Nope, broken by you. Success is Mac OS X reaches its full potential, which it cannot due burdened by irrational biases against all things conventional and practical. Of course as Dr. evil once said, why make billions when you can make millions.
I think this machine is excellent for giving presentations.
I believe you're a physician and probably attend meetings several times a year. At the meetings I attend ultra portables are commonplace. I think the MBA will do well in this market.
It's not going to outsell the MB or MBP but it still can be successful in its own right.
actually I am really curious
how many units do you guys think the MBA needs to sell as a niche product to be pronounced a success. Unless some of you think it will outsell the MB
how many units do you guys think the MBA needs to sell as a niche product to be pronounced a success. Unless some of you think it will outsell the MB
That is the question isn't it? I think Apple has sales goals, but they're smart to not make them public. Like the Mini if it doesn't meet their expectations, they can write it off as a niche machine. That being said, after devoting pretty much an entire Mac world to the Air and the AppleTV whose appeal probably isn't going to meet Apple's expectations, how well thus thing sells might be closely monitored. Apple could have deflected some of this by updating the MBPs during the keynote.
That is the question isn't it? I think Apple has sales goals, but they're smart to not make them public. Like the Mini if it doesn't meet their expectations, they can write it off as a niche machine. That being said, after devoting pretty much an entire Mac world to the Air and the AppleTV whose appeal probably isn't going to meet Apple's expectations, how well thus thing sells might be closely monitored. Apple could have deflected some of this by updating the MBPs during the keynote.
it seems to me some users seem to think the MBA will outsell the MB or reach MBP type numbers. Personally im skeptical that the market for them are this big. But I wouldn't mind to be proven wrong
Well, I have said it once before, so I'll say it again. It's called a JOB. I also use the GI Bill, which any of you guys can get. Just join the military and earn it. I have suffered almost 20 years of bullshit to get it, plus retirement in a few months.
Understood.
however, you don't have to join the military to get an education. I am currently working my way through school. And the price of school eats my money away. I am trying to pay as much of my loan off month by month so I don't have 60,000 in debt waiting for me at the end. that leaves me with pretty much the basic needs of housing and utilities covered. Most college students are not broke because they aren't working. They are broke because it is close to impossible to get paid decently before your have your degree. I have learned this from hard experience.
Back to the main topic. The MBA is niche because of what it lacks. Sure, it is good at meeting a niche need, but it is still niche. heck, it doesn't even meet the minimum specs for Verizon FIOS services.
however, you don't have to join the military to get an education. I am currently working my way through school. And the price of school eats my money away. I am trying to pay as much of my loan off month by month so I don't have 60,000 in debt waiting for me at the end. that leaves me with pretty much the basic needs of housing and utilities covered. Most college students are not broke because they aren't working. They are broke because it is close to impossible to get paid decently before your have your degree. I have learned this from hard experience.
Back to the main topic. The MBA is niche because of what it lacks. Sure, it is good at meeting a niche need, but it is still niche. heck, it doesn't even meet the minimum specs for Verizon FIOS services.
I second that, most of them don't have time for a full time job for one. Unless of course you got rich parents.
We know Apple does market research. They also have information from their retail stores as to why a person did not buy a certain product.
Since they introduced the Air, I have to assume that their research shows that a significant proportion of customers coming in to look at notebooks did not find the subnotebook or light notebook that they wanted and wound up getting a PC subnotebook instead.
It was a market that Apple had no product for, AND more importantly, a market that they had a significant number of customers coming in and asking about.
So it is not expected to outsell the cheaper full-size notebooks, nor steal sales from them. It is to provide a solution to the customers who did not find what they wanted to buy.
It's not surprising that "lighter weight" would be a common request among notebook computer shoppers.
They will see how many they sell, and compare to the number of notebook customers who did not buy due to the lack of a subnotebook.
They are betting that this group of customers would prefer that the weight be reduced by omitting the optical drive and a couple of ports, rather than making the computer have a tiny screen and tiny keyboard.
The customers looking for a 3-pound subnotebook are not likely to be heavy optical drive users, or those who carry 2 extra batteries - they do not want to carry extra weight. If they didn't mind extra weight, they would save money and buy the MacBook in the first place.
We know Apple does market research. They also have information from their retail stores as to why a person did not buy a certain product.
Since they introduced the Air, I have to assume that their research shows that a significant proportion of customers coming in to look at notebooks did not find the subnotebook or light notebook that they wanted and wound up getting a PC subnotebook instead.
