First MacBook Air Reviews In, and They're Not Entirely Positive
The first reviews of Apple's skinny and sexy MacBook Air are in. The laptop is less than two-tenths-of-an-inch thick, but such slimness comes at a price ($1800-$3000). Even that price, the Air's minimalist hardware will make the Air a poor choice for no-compromise users, according to the first reviews posted today (the Air itself won't be in stores for another two weeks).
Edward C Baig from USA Today loves the size and weight of the thing, but has a number of complaints about the hardware shortcomings, including comparatively short non-replaceable battery's life, the missing internal DVD drive, and the lack of many common ports business users might need to hook their machines up to external displays or devices.
Newsweek's Steven Levy echoes many of the same complaints as Baig, but praises the Air's low temperatures when running and indicates that it's so small and light you'll never wonder whether you should take it with you because there's really no reason not to. Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal says much the same thing, indicating he loves the design but spends plenty of paragraphs describing its shortcomings -- the non-removable battery, the paltry one USB port, and the missing DVD drive that makes this impractical for those who like to pack a few discs for a long flight. Still, usual-Apple-lover Mossberg says "the result is a beautiful, amazingly thin computer, but one whose unusual trade-offs may turn off some frequent travelers."
So, is the $1,799 (and up) MacBook Air for you? Well, are you planning on using it as your only computer or will it be a second (or third) one just for trips and mobile computing? It seems it's just not quite up to the task of being your sole, go-to computing device. If you plan to get one, you should probably make it your second computer.
The Air is sexy, but just like those impractical roadsters a lot of people own but keep in the garage except on sunny afternoons, it's not really meant to be your only means of getting about.
From Engadget, USA Today, Newsweek, and Wall Street Journal
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
jv @ Jan 24th 2008 6:32PM
Optical drive complaint: If you have 1,800 to blow on an 80gb laptop, you have a few bucks to rent movies from iTunes.
Satanlka @ Jan 24th 2008 11:13PM
Ooooh don't let any of the mac fanboys read this article. They might realize how much hot air apple has been blowing up their butts this whole time. How will they deal with the realization that NO computer is ever perfect?
lauren @ Jan 25th 2008 4:59AM
I do have itunes movies - and tv shows - galore ... but I still wouldn't buy a computer without an optical drive. It's impractical. Not to mention the fact that I frequently use my two USB ports ... and while I know I can adapt one to two, I don't think I should have to if I'm purchasing a brand-new laptop in 2008.
This information saddens me, because I would've been interested in this MAC, save for these design flaws.
Roland Hall @ Jan 26th 2008 4:29AM
I have noticed no reviews for the ssd model. The optical drive problem is solved for 99 bucks. There is no laptop with a great battery that will last forever, or its more like a desktop with a handle, and i know of nobody with a laptop who carries a spare battery. The usb can be solved by a hub. You are going to get a case for the laptop, so having a few peripherals and carrying them with you won't be an issue. The issue is going to be the disk space. If you notice the time machine is shipping out just in time so you can't return you mac book air when the time capsule gets here. I have a mac book pro now, pretty new, and use a lacie 500 gig external hard drive for my iTunes media. You can't use it wirelessly by plugging into an airport and download music or movied. You can watch them and everything works great once they are there, but you must be wired to download, will this remain true to the air and time capsule, certainly i hope not. I am going to ask apple to hold my air and ship the same time as the time capsule, because i go the ssd model, so i am going to have to keep my iTunes and iPhoto data on the time capsule. I have to know this will work correct. Also at first i was planning on selling my mac book pro, but the more i read, these MBP's are basically a desktop replacement, so i might just set it up on my desk at home and use as a desktop replacement and use the air, for all my computing, which amount to internet browsing, iMovie, iDvd, Toast Titanium, Office 08, and iTunes and iPhoto. So something is going to have to give drive wise, so iTunes and iPhoto must be able to live on the time capsule, or more than likely it will get returned. But just like everything else apple makes, its so sexy and hard to resist. I just hope you can download iTunes and import photos to iPhoto straight to the time capsule. If this can be done. You air has a tera byte harddrive in its home network, so it could possible be a total replacement for