It is becoming very obvious to me that Apple is no longer interested in creating viable products, but instead are interested in creating proofs-of-concept for new ideas. Case in point: the Macbook Air.
If any of you are like me, you are starting to get tired of Apple telling us the way we should be doing things. They are continually reducing the effectiveness and the feature-set of their products and telling us this is the way it should be, that we like to work with our hands in cuffs, and that we will pay dearly to do so. The Macbook Air is an interesting product, indeed, but I am having tons of trouble understanding who would want one. Someone please help me out here.
The first time this happened, it was called the iPhone. I got one because it did enough of what I need a phone to do that the cool new touch-screen interface put it over the top. And as time goes on, they are upgrading the iPhone to do more and more. This is incredibly shrewd, as far as I can tell. The idea seems to be to roll out more and more features so that people have to sync their phones to their computers, which helps Apple control what’s on them. That way, they can reduce jailbreaking and cracking.
In any case, the new Macbook Air is supposed to be this newfound blossom of portability. I say nay nay, and I’ll tell you why.
Oh, this isn’t a review. I love you guys, but I’m not dropping $1800-3100 large just to review this thing. I don’t want one. But I will tell you what I’ve gleaned from playing with it at the Apple Store and also what I’ve read. The ARS Technica review is a very good one, if you want a true hands-on review.
Let’s think about what makes electronics portable. First, it helps to be small. Second, light. And third, complete in functionality.
The Macbook Air satisfies number two (hee hee) very well. It is light. It’s about 3 pounds. But this only really helps when you’re lugging it around for long periods, right? If you’re just going from the car to the office and back to the car, then 3 pounds or 13 pounds doesn’t matter that much. So it is obvious that Apple meant you to take the Air on long trips, right? Scurrying through the, um, Air-port (sorry for the pun) with your Air in your backpack. This idea, that it seems meant to be taken on long adventures, is not backed by the Air’s other features (and in some cases I mean lack of features).
As for small, well, it’s definitely one of the smaller laptops around. The screen is 13.3″, the same size as the Macbook. It’s just much thinner. But let’s get real. Does that really make it smaller? You still can’t clip it to your belt. You still need a full-sized backpack to carry it in. You can’t, say, plop it in a purse like the ultra-portable PCs (OQO, for instance). Essentially, think about it this way. If you had, say, a car. Then you smushed that car down almost flat. It would still need the same-sized parking space.
Let’s look at my third idea of portability: complete in functionality. By this I mean that if you are miles from home, the gadget still needs to do everything that you need it to. It was huge that the iPhone can purchase tracks from the ITMS without needing the computer. But hey, why not videos? Why can’t it update it’s podcasts without a computer? There is this invisible tether between the iPhone and your computer at home which makes the iPhone a non-portable device for those features. Now, it still functions fine as a phone, so if you’re okay without updated podcasts and videos until you can make it home again, then the iPhone is okay. There’s still some warts though.
But back to the Air. It doesn’t have an optical drive. So, say you’re on the road and you buy some new software. You can’t install it. You can’t use it to play a DVD either, for instance. There is an external optical drive ($$$) that can be purchased, but think of being on a plane. Now you have to dig out your Air and the external drive (where can you put that on that tiny seat-back tray? Just dangle it by the USB cord?). Apple will tell you that you should be purchasing your content from iTunes anyway, so you don’t need the drive. I say it’s a reduction in functionality from the average laptop that is specifically designed to garner more ITMS profits. Period.
Here’s another thing. The battery is not user-replaceable. Apple claims 5 hours of battery life, but let’s get real, folks. It’s probably in the 3-hour range in legitimate use. So one would think that having the ability to carry spare batteries would be a boon, right? After all, 3 hours covers the average flight, but not a transcontinental or intercontinental one. I imagine that before long there will be third-party battery packs that plug into the mag-safe power jack. After all, there’s a grand market for similar products for iPods.
So, all in all, this product is nowhere near an increase in portability. In fact, I find it less portable. It’s hopelessly tethered to your home desktop computer in a variety of ways. Not the least of which is the Remote Disc software, which lets you use another computer’s (Mac or PC) optical drive as the Air’s optical drive. This is really clever, but to me it’s a gimmick that makes up for a shortcoming that shouldn’t exist in the first place.
Let’s talk about that. This is the premise of this treatise, anyway, that Apple is becoming a design company, not a product company. Remote Disc is a perfect example of this. It’s almost as though Apple said, “hey, here’s a cool idea… use another computer’s optical drive as this computer’s optical drive… but where could we use this?” And bingo, they created the Macbook Air just to expose this new technology.
