(no subject)

[raptorck]

 Dear Apple,

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-- No.

Thank you.

Comments

[fangwing.livejournal.com]

Oh, you KNOW you want one.

[raptorck.livejournal.com]

Let's start with the reasons that *I* don't want one.

1) 1.8" hard drive. IO rates on a platter that small are pathetic. This is pretty much a bigger, dual-core version of my existing system, and CPU is not something that I need a whole lot of.
2) No Ethernet. I run server diagnostics, and I often need to plug into the Ethernet to attach to a management port. *All* I need is Ethernet and a web browser, and this is missing one of those.
3) Footprint's too big. It's about two inches wider, and over a quarter inch deeper than my old 12" PowerBook, which was pretty much the pinnacle of ultralight computing. This also means that it doesn't fit in my bag, because using a manila envelope as a baseline is fucking ridiculous.

Now, for why I think that people are crazy to want one, period.

- One USB port. On its own, this isn't bad.
- No optical drive. Okay, now we may have an issue.
- No Ethernet. Why is this here?
- No broadband data options. Why is THIS here?
- No ExpressCard slot. Am I onto something?
-- Long story short, I have a neat new USB device. I have a driver CD for said device. I'm not at home, and Wifi is either unavailable, or too expensive. How in the hell do I detect the device AND install the drivers? Whoops!

Back to the story...
- No user-replaceable parts. Apple views laptop batteries as consumable parts. Once it's dead, it's dead. The MacBook Air is sealed, so I can't replace the battery, and I'm going to go out on a limb and bet that I can't upgrade the RAM or hard drive. (Of course, this is why they're shipping it with 2GB. They KNOW they'd be in trouble otherwise.)
- Similar footprint as the MacBook. How ultraportable is it when you're on a plane?
- Do you really want a system that absolutely *requires* you to find an outlet every 5 hours, since you have no other option, and ties you to Apple's relatively pricey accessories? (I have a Sony, and I can power it from a generic charger tip, or either of Jenny's Fujitsu chargers. I have yet to see a universal charger tip for MagSafe devices.)

Does it look sexy? Fuck yeah, but I don't buy what amounts to disposable equipment for critical tasks. I can live without an iPod for weeks, if I had to. I can give up my XBox, PSP, DS, Wii, hell, I might even live without a Tivo. My computer, however? FUCK no.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm still getting one. :)

--Enia

[raptorck.livejournal.com]

The only reason that surprises me in the slightest is that you're another 12" PB owner, and in my eyes, that's still the pinnacle of Apple notebook design. Sure, the MBA is slimmer, but for me, footprint is everything.

[(Anonymous)]

Actually, I had to get a MacBook 13" for school because my 12" PB was a little long in the tooth. I do care about footprint as well, and I wish they hadn't kept increasing screen size but weight is now the major issue for me since I'm carrying around all those damn casebooks. And 3 lbs? Can't beat that.

Less is more (expensive)

[ytse.livejournal.com]

I agree with your assessment, especially about the size. Great, its really thin. On one edge. The opposite edge is only a 1/4 inch thinner than the MB/MBP. The biggest portability advantage this has is the two pound weight loss compared to the MB.

Hopefully some of the new features, like the LED screen and multitouch make it into their other laptops, but that'll probably be awhile so they can milk this.

I was planning on getting some sort of portable computer soon and was waiting to see what was announced today. Last week's motorcycle incident and now this has pretty much made up my mind to go EEE (plus a couple hundred in shiny new Honda parts).

Re: Less is more (expensive)

[raptorck.livejournal.com]

The Eee looks to be pretty easy on the eyes, since the screen's a nice cozy 133dpi. If I had to choose something right now with a bit more oomph, I'd probably go with a Fujitsu P1620 or the P7200 series.

My big concern with the Eee is that I'd pretty much have to run Linux, and that certain apps just won't work well on that screen. Beyond that, yeah, I'm not about to pay double the price for a gutted Macbook that's been sealed shut.

Re: Less is more (expensive)

[negrondevice.livejournal.com]

Dude XP can be installed on it but granted it might take a little work.

Re: Less is more (expensive)

[raptorck.livejournal.com]

It's not the work, it's the storage. You'd probably have to go with the 8GB model to really use it comfortably (as certain apps won't install to removable storage such as a giant horking SD card,) and at 800x480, the real pain in the ass is from windows that need more vertical real estate. The OQO has that problem, but gets around it with zoomed scaling by default.

I *could* probably get by regardless, but that's an exercise that I'm saving for much much later.

Re: Less is more (expensive)

[negrondevice.livejournal.com]

Heh...for me, at least partially, it's the work.

Still the lack of space is good point. But I'd approach it pretty much like what it is and ssh tools and such are relatively small.

Re: Less is more (expensive)

[raptorck.livejournal.com]

I don't need a lot of space for programs, but Ofiice isn't a bad idea to have around for me, and my XP install directory would use up over 4GB as per my UX install. True, that's not an XPlite install, but that's part of the problem.

[xsr.livejournal.com]

You won't get any argument from me that Apple really fucked this one up.

That said, I'm still happy with my Macbook. It's light, fits in a bag and the WLAN detection and stability is a fucking quantum leap over anything I've ever experienced on Windows.

[raptorck.livejournal.com]

I can't fault that, but it's also my gripe about the Air. If the bag can hold your MacBook, it can hold the Air without rattling around, so what's the point?

On the upside, I'm sure that there aren't too many unhappy MacBook owners this year.

[raptorck.livejournal.com]

Oh, sure. If you buy EVERYTHING from this MacWorld, you don't need to worry when the MBA's in the shop for repairs, since it's buried in a chassis with batteries which don't have as much protection from the technician working on them.

You know I love my Mac. Maybe that's part of the problem. The upside really is that if it's there, all your data is on your Time Capsule, and all your movies and songs can sit on the Apple TV. That said, you shouldn't have to have this entire wireless infrastructure in your home to overcome a limited product design.

[raptorck.livejournal.com]

LALALALALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU

[negrondevice.livejournal.com]

STARTING at $1799? Fuck that shit.

[negrondevice.livejournal.com]

And 3 pounds for something with the word AIR in the name? Nah dude. That's kinda heavy for something that's being positioned as ultra thin and ultra portable.

[monocle.livejournal.com]

It looks neat, but I can't say I'd want one. I'm more then happy with my aging desktop right now to even worry about something like this.