I know it's got that "Wow" factor in the form of ultra-thinness, but overall I think the cons far outweigh the pros.
Extremely limited storage, lack of ports, no optical drive making you dependent on another computer (what if you're away from your "home" computer but you need to load something to the MBA? No computers around you have the wireless drive feature installed? man you're screwed), non-removable battery, etc etc.
But hey you DO get backlit keys, right? And for all these lacking features, Apple wants you to pay $500+ more than a more capable (and same footprint) MacBook? Me thinks not.
Seriously, as someone pointed out above, if you can't stand the extra 2lbs, $500 for a gym membership ain't that bad an idea. And crap, if you spend just $200 more, you can have a MBP, with all the bonuses of the MBA (casing, keys, etc), and none of the drawbacks (save for 1.2 pounds or so).
It's nothing more than a status symbol. Serious people are going to opt for the MBA, and price-conscious consumers are going to opt for the MacBook. People worried about their status are going to opt for the MBA.
That's the breakdown.
Random Bob, welcome to AI!
I'm not really responding directly to you, but to the many who seem to share
your analysis.
This computer is exactly what I've been needing. I have an iMac for my work at home
and this little wonder is going to make it easier for me to work away from home when
I need to.
I don't need any of the external attachments. I'm glad the extra ports and larger
HDD aren't included. I don't need a gym membership, because I'm quite fit,
thanks, but when my employer sends me on a trip with their 800 LB Toshiba
in my backpack, I always have to leave my personal computer at home. NO MORE!
I can slip this into the same backpack and hardly notice the difference.
I can transfer files (even movies or whatever I like) from my big iMac as needed.
They seriously could not have designed a more perfect machine for me
if they had asked me to sit in on the development of it. I could not be more
pleased.
Maybe I'm odd, but there have got to be a lot of people who feel the same.
I'm getting tired of reading things like "Who would want this?". The answer
is "ME!"
And status has nothing to do with it. It's perfectly useful as a mobile extension
"Air does not come with the built-in ability to connect to a speedy wireless data network run by various cellular carriers. Jobs told me last week that Apple considered it but that adding the capability would take up room and restrict consumers to a particular carrier."
The battery performance from most of the reviews seems pretty bad. If you were watching a movie on a long flight, 2.5 hours is pretty low. It's no worse than normal laptops though but it should be better for an ultra-portable. Perhaps large bright screen plus fast processors minus connectivity were the wrong compromises to make. The lifebook gets 10+hours I think.
I'll be interesting to see what happens if someone goes for one of these here at work. Last I asked, they wouldn't allow a USB => Ethernet dongle on the network, and you can't access our internal network without a wired connection.
Some of the MBA defending has been kinda funny. They don't want to accept the shortcomings, so they basically spin it like, "there's nothing wrong with it. The MBA is perfect for Apple's (and therefore my) narrow tunnel vision for the product." It's thin and light. That's the benefit. What's what they're buying. It's barebone portability. They should just let go of the "but, but, but" defenses.
On the other hand, if someone wants the features of a MB or a MBP, then they should get a MB or MBP and let it go also. Not everything Apple makes needs to be for everybody... which is why I also support making an xMac. I support making these types of expansive products because Apple's "one size fits all" agenda has been pretty limiting thus far. I don't have to care for the product personally to appreciate Apple finally spreading their wings a little.
As the USA Today guy said, I also rented a movie through iTunes and it skipped occasionally.
That said, it was an extraordinary experience! Renting a movie that looked great, came and went without any physical media at all! I've been renting movies since... gosh, what 1986 or so? I actually experienced the step into a new paradigm. It was this ethereal vortex like feeling.
I would definitely do it again, even with the skips. $2.99 for library rentals was a fine price point.
BTW, I used my PB G4 S-Video out to plug into the tv and watch the movie there. (Also the audio out connected to the sound system.) The colors on the tv looked absolutely terrible until I Calibrated the TV in System Preferences > Display. It took all of about 25 seconds (shorter than calibrating a monitor display -- it could tell it was a tv and not a monitor) and the calibration made a HUGE difference. HUGE. I couldn't emphasize that enough.
Definitely calibrate your tv display if you're going to watch your videos in a similar way.
I'm not really responding directly to you, but to the many who seem to share
your analysis.
This computer is exactly what I've been needing. I have an iMac for my work at home
and this little wonder is going to make it easier for me to work away from home when
I need to.
