There are courses which will help with your reading comprehension problems. I'd advise you to take one.
That still doesn't change the fact that AI articles are often worded in an obtuse matter, and abuse words on occasion. In this case, the article does meander quite a bit.
And as I stated above there has not been one direct CPU comparison. There is no 1.6GHz HDD vs. SSD MBA or 1.8GHz HHD vs. SSD MBA comparisons. What part of "direct CPU comparison" was too equivocal when replying to your previous post of deviating comparatives?
It's easy to choke on 1080p without a dedicated VGC, but there is no reason to even have that on a 13" screen.
Maybe there isn't always a choice. The 3x00 chip is supposed to be able to handle 1080p decoding, but not on all major codecs, and the feature being there doesn't mean Apple uses it. Ideally, it would be matched to the device, but there are other complications that can arise.
Quote:
The fn key has spanned decades of notebooks. When depressed this modifer key will input differently when combined with other keys. On most notebooks it will things like screen brightness, volume and video output; on Apple notebooks it allows you to access the PF (function) keys, by default.
Yes. The only reason I can think of for being surprised at seeing an Fn key is that the person never used a notebook before, or have not used one in a long time. It seems like all notebooks have an Fn key.
The MacBook Air is here and has generated the usual vituperation. The people who post to forums like this have vented their spleen over its perceived shortcomings, just as they did with the iPhone and the iPod Touch and...well, everything Apple brings out. None of this will have any effect on the market; the Air will sell (or not) if people want it (or not.) I suspect its sales will astonish the nay-sayers, but I've been wrong before.
I can understand people who want to use their computers sitting in cramped airline seats thinking a smaller form factor would be better, but really, these power users would find a 10" screen like they say they want excruciating for the tasks they say they want to use it for. Some of them have tiny ultralights, and they think their suffering is Windows-related, and that a small-footprint Apple ultralight would alleviate it, but I'm willing to bet it won't. I think Apple made the right choice in keeping the full-size screen and keyboard, and if these Road Warriors will give it an honest chance, I think they'll be forced to agree.
So what's the next rabbit Steve Jobs will pull out of his hat? (Has anybody ever seen him wear a hat?) Much of the speculation leading up to MacWorld was that it would see the introduction of a "tablet" computer, and a lot of the disappointment stems from the failure of that tablet to show up. Every question that's been asked about an Apple Tablet has been met with evasion. I think I know why: "Tablet" is the wrong metaphor. A tablet is still a notebook. What we need next is a new form-factor halfway between a "Notebook" and a "Pocket" or "Palm" device like an iPhone. I suggest the right term is a "Book:" a totally new type of computer the size of a standard octavo book: 6"x9"x1" or thereabouts. I don't believe it's an accident that the MacBook Air's logic board is the exact right size for such a device.
This new machine might work like a giant iPod Touch, with nothing but a touchscreen, but I hope it will have a keyboard. It should open completely, 180 degrees, deactivating the keyboard of course when it's completely open. In that attitude it's an iPod Touch/eBook reader/video player/internet appliance that can sense its orientation and switch from portrait to landscape mode automatically. With the keyboard at a traditional opening, it's a small laptop that can be used to type e-mails and notes. Yes, yes, it's too small for touch-typing (I can just hear the screaming over this: "I want it small, but large!") It would be much easier to carry around everywhere you go; you can put it under your arm when you need both hands free. It's like...well, carrying a book. People do it all the time.
Anyway, that's my prediction and my request. I would stand in line on the first day to buy one of these, and I'll bet a lot of other people would too. But if you read the forums immediately after its introduction, I'll bet the firestorm of criticism the MacBook Air has been subjected to would seem tame by comparison! Such is the Apple World.
I agree with most everything you have requested and have said.
I predicted a similar machine a few months ago, amidst rumours of a new "Newton" device. The only thing that makes me wonder if such a device will come to be is the new emphasis on the Touch and its new capabilities and the emphasis on its being a part of what seems to be Apple's increasing focus on wireless devices. Perhaps the Touch will be what is focused on, although I do believe that something like what you described would do very well in the marketplace.
