I have to agree with what a lot of people are saying. To me the footprint is the most important factor that would have made me buy the MBA over the MB.
Ultra portables in general seem to have made a major change in the last 5-8 years if you think about it. When I was in college I had a sony picturebook (google it Im too lazy to find a picture) It was a fully featured super ultraportable - even had a build in camera! Sure the keyboard was a bit squashed but honestly if we can get used to typing on the iphones small screen, typing on a slightly smaller keyboard really isnt that difficult unless you have really really big hands... I still have my picturebook and if it wasnt so slow now Id still use it for all my portable needs. When I was in class with it because it had such a small footprint I could have it on my little desk along with calculators and other books. I just didnt feel cluttered with it around. I was really hoping apple would bring something like that out.
Everyone who says it only has one USB port, no firewire, no good sound options... (everything that is available in the MB)
Quote:
The issue that it is not really smaller. You make a good point about a "fatter" notebook, but this is 0.34 inches. Hold your fingers apart 1/3rd of an inch. What are you going to fit there. 20 more pieces of paper? A really thin magazine?
I agree, it is not *amazingly* smaller. But it is smaller and much lighter. That matters for some.
Quote:
And who is saying that the MacBook Air "sucks"?
Well, here are some direct quotes from this thread. I think that "sucks" is a resonable paraphrase (and yes, some of these are yours).
Quote:
Dissapointing...
Way too slow...
What a disgrace...
less capable than its cheaper brother...
nothing more than a fashion statement...
just an overpriced 13" MacBook 'thin'...
I stand by my position. If you want a full function laptop, save the money and get a bigger MacBook. If you want an ultramoble, pocket computer, you will have to wait or go over to the dark side. If you want a lighter, thinner computer get the Macbook Air.
What the complainers fail to acknowledge is there are people who want a lighter laptop with a full screen and keyboard. Some of them do not need (nor will they miss) all the ports and options. This is an improvement for them and may be worth the money.
Does it answer every consumer's desire? No, of course not. It may not be what you want. But it is not a "disgrace."
I am just confused! I was going to def get the MBA to replace the MB I did not get the apple care that is now ailing. My MB has been used hard for 1.5 years and now it does not work unless it is plugged in (after dropping it on concrete). I thought because I travel by air every week that this would be a nice time to go for AIR.
I don't know what I expected out of AIR but I have to compare it directly to my MB and it the only advantage is the weight which is not a factor for me because I use a roller bag. I am going to try and get AMEX to extend my MB's warranty and I will be covered for a repair. No since wasting $2K on this thing if I can repair my MB.
I am pretty sad about all of this because I have been waiting for weeks to 'upgrade' my laptop.
But if you put both in a bucket of water, the Thinkpad would probably make more slosh out!!
Quote:
Everyone who says it only has one USB port, no firewire, no good sound options... (everything that is available in the MB)
They are complaining about the lack of features, not that it is not a MacBook. You're confusing yourself.
Quote:
I agree, it is not *amazingly* smaller. But it is smaller and much lighter. That matters for some.
Of course it matters for some. Some people cared deeply about Bondi Blue and Flower Power. The argument isn't that no one cares, it's that it's not impressive in any way (but still pumped up as OMG A REVOLUTION by Apple's typical ridiculous marketing machine).
I got the original Macbook and have been considering replacing it for sometime - I was hoping for an Apple ultraportable. I have to cross London each day on the tube and go to the British Library and then will often meet up with friends or go to a post work function. Carrying my Macbook around for half stints or more can get really annoying, especially in a hot, cramped tube. There are lots of things that I love about the Macbook Air and from my point of view the lack of a smaller footprint is not an issue for me. However, I am surprised that Apple haven't shaved off more weight. I checked out the Vaio TZ and see that that DOES come with an optical drive and weighs in at 3lbs. In that case what benefit has Apple got from shedding the optical drive? The larger screen and keyboard? Or has weight increased to provide a thinner machine? (Admittedly it maybe one and the same - by having a larger footprint they've been able to spread the internals out).
