MacBook Air official...and more expensive than MacBook? What the hell?

[Lostgame]

Steve Jobs announced it!

 

[dark4181]

lol, go you

 

cool beans too.. lets see some specs

[Lostgame]

Alright (via gizmodo):

 

Here’s the CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo Inside, 1.6 GHz standard, with a 1.8GHz upgrade available.

Other stuffs: Flip-down door that has USB 2, microDVI port, and a headphone jack. The other side is a MagSafe connector. As for wireless, it’s got 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR. It doesn’t have an optical drive internal, but you can buy a separate USB-powered SuperDrive that’s especially made for the MacBook Air. $99.

 

What do you do with an optical drive? Play movies, install software, make backups, burn CDs. What’s Apple’s alternative? iTunes movie rentals, Time Capsule for backups, iPods for listening to stuff in your car, and a new feature called “Remote Disc” for installing stuff via CDs and DVDs.

 

And what the fuck? $1799? More than a MacBook? This was Apple's chance to hit the general consumer market - that's a failure, horribly. I would rather have a MacBook at 2.0 GHZ, with a DVD burner and all that stuff than pay $1799 for an underpowered dinky toy.

[dark4181]

i guess i shouldn't be suprised that this thing is bloody expensive, but i still am, a little

 

ah well, show me new and improved macbook pros

[ruku]

whats that graphics chip? x3100?

 

edit: yep

Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor with 144MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory4

[Paranoid Marvin]

And what the fuck? $1799? More than a MacBook? This was Apple's chance to hit the general consumer market - that's a failure, horribly. I would rather have a MacBook at 2.0 GHZ, with a DVD burner and all that stuff than pay $1799 for an underpowered dinky toy.

 

Ah, but it is the dinkiest.

I can seriously see myself getting one of these maybe 2009.

 

I don't need a huge laptop when I am out, just something really light and portable

[errandwolfe]

Are you guys joking! This thing is thinner then a Vaio TZ! Remember this is competing in the ultra-portable "executive" market, at $1,799 this thing comes in 400 bucks cheaper then the TZ.

 

While I would to have loved to see a $500 consumer laptop, much like any other company Apple is going to chase the big money.

[retroz]

whats that graphics chip? x3100?

 

edit: yep

Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor with 144MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory4

 

 

NO MBP update, terrible GMA for air. Lousy.

 

Lets see, not release a decent GPU? Why? Old argument was, PROS would buy cheap!

 

HELLO? PROS don't make up the APPLE share, its strollers, babies, moms, iMacs, and puppy dogs.

The Pro is far, far, far away these days.

[CLiDE FTW!!1]

NO MBP update, terrible GMA for air. Lousy.

 

Lets see, not release a decent GPU? Why? Old argument was, PROS would buy cheap!

 

HELLO? PROS don't make up the APPLE share, its strollers, babies, moms, iMacs, and puppy dogs.

The Pro is far, far, far away these days.

Actually, for a integrated graphics, X3100 has alot of potential.

 

Last time I checked, my MacBook could do anything the MBP could do, sans gaming, which is what my XBOX 360 is for.

[Megamixman]

Basically it's a thinner and lighter Macbook.

It's about time Apple made a 13" Laptop that didn't weigh as much as their 15" Laptop. It is definitely thinner, but honestly, in the Laptop world, Weight is more important then how thin the laptop is. The Ultra Portable Market is all about weight not how thin it is. Thin means you need more expensive materials to maintain the structural integrity. Don't forget the Vaio TZ keeps it's Optical drive and matches the weight of the Macbook Air. I'm not sure if it is removable, but if it is, that could be used for a 2nd bay Battery to mean insane battery life.

 

Considering the Lenovo X Series and the Dell M1330 are in the same line, it doesn't do anything special in terms of hardware besides the Multi touch track pad.

 

Retroz, you're honestly looking in the wrong place for a good quality cheap Laptop. Don't forget there is a reason Vista costs $400 and Leopard costs $100. The other $300 you pay when you buy the laptop.

