Macbook Air. Thin as thin! [Archive]

Scotty

01-15-2008, 07:14 PM

So Apple announced their new Macbook Air (http://www.apple.com/uk/macbookair/) today at Macworld.

Its the thinnest laptop in the world. 1.94cm max!

Utilizing LED backlit display, a custom designed Core 2 Duo (much smaller than your average mobile C2D and SSD drive or a slightly larger drive but 4200RPM...

Using their multi-touch technology (in the iPhone and iPod Touch) on the touchpad.

The problem is the 1.6 or 1.8GHz chips, thats slow. And according to a guy i know who sells them they happen to be slow, thats not good. OSX is hardly resource heavy and a brand new macbook from apple is struggling is a problem. Especially when you consider the cost... £1,199, or $1,799 base version.

Bad points-
+Its got a MONO speaker only... Get a damn life Apple, WTF?!!
+The DVI out is Single link only, all others are dual-link therfore only a 24" monitor
+$1000 for a 64GB SSD? Yea right! Oh and 200MHz on the CPU..
+NO audio in unless through Microphone or USB..
+Battery replacement. 129 F^VWE$G Dollars

Good-
+Thin...
+That is all.

So why would anyone buy this new laptop?
a) they want to be able to say "OMFG look i have teh superz thin Maxbook xD ^_^" Sort of crap.
b) They love Apple realize theres a new model and go OMG must have, has to be the best especially because it cost that much!
c)Complete utter retards who just like style and not performance
d)Rich...

So as you can see 99.9% of people as far as i can tell wouldn't buy one. I really want to see where this goes for Apple, i personally think it could be one big mistake, its expensive, a custom chip isn't going to be cheap. SSDs and LED displays the same.

So Apple, why? Make the Macbook Air (http://www.apple.com/uk/macbookair/) - Thats right, you only do design, you can't build systems at normal peoples prices. You build for professionals, but no professional wants some underpowered crap.

In my eyes, Apple made a mistake.

And i think this shows a few people lost hope in apple, thats a nice drop in their stocks (http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=aapl&d=t)

Sorry Apple, you failed.

Spawn-Inc

01-15-2008, 07:51 PM

its for the stupid rich people who, like you said, want to go look how small my laptop is! the POS specs make it a complete waste of money, just like ipods, iphones, itouch, etc.

Quakken

01-15-2008, 08:25 PM

Unable to upgrade. Tons of flash, little substance. Small. Glossy. Expensive. gimmicky (multitouch display).

this thing has mac writted ALL over it. Just throw in some proprietary software that is marketed as superior but isn't to anyone willing to do some comparative research, and you'll have the epitome of all things that apple believes in.

chaksq

01-15-2008, 08:32 PM

Personally I'm impressed. Takes a lot of effort to put something together like that. No it's not for high end user needing a ton of performance, but if your looking for that you wouldn't really start with a laptop anyways. One thing that this does even if this model itself doesn't sell well it tests a lot of new technology that will make it's way to other apple models so all the R&D is not wasted, its like when a car company makes a flagship model luxury or sports car with a lot of new tech, majority of people won't buy the car but eventually the other models get that tech and it becomes the new leading standard. Even if you don't agree with that philosophy personally it still makes sense for Apple.

Let me analyze the features.

-1.6ghz-1.8ghz: Yes it is slow but it is also a dual core which is sorta like having 2 of those chips. My brand new Gateway has a 1.5ghz Core2Duo and I run Vista, it's plenty of performance for a laptop. I doubt OS X is much worse than Vista.
-2gb RAM: thats a good thing, if you need more you probably should consider something else anyways.
-$129 for a battery replacement: Thats no better than most others, its costs me that much or more for any of mine, unless I exchange the battery.
-Backlit keyboard: I can't express how useful this would be to me when I'm working late and my roomate needs to sleep.
-Single link DVI: Thats better than what my gateway has, considering if I got this it would be for portability I doubt I'd be using it much.
-Mono Audio: Ok I will concede this stinks, but historically laptops have had horrible audio, and if I were watching a movie on it I'd probably be someplace I want to use headphones anyway, otherwise I'd watch it on my TV or gaming rig.
-Lack of Audio In: Even as a gamer and average user I don't generally use this and can't think of anything besides mixing that I would use it. But if I needed a line in it would probably be a specific purpose for which an altogether different purpose built machine would be much better suited.
-Solid State Drive: Yes it's expensive but its a relatively new concept offering this to public, I give Apple props for offering it as an option. As we all know tech such as this starts out expensive until it is more readily adopted by the general public. Plus it offers greater performance and battery life.
-Multitouch Trackpad: New more intuitive ways of interacting with out computers. Why should we limit ourselves to the same basic point and click when we can do so much more. This allows us to do more things and easier.

I bet this thing has great battery life and it certainly ways very little. For people who need a laptop to carry around and do work on this is great. Even @ 6lbs mine gets a little heavy to carry around, plus my battery life stinks I can get maybe 4 hours out of it if I work at it.

Quakken

01-15-2008, 08:47 PM

it has a 5 hour advertised life.

Eh. They'll sell millions because it is small and people are addicted to mac for no reason. It's just an average laptop with a bigger pricetag and smaller form factor, and apple has gotten very good at delivering thinner products at bigger prices.

college kids will want it. "omg, its soooo small and it won't hurt my cute little arms carrying it around to classes, get me one daddy!"

