I expect the next gen aluminum/Penryn MacBook will drop the superdrive.
I think it will eventually, but the MacBook is a general purpose consumer notebook that, I suspect, is their only computer. Perhaps in a couple years it will be external but optical media is still very current for many people. Also, the Air needs some time in the spotlight. TAking the optical drive out of the MacBook would confuse a lot of buyers.
The thought occurs to me that this machine is not that much LESS powerful than the PowerMac G5 dual processor 2.0ghz machine I'm using right this moment.
For what I actually use it for - Web programming, light Photoshop, email, web browsing, etc, I doubt that I'd notice much difference in performance. This ancient machine is plenty fast for everything I ask it to do.
The biggest problem with the Air is the lack of disk space, not the lack of CPU ability. (I certainly could not even dream of buying the SSD option - not due to the price but due to the pathetic 64gb disk!) But it wouldn't be too difficult to shift your old projects to an external drive or TIme Capsule and use this machine.
Of course I really want the big 17" monitor on the big MacBook Pro, so I am sure that's what I'll buy. But I don't understand why people denegrate this machine when it has some very expensive engineering behind it that dramatically increases the cost.
For independent types like artists and writers, who like to go to their local park or coffee shop to work, I can see the combination of a full sized keyboard and display with lighter weight as an enormous boon, not to be ignored. I think if that was my position this would be a darn near irresistible machine.
Of course I really want the big 17" monitor on the big MacBook Pro, so I am sure that's what I'll buy. But I don't understand why people denegrate this machine when it has some very expensive engineering behind it that dramatically increases the cost.
Mmm...at my desk, office or home the 17" doesn't matter. I used a dedicated monitor anyway. On my shoulder its moderately annoying day to day and a real pain in the neck after a long flight with layovers. if I've been schlepping it around and running in between gates.
Only in the hotel room do I even use the real estate of the 17" and even there its annoying because the laptop does NOT fit inside the room safe. Which means I sometimes lug it around anyway when I might not have otherwise.
oh.. did anyone mention why AAPL has dropped to 160??
The broader markets have been down for months, and apple along with them. Most people think we're in for a recession in the next few months.
And apple shares usually drop right after announcements because the expectations get unrealistically high beforehand. People expect apple to announce that they've cured cancer, and when they don't meet the impossible expectations, people sell off a bit.
I think right now is a fantastic buying opportunity - when it's back at 200 before long people will be kicking themselves for not getting in.
I think that's "speaker". Singular. Mono sound is listed on the spec sheet. This isn't a portable Final Cut Pro device.
I think one is the mic and the other is the speaker.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Booga
Also, none of the hotels I've stayed at recently have upgraded to wireless. They're all still on Ethernet. So effectively the price of this thing for most people should be assumed to be higher by the price of the Ethernet adapter.
I broke down and started carrying a Airport Express when I travel for work - I just hated being tethered to the ethernet port. At least my workmates could benefit in other rooms.
The 160GB drive is two platters the 80GB drive is one. Id est, it's too thick.
Quote:
or maybe at least a 5400rpm 80g?
I don't think they make 1.8" 5400RPM drives.
Quote:
- expendable SSD slot would be cool.
I'm not sure what that would do. people are complainign about 64 and 80GB, what would a small SSD card really accomplish?
Quote:
- remote disc only installs programs? come on. let me play DVD movies wirelessly
No, it shares the optical drive using Bonjour. And for Windows, shows it hoe to read HFS+ formatted discs. I don't see any reason why you won't be able to play DVDs via Remote Disc.
Quote:
-there should've been another usb port on the external DVD drive.
Now that is a good idea. Or maybe an Ethernet jack, too. It would sure make the DVD drive sales better.
I think it will eventually, but the MacBook is a general purpose consumer notebook that, I suspect, is their only computer. Perhaps in a couple years it will be external but optical media is still very current for many people. Also, the Air needs some time in the spotlight. TAking the optical drive out of the MacBook would confuse a lot of buyers.
Problem is that if you take the optical drive out of a macbook and then use a new metal case and use LED screens it drops to like 4lbs and would have a length and width that is smaller than the MBA.
A new MB with a metal case and no optical drive would have dimensions about:
-Height: .75 inches
-Width: 12.4 inches
-Depth: 8.7 inches
As the LED uses less power, you could drop the battery a bit. Then use an SSD. It goes to like 3.5lbs. So 0.5 heavier and less thin, but less width and length and a ton of ports, two good speakers...