It was a market that Apple had no product for, AND more importantly, a market that they had a significant number of customers coming in and asking about.
So it is not expected to outsell the cheaper full-size notebooks, nor steal sales from them. It is to provide a solution to the customers who did not find what they wanted to buy.
It's not surprising that "lighter weight" would be a common request among notebook computer shoppers.
They will see how many they sell, and compare to the number of notebook customers who did not buy due to the lack of a subnotebook.
They are betting that this group of customers would prefer that the weight be reduced by omitting the optical drive and a couple of ports, rather than making the computer have a tiny screen and tiny keyboard.
The customers looking for a 3-pound subnotebook are not likely to be heavy optical drive users, or those who carry 2 extra batteries - they do not want to carry extra weight. If they didn't mind extra weight, they would save money and buy the MacBook in the first place.
The Problem is that they went little a little bit overboard on the execution and got it way too barebones. It seems ike they were more interested in blowing the Toshiba's R500 out of the water with thinness than they were making a functional notebook. The deal breaker his that you can't use Apple's external superdrive with any other devices. Give up just enough thinness for one additional USB2 port and they'd have the best ultra-portable on the planet. Apple did a great job designing the Air for the airplane or bus, but they didn't seem to quite think through what happens when you get back to the hotel room.
Give up just enough thinness for one additional USB2 port and they'd have the best ultra-portable on the planet. Apple did a great job designing the Air for the airplane or bus, but they didn't seem to quite think through what happens when you get back to the hotel room.
Yeah...one USB port is the difference between best and worst ultraportable on the market.
Ben you just love to hate Apple while continuing to be a customer...or wanna be customer. I forget which.
Back to the main topic. The MBA is niche because of what it lacks. Sure, it is good at meeting a niche need, but it is still niche. heck, it doesn't even meet the minimum specs for Verizon FIOS services.
The minimum spec for FiOS service is a working credit card and availability of FiOS in your area. Don't lie and spread FUD just because you disagree with some design choices.
In any case, all you need is the ethernet dongle for $29 and sometimes not even that. The DLINK router Verizon gave me was wide open and let me do config via wireless. All I needed was a machine with a web browser.
it seems to me some users seem to think the MBA will outsell the MB or reach MBP type numbers. Personally im skeptical that the market for them are this big. But I wouldn't mind to be proven wrong
I don't think anyone (here) believes that the MBA will outsell either the MB or MBP.
Nope, broken by you. Success is Mac OS X reaches its full potential, which it cannot due burdened by irrational biases against all things conventional and practical. Of course as Dr. evil once said, why make billions when you can make millions.
Which is why Apple is outperforming Dell...and has twice the market cap with better PE and EPS.
Yeah...one USB port is the difference between best and worst ultraportable on the market.
due to the above spec power requirements used by the super drive, the one USB port can be the difference between smooth operating and a giant hassle. If you want to use that super drive you cannot use any other devices. When you're trying to conduct business that can be a huge deal and a dealbreaker for the air.
Quote:
Ben you just love to hate Apple while continuing to be a customer...or wanna be customer. I forget which.
I love to hate Jobs and Ive, the guys in the software and iPod departments are the best in the business.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinea
Which is why Apple is outperforming Dell...and has twice the market cap with better PE and EPS.
I don't call 8% considering the huge operating system advantage to be anything to write home about. Apple could do double that with some slight product teaks.
due to the above spec power requirements used by the super drive, the one USB port can be the difference between smooth operating and a giant hassle. If you want to use that super drive you cannot use any other devices.
Yeah but see - I don't give a crap about the superdrive. Superdrive, shmuperdrive. That's the point about these subnotebooks. If you really need 4.7 GB of data, put it on a USB drive. If you really really really need to burn DVDs on a trip, then you don't need a subnotebook.
The single USB port is fine for me, as all I need is someplace to plug in a mouse. That's ALL. Everything else I can get through Back To My Mac and if I need to re-install the OS, I would have used Disk Utility to put a fresh ISO of the Leopard Install Disk on a 7 GB partition of the Air's hard drive. It's an order of magnitude faster to reinstall that way than to chug-chug-chug with a DVD.
due to the above spec power requirements used by the super drive, the one USB port can be the difference between smooth operating and a giant hassle. If you want to use that super drive you cannot use any other devices. When you're trying to conduct business that can be a huge deal and a dealbreaker for the air.
Riiight. Because you really need to use that DVD burner you likely left in your hotel room anyway. The only gotcha with the USB port is that its too slim for many current 3G modems. Which means you need a USB cord extender or a micro hub.
