Tracking enterprise technology transformation
The confessions of a secret MacBook Air fan (and reluctant Windows powered blogger)
http://www.apple.com/macbookair/design.htm
The thinness of MacBook Air is stirring. But perhaps more impressive, there’s a full-size notebook encased in the 0.16 to 0.76 inch of sleek, sturdy anodized aluminum. And at just 3.0 pounds,1 MacBook Air is more than portable — it’s with you everywhere you go.
I’m standing typing a few post on different things whilst a tthe HP event. In doing so, I’ve been watching the various press people with their laptops getting ready to write an article or post about the event. I’m watching with interest to see the ratio of Windows to Apple laptops – what do journalists use? A Dell/ThinkPad even an Acer or Toshiba?
I’m using my ThinkPad for this event due to ill health of my trusted G4 Powerbook (the hard drive needs replaced -it’s making those noises as a server guy I know mean 6 months before it fails). It’s just the thought of taking the thing apart to fit a new drive that has stopped me from doing it so far.
With this in mind, I must declare the following. I miss my Powerbook. (I confess in a weird semi jealous way when seeing people with an Apple laptop, those with their G4 iBooks or MacBooks.
It’s not that the ThinkPad isn’t good, its the essence of a great laptop, its superior in size, in performance (yes Apple fans might debate this), the utilities, the keyboard and the weight is just right.
It’s just let me put it to you this way. When I close the lid on my trusted Powerbook, Mac OS understands me. Me a person that wants to type in a few mins just not at this second, and it knows I can be impatitent so doesn’t ask me questions unless it needs to. It hibernates the laptop, it just sits there humming along, when I open said screen, a few seconds and it’s back in business.
I don’t feel the same level of user experience with the ThinkPad, mainly I’d attribute to Windows XP. Oh it goes to standby there is no denying it, but the user experience, the fact that as soon as it’s online my ThinkPad does a Windows Update, an AVG update, has all those icons at the bottom of my taskbar which I can sense just slow my laptop down and eating my precious battery life of two hours or so.
Ultimately I need to do one of the following, I need to upgrade my Powerbook (or buy a new disk), or think about Vista on my ThinkPad with maybe an uber battery. This causes me a few issues. But should I at this point give up to the temptation and replace both with a MacBook Air?
I love the MacBook Air, it’s design sets the standard for many a laptop manufacturer, but I have a few hesitant things, childish I know, but let me absolve myself of these issues and in doing so build up to purchasing one as part of the five year plan. (You can’t rush a laptop purchase – Don’t rush me….)
It’s the battery for one, I read that it’s not user replaceable? Does this mean I have to pay to get a new battery? When I request a battery service will they service it or give me another laptop? How non-user replaceable is it? Are we talking degrees in nuclear physics or keep it away from dad when he gets impatient with his screw driver if it isn’t done in 5 mins?
I still remember with vast disappointment when my U2 iPod battery failed, I sent it back for a service in which they issued me a refurbished unit instead. But they failed to understand me, my geekness when it came to Apple/iPod devices.
You see I’m a blatant mac fan. I was watching the Apple announcement in the UK online, I bought the U2 iPod as soon as it was in the UK store, in fact I think I pre-ordered it. I was one of the few (I confess with a little embarresment) that I was one of the first so many thousand to buy a U2 UK official iPod with the U2 music that came with it, only to be sent a refurbished device when said battery failed. It was me who turned up at the office for people to say “new iPod, what’s that one then?”.
The 1.8 inch hard drive presents an issue (4200rpm?), “Oh solid state, solid state for goodness sake” I here my brothers cry (Ewan and Fraser), indeed, they would be right. But if I did (rather strangely I confess), opt for an olden days hard drive, 1.8 inch drives kind of limits my choices when it comes to upgrade.
The industrial strength element, I don’t doubt that the laptop is industrial strength and designed for work, but it doesn’t have the feel of my Powerbook, granted it could be labelled a fatty in comparison, but it feels like it is built like a tank.
