Why the Macbook Air sucks big time
- 160 Comment
With all the hype around the Macbook Air, we’re blind to see that this laptop although is an amazing piece of engineering, it sucks big time ! Why?
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It’s too expensive. Add the 64GB SSD drive and it’s extremely prohibitive.
- No optical drive. This means you have to beg others to let you install a software Apple gave you on their PC so you have access to their drive.
- No ethernet port. That makes the Remote Disk software useless if the PC you’re trying to connect to doesn’t have wireless.
- Only 1 USB port. So you’ll need a USB hub, one more thing to carry around… that’s not portability
- Battery not user Replaceable Unlike 99% of other laptops out there, the battery is not user replaceable.
- Mono Speakers The built in speakers on the Macbook Air are weak and sound airy (sorry) from the hands-on videos so far. Worst of all, they’re mono, not stereo! Are we back in the 90s?
- Fixed RAM The Macbook Air ships with 2GB of RAM by default. This RAM is onboard though, meaning there is no option to upgrade or to add more RAM.
- Slow Processor 1.6 C2D by default is amongst the slowest Core 2 Duo processors you can get.
- Slow 1.8″ Hard drive The base model comes with a 1.8″ hard drive. As most computer enthusiasts know, 1.8″ hard drives top out at 4,200rpm
- It’s too thin! I would not drop it, or stand on it !!
Macbook Air, what a disappointment …
Popularity: 98% [?]
160 Comments on this post
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los148 said:
Why the MacBook Air does not suck.
1. You always pay a premium price for design and quality. Very light and super thin is a plus.
2. No optical drive. I rarely use an optical drive and if I need to install sofware then I will do it wirelessly or with a flash drive. If you really can’t do either then get the $99 drive from apple.
3. Why do you need more then one usb? I have a wi-fi/bluetooth printer. Get a bluetooth mouse. Network storage. etc.
4. This is not maid for everyone. I don’t need a sports car but some people do. I need something very light and thin perfect for travel. I was actually at MacWorld and the MacBook Air is not that declicate… think of the new apple keyboard material. It is very solid.
January 17th, 2008 at 10:59 pm -
whatever said:
Mackbook air DOES suck.
1. Why does price always have to be directly proportional to good design? There are plenty of cheaper notebooks out there that look great and are built solid. The SSD option is horrendously expensive and you get even less space 64Gb. The standard 80GB is not enough these days. 4,200rpm is dead slow.
2. Whats the point of an ultra portable if you have to carry an external optical drive? You want things to be integrated.
3. Most people NEED more than one USB port. It is true that you can use a bluetooth mouse/keyboard but you have to spend even more money to get in sync with the technology. This is stupid because I have a perfectly fine USB Laser mouse which takes the only USB slot. Then I want to plug in my printer or external HDD because of the ridiculously small hard drive space. I can’t. Wifi printer? I bet a lot of people don’t have it.
4. In conclusion, for a similar price, a Sony or Dell offers much more features but only fractionally thicker. It would have better graphics, an option for an integrated blue-ray optical drive, firewire, DVI, more USB ports. Everything apple has a PC gives you more.
January 18th, 2008 at 2:56 pm -
Peter said:
Why on earth would you want to stand on a MacBook Air, or any computer for that matter? Anyway, I guess you had to make something up to make it to ten points.
Mono sound, high price, one USB port, lack of ethernet and optical drive don’t mean anything for the people this product is intended for.
So who is this intended for? Up-to-date professionals on the move, who aren’t on a budget. And we welcome it.
Peter
January 18th, 2008 at 5:37 pm -
Tim said:
Hmm Only one usb port.no internal optical drive no user friendly battery.This thing sucks I can imagine what would happen if I was at Laguardia or Newark international airport and asked the baggge desk or better yet TSA to please slip a disk in their computer so I can borrow their optical drive real quick LOL Id be arrested at most laughed at the least.No accessable battery?my boss is gonna love seeing me pull out a playboy magazine 6 hours into our flight to Europe because the spreadsheat prgram ran outtt juice.Oh and all the thats not who its designed for crowd if you cant carry something that weighs 4 lbs max THAN YOU ARE A USELESS FAT ASS.
January 21st, 2008 at 12:29 am -
Breckenridge said:
Top reason number 5: lack of 3g wireless connectivity. Sony, Dell and other offer that type of connectivity standard on some of their ultra-portable machines.
January 21st, 2008 at 2:36 am -
chris croxxxer said:
well, It’s intend to posers and gay people(no offense, im a gay myself). Basically apple wants their consumer to think in a way that “I don’t need one, but I want one!” so all those against points are invalid. Stevie probably capable of selling shit for 20 dollars.(for real!)
January 21st, 2008 at 5:34 pm -
BS said:
Only 1 USB port? Boo hoo. If portability is what you’re looking for you shouldn’t be plugging in USB devices anyway.
January 24th, 2008 at 12:52 am -
Garii said:
I stood on my laptop by accident once.. no damage though fortunately =).
If by “on the move” you mean sacrifice functionality for looks, then yeah, it’s perfect for the likes of you. For a lot of software, CD or DVD is required for installation - it won’t work off a flash drive, unless you write a crack. And we all know that’s illegal.
So it’s light and portable - so is my 17″ acer. Besides, it’s irrelevant how portable the laptop is if you need to carry around external harddrive, optical drive, USB hub etc.
No ethernet port? what if there’s no wireless access point nearby? you’re screwed then arn’t ya?
So, all you up to date proffesionals must have magic fingers, because I couldn’t do squat on that thing. I need an optical drive, at least 3 USB ports and preferably a 300 GB harddrive before I can begin working on it. But since, like all macs, it’s not customisable I’d rather get a cheap ass pc and upgrade, it’d still be cheaper and probably around 3 times better at least.’nuff said.
Garii.
January 24th, 2008 at 1:06 am -
Aka Zero said:
If I want to hinder everything but portability I would just buy an asus eee. And it’s alot cheaper, and even more portable. And it has 3 usb 2.0 ports.
But I think the air sucks. For anyone that knows about computer anyway.
January 24th, 2008 at 1:41 am -
David said:
I like the new Air. I need something just like this. I think your list is a shallow and well who the hell has a computer other then a though book that they are willing to drop or STAND ON?
January 24th, 2008 at 2:15 am -
Jerve Burgenbutt said:
it is spelled “Made” not “Maid”
Mac Users…go figure.
January 24th, 2008 at 2:18 am -
Demetrius Pinder said:
Am I the only person who finds the size of the processor to be impressive? Just think about all the R&D and advancements….
Come on people. And I’m NOT a Mac user
Stumbled onto this site….only reason I am here
January 24th, 2008 at 2:42 am -
smokinpope said:
you are all fucking idiots!….apple blows
January 24th, 2008 at 2:49 am -
chris said:
apples are so over hyped. The air does suck. I have a 2 year old gateway thats faster, can do more without add ons and I paid about 800 less than that. the air is for trendy people with to much money and don’t know anything about computers.
January 24th, 2008 at 2:49 am -
Kyle said:
Macs are sturdy, I wouldn’t worry about that. And looking at both my computers i realize what i use my USB ports for are musical keyboards (definitely too big to carry around), qwerty keyboards (built in on a laptop), a mouse (also built in, or bluetooth), and wireless recievers (built in). Yes, having only 1 port is a hinderance but to a much lesser extent than you played it off to be.
