I totally agree with your comments. I too held off buying a laptop and what Apple presented to me is hot "Air". Will try to live with my iPhone and hopefully Apple will come out with something for the masses.

The EeePC run a full OS, even though its user interface is simplified. You can install any full Linux distribution, Windows XP or likely even Mac OS X is that were legal.

The price difference is another interesting aspect. The ASUS EeePC 2G Surf (which comes with 2GBflash and no camera) is $299. Add 2GB of RAM for under $40. Add 8GB of flash on an SDHC for under $40. Tat gives you a nicely appointed machine for under $400. That means you can almost 5 of these for the price of one MBA.

The EeePC is not an ugly machine. It's functional, it's portable, and it can even run the new CompiZ 3D desktop well (search youtube for EeePC+Compiz to see for yourself).

I think Apple missed the mark by a wide margin. I expected them to enter this market with a pricier machine (about $600), but to win on the features/functions/ and obviously design. That they didn't was massively disappointing.

While your comments are valid I think it is a little too early to predict a product's lifespan after 2 days of it being introduced. The Macbook Air may well be the world thinnest notebook but that's not really got my juices flowing when I watched Keynote.

The key word here is Wireless. While I do agree that the Air may not be exactly what consumers have been asking for, it probably will be what they're asking for 2 years from now. Let's not forget that Apple is at least a year ahead of the rest of the market on all of it's products. The same can be said for the Apple TV. While people have made comments like "That thing is just not going to sell" and "Well, why do I need one?" I tried to look to the future and predict what Apple wanted to do with this machine. Then I heard about iTunes movie rentals, YouTube and terabyte storage. Now, so much.

The same idea can be applied to the Macbook Air. We can't see right now that in a few years just about everything (and I mean everything) will be wireless. Your external hard drives, your TV, your car, your darn refrigerator. All wireless. And no CD ROM? Well look where GOOGLE is going. Online Aps with no need for software and Apple with online content, online music, online movies and soon we'll buy our computer games solely online too. Say good bye to the CD/DVD with it's limited storage. Blu Ray will last a while but the days of computer based hardware media storage and distribution are slipping away, just like the Elephant ears of yesteryear, the floppy discs of yesterday, and the CD ROMS of today.

"When it comes to computers, however, Apple seems more interested in dictating what consumers should want instead of giving them what we want."

While there may be an element of truth to that statement, you should remember that this is ONE line of computers. We have the macbook, the macbook pro - outstanding machines that have taken the market by storm. We have the work horse MacPro, hundreds and hundreds of configurations for any eventuality, and we have the gorgeous new iMacs, the flag ships of Apples desktop solutions. Apple HAS given us what we want, but they have also given us the future. If apple didn't push the envelope and stretch the boundaries of what can and can't be done then we may as well go buy Dell boxes and suffer through Vista.

"Of course, it's the prettiest little thang on the market, and Apple will likely sell a zillion of them."

Then, unlike your comparison to the Cube, they won't sit on the shelves, will they?

To conclude, this company has got it going on. They're on fire, and they have come a long way in the last 52 weeks alone. If Apple are in a place where they feel comfortable enough to make a product like the Air, then that makes me happy because if you take away the iPod, and the iPhone and the Macbooks from history you would be reading about a very dull and labored version of the digital age indeed.

I agree. If it had dedicated graphics, it would be worth the cost. But it seems like it takes too much away by being marginally smaller than a MacBook.

The MBA is an amazing unit, but not groundbreaking. There is a review out on Gizmodo that compares FIVE similar subnotebooks including the one from Apple and the MBA is nice but not a standout system.

I've been impressed with the little units like the Asus EEEPC ever since I saw a similar unit at a meeting a few years ago. He had Linux running on it, was connected wirelessly, and was doing all sorts of routene tasks, all with a little 1 pound unit that fit in his jacket pocket. Back then they were $1100 or so. Now they are so inexpensive I might get one to take on vacation. Lugging a full notebook along just to upload photos to .Mac is a real pain and a worry.

I agree with you 100%, but my problem is that my poor Pismo is truly on its last legs. I need to buy something in this year, and an eeePC doesn't cut it, as far as I can tell, as a primary computer. So, where do I go? Macbook? MBP? MBA? _and_ an eeePC? Don't know. I do know my wife is planning on buying herself an eeePC as her _primary_ computer, and keeping her Pismo as a backup, storage of older files, etc. But I doubt it would work for me... So, I will probably go MBA, simply because it gets me half/most of the way there--meaning to all three--eeePC, MB and MBP... Interesting, eh...