In an international economy class seat (eg: AA, Qantas or BA) can an moderately sized user (read: not a bolemic college kid) open the 'tray table' put the macbook air on it (users seat in upright position), open the macbook air completely and use it? And does it break when the person in front puts their seat back suddenly? Is it still useable when the seat in front is back and your seat is upright (can the macbook air be opened to a useable position?)?
reason: I've stopped buying mac's due to the large screens - the last one I had snapped in two when the person in front of me in economy put their seat back and the screen caught on the little latch that is supposed to hold the tray table in place. I now use the Sony TX/TZ models (11.1" screen).
2)
In an international economy class seat (eg: Qantas, AA, United, BA, Cathay) - NO SEAT POWER - flying long haul (eg: LAX-SYD (15 hours) or LON-HKG-SYD (23 hours) how much work can you get done on the macbook air before it runs out of power? If flying LON-HKG-SYD with a 'typical' 2 hour stopover in the Hong Kong (equates to about 1 hour in the lounge and about 1 hour of walking betweens gates/security/boarding) how much can you re-charge the macbook air for the next flight?
With my Sony TX on the LAX-SYD I can typically get about 5-6 hours work done per leg - and in a 1 hour break in Hong Kong I can get the Sony charged enough for another 4-5 hours work. I also now carry a second battery but I rarely need to use it unless for some reason I can't get to a power socket at the airport, or I decide to watch something on iTunes or a DVD (rather than use the iPod Video or the DVD player).
My figures are based on my own experience flying these routes every 8-10 weeks. By 'work' I mean typically word processing with the screen as dim as is still readable in the cabin lighting, all wireless options off (as per FAA and cabin staff directions) and the maximum power saving options on. I also have C/C++ compilers on my laptop in case I need to do some testing of new software - but that would be less than 10% of the work I do on a plane. I typically sit in a aisle seat.
If you can prove that the macbook air is *REALLY* designed for air travellers I'll buy one.
My reading of the macbook air spec is it is *NOT* designed for a frequent flyer - it's confused.
The biggest gripes I have with the current spec of the macbook air (as you can probably guess from my questions) are that the screen/dimensions are too large and that the battery life is unfit. I've only just recently started carrying a separate DVD player on my long haul flights (before that I used a second battery on the Sony) so I don't think I'd miss the DVD drive (though a smart thing would be for Apple to release a 'DVD Player' (with it's own battery and screen) that can hook up to the Macbook Air.
Keep your Sony and be happy; obviously the Air was not designed for you. That does not make it a bad computer.
---
What is it with people bashing the Air? Why can people not comprehend that it was not designed for everybody? Why can people not accept that some people will be more than satisfied with the tradeoffs which Apple chose for the Air? Suppressed jealousy? Some kind of feeling of self-doubt? Pent up rage? A broken toenail? It is amazing how much crap the Air has taken and very few have actually seen the thing in person yet.
What is so hard about looking at a product logically and deciding rationally that it is or is not suited for one's own needs? Why if a product does not fit your particular needs does it become a crappy computer? Anybody bothered fussing about the Crays yet? They're too big, they have too many IO ports, they don't fit in my pocket, they have horrible battery life (no battery for that matter), they suck.
Get over it, people. The Air was designed for a rather specific market. Many of you don't seem to be in that market. So what?
I bash it because it is a lousy replacement for my 12" PB. And I'm afraid Apple won't produce such a replacement because it would compete with the Air.
Just why does the typical laptop user need more than 1 USB port? I have NEVER had more than one USB device plugged into my laptop and rarely even have one.
1. The screen is too big. I want something the size of my 12" G4 PowerBook or smaller. I'm wanting portability here, not the ability to watch movies on my laptop. I have an iPod Touch for movies, so this HUGE 13" screen doesn't make sense to me.
2. The battery life is too short. 5 hours? Seriously? I want to be able to take this thing around with me at a client's site all day without having to worry about a charge. That means I want a good eight to ten hours of battery life. And no, I don't want to have to worry about a third-party solution/charge dongle. I thought the LED backlighting and SSD were supposed to give us at least 8 hours. What happened?