Its kinda a shame that the superdrive doesn't have a hub built it but its hardly a dealbreaker unless you're looking for reasons not to buy the MBA.
Quote:
I love to hate Jobs and Ive, the guys in the software and iPod departments are the best in the business.
Yeah well Apple without Jobs would be...oh I dunno...likely out of business by now given how horribly run it was before he came back. Had they picked Gassee, Apple would also suck right now.
Quote:
I don't call 8% considering the huge operating system advantage to be anything to write home about. Apple could do double that with some slight product teaks.
Heh...name another OS with 8% desktop market share vs Windows dominance. Not BeOS, not OS2, not AmigaDOS (vaguely still alive), and not Linux (free and on all PC platforms...hey its 2008! I don't see your 20% desktop market share anywhere...).
Anyway, your assertion (double market share) is without any backing data and introducing the xMac is not a "slight product tweak".
Yeah - I smell an "xMac/homebuilder/gamer/expandability/swap-out everything/video cards are all that" philosophy here.
If that was in demand, Apple would have done it.
A) No. I'm trying to make a case for the MBA against other UPs. The market isn't going to come out of thin air. It's going to come from converting existing business users to the MBA. To do so it will have to be able to do the same things their Sonys or Toshibas do now and things like back to my Mac aren't going to work with the PC at the office. Consumer enthusiasts alone aren't going to be able to cover the development costs on this machine.
you're making the assertion that apple is somehow infallible and whatever they do must be the case. 'Less is more' isn't a blanket solution for all computer users.
The minimum spec for FiOS service is a working credit card and availability of FiOS in your area. Don't lie and spread FUD just because you disagree with some design choices.
In any case, all you need is the ethernet dongle for $29 and sometimes not even that. The DLINK router Verizon gave me was wide open and let me do config via wireless. All I needed was a machine with a web browser.
the ethernet dongle is a bit of a ridiculous extra charge if you ask me. Clearly trying to generate more revenue. It could have just been included as an extra accessory.
A) No. I'm trying to make a case for the MBA against other UPs. The market isn't going to come out of thin air. It's going to come from converting existing business users to the MBA.
No need to assume a situation that specific. All Apple is doing is providing a solution for customers who want a Mac but do not find a subnotebook in the line-up.
Quote:
To do so it will have to be able to do the same things their Sonys or Toshibas do now
For some, maybe. We don't know how many Sony and Toshiba users would prefer a fullsize screen and keyboard and do not care about optical drives or swapping batteries. I've never even met anybody who carries an extra battery, and almost all of my colleagues who go to 10-12 medical conferences a year carry their laptops each time.
Quote:
and things like back to my Mac aren't going to work with the PC at the office. Consumer enthusiasts alone aren't going to be able to cover the development costs on this machine.
Oh, I think it's a pro machine, definitely. Consumers would just get the cheaper MacBook. The Air is for that portion of the market that wants a 3-pounder. Most 3-pounders aren't 13 inches, so that is where Apple is betting that their approach will gain favor.
Quote:
you're making the assertion that apple is somehow infallible and whatever they do must be the case. 'Less is more' isn't a blanket solution for all computer users.
The usual fanboi/Apple is perfect/Apple is infallible reply. I never said any such thing.
What I said was that there is logic behind these decisions, not stupidity. Once you see what the logic is, you understand. Here is what I think Apple decided:
1. There is a market among professionals for a 3-pound laptop.
2. Given a 13 inch screen vs a 10 inch screen, people who are looking for 3-pound laptops would prefer the 13 inch.
3. People who use 3-pound laptops do not use an optical drive very much, and when they do, it is usually not while away from home.
4. These professionals would like a full-size keyboard.
5. In many hotels and conference centers, there is wireless internet. For those that do not have it, a $30 adapter is no big deal to carry in your coat pocket if you are saving 2.5 pounds of weight.
6. The main reason for more than one USB port is for people who want to use the optical drive and a thumb drive at the same time. This is very rare. Even so, it can be done with a hub.
7. Potential customers in this market know that these subnotebooks cost about $1500-$2000 depending on size and weight. They also know that SSD is very expensive.
8. Our customers would most likely only take the documents they need for the conference or business meeting, not dozens of huge graphics apps or audio editing apps or multi-gigs of video. Plus, making the Air thicker and heavier to put in a 160 GB drive would not make a difference - there would still be those who wanted 250 GB, or 500 GB. Might as well go for the thin design.