And people who know nothing about computers will want it because it is so small and light. "omg, its soooo small and it won't hurt my cute little arms carrying it around to classes, get me one daddy!"

And then there is the people who just want to throw money at apple because they are not microsoft "oh wow, apple has done it again! 64 gigabyte ssd and multitouch! take that windows! *preorders*"

xRyokenx

01-15-2008, 08:50 PM

I personally would like an eeePC for the sake of how small it is... it might not be as thin but it's still smaller, lol.

Interesting idea... but waaaaay over my budget. Yet again Apple makes another product I can't use, lol.

I should start making Pear computers or something and see if I can't make some money off that...

SgtM

01-15-2008, 10:04 PM

I posted this on my web site. Since digg decided they wanted to be idiots right now, I then dug my article which links back to yours. Check it:

http://www.digg.com/apple/OMG_look_i_have_teh_superz_thin_Maxbook_xD

http://www.burnt45.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=27&func=view&catid=13&id=12#12

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/3728/failboatlg0.jpg

noopypoop

01-15-2008, 10:34 PM

I have an idea to get our diggs in.... STEAL SGTM'S BANDWITH :twisted:

crenn

01-15-2008, 10:51 PM

*picks it up with one hand and watches it snap in half*

Ooops.......

SgtM

01-15-2008, 11:04 PM

I have an idea to get our diggs in.... STEAL SGTM'S BANDWITH :twisted:

Ok.. (It's unlimited) :devcool:.

noopypoop

01-15-2008, 11:35 PM

Ok.. (It's unlimited) :devcool:.

Fine then.....

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/7209/blanksigncopyko2.jpg

:D

Zephik

01-15-2008, 11:50 PM

Its ultra-thin and it has specs (aside from the speakers) that blows my current PC and every other PC/laptop that I have ever owned out of the water. Well, for the most part, you can't really compare a desktop with a laptop. So as far as I can tell, its everything that I've ever wanted in a pc or especially a laptop. ...for the most part.

The price tag. I could easily buy a far superior laptop for the current asking price. With the iPhone, ya it was fairly expensive when it first came out, but there really wasn't anything else like it so the price was pretty justifiable. I've waited a couple months and now the price is lower. Even though its still pretty expensive, its not out of reach expensive for something that is still (imo) the best super-phone you can get. Its something that you could easily save up for and be happy with when and after you buy it.

But if you wait a couple months for this laptop to drop in price, it will still be too expensive because you can still buy a superior laptop for the same price. Thats really my only major gripe with mac/apple products. You can always, even after price drops, get something better. Sometimes something that even looks just as good. Like the Zune. You could buy a feature rich, stylish Zune at a minimum of a hundred bucks, or buy a iPod that isn't as good and doesn't hold anywhere near as much space as the Zune for a minimum of fifty dollars more.

Less does not equal more. Period. Start pricing more competitively and I might start considering your products for purchase.

Quakken

01-16-2008, 12:06 AM

Amen, zephik.

And start to make commercials that successfully bash your competitors, not bash the image of what you want to purvey them as, unless you want to appeal to morons... Oh yeah, i forgot.

Dilphat

01-16-2008, 01:02 AM

wow, i guess this is what my uncle was anticipating from Apple. Oh wells, as for me...i just personally don't like Apple products as much yet.

But getting a bit sidetrack here(sorry in advance for sidetrackingness:D) not being able to compare desktops and laptops, i think the closest laptop to a desktop would be the Voodoo Envy H201! but yea, back to the topic.

Omega

01-16-2008, 01:31 AM

Once again, Apple releases a product that will sell because of it's aesthetic factors.

They have some cool tech I'll admit -- iPod touches are some of the coolest things I've played with, but f#*@ off if you think I'm going to pay $300 for a touchscreen and 8gb... =p

SgtM

01-16-2008, 08:06 AM

Fine then.....

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/7209/blanksigncopyko2.jpg

:D

Nice one

Luke122

01-16-2008, 12:55 PM

luciusad2004

01-16-2008, 01:17 PM

It was exciting until i started reading some of the cons. I think this is just to much money for to little laptop. Regardless it does have some cool tech.

If i was in the market i would just get a regular macbook, it's not that much to carry. But then again I'm not an on the go hipster who needs their laptop to look more like a fashion accessory than a laptop.

Oh and i think that non user-replaceable batteries in a laptop is epic fail. I don't want to send my laptop in just to replace the battery. You can't even carry a spare (which would probably be pretty useful on that cross Atlantic flight that you bought this thing for. I hope five hours is enough time to get done what you need to finish.)

Scotty

01-16-2008, 01:36 PM

I think this Macbook Air is a very cool idea. I'd rather have a thin, light, efficient laptop, than a big, heavy, powerful one.

I dont game on the laptop, so I dont need that capability.. even though my brother has a Macbook pro which runs WoW flawlessly.. and that's about the extent of my PC (and Mac) gaming. :)

Look at the Macbook Pro, 100 more and still one of the thinner laptops. Plus its better...

Apples stock investors obviously though it was bad, the stock went from 180, to 160, quiet a drop.

For the spec and the price it's the BIGGEST rip off Apple has offered to date tbh. Who in thrir right mind would spend £1200 ($1800) for a 1.6GHz Dual core, 2GB of RAM, 80GB 4200RPM HDD... No one...

Luke122

01-16-2008, 01:45 PM

I didnt notice the non-removable battery. That alone = fail to me.

