Macbook Air - Hot or Not? 11" or 13"

I got the previous generation MacBook Air. I love the just-grab-and-go style of it. Since I use it mostly for just browsing the web and checking email, I really don't need more power (or weight!). If I didn't already have it, I would have ordered a new one (13") the day they came out, and I NEVER like new toys the day they come out.

 

i think the air is good for a secondary device. it's not really good for a primary laptop because it's not equipped to do as much externally speaking. it's a novelty.

 

I voted not because I think it's too limited. If I was looking for a smaller portable, I might look into the ipad. But I just don't understand paying more for an ultra-thin notebook that doesn't have the features or capabilities of cheaper 13" PC laptops (you're not sacrificing that much space by getting a 1.5" high laptop that has an optical drive and more ports).

 

Interesting davesrose... the iPad is actually less feature rich than the Macbook Air... yet you would prefer it over the Air. Is that due to the touch screen or the general hype of iOS?

The laptop arena has really been broken down into two segments now - netbooks and desktop replacements. A netbook is generally characterized by a smaller size and weight, combined with a decrease in available features (usually ports and optical drive) and a decrease in overall power (processor and graphics card). Often they even come with a gimped OS that limits what you can do. A desktop replacement, on the other hand, is designed to be big and heavy, with plenty of ports and an optical drive. It's literally designed to replace the need for a desktop.

The Macbook Air is not a desktop replacement. Plain and simple. If you're looking for a super powerful machine, it's not for you. Go for a MacBook Pro in that case (which, incidentally, is under an inch thick - there's no need to go for a laptop that's 1.5 inches tall). Having 2 USB ports on something that is designed for portability is more than enough - you aren't going to be plugging in a half dozen things into this machine regularly. On the road, a lot of people prefer external mice, and will probably be working off of flash drives occasionally - look at that, 2 ports! They aren't going to have a scanner, printer, photo printer, external hard drive, etc plugged in all too often at the same time... And if you do, you're probably at home and can run all of those through a hub. Likewise, the lack of an optical drive isn't a huge problem. You can get a small, light USB optical drive fairly cheaply if you use it that often... Personally, I haven't even used an optical drive in two years, not since i finished digitizing my media collection. Everything is delivered via digital download these days. Further, with the introduction of the Mac App Store, we're likely to see software being delivered through that integrated solution in the future, driving down traditional "big-box" software sales. Apple has enabled their store to sell you everything you'll ever need or want for your computer. Music, video, and apps.

So, that's talking about what the Air doesn't have. What does it have? Well, for starters it has a kick-nice person graphics processor. It's the same processor that comes with the Macbook Pro. Having a graphics card this good is extremely rare for netbooks - almost all of the time they use integrated graphics. With typically smaller screens, it's no wonder - they don't expect you to be playing games or watching movies on such a small machine. Next up, it has a solid state drive. Before, you could get an SSD as an upgrade option. Now it's standard. The SSD is going to enable the laptop to be more responsive to wake/sleep cycles and to load programs faster than you would ever expect from most other computers with traditional platter drivers. Further, an SSD drive isn't as susceptible to damage from being dropped as traditional drives are, making it perfect for a machine designed for portability. Lastly, it has amazing battery life. Battery life that completely knocks its competitors out of the water.

For me, it was about time to replace my 4 year old Macbook. It served me well, but all things must eventually come to an end... and I couldn't pass up the new Air's. Mine should arrive on Wednesday Before, i looked at lugging around the old Macbook as an option when needed... but didn't do it very often. It mostly just sat by my couch. The Air will hopefully change that.

For my sister, the Air represents a new way to use her laptop. She just went back to school for her PhD after two years working, and her 3 year old Macbook wasn't quite cutting it anymore. She'd only use it at her desk or on the couch 5 feet away, which really makes having a laptop kind of silly. With the new Air she ordered this weekend, she's planning on taking it to class to take notes with, every day. It will fundamentally change the way she's using her computer. On a side note, I did the same thing in school with an ultra-portable Dell quite a few years ago. That computer had 2 USB ports and no optical drive as well

 

It's because it has the basic features that an ultra thin portable would need (internet, support for basic apps, multimedia capabilities)...all while being cheaper then the Air.

Well everyone has different needs...my ultra portable Toshiba was half the price of the 13" Air, and has more features that I need (large HD for my downloads, recordable optical drive for making copies for friends/family, several USB ports for having a graphics tablet and thumb drive at the same time). My optical drive gets used a lot: last time I used it was this last weekend.

 

When you say ultra portable davesrose, what Toshiba are you talking about, specifically? Both of their ultra portables (aka netbooks) NB250 and NB300 don't have optical drives... I have a feeling your definition of ultra portable and mine differ somewhat.