I also have a couple of practical and design questions. Before my Macbook I had an iBook and their polycarbonate casing has always been tough - the image of the thing being lugged around university campuses and thrown on desks springs to mind. How tough and resistant to scratches will the Macbook Air be do you think? Will its surfaces reveal new dents and scratches every time I take it out of my shoulder bag? Could I safely take it travelling with me or will the thing look beaten to pieces? As for Apple's new design aesthetic - I thought products were moving the way of the iPhone (ref the new iMac). So I wonder why the Macbook Air's screen is not framed in black like the iMac? AFter all it there's quite a bit of space around it and I've grown to really like the black surround on my iMac. Also, the apple on the Air is white but the keys on the keyboard black - the exact opposite of the new iMac system. I realise they like the Apple to illuminate when the systems on but normally Apple are so good at design consistency. Just wonder where they're going with it ...
The comparisons between the MBA and the MB are meaningless. The MBA should be compared to other ultra portables. To see people like groverat make such comparisons is quite disappointing.
Anyone who doesn't realize that miniaturization and weight reduction in products is costly has their head in the sand (or somewhere else). The difference between a $500 road bike and a high performance $5000 bike is only a couple of pounds as well.
The comparisons aren't meaningless because the MBA is almost the exact same size as the MB. As for the weight reduction remove all the missing Air features from a MB and it will weigh less too.
The comparisons aren't meaningless because the MBA is almost the exact same size as the MB. As for the weight reduction remove all the missing Air features from a MB and it will weigh less too.
It is meaningless. The thickness is much smaller in the MBA. It may not be the dimension that you find important but some do. The market will decide who is right.
Take 2 lbs off that Schwinn and its a Trek high performance bike. But it isn't that easy or it they would do it.
See this to see how the MBA compares with other ultra portables.
I can fit a MBA into a leather portfolio and till have room for some paper but I can't for a MB.
You need a new, 50$ portfolio, not a new 1799$ laptop. Problem solved.
Quote:
While the clicking might be somewhat more annoying than writing I'd rather take the MBA to a meeting than a leather writing pad and it fits in the same space and is only a pound heavier.
So you're admitting that it end up being about bragging rights. About image, about trend, about being hip.
That's one of the gripes some of us here have. Apple used to be about solutions.
Quote:
Anyone who doesn't realize that miniaturization and weight reduction in products is costly has their head in the sand (or somewhere else). The difference between a $500 road bike and a high performance $5000 bike is only a couple of pounds as well.
I do realize that. Do YOU also realize that the market for 5000$ bikes is negligibly small?
What market is Apple targeting here? Americas top 500?
Quote:
2. You are comparing 2 different classes of computers, you should not be comparing a macbook air vs a macbook, you should be comparing a macbook air vs other 3lb notebooks. Once you do this you will quickly realize 2 things. The macbook air packs a bigger punch and the macbook air is very competitvely priced compared to the competition.
I'm comparing MacBook Air to MacBook because A: This thread is about this comparison. Exactly that question was asked. And B: because both have basically the same ~ 14" footprint, putting them in the same ballpark for many people. Not for all, of course, but for many.
If you think this comparison doesn't make sense or makes my arguments flawed, try reading the original post again.
Oh I'm not claiming there is no market for sub-notebooks! Of course there is. But have you looked at the overall features of these machines? And I don't just mean stuff like screen size and CPU speed.
Most of the machines Ars is listing have a significantly smaller footprint, have an integrated optical drive and offer fully featured connectivity, not just an USB, DVI and headphone jack.
Apples 12" offerings had a market, just look at the prices 12" PowerBooks still have on ebay today. People love those machines. But all the people I know who have one of those 12" iBooks or PowerBooks love their machines because they are fully featured computers. And no matter how hard you want to bend it, the MBA is definitely not a fully featured computer.
If you feel this class of machines are stupid then fine. Criticize them all and not just the MBA.
You're right the entire category could stand improvement and that's exactly why people are so disappointed. Perhaps we have become spoiled thinking that Apple would come up with something better than putting a stripped MacBook in a lighter, thinner and much more expensive case.
