The battery life is a bit low for my needs but the deal breaker for me is the lack of 3G. even if it was a proprietary mini-PCIe card that Apple had to install, I?d be all over that 13.3? MBA.
There are so many different networks they would have to be compatible with worldwide, it is better IMO, not to be tied to a particular carrier. Instead just buy the MiFi or what ever USB adapter you need. I know they are a bit bulky, but at least with the new squared off design of the Air the USB will fit instead of having to also use an extension cable.
Is there any possibility that between the flash storage and the improvements to app memory that come with 10.7 with that autosave/autoresume feature will make 2 gb ram plenty for a ultra-portable? It seems like the difference between access speed from ram to hard drive would be minimal enough to make this not a dealbreaking bottleneck, or is my head in the clouds?
The "SSD" on these things is actually integrated into the motherboard.
So that means in 6-9 months when the new fabs, for the die shrink on flash chips, are in full production, and you get twice the SSD storage for the same price you are paying today, you can't upgrade this machine. It is another case of Apple being more concerned about making something thinner without regard to the practical disadvantages that result.
They look great but I can't see buying one with such limited upgrade options for storage down the road.
-kpluck
Last time I checked, it has a usb port you can plug an external hard drive into, who keeps all their media on the computers main drive anywho? I know I dont, I have a time capsule.
So the Title says Apple unveils new, instant-on MacBook Air
Its really not Instant on. only if you have it in standby mode (like allot of other laptops). From apples web site:
Flash allows you to access data quickly, and it gives MacBook Air the astonishing ability to remain in standby mode for up to 30 days.1 Which means your MacBook Air snaps to in an instant, whether you open it tomorrow, next week, or next month.
So if you have the Mac Air off, it still needs to boot up, i wonder how long it takes.
Well my mini hackintosh with a similar, albeit smaller, hdd boots Leopard in 25 seconds .
Last time I checked, it has a usb port you can plug an external hard drive into, who keeps all their media on the computers main drive anywho? I know I dont, I have a time capsule.
I hope you have another hard drive connected to that time capsule for backup?
The "SSD" on these things is actually integrated into the motherboard.
So that means in 6-9 months when the new fabs, for the die shrink on flash chips, are in full production, and you get twice the SSD storage for the same price you are paying today, you can't upgrade this machine. It is another case of Apple being more concerned about making something thinner without regard to the practical disadvantages that result.
They look great but I can't see buying one with such limited upgrade options for storage down the road.
-kpluck
Yeah, they should be more upgradable like a MacPro, but small and instant on like an iPhone.
I was about to be all over that 11", but no SD card slot... I wonder why (obviously size) they would concede that? Looks like I'll have to consider the 13".
Seriously, with this Air, I'd pay for the 100GB upgrade for DropBox.
I actually don't want the Air for myself, having a MBP. But it's going to be great for my wife. And she doesn't need the storage at all. Let me just pay off the iMac first and it's hers. Then we can finally be an all Mac family.
There must be something to this that we haven't seen. If you look at the product photos, you'll notice there is no "Power Button" that typically shows up on the upper right of the keyboard. So there must be some way to restart the device, much like the iPhone/Pad/Touch's power button.
Edit: my best guess would bet that you have to restart it from the OS, not a physical button.
Quote:
Originally Posted by peteo
So the Title says Apple unveils new, instant-on MacBook Air
Its really not Instant on. only if you have it in standby mode (like allot of other laptops). From apples web site:
Flash allows you to access data quickly, and it gives MacBook Air the astonishing ability to remain in standby mode for up to 30 days.1 Which means your MacBook Air snaps to in an instant, whether you open it tomorrow, next week, or next month.
So if you have the Mac Air off, it still needs to boot up, i wonder how long it takes.
Whenever new products come out, I end up referring to pages like this for quick, clear info ...
i had assumed incorrectly, then, that you ran system_profiler against a new MacBook Air to get the information. once someone actually does a closer inspection of the notebook we'll know for certain (although using a processor from the SU or SL line is one likely possibility).
i had assumed incorrectly, then, that you ran system_profiler against a new MacBook Air to get the information. once someone actually does a closer inspection of the notebook we'll know for certain (although using a processor from the SU or SL line is one likely possibility).
Well unless they're buying a custom chip from Intel, you can look at L2 cache and processor speed and typically figure out exactly which processor is being talked about. FSB tends to be a tie-breaker in some cases Also no, I'm not at the Apple event, I live in Kentucky and I'm at work heh. The new MBA is showing a 1-2 biz day ship time tho, so normal joes like me would be able to look at it by this time next week. I'm sure some hands on reviews will appear very soon
Quote:
Originally Posted by Feynman
It's called the App Store. Coming to the Mac in 90 days.
Not to mention external USB drives and/or the MBA's ability to access other computer disc drives. Plus Dropbox and other cloud-based storage methods. Lots of options.
The "SSD" on these things is actually integrated into the motherboard.
So that means in 6-9 months when the new fabs, for the die shrink on flash chips, are in full production, and you get twice the SSD storage for the same price you are paying today, you can't upgrade this machine. It is another case of Apple being more concerned about making something thinner without regard to the practical disadvantages that result.