-Jon

I think Apple would have a weaker product if you need separate versions of your applications, or different applications all together, to run on something that is a computer and not a handheld. It needs to be a Mac to preserve the Mac experience, and the Air would loose lots of potential buyers if a critical piece of niche software didn't run on it. From the Developers' side, after going through the intel transition (which has resulted in a large number of updates that don't have new sexy features that people want in upgrades) having to port their apps to the ultra-portable experience, at the same time the iPhone SDK comes out, seems like a difficult burdon-- Which the Air would likely get neglected as a result of.
After developers get a hold of the iPhone SDK, we may see a bigger badder iPhone that's more of an OQO type thing... but without software, it wouldn't have much to offer now over the iPhone. If the EEEPC works for you go ahead, but I think that for apple to make an ultraportable, they had to make it a true mac.

Besides the EEE PC, there's the cloudbook by Everex (who brought you the WalMart $200 PC and the gOS). Same size as EEE, but has 30G HD vs SSD and faster CPU (though is C-7). Same price too! Rumor has it both are working on 9" versions for mid-year release for < $500. And of course, you'll now be seeing others climb on-board as well.
The MBA is a very sweet machine. I too need to upgrade my 6 yro tower and ibook, so this won't work for me, still contemplating MB or MBP.

And all it's Linux/Windows glory.

Your 7" display
Your 2.8 hours of battery life
Your tiny keyboard
Your lack of decent tech support

When I'm on the road, you know what I do?

E-Mail, documents and presentations.

I need to be able to read a lot of stuff, so a 7-inch display will get old fast.

I need to create full-page documents and presentations with industry standard applications.

I surf some.

I exchange files using a USB memory stick. If I print, I don't do it from my computer, I put a PDF on a memory stick and pass it to whoever has the printer.

I never burn a CD/DVD
I never watch movies
I never print

I hate the heft of my machine, lighter is better, but if I didn't care about screen size, I'd just use a phone.

I think it hits a sweet spot nicely. And remember, Apple has shown that sexy sells, and at a premium!

But you go ahead. You'll get what you pay for...

But plenty of Mac customers do!

4 million have found enough cash to buy a $400 - $600 cell phone from Apple.

Probably the same number will find the money for a Mac Air.

Like the iPhone, the Air is not just a product; it's a status symbol.

The other one of John Edwards' two Americas, the rich one, will snatch these up as quickly as iPhones.

I could not agree more. The smallest mac is the 12 PowerBook, I have one and I love it. I have been waiting to up grade. But now there is nothing to up grade too. the MacBook air is still 13 inches or more.

If Apple (or a third party) had a fold-up keyboard that worked with the iPhone or iPod touch, I wouldn't even look twice at an EEEPC. As it is, I'll probably get one (or the Everex equivalent) down the road. The urge to write often strikes in odd places, and I want something ultra-ultra-portable for those times. Even the EEEPC is just a little larger than what I want for that kind of thing; the Air is just overkill.

This is the first iteration of the MacBook Air, when you pay the most to get the least. Over time the price will come down and it's standard configuration will improve. Eventually the flash drives will be standard on all models and larger and less expensive.

It will be fun to see how this technological space evolves.

Rob

That little EEE-thing is something Apple should try once - making something which is first of all handy and practical and still not ugly.
Ah, oh, yes, that's what they're famous for doing, right? Well, yes - and no. It seems to me that they let that designer in them run a little too wild sometimes. Jobs is rich enough to buy whatever he wants and maybe he has forgotten the rest of us?
No, I am not talking about the poor, but us who appreciate quality but who are not rich.
Since the EEE can run Linux, it is absolutely an alternative to the MBA.
It is just one thing I hold against it. The Air, I mean. I think it is a splendid, outrageous machine, as far as I can see from here I sit in Norway - but way, way, way too pricey - and may I remind you that we will have to fork out 2645 $ for it, not 1799...
That is a two EEEs difference.
I don't know how Apple think they will sell us that difference. They have a little psychological problem on their hands there. The problem is that we have the Internet. We see the American price and then we see ours. Oh, yes - they have the sales tax, OK - but how many percent is that? Not that many, what I have learnt.
I'm sorry, but although it is a splendid product, I am afraid it won't help Apple to increase its global market share much.

