Comments Locked

42 Comments

Back to Article

  • jessejames036 - Friday, September 5, 2008 - link

    Does anyone have an idea who is the supplier for the LED driver of the Keypad.

    JP
  • pink78 - Monday, April 7, 2008 - link

    There's actually some more about this Untel CPU in the Macbook Air:
    http://www.maconair.com/intels_custom_built_CPU_de...">http://www.maconair.com/intels_custom_built_CPU_de...
  • diablosinc - Wednesday, January 23, 2008 - link

    "The fact that Apple can cram a nearly-2GHz Core 2 Duo into the MacBook Air either means that Moore's law has caught up with our desires or Apple is going to make it so you can no longer have children."

    considering apple is the worst environmental offender of all of the major techies out there, i'm leaning towards the latter.

    funny that they pander....i mean, er...market...to the "young and hip", who're typically the more "environmentally conscientious"...

    any empires out there that don't make you hum the imperial march theme?
  • blumenbach - Monday, January 21, 2008 - link

    Finally a decent article on the MB Air from someone who has experience with ultralights. I've owned a couple of the Sony 505s, and I'm looking forward to running the MB Air through its paces. It's silly to compare the Air with either the MacBook or the MacBook Pro, because both are very different animals. What Apple has attempted to do--and perhaps succeeded--is to create a fully functional laptop with few compromises. As far as I know, only the Toshiba Portege has come close to this. I've had my MacBook Pro for almost two years now, and it's easily the best laptop I've ever owned (of about 15 or so). The build quality on the MacBook Pro is unsurpassed, and I'm assuming the Air will be of similar quality with its aluminum housing and other Apple components... but almost three pounds lighter! That's what makes the Air so exciting: it's a high performance and high quality notebook that is fully functional, all under 3 pounds and at a much lower price point than has been the case for ultralights in the past. My bet is that it will be a big success for Apple.
  • quanta - Friday, January 18, 2008 - link

    That's just what the world needs, another Crapple accessory with weld shut battery, memory, and hard drive slots, except it's 3 times as expensive as iPhone, and a whole lot more junk for Chinese recyclers to destroy their villages with.
  • diablosinc - Wednesday, January 23, 2008 - link

    didn't see your post. see mine below, if you feel like some mutual "preach it, brother/sister"'s...
  • samirpsamirp - Friday, January 18, 2008 - link

    I don't own a single apple product. But I admire/drool over their designs. My price calculations however don't work out. Because other designs offer far better specs at similar price points.

    After following apple for a while my new pipe dream is: aesthetics at an affordable price point whoever does it. With enough volumes shipping may be apple will lower prices for some of the pleasant products or somebody else.

    (having a hip device is not the prerogative for select few, apple seems to be making hip devices for masses. Oh! But the prices!!!)
  • amx - Friday, January 18, 2008 - link

    After the launch of the Macbook Air and the CPU choice it is clear why other two laptops have not been updated. In my opinion Apple has already designed or refreshed the design of macbook and macbook pros. The Penryn ramp up is an important step for Apple to release those two laptops. They are after all the core computer products that apple sells. They have huge volumes now and penryn production at this moment probably could not support the apple volumes thus leading to huge shortage. I think Apple is waiting for a month or two two launch those products.
    The CPU choice here also makes sense, since the margins for intel are great on the 65nm process and thus they could afford to shrink the package size. Who knows after Apple's move other companies might want Intel to deliver this 20mm package size. That would create many Macbook Air like competitors. Even laptops like Asus Eee PC could benefit from this processor.
  • solipsism - Thursday, January 17, 2008 - link

    The developer notes for the MacBook Air state:

    "Advanced Digital Media Boost supports Intel Streaming SIMD Extensions (SSE) versions 1, 2, 3, and 4 and allows the processor to execute most 128-bit instructions every clock cycle."
  • solipsism - Saturday, January 19, 2008 - link

    Update: They removed it from the dev paper 2 days after I posted this.
  • Griswold - Friday, January 18, 2008 - link

    Hmm, if it wasnt a dev paper, you would have found a way to grab them by their apples for false advertising! ;)
  • solipsism - Thursday, January 17, 2008 - link

    http://developer.apple.com/documentation/HardwareD...">http://developer.apple.com/documentatio...801/Arti...
  • VooDooAddict - Thursday, January 17, 2008 - link

    I was really hoping this would be the tablet PC alternative.