Furthermore, you don’t need a SSD if you’re on a budget obviously; 2 gigs of ram will do you fine; the battery will last quite well; and if it dies on you then apple has some of the best service around.
And honestly, “Too Thin”? You might as well insult it for being too beautiful.
January 24th, 2008 at 2:56 am -
NoMacAir said:
Here’s the absolute skinny on the Macbook Air as far as I see it:
It’s the Lamborghini of laptops. Sure, maybe if you take a ‘76 Pinto and slap a Lamborghini sticker on it. This has nothing to do with portability. Any silly wuss that can’t handle something with a little more weight isn’t an “up-to-date professional”. He or she is a pretentious metro-sexual who bases their purchases on whether or not it matches their outfit. The plain and simple fact of the matter is that the Air doesn’t do anything extraordinary other than look good. I admit that the sleek and sweet-ass design does make it very appealing. But hopefully, unless you’re a moron, you won’t judge a MacBook by it’s cover. The truth of it all is the fact that it doesn’t provide better capabilities, it isn’t faster, doesn’t perform better than something in the same general price range, and doesn’t provide more portability than anyone of over 1000 laptops out there. The truth of this whole MacBook Air idea is the same as it has been over the last ten years with Apple products. It is style without substance. It’s the same thing that has happened with all of their products, like the iPod, which has become damn-near the industry standard, but has always had and will always have serious design and implementation flaws. Or like the iPhone, which was more of a gimmick to rape people out of their money until someone decided to hack it and Apple got pissed about it. Keep in mind, I like Apple products. But Apple has proven time and again, out of the gate Apple products don’t shine the way they should. They shine sort of like the movie “Glitter” until you actually see it, which dulls the experience.
Oh, by the way, Mr. “up-to-date professional”? Have you ever seen the movie “American Psycho”? You’re one of those jackasses. Now go buy a MacBook Air!
January 24th, 2008 at 3:01 am -
Kazzerax said:
So basically Peter, you’re welcoming a lack of USB ports (for no apparent reason), mono speakers (again for no reason) and a distinct lack of optical drives? You’re going back in time with less USB ports, slow hard drives, and old audio technology in exchange for higher price? I’d say I hate to say it, but I’d be lying, so I’m just going to put this out there: you sir, are dumb.
January 24th, 2008 at 3:06 am -
Scott said:
I’ve been an Apple fan for a long time (well, ever since my Powerbook 180 in the early 90’s). But it’s gotten to the point where the most common argument people can come up with to validate the price tag is the design and aesthetics. I mean, sure, it looks great. But most real professionals want something reliable and functional. I would personally sacrifice the extra inch of thickness and the added 3-4 pounds for a product that better serves my needs.
And on the topic of design. How is the MBA’s battery in any way a positive design for the professional on the go? How about the lack of an ethernet port?
January 24th, 2008 at 3:12 am -
koro said:
You guys that think it sucks are completely missing the poin.
I will agree that it is a little expensive, but the same is truefor cell phone, and mp3 players: smaller package with more features costs more. and also, its not fair to include the 64GB SSD in that claim when you’re complaining about the cost. SSD is still new technology, it costs more, deal with it.
yes, it only has one USB port. you’re not going to be carrying around your printer with you where ever you go, so thats one less thing you need to plug into it, your external harddrive doesn’t need to be plugged in all the time anyway, so theres 2 down, and so what if you want to use the mouse and the drive at the same time, usethe track pad
no optical drive? big deal. I can count on one hand the number of times that i’ve needed to USE (not burn with, but use in general) my optical drive while i’ve been carrying my laptop around. with the exception of installing software, the optical drive is becoming something that you don’t need anymore.
okay, slow processor. again, portability. what are you planning on using this thing for? making movies or 3D animations, how about editing 8MP photos? those are not what this thing is meant for. its meant to be something that you can easily carry around from place to place (not just room to room in your own house, but location to location). its not meant to be tied down to adesk all day, its meant to be carried from class to class, or business meeting to business meeting where the most intensive application you’re going to be running is a spreadsheet or data base app or a word processor, all of which will run quite fine on that processor.
Let me put it this way. if you need to be able to burn discs on the fly, or need to be able to hook your computer upto enough USB devices to choke an elephant than DON’T BUY A MACBOOK AIR. buy a Macbook.
the Macbook Air does exactly what it is supposed to do, and if it doesn’t do what you want it to, don’t buy it, its as simple as that. the macbook air is not going to replace the macbook because that was never the intentions. its another option. instead of small and big, you now have travelling consumer, basic consumer, and Professional.
January 24th, 2008 at 3:15 am -
/facepalm said:
Apparently, your not seeing the big picture. The Air is ment for travel on the go, split second blogging, mail reading, and trivial things. Not a work horse, thats what your desk top is for, if you want something expandable, thats what the PRO is for. And if that doesnt suit you- get a PC.
January 24th, 2008 at 3:24 am -
BuG56 said:
Peter :
He’s saying he wouldn’t stand on it because that would break it, as would a drop from oh say, one foot.
And up-to-date professionals would not buy this. As whatever stated, You can get a much better laptop for the same price with features and much much more.
Only idiots would purchase the MacBook air, and I stand by that.
January 24th, 2008 at 3:25 am -
Jach said:
Though I think the idea is cool (thin, lightweight, small, etc.), this is a horrible implementation. I commonly boot from an external hard drive, and with only one USB I wouldn’t be able to do anything else like plug in my flash drive, mouse, or camera. And regardless of what material it’s made of, the thing looks damn fragile, and I’m currently waiting for the first SmashMyMacbookAir video to see just how fragile.
Besides, there are plenty of laptops out there that look nicer and perform better, customize easily (who seals in the battery? Oh yeah, Apple.), and cost less.
Peter: as the only true advantage I see Apple having is that in multimedia (Linux rules in ALL other areas, and works on pretty much any architecture), why the heck would someone buy a Mac product that has mono sound? Seriously, the most craptacular laptop you can get still has stereo sound. You say it’s for up-to-date professionals, but professionals of what? If I were a professional coder (working at it), I’d want a durable laptop that’s “up-to-date” in stereo sound, and has plenty of ports for whatever gadgets I happen to have with me. Porting around such gadgets isn’t a problem because I’d put the thing in a laptop bag along with everyone else I might need.
I predict this product will flop, with only hard core Mac fanboys purchasing one.
January 24th, 2008 at 3:32 am -
Nathan said:
1) The Macbook Air is part of a transition in technology toward an increasingly wireless world. Those that don’t have Bluetooth/wireless devices such as mice, keyboards, printers, etc will adopt the technology due to the MBA (sooner or later, the wireless technology will be the standard, so obviously there has to be a transition period) or due to some other wireless laptop they desire.
2) The market for this laptop is people (like me) who don’t have uses for the things you mentioned. I don’t need the fastest HD (and if I did, I would opt for the SSD drive–ASIDE: why are people complaining about the price of the SSD drive. Is there some laptop that has a 64GB SSD drive that’s really really cheap that I don’t know about??? Face it, new technology is EXPENSIVE). I don’t need optical drive, everything these days is stored on either flash drives or USB HD. I don’t need the AWESOME graphics or the supersonic processor; browsing the web, downloading music, working on documents, and the occasional picture/video editing doesn’t take a super-processor.