3. I need an Ethernet Port. Sorry, guys. I DO need it, and I shouldn't have to pay a premium for a dongle that will get lost somewhere.
4. The "flip open" area for USB, external video, and headphones is cool, but it's not great. My USB device or headphones don't fit, so now what do I do? Buy an extender? Yet another piece to get lost in the shuffle.
5. While I'm perfectly fine with the lack of optical drive (THANK YOU), I'm not ok with the fact that Remote Disk doesn't give me full functionality of the disk as if it were an internal drive. I want to be able to play a movie from a DVD or play music from a CD. Can I at least import the music from the CD into iTunes via Remote Disk?
6. I'm a little disappointed with the processors. Why not use this as an opportunity to use 45nm technology? Maybe that's in the works, and I really can't fault Apple on that one. In time, I guess.
7. I was expecting the SSD to be standard. Silly me. I would even take a 32GB SSD as a compromise.
I keep hearing, "Yeah, but you're not the target market for this laptop." I beg to differ. The reason I got the 12" PowerBook was that I wanted a portable to tote with me. I didn't want the mammoth 15", and I feel like the 13" is still too big.
Don't get me wrong. The design of the MacBook Air is stunning. I saw it at Macworld, and I didn't fawn over it. "Yeah, that's nice. Next!" I felt let down by Apple. Maybe I have high expectations, but I hope that the new Tablet will give me what I want in a portable unit. Until then, I'll continue to use this 12" PB until it dies on me.
As a side note, I was saving my pennies for the announcement at Macworld. I bought a MacPro and replaced my desktop, instead.
1. The screen is too big. I want something the size of my 12" G4 PowerBook or smaller. I'm wanting portability here, not the ability to watch movies on my laptop. I have an iPod Touch for movies, so this HUGE 13" screen doesn't make sense to me.
2. The battery life is too short. 5 hours? Seriously? I want to be able to take this thing around with me at a client's site all day without having to worry about a charge. That means I want a good eight to ten hours of battery life. And no, I don't want to have to worry about a third-party solution/charge dongle. I thought the LED backlighting and SSD were supposed to give us at least 8 hours. What happened?
3. I need an Ethernet Port. Sorry, guys. I DO need it, and I shouldn't have to pay a premium for a dongle that will get lost somewhere.
4. The "flip open" area for USB, external video, and headphones is cool, but it's not great. My USB device or headphones don't fit, so now what do I do? Buy an extender? Yet another piece to get lost in the shuffle.
5. While I'm perfectly fine with the lack of optical drive (THANK YOU), I'm not ok with the fact that Remote Disk doesn't give me full functionality of the disk as if it were an internal drive. I want to be able to play a movie from a DVD or play music from a CD. Can I at least import the music from the CD into iTunes via Remote Disk?
6. I'm a little disappointed with the processors. Why not use this as an opportunity to use 45nm technology? Maybe that's in the works, and I really can't fault Apple on that one. In time, I guess.
7. I was expecting the SSD to be standard. Silly me. I would even take a 32GB SSD as a compromise.
I keep hearing, "Yeah, but you're not the target market for this laptop." I beg to differ. The reason I got the 12" PowerBook was that I wanted a portable to tote with me. I didn't want the mammoth 15", and I feel like the 13" is still too big.
Don't get me wrong. The design of the MacBook Air is stunning. I saw it at Macworld, and I didn't fawn over it. "Yeah, that's nice. Next!" I felt let down by Apple. Maybe I have high expectations, but I hope that the new Tablet will give me what I want in a portable unit. Until then, I'll continue to use this 12" PB until it dies on me.
As a side note, I was saving my pennies for the announcement at Macworld. I bought a MacPro and replaced my desktop, instead.
Actually I would like to say I agree with you. I always like always thought that the ultra portable market wanted a laptop that was 11" and light because it has a small foot print and the ultra light voltage CPU's gave them battery lives of a business working day or at least close to that. I always thought that was the holy grail of that segment. I don't own one, nor am I the target market. I gathered all this from reading PC magazines who do regular reviews of things like the Sony TZ series. The Air seems a fair bit bigger then any of those Laptops in terms of footprint. When i saw it I thought Dell XPS 1330 not like the Sony TZ.
so my question is, is that a totally seperate market altogether? the one i'm talking about?