Wasn't it someone who thought that their real tour de force was the Mac OS X? If that is so, what is so wrong with putting that OS into a reasonably priced, expandable tower?

The desktop Mac for the rest of us? We who want to have possibilities to upgrade the hardware with the flick of a switch. Like opening the old G4. You know.

Well, I have ordered my first intelMac, the cheapest iMac and I know I will be happy with it, as happy as I have been with my iMac G5 for 3 years now - and it will pass on to my wife:)

as a performer who uses a laptop, i would love to partake in abusing a laptop with ssd instead of a standard platter...

though the lack of firewire bugs me, the video support is there, but usb is just simply not good enough for audio - the latency is far to high for any professional performer and it doesn't supply nearly enough power. i would have thought they could miniaturize the firewire port with a proprietary cable, like they did with the dvi, but alas, you don't always get what you want... i would've been happy with a proprietary cable that carried all the ports onto a dongle that you'd have to hook up to it to get usb, dvi, firewire and headphones (anyone remember the minidock for the duo?)

i know the ssd version will see some pretty substantial price drops over the course of the next couple years, seeing as ssd has dropped in price at the rate of about 50% a year-- i think the 1.8" disk was just an interim fix for an issue they can't possibly control.

the SSD is the true macbook air, they just didn't want to wait 2 more years to bring it to market solely because it is outrageously expensive...

i believe in 2 years we'll see a 120gb ssd mba for around $2500 with the 64gb taking the place of the 1.8" at the $1700 price point.

just imagine, a macbook that can really be put through the paces without any real worries about data corruption-- really that's the only problem i've seriously experienced on any laptop (of course lcds can break, but you don't lose valuable work when they do.)

also the idea that you can install a phone-home-type security program on the machine without the worry of a thief just pulling the drive out of it-- the bain of those type of programs. that would also greatly increase your chances of recovering it if it gets stolen.

that's something i'm looking forward to, not at $3300, but i guarantee you that price will go down substantially soon.

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brett_x wrote:
I agree. If it had dedicated graphics, it would be worth the cost. But it seems like it takes too much away by being marginally smaller than a MacBook.

Marginallly??

Regarding the keyboard/iPhone comment:

Just the ability to use a BlueTooth keyboard with the iPhone would be huge! In my mind, using the current wireless keyboard would be enough for me. It wouldn't fold and fit in your pocket, but it is very, very small otherwise and is great for typing. All of the folding keyboards from Palm pretty much sucked, though they were better than writing a more than a few characters on the screen.

As to the MBA? It's a full screen, full keyboard, high powered, super light __SECONDARY COMPUTER__. I have no idea how many people buy a second computer just for travel. I hope that they have not confused the market for notebooks in general with the market for secondary computers.

Cheers!
Bret

EEPS: Kid stuff...a toy...and who wants to figure out Linux? Not me.

Give me a real computer for real people...not for kids...please send me an AirBook right now...thank you.

I think Vern is spot on: Apple needs
a sub-$700 notebook that is more
iPod Touch plus than MacBook minus.
Something that a family could
afford for all the kids that supports
iTunes and tools for school like
word-processing and spreadsheets.

There is always a market for almost every product out there and that includes the MBA whether you find it functional enough for your needs is another matter but as for me I think it is dang good looking and Apple is a prime company. For those of you looking at the EEEPC and compare it to the Macbook Air your not quite thinking strait; moreover if you are going to compare it to an Apple product I can see the iPhone doing nearly everything the EEEPC does in a much smaller, better looking, and women getting package..

Apple does NOT need a sub $700 notebook

this is NOT DELL!

Folks, I'm not saying that the EEEPC is a better machine than the Air, heck, they are not even in the same state.

What I'm saying is that we really don't need a pretty, thin notebook. What would have been better is an Apple version of the EEEPC, one that runs the iPhone version of OS X and has enough horsepower to do some interesting things while out and about. One that is inexpensive but gets the job done.

Who really cares about envelopes?

As it is the EEEPC and a few other machines like it, will fill the void.

Those saying that the "need a laptop" I sak what's wrong with a Macbook or Mackbook Pro? Are you going to be that much more productive with a thinner laptop?

The EEEPC is obviously not for you.