Wouldn't it be kind of embarrassing for MBA owners to realize that Apple could have gotten a smaller form and a close weight approximation had they given up thinness?
The speaker is mono only (not stereo), so your audio output will suffer a bit. The audio comes out of the keyboard holes in the right side, and it sounds a little funny.
Does this mean that I spend $2,000 on a laptop that supposedly didn't compromise and I can't watch a video on itunes in my hotel room without using headphones? The sound had better work on this.
4 years ago = You could buy a 12inch PB with the same vertical viewing space (it was non widescreen), same sized keyboard, was 4.6lbs and less width/length (but thicker).
Take the old PB case. Just using an LED, shrinking the battery slightly and dropping the optical drive from that old machine would get us to like 3.5 lbs and probably 0.8 thickness right? And it had good sound. What the hell Apple?
2. The look at the inside in Steve job's presentation.
3. The fact that the EXISTING macbook is already has slightly less width and length.
4. Oh and that they fit a full computer into the old 12inch powerbook in less of a footprint.
1 & 2 They didn't show the guts of the screen side. There may be antennas and other things in that "wasted space". The screen backlight setup could be forcing a certain geometry. They might be showing a simplified diagram.
3 It's a difference of about a hair's thickness. I highly doubt you can see the difference in footprint relative to the MB. I'm almost certain you couldn't even measure the difference in length and width unless you happened to own a caliper big enough to measure those dimensions.
4 PB was twice as thick and only had an XGA screen.
Comments
I expect the next gen aluminum/Penryn MacBook will drop the superdrive.
I think it will eventually, but the MacBook is a general purpose consumer notebook that, I suspect, is their only computer. Perhaps in a couple years it will be external but optical media is still very current for many people. Also, the Air needs some time in the spotlight. TAking the optical drive out of the MacBook would confuse a lot of buyers.
For what I actually use it for - Web programming, light Photoshop, email, web browsing, etc, I doubt that I'd notice much difference in performance. This ancient machine is plenty fast for everything I ask it to do.
The biggest problem with the Air is the lack of disk space, not the lack of CPU ability. (I certainly could not even dream of buying the SSD option - not due to the price but due to the pathetic 64gb disk!) But it wouldn't be too difficult to shift your old projects to an external drive or TIme Capsule and use this machine.
Of course I really want the big 17" monitor on the big MacBook Pro, so I am sure that's what I'll buy. But I don't understand why people denegrate this machine when it has some very expensive engineering behind it that dramatically increases the cost.
For independent types like artists and writers, who like to go to their local park or coffee shop to work, I can see the combination of a full sized keyboard and display with lighter weight as an enormous boon, not to be ignored. I think if that was my position this would be a darn near irresistible machine.
D
Of course I really want the big 17" monitor on the big MacBook Pro, so I am sure that's what I'll buy. But I don't understand why people denegrate this machine when it has some very expensive engineering behind it that dramatically increases the cost.
Mmm...at my desk, office or home the 17" doesn't matter. I used a dedicated monitor anyway. On my shoulder its moderately annoying day to day and a real pain in the neck after a long flight with layovers. if I've been schlepping it around and running in between gates.
Only in the hotel room do I even use the real estate of the 17" and even there its annoying because the laptop does NOT fit inside the room safe. Which means I sometimes lug it around anyway when I might not have otherwise.
15" MBP is my advice.
- expendable SSD slot would be cool.
- remote disc only installs programs? come on. let me play DVD movies wirelessly, even in a worse quality. (a great 3rd party program, anyone?)
-there should've been another usb port on the external DVD drive.
IT'S NOT AN ULTRA-PORTABLE.
IT'S AN ULTRA-LIGHT "REGULAR" PORTABLE.
.
oh.. did anyone mention why AAPL has dropped to 160??
Their stock always drops right after a keynote.
Their stock always drops right after a keynote.
Not last year's, I think.
,
Not last year's, I think.
,
I don't follow the markets at all, but the curve on this graph shows things going down until March, when they start going up again.
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=AAPL&t=1y
This one shows a very brief spike, followed by an abrupt drop.
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=AAPL...=on&z=m&q=l&c=
Can't pinpoint dates.
oh.. did anyone mention why AAPL has dropped to 160??
The broader markets have been down for months, and apple along with them. Most people think we're in for a recession in the next few months.
And apple shares usually drop right after announcements because the expectations get unrealistically high beforehand. People expect apple to announce that they've cured cancer, and when they don't meet the impossible expectations, people sell off a bit.