[Ai Haibara]

Quoting myself from another topic:

 

Insanely great. Insanely overpriced.

I bet they'll cut prices within three months, just like iPhone.

Sherry Haibara

[BOBSONATOR]

HOLY {censored}APPLE.COM PEE YOUR PANTS

[retroz]

Actually, for a integrated graphics, X3100 has alot of potential.Last time I checked, my MacBook could do anything the MBP could do, sans gaming, which is what my XBOX 360 is for.

Really>? Your macbook can run unreal? Doom? Motion?They newer macbook (a few months old), went down to 87% (xbench) from 187% after leopard update.Can you take the 360 on a plane?

Retroz, you're honestly looking in the wrong place for a good quality cheap Laptop. Don't forget there is a reason Vista costs $400 and Leopard costs $100. The other $300 you pay when you buy the laptop.

Well I have a MBP and love it - but really. C'mon, I am tired of the marketing being afraid of losing marketshare. Todays user base is huge but its not the PRO. Its moms with strollers, iPhone/iPod users, and mom and pop with no clue iMac base.Just peeved that should you want any laptop for gaming means $2000.00 and why? Becuase apple thinks they might lose market share.Look what happened to the mac book. Before the X300, the macbook had great open GL (still c rappy for games) but workable for motion, now its crippled, almost 2/3's slower than previous generations.Makes groups like this (insane) seem even better sometimes. The air is a rip off. I hope it fails just the Apple TV.To expensive slow graphics. Would it really hurt them to put in a 7300 mobile into a mini or macbook?Geesh.

[mifki]

why the {censored} would you buy a mac to play games? games on laptops suck balls anyways, and it isnt your stroller moms and dads who will want to load up doom 3 and kill some zombies while sitting on a plane. the macbook is a {censored} little laptop, the mbp is better, simple, the mbp isnt meant to play games either, if you want to waste money buying a gaming laptop, get a {censored} dell or asus

[Scorpio123]

Really>? Your macbook can run unreal? Doom? Motion?They newer macbook (a few months old), went down to 87% (xbench) from 187% after leopard update.Can you take the 360 on a plane?

 

Umm, he said sans gaming.. That means apart from gaming

 

If you want to play games on the go, you shouldn't have a MacBook... Games for MAC are balls as Kiko rightfully said. If you want to game on a highly portable machine (MBP's dont count... they're too mahusive to be called highly portable..) , buy a Vaio or something with an nVidia chip and Windows Vista, NOT a MacBook..

 

After looking at the size of that, and the multi-touch features of this thing, how could you honestly, possibly think this thing was going to be cheaper than the Macbook!?

 

I'm actually very VERY surprised they managed to get the price down to 1799, this thing could have easily been waaay more.. Its a revolutionary product with the touch-features alone, and i don't really care that it doesn't have a drive, sure i wouldn't have minded the option, but its not something i would particularly miss to be honest... Have a light, and highly portable machine running Leopard, with a decent-sized screen and cool features is great i say..

 

The GMA X3100 isn't amazing, but its the latest integrated offering from Intel.. Did you honestly expect an nVidia card in this or something!? this machine isn't for gaming! Its for the casual user, who already owns an iMac or a Mac Pro...

 

The bar was set too high I think, and i have to say im probably one of the few tech-savvy people out there who really like it.. Sure, i need more juice, so i'm probably not going to buy one, but i'm sure many people out there will.

[Special-K]

Really>? Your macbook can run unreal? Doom? Motion?They newer macbook (a few months old), went down to 87% (xbench) from 187% after leopard update.Can you take the 360 on a plane?

He said 'sans gaming'. You do know what the means right? NOT including gaming.