3) It’s not like thicker or more bulky laptops are SO TOUGH. If you drop a laptop, or sit on it, or for some odd reason feel it is necessary to stand on it, your laptop will malfunction; its common sense. In fact, why don’t you take your 1.5″ Dell laptop and drop it from 6 ft and then stand on it. You can run an informal test and report the results.
January 24th, 2008 at 3:32 am -
Mr. Javo said:
I think don’t sucks, is an apple laptop, it can’t sucks. It doesn’t has ethernet port because the project is to connect everything, cdrom and other stuff like printers by wireless
January 24th, 2008 at 3:36 am -
Penniss said:
Nice Design, wouldn’t make sense for most computer users.
It should have at least 4 usb’s and should be competitively priced with similar models. apple posted record profits this year due to scams such as this…good for them, taking money from slow people is easy.
January 24th, 2008 at 3:37 am -
nathan said:
@Peter.. not much of a professional are you? A real pro would need a really fast computer and lots of hard drive space for plenty of programs. I can’t believe you can name off all of those cons and still think of buying this computer. There didn’t need to be 10 points; the fact that it’s a Mac says why it sucks big time.
January 24th, 2008 at 3:47 am -
8bit said:
Mitsubishi Electric/Hewlett-Packard Pedion: 0.71 inches thick
Macbook Air: 0.75 inches thickJanuary 24th, 2008 at 3:48 am -
John said:
Macbook Air is not for nerds or geeky people who like the best stuff
January 24th, 2008 at 3:49 am -
Mike said:
“Mono sound, high price, one USB port, lack of ethernet and optical drive don’t mean anything for the people this product is intended for”…Weirdo’s who masterbate thinking of apple or steve jobs.
Thats the only people i think want a macbook air
January 24th, 2008 at 3:57 am -
Amaroq said:
Why do you need stereo sound on a laptop speaker anyway? Are you going to be holding the laptop up to your ear to get the full benefit of stereo sound?
What could you possibly need more than one USB for? You can unplug your flash drive when you’re not using it you know. Use the laptop’s built in mouse pad.
My current computer only has a 20 gig HD and I get by. I would love to have an 80 gig HD.
Stop complaining.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a mac fan. I use Linux. But come on! You’re not going to be gaming on the thing. You don’t need to put 80 gigs of music or porn on it. You use it if you’re a businessman who needs a mobile, lightweight means of staying connected, browsing the internet, checking your e-mail, and typing up reports. Don’t bash something for not being able to do something it was never meant to do. Just buy something that better suites your needs if a macbook air can’t.
January 24th, 2008 at 3:59 am -
Obscillesk said:
You’re not paying that price for premium design and quality, you’re paying that price because Mac is obsessed with itself and thinks its latest product line is a lifestyle choice. It’s not, its just the mentally retarded form of a real computer, so simple you can’t mess it up, or you know. Do anything worthwhile with it. Take your pick.
January 24th, 2008 at 4:01 am -
Brian said:
I’m not defending Apple at all, but a 1.6ghz Core2Duo is pretty fast. Even if it only had 1 core, it would still be a fast CPU.
January 24th, 2008 at 4:14 am -
James said:
In some ways, I don’t like the macBook Air, but, as a professional programmer traveling an average of 300 miles every two days, this one will come in handy. I don’t mind having to lug around more items, as I have a fairly large SUV. I can put everything into one dufflebag and off i go.
for years, I have disliked Apple, but now since they are building their computers more like PCs, I am beginning to like them. I don’t see why you guys have to argue… there are thousands other computers that you can use… pick one that suits you.
January 24th, 2008 at 4:32 am -
zombiepriest said:
Mac’s in general suck they are marketed for style and sleekness but I want a machine that does what I want. I also want a computer that I can play games on.
January 24th, 2008 at 4:41 am -
bricks said:
rather than dump a ton of loot on the air, get a eeepc from asus for $350 and save a ton. Its even smaller and functions very well running xandros linux.
January 24th, 2008 at 4:48 am -
dj41326 said:
Here is another review…
http://popblogculture.blogspot.com/January 24th, 2008 at 5:20 am -
benjamin1254 said:
hello users and debaters of the macbook air. The unit itself is a solid one! The fact that its so thin and light saves on space and i dont know why everyone is wining about it! so what if the battery is not user replaceable … i see many users who after the battery wears out just plug in their notebooks anyway! the single usb port can be used for ANYTHING! even a standard outside cd or dvd rom drive so you have the usability to install things on it like any normal macbook or pc for that matter. I know of another unit from asus that is doing vary well for not having everything on it… and it just being the basics. Look at the positives of the unit and the down falls. The unit may be expensive but look at it as a new way to work with other… better materials! The solid state drive on any device is an amazing achievement for any unit that is being sold to date.. relatively no seek time or boot-up time needed for the operating system. I look forward to what we are now seeing today in this technology for the next ten years… that is going to be nothing short but amazing!
January 24th, 2008 at 5:21 am -
Wafflehauzen said:
@los148: You don’t need to defend the Macbook Air’s suckage; if you bought one, it’s not too late to take it back!
Everyone makes mistakes once in a while when buying new tech stuff that comes out, but it’s quite honestly debatable that the Macbook Air is even a real computer. My current theory is that a little hamster is there pulling all these levers and turning dials, which when you really think about it explains Macintosh’s subpar performance in the tech market.
January 24th, 2008 at 5:30 am -
ambo said:
los148
If you insist on posting in an intelligent argument you should probably learn that spell check does not correct grammatical errors.
Maid = cleaning lady
Made = manufacturedPeter
So basically what you’re saying is that this computer is only for rich snobs who care more about appearances than actual worth. Anyone who actually knows and uses computers will tell you that, as a computer the Macbook air sucks.
January 24th, 2008 at 5:36 am -
Say Your Worst said:
I have been saying this to people long before that paper thin piece of crap hit the market:
“The Apple Air Book appeals solely to people lacking computer knowledge and brains. It has just as much appeal to stupid people as dangling shiny keys are to a blonde.”
1. The price is outrageous.
2. It lacks actual speed, and performance.
3. It makes upgrading damn near impossible.
4. Finally, ITS A FRIGGIN MAC! I’d only use that notebook to wipe my ass, if it wouldn’t give me a paper cut.
Also, ONLY ONE USB???? Are you kidding me? That would be filled up with just an add on mouse. Anyone out there stupid enough to buy such a waste of electronics, shouldn’t be allowed to cross the street without someone holding their hands!
January 24th, 2008 at 5:36 am -
Mac consumer's daughter said:
I think this is a matter of branding and of demographics. The Apple brand is all about technological advancement, making everything wireless and new and sleek.
Additionally, as Peter said, Mac products are intended for “Up-to-date professionals on the move, who aren’t on a budget”. Tried and true Mac users in general DO have the wireless technology to support the cons listed here. My dad is one of them. He is set up so that he never has to plug anything in except for his to charge the battery.
Let’s face it. Products are not designed to reach every demographic, meaning not everyone wants to buy what you’re selling. For instance, if I was GIVEN a Ford or a Chevy, I’d vomit first, then trade it for a foreign model. Likewise, many people would vomit on this Macbook Air. Me? It makes me drool.
