MacBook Air - CUBE / or not CUBE?

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  • Reply 41 of 185
    benroethigbenroethig Posts: 2,782member
    The air will sell better than the cube did. The ultra-portable segment is small but big enough. The Cube was the most glaring example of Jobs and desktop users not seeing eye to eye.
  • Reply 42 of 185
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addabox View Post


    USB ethernet adapter FTW.



    lol Words right out of my mouth.
  • Reply 43 of 185
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BenRoethig View Post


    The air will sell better than the cube did. The ultra-portable segment is small but big enough. The Cube was the most glaring example of Jobs and desktop users not seeing eye to eye.



    It's just small, cause everyone else is so freaking poor.
  • Reply 44 of 185
    physguyphysguy Posts: 920member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Spectre1 View Post


    Completely agree that this is a niche product, intended for those who want something for the road, and not meant to be anyone's "primary" computer. For those who already have a fairly new Mac at home and have the money to burn on a second (or third), this looks great. I'm sure that the salespeople at the Apple stores are not going to be advising anyone to buy this instead of an iMac, MacBook or MacBook Pro if someone comes in and tells them that they are looking for something that they can use to put all of their music, photos and movies on and use as their primary computer for all of their day-to-day needs.



    Couldn't disagree more. This will become my primary computer when my current (MacBook Pro) is a little bit older.



    1) Weight is critical



    2) Optical - with the Air Disk don't care and won't buy the $99 1 LB add-on



    3) Laptop speeds and lots of memory



    4) I hook my laptop to external screen/keyboard at work anyway so NP there. Most of my large data is on external drives anyway so no problem there. BT keyboard, USB drive.



    5) hard-wire ethernet? Won't miss as long as 802.11n.



    I'm not sure when these board will stop doing feature comparison and start looking at functional use comparisons. Its just like the iPhone - doesn't have feature 1, 2, 3... will never sell. Oops 4 million sold in first 200 days. Feature lists are only important if it a commodity type product (e.g. television) where there is little differentiation or if there are 1 or 2 killer features that are a must have. I don't think Apple has missed any killer features (for example they would have if they left off an external video port).
  • Reply 45 of 185
    marcusmarcus Posts: 227member
    Built in battery?



    More cube than even I thought...
  • Reply 46 of 185
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by gfeier View Post


    I would call it an "ultra-portable" if it had a 12.1" screen and was one inch smaller in length and width. I know at least one potential customer who will probably not buy it because of the 13.3" screen (not me, my idea of a portable computer is my Mac Pro because it has handles).



    Being "ultra-portable" just means that it is, in fact, ultra-portable. I think the Air probably qualifies as that. I will see soon enough . It certainly appears to be just as nimble, if not more nimble, as the PC ultra-portables.



    My only complaint is that I would prefer the machine to be slightly thicker so that a large, lithium polymer film battery could have been stashed behind the display. That would add 2 or 3mm to the thickness, but I would appreciate the ability to run for extended periods of time on battery power. Otherwise, the feature set is perfectly well suited to what I expect the product to do for me.



    Moreover, the creator of this poll needs an option to the tune of: "MacBook Air will meet or possibly exceed sales goals." It's an extremely negatively biased poll with one manic option.
  • Reply 47 of 185
    physguyphysguy Posts: 920member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Marcus View Post


    Built in battery?



    More cube than even I thought...



    Just like the disaster the iPhone built-in battery has been????



    Don't confuse what you might want with what will sell.
  • Reply 48 of 185
    outsideroutsider Posts: 6,008member
    Idea for 3rd party manufacturers:



    Create an external battery that clips to the bottom and plugs into the magsafe!
  • Reply 49 of 185
    jensonbjensonb Posts: 532member
    I like it, but there are concerns. The primary one being the price (Particularly in the UK - starts at $2,360.70) and the hard drive. As long as in the reviews the hard drive performance is not abysmal (Bad will be okay, I hardly intend on using it for HDD intensive stuff) I will be seriously considering picking itup.



    If Tesco Direct carry it, I'll get it anyway. 10% discount FTW
  • Reply 50 of 185
    @_@ artman@_@ artman Posts: 5,231member




    The one on the right. $400. I may wait for the 8G, 10 inch, so Apple....the Eee PC 701 is next.*



    Review



    *Unless the Macbook comes down to $500
  • Reply 51 of 185
    amorphamorph Posts: 7,112member
    I didn't vote in the poll because there isn't a reasonable positive choice.



    This little guy will sell. It's lightweight, looks great, has a good battery life, decent performance for what it's going to be doing. The Sharper Image style all-solid-state option will be irresistable to executives, who won't mind the price. It's not that far out for a high-end subnote.



    Optical drive? If you don't have an external you can just borrow the one on the laptop of the guy sitting next to you on the plane.