I don't need any of the external attachments. I'm glad the extra ports and larger
HDD aren't included. I don't need a gym membership, because I'm quite fit,
thanks, but when my employer sends me on a trip with their 800 LB Toshiba
in my backpack, I always have to leave my personal computer at home. NO MORE!
I can slip this into the same backpack and hardly notice the difference.
I can transfer files (even movies or whatever I like) from my big iMac as needed.
They seriously could not have designed a more perfect machine for me
if they had asked me to sit in on the development of it. I could not be more
pleased.
Maybe I'm odd, but there have got to be a lot of people who feel the same.
I'm getting tired of reading things like "Who would want this?". The answer
is "ME!"
And status has nothing to do with it. It's perfectly useful as a mobile extension
of my home network. That's the bottom line.
My two cents.
If you couldn't lug around the extra 2lbs for the Macbook or the extra 1.2lbs for the MBP, then I beg to differ, you DO need to hit the gym ;-).
I think that everyone's point is: Yeah you're carrying a lot around, but seriously? An extra 2 pounds? 2 pounds? Can't carry an MBP at 5.4lbs, but an MBA at 3lbs is totally manageable? Do people really want to stand behind that sort of statement?
I stand by everything I said; they went for "thin" and succeeded, but went for useful and failed. People on the go will still need optical drives at times. What's that you say? Just buy the EXTRA $99 PERIPHERAL? What a good idea! now you've paid $600 more than a MB, and it weighs the same. Oh, and you still have less ports, non-removable battery, etc. But hey at least you have backlit keys.
For all the MBA is supposed to be for, it seems that in iPhone or Touch would be a better choice. Same lack of ports, same wi-fi mobility, limited storage, and you're still tethered to another mac to load things.
I don't see why Apple did not include a docking station with the MBA. That would have allowed a(n):
Bigger hard drive
Internal DVD drive
Built-in ethernet
more ports
ect.
ect.
That would dimnish almost every argument against it except maybe the "OMG teh screen izz 2 larg!!1eleven!!!", and some people will just find a reason to dislike it anyway. But if Apple had included a docking station, that alone would have justified the cost (which many people see as WAY too high), and made everyon happier.
I find the list of cons from each of the reviewers just plain silly.
From our POV, yes. But they are reviewing for the general public so their cons make sense.
Quote:
Originally Posted by random bob, a.r.c.
If you couldn't lug around the extra 2lbs for the Macbook or the extra 1.2lbs for the MBP, then I beg to differ, you DO need to hit the gym ;-).
I think that everyone's point is: Yeah you're carrying a lot around, but seriously? An extra 2 pounds? 2 pounds? Can't carry an MBP at 5.4lbs, but an MBA at 3lbs is totally manageable? Do people really want to stand behind that sort of statement?
I stand by everything I said; they went for "thin" and succeeded, but went for useful and failed. People on the go will still need optical drives at times. What's that you say? Just buy the EXTRA $99 PERIPHERAL? What a good idea! now you've paid $600 more than a MB, and it weighs the same. Oh, and you still have less ports, non-removable battery, etc. But hey at least you have backlit keys.
For all the MBA is supposed to be for, it seems that in iPhone or Touch would be a better choice. Same lack of ports, same wi-fi mobility, limited storage, and you're still tethered to another mac to load things.
Plus you save $1200.
The Air is 55% lighter than the Pro. You;d also need at least one additional battery to equal the duration of the AIr.
When traveling the only item isn't just a on'es notebook so a reduction in weight and bulk is quite helpful.
Why are you so certain that everyone will need an optical drive? I don't need one. The only thing that I need that isn't included is 3G.
Some of the MBA defending has been kinda funny. They don't want to accept the shortcomings, so they basically spin it like, "there's nothing wrong with it. The MBA is perfect for Apple's (and therefore my) narrow tunnel vision for the product." It's thin and light. That's the benefit. What's what they're buying. It's barebone portability. They should just let go of the "but, but, but" defenses.
On the other hand, if someone wants the features of a MB or a MBP, then they should get a MB or MBP and let it go also. Not everything Apple makes needs to be for everybody... which is why I also support making an xMac. I support making these types of expansive products because Apple's "one size fits all" agenda has been pretty limiting thus far. I don't have to care for the product personally to appreciate Apple finally spreading their wings a little.
