This is a depressing post to write. As a huge fan of Steve Jobs and Apple, and as a shareholder watching cautiously, and more importantly, as a consumer of Apple products considering a new computer soon, I'm very underwhelmed by the new MacBook Air.
Yes, the computer is the thinnest notebook in the world, and yes, it comes with a bundle of new features... HOWEVER:
1) I don't like this tapered look- it's like when Apple started making their laptops in black. Way to sell-out and blend in with the other guys...
2) If you watch the guided tour, you'll go through the good and bad- the touch-pad acts like the iPhone screens and you have all these tricks like pinching (zooming) and rotating with two fingers and whatnot. However, you'll notice they also go through what the Apple doesn't have.
They are claiming that it is designed for the wireless movement. This, to me, is like reps not sending you any printed brochures and samples for the Green movement. I know they are wasteful, but sometimes you still need it... Well, Steve Jobs, I still need a firewire port and a CD/DVD drive. You'll notice in the guided tour that the only ports shown are headphone, USB, and VGA. Apple made-up this firewire business and now they're just going to do-away with it? WHAT?!?!
They're way of rationalizing this decision:
"Instead of watching a DVD, rent a movie from iTunes. Instead of backing your files up on a disc, use Apple's Time Capsule program."
Mmhmm... that works for those of us that are buying our first computers tomorrow and have no contact with the rest of the world. Let me know when you meet those people.
There are two many reasons to list why this is not a good thing. They give you the "option" of buying an external CD drive- what?? Are we going back in time?? Honestly.
So, I'm UNDERwhelmed- the only good things I see here are the touchpad and the size (thickest point = .76 in). The rest can be attributed to the new operating system which I'd rather buy for my aging Powerbook G4, and continue to wait for the next BEST thing.
2 comments:
agreed. on every account. i watched the guided tour video tingling with excitement until...you can add a optical drive?!....ONE USB drive?!...it won't be very light and compact once you add in all the extra adapters that you need just to use the thing efficiently.
I completely agree- this is the perfect computer for the people who have $1800 to blow and a lot of time to sit in an airport or something. If you don't have any ACTUAL work to do on this computer and can use it for the tricks it "gives" you, go for it.
The rest of us will wait anxiously for something we can buy as a tool- not just a pretty toy.
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