4200rpm hdd would technically be quieter, less heat generation, potentially less power usage, and certainly tougher. Yes you lose a bit of performance, but if you arent using it for video/audio editing or gaming, I dont think you'd notice much of a hit.

Zephik

01-16-2008, 02:11 PM

I think this Macbook Air is a very cool idea. I'd rather have a thin, light, efficient laptop, than a big, heavy, powerful one.

I think we all want that. :p

For the spec and the price it's the BIGGEST rip off Apple has offered to date tbh.

I absolutely agree.

Would a person spend mucho grande on a car that looks good but gets horrible gas mileage? Not unless they are rich, which in that case they can afford something maybe not as nice looking but pretty close and better. Its the same with the Macbook Air. You can get some pretty good looking laptops for less to much less and with more to much more to them.

I'd still love to be able to place my laptop in an envelope though. haha

4200rpm hdd would technically be quieter, less heat generation, potentially less power usage, and certainly tougher. Yes you lose a bit of performance, but if you arent using it for video/audio editing or gaming, I dont think you'd notice much of a hit.

What are you going to use it for? Everyday use like web browsing, email, text documents, pictures, etc? For that price?? Get a eepc instead and upgrade it as much as you can. Then put a hundred or two aside for when the SSD's drop in price. Even all of that would still cost less than a Macbook Air.

Also, my old laptops HDD was either 5400rpm or 7200rpm, either way, it was still quiet and hardly generated any heat at all. The only heat problems I had with it came from my dedicated graphics card and the old gen Pentium M. Not trying to pick on you or anything, I'm just saying. :)

Anyways, the asking price should be maybe like 1200. I mean lets face it, the only real thing they have to offer is their ultra thinness, which is just aesthetics. Its like taking a step back at the current price imo. At around a grand I would be totally absolutely sold, since I can get about the same performance from another laptop for about that much. The thinness would be the added feature that would sell me, since OSX is a negative for me. If it were anymore than that, I would go with something else since I would be getting more bang for my buck.

Companies should be trying to give their customers the best of the best at the best possible price (Dell anyone?). Not giving you pretty good for a premium price because its pretty and ultra-thin. (Apple. Past, Present, Future.)

You know, I think I have something against apple that I never realized before. lol

I'll at least give them props for their awesome warranties for their iPods. I was much impressed by that. Even though I did spend a good wad on the iPod itself.

Xpirate

01-16-2008, 03:05 PM

It's a clever idea, but I would not fork over $1,000 for one. I thought about getting one of those Asus Eee PCs, but I would even still like to see the prices go down from $300.

Luke122

01-16-2008, 05:07 PM

Well, the EEE PC only has a 7" display, which the Macbook Air's 13.1" display easily beats. For an everyday websurfer machine this is definitely pricier, but many people, it's powerful enough, looks cool, and will fit their needs.

Xpirate: The EEE PC is easily worth the price, though I'm not sure there is $100 difference between the 4g and 8g (4gb vs 8gb ssd). I know that the 8gb ssd is technically more expensive, but I cant personally justify that extra $100.

I still think that at $1800 this Macbook air will sell tons. That Painasonic toughbook I was working on was similarly spec'd, 3lbs, and 7hrs (!!!!) battery life... but was $2700. Yes, it is technically a ruggedized notebook, so it's tough.

The Dell M1310 was available with a SSD from the day it was released, along with the ultra thin LED display, but there just didnt seem to be as much hype about it.. I credit that to Apple's awesome marketting department. :)

Scotty

01-16-2008, 05:57 PM

I credit the media, look how much Apple is in the news with the new Macbook, when did you ever see Dells M1310 in the news? Hell it was even on the BBC news...

TheGreatSatan

01-17-2008, 01:14 AM

I don't like Mac's, but the specs aren't that bad. Core 2, 2GB RAM, SSD HD, 5hr battery!

Scotty

01-17-2008, 01:14 PM

Specs aren't bad if it was a £400 laptop, not a £1200 one.. Well actually if you have the SSD make that £2000+ The other cheaper one has a crap ass PATA 1.8" HDD (think it's 1.8)

DaJe

01-17-2008, 05:36 PM

My mother offered to buy me one for school. I quickly told her no, and then ordered a custom built Dell.

J-Roc

01-18-2008, 01:46 PM

Zephik

01-18-2008, 03:02 PM

I just wanted to point out the fact that while reading the first page of posts, the apple stock has risin nearly %2 and seems to be climbing. IM no expert but they must be doing somthing right.

Personally i dont understand how a company's value can change so much in a matter of minutes or seconds for that matter.

Brainwashing.

Ever talk to a Mac/Apple Fanboy?

Reasonable Person: I bought a new media player, it can literally do anything I want it to do. Well, within reason of course.
Them: Oh yea? I bought an iPod. It's colored! It also costs twice as much as yours does and has less features. I LOVE it.
Reasonable Person: Why would you do that? Spend so much more for less I mean. There really isn't much difference between your iPod and my media player when you think about it.
Them: /Sincere Confusion
Reasonable Person: *rolls eyes*

Me: Yea, I used to have an Apple iPod Video. It was okay, but I didn't really like it so I sold it.
Distant Family Member: Your crazy! iPods are so awesome! I wish I had one but they cost too much.
Me: Get a Zune. The Brown one is only a hundred bucks and it can do everything an iPod can do and then some.
Distant Family Member: Yea, I guess. But I really want an iPod. I just can't afford one.
Me: ...why do you want one?? Did you even listen to what I just said? [Insert fake chuckle here. But really, I'm a little annoyed]
Distant Family Member: Well yea, they're okay I guess. I just really want an iPod. They "own" everything else! Which is why they cost so much.
Me: Yea, your right. [Throughout the rest of the day, I kept "running into him" on "accident" as well as "placing my feet in front of his path" "mistakingly" ..."repeatedly".]