Most of the machines Ars is listing have a significantly smaller footprint, have an integrated optical drive and offer fully featured connectivity, not just an USB, DVI and headphone jack.
Apples 12" offerings had a market, just look at the prices 12" PowerBooks still have on ebay today. People love those machines. But all the people I know who have one of those 12" iBooks or PowerBooks love their machines because they are fully featured computers. And no matter how hard you want to bend it, the MBA is definitely not a fully featured computer.
I have made my last two computer buying decisions basically based on size. I loved my iBook 12" because it was sturdy, compact and usable on the go.
I loved the iBook despite it not being a fully featured computer. DVI was missing, graphics were crippled, the optical drive was a combo. Most of the things left out from Macbook Air do not bother me a great deal. The only thing I think was truly stupid to leave out is Ethernet. Business adoption will suffer because of that.
The Macbook, on the other hand, is too big in comparison, especially too wide. This in practical use: operating the computer in tight spaces, various kinds of transport, packed auditoriums where you are elbow to elbow with someone, the desk is shallow and so on. I would not have bought the Macbook if there was a small alternative. Air does next to nothing to rectify this. I'd actually like to go smaller than the iBook. If the small Thinkpads ran OS X, I'd have had one long ago.
Air's better than Macbook when it's inside your bag, weighing less. But unlike computers I think of as ultraportables, it has nothing on Macbook at the point where you pull the computer out of the bag. I'm not saying that makes Air a bad computer, but I think it should give the prospective Air buyer pause and make them consider how much exactly they are going to be supporting the weight of the laptop daily.
Supposing one was willing to pay ~$1000 only for the practical benefit of one less kilo to carry, I hope they have exhausted the easy alternatives. If you consume one beer or soda per day less than normal - that is, do less compared to status quo - very soon you will weigh one kilo less, and you will also have saved instead of spent. Can you find a hundred grams of useless stuff in your briefcase and pockets and take it out? That's $100 saved right there.
Suffice to say, I'm not betting on the majority of Air buyers owning it for tangible reasons.
Did you read that article? (You've posted the link 3 times now.)
However, just looking at the specs it's clear Toshiba beats Apple, even if they are lying about battery life and Apple is not.
Try again.
To take weight off a bike you have to use different materials; you don't just take off a wheel.
Yes I read the article. How Ars and you can conclude that the Toshiba is CLEARLY better is beyond me. Yes its smaller and lighter but much slower as well, with an inferior CPU and weaker graphics. I can't imagine that vista is that pleasant of an experience on a processor clocked so low but I could be wrong.
Laptops are a compromised machine, in comparison to a desktop. The processors are slower, the graphics are not as powerful, the memory (hard drive and RAM) is less, ect. But the advantage is portability. Ultra portables are even more of a compromised machine. Apple made design decisions where compromises were acceptable and where they weren't. Most importantly they feel that weight was the most important size consideration and endevored to keep the weight at the 3 lb mark. Within this weigth they decided the largest screen possible was a benefit and placed an emphasis on the screen by giving it LED backlighting. They also felt the cpu performance and general 'teh' snappy feel during use was important and put the fastest CPU found in an ultra portable in the MBA.
You don't agree but that doesn't make Apple's decisions wrong. Sales will determine who is right.
You need a new, 50$ portfolio, not a new 1799$ laptop. Problem solved.
...
So you're admitting that it end up being about bragging rights. About image, about trend, about being hip.
That's one of the gripes some of us here have. Apple used to be about solutions.
No, I'm saying that the MBA is thin enough to actually take everywhere and yet isn't a massive compromise in capability.
I'd rather take a MBA to a meeting because unlike a pad of paper I can google for references on a topic, check my email (if the meeting if boring), bring up relevant briefings to a particular topic and in general be more productive than with a pad of paper.
And I can still take notes.
