Macbook Air released today!

The Far Side of Tech » Apple Air versus Asus Eee: A Comparison

[mikecentola]

Air is way better!

[GranMassaX]

yeah.... Even I'd rather have an Air than an Eee. I think those things are lame.

Originally Posted by GranMassaX

yeah.... Even I'd rather have an Air than an Eee. I think those things are lame.

that's cool, opinions vary. I think they are pretty cool. It's not a desktop replacement or a full blown laptop replacement but it could replace my portable dvd player, allow me to use wifi if I'm out and about because I don't have a wifi device or laptop now. It's small enough to put into a small bag, or have my wife toss in her purse. Hell I bet I could fit it in my storage compartment on my R6! People have been upgrading the memory from 512mb to 2GB as well. Still way cheaper than any other laptop you can buy. The screen is the only thing I wish was a little larger but for an ultra mobile pc it works.

[mikecentola]

Yeah for $300 it's not bad of a deal...

[GranMassaX]

It's def a cool little laptop, it just wouldn't work for me.

[xceebeex]

Woohoo, go Apple!

First benchmarks: MacBook Air is the slowest Apple machine on the block - Engadget





Now thats all fine and dandy that its not the fastest, not even close, but if the goal was to be light and portable and promote battery life it can't even fully do that. It may be light and portable, but I have heard battery life is pretty bad, PLUS you can't replace the battery yourself at all. I am having a harder and harder time seeing how they are charging so much.

[GranMassaX]

[xceebeex]

Another oversight.

Adding insult to injury: USB 3G modems won't fit in the MacBook Air - Engadget

It gets better and better.

[mikecentola]

Originally Posted by xceebeex

Woohoo, go Apple!

First benchmarks: MacBook Air is the slowest Apple machine on the block - Engadget





Now thats all fine and dandy that its not the fastest, not even close, but if the goal was to be light and portable and promote battery life it can't even fully do that. It may be light and portable, but I have heard battery life is pretty bad, PLUS you can't replace the battery yourself at all. I am having a harder and harder time seeing how they are charging so much.

What a great test? Compare a laptop with a 1.6GHz processor to all their others with the slowest being 500Mhz faster....

[xceebeex]

Originally Posted by mikecentola

What a great test? Compare a laptop with a 1.6GHz processor to all their others with the slowest being 500Mhz faster....

I understand it should be slower, but it was significantly slower. I also stated, that an ultra portable laptop should have some benefit other than pure weight which usually means more battery life. The Air does not get great battery life AND its not even replaceable. The Air is overpriced, simple as that. You don't get performance or battery life, so what are you paying for? Its all for the looks.

Not to mention the USB 3G disaster in my other post. The smallest of the USB EV-DO modems wouldn't fit.

[mikecentola]

Originally Posted by xceebeex

I understand it should be slower, but it was significantly slower. I also stated, that an ultra portable laptop should have some benefit other than pure weight which usually means more battery life. The Air does not get great battery life AND its not even replaceable. The Air is overpriced, simple as that. You don't get performance or battery life, so what are you paying for? Its all for the looks.

Not to mention the USB 3G disaster in my other post. The smallest of the USB EV-DO modems wouldn't fit.

Disaster? Fixed with a $3 extension cable. Something, every usb thumb drive usually comes with...

[xceebeex]

Originally Posted by mikecentola

Disaster? Fixed with a $3 extension cable. Something, every usb thumb drive usually comes with...

Do you want extension cables dangling around on your "ultra portable" laptop? I sure don't. Disaster may have been the wrong word, but it is a huge drawback IMO. I have no problem using extension cables on a desktop, but I never use them on my laptop.

Either way, my point is, for a machine so expensive, there are a lot of things that were overlooked in order to be aesthetically pleasing.

[mikecentola]

If people were to start thinking of the Air as a response to a niche market, a market of people who go to wifi hotspots, coffee shops, and don't have a need for all the accessories, then the Air would be thought of as a success.

I agree that it has some drawbacks, as do pretty much all computers that have to sacrifice one thing for another, but I also believe its a pretty cool step in the direction of ultra-portables.

I personally think everyone should give a mac a try. Obviously a few of you guys have known me for a long time and know the computers I've built and the overclocking forums I've ran, so I don't believe I'm just some Apple fanboi talking out my ass...

Give it a shot, I guarantee you will be impressed...

[Kicklow]

my 24in 2.8ghz iMAC is showing up friday...ill let you know what i think of it. but as far as the air, its IMO a satellite computer, not an all purpose everyday comp. with myself being a soon to be mac owner, it would be a great addition for when im on the go and dont want to bring the 25lb imac everywhere, but for those that are PC users, the air is pointless and a seemingly waste of money.