Apple's early portables didn't push the technology envelope, and didn't have to. Windows portables all ran the same software, so they had to compete on the basis of hardware features. Most Apple users picked it for its software. As long as the hardware was within shouting distance of the state of the art, that was good enough.

Later Apple began to pioneer in hardware design: first 17" laptop, thinner than the competition (though not necessarily lighter) and so on. This got them some converts, people who chose them for hardware features but who otherwise wouldn't have. They saw a market opportunity and decided to follow it.

The MacBook Air continues that trend. Will its unique hardware aspects appeal to everyone? Of course not. Have any of them appeared in other systems? Of course. Do other companies make sub-notebooks that appeal more, on balance, to some users? Of course. But all that said, the package is unique and will do more than simply retain the fanboys who want something along these lines. None of the negative posts in this thread, most of which are factual or at least have a foundation in fact, will change this. The MacBook Air doesn't have to meet everyone's needs, or appeal to everyone for any reason at all, for that to happen.

(Truth in advertising: I have not placed an order and don't plan to. I have a personal 17" last-generation PowerBook and a long-term employer loan of a 15" recent MacBook; I don't have a problem with their size or weight.)

I thought my Sony-designed PowerBook 100 pushed the envelope in the "thin and light" category when it came out...

FWIW, this is the first new mac notebook I've thought about getting since then. If only it had a bigger HD...

Pft!

Where is that ‘wanking’ hand emoticon when you need it?

Let's see, how does my Sony SZ stack up against the Wind, err, the Air:

Both computers appear to have 13.3" LED screens running 1280x800x32, built-in web cams with microphones, a keyboard and a touch pad, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Both have about the same exterior dimensions though at 1" at its maximum the SZ is indeed a bit thicker than the Air. But at 3.7 LBS with the slim-line battery the SZ is nearly as light as the Air at 3 LBS - particularly considering the SZ has a built-in optical drive.

The SZ has two USB 2.0 ports, the Air only one, the SZ has a Firewire port, the Air has none, the SZ has both a PCMCIA slot and an ExpressCard 34 slot, the Air has neither, the SZ has a built-in CD/DVD/R/RW drive, the Air none. The SZ has a multi-format flash card reader, the Air doesn't.

The SZ has both Intel integrated GMA 950 graphics for extended battery life and discreet nVidia Go7400 graphics with 128 MB of dedicated VRAM for performance. The SZ has a pair of stereo speakers with three standard sized ‘mapable’ audio in/outs, the Air has a mono speaker and a single mini-audio jack.

The SZ has a choice of a slim-line battery good for 4.5 hours or an extended battery good for 6-7 hours - both user replaceable. The SZ has built-in WWAN, the Air doesn't.

The standard Air uses a slow 4200 RPM hard drive, the SZ a much faster yet still efficient 5400 RPM model [or 7200 if you choose]. Both have the option of using slow and expensive solid-state HDs.

And finally, while the Air uses a crippled Intel CPU the SZ uses a fully functioning Intel Core2 Duo whose power can be easily managed to extend battery life or run apps at full throttle when on AC.

Yeah, if all I was doing was checking e-mail and some light word processing/Internet surfing then maybe the Air would be a viable alternative. But for anyone needing to do any real computing the Air, at about 15% lighter than the SZ but with only 1/3 the equipment/features/performance onboard is just another Apple fanboy fashion piece.

No thanks...

You have to admit, Apples products sure do get a rise out of people no matter which side of the aisle they are on.

-David

...and post 63 is the perfect example . Ten paragraphs and a personal attack. Over a personal computer.

I have the same PC the poster in 63 is talking about, yet for some reason I don't have the need to call other people names because they didn't buy one. I wonder why that is.

It's almost tempting to order another MBA just to piss off the w@ankers.

This is a much better comparison, I feel...

(Thanks to The Register )

Now that is funny!

I have to admit that I had a "I want one!" reaction when I saw the Mac Air news. I have an iPhone and iPods and it seemed right to switch from PC's to a Mac now, especially since I could use bootloader (or better yet, Fusion) to switch to XP or Linux. Also due to Office 2008.

But I should probably calm down and wait a bit to see how the Mac Air really does and what the next version, maybe 6 months from now, looks like. I wanted to do the same with the iPhone and wait for 3G, but for work reasons I had to get one now.

I truthfully have no real reason to switch to a Mac. My Thinkpad does all I need. But the world seems to be moving in the direction of Apple now. I'm sure it will eventually swing away from Apple, but for now...