I use the trackpad as much as possible, but you try using Maya with a trackpad.
But you were complaining that a USB hub would impact portability. I don't see how a hub reduces portability any more than a mouse does. Both require you to set down at a table, connecting up external devices and operating from that set location. To me portability is to plop down anywhere, open up the MB and getting to work without connecting any external devices or even needing a table.
I would also look very closely at the MBA if you intend to do extensive 3D graphics with Maya.* This might be the wrong computer for that kind of work.
* I had to Google Maya to determine what you were referencing. I took the top response, a 3D graphic program.
I bash it because it is a lousy replacement for my 12" PB. And I'm afraid Apple won't produce such a replacement because it would compete with the Air.
Yeah, and the BMW 335i is a lousy replacement for the 330i. Better safety features, more powerful engine, better looking. But people HATE HATE HATE it because of the Bangle design, so they say it is a lousy replacement.
Yeah, and the BMW 335i is a lousy replacement for the 330i. Better safety features, more powerful engine, better looking. But people HATE HATE HATE it because of the Bangle design, so they say it is a lousy replacement.
The three year old 12" PB beats the Air on footprint, ports and hard drive capacity. And it has a nicer screen. Non-glossy! IMHO.
Comments
There are courses which will help with your reading comprehension problems. I'd advise you to take one.
That still doesn't change the fact that AI articles are often worded in an obtuse matter, and abuse words on occasion. In this case, the article does meander quite a bit.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/24/f...machine-on-th/
http://digg.com/apple/First_MacBook_Air_Benchmarks
http://www.macrumors.com/2008/02/01/...dd-benchmarks/
http://www.x86watch.com/news/apple-m...r-hdd-237.html
And probably more. Google is your friend.
And as I stated above there has not been one direct CPU comparison. There is no 1.6GHz HDD vs. SSD MBA or 1.8GHz HHD vs. SSD MBA comparisons. What part of "direct CPU comparison" was too equivocal when replying to your previous post of deviating comparatives?
It's easy to choke on 1080p without a dedicated VGC, but there is no reason to even have that on a 13" screen.
Maybe there isn't always a choice. The 3x00 chip is supposed to be able to handle 1080p decoding, but not on all major codecs, and the feature being there doesn't mean Apple uses it. Ideally, it would be matched to the device, but there are other complications that can arise.
The fn key has spanned decades of notebooks. When depressed this modifer key will input differently when combined with other keys. On most notebooks it will things like screen brightness, volume and video output; on Apple notebooks it allows you to access the PF (function) keys, by default.
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fn_key
Yes. The only reason I can think of for being surprised at seeing an Fn key is that the person never used a notebook before, or have not used one in a long time. It seems like all notebooks have an Fn key.
The MacBook Air is here and has generated the usual vituperation. The people who post to forums like this have vented their spleen over its perceived shortcomings, just as they did with the iPhone and the iPod Touch and...well, everything Apple brings out. None of this will have any effect on the market; the Air will sell (or not) if people want it (or not.) I suspect its sales will astonish the nay-sayers, but I've been wrong before.
I can understand people who want to use their computers sitting in cramped airline seats thinking a smaller form factor would be better, but really, these power users would find a 10" screen like they say they want excruciating for the tasks they say they want to use it for. Some of them have tiny ultralights, and they think their suffering is Windows-related, and that a small-footprint Apple ultralight would alleviate it, but I'm willing to bet it won't. I think Apple made the right choice in keeping the full-size screen and keyboard, and if these Road Warriors will give it an honest chance, I think they'll be forced to agree.
