High-quality MacBook Air SuperDrive photos, notes on Remote Disc

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  • Reply 41 of 55
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lookingglass View Post


    I wonder about that. Sure, they've reduced the bulk but if extreme portability were the primary goal then why a 13.3 screen? Apple is good at seeing demographics that others miss and they may do it again with the MBA, but I'm not convinced they're aiming this at the ultra-portable market. IMHO, the ultra-portable market wants a full featured laptop.



    Define full featured? Full featured to me is a decent sized display and a full size keyboard. I travel a lot and using a mini-keyboard on an 11" display (note: this is the average size that is being compared to the Air when wonder why it's not as light as other ULWs) would get old quickly. I don't use FW or an optical drive while traveling and only use one USB port for syncing my iPhone. This is ideal. They made a lightwieght machine while using a modern processor, a full sized keyboard and a MacBook sized display. name anyone else who has done that?
  • Reply 42 of 55
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Define full featured? Full featured to me is a decent sized display and a full size keyboard. I travel a lot and using a mini-keyboard on an 11" display (note: this is the average size that is being compared to the Air when wonder why it's not as light as other ULWs) would get old quickly. I don't use FW or an optical drive while traveling and only use one USB port for syncing my iPhone. This is ideal. They made a lightwieght machine while using a modern processor, a full sized keyboard and a MacBook sized display. name anyone else who has done that?



    To me, full featured includes a replaceable battery, FW, ethernet, and an optical drive, and possibly more than one USB.



    I admit my idea of the ultra-portable market is skewed to the business user or even the IT user, and that an ultra-portable should handle any task out in the field, expected or not, without needing an external this, external that, a dongle or a hub. Just get a call, grab the laptop and go. I image the ultra-portable market will sacrifice keyboard comfort, display size and brightness, and affordability, all to accommodate reduced size and bulk.



    I'm guessing it's my association of ultra-portable to the business and IT user that has me missing the mark. Apple is almost definitely aiming for a different market, a consumer ultra-portable market. I'm looking forward to finding out how large that market is.
  • Reply 43 of 55
    cubitcubit Posts: 846member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    As was first reported by AppleInsider last February, Apple's new MacBook Air lacks a built-in optical disc drive, meaning users will need to perform backups and software installs using two new wireless solutions or with the help of the company's new MacBook Air external Super Drive.



    The $99 MacBook Air Super Drive is thin, light, and easy to tote on the go. It's slot-loading, weighing 320 g (0.71 pounds) and measuring 139 x 139 x 17 mm / 5.47 x 5.47 x 0.67 inches (L x W x H).













    The last time I used something like the MacBook Air Super Drive was on my PowerBook 100! A pain in the neck, but it worked fine back in the Dark Ages. I am very concerned about the battery life on these machines, though, and wonder at the value of the SSD.
  • Reply 44 of 55
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hamishb View Post


    Be great if they could use the remote disc technology to share a DVD over the network. Stick a movie in my G5's optical drive, and play it on my plasma via Apple TV!



    Take 2.5 perhaps?



    I do that now. I place a dvd in my G5, and access it from file sharing, mounting it on my mini attached to my tv, and watch the movie using gigabit. Be nice to be able to boot from a shared drive, though.
  • Reply 45 of 55
    cubitcubit Posts: 846member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nolefan View Post


    Well Steve Jobs has officially convinced me that even he and Apple can fall to complacency. No BD? A "thin" notebook that lacks the optical drive that nearly all users need/want, no firewire (400 or 800), no 3g connectivity, no ethernet without an external plug, and the only wireless connectivty being Wifi??? Wow Steve, the "coffee" must be getting really good out there in Cupertino. Well while Steve was underwhelming the world today, Apple stock was falling like a stone (with good reason). Step aside Steve as the crowd runs out of the Apple store down the mall toward the Sony store so they can purchase their Vaio Blu-ray laptops with 3G, wifi, firewire and usb, and all in the size of the macbook. Can you say hackinstosh?





    Where are going to even find this mythical "Sony Store"? Who's going to give you the "skinny" on how it works there?
  • Reply 46 of 55
    johnqhjohnqh Posts: 242member
    A LOT OF sub-notebooks have the optical drives as an external option. What's the big deal? I cannot believe people are obsessed over this.



    Regarding the footprint - I am sure pretty soon, some third party will introduce a dock-like external drive which fits nicely under the MBA, with the DVD+/-RW and acts as an USB hub, but unfortunately requires external power supply to power the additional USB ports.
  • Reply 47 of 55
    By way of agreeing with some other folks here, to bemoan the "lack" of features on the MBA is akin to complaining about the Prius because it doesn't have a V8 300 HP gasoline engine.



    As it strikes me, the best way to view the MBA is as a showcase or concept product. Similar to a concept car produced by the likes of Ford or whatever car manufacturer you like.



    The difference is that Apple is making their concept computer available for purchase because it actually has many useful features to it. The micro-DVI, for example, which support how many video output formats? 5? Just in one little port? That is sweet no matter how you cut it.



    Apple made what could be considered a similar concept computer in the G4 Cube. Now, economically, that unit didn't do so hot, but as far as advancing the state of computer technology goes, we ended up with very useful miniaturization design strategies that culminated in the Mac Mini.