the Mac Book Pro, but beware, you have 14 days to return the air, and the time capsule ships 14 days after the air. I don't believe in coincidences. So beware, maybe ask apple like me to ship them together so you have both, cause if you bough one without the other you aren't too smart, and if you get them shipped together 14 days of computing will probably give you a chance to do everything you do with you computer, so you can give the air a full testdrive, and still have the ability to return it. Cause i can tell you now, get a mac book pro, and you have the best computer in the world hand down. There is nothing this machine can't do, and it isn't that big either, maybe an inch or slightly over the entire front to back, and you won't be sorry or be lacking anything with it. But get the air, spend the money for the solid state drive, you are giving up a little hardrive, but 80 gigs isn't enough anyway, the timecapsule is going to have to be your harddrive, and it is suppossed to be able to be. Watch out for the return policy and the difference in ship date and you should be able to test drive a air, without risk. But the newest technology is the flash hard drives, or ssd's and the air with the 1.8 mhz and ssd harddrive, should be pretty fast, i don't care what the pro's are saying, i don't think there will be a noticable loss of speed between a mac book pro and a ssd air with the time capsule. Wirelesss N should serve songs and photos, plenty fast, and you are more than likely already storing them on an external harddrive, unless you spung for a monster harddrive in you mac book pro, I went with 160, and i couldn't fit all my iTunes library (which is huge). My photos are still on local drive, but they are growing in size and going to have to move to external drive soon. I think the top end ssd air is worth a try, i wouldn't bother if your not going to take advantage of the drive. That means aboslutely no moving pieces inside you air, so really nothing to break.
Geaux Tigers and apple keep it up... Keep on rockin in the free world...
tara Khan @ Mar 10th 2008 12:05PM
I personally have found my air adorable but USELESS!!!! I have bought over $1000 worth of extra crap to make it work like a normal computer and it still is not worth it.
No CD- fine pay $99 for one because remote disk is only for applications and not video's etc unless you are a master ripper etc... which I am not.
One USB port so if you don't have a remote printer you have to take out your USB that your file is on to plug in the computer, okay fine...
Migration Assistant is a FARCE- I have spent about 23 hours in total now, trying to get it to work. I have changed my router and purchased a time capsule to try to improve my chances - doesn't work!!! P.S. time capsule is a very overpriced hard disk and it's Wii Fi is nonsense... if you already had a computer (and people say to make the air a second computer) why would you not have had an internet connection before?
Away on business? Only first/business usually has charger- even when charging in first class it sometimes doesn't charge- and p.s. they have regular plugs you don't need the MagSafe Airline adapter (another waste of $53. Battery is NEVER longer than three hours in battery saving settings in full use. Had to stop creating an important presentation just recently.
International traveller? Oh, just wait! Many places i.e. hotels don't have wii fi throughout hotel, maybe in their lobbies or business centers and some hotels, nowhere. In the actual hotel room you usually have to plug in via ethernet to you computer. THERE IS NO ETHERNET PORT!!! Even one of the IT help people I spoke to couldn't believe this was missing! So no internet when far away from home.
Last but not least if you are giving a presentation that requires playing a video, you can not hear the video because their is no jack for outgoing sound... What an absolute joke.
This is my second computer and as that it is useless. I have had to spend so much time with help desks at apple that the wait is always greater than 15 minutes or greater than 25 minutes (WHAT?) And then you are transferred around 3 times!!!
I love apple, so I dealt with all of this because I really wanted this computer to be okay, not great, just okay. It is not! Do not kid yourself. I read a review that said it is great for the "starbucks crowd" which I hated to admit that I thought I may have been. But even the "starbucks crowd" would be annoyed at the battery length. Because of all the accessories I had to carry with my macbook air, my backpack on my last trip was heavier than it would have been if I would have just taken along my MacBoook. And p.s. I bought that MacBook only one year ago and it is not at all compatable with my air because it is a tiger and now the air is a leapord... only one year. I have returned my MacBook Air and feel liberated. I am not anti-apple, I just think they rushed this book out and the way the world is today is not ready for entirely wireless everything. It just doesn't work well.