Filed under: Macworld, Analysis / Opinion, MacBook Air
The highlight of MWSF '08 keynote
OK, the keynote is over. We're all aflutter over the new products and software (in fact, my iPhone is wiggling with delight). We can't wait to get our hands on a MacBook Air. How about you? What was your personal highlight from Steve's keynote? The MB Air? The Apple TV 2? Yet another chance to support the US economy while increasing your personal debt?Vote in our unscientific poll and check back tomorrow for the results. In a few weeks we'll be able to judge how it compares to keynotes past, but today we think it was pretty darn great.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
creanium said 4:42PM on 1-15-2008
Where's the option for "yawn" or "sorely disappointed"?
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Urkel said 8:39PM on 1-15-2008
I have to agree with that this was very yawnworthy. Everything they talked (including the 8core) about was clearly directed at the niche-market. Subnotebook, phone, appletv, movie rentals?
Wheres the consumer products? Macbook, Mac Mini and Macbook Pro all are due for an update and pricecut but they got nothing.
iPlod said 7:35PM on 1-15-2008
Pretty unexciting stuff. The 20 buck grab for basic iPod Touch apps was a appalling, though.
Christine said 4:43PM on 1-15-2008
I didnt have a favorite part because I was waiting for something to change with the MBP's now i just dont know when to buy one...VERY SOON..or wait..sigh
i guess the...uh...maybe the time capsule is cool ..if i will get a MBP..and my parents are thinking of getting an iMac..we are converting as a family
=D
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LightMan said 4:44PM on 1-15-2008
I'd have to say lack of an announcement of a 3G iPhone
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dan said 4:48PM on 1-15-2008
It's the movie rentals which will change everyone's lives...
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required said 4:48PM on 1-15-2008
I'm looking forward to movie rentals. I hope they work out well.
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Luke said 4:53PM on 1-15-2008
Will somebody please tell me why you can get a macbook air in the US for $1799, but in Australia, you're looking at $2499.
If I were to buy the Macbook Air in the US, and then take it with me back to Australia, I only spend $2040 (88c exchange rate). That's a saving of $460, which I would consider to be quite significant!
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daniel said 5:36PM on 1-15-2008
That's what I was thinking. But it would travel to the US just to buy a MBA since you have to add in factors like aeroplane fees, etc. It would be better if someone from the US (like a family member) buys it there and ships it to Australia. Although the shipping fees will cost around $50~$100, it's still way better than paying $2499... Still doesn't answer the question as to why we pay such a huge amount when the AUD is at record highs against the greenback.
daniel said 5:37PM on 1-15-2008
sorry.
"But it would cost more to travel to the US just to buy a MBA..."
I'm having a bad day today.
Brendon Carr said 1:29AM on 1-16-2008
Why does a MacBook Air cost A$2499 while it's US$1799 in California?
Three factors go into the price difference. Apple controls only one of them. The three factors are: (i) the currency exchange rate selected by Apple to apply for the entire accounting year; (ii) the import duty charged by the Australian government on imported computers; and (iii) GST (sales tax), which is included in the A$2499 list price but is excluded from the US$1799 American price because each US state (county, really) has different sales tax rates.
Australian GST is 10%. If the customs duty is 8% or more that would explain all the price difference.
mvan said 4:59PM on 1-15-2008
Highlight - Getting the ipod touch updates
Lowlight - being charged for the update, same hardware yesterday pay for upgrade, today free! go figure.....no new development or anything, want the upgrade but feel its a cheap shot to early users of the touch. Maybe this is the start of "drm" sw upgrades......Maybe somebody can explain the reasons behind this?
Oh, might see Movie Rentals in Europe in 2-3 years time based on TV example, still makes the Apple TV a dead duck outside the US...
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brian said 5:39PM on 1-15-2008
Easy. For various crazy accounting/legal reasons, Apple can't give away some software. It's free for the iPhone because Apple spreads the money across the 24-month period of your contract--since you're still paying for it, they can give out new software to iPhone owners for free. Not so for iPod touch owners.
http://daringfireball.net/linked/2007/april#wed-25-macalope_call
http://www.news.com/Apples-802.11n-accounting-conundrum/2100-1044_3-6151790.html
quandmeme said 5:05PM on 1-15-2008
Highlight was to see the humility of acknowledging missteps--or misjudgment of the markets. Course after all the hype nothing could have been cool enough. iPhone was too little. But gotta respect him for saying: "we were wrong on this . . ."
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Jeremy said 5:05PM on 1-15-2008
Well, my highlight WAS the iTunes movie rentals being in HD...
...until I found out that it's ONLY on the AppleTV. That just sucks so incredibly much that I can't even believe it. I'm very, very annoyed. My computer plays back HD video just fine, and I don't have an HDTV set and have no intention of buying one anytime soon, because my computer does it just fine.
But now Apple has completely ruined their big announcement with the single worst, stupidest limitation they have ever imposed on anything, ever.
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mentalsticks said 5:15PM on 1-15-2008
nonsense, they just want you to buy an appletv. They've lowered the price, upgraded the software, all you have to do is run to the nearest apple dealer and buy one.
same goes for that ridiculously expensive time capsule. $500 for a harddisk? kiss my chuddies. Now we know why at the last moment wireless TimeMachining wasn't supported in leopard: they found a way to make money with it.
To me, appleTVs upgrade was the high point, because I already have one and I was expecting a totally new device which would render mine useless. So I'm happy.
WatchTheVideo said 6:02PM on 1-15-2008
"$500 for a harddisk?"
Did you even fucking pay attention? Its not just a "harddisk".
bg said 5:34PM on 1-15-2008
so apple releases its first truly new laptop in like a decade and all the "mac fans" are like "yawn". Im sorry but the computer is cool as hell, just because your poor doesn't change that fact.
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creanium said 8:16PM on 1-15-2008
Oh how cute, discounting anyone who doesn't fawn over the MacBook Air by claiming they don't like it because they're poor. The RDF has really got you good ...
I have no interest or need for the MBA, it has nothing to do with how much money I, or my employer, (don't) have.
I personally have no interest either in paying a $700 premium for a computer that is a giant step backwards.
How did development on the MBA go? ... Let's start by making it run slower than any Apple laptop available now. Then let's throw in a slower spinning Parallel-ATA hard drive. Now let's take out the optical drive so that makes installing programs and watching DVDs impossible without a $99 attachment. Great, now let's also take out most the ports. Perfect, now that it's all stripped down, we can make it thinner!
All for what? 2 pounds? Has anyone really been complaining that the MacBook is too heavy and bulky?
Rod said 8:45PM on 1-15-2008
Uh, most "mac fans" aren't "poor", or they couldn't afford to be "mac fans".
Maybe they're all "yawn" because it's not "truly new"?
It's truly small. Yes, we get it. But they took out more than they put in, and charge a (very significant) premium for it.
I'd have been deliriously happy to have a backlit aluminum MacBook. No size or other feature changes required.
But I do actually use my wired networking port, my firewire port, both of my USB (I wish I had 3), and my cd drive.
Pass.
Oh, and I'm not "poor" by any stretch of the imagination. It's the (lack of) features that make me disinterested.