I still think GPS and Find My Mac would have been awesome additions to every new Mac notebook that could help promote sales of their HW and MobileMe. Maybe next time.
I thought that as well. Must be some technical reason they did it this way instead of as one big battery....
I'll venture a guess.
The MBA is tapered down at the front while thicker at the rear. Therefore, you have less available volume at the front than at the rear. If you made a single, large battery, assuming you don't have the ability (or for cost reasons) to make a trapezoidal shaped battery, you break them up into separate cells. The cells closer to the front are thinner but wider. While the ones closer to the middle/back are slightly thicker but narrower.
Just a guess. Maybe ifixit can measure out the overall dimensions and volumes for the cells.
O.K., so the pictures of the guts is interesting and all...especially the non-upgradable RAM....definitely good to know.....
But now we need the user reviews and performance specs to see how these puppies perform! Do they perform like....well.......dogs? Or like.......leopards?
That logic board is intense. The fact that we can now stick a decent gpu, a dual core cpu and 4 gigs of ram on something so tiny that can be cooled with a single fan is absolutely intense. When I think back to 486 days Days of my 1st PC and the see something like MBA is just unbelievable.
I cannot accept this seemingly endless quest to make computers that are too thin to have any reasonable amount of internal storage. You do realize that 64GB of flash costs more than a 2TB hard drive don't you?
If Apple wants me to buy an AppleTV and stream my iTunes library to my television then they're going to have to provide reasonable options for storing all that content that don't involve long chains of external hard drives.
Yes I know they want us to rent and stream everything but that isn't going to happen. As long as there are children in this world parents will need either physical copies of movies or some other local copy so we don't have to pay to watch Tinkerbell or Finding Nemo 10 times a month.
I expect my next new Mac to have at least 2TB of internal storage and significantly more than that in external enclosures for iTunes, Time Machine, drive clones and archived files.
That logic board is intense. The fact that we can now stick a decent gpu, a dual core cpu and 4 gigs of ram on something so tiny that can be cooled with a single fan is absolutely intense. When I think back to 486 days Days of my 1st PC and the see something like MBA is just unbelievable.
I remember the Apple ][+ from my childhood. Back in those days Apple provided you with a schematic diagram of the logic board so you could understand what all the chips were and how they interconnected. Wild stuff.
I cannot accept this seemingly endless quest to make computers that are too thin to have any reasonable amount of internal storage. You do realize that 64GB of flash costs more than a 2TB hard drive don't you?
If Apple wants me to buy an AppleTV and stream my iTunes library to my television then they're going to have to provide reasonable options for storing all that content that don't involve long chains of external hard drives.
Yes I know they want us to rent and stream everything but that isn't going to happen. As long as there are children in this world parents will need either physical copies of movies or some other local copy so we don't have to pay to watch Tinkerbell or Finding Nemo 10 times a month.
I expect my next new Mac to have at least 2TB of internal storage and significantly more than that in external enclosures for iTunes, Time Machine, drive clones and archived files.
I still think GPS and Find My Mac would have been awesome additions to every new Mac notebook that could help promote sales of their HW and MobileMe. Maybe next time.
Agreed. What are your thoughts to lack of an illuminated key board? IMO that should be standard also. I'm a big fan of the thinkpads little light. Comes in very handy.
I will be upgrading from my 2006 17" MacBook Pro to the 13.3" MacBook Air. Though I'm puzzled why Apple opted to go with USB 2.0 instead of the faster USB 3.0. The latter of which is faster than firewire. I'm also confused why Apple opted to make FaceTime a separate app instead of including it in iChatAV. One app active is better than keeping both active.
Agreed. What are your thoughts to lack of an illuminated key board? IMO that should be standard also. I'm a big fan of the thinkpads little light. Comes in very handy.
haha, illuminated keyboard very nice, but i also preffer the thinkpad light
info for this is very nice, now i gotta decide for a larger screen or more ram....
I will be upgrading from my 2006 17" MacBook Pro to the 13.3" MacBook Air. Though I'm puzzled why Apple opted to go with USB 2.0 instead of the faster USB 3.0. The latter of which is faster than firewire. I'm also confused why Apple opted to make FaceTime a separate app instead of including it in iChatAV. One app active is better than keeping both active.
USB 3.0 hasn't been finalized yet.
I was confused too at first but thin I realized that by making FaceTime a separate app they made it drop dead simple to configure and start a call. Did you see the demo, 1,2, oh, no 3. There are going to be allot of people that will never or have never used iChat but will use FaceTime. That's my guess anyways.