    Rotatable screen, Waccom digitizer.
  • daftrok - Thursday, January 17, 2008 - link

    So a 5 pound 1" thick 13" Macbook laptop is not portable enough for some people? Is losing 0.24 inches in thickness and 2 pounds really worth the sacrifices one must take when buying this device (oh, and 800 dollars). I, for one, do not believe that this is so.

    Another thing I disliked on the Keynote was its comparison to the TZ series. Steve can say all he wants about how the speed is slow and its thick, but I would be very impressed if Apple made an 11" laptop with a 1.6 GHz C2D processor; 13" laptop, not so much. Granted its thin but at the same time you have more room to work with. Also the TZ series has a much greater battery life, mobile broadband connection, a 1.3 MP webcam, fingerprint reader and carbon fiber casing.

    So, in short, this was a bad move on Apple's part. They already have a 13" laptop and its called the Macbook, there's no need to make another. It would have been nice/made sense if they made a 12" touch laptop with those specifications and around a 1500 dollar price point.

    Another thing I was hoping for was a replacement for the Macbook. Just make an Aluminum 13" Macbook with LED backlighting and the new 45 nm Penryn processors and just have one upgradeable model at $1099 (I'm sick and tired of the ripoffs they are pulling with the Macbooks).
  • Tegeril - Thursday, January 17, 2008 - link

    This system gets 1-2 more hours of battery life than the aforementioned Macbook.
  • Lonyo - Thursday, January 17, 2008 - link

    So take a spare battery.
  • plewis00 - Thursday, January 17, 2008 - link

    Perhaps the largest point you missed about the TZ series is that it has an optical drive. It also has 2 USB ports and because of all the built-in stuff you don't need to use them as badly as on the Air.
  • Bremen7000 - Thursday, January 17, 2008 - link

    "You can probably save yourself some coin by snagging a 32GB drive aftermarket..."

    Is the HD even user-replaceable? I wouldn't be surprised if the whole laptop was seam-free like an iPod/etc (other than cooling vents).
  • Mathue - Monday, January 21, 2008 - link

    Looks like only a few screws for the HD replacement near as I can tell.
  • daftrok - Thursday, January 17, 2008 - link

    It is. You can't even change the battery.
  • Mathue - Monday, January 21, 2008 - link

    What, you can't operate a screwdriver?
  • plinden - Friday, January 18, 2008 - link

    Nope, I took a look at one yesterday at the expo.

    It's not seamless. The bottom has about a dozen screws. I spoke to a rep and he told me everything's soldered to the board and only an Apple tech could change anything. So your warranty would be invalid if you changed the HDD or battery or RAM yourself.

    That said, since the insides are so easily accessible and an Apple tech can replace the HDD, battery and RAM (from my experience of Apple "geniuses", they're good but not with any technical skill better than I have) you could probably change things yourself if you had any level of soldering skills above beginner.
  • 8steve8 - Thursday, January 17, 2008 - link


    here is a good table of ultra laptops

    http://steve8.selfip.info/?p=41">http://steve8.selfip.info/?p=41

    personally id like a 4gb penryn air with uefi 2.0
    2gb ram when ram is practically free.... well that sucks.
  • michal1980 - Thursday, January 17, 2008 - link

    You get some of the other laptops pointed out in the other thread. Because a 3/4 inch thick laptops around 3lbs that come with all the ports, and disk drives exsit on the market.

    Yet once again the media, and to some degree Anandtech, seem to potray apple as some revolutionary company that is doing things no one ever has done before.

    And yes the ipod when it came out set a standard... But the ipod time is over. And now apple is just making 'pretty' things. And without even saying they are first, let the media do it.

    For example: after every mac event or launch, the local news stations cover it, and talk about all these great new apple product.

    Then the next day on local radio the talking heads that dont know much about tech,ooh and ahhh over apple, and the new air.

