The MacBook Air Is a Horrible, Horrible Product
I’m not one to immediately write off any product as horrible without considering what it can do, but in all honesty, I think the MacBook Air is a misplaced product.
The whole point of an ultra portable is to be just that: easy to carry and easy to use. Many companies have tried and actually pulled off some amazing designs without losing functionality or making up for it by targeting a different demographic. The MacBook Air is just really, really thin. How thin you say? Thin enough to fit in a manila folder while retaining the MacBook’s form factor and shaving off 2 pounds. Essentially the scarred child of the MacBook and MacBook Pro that had a bad case of bulimia.
But what does the whole package get you? A usable Mac, one a road warrior who relies on the Internet more than local apps might fall in love with. Besides it being so thin (did I mention it was thin?), you have to make some serious compromises. Only 1 USB port, no Firewire, no Optical Drive, and worst of all, no user replaceable battery.
Did I also mention the price? For an extended period of time, you too can not only compromise on essential features but also pay far out the wallet for it! At a cool $1800 for the baseline model, you can enjoy a seriously powered down MacBook that sets itself apart from its bulkier counterparts by being really, really thin. So thin that you’re being charged a premium for the removal of what makes a laptop a laptop.
So far, Apple really screwed up on this one. It’d be nice if the MacBook Air was the entry level model to the MacBook family due to its lack of features, but instead Apple thought it necessary to further muck up the branding by pricing it just under a MacBook Pro and a lot more than a MacBook, both of which would eat the MBA for breakfast with room left over (you know, because it’s so thin.)
Besides that, Apple really drives home the point that physical media is dying. Great, Steve, but the library of DVDs and software isn’t shrinking. What’s a movie loving consumer to do? Buy them all on iTunes! Who needs an optical drive, just repurchase everything in lower quality, did I mention you can now rent it too? Did I also mention that the thin form factor just makes it that much better?
“In redefining thin, MacBook Air has shed something you no longer need: the optical drive. That’s because MacBook Air is built for the wireless world. So instead of watching DVDs, you can rent movies wirelessly from the iTunes Store.”
But wait, it only has an 80 GB Hard Drive! No matter, we’ll just upgrade it to make room for all that great content I’m downloading, oh wait. That’s right, non upgradeable. Did I also mention you can defeat the purpose of an ultra portable by attaching a removable hard drive or keep it mobile by going on what Apple says…
“Mac OS X Leopard brought you Time Machine, the built-in backup that automatically copies files to an external drive. And now, Time Capsule—the new hard drive plus Wi-Fi base station—lets you use Time Machine to wirelessly back up your files. It’s effort free and yet another way MacBook Air lets you live and work untethered.”
The only positive thing I’ll say is the design is decent. The concept totally contradicts itself, though; it’s not smaller in any way, only thinner and lighter. The price point is the real killer also, as the lack of features could be compensated with a lower price point. But in all honesty, the MacBook Air is an abomination that only waters down features.
Did I also mention that it’s really thin?
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Interesting stuff.
Given the comparisons to similar thin notebooks, I haven’t seen any website say “the X brand ultra mobile PC is cheaper than Apple’s Air”. That says alot for the cost effectiveness of the Air. The weight/volume reduction does cost! But there’s no “Apple tax”.
My father loves what he’s read on it, as a replacement, but he religiously limits his music & photos currently on his powerbook. I couldn’t fit in 80GB myself - and I do agree it’ll often be used as a companion computer.
What’s missing is Apple’s assistance in using it as a companion computer. For example, we’d need to sync a subset of music & photos from the master computer’s library - just like an iPod. Better yet, it needs a similar feature to use a network drive as a master library - so when we get ‘home’ with the MB-Air it uses the remote master library, while the MB-Air locally syncs a subset for when its on the road.
who’ve longed for a moderately powerful notebook (made by Apple) that is both sleek and portable
Isn’t it interesting the tacit admission that the Macbook is neither sleek nor portable.
“The whole point of an ultra portable is to be just that: easy to carry and easy to use.”
This is exactly why I like the MBA. I currently lug my powerbook between work, home & university. Believe me, “lug” is the appropriate word, even though my PB is far slimmer and lighter than my wife’s newer Toshiba. Often I have had to pack an extra bag because I could fit my PB and work files into my travel satchel. The MBA would fit with room to spare.
Yes it has fewer ports. But I haven’t yet used all my ports when travelling. In fact I rarely use any of them outside of home, and have only occasionally used the CD/DVD drive when travelling. So what’s the problem?
I don’t know if the MBA will be my next notebook, but it’s certainly a strong contender. And you sum up the reasons yourself: The concept totally contradicts itself, though; it’s not smaller in any way, only thinner and lighter. Exactly. No pecking on a sub-size keyboard while squinting at a sub-size screen. Instead I get a full size computer that is thin and light enough to carry around yet remains powerful enough for daily use. I think Apple are onto something here. Watch this space grow…
i’m surprised the reviewer didn’t encourage folks to wait a few months to purchase an MBA after the price drop.
