MacBook Air

[number8]

The new Macbook has no optical drive to read CDs or DVDs, and it's another one of Apple's "let's move ahead" schemes like in the past when they dumped Floppies and Zip drives before everyone else. This time, they're totally putting their weight on wireless tech and internet downloads, forgoing physical memory devices.

I'm still unsure about this decision.

Discuss.

[megladon8]

I think they may have jumped the gun on this one.

Seems a little too soon.

[Sycophant]

I think we're probably still too attached to optical media. It's gonna take a few years yet for consumer tastes to catch up with this.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Ridiculous. If I want to rip a new CD to my laptop, I'm just out of luck? Either that or I have to do it on someone else's computer and use an external hard drive? This decision is coming too early. Digital media isn't the predominant form yet, in fact it isn't even close. This thing will flop.

[D_Davis]

It also "features" a battery that is not consumer replaceable, just like the iPods.

[megladon8]

It also "features" a battery that is not consumer replaceable, just like the iPods.


So what, it's like "oh shit, my battery's dead, time to buy a new computer"?

Lame.

[number8]

Ridiculous. If I want to rip a new CD to my laptop, I'm just out of luck? Either that or I have to do it on someone else's computer and use an external hard drive? This decision is coming too early. Digital media isn't the predominant form yet, in fact it isn't even close. This thing will flop.

No, they have this new system where the Macbook can "hijack" a nearby Mac or PC and read CDs from their optical drives. So, yeah, it sucks that you have to find another computer, but you don't have to use external drives since your Macbook can read the CD or DVD directly.

I, too, think this might be too early, but I keep remembering the reaction when Apple decided they wouldn't use floppies anymore. I don't know if this is similar, but they get the "this is too soon!" reaction a lot, so I dunno, maybe we need someone to start doing this in order to push other companies to move in the same direction and abandon CDs altogether.

[Duncan]

Is there at least some sort of port for an external hard drive (or CD/DVD burner) so that you can back up your data?

[number8]

It also "features" a battery that is not consumer replaceable, just like the iPods.

?

You can buy additional/replacement batteries.

[number8]

Is there at least some sort of port for an external hard drive (or CD/DVD burner) so that you can back up your data?

Yes there's the usual USB ports, but that's another interesting thing. They're also releasing a new device called Time Capsule, which is an external HD and wireless router combination. It not only creates wireless networks, but it also automatically downloads all the files off your Macbook periodically. So you never have to manually back up anything.

[shaun]

but it also automatically downloads all the files off your Macbook periodically. So you never have to manually back up anything.I sure hope you can specify exactly what you want backed up otherwise wirelessly backing up 3GB of Mandingo Madness is going to be a time consuming waste of HD space.

[number8]

I sure hope you can specify exactly what you want backed up otherwise wirelessly backing up 3GB of Mandingo Madness is going to be a time consuming waste of HD space.

I don't think so. I think what you do is that it initially backs up every single file on your computer, and from then on it automatically backs up new files or any existing file that's been changed in any manner.

Good news is, the thing only comes in 500GB and 1TB. :P

[D_Davis]

?

You can buy additional/replacement batteries.

Looks like Engadget updated their original story:

http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/15/macbook-air-battery-replacements-129-free-install/

The first reports this morning had said otherwise.

You still have to take it to an Apple store though.

[Ezee E]

There's some neat ideas on it, but the lack of the optical drive will probably make it a failure in the long run.

[Acapelli]

Looks like Engadget updated their original story:

http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/15/macbook-air-battery-replacements-129-free-install/

The first reports this morning had said otherwise.

You still have to take it to an Apple store though.
Comments in tech news stories make me wanna vomit.

[number8]

I don't think so. I think what you do is that it initially backs up every single file on your computer, and from then on it automatically backs up new files or any existing file that's been changed in any manner.

I was mistaken. I just spoke to someone who uses it and he said you can select certain folders and applications that you don't want to back up.

[D_Davis]

Comments in tech news stories make me wanna vomit.

Why? I don't see them being any more trivial and frivolous than comments posted on a film/pop-culture message board.

;)

[Mysterious Dude]

I, too, think this might be too early, but I keep remembering the reaction when Apple decided they wouldn't use floppies anymore. I don't know if this is similar, but they get the "this is too soon!" reaction a lot, so I dunno, maybe we need someone to start doing this in order to push other companies to move in the same direction and abandon CDs altogether.
I remember when they first released the iMac and it didn't have a floppy drive, and everyone was like, "We still need a floppy drive!" I think what they did was sell a device you could buy separately for floppies.

And now I have all these floppies and nowhere to put them.

[D_Davis]

I still use floppy disks, all the time really. They are perfect for text documents, and, in my experience, more reliable than CDs and digital storage.

[shaun]

This really isn't a concern to me now that you can buy keychain 4GB flash drives for as low as $25. I work in IT engineering and I don't think I've used floppies, CDs, or DVDs as a storage container in well over a year.

I still use my DVD drive to watch or rip movies from my laptop but once the time consuming process of converting all my physical DVDs to digital format is complete, I doubt I'll even need it for that.
I was mistaken. I just spoke to someone who uses it and he said you can select certain folders and applications that you don't want to back up.That's a plus. I can see how backing up everything indiscriminately would be a major security issue for people with sensitive or encrypted data.

[bac0n]

Looks to me that the MacBook Air is supposed to serve as a sidekick to a regular mac or pc desktop. I'm not gonna spend US $1800 for a computer that can't stand on its own two feet - especially when for $200 more, I can have an almighty MacBook Pro, or for $800 less I can have a regular MacBook.

And plus, this thing has a measly 1.6 Ghz processor. That ain't gonna cut the mustard.

I think Jobs has a tough sell on his hands, but if anybody can do it, it's him.

[bac0n]

There's some neat ideas on it, but the lack of the optical drive will probably make it a failure in the long run.

You can buy an external optical drive which attaches to the USB port.

[Sycophant]

Looks to me that the MacBook Air is supposed to serve as a sidekick to a regular mac or pc desktop. I'm not gonna spend US $1800 for a computer that can't stand on its own two feet - especially when for $200 more, I can have an almighty MacBook Pro, or for $800 less I can have a regular MacBook. And for something like $1200 less you could nab a decent-performing Windows laptop.

Just sayin'.

The Time Capsule thing sure sounds interesting though.

[Skitch]

...huh huh...huh huh...heh heh...erm...

...Macintosh.

[[ETM]]

Um... they're not trying to replace the "standard" laptop with this. I can totally see this as an "on the go" device while you're based on a desktop machine which has and will have optical drives for a long long time still. This is like a hi-tech, tricked out and way more expensive Asus Eee more than anything.

[shaun]

;25638']This is like a hi-tech, tricked out and way more expensive Asus Eee more than anything.The Asus is a subcompact with a 7" screen. This thing is more like a lighter and thinner version of my Dell M1330 with less processing power, ram, hd space, and a shittier graphics card... for twice the price of course.

[Acapelli]

Why? I don't see them being any more trivial and frivolous than comments posted on a film/pop-culture message board.

;)
are you comparing the comment sections at engadget to matchcut?

I just think the discussion there has absolutely no value. One side constantly complains about how much Mac sucks, and the other side brags about how they're the leaders in innovation. Yeah, there might be some insightful commentary, but for the most part, it's few and far between. It's just boring.

And here comes the Mac bashing.

[Saya]

I love the look of the Macbook Air. I think the size/weight are perfect. I can't see a laptop ever needing to be thinner than this. But it's still way to expensive.