The MacBook Air: What you need to know
Saturday, January 19th, 2008
Macworld has an in-depth look at Apple’s new ultra portable computer: The MacBook Air: What you need to know.
Unlike the MacBook and MacBook Pro, the MacBook Air isn’t designed to be a general-purpose computer; it has, by design, limitations that will be unacceptable for many people. People who want the smallest, lightest laptop possible and are willing to sacrifice other features to get it, have probably already placed their orders for the MacBook Air. If you carry a laptop everywhere you go, but don’t need all the power and ports of a full-sized laptop, it’s worth serious consideration.
This is a very well-written and useful review and one of the best I’ve read yet.
Steve Jobs and Apple have a history of introducing products that are ahead of their time and make use of technologies and ideas that have not fully caught on yet. This is such a product. Sometimes those products are hits, sometimes they’re misses, and that’s a chance Apple takes by innovating.
Most of the negative reviews are doing a straight spec comparison between the Air and competing computers including those from Apple, but what they fail to take into consideration is that this computer wasn’t made to compete against the current crop of ultra-light laptops, it was made to be one part of Apple’s larger strategy of pushing wireless networking and remote content. In a sense it’s what might be called a “thin client” but only for content. Of course, any Macintosh portable can be thought of this way but Apple is pushing this machine further into that category by dropping ports, built in DVD drive, and offering it with a solid state storage option that while expensive on this computer is the future of portable and maybe all computing as it gets cheaper.
Because I need the general-purpose features of a MacBook Pro the MacBook Air isn’t for me, but I’m quite sure there’s a market for it and it will sell well.
Couldn’t agree more. I currently I have a MacBook Pro, and although it’s been fantastic for the last 18 months (ignoring a drive failure early on, where Apple replaced the notebook with a faster model), I’ve always lusted after something more portable.
I have an iMac which I use for pretty much everything. All of my music, photos, videos and documents are kept on there. I use it to sync all of my iPods and iPhone, and run all intensive application such as Aperture on there. My MacBook Pro is used for those times where it was too much effort to move from bed to desk, along with when I travel (where I find it heavy and rather cumbersome). I simply don’t need a computer of this size, weight and power for what I do. It’s iSuperfluous!
I’ll be selling my MacBook Pro in the next few days, and buying a MacBook Air as soon as my local Apple Store gets them in stock. With university coming this autumn, and lengthy trips to Tokyo and Sydney in the next few months, I’m looking forward to *not* complaining about back strain when walking around campus or through an airport.
Nathan: Right, you’re exactly the person Air is aimed at and I think there a lot of you out there, not to mention folks who want something in between a MacBook Pro or MacBook and an iPhone.
My wish, and I’d buy an Air in a second if it had it, is that, like the iPhone, it offered cellular technology as well as wifi so one could be connected anywhere. I’m guessing that either that or Wimax or both are coming and that’s when I’ll bite on a smaller, ultra portable communication device. The iPhone as a web tool doesn’t appeal to me as much as the Air.
If you think of it, I’d love it if you could come back here and comment on the MacBook Air once you get it. We’ll be happy to hear your frank opinion of it, the good, the bad, the works.
Thanks.
I’ve now sold the MacBook Pro, so it’s just a case of waiting until they come into stores before I get one. I would order online, but then I’d miss out on the option to purchase AppleCare for £59 (applies to students who buy in-store and ask for the option – it’s not advertised).
I’ll be sure to come back and post my thoughts one I’ve spent a few days with out – hopefully involving a photowalk around Manchester where I can see how the the weight effects it’s portability (not to mention testing it with Aperture on-the-go).
-Nathan
Nathan: thanks for the update and the tip on student discounts on AppleCare, good to know.
Feel free to post a comment (as short or long as you’d like) or I’ll be happy to do a post if you like, just email the piece to me and if you’ve got photographs, that’s even better. Thanks.
great post, richard. I totally agree. I’ve read a few good reviews comparing the Air to the EEE and other mini-laptops. It’s basically matter of style vs. value, where the air represents style and the eee would represent value.
Have a good one.
Chaz
Charlie: I’m not sure what the EEE is but it’s hard to make a style/value comparison between the Macintosh world and the Windows world.
I think a better comparison would be the MacBook Air and the MacBook. What you lose on the Air in terms of ports, drive, power you gain on the Air in terms of portability and (maybe) style.
In my opinion OS makes a difference here; it’s not like a “real” Mac user will consider any Windows-running machine, even to be a thin client. We want any machine we use to run OS X. I would think Windows power users would feel the same way and not consider this.
It’s Windows users who already use iPods, iPhones, and are less tied to OS who might be non-Mac potential buyers of the Air. I’m not sure what that demographic actually is, but I’ve read about the iPod pulling windows users to the Mac and Mac market share is up significantly in the last year.
Again, the MacBook Air may only appeal to Mac users wanting a thin portable but I’m guessing it will pull at least a few more Windows users over. Time will tell, it’s not even shipping yet.
Steven Frank has a great post on his rationale for giving the MacBook Air a try: Air Intake.
Another well-written review of the MacBook Air paradigm shift by Adam Lisagor: Post-Macworld Wrap-up Part 1: MacBook Air.
http://mbp12.com
!!!
pb12: In our dreams… Although, I’m a 15″ guy myself.