January 24th, 2008 at 6:09 am -
Nimbus81 said:
Oh..by the way, if they remove Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support, the book is going to be much thinner (Macbook air 2, now more skinny:)
Of course for those who cannot live without Wi-Fi, they have to add the USB wireless card & Blutooth dongle into their arsenal of USB Optical Drive, External Speakers and Ethernet Card..
a good comparison with Commodore SX-64:
http://regmedia.co.uk/2008/01/19/macbookcommodorecompare.jpgJanuary 24th, 2008 at 6:13 am -
Mark said:
I agree with los148. This is like saying “Farrarries suck because they won’t tow my boat.” This is not a desktop replacement computer. I don’t even own a Mac because they are too limited for software development. But this looks like a good niche product, just like all Macs. This sounds like it is written by someone who really wants a general purpose PC ugly workhorse box with all the expandability at a good price. But this is what is called a “specialty item”. Looks cool to me.
January 24th, 2008 at 6:19 am -
Michael said:
You know what the hardest part about owning a mac is?
Telling your parents you are gay…
Macs suck period. Only pretentious asshats like/use them.
January 24th, 2008 at 6:26 am -
daretoeatapeach said:
Peter: “Up-to-date” implies that there is something wrong with folks not buying the latest thing to come on the market. This is about the same as putting your nose in the air because one isn’t wearing the right length of hemline or the latest brand of handbag. This kind of thinking isn’t really practical for any kind of sustainability but then, heck, why should we worry about sustainability? That can’t be possibly be important (note sarcasm).
Running a free, open source operating system, I can build a perfectly good Frankenstein computer on the parts people like Peter toss. In fact, I have left over parts.
Kudos, Peter. Thanks to the snobbery of people like you I can keep my system running and current at a fraction of the price.
January 24th, 2008 at 6:36 am -
mike said:
for that price I can finally get that gold leaf covered laptop I always wanted or maybe one that has an optical drive, replaceable battery/hard-drive, an ethernet port, 3 usb ports and a faster processor.
apple’s starting to think like MS did with Vista- appearance and profit over usability and that’s why Mac’s market share is around 7% [3% before vista]January 24th, 2008 at 7:01 am -
Lexi said:
I am a huge mac enthusiast, but I wouldn’t buy this computer because it is not built for who I am. It’s built for the people know as early adopters. They buy tech as soon as it comes out and like the novelty factor in their technology. They have bluetooth and WiFi everything, so the wireless factor isn’t even considered.
It’s my opinion that his product was made more for marketing the apple brand and research into new technologies. Much of it is impressive tech, but not yet usable for the majority of people. I recommend the Macbook pro, its only a quarter inch thicker, $200 more, and far superior performance.January 24th, 2008 at 7:03 am -
SadPanda said:
I’m a MAC fan myself but I simply can’t shake loose the feeling they were pushed into anouncing something, anything. And this cripled baby is what they came up with. You can love it all you want, but almost all others are better off.
January 24th, 2008 at 7:54 am -
ragjcarjaag said:
Over hyped, over priced, over rated, and just plain over done. This is what most of Apple’s products are. How sad. Though I don’t have much of a choice seeing as how Window’s is also a piece of crap.
January 24th, 2008 at 7:59 am -
Tony said:
This is intended for the Mac “fanboys”, I’m sure it’s a good bit of kit, just not for me as I AM A PC (sic). Surely if you are not interested in buying this product (as with any product) just shut the fuck up?
January 24th, 2008 at 8:55 am -
Leo said:
Not Suck
This is supposed to be an ulta portable laptop. That means it is not just a laptop.
1. If you think it is too expensive, don’t buy the SSD drive. The standard model being expensive? Not really when compared to others.
2. No optical drive, well, I tend to install software from CD only once. I do not store things on CDs but on external HDD, which is cheaper and easier. Plus, why carry a CD drive around, when you will only use it to install software every now and again. CD are the floppies of the future: they’ll vanish.
3. No ethernet port. Very good, I was not planning to carry a network cable with my ultra portable anyway. I might bring a USB network device to use when there is no network available. Just plug it into a PC/Mac and off you go. It is much smaller than a network cable.
4. Only 1 USB port. Also very good, I might want to use an external mouse on my laptop, but that is about it. No sense in carrying an ultra portable with lets say a scanner, hdd, printer and the like… At home I ll just install a hub with all these devices, connect the one USB cable to the mac, et voila, I am set.
5. Battery not user Replaceable Unlike 99% of other laptops out there, the battery is not user replaceable. Well, that sucks a bit indeed. Hopefully they’ll fix this in the next version of the thing.
6. Mono Speakers. Nice, I had expect a 7.1 sound system in my laptop, but this will do I guess. It is not a portable cinema set. As long as I can here the system sounds, and the occasional movie of youtube I am fine.
7. Fixed RAM The Macbook Air ships with 2GB of RAM by default. This RAM is onboard though, meaning there is no option to upgrade or to add more RAM. Of course, more would always be nice, but this is a portable, ultra at that, not a replacement for your workstation.
8. Slow Processor 1.6 C2D by default is amongst the slowest Core 2 Duo processors you can get. Slow? My P2 400 with 300mb of RAM was slow before I upgraded its memory. Depends on what you want it to do, but for things I tend to do when traveling or on the road, this processor is just fine.
9. Slow 1.8? Hard drive The base model comes with a 1.8? hard drive. As most computer enthusiasts know, 1.8? hard drives top out at 4,200rpm. Well, it matches with all the other hardware, which are not setting speed records as well, but it is very lightweight. Maybe you can ask apple to install a 10.000 RPM drive in there? Sure looks nice a bulge on the thing specially for the hard drive… Just kidding. It is just again ultra portability.
10. It’s too thin! I would not drop it, or stand on it !!
Well, I try not to drop a lot of things, including my current laptop, which is far thicker and heavier. But, I would not say it was not possible to do with this laptop before I tried.The thing why most people seem not to like the mac air is that they see this ultra portable just as another laptop, which it is clearly not. It strips down on some functionality in order to be light. If you want more functionality, buy the bigger laptop models.
This laptop is meant for those situations where you have at the moment zero functionality because your current laptop is too big and cumbersome to bring along.
Cheers,
LeoJanuary 24th, 2008 at 9:01 am -
Leo said:
Not Suck
This is supposed to be an ulta portable laptop. That means it is not just a laptop.
1. If you think it is too expensive, don’t buy the SSD drive. The standard model being expensive? Not really when compared to others.
2. No optical drive, well, I tend to install software from CD only once. I do not store things on CDs but on external HDD, which is cheaper and easier. Plus, why carry a CD drive around, when you will only use it to install software every now and again. CD are the floppies of the future: they’ll vanish.
3. No ethernet port. Very good, I was not planning to carry a network cable with my ultra portable anyway. I might bring a USB network device to use when there is no network available. Just plug it into a PC/Mac and off you go. It is much smaller than a network cable.
4. Only 1 USB port. Also very good, I might want to use an external mouse on my laptop, but that is about it. No sense in carrying an ultra portable with lets say a scanner, hdd, printer and the like… At home I ll just install a hub with all these devices, connect the one USB cable to the mac, et voila, I am set.