So what's the next rabbit Steve Jobs will pull out of his hat? (Has anybody ever seen him wear a hat?) Much of the speculation leading up to MacWorld was that it would see the introduction of a "tablet" computer, and a lot of the disappointment stems from the failure of that tablet to show up. Every question that's been asked about an Apple Tablet has been met with evasion. I think I know why: "Tablet" is the wrong metaphor. A tablet is still a notebook. What we need next is a new form-factor halfway between a "Notebook" and a "Pocket" or "Palm" device like an iPhone. I suggest the right term is a "Book:" a totally new type of computer the size of a standard octavo book: 6"x9"x1" or thereabouts. I don't believe it's an accident that the MacBook Air's logic board is the exact right size for such a device.
This new machine might work like a giant iPod Touch, with nothing but a touchscreen, but I hope it will have a keyboard. It should open completely, 180 degrees, deactivating the keyboard of course when it's completely open. In that attitude it's an iPod Touch/eBook reader/video player/internet appliance that can sense its orientation and switch from portrait to landscape mode automatically. With the keyboard at a traditional opening, it's a small laptop that can be used to type e-mails and notes. Yes, yes, it's too small for touch-typing (I can just hear the screaming over this: "I want it small, but large!") It would be much easier to carry around everywhere you go; you can put it under your arm when you need both hands free. It's like...well, carrying a book. People do it all the time.
Anyway, that's my prediction and my request. I would stand in line on the first day to buy one of these, and I'll bet a lot of other people would too. But if you read the forums immediately after its introduction, I'll bet the firestorm of criticism the MacBook Air has been subjected to would seem tame by comparison! Such is the Apple World.
I agree with most everything you have requested and have said.
I predicted a similar machine a few months ago, amidst rumours of a new "Newton" device. The only thing that makes me wonder if such a device will come to be is the new emphasis on the Touch and its new capabilities and the emphasis on its being a part of what seems to be Apple's increasing focus on wireless devices. Perhaps the Touch will be what is focused on, although I do believe that something like what you described would do very well in the marketplace.
1)
In an international economy class seat (eg: AA, Qantas or BA) can an moderately sized user (read: not a bolemic college kid) open the 'tray table' put the macbook air on it (users seat in upright position), open the macbook air completely and use it? And does it break when the person in front puts their seat back suddenly? Is it still useable when the seat in front is back and your seat is upright (can the macbook air be opened to a useable position?)?
reason: I've stopped buying mac's due to the large screens - the last one I had snapped in two when the person in front of me in economy put their seat back and the screen caught on the little latch that is supposed to hold the tray table in place. I now use the Sony TX/TZ models (11.1" screen).
2)
In an international economy class seat (eg: Qantas, AA, United, BA, Cathay) - NO SEAT POWER - flying long haul (eg: LAX-SYD (15 hours) or LON-HKG-SYD (23 hours) how much work can you get done on the macbook air before it runs out of power? If flying LON-HKG-SYD with a 'typical' 2 hour stopover in the Hong Kong (equates to about 1 hour in the lounge and about 1 hour of walking betweens gates/security/boarding) how much can you re-charge the macbook air for the next flight?
With my Sony TX on the LAX-SYD I can typically get about 5-6 hours work done per leg - and in a 1 hour break in Hong Kong I can get the Sony charged enough for another 4-5 hours work. I also now carry a second battery but I rarely need to use it unless for some reason I can't get to a power socket at the airport, or I decide to watch something on iTunes or a DVD (rather than use the iPod Video or the DVD player).
My figures are based on my own experience flying these routes every 8-10 weeks. By 'work' I mean typically word processing with the screen as dim as is still readable in the cabin lighting, all wireless options off (as per FAA and cabin staff directions) and the maximum power saving options on. I also have C/C++ compilers on my laptop in case I need to do some testing of new software - but that would be less than 10% of the work I do on a plane. I typically sit in a aisle seat.
If you can prove that the macbook air is *REALLY* designed for air travellers I'll buy one.
My reading of the macbook air spec is it is *NOT* designed for a frequent flyer - it's confused.
The biggest gripes I have with the current spec of the macbook air (as you can probably guess from my questions) are that the screen/dimensions are too large and that the battery life is unfit. I've only just recently started carrying a separate DVD player on my long haul flights (before that I used a second battery on the Sony) so I don't think I'd miss the DVD drive (though a smart thing would be for Apple to release a 'DVD Player' (with it's own battery and screen) that can hook up to the Macbook Air.