While the MBA bashing is starting to get pathetic. Most have gotten caught on one or two issues and complain that the MBA is absolutely worthless because of it. All it means is that the MBA is not for them.
I on the other hand am finding the MBA very intriguing and very close to my wants. I am looking to replace my aging 15" Powerbook that I use at home to surf the net, check email and other low intensity tasks. My concerns are the screen size (I find that 15" is not always enough), processor speed and cost. I can't wait to see one in person to see if the form factor will overrule my concerns.
Mossberg is a genius! If you turn all the power saving features off, the battery life goes to crap. What a discovery. No wonder he's the Tech columnist fot the WSJ.[/sarcasm]
$1,799 is way too much money for what can, by design, only be a secondary computer. It'd have to be well under a grand to be a realistic purchase for most people. And honestly, considering this machine is both spaid and nutured, I expected the battery life to actually live up to Apple's 5-hour claims; this thing doesn't even have great battery life going for it.
I find the list of cons from each of the reviewers just plain silly. The Air is not meant to be your one and only computer. If you need huge storage, or want to watch movies on it, or import CDs, etc...this is not the computer for you. I thought this stuff was just too obvious to appear on "CONS" lists. This is made to be extremely portable. This laptop has only what you really need - and not everything you could possibly want. If you want to take some music with you, move some on from your other computer. If you want to bring a movie to watch, move on a digital version from your other computer. If you want to have more storage space, firewire, several USB attachments, DVD burning, yada yada...get a laptop that's more appropriate, like a MacBook Pro. Or even a MacBook. That's what they're for. Putting these things on a list of shortcomings doesn't make sense. It doesn't have a retinal scanner either...they forgot to add that to the cons list.
Cons include battery life, even when one reviewer said it got almost 5 hours...
Mossberg is a genius! If you turn all the power saving features off, the battery life goes to crap. What a discovery. No wonder he's the Tech columnist fot the WSJ.[/sarcasm]
Right, which in practice he is ALWAYS careful to note, means you add at least an hour to that figure based on his experiences with other machines. So the consensus is 4.5 hours with normal use. The person that got 3.5 hours of normal use is clearly low.
Bad words. I wrote a well-thought-out reply and then my internet connection reset and since I am at a hotel I had to log back in and lost my reply. So here is the abridged version:
I have owned laptops for years, and when using my computer AS a laptop, I very rarely use any of the ports or the DVD drive. I will admit using the DVD drive while at my desk, but that was because it was my only DVD player at college.
Basically, Apple took out the features that people don't need when on-the-go. For all the other crap, you have you desktop or higher-powered laptop (which every MacBook Air owner would have if they wanted to install any software from CDs / DVDs).
Also, I agree that the reviewers' battery life comments are bogus. Apple posts 5 hours of WiFi use... not of full-brightness-movie-watching-using-remote-disk-all-at-once use. The last reviewer said his typical use was getting him close to 5 hours.
Interesting to me. You have a single speaker under the keyboard. No review mentions sound quality at all. Even once.
I mean you are watching the film in your hotel room or streaming audio. No purchaser has even a slight interest in this question?
I guess you can use some good iPod headphones, or if you have a big enough bag, pack some external speakers. Probably not a good idea if you travel via plane, but if you have a car it would be worhtwhile.
$1,799 is way too much money for what can, by design, only be a secondary computer. It'd have to be well under a grand to be a realistic purchase for most people. And honestly, considering this machine is both spaid and nutured, I expected the battery life to actually live up to Apple's 5-hour claims; this thing doesn't even have great battery life going for it.
And UMPCs that cost as much are made to be one's primary computer?
Quote:
Originally Posted by His Dudeness
I guess you can use some good iPod headphones, or if you have a big enough bag, pack some external speakers. Probably not a good idea if you travel via plane, but if you have a car it would be worhtwhile.
And UMPCs that cost as much are made to be one's primary computer?
There is no such thing as "good iPod headphones".
1. UMPC's that I've seen are more like "prototype devices" for sale. Interesting enough, but how many are actually ever sold? Comparing an Air to a UMPC really is insulting to Apple. It's in a different league. Here's the thing, if you price a machine in a certain range and market it a certain way, the public will have certain expectations. If they expect too much of it, perhaps it's because it's being hyped that way.