5. Battery not user Replaceable Unlike 99% of other laptops out there, the battery is not user replaceable. Well, that sucks a bit indeed. Hopefully they’ll fix this in the next version of the thing.
6. Mono Speakers. Nice, I had expect a 7.1 sound system in my laptop, but this will do I guess. It is not a portable cinema set. As long as I can here the system sounds, and the occasional movie of youtube I am fine.
7. Fixed RAM The Macbook Air ships with 2GB of RAM by default. This RAM is onboard though, meaning there is no option to upgrade or to add more RAM. Of course, more would always be nice, but this is a portable, ultra at that, not a replacement for your workstation.
8. Slow Processor 1.6 C2D by default is amongst the slowest Core 2 Duo processors you can get. Slow? My P2 400 with 300mb of RAM was slow before I upgraded its memory. Depends on what you want it to do, but for things I tend to do when traveling or on the road, this processor is just fine.
9. Slow 1.8? Hard drive The base model comes with a 1.8? hard drive. As most computer enthusiasts know, 1.8? hard drives top out at 4,200rpm. Well, it matches with all the other hardware, which are not setting speed records as well, but it is very lightweight. Maybe you can ask apple to install a 10.000 RPM drive in there? Sure looks nice a bulge on the thing specially for the hard drive… Just kidding. It is just again ultra portability.
10. It’s too thin! I would not drop it, or stand on it !!
Well, I try not to drop a lot of things, including my current laptop, which is far thicker and heavier. But, I would not say it was not possible to do with this laptop before I tried.The thing why most people seem not to like the mac air is that they see this ultra portable just as another laptop, which it is clearly not. It strips down on some functionality in order to be light. If you want more functionality, buy the bigger laptop models.
This laptop is meant for those situations where you have at the moment zero functionality because your current laptop is too big and cumbersome to bring along.
Cheers,
LeoJanuary 24th, 2008 at 9:01 am -
Chris said:
Peter,
I’ve accidentaly stood on my dell inspiron laptop before in all the clutter in my room. Granted is was wholly irresponsible of me, but the fact remains that there was no damage done to it. And yes, I had moist of my weight on it. If I’d had a macbook air, it would have simply shattered.
Ios148,
Paying a premium for design is fine, but when it’s supposed to be a functional notebook, well then I’d rather pay a premium for quality.
Speaking of, you say you pay a premium for quality here, yet from the article we can see that there is no real quality at all. Slow processor, small, slow and expensive as all hell hard drive, horrific sound quality, ONLY ONE USB PORT, NO OPTICAL DRIVE… the sort of people who will buy this are the people who don’t actually NEED a portable pc, and will only get it to say “I have it”. Which is a major problem with apple systems these days. Instead of making functional systems, they focus more on the people with more money than sense who put too much pride in how their computer looks as opposed to how much it costs and how it performs. Granted, a lot of apple home systems out-perform their c counterparts, but they are also priced significantly higher.
January 24th, 2008 at 9:08 am -
Varun Nagwekar said:
Reasons why your article sucks
1-You are one of those people who like to crib about anything and everything.
2-You want to just write an article on your blog so you write crap about one of the most talked about hardware.
3-You want to fill your blog with articles because you don’t have any.
4-Isn’t 2gb ram enough for you? If it isn’t, get a gaming laptop which is probably a few kgs heavier.
5-1 usb port is enough for most people. this is not a desktop computer.
6-A core 2 duo processor is enough for basic applications on the internet. You don’t need a quad core to just surf the internet and use media players.
7-Who on earth stands on their laptop for gods sakes???
8-Its too thin–? WTF? Thats the reason its called Macbook Air! Its what they call ultra portable dude.
9-And not everybody writes articles with stupid points just to reach 10 points.January 24th, 2008 at 9:29 am -
Dave said:
Peter, this product is intended for the die-hard cock sucking fan boys out there. As only they can see past the fact that it is a terrible product.
The price tag on all apple products is there because your paying for looks, Apple make terrible products, but people buy them because they look nice and a lot of people associate cost with quality.
I have always worked with PC’s, and will continue to forever, PC’s beat Macs in every area of computing (yes that includes working with images and video). And you don’t have to pay through the nose for them.
Anyone who sticks up for this piece of crap laptop is clearly deluded, and they are obviously not in possession of all the facts.
Dave.
January 24th, 2008 at 9:40 am -
Ben Clapton said:
Up-to-date professionals on the move? Somehow, I think not. If you’re a professional, you’re going to want quality, no matter the price. From what I’ve read, this isn’t it.
Say for example, someone hands you a CD at a meeting and asks you to look at a file. D’oh! You can’t look at it if you’ve got a MacBook air, unless of course you brought along an external optical drive. You did? Excellent! Just hook it up to your USB port. What? It’s being used by your USB mouse? Aww that’s too bad. I hope you brought along your USB hub. But now they’ve asked you to grab a certain file that you brought along to compare. But because your HDD is so small, you had it stored on your external hard drive. Fine, you’ve now got a couple of extra USB ports thanks to your hub, so you just plug it in. But of course, now your super portable MacBook light is requiring half the desk to be operational, and on top of all that, because your processor is so slow, it’s taking forever to load it all up, with resources being drained by the USB optical drive and hdd. And now you need to find a power outlet because your battery, which you can’t replace, is running out of power due to the massive drain.The above scenario may sound extreme, but I’d hazard a bet that there are quite a few “Up-to-date professionals on the move” where this would happen every second day.
And to get this, you need to pay near double (or more) than a laptop that is just a little bit thicker, but has all these things included.
Personally, to me, it sounds like a fairly bad deal.
January 24th, 2008 at 10:07 am -
fraggle said:
Why do you need more than one USB? Because you’re already using one USB socket for the USB Ethernet dongle, because the Macbook Air doesn’t have an Ethernet socket.
January 24th, 2008 at 10:21 am -
Cozza said:
I think everything in this list shows perfectly what a waste of money this thing is… Except for maybe the RAM thing. 2GBs of RAM is plenty. Especially for a notebook with only a 80GB hard drive and a 1.6 C2D processor…
January 24th, 2008 at 10:29 am -
Walter Jnr said:
MBA is solely for people that want to look cool. They don’t care about the fact that it’s useless, they want to look cool. Nevermind that you can get much, much more for a 5th of the cost. So it’s intended for “Up-to-date professionals on the move, who aren’t on a budget.”? So why not save some more money to spend on some other useless toy, buy a Sony or Toshiba and actually be able to have everything you need in a laptop in the actual laptop. Why would I want to spend more than any other competitor only to have to spend even more again (and at Mac prices…sheesh!) to get some usability out of the MBA? Anybody I see with an MBA will be laughed at. I hope the $4000 was worth it. LOL
January 24th, 2008 at 11:22 am -
. said:
Sorry Peter, but apple products are primarily marketed to teens/young adults (with or with parents who have expendable income, obviously) who view them as a fashion product.