There’s another cool feature of the Macbook Air that fits the same category. Booting from the network has been possible for some time now. But the Air has no cabled NIC, no LAN jack. it does everything wirelessly. So, they came up with a scheme to be able to boot from a wireless network. This is very clever. They built into the firmware (I am guessing) the ability to connect to a wireless LAN (I am hoping that WPA and WEP are possible too) and boot from that network. So if you need to reinstall your OS, you can set your Remote Disc computer to allow this, and then boot your Air over your wireless LAN to reinstall or do whatever you wish. I would be more inclined to think that a bootable partition on the main drive (or perhaps a separate solid-state drive that’s otherwise not accessible) would be better. I can envision most savvy Air users setting this up anyway for emergencies. But heaven forbid, under the Apple way of doing things, that you should have a catastrophic failure while away from home. Even having your Tiger or Leopard disc with you won’t help.
So, much like the iPhone, I am seeing the Macbook Air as not a product unto itself, but more of a means of displaying some clever things that Apple hopes to make mainstream. These are truly some great ideas that should be incorporated into the norm of portable computing, but I really don’t think that they should in any way become the standard, much less the only way a product can go about it’s routine.
Look at it this way. Laptops have had optical drives for some time now. And the Air still needs to use an optical drive from time to time, particularly in an emergency where the OS needs to be reinstalled. Why would we ever desire a laptop that needs, but doesn’t have, an optical drive? What’s more, why would we pay 3, 4, or 5 times as much for that laptop?
Furthermore, most of us have wireless LANs in their house. But few of us know how to adequately configure and secure those networks. Why should we be forced to go wireless, when every other laptop has a LAN port?
I could go on and on. But the end result is the same. People who want a laptop as a portable computer to take on the road will do themselves well to stay away from the Macbook Air. Unless you just have to have Steve Jobs’ latest Cool-Aid.
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So if you have an Ethernet based wired network connection in your home and have a LAN connection through it that means MacBook Air won’t be able to go online? I don’t have wireless Internet at home but I do have a cabled Ethernet connection. The router and modem in my home are in the downstairs office my Mac Mini I am typing this on is upstairs and it is receiving Internet thanks to LAN.
No Ethernet connection for MacBook Air? Well the idea of this laptop is interesting but due to its lack of functionality I too say no thanks.
I agree 100% on this if I were to get a new Mac laptop I would go for the regular MacBook or MacBook Pro as opposed to the MacBook Air which has little consumer value proposition except for its catchy touch feel factor and slimness. Being the smallest notebook is a pro but the lack of functionality and having to pay for an external USB based optical disc drive for it no thanks.
Posted February 6th, 2008 at 11:17 pm Michael Swanberg Says:
Well, you could get a USB network adapter. But that’s somewhat limited. USB 2.0 has a top speed of 480 Mbps, which is less than half of gigabit speeds. But still, it’s faster than wireless, and way faster than the internet.
But from what I’ve seen, the USB port is recessed a tad, so your USB network adapter might not fit without some sort of USB extension cable (assuming that fits in the port). And if you have to install drivers… well, you’d have to go to Starbucks, log onto the wireless network there, and then download the drivers from the internet. If the USB network adapter’s drivers came on the CD, then you can’t get at it easily (you could create a DMG or ISO on another Mac and then place that on an external drive which could then be plugged into the Air, but that takes a LOT of other stuff that didn’t come with the Air… and that’s my complaint, a computer shouldn’t require the purchase of other things to make it work properly).
But once you get past that hurdle, I assume that the Remote Disc software will work over a wired LAN, so you could use your Mac Mini as the remote optical drive. (Here’s a question: can you use a Remote Disc drive to burn CDs and DVDs?)
All in all, the only thing really going for the Air is the thinness. Otherwise it’s more expensive, slower, and limited. A Macbook Pro is a far better purchase, in my opinion.
-Mike
Posted February 7th, 2008 at 9:43 am manpan Says:
Yeah I think a MacBook Air is more wasteful — sure its got its thinness which is nice but otherwise there’s not much good reason to buy one. The technique you just suggested a USB network adapter would work great but you said the functionality even then is somewhat limited.
In response to the following I would also like to say that I agree that there are problems with MacBook Air that make it less appealing. Having to use a USB extension cable — how long would the cable have to be? I don’t want to have too many more cables then neccessary cluttering my work space. Desktop computers typically utilize a lot more wires and get messy but notebooks are supposed to be simpler with fewer wires but as much functionality as possible that you can get from a desktop. My PowerBook G4 has a port for a decent Ethernet connection. It also has 2 USB ports that work great. I have never needed to install drivers on my own for peripherals that I plug to my Mac Mini. Only printer drivers had to be installed once but keyboard, mice, etc not a problem.
