Apple Macbook Air

[Vihzel]

I purchased the new one today because I needed something a lot more portable than my current Macbook Pro and am really loving it so far. The thinness and weight (or lack thereof) is unbelievable for a 13". It's a great solution for someone who is very mobile, cares about the design, and really cares about screen quality (Macbook Pro 15" screen resolution on a 13" Air). It's quite sturdy and feels solid due to its unibody construction and has a very luxurious feel.

Love it!

Definitely consider it if you're looking for a new, portable notebook for school, business, or leisure. It's NOT for someone who needs a lot of processing power. Casual use? It's great.

Please don't turn this into an "Apple bashing" thread where you don't have anything to contribute to this conversation.

 

[The_Gnome_]

Thanks for the input!

Been thinking about finally replacing my 2006 Macbook, and I think the Air is what I want. To be honest though, the MacBook still runs fine, and I really don't have a need to replace haha. The Air is just so thin and light though, it's hard to resist

 

[Vihzel]

Thanks for the input!

Been thinking about finally replacing my 2006 Macbook, and I think the Air is what I want. To be honest though, the MacBook still runs fine, and I really don't have a need to replace haha. The Air is just so thin and light though, it's hard to resist

I think you'll fall in love with it if you can spare time to see it in the store. It's awesome that they have a 128GB SSD as the default HDD.

 

[grainysand]

Is there a compelling reason to get it when, for the price, you can get a sensible laptop that's at least twice as powerful?

 

[mikedt]

Is there a compelling reason to get it when, for the price, you can get a sensible laptop that's at least twice as powerful?

FYI the OP already has a 'sensible laptop', a Macbook Pro. Perhaps 'The thinness and weight (or lack thereof)' of the Air was important to him? Everyone has different needs and uses for laptops. Some of us may need a big heavy high performance laptop, some may need a slim lightweight lower performance machine.

EDIT: Also a cheaper laptop will come with Windows. This may not be suitable for the OP, who is an OS X user. I know Windows is not very suitable for my work, because I'm in China.

 

[Vihzel]

Is there a compelling reason to get it when, for the price, you can get a sensible laptop that's at least twice as powerful?

Simply put... there is no other laptop on the market as thin, as lightweight, and as well built than the MBA for a 13" notebook. The 128GB SSD definitely makes it feel extremely zippy. For my uses of browsing the web, working on word documents or a powerpoint, and other casual uses (the most strenuous thing I ever do on a notebook is probably watch a movie on Netflix)... the MBA is great. Once you have a unibody notebook, it's hard to go back.

 

[ProgRocker]

Simply put... there is no other laptop on the market as thin, as lightweight, and as well built than the MBA for a 13" notebook. The 128GB SSD definitely makes it feel extremely zippy. For my uses of browsing the web, working on word documents or a powerpoint, and other casual uses (the most strenuous thing I ever do on a notebook is probably watch a movie on Netflix)... the MBA is great. Once you have a unibody notebook, it's hard to go back.

Few Questions:
1. What happens if you need to reset a password or use the 10.6 disc at all?
2. Why is this netbook so expensive? I just can't justify a $1,000 netbook with no optical drive.
3. Does it have the USB port problem that the last one had where the ports were too close together and if you had a wider USB drive, you could only use one at a time?
4. Is it able to be taken apart (if needed).

 

[Vihzel]

1. The Air comes with a flash drive that has both the OS X and iLife applications on it so basically... the two CDs are now through USB.

2. The 11" is a netbook but the 13" is a notebook. It's essentially just an extremely thin (and I mean extremely) notebook without an optical drive. I almost never use the optical drive. The only thing that I have ever used it for was to watch a movie. If you NEED an optical drive, then you can get the SuperDrive. So there is an external option.

3. Apple fixed the USB issue with having one USB on both sides of the notebook. I've used several different USB connections (printer, phone, camera) while charging and have no issues with space.

4. I don't know about this one. I know you can take the bottom off so you get to the batteries and such. I know the SSD is non removable since it's soldered onto the board to save space.

 

[lunatic59]

Simply put... there is no other laptop on the market as thin, as lightweight, and as well built than the MBA for a 13" notebook.

Actually, there is.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/adamo-laptops

Not passing judgement either way, both are sweet.

 

[baillou2]

I always feel stuck about devices like this. I can't even justify a tablet. I mean, it sounds great and all, but what would I use it for? I need a keyboard. So then there's the MBA which sounds like a good solution (apart from being an Apple Product with a locked down OS ) but then I'd still need my laptop for more heavy duty work. And if I have a good laptop why not just take it with me instead of lightening my load by a couple lbs.

tough call...