Macbook Air?

I was kind of waiting to see what was coming from Apple because I want a new laptop but I can't imagine it being too cheap. I'm interested in seeing the real deal (not the photoshop mockup). I'm also considering an EEE PC since they are so cheap.
 
-Macrumorslive.com

10:26 am New Ad for MacBook Air. Plays off of the ability to fit in an envelope.
10:25 am Pre-orders today, shipping in two weeks
10:24 am $1799
10:24 am 2 GB Memory standard
10:23 am 5 hours of Battery Life
10:23 am No optical drive, but a Superdrive accessory is available for $99. Also, software comes with the MacBook Air that allows you to "borrow" a Mac or PCs optical drive.
10:21 am 802.11n + Bluetooth 2.1/EDR
10:20 am Other features: 45 Watt MagSafe, 1 USB 2.0 port, Micro-DVI, Audio Out
10:19 am Steve retaking stage
10:19 am Otellini: The processor is as thick as a nickle and as wide as a dime.
10:18 am Apple asked Intel to shrink the Core 2 Duo. Intel shrunk the processor by 60%. Paul Otellini, CEO of Intel is taking the stage
10:17 am 1.6 GHz Standard, 1.8 GHz Option -- Intel Core 2 Duo
10:16 am 80 GB hard disk standard, 64 GB SSD as an option. "they're pricy, but they're fast"
10:15 am 1.8" Hard Drive
10:15 am How did we fit a Mac in here?
10:15 am Move a window by double-tap and move. Rotate a photo by pivoting your index finger around your thumb. Of course, pinch-zoom.
10:14 am Multi-touch trackpad
10:13 am display is LED backlit. iSight is built-in. MacBook-like keyboard, but with an ambient light sensor
10:12 am Magnetic latch, 13.3" widescreen display
10:12 am MacBook Air is 0.16" to 0.76". The thickest part of the MacBook Air is thinner than the thinnest part of the Sony. It fits inside a envelope
10:10 am We thought 3 lbs is a good target weight, but there was too much compromise with the other features
 
That's a disgustingly-thin laptop. I'd probably snap it in half just by looking at it funny. Glad to see Apple is onboard with removing optical drives though. The advanced finger controls for the touchpad sound awesome too.
 
Well, it is a damn sexy notebook, and I normally hate apple products. The wireless idea is interesting, I would like to see how that works though.
 
[quote name='n25philly']no optical drive? Once again, the Apple brilliance of making no sense what so ever overwhelms me...[/QUOTE]

ultraportables don't have an optical drive.

THAT IS WHY THEY ARE ULTRAPORTABLE!
 
[quote name='usickenme']ultraportables don't have an optical drive.

THAT IS WHY THEY ARE ULTRAPORTABLE![/quote]
Well, Apple should get on perfecting Horadric Cube technology so we can get an opitcal drive too!
 
[quote name='mrelusive']Well, Apple should get on perfecting Horadric Cube technology so we can get an opitcal drive too![/quote]

[SIZE=-1]Wirt's leg + Tome of Town Portal.[/SIZE]
 
that said, it is really just a nod to their diehard users. The kind of person that takes their laptop out in public to "show it off"
 
[quote name='usickenme']that said, it is really just a nod to their diehard users. The kind of person that takes their laptop out in public to "show it off"[/quote]

why the hell else do people buy mac prodcuts.

Thats right.

Cause they dont know better, and believe all the apple propoganda.
 
Where's the goddamned computer at?

EDIT: I wonder if my MacBook Pro can be updated to have all the badass features they put into the Air's trackpad. Woah.
 
[quote name='docvinh']Should be at the apple store online, front and center.[/QUOTE]

I was making a funny. Not funny enough, apparently. ;)
 
[quote name='usickenme']ultraportables don't have an optical drive.

THAT IS WHY THEY ARE ULTRAPORTABLE![/quote]


Yeah, stupid is still stupid. Worthless without an optical drive. the sharing option is fine if you're in a set location in a network, but that kind of beats the purpose of having a portable system.
 
