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Don't throw the MacBook Air out with the paper



Apple doesn't just loan review units to anyone who asks. No, you have to be pretty high up on the tech journalism foodchain in order to be entrusted with review gear from Apple (you will note that TUAW does not receive any review units from our favorite fruit company). Steven Levy is decidedly amongst those who have no problems getting their hands on Apple's latest, with lots of help from the company itself (he was one of the 4 journalists who got an iPhone ahead of everyone else). Therefore, it is not surprising that Levy would have a MacBook Air on loan from Apple, but it is surprising what happened to said loaner MacBook Air.

All was well with the MacBook Air, until Levy experienced a panic that anyone borrowing something from a huge multinational corporation never wants to feel: he couldn't find the darned thing. He feverishly traced his whereabouts and quickly ruled out thievery (he still had the powercord, so that didn't seem likely). Finally, he hit upon a theory: the MacBook Air was accidentally tossed out with the Sunday paper (if you read the Sunday New York Times you know that it often weighs in at much more than the MacBook Air's 3 pounds). One wonders if he was using one of the many Manilla envelope cases for his MacBook Air.

Luckily for Steven, Newsweek will be footing the $1800 bill for the MacBook Air, but chances are should the same thing happen to you, you won't be so fortunate. Make sure to keep an eye on that tiny laptop from Apple, there is no telling where it might end up!

Apple doesn't just loan review units to anyone who asks. No, you have to be pretty high up on the tech journalism foodchain in order to be...
 

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artifex

It's an abuse of trust to not be properly cautious with something someone lends to you.

March 11 2008 at 9:53 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Ahmed

Ha I was reading this, I looked up, and saw the Macbook Air commercial on.

March 11 2008 at 9:42 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Catt

Must be nice to have someone pay $1800 for your stupidity.

March 11 2008 at 7:30 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Philip from Australia

A work mate threw out a palm pilot under very similar circumstances (it was tossed with a pile of letters and such from his desk). So I believe it.

On the other hand, do I want a computer that is that easy to loose in a paper pile? The Palm was back in my Newton days. They were bigger and harder to confuse for 'papers'.

:)

Philip from Australia.

March 11 2008 at 6:07 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
badtzmaru

Hmmmm whereabouts does this guy live? I feel like dumpster/recyle bin diving :)

March 11 2008 at 3:32 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Goran

Two words:

Paper Shredder.

March 11 2008 at 2:39 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
jake

Human stupidity at its best; not because he lost the damn thing, but because he felt it's content for an actual article and a great case for the MBA.

Instead of footing the bill, his employer should deduct it from his paycheck.

March 11 2008 at 11:17 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to jake's comment
QuakerProf

Ok... so Apple touts this thing as being oh-so-light and oh-so-unobtrusive, and then a guy with good enough connections to Apple to get a preview iPhone unit "accidentally" throws it out with the newspaper?

This strikes me as a very clever marketing decision by Apple. The humorous nature of the news, the anybody-could-do-it quality of it... that ensures that it will spread by blog and word of mouth. Very nice.

March 11 2008 at 11:43 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
AlphaTeam

That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

March 11 2008 at 11:14 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to AlphaTeam's comment
AlphaTeam

Also if you actually read the sunday Times, it wouldn't be so easy to have a computer in there and not slip out.

And just 'cause you have the power cord does not rule out theft. The cord is $80. The computer is $1800. The SuperDrive is $100. $180 plus a downloaded copy of Leopard means you wipe the drive clean and new computer it is!

March 11 2008 at 11:17 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
K

"(he was one of the 4 journalists who get an iPhone ahead of everyone else)"

Past tense does not include "get". No offense, but if you're going to want review units, you need to pick up your game ;)

March 11 2008 at 10:40 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to K's comment
david

from steve levy's article about the air he was given- because he has such impeccable grammar and his game is stepped up to the highest level; "True, Apple's new superslim laptop isn't transparent, and while its dimensions are anorexic (a profile ranging from 0.76 inches to 0.16 inches), we're not really talking about a dust mote here."

dust motes ARE pretty hard to find, i'll tell you that. and i work at a cleaning company! (really, i do) i get all the new mop heads before the public ever gets to see them. i should start a mop blog.

March 12 2008 at 12:28 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Tom Castle

Good to know so many smart readers here have never lost anything.

March 11 2008 at 10:19 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Tom Castle's comment
Peter

Tom - Yeah I've lost things, but never a computer.

March 11 2008 at 10:27 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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