 

Well I have a MBP and love it - but really. C'mon, I am tired of the marketing being afraid of losing marketshare. Todays user base is huge but its not the PRO. Its moms with strollers, iPhone/iPod users, and mom and pop with no clue iMac base.Just peeved that should you want any laptop for gaming means $2000.00 and why? Becuase apple thinks they might lose market share.Look what happened to the mac book. Before the X300, the macbook had great open GL (still c rappy for games) but workable for motion, now its crippled, almost 2/3's slower than previous generations.Makes groups like this (insane) seem even better sometimes. The air is a rip off. I hope it fails just the Apple TV.To expensive slow graphics. Would it really hurt them to put in a 7300 mobile into a mini or macbook?Geesh.

Since when do ma and pa's and mom with strollers and all them need a laptop for gaming?

[Megamixman]

Really>? Your macbook can run unreal? Doom? Motion?They newer macbook (a few months old), went down to 87% (xbench) from 187% after leopard update.Can you take the 360 on a plane?Well I have a MBP and love it - but really. C'mon, I am tired of the marketing being afraid of losing marketshare. Todays user base is huge but its not the PRO. Its moms with strollers, iPhone/iPod users, and mom and pop with no clue iMac base.

You're taking your unique situation and saying it applies to everyone especially average users which is FAR from the truth. Yes, in your case its a sham. You know what you're doing and you want to use good quality tools, but you think it's over priced, agreed. The exact base that you're talking about isn't into hardcore gaming. In fact those are the type of people that are more likely to use consoles for gaming and use their computer for work/email/internet/etc. Apple doesn't think it will lose market share. It knows people are going to spend the extra money anyways. It's called a brand name. When you buy an Apple, you're paying for the Hardware, the OS, and the brand name. DING! Apple is now one of the biggest brand names in the consumer sector. You think they are business idiots that aren't going to capitalize off of all the money they put into marketing and their current momentum?

Just peeved that should you want any laptop for gaming means $2000.00 and why? Becuase apple thinks they might lose market share.Look what happened to the mac book. Before the X300, the macbook had great open GL (still c rappy for games) but workable for motion, now its crippled, almost 2/3's slower than previous generations.Makes groups like this (insane) seem even better sometimes.

Would it really hurt them to put in a 7300 mobile into a mini or macbook?Geesh.

Secondly, the X3100 is superior to the GMA950, so i have no clue why you complain. the GMA950 HAS NO HARDWARE T&L. The X3100 does. Sure it won't play Crysis, but hey it plays MOST modern games, maybe not at max settings on a 1080p Screen, but more then playable for most of the non-hardcore gaming market. For the Pros, there is the Mac Book Pro. Yes, it is expensive, but ahem, again, you're getting an Apple product. If you don't want to spend that much then look at other companies. Lenovo Thinkpad's are rock solid notebooks and are close in price.They market to a different sector, but hey they are still expensive. So again, quit whinining about wanting everything and not having to pay for it. If you don't want to pay you're gonna get a crappy acer or emachines. Yes, it would hurt to put a 7300 in the Macbook and or Mini. THERE ARE ENGINEERING REASONS FOR THESE KINDS OF DECISIONS. Intel's Integrated chipsets, although lacking in GPU power, have always been more energy effecient and thermally effecient, along with saving PCB space. Now YOU may be willing to pay a little extra for a slightly better GPU, but a majority of the market isn't. Should Apple spend the R&D dollars to cater to your small niche? If it would turn them a profit, sure, but I highly doubt it would and I bet they did too.

The air is a rip off. I hope it fails just the Apple TV.To expensive slow graphics.

Agreeable. Then again, there are people who will buy this and Apple will make better profits, which is what every company is out to do. Am I going to be one of the morons who does buy it? No. Are there are plenty of Idiots...i mean fish in the Sea? Sure.

[UZi706]

I wanna know who will be dumb enough to buy or rather Pre order this thing.

 

It seems to me the thinner you go, the more at risk you are at breaking the thing or the plastic cracking due to the heat produced.

[qbattersby]

Not sure if anyone has noticed this yet, but on engadget it states the Air has Mono sound, which I suppose is understandable, not typical for laptops/notebooks to have great sound quality, but I expected a little more from Apple. But this thing is all about weight and thickness, not about sound quality. Ah well, that's my two cents.

