TMO at MWSF - Apple Debuts MacBook Air: Ultra-Thin Laptop With Multi-Touch Trackpad
by , 1:50 PM EST, January 15th, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO -- Reaching into a large yellow envelope, Apple CEO Steve Jobs on Tuesday introduced the thinnest laptop his company has ever produced: MacBook Air, which is a mere 0.16 inches thick at its thinnest point. Despite its small size, the new computer features a full-size keyboard with an ambient light sensor, a 13-inch display with LED backlighting, a built-in iSight camera, and a multi-touch trackpad that allows users to, for example, use the iPhone's pinch gesture to enlarge and shrink images.
MacBook Air
"We've built the world's thinnest notebookwithout sacrificing a full-size keyboard or a full-size 13-inch display," Mr. Jobs said in a press release. "When you first see MacBook Air, it's hard to believe it's a high-performance notebook with a full-size keyboard and display. But it is."
MacBook Air runs on a 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, with a 1.8GHz version also available. It uses the same 80GB 1.8-inch hard drive included in the iPod classic, with 64GB of solid state storage available as a build-to-order option. It also features 2GB of RAM, 802.11n wireless networking, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, a MagSafe power adapter, and USB 2.0, Micro-DVI, and headphone ports.
While the new laptop doesn't include an optical drive, it does come with a new feature called Remote Disc, which allows the computer to wirelessly borrow the CD or DVD drive of a nearby Mac or Windows computer. Users can also opt for MacBook Air SuperDrive, a US$99 companion optical drive that's powered by the laptop's USB port. And if they need to transfer files, applications, and preferences from an old Mac to their new laptop, Apple's Migration Assistant now includes wireless capability, so there's no need for a FireWire cable.
Apple touts up to five hours of battery life in the MacBook Air, and Mr. Jobs noted during his keynote that the laptop features the company's first mercury-free LCD display with arsenic-free glass, PVC-free internal cables, and an all-aluminum enclosure for easier recycling. Even its packaging is 56 percent smaller than previous MacBook packaging.
The MacBook Air comes with Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard pre-installed, as well as the iLife 08 suite of applications, which includes the latest versions of iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD, GarageBand, and iTunes. The laptop will be available in two weeks, with a $1,799 price tag.
Too much ahead in the future.. No ports, for business users is a disaster! For consumers, it's just too expensive, it is cool for showbiz people. That's it, I was expecting the touch screen (even if not so thin), that would be the killer mac! Ah, to don't forget.. How resistent is it? Huge doubts!
CloseViewName:Guest Tue Jan 15, 2008 3:34 pmSubject:
It seems to be geared toward people like myself who use a desktop Mac as our main computer, and want something nicer-looking than the regular MacBook. In that case, the missing features aren't that big a deal. The price is a little steep though.
CloseViewName:Guest Tue Jan 15, 2008 3:36 pmSubject: Need
An optical drive is not a question of need rather a question of must have. Most people have a stack of DVD's they want to play right from the laptop.
I hear it also doesn't have firewire.
I'm one the biggest Apple fans there is. But the writing is on the wall for this one. I think someone put it best when they said, 'Say Hello to the new cube.'
CloseViewName:iVoidPosts: 62Joined: 10 Jan 2007 Tue Jan 15, 2008 4:00 pmSubject:
Glossy screen = NO SALE
I could live without firewire in a system that was going to be used for portable only use and the lack of USB ports will require carrying around a hub (I can see ultra sleak USB hubs coming in a couple months to match the air), which will negate the sleakness.
But the glossy screen ensures that I'll never get one of these.
Really is horrible that you can't get a decent screen on any of Apple's non-pro products these days.
CloseViewName:Small White CarPosts: 1960Joined: 02 Jul 2004 Tue Jan 15, 2008 4:01 pmSubject:
Quote
Guest wrote:
It's an entry level laptop with...
"Entry level" ?
Says who? You?
It's for people who want something lighter than the Macbook and are willing to pay for it. How is that "entry level?"
So to re-cap, the target market is people who are willing to pay more than a Macbook costs to get a feature that's valuable to them. That does not = "entry level."
The MacBook Air looks cool, but on further examination, it seems best suited to writers and those who can afford expensive toys. Creative pros will find the features sorely lacking. Wireless? Uh-huh. What about the necessity of all those adapters to make it fully functional in the real world? If this is all Apple has for MacWorld this year, it is a big disappointment.
As others have said, the lack of a firewire port is a real problem. That means it can't even be used in target disk mode if you have an iMac or Mac Pro as your primary machine.
My 12" PowerBook is my only computer, and I simply need more real estate, horsepower, storage, and connectivity than this new "Air" offers. Fortunately my university's bookstore has the mid-range MacBook Pro on sale right now for $1799. I'll be buying one tomorrow.