---
What is it with people bashing the Air? Why can people not comprehend that it was not designed for everybody? Why can people not accept that some people will be more than satisfied with the tradeoffs which Apple chose for the Air? Suppressed jealousy? Some kind of feeling of self-doubt? Pent up rage? A broken toenail? It is amazing how much crap the Air has taken and very few have actually seen the thing in person yet.
What is so hard about looking at a product logically and deciding rationally that it is or is not suited for one's own needs? Why if a product does not fit your particular needs does it become a crappy computer? Anybody bothered fussing about the Crays yet? They're too big, they have too many IO ports, they don't fit in my pocket, they have horrible battery life (no battery for that matter), they suck.
Get over it, people. The Air was designed for a rather specific market. Many of you don't seem to be in that market. So what?
Sounds great! :-)
What is it with people bashing the Air?
I bash it because it is a lousy replacement for my 12" PB. And I'm afraid Apple won't produce such a replacement because it would compete with the Air.
And connecting a mouse doesn't impact portability?
I use the trackpad as much as possible, but you try using Maya with a trackpad.
You're right - you're not the target audience.
Just why does the typical laptop user need more than 1 USB port? I have NEVER had more than one USB device plugged into my laptop and rarely even have one.
I guess I'm unusual, then.
2. The battery life is too short. 5 hours? Seriously? I want to be able to take this thing around with me at a client's site all day without having to worry about a charge. That means I want a good eight to ten hours of battery life. And no, I don't want to have to worry about a third-party solution/charge dongle. I thought the LED backlighting and SSD were supposed to give us at least 8 hours. What happened?
3. I need an Ethernet Port. Sorry, guys. I DO need it, and I shouldn't have to pay a premium for a dongle that will get lost somewhere.
4. The "flip open" area for USB, external video, and headphones is cool, but it's not great. My USB device or headphones don't fit, so now what do I do? Buy an extender? Yet another piece to get lost in the shuffle.
5. While I'm perfectly fine with the lack of optical drive (THANK YOU), I'm not ok with the fact that Remote Disk doesn't give me full functionality of the disk as if it were an internal drive. I want to be able to play a movie from a DVD or play music from a CD. Can I at least import the music from the CD into iTunes via Remote Disk?
6. I'm a little disappointed with the processors. Why not use this as an opportunity to use 45nm technology? Maybe that's in the works, and I really can't fault Apple on that one. In time, I guess.
7. I was expecting the SSD to be standard. Silly me. I would even take a 32GB SSD as a compromise.
I keep hearing, "Yeah, but you're not the target market for this laptop." I beg to differ. The reason I got the 12" PowerBook was that I wanted a portable to tote with me. I didn't want the mammoth 15", and I feel like the 13" is still too big.
Don't get me wrong. The design of the MacBook Air is stunning. I saw it at Macworld, and I didn't fawn over it. "Yeah, that's nice. Next!" I felt let down by Apple. Maybe I have high expectations, but I hope that the new Tablet will give me what I want in a portable unit. Until then, I'll continue to use this 12" PB until it dies on me.
As a side note, I was saving my pennies for the announcement at Macworld. I bought a MacPro and replaced my desktop, instead.
1. The screen is too big. I want something the size of my 12" G4 PowerBook or smaller. I'm wanting portability here, not the ability to watch movies on my laptop. I have an iPod Touch for movies, so this HUGE 13" screen doesn't make sense to me.
2. The battery life is too short. 5 hours? Seriously? I want to be able to take this thing around with me at a client's site all day without having to worry about a charge. That means I want a good eight to ten hours of battery life. And no, I don't want to have to worry about a third-party solution/charge dongle. I thought the LED backlighting and SSD were supposed to give us at least 8 hours. What happened?
3. I need an Ethernet Port. Sorry, guys. I DO need it, and I shouldn't have to pay a premium for a dongle that will get lost somewhere.
