MacBook Air - Page 2

aps · 01-18-2008

What you guys need is Asus Eee PC. It has everything you would want out in regards to mobility. The only downfall is the screen size and resolution and also the hard drive capacity but for what its worth you cannot complain. 4gb SSD model: 220 pounds and 8gb SSD 255 pounds. It has an SDHC slot so you can add another 8gb or 16gb storage on top of that has 3 2.0USB ports. Atheros Wireless. You can even play some popular games.

Compared to that the only reason why you would want the MacBook Air is because if it thinness and sleek look. Perhaps the large HDD as well. The MacBook does have a better processor but the E-PC isnt near bad, infact most people are happy with it.

DimaMP4 · 01-18-2008

Asus Eee PC + Win XP is kickass for a portable PC. IMO. Maybe not the most powerful thing but still very nice.

SteveMB93 · 01-19-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graymalkin

It's more than 1 cm thicker, and half a kilo heavier. ONE USB port more and a DVD drive (which I for one never use in my portables. When at home or at work there's network storage and when on the way I simply refuse to drag along a box of CDs/DVDs). No backlit keyboard, no generously proportioned multitouch trackpad (which means one would have to bring along a seperate mouse to work comfortably). On top, the MBA is green (a big plus in my eyes). 10x better specs? Sorry, I couldn't see that when comparing them.

Well, there's a right of existance for both devices, and in my opinion those two aren't even geared towards the same audience. So it's still comparing apples to oranges here.

Plus... I simply refuse to bash Apple just because it's Apple, as popular it may seem in these forums. True - they're snotty, they're pricey, and the Apple fanboyism is sure a hell of an irritation... but - damn! - they make some fancy stuff.

Wow, you're one of the few people who I know that don't use a DVD drive in their laptop. The Dell m1330 is only .97 lbs more, and can support up to 4GB of RAM, and it's not built-in like the MBA. Also, the MBA STARTS at $1800.

The base model comes with a Core 2 Duo 1.6GHZ, while the M1330 comes with a 2.2GHZ Core 2 Duo. Multitouch trackpad? How many laptops use that? The MBA comes with an 80GB 4200RPM HDD, the m1330 comes with a 250GB 5400RPM HDD. The m1330 has a 8400M GS (not anything to brag about, but certainly better than the MBA). I almost forgot to mention the removable battery on the m1330. The Dell has a 3 year warranty, the MBA has a 1 year.

I know it's nothing to brag about, but the m1330 has a DVD RW drive. The models I am comparing are the $1800 MBA and the $1399 m1330. You get better specs for a cheaper price, while weighing only .97 lbs more.

Sammy · 02-14-2008

The normal macbooks are way nicer

pr5owner · 03-16-2008

lol the macbook air cant hold a candle to any notebook within $500

instead of buying that crap i got an Asus F9s-B1

- core2duo 2.2GHz (slaughters the POS 1.6 the MBA comes with)
- 3GB of DD2-5300 Ram Dual ch (upgraded to 3 from 1 for $50, 2nd chip is a patriot stick, oh wow! i can ugprade the ram myself in 40 seconds)
- 160GB HDD 5400RPM (4200RPM sucks ass and i can UPGRADE it to a 128GB SSD if i wanted too for LESS than the SSD MBA)
- nVidia 8400 128MB Deticated video (onboard video blows goats)
- 1.3MP webcam + LED Light
- built in DVDRW drive (non of this external cd drive BS)
- 3x USB Ports (not 1 that doesnt work with half the usb devices out there, thick usb devices do not fit)
- GIG Lan port (i aint buying an "addon" ethernet usb device, that is bull shit)
- Modem (still usefull in hotels for VPN)
- Price? $1200 not $1800 or $3000 or whatever apple wants to pull out of their ass
- warranty? 2 yrs INTERNATIONAL, not this 1 yr crap with 90 days free tech support, WTF do i have to pay for over the phone tech support, who is that cheap? really...
- 12.1" notebook vs 13.3" mines smaller since i can fit it into a smaller bag with less addons, being thin does nothing to save space, even if the MBa was TWO DIMENSIONAL you still need a bag to carry a 13.3" notebook.

SteveMB93 · 03-16-2008

An Asus is an excellent choice. In fact I have the S96J, I am thinking about upgrading to the G1.

Traps · 03-16-2008

Gee.. this topic was up for so long and I didn't see it before..

When it comes to ultra-portables I usually to think of the VIA Nanobook or the Asus EeePC. These are way more portable than the Mac Book Air, because they are actually small, not just thin (in fact, "thin" is a moot point when it still has a considerable area IMO).

But putting these aside because of their "underpowered" nature...

