New Macbook Air
- Thread starter Saturn0660
- Start date
It's actually priced quite well within the sub-notebook niche, particularly since it sports a full-sized screen and a (comparatively) fast processor. I'm quite excited to get my hands on one to see just how small it is in person.
You can install remotely from another computer's optical drive on your network. As for the person who said you can't watch a dvd in the airport, you can rent movies via iTunes or rip a dvd to your hard drive. 
It's not a primary computer, no. But it'd probably be a sweet secondary computer for writing, surfing, watching stuff on the go.
It's not a primary computer, no. But it'd probably be a sweet secondary computer for writing, surfing, watching stuff on the go.
For $1800, I can get TWO fully-featured laptops with more goodies like an optical drive and more HDD space that I could use to write, surf and watch my DVDs on the go. That's one heck of a price to pay for a smaller form factor AND get a gimped product in place.
Before someone counters with the "Macs killed 3.5" floppies" argument, 3.5" floppies that held a small amount of data were FAR closer to obsolescence than CD or DVD-ROM drives are today.
No shit. You can get internet on your phone without paying for an iPhone too. Or you can get a free phone and tether it to a laptop to get internet. See my point?
When someone is buying something like a Macbook Air, they are paying for the design, the size etc. You can get a laptop for 400 bucks if you try hard enough.
S
Stone_Cold_Sisko
Guest
Chess Piece Face said:
You can install remotely from another computer's optical drive on your network. As for the person who said you can't watch a dvd in the airport, you can rent movies via iTunes or rip a dvd to your hard drive.
With what exactly?
Putting aside the fact that you're breaking copy protection by doing that... How exactly are you going to do that with no DVD drive? I am pretty sure I read you can't rip music through "Remote Disc" so I'm assuming you can't do DVD also.
Seriously, both Remote Disc and buying a $100 peripheral that you have to ALSO take with you (add its weight to that of the MBAir) is a pain in the ass. These are not good solutions, and anybody suggesting these are, I have to say, sounds like an apologist.
Apparently I'm a dying breed, one of us old-timers who only use ONE computer at a time. Apparently now the rage is to buy TWO computers, one of which is an $1800 laptop, just to get basic functionality.
$1800 for a secondary laptop, that's nonsense. Along with the super slow hard drive... the battery that you can't replace (?????). This thing should be priced at like $600 or $700 at the most with this limited funcitonality.
Stone_Cold_Sisko said:
Chess Piece Face said:
You can install remotely from another computer's optical drive on your network. As for the person who said you can't watch a dvd in the airport, you can rent movies via iTunes or rip a dvd to your hard drive.
With what exactly?
1 You can rip a dvd using another computer to its hard drive. You can copy that over via wireless network to the Macbook Air.
2 You can use the optical drive in another computer to play a dvd on your Macbook Air.
3 You can rent a movie for 3 bucks on iTunes and watch it on your Macbook Air.
4 You can use any external drive to watch it on your Macbook Air.
5 You can use any external drive to rip a file to your Macbook Air.
The point is there are many ways to watch movies on this thing. Not all of them are illegal.
Listen, if you are the kind of person who would pay a premium for a light notebook you most likely have another primary computer and a wireless network. Hell, you can get a g3 tower off ebay for 50 bucks and do this.
You are obviously not the demographic they are aiming for, that doesn't make the product bad.
I spent 50 bucks on the new thin aluminum apple keyboard. I could have spent 15 dollars on a generic one at Wal-Mart. I love it, it matches my office and I enjoy that they keys are the same style as my Macbook. Some people are happy to pay money to appreciate and support fantastic design.
Now, if you want to keep going point by point on how you can't do things with this new Macbook Air I'm sure there will be someone who will show you exactly how it can be done. That seems like a waste of time to me though.
If I wanted to purchase an iPhone, in addition to the touchscreen, it would be because the iPhone offers far better internet browsing and multimedia capabilities (music and photos) than I've seen on any other phone (somebody needs to inform Palm OS that their OS was obsolete 5 years ago and is now a sad, unfunny punchline). The Air offers absolutely NOTHING beyond a small form factor.
Deleted 2
Vice Admiral
Again in Apple's defense, most laptops in this size segment don't come with an optical drive. (Most of them do have a docking station with an optical drive, however).
And I don't see what's the big deal. Being able to read cds and dvds is nice, but certainly not a dealbreaker for me.
And I don't see what's the big deal. Being able to read cds and dvds is nice, but certainly not a dealbreaker for me.
If you have a family and children this can easily get out of hand. We have now ten machines and all but one - which is the OLPC - are being used daily. I already have a pretty good but heavy laptop which I use exclusively for work.
I'm going to take a look at the store, for sure.
I'm switching
Only three windozen to go.
I'm going to take a look at the store, for sure.
I'm switching
Only three windozen to go.
I agree with you there, and I wouldn't buy one. I personally wouldn't spend the money to have a Macbook Air when I already have a Macbook. Now, I would consider it if I had a desktop Mac of some flavor. I would consider it, but I would probably pass and go for the regular Macbook due to cheaper price, more features etc.
All I am saying is that for some people, the kind of people who buy these subnotebooks, it is reasonable. If you want to argue that you could do this and that on a cheaper machine, you are missing the point.
Then where did you install software from? Or do you use only what came with the computer?
(Which actually isn't a bad idea, come to think of it; were it not for iLife '08, even I'd be using only what came with my iMac)
GodThingFormerly
A Different Kind of Asshole
I'm well aware of software you can download, but I was *not* aware that major software packages such as Photoshop, MS Office, Final Cut, etc. could be purchased in download form. (In fact, I know iLife can't, because it's not available that way on the Apple Store. Of course this doesn't apply to the MacBook Air, which includes it, but still...)
But something tells me the Airbook isn't intended for use as Photoshop system.
That said unless you want the full CS3 Suite for example you can download and licence quite a few of the Adobe products of the net. You can do it for Office 2007 for Windows but not sure if MS will do it for Office 2008 for Mac (given that it represents all the money from the sale going to MS without the need to produce discs, boxes etc I'd be suprised if they don't).
