MacBook Air.... MacBook Crap

[chabig]

I think the Mac Mini will BE the optical drive for many MacBook Airs.

[Jay Carr]

Here's a real question then, can sharing an optical drive among a group of people be a viable business solution for a small office? I'm not talking about tlarkins 6000 MacBooks (I'm just going to go ahead and assume it won't work for that ), but if you have a small office with 10 people, and have them using a mac mini as a shared optical drive...could that work?

[EatsWithFingers]

Quote: Originally Posted by chabig I think the Mac Mini will BE the optical drive for many MacBook Airs.

I agree, and would even suggest something further:

Since more and more people are considering large external drives for music, videos, TV recordings, etc. it may eventually be the case that home users have a server machine that does all the work (and has all the peripheral connectors under the sun) and is connected to the Internet.

The MacBook Air would then be the portable 'screen and keyboard' for that system. After all, with the exception of power users that demand high-spec laptops (and, for the record, I am one of them), the specs of the MBA are easily enough to run web browsers, mail programs, word processors, view photos, etc.

Essentially what I am suggesting is that the home user will eschew the 'single powerful computer' model and follow the long abandoned idea of 'dumb terminals' which are just a local interface to a much more powerful back-room machine.

Then again, maybe there's a reason that 'dumb terminals' are no longer widely used....

EDIT: I believe 'thin-clients' are quite widely used in business, so the 'dumb terminal' model hasn't been abandoned just yet!

Of course, I don't believe this scenario will happen for at least five years. But as a previous poster said (I think), MBA's may become as common as iPods, and look where they were five years ago compared to now....

[tlarkin]

Quote: Originally Posted by Zalister Here's a real question then, can sharing an optical drive among a group of people be a viable business solution for a small office? I'm not talking about tlarkins 6000 MacBooks (I'm just going to go ahead and assume it won't work for that ), but if you have a small office with 10 people, and have them using a mac mini as a shared optical drive...could that work?

10 users sharing 1 optical drive? The second people had to wait in line to use it, they would complain and want more.

Either you need an optical drive (most users) or you don't need one (carlos - specialized user).

I think optical drives are still a very needed component until we get high speed WiFi every where, then everything will just be downloadable disk images.

[NovaScotian]

Think about the proliferation of Bluetooth devices today, many of which serve no other purpose really than avoiding wires filling ports on computers. WiFi is now quite fast when Bluetooth doesn't cut it.

Don't you think, if MBA marks the start of a trend, that there will soon be a proliferation of wireless devices to complement the MBA and other devices like it? I can imagine neat little high-capacity 7200 RPM hard drives connected via 802.11N that can be powered from a small brick (not as fast as SATA but perhaps they'd be multi-channel devices), clamshell CD reader/burners not much bigger than a CD and only 4 or 5 times as thick, projectors with WiFi connections operated from a laptop by a clicker, multichannel devices perhaps that can serve several laptops at once and figure it out themselves. I don't think the thin client is all that far away.

[tlarkin]

Quote: Originally Posted by NovaScotian Think about the proliferation of Bluetooth devices today, many of which serve no other purpose really than avoiding wires filling ports on computers. WiFi is now quite fast when Bluetooth doesn't cut it. Don't you think, if MBA marks the start of a trend, that there will soon be a proliferation of wireless devices to complement the MBA and other devices like it? I can imagine neat little high-capacity 7200 RPM hard drives connected via 802.11N that can be powered from a small brick (not as fast as SATA but perhaps they'd be multi-channel devices), clamshell CD reader/burners not much bigger than a CD and only 4 or 5 times as thick, projectors with WiFi connections operated from a laptop by a clicker, multichannel devices perhaps that can serve several laptops at once and figure it out themselves. I don't think the thin client is all that far away.

Yes I can see that, and I think that would be cool. I am all for that type of change in technology. However, Apple better fix all the quirks and issues with non apple wireless and improve their wireless driver ten fold before that happens. I mean I can't even tell my laptop clients to connect to a certain radio signal, where with windows drivers I can. This is annoying when managing thousands of laptops.