I think right now is a fantastic buying opportunity - when it's back at 200 before long people will be kicking themselves for not getting in.
I think that's "speaker". Singular. Mono sound is listed on the spec sheet. This isn't a portable Final Cut Pro device.
I think one is the mic and the other is the speaker.
Also, none of the hotels I've stayed at recently have upgraded to wireless. They're all still on Ethernet. So effectively the price of this thing for most people should be assumed to be higher by the price of the Ethernet adapter.
I broke down and started carrying a Airport Express when I travel for work - I just hated being tethered to the ethernet port. At least my workmates could benefit in other rooms.
Express really needs an update to N by the way.
- why wasn't 160gb HDD offered!?
The 160GB drive is two platters the 80GB drive is one. Id est, it's too thick.
or maybe at least a 5400rpm 80g?
I don't think they make 1.8" 5400RPM drives.
- expendable SSD slot would be cool.
I'm not sure what that would do. people are complainign about 64 and 80GB, what would a small SSD card really accomplish?
- remote disc only installs programs? come on. let me play DVD movies wirelessly
No, it shares the optical drive using Bonjour. And for Windows, shows it hoe to read HFS+ formatted discs. I don't see any reason why you won't be able to play DVDs via Remote Disc.
-there should've been another usb port on the external DVD drive.
Now that is a good idea. Or maybe an Ethernet jack, too. It would sure make the DVD drive sales better.
I think it will eventually, but the MacBook is a general purpose consumer notebook that, I suspect, is their only computer. Perhaps in a couple years it will be external but optical media is still very current for many people. Also, the Air needs some time in the spotlight. TAking the optical drive out of the MacBook would confuse a lot of buyers.
Problem is that if you take the optical drive out of a macbook and then use a new metal case and use LED screens it drops to like 4lbs and would have a length and width that is smaller than the MBA.
A new MB with a metal case and no optical drive would have dimensions about:
-Height: .75 inches
-Width: 12.4 inches
-Depth: 8.7 inches
As the LED uses less power, you could drop the battery a bit. Then use an SSD. It goes to like 3.5lbs. So 0.5 heavier and less thin, but less width and length and a ton of ports, two good speakers...
Wouldn't it be kind of embarrassing for MBA owners to realize that Apple could have gotten a smaller form and a close weight approximation had they given up thinness?
Look at the wasted space to the left/right of MBA the keyboard.
How do you know that it's wasted space?
Only in the hotel room do I even use the real estate of the 17" and even there its annoying because the laptop does NOT fit inside the room safe.
Fantastic point.
15" MBP is my advice.
Not that fantastic.
Their stock always drops right after a keynote.
It doesn't help that all the markets went down that day either. For example, Dow Jones is down 600 points since Tuesday.
How do you know that it's wasted space?
Easy.
1. Tapering of case shows little is in there.
2. The look at the inside in Steve job's presentation.
3. The fact that the EXISTING macbook is already has slightly less width and length.
4. Oh and that they fit a full computer into the old 12inch powerbook in less of a footprint.
The speaker is mono only (not stereo), so your audio output will suffer a bit. The audio comes out of the keyboard holes in the right side, and it sounds a little funny.
Does this mean that I spend $2,000 on a laptop that supposedly didn't compromise and I can't watch a video on itunes in my hotel room without using headphones? The sound had better work on this.
4 years ago = You could buy a 12inch PB with the same vertical viewing space (it was non widescreen), same sized keyboard, was 4.6lbs and less width/length (but thicker).
Take the old PB case. Just using an LED, shrinking the battery slightly and dropping the optical drive from that old machine would get us to like 3.5 lbs and probably 0.8 thickness right? And it had good sound. What the hell Apple?
Easy.
1. Tapering of case shows little is in there.
2. The look at the inside in Steve job's presentation.
3. The fact that the EXISTING macbook is already has slightly less width and length.
4. Oh and that they fit a full computer into the old 12inch powerbook in less of a footprint.
1 & 2 They didn't show the guts of the screen side. There may be antennas and other things in that "wasted space". The screen backlight setup could be forcing a certain geometry. They might be showing a simplified diagram.
3 It's a difference of about a hair's thickness. I highly doubt you can see the difference in footprint relative to the MB. I'm almost certain you couldn't even measure the difference in length and width unless you happened to own a caliper big enough to measure those dimensions.
4 PB was twice as thick and only had an XGA screen.