Have you guys seen the new ThinkPad X300 from Lenovo? It's nearly as thin as the Mac Book Air, but unlike the MBA, it kicks major ass!

kadajawi · 03-16-2008

The problem with the EeePC is the screen. It is tiny (and the resolution... the M8 is supposed to have a similar resolution!). Come on, even PMPs have bigger screens! (ok, similar size at least). And the keyboard is tiny as well. Ok, so I'm a Psion Series 5 fan and have rather small hands, so I can live with that, but what is so great about the Air is that it is very portable but still has a "big" high res screen and a decent sized keyboard. Of course I would rather buy a MacBook because it is the better machine, but for those who only want a mobile typewriter/internet surfing thing the Air is the perfect choice.

I'd rather get a ultra thin 13.3" device than a 12" device, because of the screen and keyboard. I mean, come on, any normal bag should have enough space for a thin 13.3" device. That way I can easily slip the notebook between my papers which should be around the same size. Brilliant idea by Apple and Lenovo.

The X300 is brilliant. Better screen (no f...ing glare!), far better equipped and yet small. And those ThinkPads are built to last. And I like the ThinkPad design a lot (though the Air IS sexy).

stonecoldd · 03-16-2008

macbook air is pretty much only for those people who go on business trips or such...i mean c'mon you can't even watch a freakin movie on there (talkin abt dvds and such here...not downloaded content).....it's definitely not for entertainment purposes that's for sure....it's more for people who are on-the-go....so no use comparing it to other laptops with more features.....and the whole "thinnest laptop ever" gig only takes you so far in sales....i mean my HP laptop is not that thin but still highly portable....to me the macbook air is just another over priced product from apple....

docarter · 06-07-2008

Quote:

macbook air is pretty much only for those people who go on business trips or such...i mean c'mon you can't even watch a freakin movie on there (talkin abt dvds and such here...not downloaded content).....it's definitely not for entertainment purposes that's for sure....it's more for people who are on-the-go....so no use comparing it to other laptops with more features.....and the whole "thinnest laptop ever" gig only takes you so far in sales....i mean my HP laptop is not that thin but still highly portable....to me the macbook air is just another over priced product from apple....

VERY TRUE!

taling hallenthur · 06-07-2008

Having said that, I think there is no point in buying Macbook Air when we have Atom devices coming out in a couple of days. They have smaller screens but they get the job done.

tainted peak · 06-07-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graymalkin

Ethernet? Who's still using ethernet these days? No optical drive? *snickers* Well, that reminds me of the day when computers started to come without a floppy drive. zOMG, teh world is coming to it's end!!!111one :D And one USB port is plenty enough. Plug in an iPod classic or any other USB-powered storage device and - presto - up to 160 gigabytes of spaceous goodness.

Alot of people like to actually use a mouse and then where do you plug in stuff.... On another note does it have a wireless network card or is it just no internet at all cause for $1700 i don't care how thin it is its impossible these days to have a pc and not have atleast some access to internet.

You could spend 1700 on a overpriced dell desktop or laptop or just build your own really nice one for 1300 and have 400 left over for hookers......

I like the hooker idea

mbarry · 06-08-2008

The battery life sucks, no drive, non user replaceable anything etc.etc.etc. I would buy it if it was $500.

Traps · 06-10-2008

I just stumbled upon a couple of interesting articles that prove how the Air is not only NOT the thinnest laptop ever, but also how Apple were not the first going for thin laptops (so much for their "thinnovation", huh?):

1. The thinnest laptop ever comes from Sharp, with the Actius MM10/Muramasa notebook, which measured 0.54 inch thick and hit the shelves in 2003.

2. Before that, the thinnest laptop had been the 0.7244 inch thick Pedion, a joint project of Mitsubishi and HP, developed way back in 1997 and released by Mitsubishi in 1998. Unfortunately it made too many compromises for it's time (no optical drive in 1998 was crazy, lol), and died a quick, ugly death shortly after.

So, as you can see, the Air's "0.76 inch thick on the thickest end" does not make the thinnest laptop ever. Probably there were other laptops thinner than the Air in the past, but similarly to these 2, they might now be forgotten.
Anyway, has anyone seen the new 0.7 inch thick Voodoo Envy 133? That thing looks sexy! (and yes, it's thinner than the Air

)

SteveMB93 · 06-11-2008

I'm also pretty sure that there was a Sony laptop that was thinner than the Air.

Traps · 06-11-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveMB93

I'm also pretty sure that there was a Sony laptop that was thinner than the Air.

I think you mean the Sony Vaio X505 released back in 2004. Regarding it's measurements, I've read inconsistent values in several sources: some say 0.3-0.75 inches thick, while others say 0.38-0.83 inches thick. So there's uncertainty as to whether if was thinner than the Air, or just "came close" to it. Nevertheless, it was quite impressive for it's time.

But you know what, after trying the "thin notebook thing", Sony understood that this was not what consumers wanted. And they reached an important conclusion: an ultraportable must be smaller in size, but not necessarily super-thin. So I guess either Sony is 4 years ahead of Apple regarding their understanding of customer needs, or the Jobsian distortion fields are strooong...