I think eventually your average enterprise user will be on a laptop and desktops will only be used for higher end tasks and production of things that require higher end machines. This will give employees of business more freedom to travel, meet and have face to face time. When I meet a rep via email I could care a bit less about what they are selling or supporting for me, but when I meet a rep in person I get that hands on training of feeling of their product and i get to ask questions as they freshly come into my mind.

Once wireless becomes a reliable standard then yes I can see that happening. Even our Cisco APs have problems load balancing the Macs because they prefer B/G signals and won't switch over to A, even if the signal they are on is weak and over loaded.

I am all for fiber and wired back ends with wireless clients. I think it is feasible and a good idea especially when expanding your network, you no longer have to run a crap ton of cables. However, WiFi is no where near as stable or reliable as running cable, let alone no where near as fast.

[blubbernaut]

Quote: Originally Posted by cwtnospam I think that's the difference between techies and average people. Techies care about features, where the average person cares about benefits.

While this is absolutely true, I think Apple have gone one further with the MBA, in that they are going for a niche of the non-techy market, not just "consumers" in general.

I don't really see the MBA becoming ubiquitous for quite a while - it's too far ahead of the available support services (wireless everywhere) excepts for certain areas of certain cities etc. But I really do see it becoming relatively popular with people who spend a lot of time in those kinds of places (airport lounges) have plenty of money, want something very very light for travelling and only ever do "office" kinds of things with it - they don't need firewire, CD burners, more than one USB port etc etc. It's a niche, but one that exists right now.

I guess it's just like cars, is anyone complaining that the Chevy Cobalt Coupe (?) only has two seats, or the Toyota Landcruiser is too big and high off the ground (aside from the people driving behind who can't see the road ahead!). They suit different people, and not just because of coolness factor either, but for different uses.

[cwtnospam]

Yes, I think they have gone for a niche of a niche, and for good reason. The cost os SSDs needs to drop significantly before they can go after a larger market. The only way to get those prices down is to develop that market. I think the MBA is a great way to do it.

I don't think the size of the computer is as important as the SSD and the LED backlighting. They're developing a whole new area of computing by making a system that's very efficient in the way it uses power. I see the Macbook Air as just the beginning of that effort.

[hayne]

Quote: Originally Posted by blubbernaut I guess it's just like cars, is anyone complaining that the Chevy Cobalt Coupe (?) only has two seats, or the Toyota Landcruiser is too big and high off the ground (aside from the people driving behind who can't see the road ahead!). They suit different people, and not just because of coolness factor either, but for different uses.

Right - I don't understand all the fuss about the MacBook Air with people who aren't the target market complaining that it isn't for them. It is a perfect second (or third or fourth) computer for those who want something small and light when travelling. And it will suit some people as their main machine - if their circumstances and needs are compatible with what the MacBook Air can do.
Complaining about this is like complaining that the Smart Car won't carry a lot of luggage or that it isn't good for highway travel. That car is good as a second (or third or fourth) car for use in the city. Or as the primary car for people who spend almost all their time in the city - there are lots of those sort of people just as there are lots of people who will always in range of a WiFi network for their MacBook Air. And the fact that the Smart Car is considerably more expensive than your average pickup truck is rather irrelevant to the target market.

[chabig]

Quote: Originally Posted by EatsWithFingers I agree, and would even suggest something further: Since more and more people are considering large external drives for music, videos, TV recordings, etc. it may eventually be the case that home users have a server machine that does all the work (and has all the peripheral connectors under the sun) and is connected to the Internet.

I agree. I've been thinking about putting Mini downstairs with a large amount of storage and making that my home server for files and media both. All of our other computers are notebooks and they don't need everything all the time. When we're on the road, we'll use Back to My Mac to get files from the server, and at home the Mini can also serve to an AppleTV. Since the Mini will be out of sight, I don't care about noisy fans in external drive enclosures.

Now if only I could also do Time Machine backups to the network storage...

[styrafome]

Quote: Originally Posted by tlarkin When people buy things like computers and cars, and things like that, they look into all the features they get for their money. I am not even talking about technical abilities. I am talking about being a consumer. They will see more features on a cheaper and more powerful laptop over the Airbook.