2. Good iPod headphones could have been construed as "good headphones that work with the iPod" (that's how I took it).
1. UMPC's that I've seen are more like "prototype devices" for sale. Interesting enough, but how many are actually ever sold? Comparing an Air to a UMPC really is insulting to Apple. It's in a different league. Here's the thing, if you price a machine in a certain range and market it a certain way, the public will have certain expectations. If they expect too much of it, perhaps it's because it's being hyped that way.
They are both secondary machines used for people on the go. One just happens to be more useable than the other. Seeing as that there are many similar UMPCs and no other machine that is like the Air, I'd say that the Air is the prototype concept. But the point remains, $1,800 is not unreasonable for a secondary machine if it fits your budget and, more importantly, your needs.
Comments
I know it's got that "Wow" factor in the form of ultra-thinness, but overall I think the cons far outweigh the pros.
Extremely limited storage, lack of ports, no optical drive making you dependent on another computer (what if you're away from your "home" computer but you need to load something to the MBA? No computers around you have the wireless drive feature installed? man you're screwed), non-removable battery, etc etc.
But hey you DO get backlit keys, right? And for all these lacking features, Apple wants you to pay $500+ more than a more capable (and same footprint) MacBook? Me thinks not.
Seriously, as someone pointed out above, if you can't stand the extra 2lbs, $500 for a gym membership ain't that bad an idea. And crap, if you spend just $200 more, you can have a MBP, with all the bonuses of the MBA (casing, keys, etc), and none of the drawbacks (save for 1.2 pounds or so).
It's nothing more than a status symbol. Serious people are going to opt for the MBA, and price-conscious consumers are going to opt for the MacBook. People worried about their status are going to opt for the MBA.
That's the breakdown.
Random Bob, welcome to AI!
I'm not really responding directly to you, but to the many who seem to share
your analysis.
This computer is exactly what I've been needing. I have an iMac for my work at home
and this little wonder is going to make it easier for me to work away from home when
I need to.
I don't need any of the external attachments. I'm glad the extra ports and larger
HDD aren't included. I don't need a gym membership, because I'm quite fit,
thanks, but when my employer sends me on a trip with their 800 LB Toshiba
in my backpack, I always have to leave my personal computer at home. NO MORE!
I can slip this into the same backpack and hardly notice the difference.
I can transfer files (even movies or whatever I like) from my big iMac as needed.
They seriously could not have designed a more perfect machine for me
if they had asked me to sit in on the development of it. I could not be more
pleased.
Maybe I'm odd, but there have got to be a lot of people who feel the same.
I'm getting tired of reading things like "Who would want this?". The answer
is "ME!"
And status has nothing to do with it. It's perfectly useful as a mobile extension
of my home network. That's the bottom line.
My two cents.
"Air does not come with the built-in ability to connect to a speedy wireless data network run by various cellular carriers. Jobs told me last week that Apple considered it but that adding the capability would take up room and restrict consumers to a particular carrier."
The battery performance from most of the reviews seems pretty bad. If you were watching a movie on a long flight, 2.5 hours is pretty low. It's no worse than normal laptops though but it should be better for an ultra-portable. Perhaps large bright screen plus fast processors minus connectivity were the wrong compromises to make. The lifebook gets 10+hours I think.
On the other hand, if someone wants the features of a MB or a MBP, then they should get a MB or MBP and let it go also. Not everything Apple makes needs to be for everybody... which is why I also support making an xMac. I support making these types of expansive products because Apple's "one size fits all" agenda has been pretty limiting thus far. I don't have to care for the product personally to appreciate Apple finally spreading their wings a little.
That said, it was an extraordinary experience! Renting a movie that looked great, came and went without any physical media at all! I've been renting movies since... gosh, what 1986 or so? I actually experienced the step into a new paradigm. It was this ethereal vortex like feeling.
I would definitely do it again, even with the skips. $2.99 for library rentals was a fine price point.
BTW, I used my PB G4 S-Video out to plug into the tv and watch the movie there. (Also the audio out connected to the sound system.) The colors on the tv looked absolutely terrible until I Calibrated the TV in System Preferences > Display. It took all of about 25 seconds (shorter than calibrating a monitor display -- it could tell it was a tv and not a monitor) and the calibration made a HUGE difference. HUGE. I couldn't emphasize that enough.
Definitely calibrate your tv display if you're going to watch your videos in a similar way.
Random Bob, welcome to AI!
I'm not really responding directly to you, but to the many who seem to share
your analysis.
