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Saturday, April 12, 2008

ULTRA PORTABLE 2.0: WHAT THE MACBOOK AIR SHOULD HAVE BEEN



I must say that I am a little confused by the release of the MacBook Air. As far as I am concerned the 15 inch MacBook Pro is the perfect laptop, maybe minus a bit of weight and heat, but for a laptop computer with enough power to do reasonably processor demanding tasks it is perfect. And the soon to be released MacBooks I am sure will be even more perfect.

The Air just seems to be a bit of a whimsy. Big enough that it still has to be lugged, yet with a feature set that makes it a little weak to be the only computer you own. I think the MacBook Air is the kind of computer I would buy if I already had an iMac at home.

When the hype and rumour of an ultra portable started to circulate I was expecting Apple to deliver something super unique, not just a smaller laptop. I did expect it to have touch screen like the iphone and I definitely expected it to come sans keyboard. So on the release of the Air my expectations have been a little mis-matched, such are they when I have so much faith in a company that develops the best technology in the world.

Steve, if I could just have your attention for a second I think this should be your next move. The Star Trek PADD style computer. You know we have been waiting for them since we first saw them on The Next Generation and knew that one day this is what a portable computer would look like.

This is the computer that I want. Something big enough that it reads like a book and fits neatly in my bag. But not something small enough that I have to take it with me everywhere and drop it on the ground every five minutes. I want a computer that I can take with me where I usually take the news paper first thing in the morning. A computer that I don't have to squint at for an hour on the bus on my way to work. I want a computer that I can touch and caress in order to see the things I want to see.

Jonathan, I know you can design this, Steve, I know you can make it happen...I believe in you. Apple...let there be Light!

posted by Brad Down at 4/12/2008 04:01:00 PM      

2 Comments:

Blogger f4connect said...

Hey Braddo,

I think the Air is supposed to fill a slot for hardcore business travellers and journalists - full on typers and spreadsheet openers rather than touchpad jockeys or designers. At least that's the way it appears to me. I'd love to have an Air to take with me when I travelled for work. I don't need too many ports most of the time (except DVI/HDMI for presentations) It'd keep things nice and light and I could whip it out easily at meetings. The concept of flash memory is great, though it'll take a few iterations before it takes off. This is a first gen product, and I'm sure we'll see it fleshed out into something much more usable over time. Personally, I'd love to see it as a satellite machine to my Apple TV- based home media system. I can access remote drives, and navigate media without being tethered to a specific room.

Cheers
S

4/13/2008 05:39:00 AM  
Blogger Mallory said...

Nice.. But it's only a dream(

As for me, the macbook Air is quite nice as it is.
I have recieved a macbook Air and..
Guess what? It does EXACTLY what I need it to do, and it is light enough to carry it anywhere all the time. Battery life concerns? Get the airline adapter, ethernet connections? Get the adapter! One usb port? Get a hub if you need more. As a travel computer I never need more than one, and wireless works for almost everything I need, except the odd time when I need ethernet, that is WHY there is an adapter.

here's a good review for it:

http://www.maconair.com/the_pros_and_cons

4/18/2008 04:42:00 PM  

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