My 0.02$ as I've been using Windows and Apple machines for a long time now. Right now, my computer of choice is the top-notch 15' MacBook Pro. I bought it in June 07 and it followed me on several flights this year. Before I decided to buy a MBP, I had a second generation MacBook and before that I used an Asus notebook and standard Windows computers for over 10 years.

First of all: Apple is not the optimal choice for everybody!
I'm not an Apple fanboy, I like working on OS X though because I don't need any specific programs that only work on Windows. If there were any, I'd probably be using an IBM/Lenovo or HP notebook. It totally depends on your needs if an Apple notebook is suited for you but in general it can be said that if you're not dependent on any Windows applications, OS X will serve you better. OS X runs more stable, you can really rely on your machine to work when you need it and you don't have to format once in a while to clean out the registry. This means you save a lot of time just by not having to tweak/clean your OS.

The MacBook Air
Imho, the MBA is really good if you don't need a DVD drive everywhere you go. On my travels, the MBP was still better than any other notebook I took with me because it was thinner and lighter ... but the MBA gives me the power of an MB/MBP(without the graphics card but hey, I won't be designing in Cinema4D abroad) everywhere I go without taking up too much space or weighing too much.

Especially if you already own an iPod or iPhone, working on an Apple makes life more easy. Apple products just work perfectly together.

The MBA is designed for people who want a good machine they can take along so this would be the ultimate computer for travelers like us if we're not dependent on Windows applications. And even if one would need some Windows app, there would still be the possibility of just installing Windows XP through Boot Camp. I can say that even after 10+ years working on Windows, there is NO application I miss on my Mac and I don't have Boot Camp installed.

Personally, I would get an MBA if I hadn't just bought a MBP because traveling would be much more convenient.

Oh REALLY?

FAIL.

OK, I just have to ask; does losing a little over a kilo make THAT much difference? (MBP 15" 2.54kg, MBA 1.36kg)

I've traveled for years, and I really don't see losing a simple kilo making a big difference in what I carry along with me. sure, every bit helps, but to spend more and remove a bunch of features, just to dump a kilo?

And, if traveling light is that important (and more convenient), why did you get the MBP and not a regular Macbook? It's half a pound lighter...

If I had money to throw around, I might consider dropping $3k on it. But firstly, it's a first generation product, and most 1st generation products are fiascos, and besides, they'll have an improved, all-bugs-worked-out product in 6 months, so I'd probably wait even if I was going to buy one.

Exactly! If anything, they rushed this product out now to take advantage of all the great publicity the iPhone and iPod Touch have given them. It's probably best to wait for some improvements.

Apple never occured to me as a mass-market kind of company. I always saw Apple as a company that appeals to a particular niche with a monopoly on a highly differentiated product and continues to exclusively appeal to that market.

I have the MacBook and yes. I think it will make quite a difference. I sometimes travel with a Dell X1 which is a shade lighter than the Air just to save weight. I can really tell the difference between my bag with that in it versus with the MacBook.

I think I would have an easier time solving the Israeli/Palestinian conflict than the Mac/IBM divide.

I own both. Most of my machines are PCs, but there is a 9 month old iMac sitting in my home office that I use regularly. My wife owns a newish (September) Sony PCG-4L. I have an older Sony PCG-TR3a. Both notebooks are micros. Both can fit and Steve Job's interdepartment envelope, but mine would clearly bulge the envelope a hair.

The class of machine we're talking about is aimed at the road warrior. It is designed to take a computer that gets the job done whereever you want to go. I would bet that most people who own such a machine, also have a desktop at home.

Looking back at our past usage, I just think that Apple has made a few too many compromises. First, most road warriors I know carry a DVD or two with them for hotels, layovers, etc. Each of those, however, would be a lost movie rental for Apple. Many new laptops even allow you to play your DVDs without booting your computer. Obviously, you can't do this with iTunes.

DVDs & CDs are still a method of data transfer. My wife will sometimes leave data with clients on CDs. More and more companies have stopped USB keys from working on their machines for security reasons, and you often don't want to stick your USB key in an untrusted machine for a variety of reasons.
Yes, you can "borrow" a drive, but that is easier said than done, particularly with a machine on a secured network.

I know you can also carry a superdrive with you. Detached things, however, often get left at home, particularly when you are trying to fit five days worth of clothing, a notebook, a paper file of some sort, and a personal luxury item or two into a brief case and one carry-on bag.

This machine maxes at 2 gigs. If you run Parallels on your Mac, 2 gigs is barely enough. I added 1 gig (to bring it to two) on my iMac and I'm not completely thrilled with the speed at which Parallels runs. Because of Windows activation issues, I have not tried Fusion or the newer emulator (Crossover).

Just my two cents