No, a machine the size of the Asus EEEEeeek is more of the niche product than the MBS. Too big to handily slip into your pocket and too small for any serious computer grunt work. The only people who will buy it are tech nerds who will be willing to live with the ergonomic nightmare just to be able to say gee, look how small my fully-functional computer is. Meanwhile most people will think I can't do e-mail, surfing and word processing in any comfort, the least they could do was make it an easy fit for my pocket so it's not a PITA to carry around.

The MBA might not be the ideal that some people had hoped for but please don't keep holding up those tweener-sized ultra-mobiles as some design holy grail. Those are lose-lose propositions. You lose on both ergonomics and mobility.

"We don't need it" ... Well I need one and a few others I know are lining up to get one as well! Perfect for lugging around the world and the 13.3 screen is the perfect size, others are way too small EEEPC

I guess from now on, Steve better ask Vern for the green light before coming out with any product. Whether anyone here is willing to buy a MBA or not is totally irrelevant; what matters is how many people in the market will shell out the dough for one. Steve's track record in this space is pretty damned good; the cube being an exception, not the rule. As soon as Apple comes out with anything new, the whiners come out of the woodwork and tell the world what Apple should have done instead, and what could they have been thinking of. Well, as a shareholder, I say thank God we have Steve Jobs and not Vern Seward making the decisions at Apple. It's really simple: does the MBA suit your needs and do you like the form factor? Buy it. It doesn't? Don't buy it, but don't go telling everyone that you're the yardstick by which all APple customers should be measured.

Quote

Anonymous wrote:
I think Vern is spot on: Apple needs
a sub-$700 notebook that is more
iPod Touch plus than MacBook minus.
Something that a family could
afford for all the kids that supports
iTunes and tools for school like
word-processing and spreadsheets.

eMate anyone?

They're looking at a different market with this one - Jason O'Grady nailed it over at ZDNet.

http://uneasysilence.com/archive/2007/11/12654/

There's a wiki up for this too:

http://eeepc-osx.wikispaces.com/

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Guest wrote:
http://uneasysilence.com/archive/2007/11/12654/

You people have lost it. The Macbook Air is superior to anything out there. Oh and by the way there is an optical drive if you need one. Nothing that you say that exists today run OSX Leopard except the Macbook Air. So those laptops don't count even if they do exist. Believe me people are going to buy them like crazy, you'll see.

Approx Newton 2100 size, iPhone internals and capabililties: Bluetooth, Wifi and 3G data connections. Full touchscreen like iPhone but option of external Bluetooth or USB keyboard. Wifi external Optical Drive access like the Air would make software installation possible as well. Back-to-my-mac capability so I can access information from Office and Home machines as required.

A5 size screen would make it usable for serious work AND watching movies better. Sub $1000 price so I can take it anywhere and no worry about it too much.

Come on Apple - you know you want to! (Please )

$1000 if they include the 160Gb disk from the iPod Classic ... closer to $600 would be even better - a real EEE competitor! It could take over the education/kids market as well at those prices - iPod Touch, Movies and school work in one...

Where do I order one for me and three for the kids ?

My first thought was this would be the perfect computer if I was still traveling. It is thin enough to fit into a standard brief case without it taking over. With Wi-Fi, I could access all of my files via file sharing or .Mac.
This appears to be mostly a business product, not something for the masses.

Why bother posting here if it is quite obvious that the MBA is not for you. It's perfect for many who have to get real work done while on the go. The UMPCs have far too tiny displays and useless keyboards. And for those whining about the nonreplaceable battery, any flight that I have been on that's longer than about 4 hrs provides aux power at the seat.

The reason to post here is because this is an article ABOUT how the AirBook is NOT right for most of us-- whether for feature (or lack thereof), price, or size reasons.

Personally, I think asking $1799 (or $3300 for the high end model w/ accessories) for the slowest of Apple's current laptop crop-- subnotebook or not --is a little excessive.

Quote

Guest wrote:
Why bother posting here if it is quite obvious that the MBA is not for you. It's perfect for many who have to get real work done while on the go. The UMPCs have far too tiny displays and useless keyboards. And for those whining about the nonreplaceable battery, any flight that I have been on that's longer than about 4 hrs provides aux power at the seat.