*sigh*

Scotty

01-18-2008, 04:15 PM

I bought an iPod.

Only so i could Jailbreak it, and make it more of a mini computer than a Music/Video/Web browser device.
Made sense to me.

J-Roc

01-18-2008, 04:18 PM

Am i missing somthing? Your post had nothing to do with what i had said.

Why did you quote me? ;p

TheGreatSatan

01-20-2008, 02:39 AM

My mother offered to buy me one for school. I quickly told her no, and then ordered a custom built Dell.

I really don't like Apples, but DELL? They are Garbage. I'd take any Apple over any Dell, even if it's an Apple II

Zephik

01-20-2008, 03:52 AM

I really don't like Apples, but DELL? They are Garbage. I'd take any Apple over any Dell, even if it's an Apple II

Meh, I don't think they're garbage at all. Sure they aren't the nicest brand in the world, but I've always liked them for the most part. Their older stuff is horrid, but their newer stuff isn't so bad. Its just that whole propriety hardware or whatever it is they use that is awful. For people who like to tinker around inside computers, they are hell. But if you just want a fairly nice computer that doesn't cost a small fortune and that also works out of the box without hitch then dell is a great brand. Having an actual Warranty is sounding pretty tempting to me lately too.

Doesn't apple use weird hardware too though? I guess to me, you would be getting the same thing, but for more money and without windows xp. Well, they ship vista now, so you still wouldn't get xp I guess.

NightrainSrt4

01-20-2008, 11:48 AM

I think the new Macbook is quite nice. Would I buy one, no. What intrigues me the most is how thin it is, thus how portable for me. With a stainless steel bar in my chest it is quite hard to carry around my current 13" with my college books. Painful to be honest.

If I had the extra money, I would buy one. For me, laptops do not have to be super high performance. That is what my desktop is for.

I can tell you one reason the cpu is slower than the current macbooks...heat. With a laptop that small it is hard to get air circulating in the quantities needed without sounding like a jet engine. Those laptops are probably still going to be very hot, just like most laptops, but probably less than if they used a 2.2 or higher.

And from some of the other conversations about Macs, it wouldn't have mattered what they came out with, it would get bashed so ehh. I try not to bash any company and try find good things with it, but ohh well...

chaksq

01-20-2008, 01:42 PM

Doesn't apple use weird hardware too though? I guess to me, you would be getting the same thing, but for more money and without windows xp. Well, they ship vista now, so you still wouldn't get xp I guess.
My friend installed XP on his MacBook he dual boots between that and OS X. So it is possible to run XP on it, you probably just can't order it with XP installed.

For me, laptops do not have to be super high performance. That is what my desktop is for.

And from some of the other conversations about Macs, it wouldn't have mattered what they came out with, it would get bashed so ehh. I try not to bash any company and try find good things with it, but ohh well...
I agree on low spec laptops being used for different purposes, I often prefer using my PIII ThinkPad when I'm out an about, the wireless is much better than my newer Vista machine.
Also I agree that it is a waste of time to bash stuff just because you personally don't like it. It still has good features.

Scotty

01-20-2008, 06:11 PM

But that's the point, it doesn't have good features in todays wold, especially in the world where people think Apple is God.. The good feature sare just how thin it is, the fact its got a small heat out put because of the redesign C2D.

It's not an ultra=portable laptop like many people think, its a ultra-thin, if it was ultra portable it wouldn't have a 13.3" screen it would be about 7".

Another thing that gets me is why Apple went with 65nm chips, 45nm was showcased at CES in many windows laptops, then they wouldn't have needed a custom chip, because 45nm is going to be smaller thermal output than 65nm. So to me that seems like Apple being idiots. But with a custom chip its not upgradeable, you can't upgrade this machine in ANY way.

Apple to me just didnt think it through atall. The Mac Mini really needs a new boost but do Apple do anything about that? No, they ass a 3rd friggin laptop to the range, they don't need a 3rd ffs. I used to like Apple computers, but tbf they seem to be loosing their computing power and going for all out style.

xRyokenx

01-20-2008, 07:06 PM

Look at the majority of people that buy Apple products. They're usually not the type to want to upgrade machines or anything. They like to accessorize, lol.

Quakken

01-20-2008, 07:20 PM

They're the type of person who think that there is some special thing that a mac can do better than a normal PC.

In this case, it's being light and small. you can get light and small with an EEEPC for 900 dollars less, but then again you wouldn't be getting that "awesome" display and the hard drive. That's all that this is. It's an EEEPC with a bigger display and larger hard drive.

And I can guarantee that 90% of people who buy this will have never heard of an EEEPC and be absolutely happy to be shelling out over $1200 for 2 year old technology (except for the ssd) in a "thin", "pretty" and "cutting edge" device.

Apple is an advertising GENIUS.

Scotty

01-20-2008, 08:10 PM

And the media ruins lives of everyone. Therefore Apple are assholes... :D

Fuganater

01-20-2008, 08:35 PM

The Macbook Air has some issues...

