Zis Mac

Alan Zisman on the Mac

Is the MacBook Air Too Lightweight for Serious Users?

- 2008.02.06 - Tip Jar

Follow Alan Zisman on Twitter.

January is peak season for techno-lust with three trade shows that set the pace for what's going to happen for the rest of the year. In quick succession, the Las Vegas-based Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is followed by the San Francisco Macworld Expo, which is followed by Detroit's International Auto Show.

Macworld always gets coverage outweighing the Mac's relatively modest market share. At the 2007 show, Apple CEO Steve Jobs got headlines introducing the iPhone. This year, the company's news was relatively modest: online movie rentals, a software development kit for the iPhone, five new applications for its iPod touch, and much needed updates to Apple TV.

One More Thing...

Oh, and one more thing: Jobs introduced a new notebook model. Added to the company's two lines of notebooks - the entry-level MacBook, with a plastic case and 13" screen, and the more expensive, metal-clad MacBook Pro series, with 15" and 17" models - was what Jobs referred to as the thinnest notebook ever: the MacBook Air.

MacBook Air

Tapering from 0.76" (19mm) to 0.16" (4mm) at the front, and weighing in at about three pounds (1.36 kg), the aluminum-clad Air offers a 13" display and full-sized keyboard; it's a stunning design that fits into a mailing envelope.

I think I'm in love.

But wait: In order to be ultra-thin, Apple had to treat the Air like a supermodel forever on a strict diet.

Before rushing off to slap down US$1,799 (or US$3,098 for one with a no-moving-parts solid state drive) for one of these, pay attention to what's been left out. To slim down, the Air is missing a number of things common in heftier, but more capable models - even ones priced much lower.

For instance:

  • No built in CD or DVD drive. You can get an external CD/DVD burner from Apple for US$99, but that's one more thing to tote around - and awkward for watching a DVD on a long plane flight. Alternatively, clever software let's you share the drive on a nearby better-equipped desktop or laptop (Mac or PC), although not for watching DVDs.
  • No ethernet. It's WiFi networking or nothing. Bluetooth is also built in.
  • Only one USB port, so plan on toting around a USB hub if you commonly connect more than one gadget.
  • No FireWire ports, unlike every other Mac model since about 1999.
  • No removable battery. When (not if) the battery starts to lose charge or ups and dies, Apple will replace it for US$129. If you're in the habit of carrying around a second battery to double battery life on the road, don't bother. (Though the Air's promised five-hour battery life is better than many laptops with two batteries.) Update: Later info shows that the battery is removable; just unscrew 10 screws on the bottom of the case, then another 9 on the battery itself. Oh, did I mention that the screws are of a variety of lengths? Pay attention to which goes where!
  • RAM is soldered in; the built-in 2 GB is fairly generous, but if you need more, too bad.
  • At 80 GB, the iPod-sized hard drive is relatively modest in capacity and relatively slow. The US$1,000 more solid state (flash memory) drive is even smaller: 64 GB.

With all those limitations, the MacBook Air isn't going to work for most users as their main work computer. I know a number of disappointed owners of Apple's very portable (but long in the tooth) 12" PowerBook G4 who had hoped for a more modern replacement. This isn't it.

Instead, the target market seems to be users who already have a capable and powerful computer who can afford to compromise on functionality to get something that is stylish and easy to carry around. There are suggestions that it will be mostly bought by those looking for the technology equivalent of a pair of Gucci shoes. (To be fair, ultralight notebooks from PC manufacturers like Panasonic, Fujitsu, and others also include many compromises, and they often cost $1,000 more than the Air.)

I've asked Apple for the loan of one; maybe when I have it in my hands, my mind will be changed, but for now, love isn't enough. I think I need something with a few more pounds. LEM

First published in Business in Vancouver January 29-February 4, 2008; issue 953. It is republished here with permission.

Join us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

Alan Zisman is Mac-using teacher and technology writer based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Many of his articles are available on his website, www.zisman.ca. If you find Alan's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.

Other articles by Alan Zisman

Links for the Day

Recent Content on Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2012 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
  Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.

Custom Search

Share

Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook

Low End Mac Reader Specials

Quantcast

TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct from Strider Software.

Quantcast

Quantcast

Quantcast

Poker Mac Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.

Quantcast

Quantcast

Quantcast

Quantcast

Favorite Sites

MacSurfer
Cult of Mac
Shrine of Apple
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac Museum
DealMac
Deal Brothers
Mac2Sell
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End Mac FAQ

Affiliates

Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay

Low End Mac's Amazon.com store

Advertise

All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For price quotes and advertising information, please contact at BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.

Open Link