If I have a desktop and a PowerBook already - what problem does the MBA really solve (apart from gadget lust - which I admit is a pretty strong argument, don't get me wrong). iPhone with the data plans is almost a business tool but too small/restrictive. A true robust UMPC offering from Apple, with features from their existing products and true remote connectivity to my existing machines (see postings from users above) and a sub$1000 price tag would solve many peoples problems AND provide Apple with a key differentiator in the education market again. The Mac Mini is the right price but you can't really carry that around campus! I wish Apple every success with MBA - I personally was disappointed at the announcement as Apple have all the mind-blowing components/technology to crack the UMPC market wide open. As Vern proposed ... it's the Right package, the wrong price, and the wrong envelope... maybe next year???

Quote

yoyo52 wrote:

Quote

brett_x wrote:
I agree. If it had dedicated graphics, it would be worth the cost. But it seems like it takes too much away by being marginally smaller than a MacBook.

Marginallly??

The image you posted is of the comparison to a 15" MacBookPro... not a 13.3" MacBook.. which has the same graphics capabilities.

In missing what I said, you support my point.. if you could compare the 15" MacBookPro's graphic capabilities with the MacBook Air, it would be worth the money for the smaller form factor. But since it has the same graphics chipset (Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor with 144MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory) as the 13.3" MacBook, I don't find it a good buy. You're welcome to disagree.

Either specify the "we" that don't need (or want) a MacBook Air, or just use "I" like any other individual. Apple listens to its customers -- please note the plural.

Apple TV: Is it me or is everyone out of their minds? Rent a movie through itunes that is released 30 days AFTER the DVD... The business model seems flawed. The way I understand it movie releases timeline goes something like this: first go to the theatre, then airplanes and hotels, then pay-per-view and then DVD. Now Apple wants to rent it to you for 24 hrs THIRTY days later. I would like to see the numbers behind pay per view and the numbers behind dvd sales. My guess is that dvd sales are good (pay per view might be good too, but you don't have to shell out >$200). The reasoning is that people like to watch a movie and then the kids watch the movie and a year down the road you are sick in bed and watch it again. Apple TV should have included a 3.5" hard disk to STORE your video collection and come up with some other copyright schema and let you keep the movie.
MBA: comparing to the Asus Eee is ridiculous. I am a BIG fan of Asus and have used the E briefly. The thing is way underpowered. Once you have owned an IBM X series or other sub 3.5 lb notebook you realize how great they are. This is more on par of what Apple was going for. I do agree that Apple does not listen to what the customers want and they are insanely slow to deliver (have to exclude the iphone here).
I have some vision of some board meetings at Apple where the technical people are overshadowed by these fancy pants, fast talking, ass kissing, artsy types. If I could step into one of these meetings I would bring a 6 yr old IBM x series and throw it down on the table and scream "what is wrong with you people!"

Quote

Anonymous wrote:
Apple TV: Is it me or is everyone out of their minds? Rent a movie through itunes that is released 30 days AFTER the DVD... The business model seems flawed.

I suspect this is driven by the studios, not Apple. Complain to them.

Forgive me if this has already been posted -- didn't read every comment.

You wrote regarding the MacBook Air that:

"...it's the prettiest little thang on the market, and Apple will likely sell a zillion of them."

Later you wrote;

"...so the pretty, pricey Cube languished on store shelves. I have a feeling that the MacBook Air is this year's "Cube.""

This confused me.

This thing is going to be a godsend for DJs, Photogs, anybody that needs a solid computer but wants to shave mass from their mobile kit. I basically use this iBook to just websurf and control my other 3 machines (2 macs 1PC) using Screen Sharing (used to use Remote Access, but now Leopard has eliminated that resource hog), set them up to encode video, process tasks, serve files, etc without having to touch them outside of occasionally changing a disc.

This to me is the response to those of use who said "Why do I need an iPhone, I want something smaller and lighter than a MacBook but just as powerful". Really, we wanted a tablet, but I see Steve's point this time. He and I don't always agree (see Leopard's dubious UI streamlining), but this I like. Expect this to be like the original Powerbook, you'll see all sorts of "notable" people using them because of the slimness and portability, not to mention the "green" aspect. Greenpeace might not be fully satisfied, but its a big step forward, even they had to grudgingly give some praise.

I do see Vern's point though, because the reason I didn't choose a Cube (I chose a much more expandable dual 500 G4 that still runs nicely to this day) was because I wanted just a bit more power than its beautiful but space and thermally compromised design could give me. Same here, as much as I want to sell this iBook and make up the 12-1400 dollar difference for this right now, thats money that could go towards a Pro maybe next year, a computer that will be far more powerful in all the areas I tend to tax machines. The iBook should last to '09, the G4 probably needs to go into graceful retirement from primary server/encoder/etc duty, maybe get a 9-compatible video card back in her and play some old games once and awhile.