 

Well Toshiba seems to be advertising their ultra portable laptop line as being the Portege series (which is either 12" or 13" tablet PCs). I have a 13" Satellite U405-S826, which I use as my "ultra portable"...fits easily on a carry on, and has good enough multimedia capabilities. If I'm going somewhere that I'll have to do more 3D animation work, I'll take my HP mobile workstation (which for some reason, notebook companies like to bundle the best pro cards with the largest display laptops).

 

First off, let me say that Toshiba's website is completely worthless. Looking at their pages for any of their laptops, there is a complete lack of tech specs. There's no way to truly evaluate what your getting without them.

So, i checked out Best buy for some specs. Unfortunately, they don't list weight, but they do list most of the other specs, like dimensions.

The 13-inch MBA is 77.8 cubic inches. The 11-inch MBA is 60.7 cubic inches. That's if we assume a uniform height of 0.68 inches (the maximum height of the laptop) and ignore the tapering to 0.11 inches.

The 13 inch Satellite is 169.7 cubic inches. That's over twice as big at the 13 inch MBA. While i don't have stats to back this next statement up, I'm willing to bet it's over twice the weight of the 13 inch MBA as well.

The 13 inch Portege is 110.4 cubic inches - 40% larger than the MBA.

Toshiba may call these "ultra-portables"... but they are still significantly larger than true ultra-portable laptops like the MBA.

In contrast, the Macbook is 128 cubic inches. The 13-inch Macbook Pro is 133 cubic inches.

I guess according to Toshiba and you, we could classify both of those as ultra-portables... Would that make the MBA and ultra-ultra-portable?

When it comes to portability, size matters. Weight matters more. I'd love to find a good weight for Toshiba's "ultra-portables" to compare to...

 

interestingly, some other sites have had the exact opposite reaction. For example, MacBook Air Review - New Macbook Air Pictures - Popular Mechanics

 

Well wikipedia classifies the Air as a "subcompact" laptop. I suppose that would make the MBP and 13" Toshibas "compact" laptops: is that a better terminology for you?

Well doing a quick search, I couldn't find a stated weight for a Toshiba (Satellite or Portege) either. I assume the Portege is heavier then the Satellite (having a swivel screen), and that both are obviously heavier then the Air.

Obviously, you bought the Air, so you find that it works for your needs. I'm just saying that "compacts" seem to have the features that I need, and that their dimensions are just right in being portable.

 

For travel, my criterion is weight: It has to be under one pound. So the MacBook Air doesn't make the grade. And now that I have the iTouch, I'm not sure even a 15-ounce MacBook would interest me.

Pretty soon you'll be able to plug a special pair of goggles into your smartphone and have the graphics of a theater screen and the functions of a computer. Netbooks will be obsolete.

 

You know daniel, I was waiting for you to chime in from the other extreme and tell us how the Air is just too damn heavy Of course, no one makes a laptop that'll fit your needs! if you did manage to find a sub 1lb notebook, it probably wouldn't have features/performance I'd consider mandatory, just like the Air doesn't fit davesrose's needs. It's like Goldilocks and the three bears... this one's too big, that one's too small, but this one is just right!

 

My daughter's in the market for a new computer, but she needs a desktop equivalent. None of us do enough travelling to appreciate the features of an Air, so I guess we're waiting for the MBP upgrade. My efforts to convince her to settle for a MacBook aren't working.

 

Hyo, given my experience with Macbook's and Macbook Pro's... I would definitely recommend to everyone to get a Pro. You'll never have a problem with the solid aluminum construction of the Pro, where as the plastic construction of the Macbook has its faults - chief among them cracking at the edges, especially near the palm rests... it ends up being very uncomfortable. Other than that, the only real difference between the MB and MBP is the starting amount of RAM - 2GB versus 4GB. And trust me, you want the 4GB. 2GB is sufficient for laptops these days, but two years down the road it won't be. I read an article once that compared standard tasks in MS Word on a computer from 2000 (running word 2000) versus a computer from 2007 with Word 2007... even though the computer itself could process instructions at almost 8x times the speed, the 2007 word performed almost half as fast as one from 2000. Software bloat just kills all of our hardware performance upgrades.

 

Yes, looking at the differences, the Pro seems worth the additional cost. Especially for a computer we expect to be used for a good long time. I wish the 13 had been blessed with the same processors the 15 and 17 got. Mac Rumours suggests a new Pro will be released soon, which will be much better than having to share my iMac. She's not so keen on sharing her touch, so we'll have to work on that.

 

Well I'm siding with her! I have a second generation touch, at 16GB. Of course these days, you can get a touch for what I paid at 32GB. But I find the touch is good for having your entire music collection plus a video or two. It mainly resides in my Prius now (as my main music source). Especially since Apple just designed it to sync with one itunes app, I think it's a highly personalized device.

Apparently my dad is now interested in a touch: He's starting to price them out now, and last time I visited, I showed him my touch. Having a touch as my "ultra ultra-personal" device plus a 13" compact notebook, they give me less reason to need an ipad or Air.