Author Topic: Another MacWorld, another disappointment  (Read 3568 times)

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Offline xsphat

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Another MacWorld, another disappointment
« on: Tue, 15 January 2008, 13:35:07 »
So this year we get nothing except overpriced upgrades, movie rentals and an ultra portable that looks an Acer and has the same size screen I'm looking at right now. If it wasn't for OS X, I'd rather buy a Lenovo.

I thought it was a waste of time, what did you guys think?

Offline iMav

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Another MacWorld, another disappointment
« Reply #1 on: Tue, 15 January 2008, 15:17:41 »
I think the "MacBook Air" looks pretty slick.  I very much hate lugging my current 15.4" MBP around.  That ridiculously thin and light laptop would be a joy to cart around.  Had I gone for the 13.3" MacBook instead of this MBP, I might be persuaded to switch.  But the same reasons I have a MBP over a MB will keep me owning this MBP over a MacBook Air.  (GPU and dual-link DVI out)

Offline xsphat

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Another MacWorld, another disappointment
« Reply #2 on: Tue, 15 January 2008, 15:54:33 »
It only has one USB port. The Eee PC has three. This thing could have been designed better, that's all I have to say.

Offline iMav

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Another MacWorld, another disappointment
« Reply #3 on: Tue, 15 January 2008, 16:12:28 »
Quote from: xsphat;2443
It only has one USB port. The Eee PC has three. This thing could have been designed better, that's all I have to say.

I don't fault an ultra-portable for not having the expandability of a "normal" computer (or laptop).  I don't think there is any expectation that this would be somebody's only computer.

I think cramming the MacBook's full keyboard (THE greatest laptop keyboard IMHO) and a 13.3" LED-backlit LCD is pretty impressive.  I thought there'd be better battery life though.

Offline ashort

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Another MacWorld, another disappointment
« Reply #4 on: Tue, 15 January 2008, 21:09:45 »
I do not get the lure of ultra portability.

(Typing on the Apple Extended II, btw)

As a man with arms who lugs an office combined with a workbench every day on my back, the weight of the laptop that is also in my bag is largely irrelevant.
 
The Macbook Air is, to me, a really neat-o toy at best.  One that I will never buy.
Andrew
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Another MacWorld, another disappointment
« Reply #5 on: Wed, 16 January 2008, 00:21:01 »
This thing will sell like hotcakes, but here are my 2 cents anyway.  The black keyboard color is a strange choice.  Huge screen bezel. Thin and light does not mean robust.  They should have just made it an 11" 4:3 aspect with a solid-state drive option only. What's with the USB port?  If an ethernet port ruins the aesthetic, then it should have no ports.  As it is, it's not a true ultra-portable, more like a MacBook Anorexic.

Offline Nonmouse

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Another MacWorld, another disappointment
« Reply #6 on: Thu, 17 January 2008, 10:29:27 »
Quote from: Whiskey in the Jar-o;2456
This thing will sell like hotcakes, but here are my 2 cents anyway.  The black keyboard color is a strange choice.  Huge screen bezel. Thin and light does not mean robust.  They should have just made it an 11" 4:3 aspect with a solid-state drive option only. What's with the USB port?  If an ethernet port ruins the aesthetic, then it should have no ports.  As it is, it's not a true ultra-portable, more like a MacBook Anorexic.


WTF were they thinking, no ethernet port?   Great, you can lug around a USB-ethernet dongle for when you have to plug it into a client's network, but then you've used up your only USB port.  Oh, and an external CD drive, because someone is going to hand you a CD or DVD of data.  So let's plug that right in...  umm... the one USB port's already in  use....  Okay, so you can lug around an external USB hub, too.  So, just to achieve realistic usability, you're hauling around four pieces of hardware, and your weight's probably right up around a regular notebook.  And let's not forget those days when you've got to meet with multiple clients- better remember to toss an extra battery in your bag.  Wait, what's that?  The battery isn't user changeable?  So,if you need to use it for more than five hours (or four, or three after a year or two and the battery's run down) you're TSOL.

Neat toy, wins the weight e-penis comparison, but I can't see any serious notebook user wanting one.

Offline xsphat

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Another MacWorld, another disappointment
« Reply #7 on: Thu, 17 January 2008, 12:38:43 »
:)                             .

Offline iMav

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Another MacWorld, another disappointment
« Reply #8 on: Fri, 18 January 2008, 15:26:08 »
My biggest issue with the MacBook Air is the footprint.  I thought for sure the new MacBook Air would have at least a marginally smaller footprint than the MacBook. Instead, it is BIGGER!! (MacBook: 12.78" x 8.92" - MacBook Air: 12.8" x 8.94")

Sure, it's thinner...but the MBA is going to take up (marginally) MORE space in your briefcase, more space on your airplane tray table, etc. than the more powerful and cheaper MacBook.

I think the MacBook Air looks cool...but a laptop's "thinness" really doesn't have any real-world benefit for me. However, its footprint certainly does.

Offline ashort

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Another MacWorld, another disappointment
« Reply #9 on: Fri, 18 January 2008, 15:46:41 »
I don't know about you all, but i am keeping MINE in a yellow inter-office mail envelope.
Andrew
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Offline iMav

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Another MacWorld, another disappointment
« Reply #10 on: Sat, 19 January 2008, 02:59:52 »
Quote from: iMav;2515
My biggest issue with the MacBook Air is the footprint.  I thought for sure the new MacBook Air would have at least a marginally smaller footprint than the MacBook. Instead, it is BIGGER!! (MacBook: 12.78" x 8.92" - MacBook Air: 12.8" x 8.94")

Sure, it's thinner...but the MBA is going to take up (marginally) MORE space in your briefcase, more space on your airplane tray table, etc. than the more powerful and cheaper MacBook.

I think the MacBook Air looks cool...but a laptop's "thinness" really doesn't have any real-world benefit for me. However, its footprint certainly does.

For portability, the MacBook Air can't hold a candle to my Thinkpad X60s.  10.6" x 8.3" (and only a half pound heavier than the MBA).