This computer is exactly what I've been needing. I have an iMac for my work at home
and this little wonder is going to make it easier for me to work away from home when
I need to.
I don't need any of the external attachments. I'm glad the extra ports and larger
HDD aren't included. I don't need a gym membership, because I'm quite fit,
thanks, but when my employer sends me on a trip with their 800 LB Toshiba
in my backpack, I always have to leave my personal computer at home. NO MORE!
I can slip this into the same backpack and hardly notice the difference.
I can transfer files (even movies or whatever I like) from my big iMac as needed.
They seriously could not have designed a more perfect machine for me
if they had asked me to sit in on the development of it. I could not be more
pleased.
Maybe I'm odd, but there have got to be a lot of people who feel the same.
I'm getting tired of reading things like "Who would want this?". The answer
is "ME!"
And status has nothing to do with it. It's perfectly useful as a mobile extension
of my home network. That's the bottom line.
My two cents.
If you couldn't lug around the extra 2lbs for the Macbook or the extra 1.2lbs for the MBP, then I beg to differ, you DO need to hit the gym ;-).
I think that everyone's point is: Yeah you're carrying a lot around, but seriously? An extra 2 pounds? 2 pounds? Can't carry an MBP at 5.4lbs, but an MBA at 3lbs is totally manageable? Do people really want to stand behind that sort of statement?
I stand by everything I said; they went for "thin" and succeeded, but went for useful and failed. People on the go will still need optical drives at times. What's that you say? Just buy the EXTRA $99 PERIPHERAL? What a good idea! now you've paid $600 more than a MB, and it weighs the same. Oh, and you still have less ports, non-removable battery, etc. But hey at least you have backlit keys.
For all the MBA is supposed to be for, it seems that in iPhone or Touch would be a better choice. Same lack of ports, same wi-fi mobility, limited storage, and you're still tethered to another mac to load things.
Plus you save $1200.
Bigger hard drive
Internal DVD drive
Built-in ethernet
more ports
ect.
ect.
That would dimnish almost every argument against it except maybe the "OMG teh screen izz 2 larg!!1eleven!!!", and some people will just find a reason to dislike it anyway. But if Apple had included a docking station, that alone would have justified the cost (which many people see as WAY too high), and made everyon happier.
I find the list of cons from each of the reviewers just plain silly.
From our POV, yes. But they are reviewing for the general public so their cons make sense.
If you couldn't lug around the extra 2lbs for the Macbook or the extra 1.2lbs for the MBP, then I beg to differ, you DO need to hit the gym ;-).
I think that everyone's point is: Yeah you're carrying a lot around, but seriously? An extra 2 pounds? 2 pounds? Can't carry an MBP at 5.4lbs, but an MBA at 3lbs is totally manageable? Do people really want to stand behind that sort of statement?
I stand by everything I said; they went for "thin" and succeeded, but went for useful and failed. People on the go will still need optical drives at times. What's that you say? Just buy the EXTRA $99 PERIPHERAL? What a good idea! now you've paid $600 more than a MB, and it weighs the same. Oh, and you still have less ports, non-removable battery, etc. But hey at least you have backlit keys.
For all the MBA is supposed to be for, it seems that in iPhone or Touch would be a better choice. Same lack of ports, same wi-fi mobility, limited storage, and you're still tethered to another mac to load things.
Plus you save $1200.
The Air is 55% lighter than the Pro. You;d also need at least one additional battery to equal the duration of the AIr.
When traveling the only item isn't just a on'es notebook so a reduction in weight and bulk is quite helpful.
Why are you so certain that everyone will need an optical drive? I don't need one. The only thing that I need that isn't included is 3G.
Some of the MBA defending has been kinda funny. They don't want to accept the shortcomings, so they basically spin it like, "there's nothing wrong with it. The MBA is perfect for Apple's (and therefore my) narrow tunnel vision for the product." It's thin and light. That's the benefit. What's what they're buying. It's barebone portability. They should just let go of the "but, but, but" defenses.
On the other hand, if someone wants the features of a MB or a MBP, then they should get a MB or MBP and let it go also. Not everything Apple makes needs to be for everybody... which is why I also support making an xMac. I support making these types of expansive products because Apple's "one size fits all" agenda has been pretty limiting thus far. I don't have to care for the product personally to appreciate Apple finally spreading their wings a little.
While the MBA bashing is starting to get pathetic. Most have gotten caught on one or two issues and complain that the MBA is absolutely worthless because of it. All it means is that the MBA is not for them.