Still, I can see the third or 4th gen of this product as my next laptop, definitely

I've had an EEE PC for a few months and love it: portable, light, does the basics well. As small as it is, it has an Ethernet port and three USB ports. And the flash drive makes it rugged enough to get jostled in transit. And if it does get damaged, I'm only out $400.

For me, the MBA makes too many compromises at too high a price. If I spent $2000 on a snazzy looking laptop, I'd be hesitant to take it on the road for me.

And I've never cared for Apple's decision to eliminate things like a modem (Macbook) and an Ethernet port (MBA), yet make a Webcam standard.

The MBA is amazing. Now, just shrink it so that it is the same footprint of the eee, and we'll love it.

"Take the ill-fated Cube for example: When the Cube was introduced people were clamoring for a mid-sized Mac Pro. The logic was that many people wanted the versatility and open architecture the Mac Pros offered, but at a less expensive price point. Such a device would not compete with iMacs, which was thought of as the consumer computer."

Sorry, Vern, but your history is a bit off. The "Mac Pro" is the CURRENT Intel Mac tower. The G4 Cube was introduced in July 2000. At the time, there was a $1,600 "mid-sized" Power Mac G4 with a single processor with all the expandability of any Power Mac. It fit nicely between the iMac G3 at $800-$1,500 and the dual processor G4 at $2,500+, so there probably weren't too many people "clamoring" for something that already existed.

Quote

Guest wrote:
The reason to post here is because this is an article ABOUT how the AirBook is NOT right for most of us-- whether for feature (or lack thereof), price, or size reasons.

Personally, I think asking $1799 (or $3300 for the high end model w/ accessories) for the slowest of Apple's current laptop crop-- subnotebook or not --is a little excessive.

No Mac is the best for "most of us." What's good for me might be overkill for some (the Eee fan, for example) but grossly underpowered for others (the musician, for example). If the MacBook Air isn't right for you, don't buy one. Apple isn't discontinuing the MacBook and MacBook Pro, nor the iPhone, all of which are potential alternatives to the MacBook Air, depending upon what you need. (With the addition of email, even the iPod touch might be an alternative for some.)

Personally, I think asking a lot more for a Lexus than a Corolla is a bit excessive, considering that both get you there in the same time.

Quote

Guest wrote:
The MBA is amazing. Now, just shrink it so that it is the same footprint of the eee, and we'll love it.

If it had the same footprint, it would have that same small keyboard and display.

Two questions for those who are enthusiastic about the Eee:

1. Have you used one for any length of time? (Some apparently have.) I tried one out for a few minutes. Typing was difficult for me because of the small keyboard. (I've had problems before trying to shift from a non-standard keyboard--e.g., a sloped "ergonomic" verion with my iMac--to a standard one as on my 12" PowerBook. Also, I have large hands.) I found the display too small (800x480) to do much practical. It reminded me of my PowerBook 100, with its 640x400 display. Surfing was a bit of a pain, as most websites aren't created with such a small screen in mind. If it had the zoom capability of the iPhone and iPod touch, that might help. I did like that it had 3 USB ports & Ethernet.

2. How many of these have been sold? Any idea?

I find it interesting that many people point to capabilities the MacBook Air doesn't have, while others wish that it had LESS capability. The first group might like a MacBook or MacBook Pro. For the second, an Eee might be just the thing.

Quote

Guest wrote:
Add 8GB of flash on an SDHC for under $40.

Only if you get a slow and/or low quality card. A high-speed 8GB SDHC card by a top manufacturer (e.g., Lexar, SanDisk) will be more like $80-100. If people think that the MacBook Air's iPod-like HD will be slow, try a cheap SDHC card. It can take several seconds to save a photo.

Quote

Guest wrote:
I have no idea how many people buy a second computer just for travel. I hope that they have not confused the market for notebooks in general with the market for secondary computers.

