Geez, lowededwookie, I went through this whole registration process to say the exact same thing you just did, so I guess I won't bother!
What is it about Mac forums in particular that leads everyone for whom a new product is not ideal, to write a long, vitriol-laden post about how this is living proof that Apple is going to Hell in a handbasket, and Steve Jobs is the devil? If you don't want something, don't buy it! Is that that hard a concept to grasp? As near as I'm able to tell, everybody is steamed because they think Apple has discontinued the MacBook and MacBook Pro and replaced them with the MacBook Air. Check again, folks: They didn't!
What the consensus seems to be is that any laptop is useless unless it has the power, connectivity, and expandability of a Mac Pro, but you can hold it in your mouth when you have both hands full!
hahaha good point. Personally, i think people who likes the "AIR" are too busy playing with it.
Use an USB extension cable to plug devices into the MBA that aren't directly compatible with its recessed USB port. For 3G cellular devices, such an extension cable has an advantage of allowing the device with its antenna to be located where better reception and higher throughput are obtained.
DiskWarrior allows creation of a bootable diagnostics partition on the internal HD. No CD required.
I put in a preorder for the Macbook Air the second the store came online after the keynote. Due to this, I've had mine since thursday, so I've gotten a decent amount of time to play around with it and use it in day-to-day settings. On a side note, when I first powered this thing on, it got freking HOT!! A fan started blasting very loud, and I was pretty upset.."is THIS the air?" I thought? Well, I turned the machine off and let it charge up - since then, I've not once heard the fan, and the unit has been much cooler (though still gets a bit warm).
Let me first say that the battery life is quite good. I've been running BT and WiFi simultaneously in "better energy savings" mode whilst on the battery and have observed a little over 4 hours of usage - that's while actively browsing the web, having multiple apps open, and listening to music..not bad, if you ask me.
I did purchase the usb superdrive and the usb ethernet as a "just in case" precaution, but have yet to use the dvd. The OP makes a good point - though I was weary at first (heck, I almost cancelled my order after learning there was no dvd drive), the simple truth is that I hardly ever use the dvd drive in my laptop these days. Most of the time when I'm out, I use thumbdrives, rarely a dvd/cd. As far as ethernet, the dongle is so small, the cable might as well be plugging directly into my machine as I can't tell a difference.
Another thing people have mentioned, is the fact the unit has only one USB port and no firewire. I can't comment on the loss of Firewire, really, as I have no firewire devices. However the single USB port is ample, seeing as how BT and WiFi can handle just about everything else these days (wireless printer, wireless mouse, wireless keyboard, wireless storage..). Something to keep in mind is, the laptop was obviously built around people utilizing wireless technologies - hence the name - AIR. Apple wants you to be using airwaves, not cables. So far so good as far as I'm concerned!
The display is phenominal, the keyboard is great, and god I LOVE the new touchpad!! I can't say enough about the touchpad - it's fantastic. I didn't think it would be anything more than a gimmick at first, but I really appreciate it now that I have it.
The system itself is plenty "snappy" with the base model 1.6ghz cpu. I was a bit worried about the 80gb 4500rpm drive being too slow, however it performs admirably - and I appreciate the added space over the SSD. I really don't believe I'd recommend anyone getting the SSD option after seeing how well the 4500rpm does perform. The loss of space and the loss of money just doesn't add up to me..
After all is said and done, my only complaint about this laptop is hard disk space. 80gb is just too little. I plan to augment this capacity issue with some 16 or 32gb thumb drives that I'll carry around with me, but it just seems Apple could've thrown us a bone and included a larger disk..maybe they didn't want to make the SSD seem completely ludicrous..
Anyway..I LOVE my MacBook Air, and I'm sure just about anyone will..it's speedy, it's sexy, and it's freking sturdy (NO flexing at all). I wouldn't recommend this to someone who doesn't already have another computer, however.
Once again, AppleInsider has chosen to take a swing at Apple even while musing about the potential of their newest product, the MacBook Air. The title "What's wrong with the MacBook Air?" will be universally interpreted as an indication that there is indeed something very wrong with the MacBook Air?which, of course, there is not. Not according to your article, anyway. But the title makes it appear as though there is. Not very friendly at all. If you want to bust Apple's chops, at least have the decency to change your name to something other than AppleInsider. Insider indeed!