On the PowerBook G4 I can plug a USB mouse in even without need to install drivers and it works perfect. For launching discs in the MacBook Air if your on the road and even if you have the external optical disc drive if you can’t plug it in (I remember the comment you made on an airplane when electronic devices are allowed the problem about accessing CDs via MacBook Air) that’s not good. Having to go to a Starbucks — it doesn’t matter even if it was WalMart or McDonalds having to drive somewhere when you don’t feel like it just to get something is frustrating. Okay lets say I have a MacBook Air (hypothetically speaking) and I need to install drivers so I have to take the car and go to Starbucks to download via their wireless network. I don’t want to travel to do so just to get the drivers. What a waste of time! Having to buy something else to make a computer work as you said is a major complaint. MacBook Air is not for me either. The MacBook or MacBook Pro for new Mac laptop buyers would be better choices. Who wants something more expensive, slower, and limited? Anyone: I know some people do and will get it just for its thinness. I like Apple products but I only buy the ones I find useful to me and I enjoy using. As a consumer I have no need for Mac OS X Server just regular Mac OS X — unless I wanted to set up a home media server using a Mac and needed the Server edition but I’m not running a big IT business that is going to use Macs and depends on servers.
If I wanted a server the best choice for a server operating system would be Linux actually. Some people buy Windows server software because they are sometimes required too but Linux is usually best. Google uses Linux to power its servers after all. I like iPhone but not AT&T service and I’m not into hacking — even for good purposes — I support good hackers unlocking iPhones but I don’t know how to do it myself and if I got an iPhone I wouldn’t want to risk bricking it.
I would rather get iPod Touch if I wanted the same functionality and feature set as an iPhone — which is an iPhone minus the phone.
On the road there is no way to launch CDs on MacBook Air (even if you have the external optical disc drive it won’t work if it can’t be plugged in) and the Remote Disc feature won’ work because you don’t have a Mac with a disc drive that can over a LAN connection connect to MacBook Air and launch the CD. So yeah I’m not into MacBook Air. However, I am getting Apple TV asap especially now that they have improved it.
USB 2.0 has a top speed of 480 Mbps, which is less than half of gigabit speeds. But still, it’s faster than wireless, and way faster than the internet.
But from what I’ve seen, the USB port is recessed a tad, so your USB network adapter might not fit without some sort of USB extension cable (assuming that fits in the port). And if you have to install drivers… well, you’d have to go to Starbucks, log onto the wireless network there, and then download the drivers from the internet. If the USB network adapter’s drivers came on the CD, then you can’t get at it easily (you could create a DMG or ISO on another Mac and then place that on an external drive which could then be plugged into the Air, but that takes a LOT of other stuff that didn’t come with the Air… and that’s my complaint, a computer shouldn’t require the purchase of other things to make it work properly).
Posted February 7th, 2008 at 6:46 pm Michael Swanberg Says:
Re: your question on the USB extension cable, it wouldn’t have to be long. It’s just that some USB devices do not terminate in a cable end, but the USB plug comes right out of the device. Since the USB port on the Air is recessed a tad, many such devices won’t be able to plug all the way in. So, you would need an extension cable. It would only have to be an inch or two, but I’m sure that length doesn’t exist.
Your point is well-taken, though. Why should you have to have 3′ of extension USB cable just because the design of the Air’s USB port is poorly thought-out?
It’s very similar to the recessed headphone jack on the iPhone. Because of that poor design, many people could not use their favorite headphones with their new iPhone. There are small extension cables for it now, but I just think it’s poor planning on Apple’s part to make this a necessity.
-Mike
Posted February 8th, 2008 at 10:53 am manpan Says:
Well that does suck. I’ll add the problem you mentioned in the recessed iPhone headset jack as another reason in my list of why I’m not getting an iPhone. Other reasons include being required to use AT&T — assuming you don’t hack your way out of that one.
For MacBook Air no way am I getting that in its existing form — if they fix it to make it better by fixing the problems we both have with it I wouldn’t mind owning one. However, till then it isn’t worth it.
To answer your question from the title of the article: Yes I can smell the MacBook Dairy Air and that’s bad for Apple in their mission to sell them.
Posted February 9th, 2008 at 8:19 pm manpan Says:
Sorry for the double post but I would like to add the comment you made about the USB cable being needed for MacBook Air is a good one. I wouldn’t want to have to have a 3′ of extension USB cable just because the design of the Air’s USB port is poorly thought out. Well taken point indeed. I’ll instead focus on buying Apple products I find useful.
Your point is well-taken, though. Why should you have to have 3′ of extension USB cable just because the design of the Air’s USB port is poorly thought-out?
Posted February 9th, 2008 at 8:22 pm Hugues Says:
I would like to see any of you guys come up with idea as innovative as the apple team. Get real, yall are just winy complaining idiot who couldnt figure out how to build a 4bit calculator if you wouldnt have those companies.
Posted March 16th, 2008 at 11:15 am Michael Swanberg Says:
Said the pot to the kettle…
Honestly, what’s so innovative about a laptop that isn’t the most portable, doesn’t have an optical drive, is shy on ports, and is far from the most affordable?
As well, you should probably look up the term “ad hominem” before you post.
-Mike
Posted March 16th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
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