Apple hasn't. That would be a very legitimate concern if they had discontinued the MacBook and MacBook Pro, but they have not. It's not just a "secondary" computer. Lots of business people use a laptop as their primary computer, but they do not use them to create video, graphics, music, etc. They do business with them. They need to run MS Office, for example. (Why do you think so many have been "clamoring" for such a capability on the iPhone?) They are like ctopher. They view, create, and edit documents; they keep records; they access corporate databases via the Internet; they surf, use email and chat. (Anyone notice the cheer when Jobs said that the iPhone will support SMS to multiple people? It wasn't from teens.) On the side, they want to have photos of their families and vacations, some music and videos. These folks--many of whom are not hurting for money--are often highly mobile and will appreciate a computer that fits in the file section of their briefcases and attache cases. They're the ones who buy the small Sony sub-notebooks, too.

Quote

MicrowaveDave wrote:
For me, the MBA makes too many compromises at too high a price. If I spent $2000 on a snazzy looking laptop, I'd be hesitant to take it on the road for me.

And I've never cared for Apple's decision to eliminate things like a modem (Macbook) and an Ethernet port (MBA), yet make a Webcam standard.

Perhaps you don't need one. Fine. Enjoy your Eee. As for not taking a $2,000 laptop with you, it depends upon what you need or want to do. For some people, it's worth it. I know a guy who routinely travels with an $8,000 camera--just one body (no lens) cost that much, and he has another that cost about $4,000. His lenses cost around $20,000. All told, he carries photo gear that cost around $40,000. Why isn't he hesitant to take that with him? Why doesn't he take a nice $150 point-and-shoot camera? Because he makes his living with his cameras. There are many people who carry a $2,500+ MacBook Pro with them everywhere for much the same reason.

Do you have a cell phone that cost more than $0? If so, aren't you worried that it will be stolen or damaged? What about your car? Do you have a $200 beat-up wreck? If not, aren't you afraid to take it out on the road? One suggestion: insurance. It costs me $8 per year to add $3,000 worth of computer equipment to my homeowner's policy.

As for the iSight, quite a few people in business seem to find them useful for conferences over iChat AV, etc. Now, guess who makes up most of the market for the MacBook Air? The same business people who want video chat on their iPhones.

That's the real point: there IS a market for the MacBook Air, even if Vern doesn't want one. (I won't be getting one, either. However, in the 20 minutes I was in my local Mac dealer's store last week, two people came in asking when the MacBook Air would be arriving.)

Oh, and one more thing: by the same logic, the iPod touch has to be a ghastly failure, right? It's the most expensive iPod and has less capacity than the iPod 5G, so it has to be a complete bust, right? Check Amazon's rankings of MP3/media players. It changes hourly, but, for now:

1. 8GB touch
2. 80GB Classic black
3. 16GB touch
4. 4GB Nano silver
5. 8GB Nano black
6. 80GB Classic silver
7. Zune 80GB black
8. Sansa Clip 1GB (<$40)
9. 160GB Classic black
10. 8GB Nano blue

In the "Most wished for" list, updated daily:

1. 16GB touch
2. 80GB Classic black
3. 4GB Nano silver
4. 8GB touch
5. 8GB Nano black
6. Zune 80GB black
7. 80GB Classic silver
8. 160GB Classic black
9. 8GB Nano blue
10. Zune 30GB (original version)

What makes this even more notable is that, before the touch was introduced, various models of the Nano usually led the list. Since then, the iPod touch has usually been at the top or #2.

I just checked Amazon's "Most Wished for" list for Notebooks. Prepare for a shock:

1. Asus Eee 4G-Galaxy white $400
2. Asus Eee 4G-Galaxy black $434
3. Asus Eee 8G white (not available)
4. MacBook Air 1.6 gHz, 80 GB HD $1,794
5. MacBook 2.2 gHz, 120GB HD, SuperDrive white $1,299
6. MacBook Pro 15.4", 2.2 gHz, 120GB HD $1,988
7. Asus Eee 4G Surf $371
8. MacBook Air 1.8 gHz, 80 GB HD $2,094
9. HP Pavillion DV662SE 15.4 250GB HD $1,200
10. MacBook 2.0 gHz, 80GB HD, Combo drive white $1,099
11. MacBook 2.2 gHz, 160GB HD, SuperDrive black $1,499
12. MacBook 2.16gHz, 120GB HD, SuperDrive white $1,500
13. MacBook Air 1.8gHz, 64GB SSD $3,093
14. Asus Eee 2G Surf Green $310
15. MacBook Pro 15.4", 2.4 gHz, 160GB HD $2,499
16. MacBook Pro 17", 2.4 gHz, 160GB HD, $2,600
...
23. MacBook 2.16 gHz, 160GB HD, SuperDrive black $1,500