I just held an MBA at an Apple Store, and I'm in love. I really want one of these machines - the form factor is perfect, the display is beautiful, and it's generally a very pleasant, even desirable design. But I'm concerned about the battery life. I currently own a 12" PowerBook G4 (which I adore) and often fly from the west coast of the US to either the east coast, Asia, or Europe and use one or two spare batteries in flight (no hassles from the TSA, or DHS, or whoever yet).
My questions are: 1) What is the recharge time for the MBA battery? Could I possibly fully recharge it during an hour lay-over? 2) Does anyone sell an external MagSafe connecting battery? A quick websearch only turned up one product which was $500 and looked like a huge kludge. Is there an affordable, well-engineered TSA approved external battery option?
And for those who advocate the in-seat power outlets, I'd say that 1 out of 20 or even fewer planes I've been in have them. And some asian airlines seem to use non-standard adapters outlets. If an airline provides an outlet I can use, of course I use it. Maybe we'll see more of these if the carry-on battery regulations become worse. But that will take years if not decades.
And for those who advocate the in-seat power outlets, I'd say that 1 out of 20 or even fewer planes I've been in have them. And some asian airlines seem to use non-standard adapters outlets. If an airline provides an outlet I can use, of course I use it. Maybe we'll see more of these if the carry-on battery regulations become worse. But that will take years if not decades.
Have you checked out Seat Guru? It tells you what planes from what airlines have for layout and power.
Q4 - Does that Ethernet Dongle give decent speeds via the USB?
The USB-ethernet dongle is a 10/100Base-T (i.e. Fast Ethernet) device, meaning up to 100 Mbps. USB 2.0 is 480Mbps; that's almost 5x faster. The USB can handle it. In addition, Apple is ahead of the curve on putting Gigabit Ethernet into its devices, most networks you will hook into won't be at gigabit rates; or at the very least, your connectivity to the internet will be nowhere near your LAN speed.
Quote:
Q6 - Is the case too wide to use the MBA while seated on a train?
The MBA fits inside a standard inter-office envelope which is 13" x 10". You be the judge.
There is no larger 1.8" single platter disk than the 80 GB, it's 5mm high.
Larger, dual platter discs like in the iPod classic 160GB are 8mm high and won't fit in the air's enclosure.
Interesting, I wasn't aware of this..
Curious though, as platter densities seem to be going through the roof recently..I'd hope Apple is putting some pressure on drive manufacturers to include some of their higher density perpendicular writing technology in a 1.8 5mm size...wouldn't be surprised to see a higher capacity drive for the Macbook Air refresh this fall/winter (most likely).
The USB-ethernet dongle is a 10/100Base-T (i.e. Fast Ethernet) device, meaning up to 100 Mbps. USB 2.0 is 480Mbps; that's almost 5x faster. The USB can handle it. In addition, Apple is ahead of the curve on putting Gigabit Ethernet into its devices, most networks you will hook into won't be at gigabit rates; or at the very least, your connectivity to the internet will be nowhere near your LAN speed.
The MBA fits inside a standard inter-office envelope which is 13" x 10". You be the judge.
That is another question We should ask. Does the MBA's Ethernet max out at the maximum actual throughput of USB2.0? In other words, Is it a theoretical 480Mbps, essentialy 1/2 the throughput of 1000BASE-T?
Quote:
Have you checked out Seat Guru? It tells you what planes from what airlines have for layout and power.
Cook. New bookmark.
Quote:
Originally Posted by brianb
Curious though, as platter densities seem to be going through the roof recently..I'd hope Apple is putting some pressure on drive manufacturers to include some of their higher density perpendicular writing technology in a 1.8 5mm size...wouldn't be surprised to see a higher capacity drive for the Macbook Air refresh this fall/winter (most likely).
Just prior to the announcement of the MBA one Chinese manufacturer announced that it will be no longer making 1.8" drives. After all, SSD dominates the PMP market so it wasn't a surprise. I'm sure we'll see some increased capacities but I think the use of the HDD in the MBA is just a stop-gate until the prices of SSD comes down.