1. Integrated 2 GB of RAM. (can't upgrade)
2. Integrated video. (144 MB of your 2 GB integrated RAM)
3. 80GB Parallel ATA, 4200 rpm (WTF?? That slow?)
4. No CD/DVD ROM (Ya thats $99 on top of your $1799)
4. 1 USB. (Oh ya thats taken up by your external CD/DVD ROM)
5. No Ethernet port. (Yup another adapter. +$29)
6. Micro DVI (Who the crap uses that?)
7. No VGA or DVI out. (Just that Micro DVI thingy)

Now the question is...
1. Does it have bluetooth?
2. Does it have wireless?

...the world may never know...

Now I'm not this negative about it cuz I work for Dell. I think it is really sweet being that thin. (Although I hate OSX) But it lacks in so many areas where something like the XPS 1330 has. Dell still has the worlds thinest COMPLETE laptop. (Complete meaning all in 1, dedicated video, built-in bluetooth and wireless, Ethernet onboard, and it has DVI and VGA out on it.

Just voicing my opinion.

-Fuga

luciusad2004

01-21-2008, 09:35 AM

Actually the mini dvi is just a connector that apple came up with to save space. It comes with adapters to use DVI and VGA. From what i understand it is otherwise the same.

My ibook has mini VGA w/ an adapter and it works with just any old VGA monitor so thats not really an issue. Though I suppose if you are looking for portability carrying around adapters does suck. The downside of the proprietary port is that those of us who buy regular macbooks have to pay extra for the adapters... which is really stupid. But I think it is worth noting that the Air comes w/ these adapters.

Luke122

01-21-2008, 02:51 PM

Fuganater: Has the issue with the LED display on the 1310's been sorted out?

Also, any plans to increase the available SSD options?

Fuganater

01-21-2008, 06:00 PM

Fuganater: Has the issue with the LED display on the 1310's been sorted out?

Also, any plans to increase the available SSD options?

1330* you mean :P

Well depending on what issue your talking about. As far as I know they redid the structure on the Slim LED Display. I will still not recommended to add it to your computer due to how thin it really is. Besides that.. idk what other issues your referring to.

64GB is still the largest SSD that any company is carrying. (That I know of) I would assume as soon as the next set are available we will have it in the XPS 1330 and 1530. If I learn more I'll let you know.

-Fuga

DaJe

01-22-2008, 02:11 AM

Well now you know of this 128GB solid state drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820609245) for $3,219.99 USD

Fuganater

01-22-2008, 02:45 AM

Well now you know of this 128GB solid state drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820609245) for $3,219.99 USD

Yes but no computer company will put that in.

killergamer

01-22-2008, 11:55 PM

If I had the money to spare I would probably buy one just for the fact I need a laptop to travle with and love the look plus it seems to be that it is good at most things and lacks little.

noopypoop

01-29-2008, 11:11 PM

Z0ERgZ9dztk

PWNT!

crenn

02-02-2008, 07:24 AM

Hehehe

For those wanting to replace the battery:
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/First-Look/Mac/MacBook-Air

Zephik

02-02-2008, 09:58 AM

Hehehe

For those wanting to replace the battery:
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/First-Look/Mac/MacBook-Air

lol for some reason I was expecting to read in big bold letters something on the lines of "You can't, this is what you get for buying a stupid novelty item" or "What, you could afford the Air but you can't afford to send it in? What kind of rich person are you!?".

:P

NightrainSrt4

02-02-2008, 02:10 PM

I find the Air to be a step in a good direction. Is the notebook perfect? No. But it is a nice relief to see a company heading towards smaller thinner notebooks. Too many companies imo are heading towards the bigger more powerful notebooks.

Dell among other companies are doing a good job as well imo. They may be taking different routes to get there but they are steps in the right direction I think. I don't need high power in a laptop. I really don't need parts to be upradable, as by the time I would upgrade I tend to simply purchase a new one. I need something small, light and easy to carry, which is what this does.

As for a replaceable battery, I've never swapped batteries, ive always just brought the adapter when I knew I might need the extra power.

As for the lack of an optical drive, the only time ive used the optical drive on any of my computers is while i load all the software I need. After I have it set up the way I want, i hardly touch the cd drive, so this isn't an issue to me. Load up what I want at home, and im set for the day.

Am I going to buy one. NO. But I do think it is a step in a good direction. If a pc company came out with the same computer, at the same pricepoint I doubt it would get as much criticism. Some, yes, but not as much. I just don't get it. I find it quite funny as some of the people ive had discussions of this about will opt to a Nvidia GTX over a GT. They will spend twice as much for that little bit of performance, while sacrificing size, but when it comes to the air, its rediculous to sacrifice performance over size and pay more. Just a funny comparison I think.

I just don't get the constant bashing of most anything to be honest. Not saying here, but everywhere I look. If a product isn't to your liking, dont buy it. But why waste your breathe bashing a product most who are bashing have never used. But I guess that is just our society. Don't like another kid, pick on him, even though you wouldn't know a thing about him/her. Someone's gay, bash him/her. This pessimism/bashing I find to be quite interesting from a sociological perspective.

But everyone does it, including myself. Sorry, just went on thinking and comparing to an assignment for college.

I think the air is a nice product. If price weren't an issue I would probably have one. I find price to be whether or not I can afford a product, not whether or not it is a good product.

Zephik

02-02-2008, 04:46 PM

I think the air is a nice product. If price weren't an issue I would probably have one. I find price to be whether or not I can afford a product, not whether or not it is a good product.

