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Time:
12:10 EST/17:10 GMT | News Source:
ActiveWin.com |
Posted By: Byron Hinson |
No surprise here either - but Apple has just told everyone what we already knew - their new extremly thin Notebook has been called "Macbook Air". More of a surprise was that is does come with Multi Touch. It retails at $1799. Here is what Steve Jobs had to say:
"Most people think of Sony TZ series when they think of thin notebooks. Competition specs: 3 lbs, .8-1.2 inches, 11 or 12" display, miniature keyboard, and slower processor. We thought 3 lbs is a good target weight, but there was too much compromise with the other features. MacBook Air is 0.16" to 0.76". The thickest part of the MacBook Air is thinner than the thinnest part of the Sony. It fits inside a envelope."
Magnetic latch, 13.3" widescreen display. The display is LED backlit. iSight is built-in. MacBook-like keyboard, but with an ambient light sensor. Multi-touch trackpad. Move a window by double-tap and move. Rotate a photo by pivoting your index finger around your thumb. Of course, pinch-zoom.
80 GB Drive with a 64 GB SSD as an option though it is expensive. 1.6 ghz standard Core Duo 2 with a 1.8 option. Intel shrunk the processor for the MacBook Air by 60%. 802.11n + Bluetooth 2.1/EDR. 5 Hrs Battery Life and 2gb Ram
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#26 By
7754 (206.169.247.2)
at
1/16/2008 10:21:52 AM
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#22: it does have the slower CPU, although that also means lower power consumption and lower heat output. Given that neither of these are really performance-oriented laptops, that may not be a huge tradeoff, though I agree that it would be nice if they offered the higher-performance CPUs. Keep in mind that this laptop is about a full year older than the MBA, though, too. It also has the 12.1" screen, of course.
However, considering that it's only 0.01" thicker ("average thickness" of .4"? The MBA is thinner at the edges--that doesn't make it .4" thick on average), significantly lighter, uses normal 2.5" hard drives, the battery is replaceable (!), includes 3 USB ports, includes a FireWire port, has dedicated mic and headphone jacks, has a fingerprint reader, includes a docking port, includes a PCMCIA slot, includes an SD slot, and still includes the optical drive, plus it's already a year old... it makes the engineering of the MBA seem quite a bit less impressive. Apple is known for pushing the envelope and keeping at the front edge of trends with their hardware engineering, but the MBA just doesn't do that. It sacrifices function for form (again). One USB port? C'mon.
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#27 By
7754 (206.169.247.2)
at
1/16/2008 10:27:44 AM
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#22... also, who pays list price on a Toshiba laptop?
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#28 By
7754 (206.169.247.2)
at
1/16/2008 10:29:25 AM
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#22... I almost forgot... the Toshiba includes a Gb Ethernet port.
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#29 By
7754 (206.169.247.2)
at
1/16/2008 10:31:39 AM
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#22... and no dongle necessary if you want to hook it up to, say, just about any projector.
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#30 By
15406 (216.191.227.68)
at
1/16/2008 10:33:01 AM
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#18: You love it when I complain about Vista.
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#31 By
3746 (24.213.82.35)
at
1/16/2008 10:59:32 AM
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#30
Actually I don't really care that you complain abbout Vista. That is what the forums are for. I was pointing out that you should be the last person to put someone down for posting when the majority of your posts are same crap over and over.
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#32 By
37 (192.251.125.85)
at
1/16/2008 11:08:09 AM
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Funny how you say it's not thinner and that the EDGE is only .16". That isn't true. The entire laptop starts thin, and EVENLY works it's way to thicker, making it THINNER than any of the existing notebooks on the market. It also makes it so that it is unable to support an optical drive, due to it's thin nature.
It has a headphone jack, micro-DVI slot, has a replaceable battery (unlike what you state. The battery is replaceable for $129, which is the same price as the replaceable battery in the Macbook Pro), which Apple will replace for you. It also has a built in mic and camera, and a better, all LED display.
Every product, especially small, sacrifices form for function. Not everyone apparently cares for function over form. Heck, look at the iPhone. You can't dial a phone number on that phone without looking at the iPhone, as you can't feel the button placement. With a normal phone, it has better function and form because one can type a phone number and text message without having to take there eyes off the road, or whatever position they are in. Obviously, 4 million iPhones later, those people don't care.
Even the iMac are more form over function, but their sales are increasing dramatically, and even Gateway and Dell came out with the ONE all in one pc competitor due to the popularity. Again, there is form over function as well.
I personally cannot show any reason for ME to buy the Air. I personally would like the ability to be able to rip CD's/DVD's without buying a super drive add-on. However, there is the elite out there that want wireless only, slim/low profile devices as small as this, that don't have a need for anything you mentioned that is advantageous on the Toshiba. I will assume that the most people that buy this new Air will be Apple fanatics, movie studios for props, celebrities, and select traveling business men. The battery life and inability to replace the battery mid flight is less and less of a concern, as more and more airlines are supplying power outlets at each chair. I think more traveling business people might pick this up.
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#33 By
7754 (206.169.247.2)
at
1/16/2008 11:49:20 AM
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#33: I guess what I'm getting at is that this machine isn't really that spectacular in terms of engineering, especially considering what else is out there. It makes sacrifices that really shouldn't be made... I mean, defending the decision of a single USB port seems ridiculous to me. Wireless is great and all, but very few places are putting in 802.11n gear (and according to several whitepapers, for good reason), and average throughput on g is just not that fast. The lack of an Ethernet jack... the lack of so many things... it severely limits the potential of this machine. And for what?
To me, this starts to suggest something about what our culture itself is becoming... flash, shock value, the sensational/fads conquer all. I'd better go entertain myself so I don't have to think about it. :P
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#34 By
37 (192.251.125.85)
at
1/16/2008 12:48:30 PM
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I agree with your comments. Then again, there are better sites out there than AWIN, yet we are all still here :-)
Well, maybe not all :-)
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#35 By
2960 (72.196.195.185)
at
1/17/2008 3:17:32 PM
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I just realilzed where Apple blew it with the MacBook Air...
No EVDO Card.
If this thing had an EVDO card (which would negate the need for Ethernet or even standard wireless), partners, exectutives and every other high-flying geek on the planet would be scarfing these up faster than Apple could build them.
What a shame. Maybe in MacBook Air V2.0
TL
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