[CLiDE FTW!!1]

Really>? Your macbook can run unreal? Doom? Motion?They newer macbook (a few months old), went down to 87% (xbench) from 187% after leopard update.Can you take the 360 on a plane?Well I have a MBP and love it - but really. C'mon, I am tired of the marketing being afraid of losing marketshare. Todays user base is huge but its not the PRO. Its moms with strollers, iPhone/iPod users, and mom and pop with no clue iMac base.Just peeved that should you want any laptop for gaming means $2000.00 and why? Becuase apple thinks they might lose market share.Look what happened to the mac book. Before the X300, the macbook had great open GL (still c rappy for games) but workable for motion, now its crippled, almost 2/3's slower than previous generations.Makes groups like this (insane) seem even better sometimes. The air is a rip off. I hope it fails just the Apple TV.To expensive slow graphics. Would it really hurt them to put in a 7300 mobile into a mini or macbook?Geesh.

I can play any Nintendo 64 game I want on my MacBook with 60+ FPS. I never knew great gameplay meant that you need great graphics. But who cares? We all know that the best gaming is on consoles. Besides, I have better things to do in life than play video games.

 

Again, the X3100 has potential with it's Hardware T&L, and Intel is releasing a new driver with 10.5.2. The X3100 supports DX10, has unified shaders -- it allows power-users, not power-gamers, to do what we need to do when away from home.

 

PS, Sans means "without".

http://www.onelook.com/?other=web1913&w=Sans

 

[macgirl]

I wanna know who will be dumb enough to buy or rather Pre order this thing.

 

It seems to me the thinner you go, the more at risk you are at breaking the thing or the plastic cracking due to the heat produced.

Me and it will REPLACE my PowerBook 12"

 

So what you don't want or like is DUMB?

 

I predicted no Wired Ethernet. Already have an USB to Ethernet that it is supported by Leopard kexts, Already have USB DVD Recorder.

[UZi706]

Me and it will REPLACE my PowerBook 12"

 

So what you don't want or like is DUMB?

 

I predicted no Wired Ethernet. Already have an USB to Ethernet that it is supported by Leopard kexts, Already have USB DVD Recorder.

 

 

I'm mostly pissing and moaning about the whole no firewire

[Lostgame]

Me and it will REPLACE my PowerBook 12"

 

So what you don't want or like is DUMB?

 

I predicted no Wired Ethernet. Already have an USB to Ethernet that it is supported by Leopard kexts, Already have USB DVD Recorder.

 

...

 

Are you seriously gonna pay $1800 for that when a MacBook Amateur has better hardware for $700 less? That sounds like a dumb decision to me...

[macgirl]

I'm mostly pissing and moaning about the whole no firewire

Yeah, I problably miss FW but now many storage devices are USB2, I didn't see an external case for SATA disks that have FW

 

Are you seriously gonna pay $1800 for that when a MacBook Amateur has better hardware for $700 less? That sounds like a dumb decision to me...

I'm going pay even more, for the SSD disk and 1.8GHz proc. I already had an USB DVD writer but the new one is very attractive, what can I say I like small things, I didn't like the iPod until the first nano came out, and I bought one. I didn't like the Macintosh IIci but when the IIsi came out I bought one.

[Guest h2a]

yea. i'm not gonna lie. you get a whole lot more power out of the MacBook for a hell of a lot cheaper. there are many things i'm willing to pay for the look and feel, for example, the iPod Touch. but when it comes to an actual computer, the value of MacBook air is total {censored}.

 

its a cute paperthin computer but i'm not sure i see anything beyond the "cool" factor. its not a professional computer (sorry guys, its really not) and its not as powerful as a pimped-out macbook that still remains cheaper.

 

and if anyone ever had a macbook air and wanted to use my Superdrive wirelessly, i'll tell them to go f--- themselves, go buy a real computer not an $1800 ipod with a keyboard and Leopard. oh and no remote included, just an IR.