I completely agree. Thats the main reason why I bash that damned thing so much. Its _not_ worth what its asking for in price. The performance (which really isn't bad at all) as well as the limitations are fine with me, like you said, but why am I paying more for less? Its one step in the right direction and at least one step back. So its not going anywhere, and if its not going anywhere then its slowing things down. Bad Apple, bad! *hits with rolled up newspaper*

Bashing is not without reason. I'm sure in the case of smash lab the ratings say it all, but if Discovery's research team googled "Smash Lab sucks", that just must might be the final straw to getting the show pulled off the air. Its not likely, but you never know. They even have a petition or whatever you call it in the Discovery Channel forums, its getting quite a bit of attention it looks like too. Not in the rl of course, but forum wise it is. lol

Now, with apple. Remember the iPhone? How everyone bitched about the sudden and early price drop? Some people were okay with it, most weren't. So what did apple do? They tried (successfully I might add) to apologize. I think it was like a hundred dollar gift card type deal for everyone who bought theirs before the price drop or something like that? That never would of happened if people didn't bitch and whine and moan.

Also, your right. If another company came out with something like this, it wouldn't of gotten near the criticism. Thats probably because Apple is infamous for being how they are. "Here is less that looks great while being less, now pay me more."

Anyways, don't take any of that the wrong way. I'm just bored and I, for some reason, love bashing anything that comes from apple. ...unless its the iPhone, I love that thing! Its most definitely worth every penny imho, but certainly not a penny more. I wish the Air was like that, because I do like it and I would probably buy one if it was priced right. Intel has the Metro, but its predicted to be even more expensive. lol >< just can't win sometimes. :)

NightrainSrt4

02-02-2008, 06:06 PM

Its one step in the right direction and at least one step back. So its not going anywhere, and if its not going anywhere then its slowing things down.

I hear ya bro, on everything except this statement. Taking a step forward into something that hasn't really been tried before, while making sacrifices on things that are already the norm isn't standing still in my opinion. You can't just have something radically different come out without taking a loss in other areas, atleast not in this case.

Think about how much room really is in between the plastic for all the hardware for the laptop. We're talking somewhere in the 1/4" range between the inner bottom plastic and the keyboard. That is incredible.

Size reduction in tech is always going to cost a premium to begin with, but then it soon can become the norm and prices even out.

If apple can do well with this product in its niche market, then I believe more and more companies will aim atleast a portion of their lineup to small and thin laptops. And this is something I want. I want a laptop that is thin and light, other wise it serves no purpose for me.

Thin +
Price -
Upgradability-
Performance-

For a products first attempt at this I can deal with the negatives, as they will only get better. Price/upgradability/performance are all things that are fully covered in current tech so a stepback/slowdown here for something that hasn't really been done before (thinness) is perfectly acceptable imo, and is a step forward as a whole. Knowing apples trends with revisions, those 3 negatives will be worked out, atleast partially in future revisions.

Ehh.

Im not buying the product. Just some random thoughts in this tired head lol.

TheGreatSatan

02-02-2008, 08:28 PM

Just admit it everyone, Apple is the GREATEST computer company ever. Your computer sucks in comparison.:D

crenn

02-02-2008, 08:42 PM

Apples aren't apples anymore, they're PCs ;) :P

And I would take my computer over an apple, any day.

NightrainSrt4

02-02-2008, 09:55 PM

Just admit it everyone, Apple is the GREATEST computer company ever. Your computer sucks in comparison.:D

I hope your joking lol as that is not at all what I was trying to get at. Actually I find many of their products overpriced and the first revisions tend to be littered with issues.

Just trying to open people's minds a little bit as many are so closed minded. The only reason I have my macbook was because I got an outstanding deal on it, and there wasn't a comparible pc that would have come close to the deal I got. Being able to run multiple OS's on it is quite an advantage as well.

And if anyone questions where my "loyalties" are

1 Macbook
3 PC Laptops
4 PC Desktops

:yellow:

TheGreatSatan

02-02-2008, 10:02 PM

Just read the red print.

NightrainSrt4

02-03-2008, 04:50 PM

Lmao, funny! I didn't catch that one. Damn. I usually catch things like that =(. Im gonna go hide now lol.

NightrainSrt4

02-04-2008, 06:51 PM

Assuming these rumors come to fruition, looks as though we will be seeing more light thin laptops.

Lenovo / Fujitsu buys same chip from the Air (http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/02/01/macbook_air-alikes_on_the_way/1)

Zephik

02-05-2008, 01:03 AM

Well thanks to Apple, we now have 60% smaller chips or whatever. It would be stupid not to take advantage of that! Hopefully Intel won't charge a premium for these special chips so we can start seeing lower priced laptops. 'Cuz dangit, I want a sexy laptop that won't cost me an arm and a leg! lol

Fuganater

02-05-2008, 07:36 AM

NightrainSrt4

02-05-2008, 12:51 PM

Apparently those new little chips cost a premium, one of the many reasons the Air is so expensive. Hopefully other companies can pull off something similar but at a lower price point and address some of the issues we all know are wrong with the Air.

Those chips are going to be expensive.

crenn

02-05-2008, 07:43 PM

The chips are expensive because there is only a limited demand for them.

luciusad2004

02-05-2008, 09:46 PM

What do you guys think about this whole "sub-notebook" movement that seems to have been going on lately? Not specifically the macbook air but just the market in general. Seems like we have been seeing a lot of super small notebooks coming out lately. Do you guys think its just a fad, perhaps something for the wealthy geek to spend money on, or do you think it's something the general populace will catch on to?