[quote name='InuFaye']why the hell else do people buy mac prodcuts.

Thats right.

Cause they dont know better, and believe all the apple propoganda.[/QUOTE]

don't be an idiot from the 1990's. People buy Macs for a variety of reasons. For me it is nice to have Mac (and a Windows box for Autocad via boot camp) all in my iMac. Plus the apps you get are awesome.

Almost all the mac users I know use a PC at work or have in the past. So they do know better and choose otherwise.
 
[quote name='n25philly']Yeah, stupid is still stupid. Worthless without an optical drive. the sharing option is fine if you're in a set location in a network, but that kind of beats the purpose of having a portable system.[/QUOTE]
Well, truthfully, I don't really use the dvd drive that much on my laptop except to install things, so I can see why they would take it out to reduce weight.
 
Yeah, the timecapsule sounds great. The Macbook Air, however, completely underwhelmed me. If i want something portable I'll just get a Macbook.
 
still rather pay less for a pc with stronger hardware and more features (tablet via wacom.) I presonally don't think the "hand" (?) gestures on the trackpad is very enticing. I'll have to compare the Air vs the x62t that is coming in a week or so I got for $1100. For $600 more I get 1 more gig RAM, bluetooth, N capability, and of course the smaller profile. Same processor, same hard drive, no wacom and less ports. It's competitive but I think people were looking to see a tablet, touch interface notebook come. I'm anxious to see what the rest of the internet thinks about it in the next few days and especially when it starts shipping.
 
[quote name='Brenex']still rather pay less for a pc with stronger hardware and more features (tablet via wacom.) I presonally don't think the "hand" (?) gestures on the trackpad is very enticing. I'll have to compare the Air vs the x62t that is coming in a week or so I got for $1100. For $600 more I get 1 more gig RAM, bluetooth, N capability, and of course the smaller profile. Same processor, same hard drive, no wacom and less ports. It's competitive but I think people were looking to see a tablet, touch interface notebook come. I'm anxious to see what the rest of the internet thinks about it in the next few days and especially when it starts shipping.[/quote]

well you would, but obviously this macbook isnt marketed towards you but people who have to travel and lugging around a 15 pound standard laptop is a pain.
 
It's not really that much of a difference, I haven't seen any specs in regard to the actual weight of the Air but I don't think it could be much less than 2 or 3 pounds and the x61t weighs 3.76 lbs as per this review (but it may very well be less so this is just talking now): http://www.tabletpc2.com/First%20Look-Lenovo_ThinkPad_X61_Tablet_PC-Article7002531.htm

I would say this isn't just for people who want to travel light but really for the people that also want the OSX package with reliable interoperability between their other computing hardware if they happen to be mostly apple products (Apple tvs, ipods/iphones, etc.) The real challenge for apple (as has always been) is converting people to the osx platform. Most of the ultraportables I see are given to employees by their respective businesses and to me that means microsoft right off the bat.

But I could tell you something about 15 pound laptops, like this damn DR one I bought from cyberpower that has burned a palm print in the left palm rest. Good game 45 minute battery. Oh and speaking of batteries, the Air's battery is not user replaceable, I hate devices that do that.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']http://www.apple.com/timecapsule/

After losing 170 pages of notes when I was preparing for an exam last year (my fault, not the mac's) and the various repair problems I had with my current laptop between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I will damned sure buy a Time Capsule the day it's available.[/QUOTE]


I think the Time Capsule might be a logical choice for me...I'm running off an old wired linksys router with a "b" access point attached to it. I have my printer shared from my PC (sucks cause it has to be on). I have a seperate 160GB USB drive (500GB would be a nice uprgrade). I guess my only question is are the gigabit ethernet ports BC with 10\100 connections (I wouldn't see why not)? I need 2 wired ones for the 360 and my desktop machine.
 
