MacBook Air

[Yukikoua]

... Wow.

Anyone know why we're paying more for a Macbook without an optical drive for more than a Macbook that arguably does more?

I don't really particularly care how small it is.

[Knightslugger]

then it's not for you and you're not being an objective reviewer then...

[Axilon]

*cuts tension with a knife.. then stabs it..*
Seriously though, this has a specific consumer in mind.  It'll sell like hot-cakes to the 'in-fad' exec types.

[zizdodrian]

I'd get one.

But I wouldn't make it my primary laptop.

I do miss the firewire, but - this machine isn't designed for ultimate expandability and upgradeability. What is it with people always griping about integrated graphics - especially when current integrated chips are getting closer and closer to the power of standard GPUs, and do the job they were designed to do perfectly well? Seriously people, if you could fit a dedicated GPU in that case, then maybe you need to be applying for a job at ATI/NVIDIA/Apple. I'm sure they thought of that, and I'm sure they tried.

As for RAM expandability, heat dissipation is an issue - and the more memory logic gates you cram into a single chip, the hotter it gets. I know from experience that in almost every laptop I've ever owned, the RAM is the bit that burns my lap.

And you're really going to do something on that little machine which requires more then 2GB RAM?

[starkruzr]

I'd get one.

But I wouldn't make it my primary laptop.

I do miss the firewire, but - this machine isn't designed for ultimate expandability and upgradeability. What is it with people always griping about integrated graphics - especially when current integrated chips are getting closer and closer to the power of standard GPUs, and do the job they were designed to do perfectly well? Seriously people, if you could fit a dedicated GPU in that case, then maybe you need to be applying for a job at ATI/NVIDIA/Apple. I'm sure they thought of that, and I'm sure they tried.

I'm sure they didn't try at all for exactly the reasons you cite.  There are only two and a half reasons to have a discrete GPU: rendering, gaming and (sort of) UI acceleration.  The last is taken care of by the crappy integrated graphics (and no, they aren't getting "closer and closer" to the power of a real GPU, rather GPU technology is pulling away from them incredibly quickly).  Apple thinks gaming isn't important, and rendering isn't going to happen on a machine that makes this many sacrifices for portability.

As for RAM expandability, heat dissipation is an issue - and the more memory logic gates you cram into a single chip, the hotter it gets. I know from experience that in almost every laptop I've ever owned, the RAM is the bit that burns my lap.

But how does this have anything to do with whether the chips are on SODIMMS or soldered to the mainboard?

And you're really going to do something on that little machine which requires more then 2GB RAM?

zizdodrian, meet rich content on the internet and increasing bloat in operating systems and applications.  internet, OS and apps, zizdodrian.

[joshuapohl]

I have 1.5 Gigabytes of RAM in my iBook G4 and Leopard runs fine. I don't think this new laptop will really have a problem with browsing the internet or anything built into Mac OS X...

This is for a very specific market and not for those that are looking for a portable desktop in a nut shell. That's why Apple offers the MB and the MBP so you get to choose what suites you best.

[Shmi]

zizdodrian, meet rich content on the internet and increasing bloat in operating systems and applications.  internet, OS and apps, zizdodrian.

2GB is more than enough to handle all of that, honestly. And it's not like it's going to stay stuck at 2GB indefinitely. Apple always eventually upgrades their product line, and 2GB isn't a weak starting point. Way more than enough to suit the target demographic of this laptop, which aren't power users who will be doing any serious 3D rendering or gaming. It's just not aimed at them, which is why the MBP exists. Although, I do admit it would be nice to have the option of ordering a coupe more gigabytes when you configure it online or pick it up in-store.

Anyone know why we're paying more for a Macbook without an optical drive for more than a Macbook that arguably does more?

I don't really particularly care how small it is.

You're paying for the size and portability, not power. Or, rather, not paying, as it were. That thin design understandably comes at a cost of some function. You may not care how small it is, but then, it's not marketed at you. There is already something to fulfill your needs. A MacBook and a MacBook Pro. They're just filling in a gap that seems to need filling, considering increasing demand for ultra-portables. Believe me, there are plenty of people out there this will appeal to.

[zizdodrian]

I'm not trying to start an argument - because I honestly believe your general ideas are correct, I just don't agree with the points you're using to put them forward.

I'm sure they didn't try at all for exactly the reasons you cite.  There are only two and a half reasons to have a discrete GPU: rendering, gaming and (sort of) UI acceleration.  The last is taken care of by the crappy integrated graphics (and no, they aren't getting "closer and closer" to the power of a real GPU, rather GPU technology is pulling away from them incredibly quickly).  Apple thinks gaming isn't important, and rendering isn't going to happen on a machine that makes this many sacrifices for portability.

I couldn't agree more with your 2.5 points for a discreet GPU - but I honestly don't think discreet GPUs are pulling away from integrated ones - quite the contrary. The word 'integrated' (as you probably well know) refers to the fact that the GPU does not have its own dedicated VRAM, or (sometimes) main processing unit rather then what most people think - which is that the GPU is soldered to the logic/motherboard. Considering this limitation, especially in light of newer Intel GPUs in the pipeline, I think integrated GPU technology is genuinely catching up. Of course you won't get blistering performance from an integrated GPU - they have to cope with using Shared RAM! But the technology is there - especially considering SSE4, which allows fully programmable shaders to be run directly on the CPU, mitigating communication latency.

As far as gaming is concerned - you may be right - gaming has not held much sway over Apple's actions in the past. But this isn't even remotely a gaming laptop - you'd be mad to try and game properly on an ultra-portable, regardless of the manufacturer's interest in gaming.