The dvd drive not included. Yes, yes Lenovo do not include a drive with their X 60/61 series laptops (they do with the X300), their competitor to the MacBook Air, but I expect more from Apple, not so much in my previous article where I said, I’d be prepared to go without said device, but could it not be bundled in with the top model? Could I not be given the benefit of the doubt? But then it all pans into insignificance when you consider the light weight of the device, how wonderfully designed it is and how thin it is.
Will I buy a MacBook Air?
we’ll have to see, I can sense I deserve one, and what usually happens with me when it comes to Apple devices is that I make justifications why I can’t buy one (the battery or the disk), and then end up buying one anyway. In the meantime, back to covering said HP Technology@Work event.
I’ve sold my 12″ PowerBook and am waiting for my MacBook Air to ship. I love the PB: its design, the touch of it, the size and the silence.
The MBA has the advantage of being lighter and comes with a much brighter and with more screen real estate. Also the processing power of the MBA should be between 2x and 4x that of my PB. I can at last watch those HD trailers!
I rarely used the second battery that I bought with the PB. And going from 100GB to 80Gb should be manageable.
Very very cool, hope you’re pleased with the MacBook Air, do let me know how you get on!
Now that I have my MBA since a few weeks, I’m posting some feedback. Damn the thing is thin. People will look twice. I often hear “wow” when people see it. It is also light. My back appreciates this. It has a very strong case. The screen is awesomely bright, has enough resolution and the backlit keyboard is good to have. The form factor (half the volume of the 12″ G4 PowerBook) allows me to take it everywhere.
Speedwise it does everything I need and does it well (iPhoto, Photoshop Elements, Final Cut Express, Word, Scrivner, Bento, iTunes, Garageband, Readiris OCR, etc.) I have slimmed down versions of my iPhoto and iTunes Libraries on it, all my documenst and hundreds of PDFs and a bunch of divx videos. Still about 30GB free. Only Bento makes the rainbow wheel appear (must be coding, as it is a 1.0 app)
Installing software wirelessly by using my iMac’s disc drive works fine.
Battery life is good at average 4h30. Charging on the other hand takes longer than that.
Heat is not an issue and the MBA is mostly silent. But if I watch HD video or lots of Youtube, the fans will rev up (but not annoyingly so) and the bottom right gets quite warm. Also HD video will shorten battery life by about 2 hours.
The multitouch trackpad is fantastic. I can select, open, move, zoom, rotate, right-click all with using up to three fingers from one hand. No more right-clicking on the mouse button under the trackpad. It is like a finger ballet which becomes second nature. Using older notebooks, this is a feature I miss straight away.
Now that I have my MBA since a few weeks, I'm posting some feedback. Damn the thing is thin. People will look twice. I often hear “wow” when people see it. It is also light. My back appreciates this. It has a very strong case. The screen is awesomely bright, has enough resolution and the backlit keyboard is good to have. The form factor (half the volume of the 12″ G4 PowerBook) allows me to take it everywhere.
Speedwise it does everything I need and does it well (iPhoto, Photoshop Elements, Final Cut Express, Word, Scrivner, Bento, iTunes, Garageband, Readiris OCR, etc.) I have slimmed down versions of my iPhoto and iTunes Libraries on it, all my documenst and hundreds of PDFs and a bunch of divx videos. Still about 30GB free. Only Bento makes the rainbow wheel appear (must be coding, as it is a 1.0 app)
Installing software wirelessly by using my iMac's disc drive works fine.
Battery life is good at average 4h30. Charging on the other hand takes longer than that.
Heat is not an issue and the MBA is mostly silent. But if I watch HD video or lots of Youtube, the fans will rev up (but not annoyingly so) and the bottom right gets quite warm. Also HD video will shorten battery life by about 2 hours.
The multitouch trackpad is fantastic. I can select, open, move, zoom, rotate, right-click all with using up to three fingers from one hand. No more right-clicking on the mouse button under the trackpad. It is like a finger ballet which becomes second nature. Using older notebooks, this is a feature I miss straight away.