    Dell/hp/sony/toshiba/asus can launch a product.... and the media is silent.

    Whats this media love affair with apple?

    Apple can start selling apples tommorow, and the media and the drones will ohh and ahh, saying that they've never seen an apple before and it tastes so good.
  • yesno - Monday, January 21, 2008 - link

    The media love affair with Apple is that it takes technologies that already exisit, and packages them in a form that is actually useful.

    There are fewer iPhones than Windows Mobile phones, but far more data traffic from iPhones than from Windows Mobile. Not just a litte bit more.

    Why? Web browsing on a cell phone certainly isn't "new." But Apple is the first company to make the experience pleasant, easy, and accessible to people who don't want to futz around with engineer-desinged usability nightmares.

    One example on the Macbook Air is Apple's implementation of remote drive sharing and Netbooting, which is, by far, the slickest and best implemantation of that old technology that I've ever seen.

    They're even better at making useable Unix tools than other companies. The command syntax of hditutil, for instance, is much better than your typical cryptic Unix syntax.

    I know A LOT about hardware, software, and technology. I know more than anyone else that Apple's technologies aren't usually "new" in the sense that no one has ever done thing "x" before. And yet, I will usually buy an Apple product rather than a competing product, usually paying more for the privilege. Because I know that it work the first time around, well and intuitively. My time is valuable.

    Just like I set up Linux machines for people, but wouldn't use one for my ordinary desktop environment, it is possible to know and understand technology and still prefer Apple products.
  • rADo2 - Monday, January 21, 2008 - link

    "seem to potray apple as some revolutionary company that is doing things no one ever has done before" - but isn't that true? There is **no other company** that cannot fit Ethernet port, at least 3 USBs, PCMCIA card reader, DVD-RW writer, flash card reader, and many other neccesary things into 3 lbs. computer.

    Apple did it first!

    It is the first company that created a notebook that cannot have external mouse and USB dongle connected at the same time, the first company that created a notebook that cannot play DVDs and/or insert CDs, and the first company that prevents you to connect to hotel internet (via Ethernet port).

    You see, Apple is first for many things :-) (it does not matter all of them are negative)

    Unlike e.g. Toshiba, less than 2 lbs. in its R500, DVD-RW, Ethernet, card reader, PCMCIA, all included.

    http://toshiba.com/R500">http://toshiba.com/R500
  • lemonadesoda - Tuesday, January 22, 2008 - link

    I do agree with your "business use" missing features. Most people with deep pockets dont want TWO laptops, just one. And that means a laptop that can be used on business and travel.

    No ethernet port is a big omission.
    No PCMCIA port is a big omission too. (Even if only to add environment certified high security wifi, or an ethernet card).

    ...although a LOT cheaper to build.

    But 2 USB ports are needed as a minimum! Especially when without the ethernet and PCMCIA.
  • Mathue - Monday, January 21, 2008 - link

    Man, you are incredibly bitter for someone who hasn't even seen this notebook in person. Seriously, you need to walk away from the online tech news for a bit.
  • michael2k - Friday, January 18, 2008 - link

    Does it help that Anand wants one too?
  • Griswold - Friday, January 18, 2008 - link

    You hit the nail on the head. One possible explanation for this type of mass behaviour could be that apple managed to plant this little seed into the minds of the general public and the media drones, that tells them to think that apple and its products are, without exceptions, "cool and hip". And because most people want to be considered "cool and hip" instead of boring and square, they love to talk about it, hoping to catch some of the imaginary shining light that surrounds the product for themselves and of course to cater to the alleged public demand to hear about amazing thingies all day long. Similar to the funny things people will do and say to get associated with movie or music stars...

    This has nothing to do with the actual quality of the product (and apple does have nice products), its rather a brilliant marketing feat they pulled off at some point in time that enhances the value of their company and products without spending too much on marketing - the media drones will do it for them. Brilliant, just brilliant. And perhaps the best thing apple has ever achieved.
  • BladeVenom - Friday, January 18, 2008 - link

    It's just the media. While Steve Jobs is a media Svengali, it's only the media who are eating out of his hand. The general public is smarter than that and see Apple for what it is. They only had a 5.7% market share this year in the US, and far less elsewhere.
  • 0roo0roo - Friday, January 18, 2008 - link

    it is not just the media. media hype can get people to buy maybe one product one time. it cannot make them come back. frankly apples been around and successful for so long the media hype argument needs to be shelved.
  • michael2k - Friday, January 18, 2008 - link

    All indications are that Apple has 7% marketshare in the US.