I on the other hand am finding the MBA very intriguing and very close to my wants. I am looking to replace my aging 15" Powerbook that I use at home to surf the net, check email and other low intensity tasks. My concerns are the screen size (I find that 15" is not always enough), processor speed and cost. I can't wait to see one in person to see if the form factor will overrule my concerns.
I find the list of cons from each of the reviewers just plain silly. The Air is not meant to be your one and only computer. If you need huge storage, or want to watch movies on it, or import CDs, etc...this is not the computer for you. I thought this stuff was just too obvious to appear on "CONS" lists. This is made to be extremely portable. This laptop has only what you really need - and not everything you could possibly want. If you want to take some music with you, move some on from your other computer. If you want to bring a movie to watch, move on a digital version from your other computer. If you want to have more storage space, firewire, several USB attachments, DVD burning, yada yada...get a laptop that's more appropriate, like a MacBook Pro. Or even a MacBook. That's what they're for. Putting these things on a list of shortcomings doesn't make sense. It doesn't have a retinal scanner either...they forgot to add that to the cons list.
Cons include battery life, even when one reviewer said it got almost 5 hours...
Mossberg is a genius! If you turn all the power saving features off, the battery life goes to crap. What a discovery. No wonder he's the Tech columnist fot the WSJ.[/sarcasm]
Right, which in practice he is ALWAYS careful to note, means you add at least an hour to that figure based on his experiences with other machines. So the consensus is 4.5 hours with normal use. The person that got 3.5 hours of normal use is clearly low.
I have owned laptops for years, and when using my computer AS a laptop, I very rarely use any of the ports or the DVD drive. I will admit using the DVD drive while at my desk, but that was because it was my only DVD player at college.
Basically, Apple took out the features that people don't need when on-the-go. For all the other crap, you have you desktop or higher-powered laptop (which every MacBook Air owner would have if they wanted to install any software from CDs / DVDs).
Also, I agree that the reviewers' battery life comments are bogus. Apple posts 5 hours of WiFi use... not of full-brightness-movie-watching-using-remote-disk-all-at-once use. The last reviewer said his typical use was getting him close to 5 hours.
I mean you are watching the film in your hotel room or streaming audio. No purchaser has even a slight interest in this question?
Interesting to me. You have a single speaker under the keyboard. No review mentions sound quality at all. Even once.
I mean you are watching the film in your hotel room or streaming audio. No purchaser has even a slight interest in this question?
I guess you can use some good iPod headphones, or if you have a big enough bag, pack some external speakers. Probably not a good idea if you travel via plane, but if you have a car it would be worhtwhile.
$1,799 is way too much money for what can, by design, only be a secondary computer. It'd have to be well under a grand to be a realistic purchase for most people. And honestly, considering this machine is both spaid and nutured, I expected the battery life to actually live up to Apple's 5-hour claims; this thing doesn't even have great battery life going for it.
And UMPCs that cost as much are made to be one's primary computer?
I guess you can use some good iPod headphones, or if you have a big enough bag, pack some external speakers. Probably not a good idea if you travel via plane, but if you have a car it would be worhtwhile.
There is no such thing as "good iPod headphones".
And UMPCs that cost as much are made to be one's primary computer?
There is no such thing as "good iPod headphones".
1. UMPC's that I've seen are more like "prototype devices" for sale. Interesting enough, but how many are actually ever sold? Comparing an Air to a UMPC really is insulting to Apple. It's in a different league. Here's the thing, if you price a machine in a certain range and market it a certain way, the public will have certain expectations. If they expect too much of it, perhaps it's because it's being hyped that way.
2. Good iPod headphones could have been construed as "good headphones that work with the iPod" (that's how I took it).
1. UMPC's that I've seen are more like "prototype devices" for sale. Interesting enough, but how many are actually ever sold? Comparing an Air to a UMPC really is insulting to Apple. It's in a different league. Here's the thing, if you price a machine in a certain range and market it a certain way, the public will have certain expectations. If they expect too much of it, perhaps it's because it's being hyped that way.
They are both secondary machines used for people on the go. One just happens to be more useable than the other. Seeing as that there are many similar UMPCs and no other machine that is like the Air, I'd say that the Air is the prototype concept. But the point remains, $1,800 is not unreasonable for a secondary machine if it fits your budget and, more importantly, your needs.