[quote name='docvinh']Well, truthfully, I don't really use the dvd drive that much on my laptop except to install things, so I can see why they would take it out to reduce weight.[/quote]


I know it's important for the survival of earth to constantly bend reality to make everything Apple does brilliant, but seriously listen to yourself. I am the same way you are, I rarely use the optical drive in my laptop either. Still as you said yourself, I use it to install things. Don't you think that is kind of important? I know Mac lovers enjoy lying to themselves about how their computers never have issues, but what if you need to reload the OS?
 
[quote name='n25philly']I know it's important for the survival of earth to constantly bend reality to make everything Apple does brilliant, but seriously listen to yourself. I am the same way you are, I rarely use the optical drive in my laptop either. Still as you said yourself, I use it to install things. Don't you think that is kind of important? I know Mac lovers enjoy lying to themselves about how their computers never have issues, but what if you need to reload the OS?[/QUOTE]

They have an external SuperDrive available for it.

Of course, I know, I know: what if you need to reload the OS - while on a bus? I don't have an answer for that one.
 
[quote name='n25philly']I know it's important for the survival of earth to constantly bend reality to make everything Apple does brilliant, but seriously listen to yourself. I am the same way you are, I rarely use the optical drive in my laptop either. Still as you said yourself, I use it to install things. Don't you think that is kind of important? I know Mac lovers enjoy lying to themselves about how their computers never have issues, but what if you need to reload the OS?[/QUOTE]
Hey, I'm the biggest Mac hater that I know, I just finally got an Ipod, and that was only because someone got it for me for Christmas. I know what you're trying to say, I'm just saying that I don't really use it for much besides installing, so it's not like I would die without it. It is interesting to see how they would address the issue of needing the os reloaded, I would assume that you would probably have to take it to a one of the apple stores.
 
I'm a big Apple supporter (I've only owned one Windows machine in my life), and I can assure you the irony of this machine is that (after looking at the box contents for the laptop), they do include restore DVDs for this item.

So, let's get this out of the way: :rofl:

You can use the optional superdrive, or the thing about this laptop is that it can piggyback on another computer's disc drive. From one of the product pages on the laptop:

However, for those times when you still need to install software on MacBook Air from a CD or DVD, a new feature called Remote Disc lets you wirelessly use or “borrow” the optical drive of a Mac or PC in the vicinity. So you can have full access to an optical drive without having to haul one around.

Doesn't even have to be a Mac. If you need to reinstall in the middle of an Artic expedition, perhaps you're fucked. Otherwise, for most people, another PC is easily within reach. So you wouldn't need tech support, or even to take it in.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']I'm a big Apple supporter (I've only owned one Windows machine in my life), and I can assure you the irony of this machine is that (after looking at the box contents for the laptop), they do include restore DVDs for this item.

So, let's get this out of the way: :rofl:

You can use the optional superdrive, or the thing about this laptop is that it can piggyback on another computer's disc drive. From one of the product pages on the laptop:



Doesn't even have to be a Mac. If you need to reinstall in the middle of an Artic expedition, perhaps you're fucked. Otherwise, for most people, another PC is easily within reach. So you wouldn't need tech support, or even to take it in.[/QUOTE]
So the remote drive would still work even if the OS crashed? That's actually pretty cool, and answers my question. I have to admit, apple has come a long way from when they were overpriced and and slow. I think moving to Intel chips has helped them quite a lot.
 
Ultra portables havent come with an optical drive in years... this is nothing new. It may be retarded to you, but you're not running a computer company so shut up.

Dell's Latitude Ultra Portable - C400's from 10 years ago, didnt come with optical drive, and it attached via Parallel cable. So let it go.

The "MB Air" has a usb slot... and they've been making USB cd drives for over 10 years now. And of course, there's also this ---

http://a248.e.akamai.net/7/248/2041/1373/store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/mb397_125_080115.jpg

Which is the DAMN OFFICIAL CD/DVD-R DRIVE!!!

I'm more worried about the solid state drive personally, they have limited write abilities.
 