Summary of the top 25 "Most Wished for":

Eee: 1, 2, 3, 7, 14

MacBook Air: 4, 8, 13

MacBook: 5, 10, 11, 12, 23

MacBook Pro: 6, 15, 16

HP: 9, 20

Sony: 17, 21, 25

Toshiba: 18, 19, 24

Acer: 22

Now, for the REAL shocker--Amazon's "Bestseller" list for notebooks:

1. MacBook 2.2 gHz, 120GB HD, SuperDrive white $1,299


hold on ...




hold on a bit more ...




grab something solid and hang on, it's going to be a dizzying ride ...









2. MacBook Air 1.6 gHz, 80 GB HD $1,794

The MacBook Air is not even out yet, but it's #2 on the "Bestseller" list. (There's another at #13.)

Summary of the top 25 Bestsellers in Notebooks, 0300 PST, January 22, 2008:

MacBook: 1, 3, 5

MacBook Air: 2, 13

Eee: 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 18

MacBook Pro: 6, 15

HP: 12, 17, 20, 25

Toshiba: 16, 19, 21

Sony: 22, 24

Acer: 23

I'm also amazed by review that say things like:

"EEEPC...does offer enough horsepower to do 80 to 90 percent of what you might want to do. For me, that's plenty "


This bugs me because they go on to say how the MBA is limited and because only does 80 to 90% of what a power user might want.

I'm sure there are people who could settle for a EEEPC just as I'm sure there are people who could settle for a MBA.

The truth is MOST people these days buy more flexibility than they will ever need in a computer. Apple has always recognized this and simplified things accordingly. A single high powered USB port can be expanded extensively via a hub.

FWIW, I watch lots of DVD's thanks to a NetFlix subscription, but what's interesting is for the last year as soon one comes in the mail the first thing I do is rip it to my HD with DVD Shrink. I NEVER watch a DVD directly on my laptop. If I'm going to watch it mobile, which I usually do, I ALWAYS watch it off my HD. I have a DVD-R drive built in to my laptop, I just never want to be carrying DVD's around.

I think that 50% of the people buying laptops today would find the MBA does MORE than they actually need. Another 40% would find it just right, and 10% actually NEED something more. Again stressing that MOST computer users, those that don't follow tech news like this, grossly over estimate their needs.

Personally I travel outside the US for months at a time (photographer). I initially thought the MBA wouldn't work for me because I can burn through 100GB of storage in a month. But I'm rethinking that... My current laptop is a windows XP machine (7lbs 15.4" 2.0Ghz, 2GB, 250GB) which still has me carrying 3-4 160GB USB hard drives around for backups and extra storage. I do burn DVD backups as well to mail home. But an MBA with an external DVD drive I could use in my "hotel" which is the only place I'd burn DVD's and not have to carry around most of the time a reasonable option. Personally I would rather see a 160GB internal, but even with the 250GB internal I have now I'm constantly plugging in a USB drive. My only real concern is can I stomach running Lightroom (daily use) and Photoshop (weekly use) on it. For me 13.3" sounds to small. I've been waiting for a MBP update, but frankly I'm coming around by the day to just going with an MBA.

Well put "Guest". I completely agree that we over-estimate users needs, and frankly we often over estimate our own needs. We also look at what we have now and unfairly compare machines, specs, features and so forth. Worse of all we seem to think that understanding this stuff means we should have machines with twice as much RAM and twice as many cores as our non-geek counterparts, which is often the opposite of the truth.

For example, my mom has an 18,000 strong iPhoto library which she regularly uses to make all kinds of media including slideshows burned to DVDs. She also has the entire families CD collection, uses all the iLife apps and runs a business from her MacBook. Frankly, she could do with a 24" iMac. I on the other hand don't carry much media with me, leaving most of it archived at home. I don't burn DVD's (ever) and I rarely push my MacBook beyond a light purr (except when watching flash videos). Still, I consult and repair Macs for a living. I should need far more machine than she does right?

Pffft.

Besides, it wasn't that long ago we were all using single core 1GHz G4 CPU's quite happily. I'd love to see someone argue that this machine won't be that fast.

Perhaps Apple needs to revive the Newton.

I agree. If it had dedicated graphics, it would be worth the cost. But it seems like it takes too much away by being marginally smaller than a MacBook.