Why don't you find me a 3lb notebook with a C2D that costs less than a a MacBook.
Step One: buy a $1099 MacBook.
Step Two: unscrew the bottom of the case and remove half of the internal components, most notably the 2lb optical drive. Use a dremel to eliminate unnecessary ports like Firewire, USB, and Ethernet. For best results, swap the internal drive for a lighter and much slower iPod hard drive.
Step Three: eBay the removed components to a MacBook Air owner; he's going to need them.
Step Two: unscrew the bottom of the case and remove half of the internal components, most notably the 2lb optical drive. Use a dremel to eliminate unnecessary ports like Firewire, USB, and Ethernet. For best results, swap the internal drive for a lighter and much slower iPod hard drive.
Step Three: eBay the removed components to a MacBook Air owner; he's going to need them.
Actually I wonder how heavy a MB would be without the optical drive. And have a custom motherboard that has less ports. I would say its similar weight to the MBA would it be? just not that thickness, which is important to alot of people
Every company that has ultra portables charges much more for them than the average laptop. Why should Apple be any different?
Because 1.) Apple's product line only consisted of two models before the MacBook Air, so the addition of an extremely niche product doesn't make a lot of sense, and 2.) people might actually buy subnotebooks if it didn't mean paying twice the price for literally half the computer.
develpment costs were less didn't have to create a new screen size, all the parts were "off the shelf" and there strength is their design team. makes sense. also those road warriors are and willing to pay much more for 95% of what the mac air has. i spend twice that for a small ibm, it's a great value. compare to competition. most might be smaller, lighter and have a cd drive but at 500-1000 more.
Does anyone know if it is possible to upgrade the MBA 1.6/80 GB HDD to a faster (and larger capacity) SSD drive, say three years from now?
Is there anything in the motherboard hardware of the 1.8/64 GB SSD MBA model that makes it different from the lower mode that would make a future SSD drive replacement incompatible? Do they use the same interface cable?
Would the real-world speed differences of the faster SSD drive be as noticeable on a 1.6 GHz model?
Does anyone know if it is possible to upgrade the MBA 1.6/80 GB HDD to a faster (and larger capacity) SSD drive, say three years from now?
Is there anything in the motherboard hardware of the 1.8/64 GB SSD MBA model that makes it different from the lower mode that would make a future SSD drive replacement incompatible? Do they use the same interface cable?
Would the real-world speed differences of the faster SSD drive be as noticeable on a 1.6 GHz model?
Welcome to AI. No one here knows for sure. I'm certain there will be someone who swaps the HDD for an SSD and blogs about it at some point. From an engineering POV, the difficulty may be in the connector. Are they using hte typical connector for a 2.5" drive (i doubt it)? Are they using the 1.8" connector in their iPod line? Is there some obscure IEE standard for 1.8" storage drives in notebooks (i doubt that, too)?
You could check 1.8" SSDs and HHDs on Google Products and cross-reference that with the breakdown images of the MBA.
Welcome to AI. No one here knows for sure. I'm certain there will be someone who swaps the HDD for an SSD and blogs about it at some point. From an engineering POV, the difficulty may be in the connector. Are they using hte typical connector for a 2.5" drive (i doubt it)? Are they using the 1.8" connector in their iPod line? Is there some obscure IEE standard for 1.8" storage drives in notebooks (i doubt that, too)?
You could check 1.8" SSDs and HHDs on Google Products and cross-reference that with the breakdown images of the MBA.
I see that the Apple Store will allow you to custom build a 1.6 GHz model with a SSD instead of the HDD, so it must just be the same PATA (Parallel ATA) interface? Has anyone taken apart both models and compared them?
Comments
I'm disappointed that it's impossible to import music from another computer.
Why do you think it's impossible?
It's way too close to the 15" MacBook Pro, which will run circles around it in every category for not much more weight.
The MBA should be less than a MacBook.
DT
The MBA should be less than a MacBook.
Why don't you find me a 3lb notebook with a C2D that costs less than a a MacBook.
Why don't you find me a 3lb notebook with a C2D that costs less than a a MacBook.
Step One: buy a $1099 MacBook.
Step Two: unscrew the bottom of the case and remove half of the internal components, most notably the 2lb optical drive. Use a dremel to eliminate unnecessary ports like Firewire, USB, and Ethernet. For best results, swap the internal drive for a lighter and much slower iPod hard drive.
Step Three: eBay the removed components to a MacBook Air owner; he's going to need them.
Step One: buy a $1099 MacBook.
Step Two: unscrew the bottom of the case and remove half of the internal components, most notably the 2lb optical drive. Use a dremel to eliminate unnecessary ports like Firewire, USB, and Ethernet. For best results, swap the internal drive for a lighter and much slower iPod hard drive.
Step Three: eBay the removed components to a MacBook Air owner; he's going to need them.
Actually I wonder how heavy a MB would be without the optical drive. And have a custom motherboard that has less ports. I would say its similar weight to the MBA would it be? just not that thickness, which is important to alot of people
It's a fine computer, just at the wrong price point.
It's way too close to the 15" MacBook Pro, which will run circles around it in every category for not much more weight.
The MBA should be less than a MacBook.
DT
its actually more than twice the weight
Every company that has ultra portables charges much more for them than the average laptop. Why should Apple be any different?
Because 1.) Apple's product line only consisted of two models before the MacBook Air, so the addition of an extremely niche product doesn't make a lot of sense, and 2.) people might actually buy subnotebooks if it didn't mean paying twice the price for literally half the computer.
its actually more than twice the weight
MBA=3.0 lbs
15" MBP=5.4 lbs
Far as I know, 3.0 lbs x 2= 6.0...
So how is it "actually" more than twice the weight?
MacLemming thinks we don't need your help defending the MBA or any other Mac product.
Thx.
Is there anything in the motherboard hardware of the 1.8/64 GB SSD MBA model that makes it different from the lower mode that would make a future SSD drive replacement incompatible? Do they use the same interface cable?
Would the real-world speed differences of the faster SSD drive be as noticeable on a 1.6 GHz model?
Does anyone know if it is possible to upgrade the MBA 1.6/80 GB HDD to a faster (and larger capacity) SSD drive, say three years from now?
Is there anything in the motherboard hardware of the 1.8/64 GB SSD MBA model that makes it different from the lower mode that would make a future SSD drive replacement incompatible? Do they use the same interface cable?
Would the real-world speed differences of the faster SSD drive be as noticeable on a 1.6 GHz model?
Welcome to AI. No one here knows for sure. I'm certain there will be someone who swaps the HDD for an SSD and blogs about it at some point. From an engineering POV, the difficulty may be in the connector. Are they using hte typical connector for a 2.5" drive (i doubt it)? Are they using the 1.8" connector in their iPod line? Is there some obscure IEE standard for 1.8" storage drives in notebooks (i doubt that, too)?
You could check 1.8" SSDs and HHDs on Google Products and cross-reference that with the breakdown images of the MBA.
Welcome to AI. No one here knows for sure. I'm certain there will be someone who swaps the HDD for an SSD and blogs about it at some point. From an engineering POV, the difficulty may be in the connector. Are they using hte typical connector for a 2.5" drive (i doubt it)? Are they using the 1.8" connector in their iPod line? Is there some obscure IEE standard for 1.8" storage drives in notebooks (i doubt that, too)?
You could check 1.8" SSDs and HHDs on Google Products and cross-reference that with the breakdown images of the MBA.
I see that the Apple Store will allow you to custom build a 1.6 GHz model with a SSD instead of the HDD, so it must just be the same PATA (Parallel ATA) interface? Has anyone taken apart both models and compared them?