January 24th, 2008 at 2:13 pm -
User Game Reviews said:
No point in arguing with Peter. Peter is obviously a brain washed Apple user like a lot of our country. They would buy anything Apple put on the market and then defend it to their grave saying that is the best product out there, but in reality they know nothing about the product and it’s competitors. For example look at the stupid iPod. There are tons of other companies that make MP3 players that are much better than iPods, but these devoted Apple fans probably don’t even know that other mp3 players exist, let alone research them before they buy an iPod and consider buying them instead. It is just a perfect example of marketing at its finest. I mean look at Peter, he is doing everything he can to justify why he NEEDS this computer, and how he can overcome the obvious downfalls of it. Instead of finding another computer that would fit his needs much better. But I’m not complaining these people help the economy a lot, they overpay for inferior products. My advice don’t buy a Mac, buy Apple stock. Because Mac’s will never be the best product but there will always be millions of people who think it is.
January 24th, 2008 at 2:34 pm -
User Game Reviews said:
“the occasional picture/video editing doesn’t take a super-processor”
At least Mac users have a sense of humor. LOL. Solidifies my point that Mac users normally know very little about computers and how they work. You guys better call Hollywood and let them know they don’t need those huge server farms for editing video. Also no point in keeping the G5 on the market any more then, heck all graphic designers using a G5 should switch to a MBA since you don’t need a “super-processor” for picture editing. In this case they should also they should swap out the Intel C2D for a Via processor they are a lot cheaper, and the battery life would increase dramatically.
January 24th, 2008 at 2:54 pm -
Gao B said:
I think most people don’t get the point of the MacBook Air because Apple once again tried to anticipate future uses of laptop computers. I might be wrong, but I think the MacBook Air is to be seen more like a super-PDA rather than a laptop; in particular, it is certainly not intended to be a primary computer. From that standpoint, the lack of physical connectivity (USB/ethernet/optical drive) makes sense.
Yet Asus is going that road as well (although arguably not with the same philosophy) with a product that is about 1/7th of the price. And honestly, I don’t need an Intel Core 2 Duo for word processing on my super-pda.
January 24th, 2008 at 6:15 pm -
Therealjoe said:
This does suck.
But the sad thing is people will actually buy it.
January 24th, 2008 at 7:46 pm -
Brian W said:
i like apple’s ability to design stuff, always pushing the industry to improve.
i HATE apple for their inability to offer decent specs on computers or at least allow the option to increase it. Personally, i like 15.4 inch screens more than 13.3, but that’s a different issue. I can get the regular macbook with some decent specs for something like 1499 (>_>) that’s just with 2GB mem and 160 HD iirc. My xps was only 1419 (which comes with a better video card, netwroking abilities, and a 2.2 GHz processor vs the 1499 2.0 Ghz on the macbook).
my laptop doesn’t need to be a powerhouse, but it does need to be able to run games with graphics that date back to 2002…
-since when were laptops “too thick”? I’ve never thought that 1.25″ was thick, and still don’t. Also, if the weight is an issue, go outside, go to a tree, snap off a tiny twig about 6 inches long and use it like a dumb bell for 30 minutes. You just built enough strength and endurance to carry a regular laptop.
January 24th, 2008 at 8:02 pm -
Nathan said:
Man, a lot of you people just don’t get it. Several people have spelled it out for you, but I feel compelled to try anyway.
I’m a software developer. At work I use Windows, at home I primarily use Mac OS X, with a little Windows & Linux on the side. Although I personally prefer the Mac OS for what I do, I’m a “use whatever works best for what you do” kind of guy. I also like Mac hardware, but other companies make quality stuff too–Toshiba for laptops, for instance.
Why do so few of the people here understand subnotebooks/ultraportables? The idea here is to eliminate whatever you don’t need in the interest of reducing weight. Some of you say “come on you can’t carry 6 lbs.?” Well, yes, I can, but I do feel it. Would I gladly see that reduced to 3 lbs.? Sure, if you can do it without taking away anything I need.
Well, then the question is, what do I need in my laptop when I’m traveling–to a software developers conference, for instance. Well, I need internet access. The last conference I went to had free wireless in the area where the conference was taking place, and the hotel had wireless on the first floor, though the rooms were wired. So the MBA would have been o.k.–I would have just spent a little more time on the first floor, though I kind of did that anyway since the cable in my room wouldn’t reach well to where I wanted to use it.
I need my tools–my IDE, editor, and what-not. Those will easily fit on an 80 or 64 GB drive.
I need a decent processor. A 1.6 C2D is easily sufficient for the kind of programming I do when on the go. Do I like having a faster processor at work? Sure–I also like having a total of 4 cpus and 4 displays, but I don’t want to lug them around. I usually focus on my most resource-intensive tasks when I’m in the office, and do more exploratory, experimental tasks when I’m away.
I need a few hours of battery life. Most of my flights are domestic, so I’m usually not in the air for more than 5 hours. Additionally, even on an 8-10 hour flight, I doubt I could work for more than half of that time. It’s something about being on a plane–probably the lighting, but my eyes get really tired pretty quickly.
Oh, and what about a optical drive? Well, I’ve never yet wanted to install anything from CD when on a trip. Sometimes someone will talk about a tool, and I’ll download it and try it out. Some of the expo stands hand out CDs, but 1) I usually don’t have time to look at them until after I get back (if I ever do), and 2) usually the demo software that’s on the CD is available online too.
I’ve NEVER had someone “hand me a CD to look at a file”. Why would they? Don’t they have a laptop as well? Then just transfer it wirelessly… I guess if the file was really big, we’d have to wait a couple of minutes. Hasn’t ever happened to me. At all. I’ve never needed my optical drive while traveling. As for having to beg someone for an optical drive to install the system software? No. You buy an external drive, or you use one you already have. With the MBA, though, you can leave that drive at home.
What do I not need? Well, I don’t need a powerful graphics card, I definitely don’t need USB ports or firewire (I’d get a bluetooth mouse, and I’ve never had any other use for my USB ports while traveling). I also don’t need extra weight in my bag.
In other words, taking my last trip as an example, the MBA would have served me just fine. OBVIOUSLY if it doesn’t meet YOUR needs YOU shouldn’t buy it. However, when you say “it sucks” and your reasons are “It doesn’t do what I wish it did” you sound as stupid as the people who say “Everyone should use MAAAAAACS!!!”.
No. They shouldn’t. They should use whatever best suits their needs. There are kinds of users for whom the MBA is everything they need and nothing they don’t, and there are other users whose needs it does not meet. That doesn’t mean it sucks, that just means that if you are such a user, you shouldn’t buy it.
Breathe. Repeat after me. “Not everything in the world is made for me and my needs.” There.
January 24th, 2008 at 8:24 pm -
James Leighman said:
Regardless of how the lack of features is irrationally justified, I cannot imagine why you’d insist on paying more for a product with significantly less features than the competition offers, even if you don’t use them.
January 24th, 2008 at 8:43 pm -
Noty said:
I’m with James .. And what’s all of this “But I don’t need all of that stuff” .. usually people say that as a reason to buy something cheap..not 3X more expensive. (??) Craziness! :>
And if you really want to look cool, get something with all of the bells and whistles. THAT looks “cool”.
January 24th, 2008 at 9:50 pm -
Nathan said:
Find a significantly cheaper laptop with the same or better features that is 3lbs or less. Weight is a feature. It might not be one YOU’RE interested in, but it is a feature.
January 24th, 2008 at 10:08 pm -
Kevin said:
Finally, a blogger that dislikes an apple product! I’m gonna have to bookmark your site!!!
DOWN WITH apple!!!!