That doesn't square up with the iPod mini and nano outselling all the other iPods with more features and storage per dollar. The MacBook Air is targeted at these people who need portability more than the entire feature catalog. I also don't think it's just for travel. Carrying a full-featured laptop around town can be a burden. If the MacBook Air can live up to the 5 hour battery life then you can often leave the power adapter at home too. The MacBook Air is not just good for long distance travel but for all-day travel in city, where the optical drive never gets used, all connections are wireless, and hardly anything is connected to it.

The MacBook Air would make a terrible standalone laptop or desktop replacement. But the MacBook Air would be a great complement to a Mac Pro or iMac. Since I got a Mac Pro, I don't use many of the features of my Pro laptop, like its optical drive, because those features are so much better and faster on the tower. Maybe Apple senses this, knowing full well that once a person buys one Mac (like a desktop), they're often willing to buy another (like a laptop).

The MBA might be like Apple TV: Overpriced and underfeatured at first, then in a later version it becomes something you really want.

[Sumleilmus]

Quote: Originally Posted by Gnarlodious This product is targeted at heavy airplane flyers... "Air", get it?

It must be. Otherwise, the owner would have to have it locked in a box, such as an office with a door that locks, a house, or a car, because there is nowhere to attach a security cable. Nowhere in the photos, and when I asked at the Apple Store, they confirmed.

What would I want with a laptop I have to take into the bathroom with me if I'm away from home?

In an airplane, the suspects would at least be confined if it were stolen.

Without a way to attach a cable to it, I am CERTAIN I'll never own one. My laptop is in an unlockable room on a different floor from me about 80% of the time when I'm at work.

What a blunder, Apple.

[iampete]

I won't dispute any of the comments regarding the MBA which indicate that it represents the future direction of a largely wireless environment, as that does not seem unreasonable (although I don't believe it's going to be the near future, or even the medium-term future for most of the country).

The only real show-stopper for me is the battery which is not user-accessible. On the vast majority of my business trips, I have needed to replace a discharged battery in my MBP with a fully charged spare (often more than once), because of the limited availability of power plugs.

Anybody with a mechanical engineering background care to provide a guesstimate of the added weight and thickness to the MBA had it been provided with a user accessible battery door or some such?

[Sumleilmus]

and 811 mAh weaker.

[iampete]

Excuse me, I meant to ask for a credible guesstimate, rather than something pulled out of the air (or worse).

[tw]

Quote: Originally Posted by iampete Excuse me, I meant to ask for a credible guesstimate, rather than something pulled out of the air (or worse).

I don't have an answer for your question, but I do have a different question that applies to your answer.

how much extra battery life will a solid-state hard drive give? seems to me that would remove one of the bigger drains on battery power, no?

[iampete]

Quote: Originally Posted by tw . . . how much extra battery life will a solid-state hard drive give? seems to me that would remove one of the bigger drains on battery power, no?

I would expect so, although I am not aware of any numbers regarding battery usage with the solid state "drive", so I just took Jobs' 5 hrs. statement as the baseline.

My business trips have often been 12 - 16 hr work days without guaranteed plug access. Were the realistically expected battery life with the SSD to be 10-12 hours (or if the next iteration had a user swappable battery), I'd buy an MBA in spite of the inflated price. Otherwise, I'll just stick with my MBP.

[chabig]

Why does your spare battery have to be internal. Many companies make external batteries for laptops. Here is one:

http://www.blackanddecker.com/Produc...roductID=17894

Chris

[iampete]

Quote: Originally Posted by chabig Why does your spare battery have to be internal. Many companies make external batteries for laptops. Here is one: http://www.blackanddecker.com/Produc...roductID=17894 Chris

Requiring a massive, external power source connected by a wire in order to use a light, wireless computer seems sort of ridiculous, doncha think?

[chabig]

You weren't concerned about carrying a spare battery before, yet now you've turned "style conscious" because the spare battery I suggested doesn't look cool?