Macworld puts the MacBook Air through the paces

"What is different about Apple's laptop line-up from Dell or Sony is that MacBook and MacBook Pros are already very lightweight and yet powerful computers with great industrial design. You can't say that about most Dells or Sonys."

Have you ever seen the Sony VAIO range? From your comments I guess you haven't. Take a look at the Type G or latest edition of the type C ( http://tinyurl.com/2geuyk )

I didn't order mine because of its speed. I ordered because of its weight and how small it felt when I picked one up at Macworld.

While I realize that Apple is marketing this as the thinnest and the lightest, I still fail to see its value compared to either MacBook or Macbook Pro.

What is different about Apple's laptop line-up from Dell or Sony is that MacBook and MacBook Pros are already very lightweight and yet powerful computers with great industrial design. You can't say that about most Dells or Sonys. For anyone willing to spend $1800, a Mac Book Pro is a much better value than the Air that lacks an optical drive. The number of people willing to splurge $1800 for a second laptop is going to be small. I think Apple missed out an opportunity to make the Macbook Air truly unique with software as well as hardware. The gesture interface on the keypad is cool but very limited. If this computer was running a different version of OS X with unique capabilities, then it would have been a much more appealing proposition for many buyers. Usually, when Apple releases something, I am tempted to upgrade immediately because the new product has so much value packed in it, not in this case.

Its one of the most expensive "ultraportables" I've seen... Dell makes a machine that's thin and weighs .97 lbs more and I can spec one with dedicated graphics, optical drive and faster processor for less than $1500... Its light enough for me to tout around although it does not run the beloved OS unless you are naughty enough to have a "jail-broken" version on there but again if you want to do everyday tasks you can with one of those...

It goes faster that an powerbook? That's good enough for me... For anyone who wants the lightest/most portable supported mac os x for general needs (email, web browsing, typical office apps) this is great stuff. A G4 Powerbook is good enough for all that too, really.

I'm in total agreement that this computer will not handle being a primary machine. If/when I get one, I'll certainly be considering how to best manage the data on it in such a way that it integrates with my primary machine in some kind of syncing/portable home directory/etc type way though...

I agree that this year's big announcement (the MB Air) was a real dissapointment. The pricepoint is ridiculous for the specs on this machine. I certainly see this going the way of the Cube unless there is a VERY quick price cut. For the specs, this machine should be priced about the same as the MacBook ($1000 to $1200 or so). But asking the buyer to pay $800 extra for a 1/4 inch less thickness and a pound or so of weight (combined with a slower processor, slower harddrive, no optical drive, no firewire, only one USB, etc.) is just nuts.
If they wanted to do a subcompact than they should have come out with something like the old 12" PowerBooks. They should have included all of the expected features and the latest processor and simply made the size and screen smaller. (I'd prefer the actual "compactness" in size over Apple's stupid "thinness" obsession.) Or even the long rumoured tablet would have been much more welcomed. (Also, why no touchscreen? Geez, they come up with this mindblowing innovation last year that everyone expected them to use in new products and instead they give us a goofy expanded trackpad. Someone else is going to pick up the ball and steal this away if Apple doesn't put it to use).
Anyway, I think this year's MacWorld was a let down compared to last years. And the MB Air is "neat" looking, and I guess I would play with it if given one, but there is no way on earth I would spend my own money on one. (Heck, you can get a refurb MB Pro for that price.... and it would blow this thing out of the water spec-wise.)

Why don't they test the 1.8 ghz with the ssd?

the Air is highly disappointing. period.

While I haven't seen the MacBook Air in person, I've seen reviews and seen plenty of photos. The MacBook Air is undoubtedly thinner and lighter than the standard MacBook, however dimension-wise, that's all it has over the MacBook so really can you say "If you're interested in a MacBook Air you aren't buying it for performance, but rather for its compact size."?

Is it really that more compact than the MacBook? I can't help thinking this is a LOT of money for not a lot of machine. I'd rather have the extra 600 or so dollars in my pocket and deal with an extra inch of thickness.

Heck, if you added a SSD you end up paying almost 3K for a machine that might match the speed of the Mini at best. I think the Air is a neat machine but it just cost way too much for what you are getting. Nice idea but Apple missed he pricing structure on this one.