This is something I've tried to do with:
Atari Portfolio
Palm + Seiko SmartPad
IBM ThinkPad TransNote
NEC MobilePro 900
Motion Computing tablet
Various normal laptops
They have ALL been too heavy or too limited to be worth hauling around everywhere. Being able to stuff a full fledged computer into a leather portfolio fits the bill even if I wished it were also a convertible tablet (to be able to draw diagrams in freehand).
I dunno if trading an integrated keyboard for a digitizer is worth it even as a tablet fan. I often didn't need a keyboard for a tablet but this thing is good enough to be a primary machine which a tablet often isn't (even ignoring the keyboard issue).
The only thing I really wished it had was either an expresscard slot or a docking station.
The footprint is larger than some of the competitors but none of those are really thin enough to work well in a case that a lot of folks carry around with them anyway.
I could see a trifold leather portfolio that allowed you keep the computer semi-protected and still use a pad of paper to be one of the first accessories. It could still be only an inch thick including pad.
Too bad the Logitech IO2 pen doesn't work with the Mac. A TransNote like setup with the MBA would be great and at under $2K wouldn't break the bank quite as badly as the original Transnote...
Did you read that article? (You've posted the link 3 times now.)
However, just looking at the specs it's clear Toshiba beats Apple, even if they are lying about battery life and Apple is not.
Try again.
Dude...read the article and not skim it. The key is that last dialog between him and the Apple rep. He likes it and no, I don't think he'd buy the Toshiba.
Dude...read the article and not skim it. The key is that last dialog between him and the Apple rep. He likes it and no, I don't think he'd buy the Toshiba.
Plus the author admits it later in comments.
<Smacks head>
I knew something wasn't right. I just don't get sarcasm over the internet.
I'm not arguing that the Toshiba is better, I just think it weird that you quote an article as if it were support for the MacBook Air when the article actually isn't terribly complimentary.
Further, I don't know what you mean by Apple being "wrong". I don't know what "right" is in this situation.
Comments
Ultra portables in general seem to have made a major change in the last 5-8 years if you think about it. When I was in college I had a sony picturebook (google it Im too lazy to find a picture) It was a fully featured super ultraportable - even had a build in camera! Sure the keyboard was a bit squashed but honestly if we can get used to typing on the iphones small screen, typing on a slightly smaller keyboard really isnt that difficult unless you have really really big hands... I still have my picturebook and if it wasnt so slow now Id still use it for all my portable needs. When I was in class with it because it had such a small footprint I could have it on my little desk along with calculators and other books. I just didnt feel cluttered with it around. I was really hoping apple would bring something like that out.
/end rant
Jeff
Bageljoey:
Who is complaining that this isn't a MacBook?
Everyone who says it only has one USB port, no firewire, no good sound options... (everything that is available in the MB)
The issue that it is not really smaller. You make a good point about a "fatter" notebook, but this is 0.34 inches. Hold your fingers apart 1/3rd of an inch. What are you going to fit there. 20 more pieces of paper? A really thin magazine?
I agree, it is not *amazingly* smaller. But it is smaller and much lighter. That matters for some.
And who is saying that the MacBook Air "sucks"?
Well, here are some direct quotes from this thread. I think that "sucks" is a resonable paraphrase (and yes, some of these are yours).
Dissapointing...
Way too slow...
What a disgrace...
less capable than its cheaper brother...
nothing more than a fashion statement...
just an overpriced 13" MacBook 'thin'...
I stand by my position. If you want a full function laptop, save the money and get a bigger MacBook. If you want an ultramoble, pocket computer, you will have to wait or go over to the dark side. If you want a lighter, thinner computer get the Macbook Air.
What the complainers fail to acknowledge is there are people who want a lighter laptop with a full screen and keyboard. Some of them do not need (nor will they miss) all the ports and options. This is an improvement for them and may be worth the money.
Does it answer every consumer's desire? No, of course not. It may not be what you want. But it is not a "disgrace."
I don't know what I expected out of AIR but I have to compare it directly to my MB and it the only advantage is the weight which is not a factor for me because I use a roller bag. I am going to try and get AMEX to extend my MB's warranty and I will be covered for a repair. No since wasting $2K on this thing if I can repair my MB.
