[JeJeP]

Not really a subnotebook as it is so huge. EEEPC here I come.

 

[Redo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's purpose is for people who want a thin, light laptop for travel. It will slide into almost any briefcase, for example. Thin notebooks are very popular with travelling ceos, lawyers, etc. If I were still travelling 300k miles + a year, I'd definitely get one.

My dad travels a LOT, and he has a smaller laptop. There's no way he would go for a one USB port, cd/dvd driveless laptop. Nor is there any way his company would ever provide a MacBook Air as an option. I never seem to have any problem putting his notebook in any briefcase or backpack either, it fits everywhere!

 

[grawk]

Different strokes for different folks.

 

[appophylite]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redo /img/forum/go_quote.gif My dad travels a LOT, and he has a smaller laptop. There's no way he would go for a one USB port, cd/dvd driveless laptop. Nor is there any way his company would ever provide a MacBook Air as an option. I never seem to have any problem putting his notebook in any briefcase or backpack either, it fits everywhere!

Same deal with my dad. He got one of the Sony Vaio TXN29N a few months back because he was tired of lugging a heavier laptop around. At the time, I think it was the thinnest, or certainly one of the thinnest laptops around. He read about the MacBook Air online and saw the pics and thought it was the coolest thing ever that it was as thin as it was (thinner at its thickest than the Vaio is at its thinnest). I could see the cogs turning in his head, thinking about how to spin buying it with my mother. But after a couple of hours, he read about the specs that were released and the two things that pissed him off the most were no incorporated optical drive and only 1 USB port. He travels easily at least once a week, often will travel for 1-2 weeks and has to take his laptop with him everywhere because he has to give presentations, etc and he said the lack of these two provisions, really turned him off on the machine. It's also the primary reason I don't think I'm going to go for it either, but then, I'm not one of the people who demands a light weight computer.

 

[grawk]

Throw a usb dvd burner in your suitcase, and a mini 4 port hub in your laptop bag.

 

[Redo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Throw a usb dvd burner in your suitcase, and a mini 4 port hub in your laptop bag.

And a spare battery, in case you run out of...

Ohh wait, non removable battery

 

[craiglester]

you mean manilla envelope surely?

 

[grawk]

Obviously it's not for everyone. 5 hr battery is pretty darn good. If you need more, lots of people make external battery packs. And an MBA + battery geeks battery would last longer and be smaller than mbp or mb + external battery.

 

[kugino]

i still don't understand why people think that if it's not for them (or their dads), then it's crap.

and while i don't completely agree with computerpro about susceptibilities to viruses, i do agree that more will be written and directed toward osx in the future, which doesn't make me happy. perhaps i'm in the minority among mac users...but i'm happy to see os x stay at its relatively small marketshare. i like being in the minority...i like not having virus software on my 'puter...

 

[marvin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wodgy /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Lenovo ThinkPad X61 is twice as thick as the Macbook Air at the Macbook's thickest point, and much thicker as you trail down towards the Macbook Air's thinner points. The X61 is also heavier while simultaneously having a smaller, lower resolution screen. The X61 is a nice unit, but it's not the same level of technology or the same category as the Macbook Air.

Well, there's always the X61s. It's somewhat thicker than the MBA at 1.1" max vs 0.76" max, but is also lighter than the MBA at 2.7 lbs vs 3.0 lbs. Sounds pretty danged close to me. Spec'ed out to the same standards, it's ~ $400 less expensive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wodgy A screen below 13.3" is getting into toy territory, not a machine for long-term, real-world use. (12" is fine, but 1024x768 is too low these days.)

In practical usage, there's very little difference between a 1200*800, 13.3", 3:2 widescreen and a 1024*768, 12.1", 4:3 standard aspect. Pixel density is within 5%, and the height difference is a bit over a tenth of an inch. Not much of a difference at all for business functions and/or web browsing where vertical resolution matter far more than horizontal resolution.

The 1.4"/176 pixel horizontal advantage is nice for widescreen movies though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wodgy I don't understand the argument about how the extra 1.3" along the diagonal sacrifices portability in some way.

Same for a .11 lb weight difference (X61 vs MBA) or a .63" thickness difference. There's no practical difference for any of those measures.

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Throw a usb dvd burner in your suitcase, and a mini 4 port hub in your laptop bag.

And now you have a laptop that's a hassle to use.


Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Obviously it's not for everyone. 5 hr battery is pretty darn good. If you need more, lots of people make external battery packs. And an MBA + battery geeks battery would last longer and be smaller than mbp or mb + external battery.

Adding a ginormous external battery pack completely negates the benefit of a thin and light laptop.

And there's the fun times to be had with the TSA when trying to travel with a large Lithium Ion external battery.

-Ed

 

[Capunk]

I have Powerbook G4 15", and I'm currently using it.
Does this Macbook air actually running better than my current powerbook?
Just for surfing and listening music at the same time, or maybe watching movie from my HD, do they lag bad like my mac?

Macbook air + Pico = wet dream.

 

[RedLeader]

Well, I for one don't understand why electronics being thin is the be all and end all of portable. Yes, my eeePC is a little thicker, but the footprint is smaller, and my girlfriend can put it in her purse. Yes, my nokia is thicker than a RZR2 (or whatever) but it fits in that little change pocket of my jeans. I just don't get it. Why does thin matter so much? The thing is still 3lb, so its not the lightest one either. (That toshiba is 1.72lb. Not that a pound or two really matters.)
Personally I don't really see the utility in it, and it really seems like a computer for the rich. If you really want something for on the go, a $350 eeePC just seems to make infinitely more sense. (Oh, and 4 more for the rest of your family)

 

[OverlordXenu]

I don't see the point. It is trying to find some niche between UMPC and ultra portable that just isn't there. It is simply a fashion statement.

For the money, I would rather have an OQO, which makes much more sense than this thing.

 

[SR-71Panorama]

I don't know if I can convince myself I have a legitimate need for one, but I still want one, despite the upgrade price for SSD, and the battery replacement issues.

I'll probably kick it around in my head for a few months, mulling it over.