Comments
Fixed for you.
Nope, broken by you. Success is Mac OS X reaches its full potential, which it cannot due burdened by irrational biases against all things conventional and practical. Of course as Dr. evil once said, why make billions when you can make millions.
I think this machine is excellent for giving presentations.
I believe you're a physician and probably attend meetings several times a year. At the meetings I attend ultra portables are commonplace. I think the MBA will do well in this market.
It's not going to outsell the MB or MBP but it still can be successful in its own right.
actually I am really curious
how many units do you guys think the MBA needs to sell as a niche product to be pronounced a success. Unless some of you think it will outsell the MB
actually I am really curious
how many units do you guys think the MBA needs to sell as a niche product to be pronounced a success. Unless some of you think it will outsell the MB
That is the question isn't it? I think Apple has sales goals, but they're smart to not make them public. Like the Mini if it doesn't meet their expectations, they can write it off as a niche machine. That being said, after devoting pretty much an entire Mac world to the Air and the AppleTV whose appeal probably isn't going to meet Apple's expectations, how well thus thing sells might be closely monitored. Apple could have deflected some of this by updating the MBPs during the keynote.
That is the question isn't it? I think Apple has sales goals, but they're smart to not make them public. Like the Mini if it doesn't meet their expectations, they can write it off as a niche machine. That being said, after devoting pretty much an entire Mac world to the Air and the AppleTV whose appeal probably isn't going to meet Apple's expectations, how well thus thing sells might be closely monitored. Apple could have deflected some of this by updating the MBPs during the keynote.
it seems to me some users seem to think the MBA will outsell the MB or reach MBP type numbers. Personally im skeptical that the market for them are this big. But I wouldn't mind to be proven wrong
Well, I have said it once before, so I'll say it again. It's called a JOB. I also use the GI Bill, which any of you guys can get. Just join the military and earn it. I have suffered almost 20 years of bullshit to get it, plus retirement in a few months.
Understood.
however, you don't have to join the military to get an education. I am currently working my way through school. And the price of school eats my money away. I am trying to pay as much of my loan off month by month so I don't have 60,000 in debt waiting for me at the end. that leaves me with pretty much the basic needs of housing and utilities covered. Most college students are not broke because they aren't working. They are broke because it is close to impossible to get paid decently before your have your degree. I have learned this from hard experience.
Back to the main topic. The MBA is niche because of what it lacks. Sure, it is good at meeting a niche need, but it is still niche. heck, it doesn't even meet the minimum specs for Verizon FIOS services.
Understood.
however, you don't have to join the military to get an education. I am currently working my way through school. And the price of school eats my money away. I am trying to pay as much of my loan off month by month so I don't have 60,000 in debt waiting for me at the end. that leaves me with pretty much the basic needs of housing and utilities covered. Most college students are not broke because they aren't working. They are broke because it is close to impossible to get paid decently before your have your degree. I have learned this from hard experience.
Back to the main topic. The MBA is niche because of what it lacks. Sure, it is good at meeting a niche need, but it is still niche. heck, it doesn't even meet the minimum specs for Verizon FIOS services.
I second that, most of them don't have time for a full time job for one. Unless of course you got rich parents.
Since they introduced the Air, I have to assume that their research shows that a significant proportion of customers coming in to look at notebooks did not find the subnotebook or light notebook that they wanted and wound up getting a PC subnotebook instead.
It was a market that Apple had no product for, AND more importantly, a market that they had a significant number of customers coming in and asking about.
So it is not expected to outsell the cheaper full-size notebooks, nor steal sales from them. It is to provide a solution to the customers who did not find what they wanted to buy.
It's not surprising that "lighter weight" would be a common request among notebook computer shoppers.
They will see how many they sell, and compare to the number of notebook customers who did not buy due to the lack of a subnotebook.
They are betting that this group of customers would prefer that the weight be reduced by omitting the optical drive and a couple of ports, rather than making the computer have a tiny screen and tiny keyboard.
The customers looking for a 3-pound subnotebook are not likely to be heavy optical drive users, or those who carry 2 extra batteries - they do not want to carry extra weight. If they didn't mind extra weight, they would save money and buy the MacBook in the first place.
We know Apple does market research. They also have information from their retail stores as to why a person did not buy a certain product.
Since they introduced the Air, I have to assume that their research shows that a significant proportion of customers coming in to look at notebooks did not find the subnotebook or light notebook that they wanted and wound up getting a PC subnotebook instead.