I think Apple are onto something here.
It’s kind of amazing to me the break neck speed at which the utterly bogus claims that Apple invented whatever new product they just released actually becomes part of the consciousness of the fanboys and the media.
@someone, price drop after a few months? Ha! I’d sooner expect Apple to actually up the specs before they charge less.
Did I mention how thin your wallet will be after purchasing the MacBook Air?
I think there’s something to be said that the MacBook Air is a product that really doesn’t have a place in this world. As it was pointed out, it’s thin… and really, that’s about it. A lot of money for a thin computer. Never have I ever thought, “Gosh, I love this computer, but it’s just too thick.” I’ve thought it was too big, too heavy, but never too thick. I have a 15” PowerBook that I love, but honestly, I think it’s just too big for me. I much preferred the size of my 12” iBook simply because it was so much easier to carry around. But both are just thin enough for me.
I think that Apple’s problem in this is that people were asking for an ultra-portable MacBook Pro and Apple wanted to deliver, but do it in a different way. So they made this thin, thin computer. But that’s not what people wanted. They basically wanted the 12” PowerBook but with an Intel processor. Apple made this same mistake before when everyone was asking for a basic Mac computer without a screen that was a lot less expensive than the Power Mac. What Apple gave us was the Mac Mini. It’s a nice idea, but nowhere near what was being asked for.
I think that sales of the MBA are going to be great at first and then taper off fast. Everyone compares it to the Cube in that it has a great form factor, but it just is too expensive for what you get. The difference is that the Cube was fully functional, but just really expensive. The MBA is really expensive, but without the function.
“I think the justifications here basically are another argument that Apple products are pretty much for the rich only.”
While, IMHO, it is not true as a generalized comment, it is certainly true in the case of the MacBook Air. It is meant to be a secondary computer for the rich and if you have the dough for it, I think it is the best in class.
Since Hadley has already taken it upon himself, I’ll not take the task of waxing lyrical on it upon myself. I’m looking forward to reading Hadley’s review.
The reviewer makes it clear that MBA does not meet his expectations or needs. I currently use a MacBook 13” that I bought when it first shipped. To have the opportunity to use OS-X in a laptop suitable for travel, I got rid of a ThinkPad x40 that weighed 2 lbs less than the MacBook. I liked the form factor of that ThinkPad but had to get used to having no optical drive and fewer ports. So I learned exactly what I need in a laptop to be pleased with the tool. The MBA will work well for me but not for all. Does that mean that it qualifies as a “horrible, horrible product”? Not in my view. My MBA is ordered and my MacBook will be sold. Markets like choices, and the MBA is another choice that is great for some.
Hadley, that’s right. It’s the MacBook AIR, as in AIRplane… for people who travel a lot.
It’s not for people who make movies, burn DVDs or install lots of software. Weight, battery life and being able to connect to your machine back at the office are most important.
Your also right that it’s ill-featured to be the primary computer for a lot of people. A docking station with more ports and a SuperDrive is sorely needed for the Air to be a good primary computer.
Anyone that knows Apple products should know that the first effort is rarely the final result.
Very disappointing article about the MacBook Air. Only 2 horribles in the Headline. I was hoping for at least 3. Three horribles from Apple Matters means the product is a “home run” and the bosses at Microsoft are throwing chairs.
“First define the market, then tell me how it meets that market’s needs.
It is not a primary computer so any criticism about missing features is misplaced.
It is designed to be operated over a wireless network with a primary computer on that network so storage and optical drive limitation criticisms are invalid.
It is a self-indulgent luxury item so price criticisms are meaningless.
It is designed to appeal to people of means who appreciate the finer things in life and already have a fully functional desktop computer on their wireless network.
There are millions of us out there who can afford one or who can get our business or our employer to buy us one.
Many of us will get one.
I’d say it fits it’s market’s needs quite well.”
Well sure, it’d be a great secondary computer if Apple wasn’t charging so much for it. If that is your only reason for buying a MacBook Air, to enjoy a luxury item then by all means. For the rest of us, we’ll take features at a more reasonable price range.
“Your also right that it’s ill-featured to be the primary computer for a lot of people.”
True but the price range sets it too far out to be a reasonable secondary computer.
Tanner sez: “Well sure, it’d be a great secondary computer if Apple wasn’t charging so much for it.”
Don’t let the door hit your Microsoft shilling broke-a** on the way out.
@zato3, look up the word frugal then come back with a valid argument.
look up the word frugal then come back with a valid argument.
Not to mention the word “shilling.”