They look great but I can't see buying one with such limited upgrade options for storage down the road.
-kpluck
Don't take this the wrong way but...Your comment is just another case of a nerd who is transferring his/her quirky desires onto a decision making process that was clearly not targeted toward his/her niche. Apple clearly designed these machines for people who ARE MORE CONCERNED with thinness and battery life than memory capacity. That is an equally valid market to address especially considering that said market was being addressed by Apple's oldest product design.
I feel it was a very savvy design decision. There are plenty of choices available if you want an upgradeable laptop. And if you are really a power user, the MacPro cannot be touched!
This is a machine you need to keep clean. Move work off of it as you complete it. I do this all the time on my MB13. It has a small drive. I might bring a big Lightroom project on a plane ride to work on but as soon as I'm back home I copy all the data back to my giant 27" iMac for long-term storage.
Yeah, well, what's wrong with sexiness and elegance? Do you have a problem with sex, go on, tell us, everyone has had some sort of problem with sex in their lives. Maybe if you speak about it you can start buying powerful and beautiful laptops instead of garbage, and you might solve your sex problem too.
Oh couldn't agree more with you!!!! As you know, all other laptops are "garbage" except Apple's!!! I bet you feel special buying products with Apple logos, don't you????
That should be Apple's new advertising line for the Air.
"The MacBook Air, 2 Gig of Ram, a 3 year old processor, an 11" screen and prices start at $1000. What a Steal!! And if you don't agree, you have a sexual problem.."
Thanks again for your wonderful and well thought out post. Obviously you're going to grow up and make a fine adult someday!
Hey, in other news, are you going to take your sexy and elegant Macbook Air to the Star Trek convention this year??? Please do, and please wear your Mr. Spock ears again!!!!
well, netbook is ultraportable, too (and screen size is within what netbook has). new macbook air is category in netbook according to definition. it got very lower power chipset. it's definitely apple brand netbook. don't be ridiculous.
It's much bigger than a netbook. Even the 11" one is much bigger than a netbook.
Has Apple ever made a "base model" that people regretted buying without upgrading the processor or hard drive? It seems like they want users to be happy with the base model so presumably the upgrades are really for the power user or the people with extra cash in their pockets. I think the base MBA will be just fine and will last as long as you need it too, i.e., until the net model comes out. If you trick it all out you wind up investing quite a bit into a computer that you'll probably replace before it becomes obsolete in any event.
OK so no optical drive. How do you/I install new programs? I missed the presentation so I guess I have to wait.
Rick
This quote from Apple:
DVD or CD Sharing
"Without a built-in optical drive, how do you install new applications? Simply use DVD or CD Sharing. This convenient feature of Mac OS X lets you wirelessly ?borrow? the optical drive of a nearby Mac or PC. So you can install applications from a DVD or CD and have full access to an optical drive without having to carry one around."
Comments
All these posts and no one has yet complained about glossy screens? Did I miss some posts or something?
The battery life is a bit low for my needs but the deal breaker for me is the lack of 3G. even if it was a proprietary mini-PCIe card that Apple had to install, I?d be all over that 13.3? MBA.
There are so many different networks they would have to be compatible with worldwide, it is better IMO, not to be tied to a particular carrier. Instead just buy the MiFi or what ever USB adapter you need. I know they are a bit bulky, but at least with the new squared off design of the Air the USB will fit instead of having to also use an extension cable.
The "SSD" on these things is actually integrated into the motherboard.
So that means in 6-9 months when the new fabs, for the die shrink on flash chips, are in full production, and you get twice the SSD storage for the same price you are paying today, you can't upgrade this machine. It is another case of Apple being more concerned about making something thinner without regard to the practical disadvantages that result.
They look great but I can't see buying one with such limited upgrade options for storage down the road.
-kpluck
Last time I checked, it has a usb port you can plug an external hard drive into, who keeps all their media on the computers main drive anywho? I know I dont, I have a time capsule.
What???
All these posts and no one has yet complained about glossy screens? Did I miss some posts or something?
The glossy without glass is fine, the problem most of us who want matte is with the glass on top of the already glossy screen.
So the Title says Apple unveils new, instant-on MacBook Air
Its really not Instant on. only if you have it in standby mode (like allot of other laptops). From apples web site:
Flash allows you to access data quickly, and it gives MacBook Air the astonishing ability to remain in standby mode for up to 30 days.1 Which means your MacBook Air snaps to in an instant, whether you open it tomorrow, next week, or next month.
So if you have the Mac Air off, it still needs to boot up, i wonder how long it takes.
Well my mini hackintosh with a similar, albeit smaller, hdd boots Leopard in 25 seconds .
Last time I checked, it has a usb port you can plug an external hard drive into, who keeps all their media on the computers main drive anywho? I know I dont, I have a time capsule.
I hope you have another hard drive connected to that time capsule for backup?
The "SSD" on these things is actually integrated into the motherboard.
