Macworld 2008: Hands on with the Macbook Air


macbookair.jpg

Well, I got a second to try out the Macbook Air here at Macworld, and I have to say it’s a very impressive little machine. The screen is amazing. It’s bright, beautiful and full of color. The keyboard is responsible and easy to use (although I am not a big fan of the black keys), and the thing is impossibly thin.

It’s so thin, in fact, that I think I would be afraid I would break the thing if I purchased one.

I have to say, as impressive as the device is, it’s not something that I will be wanting to add to my collection anytime soon. I’m happy with my Macbook Pro (now after 3 days of this I may feel differently…but so far, it’s just not that heavy).

All in all, I think is a marvelous technical achievement – but I’m just not that interested. What about you?


Kossi Adzo

Kossi Adzo is a technology enthusiast and digital strategist with a fervent passion for Apple products and the innovative technologies that orbit them. With a background in computer science and a decade of experience in app development and digital marketing, Kossi brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective to the Apple Gazette team.

16 Comments

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  1. $1800 is a lot to ask for a machine that has nothing to gain but a smaller form factor: less memory, less storage, less I/O, less CPU power. If it was $1300-$1500 I’d consider it, but the extra $300 is a deal breaker.

    I don’t know how I feel about the black keys ether. It would have looked so much better if it matched the MacBook Pro. If anything, white to match the new iMac keyboard.

    The more I look at it the more I want it, but I just can’t get away from the fact that my MacBook is almost 2 years old and it’s faster, has more memory, more hdd storage, and way more I/O, for way way less $$$.

    Seriously, I think the only thing it has to offer is a smaller form factor. I think this machine is only good for someone who’s going from a G3/G4 to Intel. If you already have a MacBook, I can’t see it as an upgrade.

  2. The macbook air is too coowl! 😀
    Is it correct when you having already a AE, the time capsule can be intergrated into your network?
    I mean an additional router, same as the airport express.

  3. Must say that its a very cool looking unit. But personally I would never go for it, performance is more important to me. I don’t need that kind of portability. For that price I would just go for a MacBook Pro. And if I needed something smaller a plain jane MacBook is more than sufficient. And it comes with more perfomance too.

  4. It could be a pretty nice device after the evolution of a few product cycles. Jobs achieved too much. The device is amazingly!!!! thin. But one centimeter (about 1/3rd inch) thicker and a few features more would have been better in my book.

    Also I’m kinda worried about the aluminium casing. My G4 powerbook has some ugly nicks and dents.

    But main points of critique for me are:
    – its still bigger than my 12″ PB, due to the widescreen
    – no swappable battery (sucks at those transatlantic trips)
    – 80gb hdd. even the top ipod have 160gb
    – X3100 graphics which rules out most 3D games and apps – even WoW, which is now pretty old with 3 years after release.

    On the flipside, it’s extremely light, the display is much better and the OS is probably a lot more responsive than on the olde G4. Guess it’s a nice computer if you are content surfing the web, watching movies, doing some text editing and some light photo work on the go. Then again, except for the photo work I can do all that on an ipod touch too 😉

  5. I’m with the jury on this one. These things are mind-rendingly thin, but I keep plastic glasses in my kitchen so I don’t break them as often, for crying out loud. I can’t for the life of me imagine what sort of circumstances would make me want to buy this.

  6. Im.. upset.. I knew this was the hype coming into this week, but i have had my eyes on getting a Mac Book Pro and i was certain they would be doing some type of Upgrade to that this week.
    I Cant figure out why They didnt update the macbooks and the mac book pros with This new touch pad, and Give The mac book pros this keyboard! I like the mac book keyboard more then the mac book pro Keyboard.

    Also Where is the SD card slot! I do so much work with Photos and i still have to hook up my camera to a usb to get things transferred!
    .. I just dont see Why they called this the mac book air, when it should be in the same family in my opinion as the Mac Book!
    .. IM frustrated with it what can i say!..
    IT would have only made sense to me if this was a true mini Lap top .. something like 11 inches or smaller..
    Even then the only computer I can really buy is The Mac Book Pro Cause i need the Graphiccs Card

  7. Anyone remember the G4 Cube? Beautiful little machine, sleek, sexy, silent and ultimately a failure because it was under-powered and over-priced. It didn’t differentiate itself far enough from the pro and consumer lines it sat between; PowerMac and iMac in that case, MacBook Pro and MacBook in this case. It’s a beautiful machine, but I’ve seen this before. I hope it works out better for Apple this time.

  8. Im stuck…i need yalls help…i have $4000 to spend on a notebook…what would you do if you had the money to spend, MBA OR MBP. Im a student that doesnt do alot of photo editing or anything like that but likes to download music, usual web browsing, word processing and powerpoints. What in your opinion would be my best bet? Thanks!!

  9. Such a missed opportunity. There’s nothing wrong with the Macbook Air, the problem is the external optical drive. What they should have done, was to create an external hard disk/optical disk combo, which automatically connects to the MacBook Air when in range, through WiFi (or if you wish, through the air).

    Oh, and while I’m at it, if Apple TV is punted as the DVD player of the future, it really should have a Blu Ray optical drive included. And while they’re at it, merge the Airport with the Apple TV, and include DVR. Then allow this device to also serve as the combo to which your Mabook Air connects, and you will have MEGA sales of both products.

    Such a missed opportunity…

  10. No optical drive, batery sealed in, not switchable or exchangeable, only one usb drive, memory not upgradable… sacrificing all that for the sake of size and design… Steve, Man, you are asking too much of us..

  11. Belkin makes high quality products, though if a person is going to spend $1800 dollars on a classy computer, why not spend a few hundred to five hundred for a classy leather case.

    To suit a classy computer in a cheap case is like getting a harvard eduction then a job at a fast food joint. It doesnt make sense.