I am pretty sad about all of this because I have been waiting for weeks to 'upgrade' my laptop.
Fine. Show me.
Lenovo Thinkpad X61s (12.1" screen)
Height: 0.8" - 1.1" (MBA: 0.16" - 0.76")
Width: 10.5"\t(MBA: 12.8")
Depth: 8.3 "\t(MBA: 8.94")
Weight: 3.1lbs\t (3.0lbs)
But if you put both in a bucket of water, the Thinkpad would probably make more slosh out!!
Everyone who says it only has one USB port, no firewire, no good sound options... (everything that is available in the MB)
They are complaining about the lack of features, not that it is not a MacBook. You're confusing yourself.
I agree, it is not *amazingly* smaller. But it is smaller and much lighter. That matters for some.
Of course it matters for some. Some people cared deeply about Bondi Blue and Flower Power. The argument isn't that no one cares, it's that it's not impressive in any way (but still pumped up as OMG A REVOLUTION by Apple's typical ridiculous marketing machine).
I also have a couple of practical and design questions. Before my Macbook I had an iBook and their polycarbonate casing has always been tough - the image of the thing being lugged around university campuses and thrown on desks springs to mind. How tough and resistant to scratches will the Macbook Air be do you think? Will its surfaces reveal new dents and scratches every time I take it out of my shoulder bag? Could I safely take it travelling with me or will the thing look beaten to pieces? As for Apple's new design aesthetic - I thought products were moving the way of the iPhone (ref the new iMac). So I wonder why the Macbook Air's screen is not framed in black like the iMac? AFter all it there's quite a bit of space around it and I've grown to really like the black surround on my iMac. Also, the apple on the Air is white but the keys on the keyboard black - the exact opposite of the new iMac system. I realise they like the Apple to illuminate when the systems on but normally Apple are so good at design consistency. Just wonder where they're going with it ...
The comparisons between the MBA and the MB are meaningless. The MBA should be compared to other ultra portables. To see people like groverat make such comparisons is quite disappointing.
Anyone who doesn't realize that miniaturization and weight reduction in products is costly has their head in the sand (or somewhere else). The difference between a $500 road bike and a high performance $5000 bike is only a couple of pounds as well.
The comparisons aren't meaningless because the MBA is almost the exact same size as the MB. As for the weight reduction remove all the missing Air features from a MB and it will weigh less too.
Lenovo Thinkpad X61s (12.1" screen)
Height: 0.8" - 1.1" (MBA: 0.16" - 0.76")
Width: 10.5"\t(MBA: 12.8")
Depth: 8.3 "\t(MBA: 8.94")
Weight: 3.1lbs\t (3.0lbs)
.
Well according to this article at ars, the MBA compares nicely with its peers.
Time will tell.
The comparisons aren't meaningless because the MBA is almost the exact same size as the MB. As for the weight reduction remove all the missing Air features from a MB and it will weigh less too.
It is meaningless. The thickness is much smaller in the MBA. It may not be the dimension that you find important but some do. The market will decide who is right.
Take 2 lbs off that Schwinn and its a Trek high performance bike. But it isn't that easy or it they would do it.
See this to see how the MBA compares with other ultra portables.
I can fit a MBA into a leather portfolio and till have room for some paper but I can't for a MB.
You need a new, 50$ portfolio, not a new 1799$ laptop. Problem solved.
While the clicking might be somewhat more annoying than writing I'd rather take the MBA to a meeting than a leather writing pad and it fits in the same space and is only a pound heavier.
So you're admitting that it end up being about bragging rights. About image, about trend, about being hip.
That's one of the gripes some of us here have. Apple used to be about solutions.
Anyone who doesn't realize that miniaturization and weight reduction in products is costly has their head in the sand (or somewhere else). The difference between a $500 road bike and a high performance $5000 bike is only a couple of pounds as well.
I do realize that. Do YOU also realize that the market for 5000$ bikes is negligibly small?
What market is Apple targeting here? Americas top 500?
