Recycled Computing

Second Thoughts on the 2010 MacBook Air

- 2010.10.29

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Short link: http://bit.ly/aibtpl

Yep, I actually touched one. Picked up the new 11" MacBook Air (MBA) and turned it over.

The most important event, however, is that iFixit got ahold of one and took it apart.

5-point Security Torx
screwhead on MBA.

And therein lies the problem: It is not very user friendly when it comes down to do-it-yourself repair. For instance, it uses 5-point Security Torx screws, which you probably don't have a screwdriver for.

Maybe we shouldn't expect much from such a thin computer; maybe Apple's design department has gotten just a little too much power in its tiny, artistic hands; or maybe our society has "advanced" to the point where we are totally at the mercy of unknowable "tech gods" who speak only in a strange "tech talk" which consists of initials of strange and mysterious processes.

Why am I going on this rant?

Stuff Happens

It's my car-truck. I went away this weekend to visit my daughter on her campus in another state. We're driving from spot to spot, running errands, and we stop at a "farm stand" (it was indoors) to pick up vital components for the average college student's diet. It was at that point that my Honda Ridgeline didn't start.

I don't want to say anything bad about my neighboring state, but there was a general shortage of men with real pickup trucks in the parking lot. (Ridgelines are not trucks, trust me.) Being the resident of a New England state, I naturally have jumper cables. A nice woman with a Saab reluctantly helped me try to start the Honda, but no go.

I then called a towing company. This larceny on wheels showed up and spent a great deal of time trying to convince me that the battery was okay and that there was a problem with the wiring. He towed off my Honda and left me carless. It was naturally on the weekend, and his shop wouldn't open until Monday.

Monday I showed up and discovered that the problem was . . . I needed a new battery. So I spent money for towing and replacing the battery. I spent two day's at a Red Roof, since I had to wait until Monday for the "repair". I was out of a car until my son could drive his car down from his college. All because the tow operator didn't tell me that the battery needed to be replaced.

I can replace a battery. I wasn't more than 10 minutes away from a Walmart and could have purchased a battery, installed it, and been on my merry way.

When you don't control the technology, the technology controls you.

Do It Yourself vs. Pay the Expert

What does this have to do with Apple computers and you? I own an old Pismo laptop that is so easy to work on that it isn't funny. If the hard drive goes, I can replace it. My screen is going pink, but I can find a donor Pismo and replace it in 15 minutes. That computer is user-friendly.

My irritation is that Apple has done a 180 and moved towards a "lock box" (thank you for that phrase, Vice President Gore) where you have to return it to the factory to do anything to it. And my real irritation - I'll admit it - is that I lust after that 11" MacBook Air. It is sooooo sexy and small. It runs OS X, and the screen is very crisp and clear. It is much better than the PC netbooks out there, but darn it, why do I have to pay out nearly 1 large for a stripper model and then nearly 400 smackers more for the model I really want.

Insult to injury, I can't update it myself! Yes, Apple tech has always had a higher price tag, but this is just a little too high. And why can't I replace the RAM and hard drive?

I just can't let lustworthy technology overwhelm my practical nature.

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