So that means in 6-9 months when the new fabs, for the die shrink on flash chips, are in full production, and you get twice the SSD storage for the same price you are paying today, you can't upgrade this machine. It is another case of Apple being more concerned about making something thinner without regard to the practical disadvantages that result.
They look great but I can't see buying one with such limited upgrade options for storage down the road.
-kpluck
Yeah, they should be more upgradable like a MacPro, but small and instant on like an iPhone.
I wonder why they din't make them like that!
I actually don't want the Air for myself, having a MBP. But it's going to be great for my wife. And she doesn't need the storage at all. Let me just pay off the iMac first and it's hers. Then we can finally be an all Mac family.
Edit: my best guess would bet that you have to restart it from the OS, not a physical button.
So the Title says Apple unveils new, instant-on MacBook Air
Its really not Instant on. only if you have it in standby mode (like allot of other laptops). From apples web site:
Flash allows you to access data quickly, and it gives MacBook Air the astonishing ability to remain in standby mode for up to 30 days.1 Which means your MacBook Air snaps to in an instant, whether you open it tomorrow, next week, or next month.
So if you have the Mac Air off, it still needs to boot up, i wonder how long it takes.
Whenever new products come out, I end up referring to pages like this for quick, clear info ...
i had assumed incorrectly, then, that you ran system_profiler against a new MacBook Air to get the information. once someone actually does a closer inspection of the notebook we'll know for certain (although using a processor from the SU or SL line is one likely possibility).
OK so no optical drive. How do you/I install new programs? I missed the presentation so I guess I have to wait.
Rick
It's called the App Store. Coming to the Mac in 90 days.
i had assumed incorrectly, then, that you ran system_profiler against a new MacBook Air to get the information. once someone actually does a closer inspection of the notebook we'll know for certain (although using a processor from the SU or SL line is one likely possibility).
Well unless they're buying a custom chip from Intel, you can look at L2 cache and processor speed and typically figure out exactly which processor is being talked about. FSB tends to be a tie-breaker in some cases
It's called the App Store. Coming to the Mac in 90 days.
Not to mention external USB drives and/or the MBA's ability to access other computer disc drives. Plus Dropbox and other cloud-based storage methods. Lots of options.
The "SSD" on these things is actually integrated into the motherboard.
So that means in 6-9 months when the new fabs, for the die shrink on flash chips, are in full production, and you get twice the SSD storage for the same price you are paying today, you can't upgrade this machine. It is another case of Apple being more concerned about making something thinner without regard to the practical disadvantages that result.
They look great but I can't see buying one with such limited upgrade options for storage down the road.
-kpluck
Don't take this the wrong way but...Your comment is just another case of a nerd who is transferring his/her quirky desires onto a decision making process that was clearly not targeted toward his/her niche. Apple clearly designed these machines for people who ARE MORE CONCERNED with thinness and battery life than memory capacity. That is an equally valid market to address especially considering that said market was being addressed by Apple's oldest product design.
I feel it was a very savvy design decision. There are plenty of choices available if you want an upgradeable laptop. And if you are really a power user, the MacPro cannot be touched!
This is a machine you need to keep clean. Move work off of it as you complete it. I do this all the time on my MB13. It has a small drive. I might bring a big Lightroom project on a plane ride to work on but as soon as I'm back home I copy all the data back to my giant 27" iMac for long-term storage.
Yeah, well, what's wrong with sexiness and elegance? Do you have a problem with sex, go on, tell us, everyone has had some sort of problem with sex in their lives. Maybe if you speak about it you can start buying powerful and beautiful laptops instead of garbage, and you might solve your sex problem too.
Oh couldn't agree more with you!!!! As you know, all other laptops are "garbage" except Apple's!!! I bet you feel special buying products with Apple logos, don't you????
That should be Apple's new advertising line for the Air.
"The MacBook Air, 2 Gig of Ram, a 3 year old processor, an 11" screen and prices start at $1000. What a Steal!! And if you don't agree, you have a sexual problem.."
Thanks again for your wonderful and well thought out post. Obviously you're going to grow up and make a fine adult someday!
Hey, in other news, are you going to take your sexy and elegant Macbook Air to the Star Trek convention this year??? Please do, and please wear your Mr. Spock ears again!!!!
well, netbook is ultraportable, too (and screen size is within what netbook has). new macbook air is category in netbook according to definition. it got very lower power chipset. it's definitely apple brand netbook. don't be ridiculous.
It's much bigger than a netbook. Even the 11" one is much bigger than a netbook.
OK so no optical drive. How do you/I install new programs? I missed the presentation so I guess I have to wait.
Rick
This quote from Apple:
DVD or CD Sharing
"Without a built-in optical drive, how do you install new applications? Simply use DVD or CD Sharing. This convenient feature of Mac OS X lets you wirelessly ?borrow? the optical drive of a nearby Mac or PC. So you can install applications from a DVD or CD and have full access to an optical drive without having to carry one around."
Today is "No Moving Parts", tomorrow is "Liquid Metal"... Can you connect the dots?
Apple is going to send a MacBook Air back in time to murder Jason Chen?