2. You are comparing 2 different classes of computers, you should not be comparing a macbook air vs a macbook, you should be comparing a macbook air vs other 3lb notebooks. Once you do this you will quickly realize 2 things. The macbook air packs a bigger punch and the macbook air is very competitvely priced compared to the competition.
I'm comparing MacBook Air to MacBook because A: This thread is about this comparison. Exactly that question was asked. And B: because both have basically the same ~ 14" footprint, putting them in the same ballpark for many people. Not for all, of course, but for many.
If you think this comparison doesn't make sense or makes my arguments flawed, try reading the original post again.
I do realize that. Do YOU also realize that the market for 5000$ bikes is negligibly small?
What market is Apple targeting here?
The market that these machines are targeting.
If you feel this class of machines are stupid then fine. Criticize them all and not just the MBA.
Most of the machines Ars is listing have a significantly smaller footprint, have an integrated optical drive and offer fully featured connectivity, not just an USB, DVI and headphone jack.
Apples 12" offerings had a market, just look at the prices 12" PowerBooks still have on ebay today. People love those machines. But all the people I know who have one of those 12" iBooks or PowerBooks love their machines because they are fully featured computers. And no matter how hard you want to bend it, the MBA is definitely not a fully featured computer.
Well according to this article at ars, the MBA compares nicely with its peers.
Did you read that article? (You've posted the link 3 times now.)
However, just looking at the specs it's clear Toshiba beats Apple, even if they are lying about battery life and Apple is not.
Try again.
Take 2 lbs off that Schwinn and its a Trek high performance bike. But it isn't that easy or it they would do it.
To take weight off a bike you have to use different materials; you don't just take off a wheel.
If you feel this class of machines are stupid then fine. Criticize them all and not just the MBA.
You're right the entire category could stand improvement and that's exactly why people are so disappointed. Perhaps we have become spoiled thinking that Apple would come up with something better than putting a stripped MacBook in a lighter, thinner and much more expensive case.
Most of the machines Ars is listing have a significantly smaller footprint, have an integrated optical drive and offer fully featured connectivity, not just an USB, DVI and headphone jack.
Apples 12" offerings had a market, just look at the prices 12" PowerBooks still have on ebay today. People love those machines. But all the people I know who have one of those 12" iBooks or PowerBooks love their machines because they are fully featured computers. And no matter how hard you want to bend it, the MBA is definitely not a fully featured computer.
I have made my last two computer buying decisions basically based on size. I loved my iBook 12" because it was sturdy, compact and usable on the go.
I loved the iBook despite it not being a fully featured computer. DVI was missing, graphics were crippled, the optical drive was a combo. Most of the things left out from Macbook Air do not bother me a great deal. The only thing I think was truly stupid to leave out is Ethernet. Business adoption will suffer because of that.
The Macbook, on the other hand, is too big in comparison, especially too wide. This in practical use: operating the computer in tight spaces, various kinds of transport, packed auditoriums where you are elbow to elbow with someone, the desk is shallow and so on. I would not have bought the Macbook if there was a small alternative. Air does next to nothing to rectify this. I'd actually like to go smaller than the iBook. If the small Thinkpads ran OS X, I'd have had one long ago.
Air's better than Macbook when it's inside your bag, weighing less. But unlike computers I think of as ultraportables, it has nothing on Macbook at the point where you pull the computer out of the bag. I'm not saying that makes Air a bad computer, but I think it should give the prospective Air buyer pause and make them consider how much exactly they are going to be supporting the weight of the laptop daily.
Supposing one was willing to pay ~$1000 only for the practical benefit of one less kilo to carry, I hope they have exhausted the easy alternatives. If you consume one beer or soda per day less than normal - that is, do less compared to status quo - very soon you will weigh one kilo less, and you will also have saved instead of spent. Can you find a hundred grams of useless stuff in your briefcase and pockets and take it out? That's $100 saved right there.
Suffice to say, I'm not betting on the majority of Air buyers owning it for tangible reasons.
backtomac:
Did you read that article? (You've posted the link 3 times now.)
