As readers of TUAW are, of course, fully aware Apple announced several great new products at Macworld this year. One of those products -- a particular item I was vocally very eager to see come out -- was the MacBook Air. And, putting my money where my mouth is, I ordered one as soon as I could -- sans solid state drive. I am now awaiting delivery of my sleek new Mac in "two to three weeks" from Apple.Sure, some people may question the machine, my decision or rush to point out the MacBook Air's flaws (TUAW's own Mat Lu chimes in with his thoughts on the MBA's strengths and weaknesses right here), but for me the MacBook Air represents a leap forward in the evolution of the notebook and will be the perfect tool for getting my work done. While it may not be for everyone, to me its positives far outweigh its negatives and upon arrival it will take its rightful place as my Apple notebook of choice.
First and foremost (and none would dispute) the MacBook Air is really thin and incredibly light. Most of you probably haven't picked one up but I can tell you from my personal fondlings it is even thinner and lighter than it looks. As a person who normally totes around a 15" MacBook Pro (plus more) I can tell you how much of a positive effect the loss of 2.4 pounds is going to have on my shoulders and back. But not only is the MacBook Air thinner and lighter, it also comes with a smaller and lighter power brick as well -- another welcome replacement for the rather large one I currently have in use.
Also, my work these days is primarily writing, working with photos and activities of that nature, so this notebook will be perfect for those types of uses. Although I will admit I was skeptical when I first saw the keyboard (I'm not a fan of the MacBook's and on first glance they looked similar) but once I had a chance to pound on the Air's keys a bit I realized that the keyboard is a vast improvement over the one featured on the MacBook and will work just fine for me.
The computer will also work well when dealing with photos -- especially if I continue to primarily use iPhoto as I have been lately. However, I'm sure the MacBook Air will also run Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, CS3 and even Aperture should I choose to use them. After all, my "ancient" 12" Powerbook G4 runs Lightroom and even CS3 pretty well considering its 1.5 Ghz G4 processor and 1.25 GB of RAM so I think the MacBook Air will be just fine.
In addition, the MacBook Air, although it's a fantastic machine and will be my notebook of choice, is not now nor will it ever be my only Mac. For the real heavy lifting that requires much more horsepower I will turn to my desktop Mac -- the 24" iMac. Keeping the two machines in sync won't be a problem either as I will be using .Mac to keep Address Book and iCal current as well as Mail (where all my email accounts are IMAP and will be the same on both machines). So, this scenario will, I feel, address and overcome many of the concerns expressed about the MacBook Air's design and use.
Finally, did I mention how thin and light the MacBook Air is? Sure, I might occasionally miss having an Ethernet port (although I got the dongle) or need an optical drive (got the external one of those too) but for the most part I think I will be okay without those things. I also have 802.11n wireless at home and usually can find wireless access in most places while on the road, so the lack of an Ethernet port won't have that much of an impact on me. But if I need it, I'll have it by using the dongle.
Radical change sometimes requires an adjustment in thinking and the new MacBook Air is pretty radical. I, for one, tend to fully embrace the new and look forward to putting the Air through its paces when it arrives -- providing a full report to the TUAW readership in the process as well. Until then, if you have any questions or just want to tell me what a huge mistake I've made, feel free to hit the comments.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 8)
1-19-2008 @ 9:20PM
Chris said...
Trying to justify your purchase, huh? The only thing the Air has going for it is how thin it is. Other than that it's a underpowered, feature lacking machine that's overpriced for what it has. I mean come on, no disk drive? Oh, there is, but it's a $100 external addon. There's no ethernet port? Oh, there is, but it's another addon that you have to buy. And the fact that it only has one USB port is a joke.
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1-19-2008 @ 9:24PM
Bender Bending Rodriguez said...
All light weight portables are "underpowered" compared to larger notebooks just as all notebooks are "underpowered" compared to desktops. That is the nature of going small.
I am a frequent flyer and this is absolutely ideal for me. Everything they removed I either seldom used or never used on my MacBook.
Obviously it's not a good fit for you, but for me and others it's an ideal supplemental machine.
1-19-2008 @ 10:36PM
MacBook Air said...
Shut up. The Macbook Air is fantastic. I really hate people like you who can't understand the revolutionary aspects of its design. Sure, there may be some missing specs now, but everything will get smaller and smaller until it's all included. You will be ashamed one day when you see every notebook looking just like this. Oh, and please, it is perfectly usable for a blogger and the majority of non pro-level consumers.
1-19-2008 @ 10:53PM
mentalsticks said...
The purchase of a MacBook Air doesn't need any justification. Most people who clamor for more processor speed never use it. The one USB port should be fine on the road, and at home you can use a hub. So what's the problem?
Chris, enjoy your purchase. I envy you.
1-20-2008 @ 11:54AM
Maxintech said...
