Apple Macbook Air = Disappointing

Posted on January 15th, 2008 by Ed Lau in Tech and the Net


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  1. Jon Lee said on January 16th, 2008 at 6:39 am

    Man I’m totally with you, check out this post:
    http://www.mackable.com/blog/top-10-flaws-of-the-macbook-air/

    Reply
  2. Carl said on January 16th, 2008 at 7:53 am

    This thing sure looks cool, but man does it suck as an actual useful laptop.

    One USB port. ONE! Plug in a mouse, and that’s it. Have fun trying to charge/sync your ipod/psp/ds lite/phone on the road over USB.

    NO ethernet ports! So if you’re at a hotel with ethernet internet rather than wireless (about 99% of those I’ve been to in all my travels the past few years) you are screwed. Unless you buy a USB to Ethernet adapter. Then there goes that mouse. And everything else (USB really is useful as a charging port, rather than lugging around a bunch of power cables).

    One speaker, one mouse button, built-in battery… what a load of crap.

    My Fujitsu is not much heavier than this when I take the DVD Rom out, and it has everything I need. And more! I actually bought an optional 2nd battery that you can plug into where the DVD ROM normally goes, and get 6-8 hours of battery life out of it. Proper battery life, not the specs they claim on the site ;)

    Reply
  3. Adim said on January 16th, 2008 at 9:52 am

    I dont know. I see the macbook air as a portable computer as the name implies not a next gen machine. This is supposed to be super portable there are prices you have to pay for that. trusting apple they made compensations for it’s lack. If you want this as a primary machine you are gonna have problems, but if you just want it to go on trips and from class to your dorm room. this is the way to go

    Reply
  4. Ed Lau said on January 16th, 2008 at 3:06 pm

    This is true but there are simply better, cheaper, faster options available. My Sony isn’t much heavier than the Air…a negliable difference in weight and size really…and yet it’s much faster and close to the same price. Sure, the Air isn’t supposed to be fast but when there are competitors that surpass it in price and speed, then it comes up short.

    Reply
  5. krillz said on January 16th, 2008 at 4:02 pm

    “Slow…and uses Intel graphics. My current Sony SZ650 is a 2.2GHz processor with a nVidia 8400 so the Air would be a serious downgrade for me”

    It’s a notebook, not a gaming console :P , most laptops come with a less powerful intel graphics card as they were not itended to handle some renderings that are required for games. For that task I would still go with a stationary computer, remember those new powerful cards are huge! My 8800 GTX alone is probably bigger than the entire laptop itself. Also there would be quite impossible to get it cool enough to even work while gaming.

    Let’s face it it’s just a sized down workstation, to write papers, listen to some music maybe watch a movie or two. Nothing more.

    Reply
  6. Carl said on January 16th, 2008 at 8:36 pm

    Yeah complaining about the graphics on a 13″ notebook is pretty pointless.

    Reply
  7. Ed Lau said on January 16th, 2008 at 8:45 pm

    Not saying it’s needed but if other companies can do it for the same amount of money, why can’t Apple?

    Not to mention I have a 160GB HD, more USB ports, PC Card and…y’know…that other PC card slot.

    Reply
  8. krillz said on January 17th, 2008 at 6:30 am

    yeah right, but as we all know Mac goes for more for a eye-catching than a breath-taking impression.

    Reply
  9. ScottUA said on January 17th, 2008 at 5:33 pm

    That’s a shame…a lot of folks were looking forward to this product. The whole internal battery must have pissed off a lot of people.

    Reply
  10. grant olson said on January 19th, 2008 at 2:16 am

    I couldn’t agree more!

    Look, you can make the Macbook as thin as you want, but if it has the same footprint as the 13.3″, then don’t call it portable.

    I’ll take a 1″ thick 12.1″ or smaller any day.

    Now I’ll be pouring my $ into polishing up my 12.1″ Powerbook. Very sad.

    Reply
  11. The World Is Ending…I Think I Might Be A Mac User | the.[ED]ition said on April 15th, 2008 at 10:37 pm

    [...] are but hey, style is important. They’re still a bit too expensive (especially the ludicrous MacBook Air) but some things just work so much better. Mac OS X works great and I’ve yet to see any sort [...]

  12. » New MacBooks Look Awesome But… | the.[ED]ition | 100% of your daily recommended intake of awesome said on October 15th, 2008 at 1:11 am

    [...] Apple has upgraded quite a few of the components, giving the MacBook dedicated graphics and bringing it closer to the specs of the MacBook Pro. I think this is a great idea for us the consumer since it gives us a 13.3″ Mac that isn’t crippled. Even the MacBook Air has real graphics in it now, making it a viable option…even if it is still a bit slow and overpriced. [...]

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