However, just looking at the specs it's clear Toshiba beats Apple, even if they are lying about battery life and Apple is not.
Try again.
To take weight off a bike you have to use different materials; you don't just take off a wheel.
Yes I read the article. How Ars and you can conclude that the Toshiba is CLEARLY better is beyond me. Yes its smaller and lighter but much slower as well, with an inferior CPU and weaker graphics. I can't imagine that vista is that pleasant of an experience on a processor clocked so low but I could be wrong.
Laptops are a compromised machine, in comparison to a desktop. The processors are slower, the graphics are not as powerful, the memory (hard drive and RAM) is less, ect. But the advantage is portability. Ultra portables are even more of a compromised machine. Apple made design decisions where compromises were acceptable and where they weren't. Most importantly they feel that weight was the most important size consideration and endevored to keep the weight at the 3 lb mark. Within this weigth they decided the largest screen possible was a benefit and placed an emphasis on the screen by giving it LED backlighting. They also felt the cpu performance and general 'teh' snappy feel during use was important and put the fastest CPU found in an ultra portable in the MBA.
You don't agree but that doesn't make Apple's decisions wrong. Sales will determine who is right.
You need a new, 50$ portfolio, not a new 1799$ laptop. Problem solved.
...
So you're admitting that it end up being about bragging rights. About image, about trend, about being hip.
That's one of the gripes some of us here have. Apple used to be about solutions.
No, I'm saying that the MBA is thin enough to actually take everywhere and yet isn't a massive compromise in capability.
I'd rather take a MBA to a meeting because unlike a pad of paper I can google for references on a topic, check my email (if the meeting if boring), bring up relevant briefings to a particular topic and in general be more productive than with a pad of paper.
And I can still take notes.
This is something I've tried to do with:
Atari Portfolio
Palm + Seiko SmartPad
IBM ThinkPad TransNote
NEC MobilePro 900
Motion Computing tablet
Various normal laptops
They have ALL been too heavy or too limited to be worth hauling around everywhere. Being able to stuff a full fledged computer into a leather portfolio fits the bill even if I wished it were also a convertible tablet (to be able to draw diagrams in freehand).
I dunno if trading an integrated keyboard for a digitizer is worth it even as a tablet fan. I often didn't need a keyboard for a tablet but this thing is good enough to be a primary machine which a tablet often isn't (even ignoring the keyboard issue).
The only thing I really wished it had was either an expresscard slot or a docking station.
The footprint is larger than some of the competitors but none of those are really thin enough to work well in a case that a lot of folks carry around with them anyway.
I could see a trifold leather portfolio that allowed you keep the computer semi-protected and still use a pad of paper to be one of the first accessories. It could still be only an inch thick including pad.
Too bad the Logitech IO2 pen doesn't work with the Mac. A TransNote like setup with the MBA would be great and at under $2K wouldn't break the bank quite as badly as the original Transnote...
Did you read that article? (You've posted the link 3 times now.)
However, just looking at the specs it's clear Toshiba beats Apple, even if they are lying about battery life and Apple is not.
Try again.
Dude...read the article and not skim it. The key is that last dialog between him and the Apple rep. He likes it and no, I don't think he'd buy the Toshiba.
Plus the author admits it later in comments.
The only thing I really wished it had was either an expresscard slot or a docking station.
.
Man a MBA with a WiMax express card would be a sweet mobile machine.
I'm hoping Sprint releases one for the Mac when they get their WiMax network up this year. I may get one for my MBP.
Dude...read the article and not skim it. The key is that last dialog between him and the Apple rep. He likes it and no, I don't think he'd buy the Toshiba.
Plus the author admits it later in comments.
<Smacks head>
I knew something wasn't right. I just don't get sarcasm over the internet.
I'm not arguing that the Toshiba is better, I just think it weird that you quote an article as if it were support for the MacBook Air when the article actually isn't terribly complimentary.
Further, I don't know what you mean by Apple being "wrong". I don't know what "right" is in this situation.
vinea:
The author wants OSX, that's the rub.
Not everyone is in love with OSX.