Guess what? You don't seem to think people use their laptops consulting around the globe? Corporations will give you an ethernet cable to plug into a DMZ and work. Moron corporations let you wifi into their corporate infrastructure. It happens, but shouldn't.
Ethernet for professional laptops is important.
So get the USB to ethernet dongle. And yes, you can wifi into a DMZ. I have that at work for guests. It's not like a second router for the conference room is a huge expense.
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.
It depends. They often give CD's with the conference abstracts and other information. No thanks, I don't want to carry an external optical drive.
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.
While it is $800 more than a base MacBook (when the $99 drive is included) but as a primary machine they are about the same.
I have a 17" MBP and I use an external keyboard, mouse and monitor to work comfortably at home. Only on the road do I just live with an external mouse.
If I didn't need better 3D support the MBA would be fine for me as MBP replacement. For most road warriors it's fine as a primary machine.
It depends. They often give CD's with the conference abstracts and other information. No thanks, I don't want to carry an external optical drive.
Hey buddy, can you copy the 700MB conference CD to my 4GB USB key for me? I left my optical drive at home. Thanks!
That's if someone isn't nice enough to load the software to let you borrow their drive to just copy it across or you can't just pull it off the conference website which is pretty common these days.
Do not compare it to the MacBook. This is the ultra-portable that business travelers want. It is not for students or the usual MacBook customer.
$1100-$1300? DREAM ON. Ultraportables cost more, not the same, as their heavier and thicker siblings.
Yes, you're right, it is targeted at the business market. Now, just exactly what share of the business market does Apple have???? I'm guessing it is miniscule, far less than the consumer market.
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:
It is priced competitively.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I agree with everything you said except for the last sentence. Maybe you can use the MacBook Air in a business environment, but the vast majority of business won't even allow Mac OS X into their company. Mac OS X is a no go in most businesses, it is a non-starter. If this sells by the millions I'd be very(and happily) surprised, after all I am an AAPL shareholder.
Yes, you're right, it is targeted at the business market. Now, just exactly what share of the business market does Apple have???? I'm guessing it is miniscule, far less than the consumer market.
I would estimate that Apple's business market is the fastest growing in the industry. You're starting to see more and more. In Palo Alto, which is a bit of a snobby town and probably the mac center of the universe, being a businessman with a mac laptop is the rule -- not the exception to it. The popularity has spread noticeably, though, to other metro areas. In airports and on airplanes it's very, very common to see people using mac laptops. Five years ago, it was something of a novelty to witness this. The Air has a big market. I am curious to see who will be the first in my company to get one: I guarantee there will be dozens in use by June.
One thing that will likely be a setback in the business environment is that it will be close to impossible to install a standard Windows disc on it. You can't boot Windows from an external drive on a Mac unless Apple have improved their software since I tried it. I'm not sure but I think Vista is the same as XP in this regard.
There is a way to put a Parallels install onto a Bootcamp partition but it's not very easy to do.
I agree with everything you said except for the last sentence. Maybe you can use the MacBook Air in a business environment, but the vast majority of business won't even allow Mac OS X into their company.
But if Apple releases a product that prompts major gadget lust in the executive suite, is IT going to tell them no?
As far as the burden of the external optical drive: At least you can leave it in your laptop bag rather than being burdened with it at all times. If not, NBD, as there are other ways to get a CD or DVD worth of material into the little guy.
Apple have a winner on their hands. It's not going to sell like the iMac or the MacBook, but it's going to sell.
I'm sorry but this is just a silly product. I so wanted a real SUBnotebook. that means small size...12 inch powerbook but preferably smaller, actually. this is not a subnote. it is a lightweight , stripped down mac book.
look at the dimensions. except for thin-ness it is almost exactly the same foot print as a macbook.
why pay that much more for what is essentially a macbook that is half as slow, has fewer ports? i dont even care about the optical drive. why couldnt they have gotten rid of the bezel around the screen? and they are trying to sell the point that they didnt have to compromise on a full size keyboard....doesnt that seem stupid? for an ultraportable? if someone really wanted a full keyboard they can get a macbook. from the looks of it, removing the extra space on the sides of the keyboard STILL would have kept it 'full size' and yet cut off an inch or more from the width. how does having a thinner , same footprint mac really help the person looking for an ultra portable subnote?
i think steve got too fixated on the same ipod, mini, nano linear thinking and didnt stop to ask any real users about footprint. what have japanese mac fans been crying out for for YEARS?! sub note.