Except for the lack of a second USB port (usually need 1 for a USB hub and one for a KVM switch)...
ROFLMAO! My imagination is running amok visualizing you with a laptop and something else that requires the use of a KVM switch while flying over the Arctic from SFO to LHR.
If you need a KVM switch with your laptop, then the MBA just isn't the right setup for you.
I agree. This is the single greatest hardware addition that could come on rev 2. It would solve so many problems. Or, to say it more positively, it's a single addition that would most dramatically increase the MBA's functionality. That's saying a lot. Can we hope there's room to add that one additional port?
...So my question to MBA reviewers is: How much power can the MBA USB port deliver? Is there a non-powered USB hub to buy that can power a (small) external USB hard drive while charging an iPod?...
this was an important question for me, too, at MWSF. I went to the apple booth's MBA display with a fella from LaCie and a couple external drives, but they wouldn't let us hook them up to see. So I too am interested in seeing an answer to this question from AI.
Perhaps my brain is a bit slow today, but I am missing the point of this story.
No I think you are all right. Frankly the article was so off target that I gave up about half way through. I just totally missed the point. It appeared that they where trying to discount justified criticism to make room for the idea that the product is viable.
Quote:
Is it based on the premise that AI readers/posters have not yet had the opportunity or interest to weigh in on "what they would like to know about the Air?"
Which from my standpoint brings up the issue that I already know enough about Air to want to see it float away. Frankly I believe that any body aware of Air has already made a opinion for themselves. I don't see the point of an article that will spit forth market drivel to justify the products place in the market. Air limitations are so blatant that most people know all that they need to know.
I'd love to see game tests--NOT the usual fps benchmarks at high detail levels (which would tell me nothing--we know this only has X3100). I'd like to know...
...what fps can the game achieve at lowest detail settings?
...what are the highest detail settings that can achieve a reasonably consistent 30fps?
This would be nice to know (under Mac OS, preferably) for UT2004, WoW, EA's Cider games, and other titles that may not be the latest thing, but are still for sale and still great fun. I'd also like this info for idTech 4 games (Doom 3, Quake 4, Prey, and soon Quake Wars). I'd gladly drop detail levels to the lowest and still appreciate being able to game on an ultraportable.
I don't expect the very latest generation of games (UT3, Gears of War) to run tolerably on X3100. But I've seen good results from other engines (at low detail) on recent X3100 MacBooks.
Also, I'd like to see results before and after 10.5.2, in the hopes that the mediocre X3100 drivers are improved.
I got get my grubby hands on a MacBook Air this morning at my local Apple store, and I have a few thoughts:
It feels sturdy, well put together, and solid.
The screen looks very nice; I was concerned about the reflective coating, but it didn't seem to bother me, even in the well lit Apple store.
The multi-touch trackpad was pretty cool - not sure where I'll use it all that much, but I like it.
The USB port looks like it can accommodate my Sierra Wireless Sprint USB EVDO modem, but I'm not entirely sure.
My one big complaint - the button on the track pad. It's about half the size of the one on the MacBook Pro, and it feels as if the contacts underneath it are spaced too far apart. It feels harder to push, and less responsive than the larger one; it feels like it's got separate elements underneath - the MacBook Pro feels like one big piece when you push it - this feels...segmented?
That's my biggest complaint. From my limited perspective opening files and launching programs, performance seemed snappy.
For all Apple laptops, there should be a port replicator / docking station. This can make a MBA a primary machine. This can make all of Apple's laptops more business friendly.
For the MBA, I'd like to see them squeeze a 14.1" screen in the same footprint. Add 1 more USB port. And add a HSPA radio. That's about it.