I agree with "Bender Bending Rodriguez", all lightweight portables (sub- notebooks) are "underpowered" compared to larger notebooks and pricey. If you need them and can pay for them, just buy one!
1-20-2008 @ 1:10PM
starkruzr said...
The only reason it's so overpriced is because Apple mystifyingly chose "thin" over "small." Had they created a 12" machine or even a 10" machine with the same (or less!) volume, it probably would have been a few hundred dollars cheaper (starting with the hard drive).
1-22-2008 @ 3:33AM
Sharingmatters.com said...
Any what do you need this power for, son? It is more important what you do on the laptop, than how your friends can be jealous about its power! I am wondering how much money we pay for the power we don't use and don't need. MacBook Air is a milestone in computer engineering and Apple made it again. The last revolution like that was with the first iMac. No floppy and USB on board.
1-19-2008 @ 9:21PM
Bender Bending Rodriguez said...
Waiting until I see some speed and battery usage comparisons between the HHD and SSD versions at 1.8GHz before making my final decision. But I am selling my MacBook and getting one fo' sho'.
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1-19-2008 @ 11:25PM
Big John said...
http://www.gottabemobile.com/GBMInkShowOQOModel02TabletPCSSDVsHDD.aspx
Comparison of the OQO 02 SSD and HDD models. I know there is a 100 MHz difference in the processor but this might help guide your decision.
I already bought one and it's nice to see posts like Mat and Chris' defending the MBA when just about all of the blog press has been negative.
1-19-2008 @ 9:26PM
Jugger Grimrodd said...
Good luck on your journey of discovery. I hope you bring us good news so that I can go out and buy one!
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1-19-2008 @ 9:28PM
Justin Blanton said...
I'm right there with you Chris.
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1-19-2008 @ 9:30PM
Justin Blanton said...
Of course the link didn't work...
http://justinblanton.com/2008/01/more-thoughts-macbook-air
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1-19-2008 @ 9:59PM
Jon Wise said...
So Justin, you're buying an $1800 laptop to write emails and blog posts? Are you aware that you can do that with a $300 laptop?
Wish I had your money... or is that on credit?
1-20-2008 @ 3:50AM
ill trooper said...
Funny how you read the part about what he's going to use it for, but skipped over the part about how it's lighter and thinner, something he wanted. Go buy some Skechers. Those are cheaper too.
Go be sensible somewhere else - this is a specialty product and if it's not for you, it will appear to be crippled and expensive. But if you want lightweight power (since when did the blogosphere decide that a dual-core 1.8 wasn't enough to do portable lightweight computing on?) this is a cool machine - that also runs OS X, by the way, something that $300 laptop you mentioned won't...Or did you forget that this was a site dealing with Apple products?
1-19-2008 @ 9:30PM
macmini said...
I'll be very curious to see how well it handles Photoshop CS3. If it does that as well as my early 2007 MacBook does, I'll get one for sure!
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1-19-2008 @ 9:30PM
Brian B said...
Finally, someone who gets it.
I am sitting here on my MBP, thinking of the last time I used more than one USB port.
Can't think of a time for that. Bluetooth phone, keyboard, and mouse take care of that.
No ethernet? Last time I used that was a few months ago. I would get the adapter - it will sit 99% unused as my USB modem (remember the horrors when the MBP did not have a modem !?) for those rare times I amy need it.
No optical drive? If the over-the-air disk works 1/2 as well as advertised, the three times I will need an optical disk will be taken care of.
And you know what, it will likely become my defacto primary machine.
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1-19-2008 @ 9:48PM
Otsego_Undead said...
I agree. I havent used my Ethernet port EVER on my MB. I've only used the disc drive to install some stuff, or watch a movie on a plane.
The fact is that the MBA is as has been stated, very forward thinking. Bluetooth and Wifi-N will easily take care of most data transmission. Want to watch a movie on the plane? Rent one from iTunes. As we see more dvds and BDs come out with an easily transferable version for programs like iTunes, it will make it easier. The MBA is all about portability. Im sure, like Chris, this wont be the primary machine for anyone.. unless of course their primary machine is for word processing, email, web and entertainment.
1-20-2008 @ 3:02AM
MetPhotoDotNet said...
I totally agree. I also have a 15" MacBook Pro. Guess what; if I take away the features I hardly ever use (that includes the DVD drive) I end up the spec of a MacBook Air! For many people the Air fits their needs perfectly.
I also would like one for travelling. I do however worry a bit about how robust it will be over time.
Mark
1-20-2008 @ 9:53AM
Nuno said...
I have a MB, black, 2.0.
I was waiting for Steve to come up with a new 15" MBP so that I would update.
Any guesses on when that will be?
If Apple had a Black MBP I would be 1st in line!
1-20-2008 @ 9:27AM
DagMX said...
The funny thing when I read your post was that I realised I'm using 8 of my 10 USB ports on my PC.
Nothing really to do with any limitations. Just like leaving everythign plugged in out of lazyness