$1700 for a $300 I can get a mac book pro with a real video card alot more ports, faster cpu, more ram 4gb max, bigger HD, gig-e port and dvdwr build in.
$1700 for a $300 I can get a mac book pro with a real video card alot more ports, faster cpu, more ram 4gb max, bigger HD, gig-e port and dvdwr build in.
And the MacBook Pro weighs how much?
Seriously, why do so many people not get this? Go away and compare the MacBook Air to other ultraportables and witness the highly competitive price.
Why on earth are people comparing this to a MacBook? For crying out loud!!!!!!!!! Wake up!
It's a valid comparison. That's exactly what this thing is, a stripped-down, de-contented MacBook. The MB has much better specs for a lot less money, with the same screen size and similar foot print.
It's a valid comparison. That's exactly what this thing is, a stripped-down, de-contented MacBook. The MB has much better specs for a lot less money, with the same screen size and similar foot print.
So go buy a MacBook and leave us who want to buy this piece of engineering marvel be.
The engineering on AIR is very interesting to say the least, but unfortunately they screwed up in a couple of very serious ways.
First; the issue of the non swappable battery. Simply not acceptable!
Second; the lack of ports. Yeah I know it is an "ultra portable" but I expect see just one USB port on something like Touch2 or iPhone 2, on a laptop it is a joke.
Third; the lack of Audio input. This is absolutely stupid on Apples part. Especially considering they could of taken iPhones jack and leveraged it here. I list this separately from I/O because I see it as a glaring failure.
Finally the price is outrageous. All the whining about "its an ultra portable" is bull crap. Apple is offering up a device with an extremely truncated feature set and it charging way to much for that feature set. Combine this issue with the issues above and you have junk in my mind.
That is all well and good but why did I check "may do OK". Simply because of the large number of stupid people, involved in business, who seem empowered when carrying around the latest gadget. For the rest of us it is frustrating as the thing is almost there. A simple swappable battery could have made up for much of the negativity now in the market.
The engineering on AIR is very interesting to say the least, but unfortunately they screwed up in a couple of very serious ways.
First; the issue of the non swappable battery. Simply not acceptable!
Why??? I haven't taken the battery out of my MBP is the two years I've owned it (other than to get at the RAM slot)
Quote:
Originally Posted by wizard69
Second; the lack of ports. Yeah I know it is an "ultra portable" but I expect see just one USB port on something like Touch2 or iPhone 2, on a laptop it is a joke.
Again, Why? Are you going to lug around all those things to plug into all those ports you want? If your at your desk buy a hub then you still have only 1 cable to plug in to get going - simple, elegant and practical. Portable hub if you really want to lug something else around but then if you're buying this you want to carry as little as possible.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wizard69
Third; the lack of Audio input. This is absolutely stupid on Apples part. Especially considering they could of taken iPhones jack and leveraged it here. I list this separately from I/O because I see it as a glaring failure.
Why?? (see the theme) I've never plugged anything into my laptop audio in since I've had it. A waste of space. If I need audio in then I probably need other features of a MBP in any case, or I could buy a USB audio in.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wizard69
Finally the price is outrageous. All the whining about "its an ultra portable" is bull crap. Apple is offering up a device with an extremely truncated feature set and it charging way to much for that feature set. Combine this issue with the issues above and you have junk in my mind.
Definitely not the case for the ultra light market. I just did a quick survey of the somewhat comparable systems from Sony, Dell, HP. First, most of the light systems I found were 1.2 GHz or less system with 577MHz or less busses. And these were costing in the $1800+ range after upgrading them to core 2 duo, 2 GB, 80 GB systems.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wizard69
That is all well and good but why did I check "may do OK". Simply because of the large number of stupid people, involved in business, who seem empowered when carrying around the latest gadget. For the rest of us it is frustrating as the thing is almost there. A simple swappable battery could have made up for much of the negativity now in the market.
Dave
Its fortunate that Apple can recognize and understand a 'Stupid' market when they see it.
Comments
Guess what? You don't seem to think people use their laptops consulting around the globe? Corporations will give you an ethernet cable to plug into a DMZ and work. Moron corporations let you wifi into their corporate infrastructure. It happens, but shouldn't.