I was confused too at first but thin I realized that by making FaceTime a separate app they made it drop dead simple to configure and start a call. Did you see the demo, 1,2, oh, no 3. There are going to be allot of people that will never or have never used iChat but will use FaceTime. That's my guess anyways.
I am under the impression that companies can’t just add major new features without accounting for them in the budget. IOW, adding it to iChat is more than a simple bug fix or refinement of the finalized version of Snow Leopard, the only way to get iChat.
Plus, it’s still a Beta, not something that should be pumped to every version of iChat at this moment or include in the Mac OS X 10.6.5 beta.
I imagine that Mac OS X 10.7 will have FaceTime as a part of iChat and be tied to the system itself so you can FaceTime, say, right from Address Book with a click.
The USB Restore Stick for the MBA is apparently 8GB. Half the size I thought it would be. How did they get all of Mac OS X plus iLife onto 8GB?
I understand that they don’t need all the other Mac drivers for the system specific restores, but that is a small part of the overall size and even the system specific Restore Discs come on 2 DL-DVDs. Did they push some things, like Garageband loops, to a server to be part of a future update after you get the machine?
I will be upgrading from my 2006 17" MacBook Pro to the 13.3" MacBook Air. Though I'm puzzled why Apple opted to go with USB 2.0 instead of the faster USB 3.0. The latter of which is faster than firewire. I'm also confused why Apple opted to make FaceTime a separate app instead of including it in iChatAV. One app active is better than keeping both active.
The FaceTime service does run in the background, listening for incoming calls even when the app is closed. You DO have to manually launch it to initiate a call, but unlike I'M, at least you don't have to keep it open and broad sat that you are online.
Ultimately, it feels more like a module for something bigger that apple is testing. I fully expect that FaceTime will be fully integrated into programs like Mail and Address Book and iLife so you can initiate from any program and not just video chat, but share content as well much like you currently do with iChat.
My understanding is that iChat video uses either Bonjour or AOL's relay servers depending on where on the network or Internet your party is, but FaceTime looks to be a protocol of its own; maybe it's Apple's way of bringing more functionality under its own roof as opposed to relying on a 3rd party (like AIM relay servers).
Comments
Beautiful....
Does anyone know if the new MBA comes with iLife '11 included? Thx
Best
It does come with iLife 11 according to their site, under the web store.
Can anyone confirm if the ram is user upgradable or you have to get it from the factory with 4gb preinstalled?
RAM is soldered on the board. You need to order the extra RAM when you purchase it.
RAM is soldered on the board. You need to order the extra RAM when you purchase it.
For $100 it is one upgrade that anyone who buys this thing should make.
Beautiful....
Does anyone know if the new MBA comes with iLife '11 included? Thx
Best
For $100 it is one upgrade that anyone who buys this thing should make.
I know all Macbook and mini that I saw from apple store UK yesterday carries the new iLife '11. Didn't check iMac and mac pro tho.
I thought that as well. Must be some technical reason they did it this way instead of as one big battery....
I'll venture a guess.
The MBA is tapered down at the front while thicker at the rear. Therefore, you have less available volume at the front than at the rear. If you made a single, large battery, assuming you don't have the ability (or for cost reasons) to make a trapezoidal shaped battery, you break them up into separate cells. The cells closer to the front are thinner but wider. While the ones closer to the middle/back are slightly thicker but narrower.
Just a guess. Maybe ifixit can measure out the overall dimensions and volumes for the cells.
But now we need the user reviews and performance specs to see how these puppies perform! Do they perform like....well.......dogs? Or like.......leopards?
Lots of possibilities for even thinner iMacs too!
I cannot accept this seemingly endless quest to make computers that are too thin to have any reasonable amount of internal storage. You do realize that 64GB of flash costs more than a 2TB hard drive don't you?
If Apple wants me to buy an AppleTV and stream my iTunes library to my television then they're going to have to provide reasonable options for storing all that content that don't involve long chains of external hard drives.
Yes I know they want us to rent and stream everything but that isn't going to happen. As long as there are children in this world parents will need either physical copies of movies or some other local copy so we don't have to pay to watch Tinkerbell or Finding Nemo 10 times a month.
I expect my next new Mac to have at least 2TB of internal storage and significantly more than that in external enclosures for iTunes, Time Machine, drive clones and archived files.