After reading all the posts regarding what is missing or the one thing that would make it a lot more useful, I think, in my opinion, as a minimalist machine, the MacBook Air fits the bill, although not having seen it in public as yet. As I type this post, I look at my iMac and all its ports and drives and think back to when was the last time I used the drive to install from a disc or copy to one. I look at all the items hooked up to the ports on back - a cable modem to the ethernet, a laser printer to the usb, an external hard drive to the firewire and ready to go but not hooked up Apple's usb modem. Are they items I would really, really need on the road? In my circumstances, no. However, if I am able to take this on the "road" so to speak (I don't travel internationally or nationally so if problems occur, I can either accept them if I am that far away from home or if not, run home and try and correct), but if I am on the road and am able to connect to the internet, e-mail and have it handle a few of the applications I use at home like InDesign and Photoshop, mind you I do not use these in a professional manner as a photographer or graphic designer might, but if it handles those three aspects - get online to view vendor products - check up on e-mail from suppliers and customers - maybe do a little "work" out in the field with regards to limited typesetting to show customers, etc (my features list). Then this little machine would be perfect for my circumstances. Does it have everything that fits everyone's needs. No. Then again, whenever a new or next generation Apple product comes out, it is usually followed with a post about what it is missing or the one thing that would make it a lot more useful and the all too familiar requested "Feature List" begins again.
Comments
Geez, lowededwookie, I went through this whole registration process to say the exact same thing you just did, so I guess I won't bother!
What is it about Mac forums in particular that leads everyone for whom a new product is not ideal, to write a long, vitriol-laden post about how this is living proof that Apple is going to Hell in a handbasket, and Steve Jobs is the devil? If you don't want something, don't buy it! Is that that hard a concept to grasp? As near as I'm able to tell, everybody is steamed because they think Apple has discontinued the MacBook and MacBook Pro and replaced them with the MacBook Air. Check again, folks: They didn't!
What the consensus seems to be is that any laptop is useless unless it has the power, connectivity, and expandability of a Mac Pro, but you can hold it in your mouth when you have both hands full!
hahaha good point. Personally, i think people who likes the "AIR" are too busy playing with it.
DiskWarrior allows creation of a bootable diagnostics partition on the internal HD. No CD required.
If you don't like the MBA, please don't buy one.
Everyone, get ready for wireless USB!
I put in a preorder for the Macbook Air the second the store came online after the keynote. Due to this, I've had mine since thursday, so I've gotten a decent amount of time to play around with it and use it in day-to-day settings. On a side note, when I first powered this thing on, it got freking HOT!! A fan started blasting very loud, and I was pretty upset.."is THIS the air?" I thought? Well, I turned the machine off and let it charge up - since then, I've not once heard the fan, and the unit has been much cooler (though still gets a bit warm).
Let me first say that the battery life is quite good. I've been running BT and WiFi simultaneously in "better energy savings" mode whilst on the battery and have observed a little over 4 hours of usage - that's while actively browsing the web, having multiple apps open, and listening to music..not bad, if you ask me.
I did purchase the usb superdrive and the usb ethernet as a "just in case" precaution, but have yet to use the dvd. The OP makes a good point - though I was weary at first (heck, I almost cancelled my order after learning there was no dvd drive), the simple truth is that I hardly ever use the dvd drive in my laptop these days. Most of the time when I'm out, I use thumbdrives, rarely a dvd/cd. As far as ethernet, the dongle is so small, the cable might as well be plugging directly into my machine as I can't tell a difference.
Another thing people have mentioned, is the fact the unit has only one USB port and no firewire. I can't comment on the loss of Firewire, really, as I have no firewire devices. However the single USB port is ample, seeing as how BT and WiFi can handle just about everything else these days (wireless printer, wireless mouse, wireless keyboard, wireless storage..). Something to keep in mind is, the laptop was obviously built around people utilizing wireless technologies - hence the name - AIR. Apple wants you to be using airwaves, not cables. So far so good as far as I'm concerned!
The display is phenominal, the keyboard is great, and god I LOVE the new touchpad!! I can't say enough about the touchpad - it's fantastic. I didn't think it would be anything more than a gimmick at first, but I really appreciate it now that I have it.
The system itself is plenty "snappy" with the base model 1.6ghz cpu. I was a bit worried about the 80gb 4500rpm drive being too slow, however it performs admirably - and I appreciate the added space over the SSD. I really don't believe I'd recommend anyone getting the SSD option after seeing how well the 4500rpm does perform. The loss of space and the loss of money just doesn't add up to me..