PS: No, apple does not deserve capitalization, ever.
January 24th, 2008 at 11:28 pm -
ZSX said:
I would disagree with anyone who says this thing is for a “Up-to-date professionals on the move”. I’m a traveling professional and I always have the following with me along with my laptop:
1. A spare battery as you can never rely on an electric socket to be nearby when you need it.
2. My flash drive with all my important files.
3. My laptop mouse as it is much more efficient than the laptop’s touchpad. Incidentally I usually use the mouse when working on my files which so happen to be on my flash drive.
4. A few cd-rs as at any given time I may need to burn some files and hand it off to a client.
I have yet to be at any seminars, conferences or meetings where you people hand out information on flash drives. This thing attracted me at first due to it’s ultra portability but now I am completely disillusioned. One of the first things I noticed was the lack of a ethernet port. If you have ever traveled overseas on business you know that wifi networks are not as common in most countries as they are in the US and a LAN port is almost a necessity in many places.
January 25th, 2008 at 2:09 am -
Transeau said:
1. Get over it
2. get over it
3. get over it
4. get over it
5. Dont’ Fuckin Buy One!
6. Quit whining about stuff you can’t afford.January 25th, 2008 at 2:51 am -
An actual professional said:
As a professional who actually travels, this would be AWFUL for an “up to date professional.”
No company would pay for this when they can get twice the power, twice the storage, five times the functionality.
When you’re on the road, you need EVERYTHING in a single package. This means:
-DVD drive
-two USB ports minimum (one for a USB mouse/presentation device and one for a flash drive)
-VGA port for presentations (the most important part for an actual professional)
-Productivity software compatible with most other companies’ systems (i.e. Office 2003)
-Low cost
-Ethernet jack (to allow your system to tap into another company’s network since wireless networks are NOT standard)This is NOT for a professional. It’s for fanboys. It’s a cool product, and will eventually evolve into something useful. Right now, it’s a terrible investment.
January 25th, 2008 at 3:22 am -
Jesse said:
why don’t you “on the move” professionals buy a damn EEE PC from asus. they’re 400 bucks, run linux, which is way sweeter than Mac. 2 yr warranty. oh btw the weigh less than two pounds. LAN included!
January 25th, 2008 at 3:34 am -
An actual professional said:
I amend my previous statement about the VGA port. The Air has a micro-dvi to vga adapter included. So much for not having to carry around a bunch of extra junk.
January 25th, 2008 at 3:39 am -
Magus said:
“Apparently, your not seeing the big picture. The Air is ment for travel on the go, split second blogging, mail reading, and trivial things”
The MacBook Air, *starting* at $1,799 seems a bit too expensive for “trivial things”, don’t you think?
January 25th, 2008 at 3:50 am -
Nathan said:
The EEE PC has a 7″ screen and a lilliputian hard drive, neither of which would be near large enough for me. However, for someone who really just needs email and really basic capabilities, the EEE PC is a much better value.
See? The EEE PC doesn’t meet MY needs, but that doesn’t mean it sucks. It’s a much better choice for a different set of needs.
I travel with reasonable frequency, and I’ve never needed an optical drive. I occasionally use my ethernet port, but that’s becoming rarer. If I were going to get a MBA, I would probably shell out an extra $15 and get a USB-Ethernet adapter. That’s really the ONLY thing it doesn’t have that I might need when I travel.
January 25th, 2008 at 1:39 pm -
Jivix said:
The fact is, a products’ price should be proportional to what it provides. So why did Apple decide to charge so much money for something everyone agrees is less capable? Well, look at the iPhone. That thing sold for the singular reason which was that it looked cool and had “face value”. The Macbook Air is selling on that same principle: make it look cool and uniform, people will think it is a well designed product. That Apple hopes to continue selling things with this in mind will eventually be their downfall as more people catch on. Apple will be forced to become equal to Pc’s or greater, which is a daunting task. We can obviously tell that Microsoft and Apple are trying to become more and more separate entities, however they are going to inexorably be drawn together in the end.
A laptop with theoretically the same hardware as the MBA would sell for much less, as quoted earlier probably a fifth of the cost. This is understandable, because the cheaper laptop won’t have the face value to rely on while they jack the prices up. The result is that the company has to make the technology better because that’s their only method of making profits.
Personally, I always use a jump drive and I keep many of my programs on it. Now, if I had an MBA, I would have to put all of the programs on the HD. But wait, my hard drive is where I keep all my media, because that obviously won’t fit on a 4 gb drive. In fact, all the music (Oh wait it’s mono it won’t sound right anyways) and video are taking up that space.What I’m trying to say here is that the people supporting the MBA are supporting it because they trust the company and it is an icon for them. The others have realized that they can get something far better for the same price. The reasons everyone is trying to convince everyone else that we can do better than the MBA is as follows:
1. The laptop industry should strive for the greatest advancements in technology.
Laptops have come far in the seemingly few years they’ve been around, and in no way should we halt that expectation. Everyone has always had this urge to push the limits of computing so we can do more with it. Why settle for a 1.6ghz dual-core when you could invest in something much better and the money will go into something much more meaningful than advertisements! Which brings me to my next point:2. Laptop (and computers in general) companies shouldn’t become stagnant and full of themselves.
If they did, and they’re trying to, happen to become arrogant, we would have a huge issue on our hands. We can’t let a company spend too much money on advertising. Yes, it does work, but more people are coming to hate the brainwashing effect that stays for years. It gives people false information and encourages people to make the “right” (and I mean often wrong) decision. How could anyone want to support such a hierarchy? Let’s keep the companies in check, after all this is a democracy. Let’s make the companies give us what we want, rather than let us halt the progresses in science and sit around staring at old things in new, smaller packages.
Seriously, consider it.
January 26th, 2008 at 10:23 am -
stark said:
Perhaps this should be re-phrased
“Why ultra-portable laptops suck”
The MacBook Air is a GREAT ultra-portable. If you don’t understand the market for ultra-portables, that’s not Apple’s failure, that’s your own.
I have a Mac Pro (the giant tower, not the laptop) : I would love to have something like a MacBook Air for a laptop (if work hadn’t supplied me with a laptop already.) It’s the portable part of it that’s important, after all: it’s not SUPPOSED to be a desktop replacement.
And the SSD is expensive, yes, we know, get over it you silly git. The SSD is aimed at a target market which is, clearly, “NOT YOU” : once again, not Apple’s failure, but your own.
How about legitimate complaints about Apple? There are dozens, after all: it’s FAR from the perfect company. How about complaints about the stupid price for .Mac? How about complaints about the extra cost of a yearly OS release? How about the stupid cost of RAM upgrades when purchased direct from Apple?
The only halfway legitimate complaint you have here is the battery, which gizmodo has already shown can be easily user replaced, though it still sucks ass because you can’t bring a second battery with you for extra-long flights.
January 26th, 2008 at 6:13 pm -
Matt` said:
Only Apple could sell less stuff for more money and still have people think it’s a good deal.
All it has going for it is that it’s really thin and light and looks nice. To the rest of us, who want to y’know.. use a computer for more than the bare minimum, it’s a terrible idea.
There are people suggesting that it’s ok that it has 0 horsepower, because you can just use a desktop for anything more than using the internet or writing pretentious fiction in a coffee shop (stereotype Mac user much?).