Anonymous wrote: An optical drive is not a question of need rather a question of must have. Most people have a stack of DVD's they want to play right from the laptop.
I hear it also doesn't have firewire.
I'm one the biggest Apple fans there is. But the writing is on the wall for this one. I think someone put it best when they said, 'Say Hello to the new cube.'
Adding an optical drive would probably make the MacBook Air thicker and being thin is a big selling point for this model. It is not like they are discontinuing the other MacBook models that have optical drives, and FireWire.
CloseViewName:Akula971Posts: 3Joined: 13 Aug 2007 Tue Jan 15, 2008 4:27 pmSubject: Groan
A toy, its nothing but a toy. I'm really disappointed with this. I just can't work out who would want it? Students and Joe public buy the Macbook, business peeps buy the MacbookPro. The 2.2GHz Macbook seems to be a better buy IMHO. Will someone enlighten me as to the target market?
What happens when the hard drive (or flash memory) file system goes poopy, can you boot and run Disk Utility or do a re-install of Mac OS X by holding the DVD in front of the iSight camera?
(Actually, if the thing came with some sort of USB ROM stick, that'd do the trick..)
Akula971 wrote: Will someone enlighten me as to the target market?
At $1,799, the MacBook Air is an expensive toy for anyone who wants to look cool surfing the web at the local coffee shop.
At a $1,000, it may be viable tool for the creative and business writer, student (with access to WiFi network for software, data storage), and/ traveler (business or otherwise). I can see the possibility of college/university students using this in conjunction with a college/university network system. It might work well in the lecture hall, classroom, dorm, library, coffee shop. But it is a poor value for the money when it comes to functionality.
The glossy screen is a BIG disappointment. I don't know why Apple is pushing the glossy LCD, which produce too much glare for my liking. Probably because they are cheaper to produce.
The lack of FireWire is also frustrating.
The slow hard drive makes me wonder way Apple didn't just fit the Air with two Solid State drives. Again, the cost factor.
Leave it to Steve Jobs to try to sell us air. I think this Air may follow the Newton into oblivion.
as a performer who regularly uses a macbook in a live setting this computer would be a real boon, the ability to hijack an optical drive from a desktop is a useful replacement for the lack of one internally...
although, the real usefulness is within the SSD, 64gb is plenty to do most live audio and video work (i've never had a set of audio and video use more than 20gb -- that was for a 4 hr. show) and the thought that this machine could really take a beating with no moving parts really puts one's mind at ease -- the mini dvi is good for video, though i would have loved firewire, seeing as i use phantom power with my breakout box (firewire 410) and usb doesn't carry enough power for that sort of use... that just means i need more cables and outlets, something i always try to keep to a minimum.
i see this as a real boon for performers looking for a solid, reliable solution to a classic hd-- though at $3500 with no firewire, it'd be a hard sell for me. of course, you'd need a desktop machine to do the real grunt work, so tack $2000 on top of that and you're only catering to more successful performers.
If you can migrate your files and apps wirelessly i.e. without firewire and you can borrow CDs/DVDs from a nearby server whether Mac or PC and access to a NAS is available (say a 500GB ext drive attached to your airport extreme) you create a product for a target market of people who in an environment where a MacBook Pro is not needed and too heavy or too big to constantly carry about but where a more than adequate processor will do and extreme portability is more convenient.
I know it's poorly constructed but I wanted to be short. My MBPro is burning my lap!
I know it's poorly constructed but I wanted to be short. My MBPro is burning my lap!
It's a notebook, not a laptop and thus not meant for use directly on your lap. That's why there was a lawsuit years ago and thus the term changed from laptop to notebook. You are very much not alone in saying stuff like that unfortunately.
Second:
Why do Apple people feel they have to like everything that Apple puts out? You don't need to. If it's not for you, great, let the folks who do like it buy it, and stick with what you like. It's great you like to express your opinion and let everyone know you don't like something but pretty much someone out there will like this product and it will suit their purposes quite well.
Personally, I think we'll get lots of complaints about the lack of an internal optical drive, but there are provisions and there are so many business folks I've talked to over the past few years in support that will LOVE this product. More power to them. If it doesn't work out, trust me, Apple will change the line. First run products are always going to make people mad. C'est la vie.
The beauty of this though is you don't have to purchase it if you don't like it. Not liking an Apple product doesn't necessarily make you any less of an Apple lover.
CloseViewName:BanjoBankerPosts: 81Joined: 27 Dec 2004 Tue Jan 15, 2008 6:08 pmSubject: Perfect for me
I have a MacBook I bought to replace my aging but much loved 12" PowerBook. I travel and want the lightest machine I can get. This looks ideal for me. I can rent a movie from iTunes for the flight and be good to go. A 2Gb flash drive is my chosen method of file transfer when on the road, so no optical drive is no problem. I have a 1 Tb drive attached to my AirPort Extreme at home and the Time Port looks to be a must have for me! I can use the optical drive on my iMac when I need one. I am pleased with the MacBook Air. I can't wait to hold one in my hands before buying it. The new apps for the iPhone are going to be great also.