It was a market that Apple had no product for, AND more importantly, a market that they had a significant number of customers coming in and asking about.
So it is not expected to outsell the cheaper full-size notebooks, nor steal sales from them. It is to provide a solution to the customers who did not find what they wanted to buy.
It's not surprising that "lighter weight" would be a common request among notebook computer shoppers.
They will see how many they sell, and compare to the number of notebook customers who did not buy due to the lack of a subnotebook.
They are betting that this group of customers would prefer that the weight be reduced by omitting the optical drive and a couple of ports, rather than making the computer have a tiny screen and tiny keyboard.
The customers looking for a 3-pound subnotebook are not likely to be heavy optical drive users, or those who carry 2 extra batteries - they do not want to carry extra weight. If they didn't mind extra weight, they would save money and buy the MacBook in the first place.
The Problem is that they went little a little bit overboard on the execution and got it way too barebones. It seems ike they were more interested in blowing the Toshiba's R500 out of the water with thinness than they were making a functional notebook. The deal breaker his that you can't use Apple's external superdrive with any other devices. Give up just enough thinness for one additional USB2 port and they'd have the best ultra-portable on the planet. Apple did a great job designing the Air for the airplane or bus, but they didn't seem to quite think through what happens when you get back to the hotel room.
actually I am really curious
how many units do you guys think the MBA needs to sell as a niche product to be pronounced a success. Unless some of you think it will outsell the MB
I would look at it in relation to it's competitors in its class. IE, how does it sell in comparison to the sony tz and toshiba portege?
If it outsells them, then its a success IMO.
Give up just enough thinness for one additional USB2 port and they'd have the best ultra-portable on the planet. Apple did a great job designing the Air for the airplane or bus, but they didn't seem to quite think through what happens when you get back to the hotel room.
Yeah...one USB port is the difference between best and worst ultraportable on the market.
Ben you just love to hate Apple while continuing to be a customer...or wanna be customer. I forget which.
Back to the main topic. The MBA is niche because of what it lacks. Sure, it is good at meeting a niche need, but it is still niche. heck, it doesn't even meet the minimum specs for Verizon FIOS services.
The minimum spec for FiOS service is a working credit card and availability of FiOS in your area. Don't lie and spread FUD just because you disagree with some design choices.
In any case, all you need is the ethernet dongle for $29 and sometimes not even that. The DLINK router Verizon gave me was wide open and let me do config via wireless. All I needed was a machine with a web browser.
it seems to me some users seem to think the MBA will outsell the MB or reach MBP type numbers. Personally im skeptical that the market for them are this big. But I wouldn't mind to be proven wrong
I don't think anyone (here) believes that the MBA will outsell either the MB or MBP.
Nope, broken by you. Success is Mac OS X reaches its full potential, which it cannot due burdened by irrational biases against all things conventional and practical. Of course as Dr. evil once said, why make billions when you can make millions.
Which is why Apple is outperforming Dell...and has twice the market cap with better PE and EPS.
Yeah...one USB port is the difference between best and worst ultraportable on the market.
due to the above spec power requirements used by the super drive, the one USB port can be the difference between smooth operating and a giant hassle. If you want to use that super drive you cannot use any other devices. When you're trying to conduct business that can be a huge deal and a dealbreaker for the air.
Ben you just love to hate Apple while continuing to be a customer...or wanna be customer. I forget which.
I love to hate Jobs and Ive, the guys in the software and iPod departments are the best in the business.
Which is why Apple is outperforming Dell...and has twice the market cap with better PE and EPS.
I don't call 8% considering the huge operating system advantage to be anything to write home about. Apple could do double that with some slight product teaks.
due to the above spec power requirements used by the super drive, the one USB port can be the difference between smooth operating and a giant hassle. If you want to use that super drive you cannot use any other devices.
Yeah but see - I don't give a crap about the superdrive. Superdrive, shmuperdrive. That's the point about these subnotebooks. If you really need 4.7 GB of data, put it on a USB drive. If you really really really need to burn DVDs on a trip, then you don't need a subnotebook.
The single USB port is fine for me, as all I need is someplace to plug in a mouse. That's ALL. Everything else I can get through Back To My Mac and if I need to re-install the OS, I would have used Disk Utility to put a fresh ISO of the Leopard Install Disk on a 7 GB partition of the Air's hard drive. It's an order of magnitude faster to reinstall that way than to chug-chug-chug with a DVD.
due to the above spec power requirements used by the super drive, the one USB port can be the difference between smooth operating and a giant hassle. If you want to use that super drive you cannot use any other devices. When you're trying to conduct business that can be a huge deal and a dealbreaker for the air.