I’ve been using the MacBook Air for almost 2 weeks now and thought I’d come back, like I said, and post my thoughts.
I’ll get the hyperbole out of the way and say that it’s epic, amazing, and everything I’ve ever wanted from a notebook. Actually – that’s less than hyperbolic. It’s pretty much the truth.
Obviously, the aesthetics are the most notable feature about the MacBook Air. Unlike my previous notebook, a 15″ MacBook Pro, I can carry this thing around in one hand, often just clutched between my thumb and forefinger. It’s that thin! It rests on my lap, or even balances on a single thigh without worry it’ll fall off. It’s that light! The finish is also perfect. The MacBook Air feels solider than both the MacBook and MacBook Pro, like a single piece of metal rather than separate pieces held together with plastic. The backlit keyboard is an absolute delight to type on – again, feeling better constructed than on other Apple notebooks. The magnetic latch is a welcome departure from the clasp on the MacBook Pro, allowing one finger opening and elegant thud sounding closure. I also adore how fast the LED backlit display comes on when opening, and how bright it is.
Safairi, Mail, Adium, NewNewsWire, Twitterrific and iCal are open most of the time. The fans stay quiet, the machine stays cool, and I stay convinced that people have little need to complain about it’s power or performance. As I mentioned previously, this isn’t my main machine for running apps that demand processing power but, after about 30mins of testing, I’m quite happy with simple organization tasks in Aperture (especially with the improved speed of Aperture 2). One nagging issue is the amount of time the battery – from which I get about 3hrs use, with the above applications open – takes forever to recharge. I’ve found myself leaving it plugged in for 5hrs with the status light still being amber. However, I’ve heard that allowing the battery to drain and recharge through a few cycles should decrease recharging time.
The MacBook Air isn’t for a power user; the professional who needs Final Cut and Motion on the go. Even for a user with simple needs, it’s not ideal for a main machine given the lack of ports, lack of built-in optical drive and expense. For a main machine, the MacBook offers better value for money (if you measure value in sheer specs and performance). The Air is for someone like me. A person who has a desktop for demanding applications and tasks, who wants something to browse the internet in bed with. Something to IM from the couch with, and something small, thin and light to slip into a bag when traveling. For this, it’s perfect.
If you need a ton of power and ports over portability, go with a MacBook Pro. If you want a bit of both, a MacBook is ideal. But if you have the power somewhere else and need a notebook with a screen large enough for full web browsing, but a footprint small enough to travel discreetly alongside you – the MacBook Air is perfect.
Nathan: Wow, a fantastic review, thank you for coming back and sharing your thoughts.
You make me want to get one of these as well as a MacBook Pro and if I had a bit more money I might do that. I might get one for my wife who will be needing a new machine sometime in the next year, either a MacBook or an Air for sure.
The one concern I have that you did not address is the glossy screen. The Air doesn’t have an option for a flat/matte screen and I’m wondering what you think about looking at photographs in Aperture or iPhoto or even Preview on a glossy screen. Nothing wrong with looking at them but for adjusting them I would think you’d want a regular matte screen so you could get the color saturation right.
What do you think?
Thanks again for coming back and sharing, many of us are tracking this and delighted with your report.
Ah, I meant to comment on the screen when discussing the backlight. My MacBook Pro also had a glossy display, so I’ve become accustomed to it over the last 18 months.
Generally, everything does look nicer. Blacks and inkier and colours are richer. A downside is glare and reflections on the display. I have spotlights in the ceiling throughout my house, and I thought these could be a problem. Turns out the LED backlight in the MacBook Air is so bright, that glare isn’t much of an issue at all.
As you said, looking at the screen is fine, but for perfect colour control in Aperture or iPhone, the matte displays do indeed have an advantage. I imported a batch of photos into Aperture on my MacBook Air, edited, and exported to Flickr. Viewing them on my iMac, I noticed a couple of images seemed to have flatter colour than I remembered, due to the glossy MacBook Air display giving the illusion of higher saturation/contrast. It was far from drastic, and I didn’t feel the need to readjust images on the iMac, but it’s sort of annoying when you spend time getting the colours just right, then realize many people will view them differently.
I don’t edit photos enough on my MacBook Air to have a lot of experience with the issues of the glossy display regarding photography, though it’s clear that potential problems aren’t a myth from ‘hardcore’ users, but a somewhat exaggerated reality.
However, most PC notebooks are now sold with a glossy display. Apple’s iMac has a glossy display, as does the MacBook and many MacBook Pros. It’s only a matter of time before matte displays become the minority and I kick myself for ensuring I edit images best suited for a those very displays.
Nathan: You don’t want to edit for a display necessarily, you want to edit for paper too. Having a matet screen gives you the options to do either. A glossy screen is so saturated that editing for it will put things out of wack for anything but other glossy screens. All professional flat panel displays used in photography and video editing, Apple, NECC, and the rest are matte.
Good point, Richard. I forgot all about printing. As I’m making some books in Aperture for various trips last year, I’ll be sure to create them on the iMac to ensure maximum accuracy between the preview on screen and the physical book I eventually have printed.
Nathan: Well, maybe do some printing of the same image from each computer, processed to look best on its screen. That way you’ll get a better fix on what the difference is with a glossy screen, if any.
My comment is striktly theoretical, I’ve not used a glossy screen… yet.