After all is said and done, my only complaint about this laptop is hard disk space. 80gb is just too little. I plan to augment this capacity issue with some 16 or 32gb thumb drives that I'll carry around with me, but it just seems Apple could've thrown us a bone and included a larger disk..maybe they didn't want to make the SSD seem completely ludicrous..
Anyway..I LOVE my MacBook Air, and I'm sure just about anyone will..it's speedy, it's sexy, and it's freking sturdy (NO flexing at all). I wouldn't recommend this to someone who doesn't already have another computer, however.
My questions are: 1) What is the recharge time for the MBA battery? Could I possibly fully recharge it during an hour lay-over? 2) Does anyone sell an external MagSafe connecting battery? A quick websearch only turned up one product which was $500 and looked like a huge kludge. Is there an affordable, well-engineered TSA approved external battery option?
And for those who advocate the in-seat power outlets, I'd say that 1 out of 20 or even fewer planes I've been in have them. And some asian airlines seem to use non-standard adapters outlets. If an airline provides an outlet I can use, of course I use it. Maybe we'll see more of these if the carry-on battery regulations become worse. But that will take years if not decades.
And for those who advocate the in-seat power outlets, I'd say that 1 out of 20 or even fewer planes I've been in have them. And some asian airlines seem to use non-standard adapters outlets. If an airline provides an outlet I can use, of course I use it. Maybe we'll see more of these if the carry-on battery regulations become worse. But that will take years if not decades.
Have you checked out Seat Guru? It tells you what planes from what airlines have for layout and power.
but it just seems Apple could've thrown us a bone and included a larger disk..maybe they didn't want to make the SSD seem completely ludicrous...
There is no larger 1.8" single platter disk than the 80 GB, it's 5mm high.
Larger, dual platter discs like in the iPod classic 160GB are 8mm high and won't fit in the air's enclosure.
Q4 - Does that Ethernet Dongle give decent speeds via the USB?
The USB-ethernet dongle is a 10/100Base-T (i.e. Fast Ethernet) device, meaning up to 100 Mbps. USB 2.0 is 480Mbps; that's almost 5x faster. The USB can handle it. In addition, Apple is ahead of the curve on putting Gigabit Ethernet into its devices, most networks you will hook into won't be at gigabit rates; or at the very least, your connectivity to the internet will be nowhere near your LAN speed.
Q6 - Is the case too wide to use the MBA while seated on a train?
The MBA fits inside a standard inter-office envelope which is 13" x 10". You be the judge.
There is no larger 1.8" single platter disk than the 80 GB, it's 5mm high.
Larger, dual platter discs like in the iPod classic 160GB are 8mm high and won't fit in the air's enclosure.
Interesting, I wasn't aware of this..
Curious though, as platter densities seem to be going through the roof recently..I'd hope Apple is putting some pressure on drive manufacturers to include some of their higher density perpendicular writing technology in a 1.8 5mm size...wouldn't be surprised to see a higher capacity drive for the Macbook Air refresh this fall/winter (most likely).
The USB-ethernet dongle is a 10/100Base-T (i.e. Fast Ethernet) device, meaning up to 100 Mbps. USB 2.0 is 480Mbps; that's almost 5x faster. The USB can handle it. In addition, Apple is ahead of the curve on putting Gigabit Ethernet into its devices, most networks you will hook into won't be at gigabit rates; or at the very least, your connectivity to the internet will be nowhere near your LAN speed.
The MBA fits inside a standard inter-office envelope which is 13" x 10". You be the judge.
That is another question We should ask. Does the MBA's Ethernet max out at the maximum actual throughput of USB2.0? In other words, Is it a theoretical 480Mbps, essentialy 1/2 the throughput of 1000BASE-T?
Have you checked out Seat Guru? It tells you what planes from what airlines have for layout and power.
Cook. New bookmark.
Curious though, as platter densities seem to be going through the roof recently..I'd hope Apple is putting some pressure on drive manufacturers to include some of their higher density perpendicular writing technology in a 1.8 5mm size...wouldn't be surprised to see a higher capacity drive for the Macbook Air refresh this fall/winter (most likely).
Just prior to the announcement of the MBA one Chinese manufacturer announced that it will be no longer making 1.8" drives. After all, SSD dominates the PMP market so it wasn't a surprise. I'm sure we'll see some increased capacities but I think the use of the HDD in the MBA is just a stop-gate until the prices of SSD comes down.