The other option is to buy a *good* laptop and use that in both cases - you don’t need to sacrifice power for portability these days, so why do so purely because it’s shiny and has an Apple logo on it?
January 28th, 2008 at 12:08 am -
Welp... said:
Its all coming down to portability– bare bones, but useful. The bare minimum of something should not cost so much, and thats the point. Less is more, but with a computer it shouldn’t cost more than something that has a fuck-ton more features.
Thats the absurdity of it. You’re getting a whole lot less, and paying a ton more, for a sleek design, and that just doesn’t make sense to me. And thats the core of these arguments that say it sucks.
It doesn’t suck for someone who likes that streamlined look, and what for them lacks bulky unnecessary add-ons, but why pay the price for that?
February 1st, 2008 at 8:43 am -
David said:
The next laptop I buy will for sure be from http://www.system76.com. Their very best laptop with every top of the line option comes in just a little over the Air’s starting price.
February 2nd, 2008 at 8:49 pm -
The Dill Pickle said:
I LOVE THE MACBOOK AIR, IT HAS ALL THE NEAT SHIZ THAT YOU NEED IN YOUR WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE AND IF YOU DONT HAVE A MACBOOK AIR YOU SHOULDNT EVEN BE COMPLAINING ABOUT IT.
February 6th, 2008 at 5:18 am -
DW said:
This is marketed to the traveling businessman, so i USB is fine. What kind of guy is carrying around that many peripherals to need more than one. The Air is innovation at its finest.
February 6th, 2008 at 5:35 am -
Josh said:
I really don’t like to say this, however a SSD (Solid State Disk) is flash memory, and therefore does not have platters. The argument about it only being 4,200 RPM is moot.
It’s still a piece of junk though.
As for Leo, how will you plug you network in if your HDD is already using the USB port? (A hub is the wrong answer as there goes ultra-portability, since that makes your current inventory: 1 HDD, 1 Laptop, 1 HUB and 1 Ethernet adaptor)Also note, that these extra devices draw extra power and are an extra cost.
I was looking at laptops just recently, and the HP pavillions are so much superior, cos serously, for far less, I can a laptop that I just need to pick up, and i can go [1 CD in the drive, 160GB HDD, built in wireless, stereo speakers, and more => for less]. Sure it aint as thin, but i can live with that.
Excuse any spelling/grammar mistakes, I’m in a rush, now….
February 6th, 2008 at 12:21 pm -
Josh said:
And Nathan, I kinda agree. Lets rephrase the article. “MBA Sucks [Except for the ultra small niche of people who could actually use it, after coping out about the lack of features]”
Hell, that niche would fit into a 5X5m room, and most of the room would be…..
…well, air….
February 6th, 2008 at 12:32 pm -
Seth said:
it sucks big f time!
February 7th, 2008 at 5:37 pm -
Adam said:
Hey guys, I’m a PC/Mac User,
Well i love PC for its flexibility, I love Mac for its sexiness thats why its in my bedroom, however the Macbook air is just a waste of money, Macbooks are still much better and more flexible, if you have 2000 and you want an attractive laptop go for it, but it should be used as a backup laptop only. and thats whats it’s intended for.
February 9th, 2008 at 5:49 am -
sticks hockey drury said:
sticks hockey measure hockey sticks to
February 9th, 2008 at 1:22 pm -
Steve K said:
Sucks. Why?
1. Anti-ergonomic keyboard. Pounding away on an undersized, perfectly flat keyboard with zero key travel is a short, straight path to tendonitis. If you are stubborn enough to keep going, carpal tunnel is also a possibility.
2. Useless. This is a machine that places numerous barriers - some impossible to climb over - in front of the user who wants to do exotic things like install software, plug in peripherals, read disks, back up data…
3. Expensive. Face it, this gadget is a disposable item. It is sold as a fashion accessory only, and once the gee-whiz factor wears off, it will gather dust until thrown away.
4. Dork factor: Showing one of these off is a simple way to announce “I spend a large amount of money on stylish but worthless crap in an effort to Be Somebody.”
February 9th, 2008 at 6:36 pm -
Aatch said:
Its funny the people sitting here, saying that the macbook air is good for a certain type of person. for the extortionate price, you can get a laptop 100’s of times better. Everybody needs high-end /something/ be it storage space, functionality, or processor. This covers nothing.
There are /still/ some people that realise the importance of wired connections. Security, stability, reliability.
I can’t, under any circumstances, see the market for this laptop. Weight is barely an issue, unless you are some mega-weak nerd that can barely get out of bed.
People saying that they don’t need this that and the other, should be shot. “Wow, I’m going to pay an extra $500 for 0.3 inches less machine, 1.5GHz less processing power and a complete lack of anything upgradable”
Mac Fans…
February 9th, 2008 at 11:11 pm -
Wow said:
Jeez… so much arguing over so small and insignificant a thing. People that don’t like it: Don’t buy it. You don’t like it? Wonderful keep you opinions to yourself no one else cares. People that want to get one: Go get one. You like it? Wonderful. Shut up now and go play on your new laptop. Why is anyone bothering to argue about dumb shit like this? Honestly? We all know that something new will come out soon enough anyways, and the air with its wonderful envelope fitting capabilities will be obsolete like countless other computers through the ages.
There now that I’ve said my bit, a question. Has anyone ever actually felt an incredible need to put their laptop into a manila envelope and carry it around like that?
February 10th, 2008 at 7:30 am -
Ben said:
Well, it does have a lot of negatives, and as with anything Apple churn out, you’ll always get people exaggerating its greatness and people doing just the opposite.
Surely this is just a start point for Apple, when they come up with a better, faster, more portable version; you won’t be complaining, just have a little patience!
February 10th, 2008 at 2:44 pm -
JimM said:
It’s funny listening to all these Mac users defend Apples name/brand, and they have never used the MBA. It’s like a bad review on one of Apples products is a sin against Apples ten commandments.
In almost every post I hear “Deal with it!” No.
I should go buy some apple stock, because apparently they’re uncapable of producing a BAD product. Hmm….
February 11th, 2008 at 4:19 pm -
Joe said:
You need to realize taht the Macbook Air is an engineering feat, its like a doorway into a complete new innovation. Think of it, if it wasn’t for the 1st gen iPod, remember that clunky piece of crap!? look how far that has gone. And if you really dont like the Mac Air, then get a Macbook pro, or just a Macbook instead of ripping on something that isn’t for you, they design different computer for different users.
February 12th, 2008 at 10:48 pm -
T said:
It benefits me or us. By releasing the macbook air, apple pressures the competitor to release better technologies. The hype iPhone created pushed other companies to release better phones into the US market(not good enough).
Side note
Example: Something just came across my head which makes me dislike Dell even more. MB and MBP built-in iSight web Cam? Dell snatched that idea in a heartbeat by making it an option on their laptops. Of course its not a patented idea, but at least don’t make it so obvious. Similar to how I dislike Microsoft released Windows after MacOS with many obvious similarities.February 12th, 2008 at 10:53 pm -
Matt Ellsworth said:
wow I didn’t know any of those awful things about it. My friend just suggested buying 5 normal laptops before gettting one of those. But heck with all this - i’ll never get one.
February 13th, 2008 at 12:34 am
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