4. The "flip open" area for USB, external video, and headphones is cool, but it's not great. My USB device or headphones don't fit, so now what do I do? Buy an extender? Yet another piece to get lost in the shuffle.
5. While I'm perfectly fine with the lack of optical drive (THANK YOU), I'm not ok with the fact that Remote Disk doesn't give me full functionality of the disk as if it were an internal drive. I want to be able to play a movie from a DVD or play music from a CD. Can I at least import the music from the CD into iTunes via Remote Disk?
6. I'm a little disappointed with the processors. Why not use this as an opportunity to use 45nm technology? Maybe that's in the works, and I really can't fault Apple on that one. In time, I guess.
7. I was expecting the SSD to be standard. Silly me. I would even take a 32GB SSD as a compromise.
I keep hearing, "Yeah, but you're not the target market for this laptop." I beg to differ. The reason I got the 12" PowerBook was that I wanted a portable to tote with me. I didn't want the mammoth 15", and I feel like the 13" is still too big.
Don't get me wrong. The design of the MacBook Air is stunning. I saw it at Macworld, and I didn't fawn over it. "Yeah, that's nice. Next!" I felt let down by Apple. Maybe I have high expectations, but I hope that the new Tablet will give me what I want in a portable unit. Until then, I'll continue to use this 12" PB until it dies on me.
As a side note, I was saving my pennies for the announcement at Macworld. I bought a MacPro and replaced my desktop, instead.
Actually I would like to say I agree with you. I always like always thought that the ultra portable market wanted a laptop that was 11" and light because it has a small foot print and the ultra light voltage CPU's gave them battery lives of a business working day or at least close to that. I always thought that was the holy grail of that segment. I don't own one, nor am I the target market. I gathered all this from reading PC magazines who do regular reviews of things like the Sony TZ series. The Air seems a fair bit bigger then any of those Laptops in terms of footprint. When i saw it I thought Dell XPS 1330 not like the Sony TZ.
so my question is, is that a totally seperate market altogether? the one i'm talking about?
I use the trackpad as much as possible, but you try using Maya with a trackpad.
But you were complaining that a USB hub would impact portability. I don't see how a hub reduces portability any more than a mouse does. Both require you to set down at a table, connecting up external devices and operating from that set location. To me portability is to plop down anywhere, open up the MB and getting to work without connecting any external devices or even needing a table.
I would also look very closely at the MBA if you intend to do extensive 3D graphics with Maya.* This might be the wrong computer for that kind of work.
* I had to Google Maya to determine what you were referencing. I took the top response, a 3D graphic program.
I thought the LED backlighting and SSD were supposed to give us at least 8 hours. What happened?
Apple decided they could shrink the battery capacity instead to make it THIN.
And connecting a mouse doesn't impact portability?
There are things called usb hubs and there are bluetooth mice nowadays.
I bash it because it is a lousy replacement for my 12" PB. And I'm afraid Apple won't produce such a replacement because it would compete with the Air.
Yeah, and the BMW 335i is a lousy replacement for the 330i. Better safety features, more powerful engine, better looking. But people HATE HATE HATE it because of the Bangle design, so they say it is a lousy replacement.
I don't see how a hub reduces portability any more than a mouse does.
I does if it needs to be powered.
My 12" PB can power an external 2.5" drive containing a iTunes library and charge an iPod. Can I do the same with a non-powered hub?
Or can the Air power an external keyboard and charge an iPod at the same time?
From the iPod manual:
Yeah, and the BMW 335i is a lousy replacement for the 330i. Better safety features, more powerful engine, better looking. But people HATE HATE HATE it because of the Bangle design, so they say it is a lousy replacement.
The three year old 12" PB beats the Air on footprint, ports and hard drive capacity. And it has a nicer screen. Non-glossy! IMHO.
I'm sure if the usb port can charge the Superdrive it can charge an iPod. Or you can do like I used to do when I had an ipod: plug it in to an outlet.
Sure! But can it do it with a non-powered hub? While something else is connected? Or through a keyboard (that Apple recommends against)?
I'm not saying it can't be done. I don't know. If it could, it would be great and remove one large concern I have about the Air.