Ethernet for professional laptops is important.
So get the USB to ethernet dongle. And yes, you can wifi into a DMZ. I have that at work for guests. It's not like a second router for the conference room is a huge expense.
Personally I have zero interest in such a notebook. And I believe home users too. For them there is the MB/MBP, depending on wallet thickness.
There is of course a market for the new MBA. It remains to be seen how Apple will do there. Ergo my vote.
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.
It depends. They often give CD's with the conference abstracts and other information. No thanks, I don't want to carry an external optical drive.
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.
While it is $800 more than a base MacBook (when the $99 drive is included) but as a primary machine they are about the same.
I have a 17" MBP and I use an external keyboard, mouse and monitor to work comfortably at home. Only on the road do I just live with an external mouse.
If I didn't need better 3D support the MBA would be fine for me as MBP replacement. For most road warriors it's fine as a primary machine.
It depends. They often give CD's with the conference abstracts and other information. No thanks, I don't want to carry an external optical drive.
Hey buddy, can you copy the 700MB conference CD to my 4GB USB key for me? I left my optical drive at home. Thanks!
That's if someone isn't nice enough to load the software to let you borrow their drive to just copy it across or you can't just pull it off the conference website which is pretty common these days.
Do not compare it to the MacBook. This is the ultra-portable that business travelers want. It is not for students or the usual MacBook customer.
$1100-$1300? DREAM ON. Ultraportables cost more, not the same, as their heavier and thicker siblings.
Yes, you're right, it is targeted at the business market. Now, just exactly what share of the business market does Apple have???? I'm guessing it is miniscule, far less than the consumer market.
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:
- It is priced competitively.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.I agree with everything you said except for the last sentence. Maybe you can use the MacBook Air in a business environment, but the vast majority of business won't even allow Mac OS X into their company. Mac OS X is a no go in most businesses, it is a non-starter. If this sells by the millions I'd be very(and happily) surprised, after all I am an AAPL shareholder.
Yes, you're right, it is targeted at the business market. Now, just exactly what share of the business market does Apple have???? I'm guessing it is miniscule, far less than the consumer market.
I would estimate that Apple's business market is the fastest growing in the industry. You're starting to see more and more. In Palo Alto, which is a bit of a snobby town and probably the mac center of the universe, being a businessman with a mac laptop is the rule -- not the exception to it. The popularity has spread noticeably, though, to other metro areas. In airports and on airplanes it's very, very common to see people using mac laptops. Five years ago, it was something of a novelty to witness this. The Air has a big market. I am curious to see who will be the first in my company to get one: I guarantee there will be dozens in use by June.
It depends. They often give CD's with the conference abstracts and other information. No thanks, I don't want to carry an external optical drive.
True. But I'm guessing that the MBA and the external optical drive are still quite a bit lighter in my bag than a MB or MBP.
There is a way to put a Parallels install onto a Bootcamp partition but it's not very easy to do.
It's not a consumer product and the lack of Firewire and replaceable hard drive/battery rules it out for me.
However, it's a good sign that Apple has gotten to the point that they can go after niche markets again.
It serves the whole platform for this machine to do well.
I agree with everything you said except for the last sentence. Maybe you can use the MacBook Air in a business environment, but the vast majority of business won't even allow Mac OS X into their company.
But if Apple releases a product that prompts major gadget lust in the executive suite, is IT going to tell them no?
As far as the burden of the external optical drive: At least you can leave it in your laptop bag rather than being burdened with it at all times. If not, NBD, as there are other ways to get a CD or DVD worth of material into the little guy.
Apple have a winner on their hands. It's not going to sell like the iMac or the MacBook, but it's going to sell.
Steve blew it.
I'm sorry but this is just a silly product. I so wanted a real SUBnotebook. that means small size...12 inch powerbook but preferably smaller, actually. this is not a subnote. it is a lightweight , stripped down mac book.
look at the dimensions. except for thin-ness it is almost exactly the same foot print as a macbook.
why pay that much more for what is essentially a macbook that is half as slow, has fewer ports? i dont even care about the optical drive. why couldnt they have gotten rid of the bezel around the screen? and they are trying to sell the point that they didnt have to compromise on a full size keyboard....doesnt that seem stupid? for an ultraportable? if someone really wanted a full keyboard they can get a macbook. from the looks of it, removing the extra space on the sides of the keyboard STILL would have kept it 'full size' and yet cut off an inch or more from the width. how does having a thinner , same footprint mac really help the person looking for an ultra portable subnote?
i think steve got too fixated on the same ipod, mini, nano linear thinking and didnt stop to ask any real users about footprint. what have japanese mac fans been crying out for for YEARS?! sub note.
unfortunately i have to agree.
cube book.