    So, if you're not too excited about the MBA as a consumer product, be excited by what this may mean for updated versions of the MB or the MBP. They're coming!
  • Reply 48 of 55
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BuddyRevell View Post


    Haha, what a weak a$$ analogy. Last time I checked, the MBA was an $1800 notebook computer, not a phone or a music player. The fact that it doesn't have what most notebook computers have is frankly, piss poor. It takes up almost the same amount of space as a much cheaper and more fully featured Macbook in someone's backpack. Hell the low end MBP barely has a larger footprint than the MBA and it runs circles around it in every other way possible for only a couple hundred more. So, I'm curious: who IS the target market for this POS?



    This is intended to be the smallest possible laptop. By definition, doing that requires leaving things out - of COURSE it doesn't have everything that cheaper (by which you mean bigger) laptops have.



    And you're flat out wrong that it takes up the same space as a Macbook, it's way thinner and way lighter.



    I probably wouldn't get one of these since I mostly use my laptop in the house and my highest priorities are big screen and cheap. But I have to admit, I rarely use my optical drive and ethernet ports, and could easily go without both.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lookingglass View Post


    I admit my idea of the ultra-portable market is skewed to the business user or even the IT user, and that an ultra-portable should handle any task out in the field, expected or not, without needing an external this, external that, a dongle or a hub. Just get a call, grab the laptop and go. I image the ultra-portable market will sacrifice keyboard comfort, display size and brightness, and affordability, all to accommodate reduced size and bulk.



    It sounds like you're just disagreeing about semantics.



    Some people want all available laptop features. That means it can't be as small, so that user can get the Macbook or MB pro.



    Some people are just typing, doing basic "computer" stuff, wireless internet etc. This is the perfect box for them. Whether someone else dubs it "ultra portable" while it seems you'd dub it "ultra ultra portable" isn't really important.



    Personally, I think they will sell like hotcakes. And I'll bet many people won't even bother to buy the external optical drive (and many of those that do will end up leaving it in a drawer to gather dust before long). And I'm so confident about the Air, the aTV/rental updates and the other stuff, I bought more apple stock this morning. I really think that the backlash to yesterday's announcements was mostly people not getting it...and that next quarter when we hear that the new stuff is doing well, there will be plenty of eating crow.
  • Reply 49 of 55
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by [email protected] View Post


    I do that now. I place a dvd in my G5, and access it from file sharing, mounting it on my mini attached to my tv, and watch the movie using gigabit. Be nice to be able to boot from a shared drive, though.



    Doesn't the mini have its own DVD drive?
  • Reply 50 of 55
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by minderbinder View Post


    This is intended to be the smallest possible laptop. By definition, doing that requires leaving things out - of COURSE it doesn't have everything that cheaper (by which you mean bigger) laptops have.



    It's definitely a set of a trade-offs. If it included an optical drive, Firewire, 160GB hard drive (which I haven't found in an ultralight yet) and a 1.2GHz Core Duo, people are going to bitch about the slow CPU.



    Too many of the arguments basically boil down to a false argument that goes something like "if it isn't what I want, therefore no one else wants it either". No product is for everyone. Might as well complain that a given Ferrari can't seat four people.
  • Reply 51 of 55
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BuddyRevell View Post


    The MBA is not impressive at all. I need a firewire input for my video projects. But the lack of a built in optical drive is the deal breaker. Even the smallest Sony portables have one. Imagine wanting to watch a DVD on the plane and having to plug in that external. How cumbersome and lame.



    Do you not read? Or do you just not understand?
  • Reply 52 of 55
    haro!haro! Posts: 32member
    I'm probably not the best example of someone who uses their laptop to the fullest but also likes good looking hardware. With that said, I think the MBA would be a perfect fit for me. I don't use the optical drive that often. I use iTunes for most of my music/video and I've gotten used to the fact that I don't need to have every single album or movie I own with me at all times. I don't need much processing power since I mostly use my laptop for things like word processing and spreadsheets and just simple stuff like that. Okay so it can be argued that I'd be paying too much for something like this but my only answer to that is commuting between school and work with a lot less weight/bulk seems worth it.
  • Reply 53 of 55
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post


    Too many of the arguments basically boil down to a false argument that goes something like "if it isn't what I want, therefore no one else wants it either". No product is for everyone. Might as well complain that a given Ferrari can't seat four people.



    Amen to that, it's worth repeating.
  • Reply 54 of 55
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post


    Doesn't the mini have its own DVD drive?



    Yes it does - I am also using this setup. I meant for the Apple TV to be able to access the DVD over the network (802.11n or gigabit ethernet).



    We are currently working our way through the West Wing on DVD - if I want to use an Apple TV instead of the mini (currently bidding for an ATV on eBay), then I guess I will have to use Mac the Ripper and Elgato's Turbo.264 to get it into iTunes!



    Any other ideas here?
  • Reply 55 of 55
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by [email protected] View Post


    I do that now. I place a dvd in my G5, and access it from file sharing, mounting it on my mini attached to my tv, and watch the movie using gigabit. Be nice to be able to boot from a shared drive, though.



    Understand - but what about accessing a DVD from an Apple TV? Possible?
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