Riiight. Because you really need to use that DVD burner you likely left in your hotel room anyway. The only gotcha with the USB port is that its too slim for many current 3G modems. Which means you need a USB cord extender or a micro hub.
Its kinda a shame that the superdrive doesn't have a hub built it but its hardly a dealbreaker unless you're looking for reasons not to buy the MBA.
I love to hate Jobs and Ive, the guys in the software and iPod departments are the best in the business.
Yeah well Apple without Jobs would be...oh I dunno...likely out of business by now given how horribly run it was before he came back. Had they picked Gassee, Apple would also suck right now.
I don't call 8% considering the huge operating system advantage to be anything to write home about. Apple could do double that with some slight product teaks.
Heh...name another OS with 8% desktop market share vs Windows dominance. Not BeOS, not OS2, not AmigaDOS (vaguely still alive), and not Linux (free and on all PC platforms...hey its 2008! I don't see your 20% desktop market share anywhere...).
Anyway, your assertion (double market share) is without any backing data and introducing the xMac is not a "slight product tweak".
If that was in demand, Apple would have done it.
Yeah - I smell an "xMac/homebuilder/gamer/expandability/swap-out everything/video cards are all that" philosophy here.
If that was in demand, Apple would have done it.
A) No. I'm trying to make a case for the MBA against other UPs. The market isn't going to come out of thin air. It's going to come from converting existing business users to the MBA. To do so it will have to be able to do the same things their Sonys or Toshibas do now and things like back to my Mac aren't going to work with the PC at the office. Consumer enthusiasts alone aren't going to be able to cover the development costs on this machine.
The minimum spec for FiOS service is a working credit card and availability of FiOS in your area. Don't lie and spread FUD just because you disagree with some design choices.
In any case, all you need is the ethernet dongle for $29 and sometimes not even that. The DLINK router Verizon gave me was wide open and let me do config via wireless. All I needed was a machine with a web browser.
the ethernet dongle is a bit of a ridiculous extra charge if you ask me. Clearly trying to generate more revenue. It could have just been included as an extra accessory.
A) No. I'm trying to make a case for the MBA against other UPs. The market isn't going to come out of thin air. It's going to come from converting existing business users to the MBA.
No need to assume a situation that specific. All Apple is doing is providing a solution for customers who want a Mac but do not find a subnotebook in the line-up.
To do so it will have to be able to do the same things their Sonys or Toshibas do now
For some, maybe. We don't know how many Sony and Toshiba users would prefer a fullsize screen and keyboard and do not care about optical drives or swapping batteries. I've never even met anybody who carries an extra battery, and almost all of my colleagues who go to 10-12 medical conferences a year carry their laptops each time.
and things like back to my Mac aren't going to work with the PC at the office. Consumer enthusiasts alone aren't going to be able to cover the development costs on this machine.
Oh, I think it's a pro machine, definitely. Consumers would just get the cheaper MacBook. The Air is for that portion of the market that wants a 3-pounder. Most 3-pounders aren't 13 inches, so that is where Apple is betting that their approach will gain favor.
The usual fanboi/Apple is perfect/Apple is infallible reply. I never said any such thing.
What I said was that there is logic behind these decisions, not stupidity. Once you see what the logic is, you understand. Here is what I think Apple decided:
1. There is a market among professionals for a 3-pound laptop.
2. Given a 13 inch screen vs a 10 inch screen, people who are looking for 3-pound laptops would prefer the 13 inch.
3. People who use 3-pound laptops do not use an optical drive very much, and when they do, it is usually not while away from home.
4. These professionals would like a full-size keyboard.
5. In many hotels and conference centers, there is wireless internet. For those that do not have it, a $30 adapter is no big deal to carry in your coat pocket if you are saving 2.5 pounds of weight.
6. The main reason for more than one USB port is for people who want to use the optical drive and a thumb drive at the same time. This is very rare. Even so, it can be done with a hub.
7. Potential customers in this market know that these subnotebooks cost about $1500-$2000 depending on size and weight. They also know that SSD is very expensive.
8. Our customers would most likely only take the documents they need for the conference or business meeting, not dozens of huge graphics apps or audio editing apps or multi-gigs of video. Plus, making the Air thicker and heavier to put in a 160 GB drive would not make a difference - there would still be those who wanted 250 GB, or 500 GB. Might as well go for the thin design.