The funny thing about Apple is although their products are usually very successful, there always seem to be a lot of people disappointed with their announcements. I’m not sure how Apple got to the point where everyone thought they could be everything to everyone, or if those vocal online are just trying to counter all the fanboys, but either way there is plenty of banter going both ways.
My friend Kevin and I have never seen eye to eye on the industry name for Apple’s latest MacBook. Kevin thinks that an Ultra-portable has to be more portable than a laptop can be, and I side with the marketing people in that it’s as portable as a laptop can be. So for me the Air is as close to perfect as any laptop I’ve ever had — and I love ultra-portable laptops. Although I wrote perfect in the subject of this post, I didn’t really mean it — so sue me. It would be perfect if it had more USB ports, built in 3g, and a replaceable battery — oh, and costs half as much, but hey. Despite not being perfect, it’s the closest I’ve seen because it’s super small and light, has a full size keyboard, boasts 5 hour battery, — I’ll believe it when I see it — runs OSX, and more powerful then just about any laptop I’ve had (besides my MacBook Pro). So as you’d expect, I pre-ordered one already. We’ll see if it lives up to my expectations, but so far the only Apple product that didn’t is the Apple TV — and there’s hope for that yet.
I’ll call it ultra-thin, but not ultra-portable. 😉 After using UMPCs and subnotebooks with 4, 5, and 7-inch screens, I just can’t give in on the ultra-portable monniker. Still, the Air is a beautiful design, but as we say in mobile tech: it’s all about compromises. For $1800, I can’t personally deal with 1 USB port, an integrated battery and no memory expansion possibility. I don’t see the audience being too widespread for the Air either when a less expensive but more powerful MacBook can be had. Yes, it weighs 5 pounds, but to mainstream consumers, weight and slimness isn’t that compelling of a feature to pay a premium. If it was, the sub-notebook / UMPC market would be booming. Regardless, it’s all about personal choice and using the best tool for the task. If that’s a MacBook Air for you, great! I look forward to hearing your thoughts about it for sure. And who knows… when I hit the Apple Store in a few weeks and see one, maybe I’ll change my mind. 😉
Now that I can’t wait for.
If Apple could get you to move away from the WM platform and possibly Exchange, then anything is possible. 😉