    Probably by the end of this year it will be 10%. It wasn't long ago that they only had 4% in the US.

    So, no, it's not just the media. The general public actually is buying Macs. Look up Apple's quarterly results and you'll see that too.
  • Griswold - Friday, January 18, 2008 - link

    No, the general public is not much smarter than that. See the ipod and how people rush to stores only to get the latest model whenever there is a new one. And the (now somewhat calm) iphone hype.

    Dont just look at computer market share figures... thats not their cash cow anymore.

    Besides that, the media drones only cater to the needs of the dummies listening to them in the first place - principle of supply and demand.
  • brianb - Friday, January 18, 2008 - link

    Form factor of the MBA is definitely the tastiest I've seen, but the notebook is still a little heavy for an ultraportable. The toshiba portege r500 is only 1.7 pounds. Now, I have a Mac and what I want Apple to improveve on is the MacBook glossy screen. It's a total wash out as seen on this video (http://www.maccomplainer.com/macbook-complaints/ma...">http://www.maccomplainer.com/macbook-co...s/macboo....

    Some people practically "live" in their notebooks working long hours on it, but unlike Sony, HP and Dell, Apple chooses a substandard screen.
  • brianb - Friday, January 18, 2008 - link

    sorry, the link is:

    http://www.maccomplainer.com/macbook-complaints/ma...">http://www.maccomplainer.com/macbook-co...ts/macbo...
  • Ratinator - Thursday, January 17, 2008 - link

    "The love affair"

    I think it is just the type of marketing they do. They hope to hit the hundreds of thousands of people out there that don't have a clue and suck them in.

    For those that know better or are smart enough to seek out a friend a who does know better aren't as affected.

    My father in law is an excellent example. He doesn't know better but he thinks he does. I have 15 years experience in software/hardware etc. He will ask my advice on something and then usually does something completely different. Usually because he heard something on TV or one of his friends who doesn't have a clue told him different.

    It's amazing how many of this type of people are out there.
  • Mathue - Sunday, January 20, 2008 - link

    Reply to Ratinator:

    My Ghod I wish marketing products was as simple as you think it is. I _strongly_ doubt Apple could have grown so much over the past five or so years (Maybe it's longer?) on mere 'marketing to people without a clue'. I get SO SICK of my executives belief that marketing crap will make people buy crap, there's five years of proof where I used to work that that is a complete and utter pipe dream.
  • 0roo0roo - Friday, January 18, 2008 - link


    quote:


    I think it is just the type of marketing they do. They hope to hit the hundreds of thousands of people out there that don't have a clue and suck them in.


    if it were easy as marketing everyone would be pulling apples.
  • michal1980 - Thursday, January 17, 2008 - link

    oh I wish I could edit:

    Becuase I want to add,

    how can apple be praised for high design when they leave things off... But other manufactures get ripped for missing port x,y,z.

    Dell should release a notebook with no ports. not even a power plug, or a usb port. Talk about RADICAL.


    oh and the graphics solution, can't intel get a faster chip that the old g9x5 chip?
  • andreschmidt - Thursday, January 17, 2008 - link

    The MacBook Air shares the same Intel GMA X3100 as the MacBook.

    It does not use the Intel GMA950.

    I would guess they also get credit for designing something that actually looks good while getting the job done.
  • tayhimself - Thursday, January 17, 2008 - link

    A couple of things :

    Google ". No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame."

    Design has nothing to do with inclusion and exclusion of ports, but the user and product interaction http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_design">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_design

    Its the wrong product for you, but it MAY be the right product for others. Who knows it could be a Mac Cube or as successful as the original iMac (which I doubt). In any case I like it and am going to buy it.

Log in

Don't have an account? Sign up now