That logic board is intense. The fact that we can now stick a decent gpu, a dual core cpu and 4 gigs of ram on something so tiny that can be cooled with a single fan is absolutely intense. When I think back to 486 days Days of my 1st PC and the see something like MBA is just unbelievable.
I remember the Apple ][+ from my childhood. Back in those days Apple provided you with a schematic diagram of the logic board so you could understand what all the chips were and how they interconnected. Wild stuff.
I cannot accept this seemingly endless quest to make computers that are too thin to have any reasonable amount of internal storage. You do realize that 64GB of flash costs more than a 2TB hard drive don't you?
If Apple wants me to buy an AppleTV and stream my iTunes library to my television then they're going to have to provide reasonable options for storing all that content that don't involve long chains of external hard drives.
Yes I know they want us to rent and stream everything but that isn't going to happen. As long as there are children in this world parents will need either physical copies of movies or some other local copy so we don't have to pay to watch Tinkerbell or Finding Nemo 10 times a month.
I expect my next new Mac to have at least 2TB of internal storage and significantly more than that in external enclosures for iTunes, Time Machine, drive clones and archived files.
Totally agree with you.
Nope, but you get special pricing when iLife '11 is available.
iLife is included for free with all Mac purchases. ilife 11 is already on the store shelves at the Apple Store.
I still think GPS and Find My Mac would have been awesome additions to every new Mac notebook that could help promote sales of their HW and MobileMe. Maybe next time.
Agreed. What are your thoughts to lack of an illuminated key board? IMO that should be standard also. I'm a big fan of the thinkpads little light. Comes in very handy.
Agreed. What are your thoughts to lack of an illuminated key board? IMO that should be standard also. I'm a big fan of the thinkpads little light. Comes in very handy.
haha, illuminated keyboard very nice, but i also preffer the thinkpad light
info for this is very nice, now i gotta decide for a larger screen or more ram....
I will be upgrading from my 2006 17" MacBook Pro to the 13.3" MacBook Air. Though I'm puzzled why Apple opted to go with USB 2.0 instead of the faster USB 3.0. The latter of which is faster than firewire. I'm also confused why Apple opted to make FaceTime a separate app instead of including it in iChatAV. One app active is better than keeping both active.
USB 3.0 hasn't been finalized yet.
I was confused too at first but thin I realized that by making FaceTime a separate app they made it drop dead simple to configure and start a call. Did you see the demo, 1,2, oh, no 3. There are going to be allot of people that will never or have never used iChat but will use FaceTime. That's my guess anyways.
I was confused too at first but thin I realized that by making FaceTime a separate app they made it drop dead simple to configure and start a call. Did you see the demo, 1,2, oh, no 3. There are going to be allot of people that will never or have never used iChat but will use FaceTime. That's my guess anyways.
I am under the impression that companies can’t just add major new features without accounting for them in the budget. IOW, adding it to iChat is more than a simple bug fix or refinement of the finalized version of Snow Leopard, the only way to get iChat.
Plus, it’s still a Beta, not something that should be pumped to every version of iChat at this moment or include in the Mac OS X 10.6.5 beta.
I imagine that Mac OS X 10.7 will have FaceTime as a part of iChat and be tied to the system itself so you can FaceTime, say, right from Address Book with a click.
I understand that they don’t need all the other Mac drivers for the system specific restores, but that is a small part of the overall size and even the system specific Restore Discs come on 2 DL-DVDs. Did they push some things, like Garageband loops, to a server to be part of a future update after you get the machine?
I will be upgrading from my 2006 17" MacBook Pro to the 13.3" MacBook Air. Though I'm puzzled why Apple opted to go with USB 2.0 instead of the faster USB 3.0. The latter of which is faster than firewire. I'm also confused why Apple opted to make FaceTime a separate app instead of including it in iChatAV. One app active is better than keeping both active.
The FaceTime service does run in the background, listening for incoming calls even when the app is closed. You DO have to manually launch it to initiate a call, but unlike I'M, at least you don't have to keep it open and broad sat that you are online.
Ultimately, it feels more like a module for something bigger that apple is testing. I fully expect that FaceTime will be fully integrated into programs like Mail and Address Book and iLife so you can initiate from any program and not just video chat, but share content as well much like you currently do with iChat.
My understanding is that iChat video uses either Bonjour or AOL's relay servers depending on where on the network or Internet your party is, but FaceTime looks to be a protocol of its own; maybe it's Apple's way of bringing more functionality under its own roof as opposed to relying on a 3rd party (like AIM relay servers).