I think it would be interesting to know how the general population uses their computers. What i mean is, for us, It's not beyond comprehension to have multiple computers. I can understand buying a separate super light laptop to take on the go. But what does the average person think about that idea? How many people REALLY have more than one computer. More than two? And for the people who only see the need for one computer what does this movement mean for them? Things such as the MBA obviously aren't and all in one solution.

Idk, I just thought i would see what kind of intelligent discussion i could extract out of this thread.

I personally think that computers are getting cheap enough that more and more families are starting to see the idea of multiple machines as a possibility. But at the same time, i know there are a lot of hold outs who would scoff at the idea of needing more than one computer in the house. These people would probably be perplexed by the idea of a "companion computer" that serves as a secondary computer for when you are away from your main machine. This is of course what these sub-notebooks would obviously be best at. I think they may be to limited to be a main machine (especially so w/ the MBA). But of course i guess that really depends on the usage habits of the general populace.

xRyokenx

02-05-2008, 10:17 PM

A friend of mine has an eeePC and I think it's more convenient than a handheld computer. The UI is a lot nicer and less limited because you don't need a special OS for it, just any OS compatible with laptops.

Zephik

02-06-2008, 12:00 AM

Well, I would love to have both a Desktop and a Laptop and maybe even possibly a server sometime down the road. As for what other people want, I haven't a clue, since everyone is different. My dad has a PC and a laptop, my older brother has a PC and a laptop, my younger brother just has a PC and as for my mother, well, after three years she still doesn't know how to work the Dish remote. *sigh*

What do I think about this possible "fad" thats been going on? Good question. I'm not actually sure about these ultra slim designs, although I do like the ultra portable designs like the Eee PC. So ultra portable is a plus in my book, so long as its as cheap as the Eee PC. But, I do like normal laptops as well, since they are more powerful and have larger screens as well as the works. I do, also, like laptops like the Air. But not at that price, I just can't afford to pay a premium for something thats not premium, even if it looks premium.

THERES TOO MANY OPTIONS! lol

Thats my verdict. I want a little bit of everything. Which, at least in this known universe, isn't going to be possible unless I buy one of each. An ultra portable for traveling, an ultra slim (without sacrificing so much) for local trips and for just having around for when I don't want to be on my pc (and for looking cool while I'm at it). And of course a regular PC with enough power to either play games or do other type stuff that is performance demanding.

But, to more precisely answer your question, I would have to say that this ultra portable/ultra thin fad thats going on is definitely a good thing I think.

/Wrote too much /Bored /Night night :p

chaksq

02-06-2008, 02:27 PM

I personally have way to many computers, the three I use mostly are my powerful laptop (which just dropped the HD grr...), my desktop mostly for gaming (currently serving in place of the laptop), and a backup laptop I really only browse the internet with.

The small laptops trend lately is interesting. I think having something small enough to use like a handheld but that functions like a desktop is perfect (like the eeePC). I've tried a handheld once and the attempt failed horribly, I can't manipulate the tiny touchscreen well especially trying to make weird patterns to resemble letters took forever. I prefer my PSP over a handheld, I use it to check email a lot. As for ultra thin like the Air, I don't think it's really neccesary to use. Although I do think that working towards them will create other useful tech for other small computers, or low power consumption, etc.

Quakken

02-06-2008, 07:54 PM

luciusad2004

02-06-2008, 08:03 PM

I think that the cheap and small market has a big BIG future in education. It could hold all of the books on the hard drive, you could do wireless storage on a server for larger files and you could turn in all of your projects to the teachers computer.

If you think about it, a system where you rent out the eeePc's to students preloaded with school software would be a lot like loaning out books to people at the beginning of school.

The ultraportable could come with everything preloaded such as your virtual textbooks, word processing and utilities for internet browsing.

The macbook air could be a viable option for this if it costed 8 or 12 hundred dollars less.

The eeePc could almost do this already. In fact, it could. Except I am not sure how long the battery would last, but you could just have plugins on every desk to plug it in in each of your classes. I would love this, I have trouble writing and typing every assignment would be much better. I think this will happen, but If you do the math the school could probably do it now.

Actually I love were that is going. I was thinking earlier in the year how great it would be if e-ink ever comes in to its prime and we can replace books w/ digital media. text books could be either a)downloaded or b) sold on memory cards. It would be nice to carry my supply of text books on a single device. I don't know however if an e-reader could ever replace the "feel" of reading a book. IDK why but i find it more difficult to read of the computer.

Zephik

02-06-2008, 08:25 PM

They should integrate screens into desks. The possible uses of something like that is awesome! It even sounds maybe cheaper than buying six sets of books for almost every class room. I think... hmm...

$40 average per book x 25 students per class on average = $1,000

$1,000 per class x 6 periods a day = $6,000

$6,000 x at least 6 classes = $36,000

I think thats about right isn't it? :think:

Well, if the above is correct...

$250(?) per screen x 25 desks on average = $6,250

$6,250 x at least 6 classes = $37,500

6 central computers per class at $1000(?) = $6,000

Total = $43,000

Then of course you have repairs, which you can cut down on with those new Asus screens that are practically unbreakable. But you of course have to replace books as well. You also have to buy the new releases every other year or something like that.