[quote name='docvinh']So the remote drive would still work even if the OS crashed? That's actually pretty cool, and answers my question. I have to admit, apple has come a long way from when they were overpriced and and slow. I think moving to Intel chips has helped them quite a lot.[/quote]
Um I'm pretty sure you will not be able to use a networked drive if the OS is crashing. All apple is doing (from what I can see) is implementing networked drives, which I can do just fine now in vista and I'm xp has the ability to do. Just like my OSes have to work in order to get to the network drive I'm sure its the same case with the MBA. Also as engadget says: "Remote Disk comes on the install DVD -- ironically, Apple expects you to carry around a DVD to install so you can access someone else's DVD drive. Righty-o." which is kinda humorous. The good thing apple is toting is the ability to run a networked drive from a PC (after installing the software.)

Oh and also they say "The speaker is mono only (not stereo), so your audio output will suffer a bit. The audio comes out of the keyboard holes in the right side, and it sounds a little funny." That kinda sucks and so does that no removeable battery! $129 dollars to replace with free labor.
 
Where the hell is the FIREWIRE? C'mon Apple!!! It's YOUR standard after all...geesh....it coulda been a contenda....
 
[quote name='mykevermin']I will never try to argue that they are not overpriced.[/quote]

Actually considering the size I thinks it's fairly reasonable priced. It could easily be a lot worse.
 
[quote name='InuFaye']why the hell else do people buy mac prodcuts.

Thats right.

Cause they dont know better, and believe all the apple propoganda.[/quote]

I use a mac because I prefer the operating system (I can run windows also), and I prefer to not have to deal with a windows computer all the time. Its nothing but a hassle. Ive owned macs all my life and I havent ever had a virus.
 
[quote name='karmapolice']I use a mac because I prefer the operating system (I can run windows also), and I prefer to not have to deal with a windows computer all the time. Its nothing but a hassle. Ive owned macs all my life and I havent ever had a virus.[/QUOTE]

Agreed - I bought an iBook G3 in 2001 and its still clipping along. Never needed a restore - upgraded it from OS 9 to Tiger. Now that I'll have a newer mac that can run bootcamp, I'm a complete convert.
 
[quote name='keithp']Where the hell is the FIREWIRE? C'mon Apple!!! It's YOUR standard after all...geesh....it coulda been a contenda....[/quote]

fuck the firewire. Where is the REMOVABLE BATTERY? Oh wait. That's right. The Macbook "Air" doesn't have one.

So much for upgrading the memory on it as well.

It's really no wonder this thing was pushed as "made from recycled parts". Apple wants you to recycle the notebook in 2 years apparently (if not before then).
 
[quote name='karmapolice']I use a mac because I prefer the operating system (I can run windows also), and I prefer to not have to deal with a windows computer all the time. Its nothing but a hassle. Ive owned macs all my life and I havent ever had a virus.[/quote]

I have owned a PC my whole life, and have never had a virus. I have used iMacs at school plenty of times, and have been on the receiving end of many headaches because of them.

See, two contradicting opinions! Fun!

I don't like macs, but damn that is an impressive feat. One handed clap for you Apple!
 
[quote name='help1']I have owned a PC my whole life, and have never had a virus. I have used iMacs at school plenty of times, and have been on the receiving end of many headaches because of them.

See, two contradicting opinions! Fun!

I don't like macs, but damn that is an impressive feat. One handed clap for you Apple![/quote]

Seconded actually. I honestly don't see how smart PC users get viruses. Get an anti-virus, don't download porn, and stop opening emails saying you've won 2 free ipod nanos. While these are specific references the general cases are all there. I just can't wait till mac grabs a higher user base percentage and the virus coders go for them ^^
 
no matter your preference in platform, you've got to admit that's pretty and sleek...

Although with all Apple (and to a certain degree nintendo) products there's just that one ludicrous design flaw that makes you want to cry.

Reinstall the OS without a disc? Just use a high capacity memory stick of some variety and problem solved.
 
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