So what that the MacBook Air doesn't have an optical drive? I have one in all of my current laptops and I never use them. I would like not having to lug around hardware I don't use. That does not mean this is the laptop for everyone. If you need an optical drive, more than 2GB memory, a non-glossy screen or firewire everyday, then Apple already has the MacBook Pros to fill that need. I see this as a notebook "extension" to a desktop where the user will primarily be using it for email, notes, web, etc; not movie editing of managing large data stores.
CloseViewName:geoduckPosts: 1842Joined: 30 Dec 2003 Tue Jan 15, 2008 7:10 pmSubject:
It fits a niche. The trouble is the price. $1799 is high for a less powerful system than a MacBook. Sorry but several hundred more for a unit with a 20%-25% slower processor. I don't think so. With this power/price I see it being bought by gadget freaks and the tragically hip. If cost or power is what you worry about you'll go somewhere else.
Don't get me wrong. It's a downright SEXY notebook. It looks fantastic. But it's like a Ferrari with a four cylinder. There just isn't enough oomph to justify the price.
OTOH I'm positively drooling at the possibility of getting the multi-touch trackpad on my next MacBook Pro
CloseViewName:Guest Tue Jan 15, 2008 8:14 pmSubject:
i'm seriously wishing they would've put multi touch on all the macbooks, i can only imagine the neat concept apps they could make for us live music guys with it (a kaoss pad built into my mac, sweet!)
An okay laptop, but not a "must have" piece of technology. Strictly for road warriors and celebs. Look for a "Paris" edition shortly.
No sale here-ever. I'd only lay down that kind of cash for a anabolic steroid abusing laptop with plenty o' ports and a serious attitude. This one looks to be for the modern business woman and she can have it.
This is too big, I wouldn't have minded a 7" screen, but could live with a 10". If I were going to carry this, I might just as well carry my Macbook. The compromises that were made (4200 RPM hard drive, no FireWire, one USH_ were not well chosen. Being able to load software wirelessly from a PC or Mac is great, as is building it from aluminum. The battery not being user-serviceable is a VERY bad trend from Apple.
CloseViewName:luvmymacPosts: 2Joined: 15 Jan 2008 Tue Jan 15, 2008 9:55 pmSubject: thin laptop
Remember the ipod mini? It too sounded too much for what you got but yet it was a huge hit among those who aren't mac people. Remember when Apple was the first to drop the disk drive, the first to introduce USB ports? For many on the road MS Office, internet, watching a movie and listening to music meets their needs. IMO this will be sell well to those whom size and weight matter more than $.
Anonymous wrote: i'm seriously wishing they would've put multi touch on all the macbooks, i can only imagine the neat concept apps they could make for us live music guys with it (a kaoss pad built into my mac, sweet!)
"and that was all in the first two weeks. We have 50 more weeks still to come."
Yes, a bigger track pad on the MacBooks would be very useful.
So a Mac without Firewire... come on! So much for my investment in digital cameras and external drives.
Then there is the matter of it being "all wireless everything".. yet there is no card slot or built in WLAN. WiFi may be common, but not so when you consider it isn't "public" WiFi that is common... so now I should use the sole USB port for a WLAN card? All this for over $3K
Sorry, no sale.
Anonymous wrote: So a Mac without Firewire... come on! So much for my investment in digital cameras and external drives.
Then there is the matter of it being "all wireless everything".. yet there is no card slot or built in WLAN. WiFi may be common, but not so when you consider it isn't "public" WiFi that is common... so now I should use the sole USB port for a WLAN card? All this for over $3K
Sorry, no sale.
It's an overpirced "Touch"... Jailbreak an iPod touch and you have an even smaller notebook! Oh yeah., no camera.... darn.... there just ain;t a perfect combo...
Seem to Me the Solid State Drive Should be Fine Without Increasing Width as the Computer is Probably About the Same Width. As Far as Features are Concerned; The Lack of a DVD Drive Will Definitely Lead me to Consider Alternative Options for File Transfer & Storage. The Portable Hard Drive Option is Not Something that Interests Me & USB Drives are Kind of Small for Important Items as they Would Seem to be Easily Lost. As a Current 12" PowerBook User, I've Been Waiting for a Subcompact to Force me to Upgrade & the Second Generation Air May be It.
Anonymous wrote: So a Mac without Firewire... come on! So much for my investment in digital cameras and external drives.
Then there is the matter of it being "all wireless everything".. yet there is no card slot or built in WLAN. WiFi may be common, but not so when you consider it isn't "public" WiFi that is common... so now I should use the sole USB port for a WLAN card? All this for over $3K
Sorry, no sale.