    Ethernet? Meh. Who buys a 3lb. laptop to be tethered to a desk? If you're in corporate environment bring the USB->Ethernet cable. Otherwise, bring an AirPort Express (or a Time Capsule). I don't travel without mine, and I have a 17" with Gb ethernet. The whole joy of using a notebook is that you aren't tethered.



    The full-size keyboard and 13" screen are a trade-off. On the one hand, the really hardcore subnote fans won't like the extra size. On the other hand, people who wouldn't ordinarily look at a cramped little subnote will look at this.



    Overall, I see a pretty robust seller (if not a bestseller) and a good bellwether for where laptops are eventually heading.
  • Reply 52 of 185
    one word: lame
  • Reply 53 of 185
    PC's are better!

    When are you friggin people gonna come to reality and leave this little pansy fantasy of yours behind!
  • Reply 54 of 185
    midwintermidwinter Posts: 10,060member
    Ftw Ftw
  • Reply 55 of 185
    Quote:

    Couldn't disagree more. This will become my primary computer when my current (MacBook Pro) is a little bit older.



    1) Weight is critical



    2) Optical - with the Air Disk don't care and won't buy the $99 1 LB add-on



    3) Laptop speeds and lots of memory



    4) I hook my laptop to external screen/keyboard at work anyway so NP there. Most of my large data is on external drives anyway so no problem there. BT keyboard, USB drive.



    5) hard-wire ethernet? Won't miss as long as 802.11n.



    I'm not sure when these board will stop doing feature comparison and start looking at functional use comparisons. Its just like the iPhone - doesn't have feature 1, 2, 3... will never sell. Oops 4 million sold in first 200 days. Feature lists are only important if it a commodity type product (e.g. television) where there is little differentiation or if there are 1 or 2 killer features that are a must have. I don't think Apple has missed any killer features (for example they would have if they left off an external video port)



    I see, so on top of the $1800 plus tax you are going to spend on the MacBook Air, you are going to spend another $300 for the Time Capsule, and you already have an external screen, keyboard and external drives. The only reason that you are able to focus on what you call "functional" use comparisons is that you already have the functionality externally that most people would be looking to have incorporated into their primary computer. And what I am positing is that for most people, who do not already have the additional $500 plus worth of hardware that you have (and do not want to shell out the $300 for the Time Capsule) this computer is not going to be adequate as their primary computer.
  • Reply 56 of 185
    it'll do better than the cube, but i'm not a big fan of the 1 usb port. of course there are hubs, but that sort of defeats the purpose of it. But i do like the Time Capsule, though i probably won't be getting one.
  • Reply 57 of 185
    backtomacbacktomac Posts: 4,579member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Spectre1 View Post


    this computer is not going to be adequate as their primary computer.



    You're right.



    But its not intended to be ones primary computer.



    Not al users are alike. This product is intended for people who want an ultra portable. This is a well know market that existed prior to the MBA. These people value small size and low weight.



    I attend 1 or 2 scientific meetings every year. Ultra portables are very popular with people who present at theses meetings. This product will appeal greatly to people like this.



    Just because it doesn't appeal to you doesn't mean the product is not valid.
  • Reply 58 of 185
    jensonbjensonb Posts: 532member
    As a casual writer, it appeals to me as something I can take around with me without much hassle and happily use in bed when I want to write a lot in comfort.
  • Reply 59 of 185
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by @_@ Artman View Post






    The one on the right. $400. I may wait for the 8G, 10 inch, so Apple....the Eee PC 701 is next.*



    Review



    *Unless the Macbook comes down to $500



    I just bought mine.
  • Reply 60 of 185
    shadowshadow Posts: 373member
    This one is primarily for business users and those who travel a lot. It is a great product. It is no surprise that there are few on these forums which understand the real value of such a product.



    It is not cube because:
    1. It is priced competitively.

    2. It is not trying to establish a new product category. Fits an important gap in Apple product line. The 12" was selling well but it was by no means as good against competition as this one.

    3. The feature set is very good for that market segment. The presence of the iSight is a bonus. The trackpad should be very usable (even without the new touch features) - I mean, there is no need to carry a mouse around, as many PC users do. The lack of built-in optical drive is a plus. Drop a 2GB flash drive in your pocket and, when on the road, you will do without CD/DVD drive even without using a shared drive from another computer.

    4. It has very elegant design. For it's market segment this is more important than FireWire or whatever feature was stripped off. Besides being small and light the majority of it's customers will want it to stand out of the crowd, and it does.

    5. There are many people (my wife, her boss, to name a few ) who have a Mac as a primary computer but were looking for a light notebook for business travel. Mac OS is a major advantage for them and they will buy it even if they were looking for a somewhat smaller-sized notebook (note that 12" 4:3 is roughly the same as 13" widescreen).

    Don't worry if you don't get it. This one is not for you. But millions will buy.
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