But how does this have anything to do with whether the chips are on SODIMMS or soldered to the mainboard?

I misinterpreted the original point. I hadn't checked the tech specs properly, and I thought the RAM was upgradeable, but that there was no other option but 2GB. Disregard that one.

zizdodrian, meet rich content on the internet and increasing bloat in operating systems and applications.  internet, OS and apps, zizdodrian.

Are you trying to be patronising? I code rich media content for a living. I know what it means. And frankly, it barely even hits the RAM - if anything, the most taxing aspect is in processing.

Besides, 2GB will deal with anything you throw at it for the next few years.

[Lavi]

It missing a firewire port and not having the external drive come with the actual computer is what irks me.

But even though the MacBook Air is not exactly what I want, I still love those new processors Intel made for them. They're the size of a nickel, and powerful enough to carry the Core 2 Duo name. I wanna see more stuff with those things in them.

[illitrate23]

well i'm ordering one next week
i've been feeling guilty that i'm under utilizing my macbook because i have an imac that i do everything on and a mac mini and apple tv in the lounge that together take care of my music, movie and tv recording needs
but sometimes it's nice to have a laptop with you when you travel, and the MBA is the perfect solution for someone in my posiiton
plus, the screen is a reasonable size so it's still going to be possible to play wow (and hopefully SC2 when it comes out)

i know the machine doesn't suit a lot of people, but y'know, that's why it hasn't replaced the macbook or the macbook pro. if it's too expensive or you desperately need an optical drive and lots of ports because the laptop is your sole computer, then get the macbook - if you need to heavily edit video or gaming, get a mbp.

[starkruzr]

The word 'integrated' (as you probably well know) refers to the fact that the GPU does not have its own dedicated VRAM, or (sometimes) main processing unit rather then what most people think - which is that the GPU is soldered to the logic/motherboard.

No, it's not just the VRAM -- it's that the GPU is integrated with the southbridge.  Consequently, it is always smaller and less powerful than a discrete GPU, because the die for the southbridge can only be so large and dissipate so much heat.

As far as gaming is concerned - you may be right - gaming has not held much sway over Apple's actions in the past. But this isn't even remotely a gaming laptop - you'd be mad to try and game properly on an ultra-portable, regardless of the manufacturer's interest in gaming.

I realize this.  But what I was (subconsciously, I guess) pointing towards was that the MBA is a shadow of the future.  Apple, over the next ten years, is going to try their damnedest to turn computers into disposable toys.  Gone will be the power that enables gaming, advanced applications and content authoring.  Gone will be customization and upgradability.  We are going to see the death of the pro lines of business, and the platform that we Apple Geeks love is going to be turned into a locked box.  This is the direction Apple has been inexorably marching in since Jobs took back over.  He wants the sealed boxes that limit consumer freedom.  Apple is going in the wrong direction for our interests.

Are you trying to be patronising? I code rich media content for a living. I know what it means. And frankly, it barely even hits the RAM - if anything, the most taxing aspect is in processing.

Besides, 2GB will deal with anything you throw at it for the next few years.

No, I really wasn't and I apologize if that's how it sounded.  But we all know how much OS X loves its RAM -- you can get by just fine with Leopard on a G4/800 as long as it has lots of RAM.  With the next release of OS X we're going to be seeing richer and richer media, more and more OS material taking up available memory and in general the demand for memory is only going to increase.

Sure, Leopard is quite comfortable on my 2.16GHz MBP with 2GB of RAM.  But software efficiency seems to be dropping exponentially.  What are we going to see in two years?

[Ciet]

I agree that the price is a bit steep on it, but it's the perfect product for someone who already has a desktop computer that that they do most of their work on but need some sort of laptop for travel or take to the office. The lack of an optical drive isn't really that huge an issue these days since they came out with USB keys that store just as much as a DVD.

If it was around $1,000 I'd think it would be a bit better priced.

[Knightslugger]

i think i use my optical drive once a month... realistically.

[Thunderstruck]

Like Shmi said, the MBA is aimed at a niche market, a very lucrative niche market at that, being business travelers. These people don't need the power of the MBP yet for them the MB is still too heavy. These guys are willing to pay for the lack of weight and size.

The MBA is extremely thin and light enough for them to carry around in their cabin luggage (Important point!!). Frequent flyers wouldn't enjoy carrying anything heavier than 5 pounds. Also they won't have issues with batteries at check in points.

All they need is a notebook that can play back their presentations, show pictures, grab emails, do video conference, and browse the net. They certainly don't need the processing power of an MBP.

This could also work as a secondary machine for someone who has a desktop to do their serious work and just needs something practical to take on flights.

Apparently chicks dig it as well.

[Jinto]

As far as gaming is concerned - you may be right - gaming has not held much sway over Apple's actions in the past. But this isn't even remotely a gaming laptop - you'd be mad to try and game properly on an ultra-portable, regardless of the manufacturer's interest in gaming.

I realize this.  But what I was (subconsciously, I guess) pointing towards was that the MBA is a shadow of the future.  Apple, over the next ten years, is going to try their damnedest to turn computers into disposable toys.  Gone will be the power that enables gaming, advanced applications and content authoring.  Gone will be customization and upgradability.  We are going to see the death of the pro lines of business, and the platform that we Apple Geeks love is going to be turned into a locked box.  This is the direction Apple has been inexorably marching in since Jobs took back over.  He wants the sealed boxes that limit consumer freedom.  Apple is going in the wrong direction for our interests.

Ok, I don't have the time to point out how this statement is wrong, but I know it is.  I'll edit later, now it's back to classes.