No, all this for $1799. Don't pick the highest possible price to make it sound worse than it is. If you don't like it, fine. Don't buy it. But don't jack up the price to justify your position.
I find it hard to believe that Apple's plan for installing software without a DVD is "use someone else's DVD". That's hardly a way of showing that DVDs aren't necessary.
My guess - iTunes will be selling major software programs soon.
The Air is not for power users - the Air is for people who have their laptop with them everywhere they go. I want an Air to replace my aging 12" powerbook. My existing computer has enough power, it's just getting old, and I need something as light as possible to take with me.
Anonymous wrote: The Air is not for power users - the Air is for people who have their laptop with them everywhere they go. I want an Air to replace my aging 12" powerbook. My existing computer has enough power, it's just getting old, and I need something as light as possible to take with me.
That's the target.
I'm still not understanding why "power users" wouldn't want this machine. As a Mac Technician, power user and all round notebook-strapped-to-my-ass geek, I think this is perfect for me. Just because you consider yourself a power user doesn't mean you need a 8-core Mac Pro in a backpack.
Yesterday I was bit more disappointed than today as I have had time to digest some of what the machine lacks. Now that I have swallowed my disappointments the Macbook Air remains attractive.
Opportunity Missed:
Apple had the opportunity (now that you can run all OSs so well) to take over the sub-notebook market. With the right product IT people like myself would have been walking around with the machine heads held high over any other machine out there.
I was really hoping for a lightweight pro machine. After having my IBM X series and then the Asus S5n I was really hoping Apple would take notes.
As an IT person I would have liked to have more ports (detail below), easy upgrade options, a 2.5" SATA hd (primarily for Virtualization space), more RAM, and the latest chipsets.
As SSD is still in its infancy I did have some hope Apple would have created a hybrid that would have stored the main OS on SSD and have a HD for user created content, but I knew this would be more complicated than Apple could manage with their current lack of employees (discussion for another time).
Apple has a bad habit of wanting to create the lightest, thinest, or most beautiful piece of hardware. And as nice as those things are I believe that the target audience would be much larger if they had created a slightly thicker, slightly heavier full featured machine.
Would have been nice:
-to have a removable battery, but that does not bother me. It is hardly ever that I use the big nine cell I carried for my Asus. Now you have to carry them in ziplocks in your carryon when traveling anyhow.
-have Firewire 800 port, but if Apple has altered the bios (bootstrap/OFW) to boot and target via USB (wireless is just not always efficient) I can work around it.
-have an easier EVDO option (expresscard). I do understand that you can use the flip down usb port, but that looks awkward.
-have built-in ethernet (more on this later).
-have memory card reader. People will argue that too many types are available (and I agree), but I cannot count the number of times I have used the built in reader in my Asus. Apple could have gone with just the small form factor formats (nice!): SD (full, mini, micro), XD, Memory stick (pro etc.) and it would have covered a lot of devices. Just another little device I need to carry around.
Now for the compliments:
-did good leaving the optical drive out. Optical sucks!
-did good with the keyboard size and backlighting
-did good with the webcam
-did good with multitouch
-did good to leave the tablet idea for the future.*
-did good with the aluminum case.
-did good on the LED screen (13" is nice, 12" would have been fine too)
-did great with the mag safe (truly brilliant)
-did good environmentally (a lot of you don't care, but I do)
*anyone who has used a tablet know the software sucks resources and not worth the cost at this stage
Conclusion:
On the money front: I do not feel the price is bad. It is right on the cusp of what I would spend. The grind is in what is not included. Leaving out the ethernet adapter dongle and the remote is petty and not including a nice inexpensive sleeve leaves a bad taste, but not deal breakers.
The biggest problems are usb ports and memory. The Hard disk can be replaced (providing I can get to it) with a 120G which is sufficient. I guess I can carry around a powered usb port hub. Which leaves one last thing: The 2gig memory limit.
When I bought my Asus s5n around 3-4 yrs ago (for around the price of the MBA) it came with 256MB RAM and topped out at 768. I immediately bought the RAM (for >$200) and even though I missed not having more from time to time it worked and worked well.
Now my MBB2.2 has 4GB and I do like to split up the RAM in Fusion, but I betcha I can get away with 2GB.
So when I walk into the Mac store here in SF and can put my hands on this machine I will pick up the MBA with one hand and if it even slightly resembles my ultra portables of the past I am in. Because when it is all said and done people it runs the best OS on the planet.
As for Apple's overall strategy: This form over function approach is fine to a certain extent, but there is a balance. It is IMHO that the target audience is getting younger and smarter. Mr. Jobs needs to not spend so much money developing and manufacturing a smaller portable motherboard and instead take notes from the rest of the industry.