Meh, too many numbers being crunched by an idiot equals not worth my time. lol But you get the point. Which is... It would be awesome! and by my numbers, only somewhat more expensive.

NightrainSrt4

02-06-2008, 10:53 PM

luciusad2004

02-06-2008, 11:23 PM

And if more and more schools switched over to digital media you don't think publishers would raise the prices on licenses for it? Digital licenses from some of the publishers are already almost as much as the tangible books.

So if anything your talking almost twice the price of just regular books.

Great idea, but I don't see most of the schools doing this. Maybe more wealthy towns, but some of the places I went to school wouldn't have a chance at getting this stuff.

I actually wasn't really thinking about grade school, I was thinking more for college students. But I'm sure the same effect would apply. And now that i think about it, it would KILL the used book market so students and school bookstores would probably hate this. (In that respect maybe the publishers WOULD be wise to push this)

Quakken

02-07-2008, 12:37 AM

The government could forcibly keep the prices for a digital license at a reasonable level, seeing as how there is no actual book so the company can make an unlimited amount of them without a large part of the tangible price. There is some competition in the textbook market anyway, so the people making the books would probably gladly jump on the chance to eliminate the printshops and material costs for their books and still make money on them.

Maybe the students could get their own ultra-portables and not have to "rent" them. A system where you either bring it back at the end of the year in good condition or you have to buy it would probably be the way it goes.

The costs for the book "licenses" does throw a bit of a monkey wrench into it, though. Maybe the schools could sell back their current books for a digital license of the same book? The books and such aren't the really big costs of schools anyway though. It's the cost of the teachers (totally justified) and the cost of the facilities, other staff, heating/cooling, electricity, internet and other utilities.

It costs around $7000 per year for a student in america to go to school. What about $7350 for an ultraportable every year? you could probably cut that down a lot by reusing the ultraports every year. Who knows, maybe phasing out physical books, paper (in some respects) and other analog things that could be done with the computer could free up other money also.

The internet PC's in the library could be eliminated, every student would be carrying around the internet on their portable. The maintenence and electricity used on the big, old desktops everywhere in the school would be used to power the effecient laptops instead. The entire school could be a WiFi hotspot.

This would have downsides, too of course. High school students are not known for always working their hardest. Perhaps if the teacher catches you goofing off on the internet, she could make you go back to manual work for a while. You would probably have to sign a paper stating that you don't own the pc and can't make any irreverisble changes to it, that you would repair any damage you do to it, you wouldn't harm the system at all or you would forfeit the privilege of your laptop for as long as a system of punishments says.

I think this has great potential. Too bad the people on the school board don't like change.

chaksq

02-08-2008, 02:24 PM

I've been saying the digital textbooks thing for years although now I'm not so sure. A few of my books come with digital versions and I hate using the digital versions. I prefer the feel of flipping through pages when I'm working. I think I'm just a little old school though. Also a textbook can't crash.

NightrainSrt4

02-08-2008, 06:26 PM

I actually wasn't really thinking about grade school, I was thinking more for college students.

If you look up at the publishers websites many of the books can be purchased from them digitally. I know atleast my chem book can. They give a digital copy free with the book, but if you don't buy the book you can also buy the digital copy. It is a reduced price, but not that reduced and I think even the digital license is only usable for a year. I'll have to look into that more for you.

As for digital books. I don't like them. I can't seem to lock digital media into my brain. The only way I can attempt to is if I take insane amount of notes/write everything down. I don't have this problem with a real book. Yes I take notes but I don't have the same remembering issue.

Maybe its because books have a smell. Smell has a huge amount to do with memory. Maybe old smelly books (or new book smell) locks the info into my brain and digital media can't do that. Like I've been saying, we need smell-o-vision through the tv's and the internet. :D

progbuddy

02-08-2008, 08:51 PM

*snap* Oops. The steam from my coffee must have got to it >.> Well there's 2000 bucks down the drain...

Omega

02-09-2008, 11:13 PM

I saw an Air ad today.

The screen flexed as the guy closed it. You know, it like warped a little bit.

I'm sorry but if the advertisement, the tool that's trying to get you to buy the product, shows a flaw, there's no bloody way in hell I'm buying it. (like there was before) =p.

luciusad2004

02-10-2008, 11:11 AM

My girlfriends regular mac book flexes ever so slightly when i pick it up with one hand from the edge. It makes me nervous but it's never been a problem. I doubt it would be something to worry about unless you're rough w/ it.

Edit: Just thought of something that maybe you guys could help me w/.

Now I do think there is one redeeming feature of this laptop, and that is the multi touch tech. I think that, assuming you don't have a laptop already, this if any, is the best reason for wanting one. But here's my question, Does anyone know what it is that keeps their other laptop's from doing this? I KNOW that the track pad on my gf's macbook recognizes multiple fingers. For instance, If i want to double click, I take two fingers and tap on the track pad. If i want to scroll i can use both fingers in a side to side or up and down motion.

Apple claims they are gonna release macbook pros w/ this feature. Does anyone else think, that given the information revealing that current apple laptops already recognize multiple fingers for input, porting this to the other current macs would be simply a matter of a firmware update? I mean, I suppose it is possible that the current hardware is incapable of tracking multiple inputs at multiple directions wich is necessary for the multi-touch found on the air but idk if i really believe that. Its not like apple is unknown for holding out on features and charging for them later. *cough*Ipodtouch*cough*