$1700 for a $300 I can get a mac book pro with a real video card alot more ports, faster cpu, more ram 4gb max, bigger HD, gig-e port and dvdwr build in.
it's over priced when.
$1700 for a $300 I can get a mac book pro with a real video card alot more ports, faster cpu, more ram 4gb max, bigger HD, gig-e port and dvdwr build in.
And the MacBook Pro weighs how much?
Seriously, why do so many people not get this? Go away and compare the MacBook Air to other ultraportables and witness the highly competitive price.
Why on earth are people comparing this to a MacBook? For crying out loud!!!!!!!!! Wake up!
It's a valid comparison. That's exactly what this thing is, a stripped-down, de-contented MacBook. The MB has much better specs for a lot less money, with the same screen size and similar foot print.
It's a valid comparison. That's exactly what this thing is, a stripped-down, de-contented MacBook. The MB has much better specs for a lot less money, with the same screen size and similar foot print.
So go buy a MacBook and leave us who want to buy this piece of engineering marvel be.
First; the issue of the non swappable battery. Simply not acceptable!
Second; the lack of ports. Yeah I know it is an "ultra portable" but I expect see just one USB port on something like Touch2 or iPhone 2, on a laptop it is a joke.
Third; the lack of Audio input. This is absolutely stupid on Apples part. Especially considering they could of taken iPhones jack and leveraged it here. I list this separately from I/O because I see it as a glaring failure.
Finally the price is outrageous. All the whining about "its an ultra portable" is bull crap. Apple is offering up a device with an extremely truncated feature set and it charging way to much for that feature set. Combine this issue with the issues above and you have junk in my mind.
That is all well and good but why did I check "may do OK". Simply because of the large number of stupid people, involved in business, who seem empowered when carrying around the latest gadget. For the rest of us it is frustrating as the thing is almost there. A simple swappable battery could have made up for much of the negativity now in the market.
Dave
The engineering on AIR is very interesting to say the least, but unfortunately they screwed up in a couple of very serious ways.
First; the issue of the non swappable battery. Simply not acceptable!
Why??? I haven't taken the battery out of my MBP is the two years I've owned it (other than to get at the RAM slot)
Second; the lack of ports. Yeah I know it is an "ultra portable" but I expect see just one USB port on something like Touch2 or iPhone 2, on a laptop it is a joke.
Again, Why? Are you going to lug around all those things to plug into all those ports you want? If your at your desk buy a hub then you still have only 1 cable to plug in to get going - simple, elegant and practical. Portable hub if you really want to lug something else around but then if you're buying this you want to carry as little as possible.
Third; the lack of Audio input. This is absolutely stupid on Apples part. Especially considering they could of taken iPhones jack and leveraged it here. I list this separately from I/O because I see it as a glaring failure.
Why?? (see the theme) I've never plugged anything into my laptop audio in since I've had it. A waste of space. If I need audio in then I probably need other features of a MBP in any case, or I could buy a USB audio in.
Finally the price is outrageous. All the whining about "its an ultra portable" is bull crap. Apple is offering up a device with an extremely truncated feature set and it charging way to much for that feature set. Combine this issue with the issues above and you have junk in my mind.
Definitely not the case for the ultra light market. I just did a quick survey of the somewhat comparable systems from Sony, Dell, HP. First, most of the light systems I found were 1.2 GHz or less system with 577MHz or less busses. And these were costing in the $1800+ range after upgrading them to core 2 duo, 2 GB, 80 GB systems.
That is all well and good but why did I check "may do OK". Simply because of the large number of stupid people, involved in business, who seem empowered when carrying around the latest gadget. For the rest of us it is frustrating as the thing is almost there. A simple swappable battery could have made up for much of the negativity now in the market.
Dave
Its fortunate that Apple can recognize and understand a 'Stupid' market when they see it.