Welcome to AI, tshort & brianb.
Except for the lack of a second USB port (usually need 1 for a USB hub and one for a KVM switch)...
ROFLMAO! My imagination is running amok visualizing you with a laptop and something else that requires the use of a KVM switch while flying over the Arctic from SFO to LHR.
If you need a KVM switch with your laptop, then the MBA just isn't the right setup for you.
Thanks for the chuckles
... adding a small "34"-size Expresscard slot....
I agree. This is the single greatest hardware addition that could come on rev 2. It would solve so many problems. Or, to say it more positively, it's a single addition that would most dramatically increase the MBA's functionality. That's saying a lot. Can we hope there's room to add that one additional port?
...So my question to MBA reviewers is: How much power can the MBA USB port deliver? Is there a non-powered USB hub to buy that can power a (small) external USB hard drive while charging an iPod?...
this was an important question for me, too, at MWSF. I went to the apple booth's MBA display with a fella from LaCie and a couple external drives, but they wouldn't let us hook them up to see. So I too am interested in seeing an answer to this question from AI.
Perhaps my brain is a bit slow today, but I am missing the point of this story.
No I think you are all right. Frankly the article was so off target that I gave up about half way through. I just totally missed the point. It appeared that they where trying to discount justified criticism to make room for the idea that the product is viable.
Is it based on the premise that AI readers/posters have not yet had the opportunity or interest to weigh in on "what they would like to know about the Air?"
Which from my standpoint brings up the issue that I already know enough about Air to want to see it float away. Frankly I believe that any body aware of Air has already made a opinion for themselves. I don't see the point of an article that will spit forth market drivel to justify the products place in the market. Air limitations are so blatant that most people know all that they need to know.
Dave
...what fps can the game achieve at lowest detail settings?
...what are the highest detail settings that can achieve a reasonably consistent 30fps?
This would be nice to know (under Mac OS, preferably) for UT2004, WoW, EA's Cider games, and other titles that may not be the latest thing, but are still for sale and still great fun. I'd also like this info for idTech 4 games (Doom 3, Quake 4, Prey, and soon Quake Wars). I'd gladly drop detail levels to the lowest and still appreciate being able to game on an ultraportable.
I don't expect the very latest generation of games (UT3, Gears of War) to run tolerably on X3100. But I've seen good results from other engines (at low detail) on recent X3100 MacBooks.
Also, I'd like to see results before and after 10.5.2, in the hopes that the mediocre X3100 drivers are improved.
It feels sturdy, well put together, and solid.
The screen looks very nice; I was concerned about the reflective coating, but it didn't seem to bother me, even in the well lit Apple store.
The multi-touch trackpad was pretty cool - not sure where I'll use it all that much, but I like it.
The USB port looks like it can accommodate my Sierra Wireless Sprint USB EVDO modem, but I'm not entirely sure.
My one big complaint - the button on the track pad. It's about half the size of the one on the MacBook Pro, and it feels as if the contacts underneath it are spaced too far apart. It feels harder to push, and less responsive than the larger one; it feels like it's got separate elements underneath - the MacBook Pro feels like one big piece when you push it - this feels...segmented?
That's my biggest complaint. From my limited perspective opening files and launching programs, performance seemed snappy.
What's on Your Feature List?
For all Apple laptops, there should be a port replicator / docking station. This can make a MBA a primary machine. This can make all of Apple's laptops more business friendly.
For the MBA, I'd like to see them squeeze a 14.1" screen in the same footprint. Add 1 more USB port. And add a HSPA radio. That's about it.
I want to complain about my Toyota Yaris.
Why doesn't it have a 6-litre, V12 engine?
Why doesn't it have 10 cubic metres of boot space?
Why doesn't it automatically drive my car without me having to touch the steering wheel?
Why doesn't it cost $1000?
Why doesn't it have a 30-inch LCD built in so I can watch DVDs while it drives for me?
Why doesn't it do 0-100 kph in 2.5 seconds?
Because these things aren't f***ing possible, that's why. Wait 30 years.