think that both Airs are good choice for ultra-portable secondary computer. Even price doesn't feel that harsh, considering SSD. Sony Vaio X starts from $1,299 for significantly more modest (albeit a bit lighter) specs.
Not to mention you can carry extra batteries
But I wonder, how often will someone find themselves without access to a power outlet for more than 6 hours?
If you actually carry an extra battery, I guess that's an issue for you. My guess is 99% of people don't.
So sue me, sometimes 7 hours isn't enough! Plus I doubt you get 5-7 hours playing HD movies.
Apple has already eliminated hypermac's product, so if you need more capacity you're SOL with MacBooks.
Can't figure out any reason to have one.
I pass.
APPLE MADE A NETBOOK!!!!!
(Underpowered, little memory, low battery life.....)
There's a difference between ultraportable and netbook.
LOL. Look up "phenomenon" in the dictionary and you'll see a picture of the iPad and Apple is sitting comfortably in the driver's seat.
I hope you aren't implying the iPad has outsold netbooks combined, because nothing could be further from the truth. Both are niche products, but I still find the iPad completely useless, whereas I could sort of see some usage for a netbook.
Anyone notice that the Windows Phone 7 reviews are going up today? Interesting coincidence? Apple dominates the news all day when Microsoft desperately needs the attention.
Hardly. I've yet to see a single tech site that isn't in bed with Apple that really cares all that much about the updated Air models and yet-to-be-released OS.
In fact, most of Apple's customers (read: those who do nothing more than e-mail and web browser on their notebooks) probably have no clue that new products were released today.
You say that like it's a bad thing.
It's not.
It's not a netbook, because according to Steve Jobs, Apple doesn't know how to make a netbook that isn't junk.
That said, the Air has specs that are much better than your typical netbook.
It's not a netbook, because according to Steve Jobs, Apple doesn't know how to make a netbook that isn't junk.
That said, the Air has specs that are much better than your typical netbook.
Considering that it was Intel?s creation of the Atom CPU that made the netbook-class machine possible, I would classify any such notebook as a netbook based on that criteria along. Since the 11.6? MBA uses a 10W TDP Core2Duo (BTW, a CPU that costs more by itself than many netbooks) I would classify it as ultraportable, a device category that came to be after Intel brushed off the dust and put into production (presumably at Apple?s request) their Small Form Factor Core2 chips.
1) Finally - I can replace my 12" PowerBook G4 with the new 11" - woot!
2) Finally - some manufacturer had the guts to ditch the @^&$#! SATA layer and integrate flash directly with the computer. Chopping out that extra layer of abstraction should speed things up considerably. I can't wait to get my hands on one and do some testing.
I'm not surprised that Apple was the first to move away from SATA. I'm surprised SATA finally displaced IDE - took long enough. Then again some PC's still ship with floppies and legacy PS/2, serial or parallel ports...
I'm also blown away by the price - about $500 cheaper than I expected such machines to be priced. With my corporate discount the faster 11" unit with 4 gigs of RAM and the 128GB capacity is $1350 - woot!
Two finally's in this:
1) Finally - I can replace my 12" PowerBook G4 with the new 11" - woot!
2) Finally - some manufacturer had the guts to ditch the @^&$#! SATA layer and integrate flash directly with the computer. Chopping out that extra layer of abstraction should speed things up considerably. I can't wait to get my hands on one and do some testing.
I'm not surprised that Apple was the first to move away from SATA. I'm surprised SATA finally displaced IDE - took long enough. Then again some PC's still ship with floppies and legacy PS/2, serial or parallel ports...
I'm also blown away by the price - about $500 cheaper than I expected such machines to be priced. With my corporate discount the faster 11" unit with 4 gigs of RAM and the 128GB capacity is $1350 - woot!
1) The 16:9 and 5 hour battery is a deal breaker for me. Heck the 7 hours on the 13? is a deal breaker for me.
2) Is the storage based on mini-PCIe or SATA or something else?
3) What do comparable vendors charge for these machines? I did a quick search for a 11.6? ultra-portable but didn?t find anything really close to this MBA.
he only thing i wish they would address, is the ability to sync or at least view files (Primarily via iTunes) back to your primary device.
Yup, it would be nice if notebooks could be treated like iPods...
Oh well, in the meantime check out SuperSync. I picked up 10 computer licenses in one of the recent bundle deals - it wasn't even one of the apps I originally picked the bundle up for, but is now the one I use the most. It's pretty flexible, if not a little weird in the UI department - takes a while to get used to. The functionality in SuperSync should be built into iTunes - until it is, it's a great product that I find indispensable.
Did you upgrade your current notebook's hard drive to a larger capacity?
Yes I did - but it's not as relevant on an Air since it's a supplemental computer (well, for most of us) and not a primary workstation.
128GB should be plenty for how these machines are typically used.