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Weight, good battery life, reasonable speed, a good keyboard, and overall feel are what's important for a thin & light.  (Super-thinness is just icing on the cake.)  The MBA strikes a pretty good balance of those things (if you're willing, of course, for the trade-offs).  But what I've been most impressed by the MBA is the design/feel of the thing - both how it's designed and its build quality.  It just feels incredibly solid and really, really good - rather rare qualities for thin & light/subnotebook.

In fact, it makes a MB and MBP seem rather boxy and creaky in comparison - their build quality, while decent, just isn't up to the level of the MBA.

Don't listen to me, though.  Check one out and see for yourself.  

Anyway, I'm not the market for a MBA (my laptop mostly stays at home, and I like to play an occasional game or two) but it's undeniably a gorgeous design and I suspect it will sell very well.

OK, Paul, for every smarmy story like this that you post just to "prove" that you were right, I'll trade you one that says the opposite. You know, for balance. So let's start with someone who initially didn't like the Air, but has changed his tune:

http://tinyurl.com/25dlnv

I agree is not worth $2000 bucks and has some serious flaws: one USB missing and a slow drive that slows down the whole thing. That's not so much an issue on OS X which doesn't page so much much with 2GB but must be more with XP and unusable with Vista.

2GB is aplenty if you just use OSX or XP via boot camp. Forget using parallels or Vista because of heavy disk use for paging that will slow the machine to a crawl.

80GB HD is decent nowadays on a machine, unless you dual boot OS X and Win.

Paul has been wrong so many times and the Macbook Air is just the latest - he said the original iPod mini was overpriced and would never succeed (completely wrong), the version 2 zunes had a lot going for them (which he later retracted), apple was becoming exclusively a consumer electronics company with the iPod (that was before Mac sales took off like a rocket and since then Paul has never said this again).

So we have someone (Paul) with extremely poor predictative powers when it comest to Apple products.

Why are his predictive powers so bad?  Well, let's take his analysis on the Macbook Air as an example.  Paul says -

"I'm curious, however, about the target market for this thing: Those who are...

   * Light-duty users ... and ....

   * Frequent fliers ... and/or ....

   * Mac-daddy executives.

That's quite a crowd, I'm sure"

Paul, O'Grady never said you had to be BOTH a light-duty user AND a frequent flier or executive.  He said the macbook air was a good choice if you are ONE of these types.

There are TONS of light-duty users out there.  Like everyone at this site - think of your wife, mother, father, etc.  Almost everyone I am close to is a "light user"  The Air is MORE than enough computer for them.

The number of executives and travellers is smaller, but not insignificant.  And by the way many if not most of these people are also light duty users - email, web, some Word and Excel, etc.  No problem here.

In fact, the Macbook air is fine for everyone except (1) people who need something cheaper and (2) power users trying to use it as a primary (rather than secondary machine).

Apple doesn't release sales figures - but there is no indication I've seen that the Macbook Air is not selling well.   In fact, Apple's sales keep going up and up and some recent reports have attributed this in part to the Macbook Air (which cannot be proven, I'm sure,  but still it could be a factor).

"the Macbook air is fine for everyone except....power users trying to use it as a primary (rather than secondary machine)."

last time i checked, the industry agrees that notebooks are continually outselling desktops.

so who needs a second laptop to act as a secondary machine to that primary laptop.

i'd say the exception in your argument outclasses your point.

"There are TONS of light-duty users out there.  Like everyone at this site - think of your wife, mother, father, etc."

....and those "TONS" of users sure as hell don't need to pay $1800 for a computer to do that either, nor do they need it to be the "thinnest computer in the world".  you're trying to justify the purchase of a sub-compact, priced as a Ferrari here.

"....and those "TONS" of users sure as hell don't need to pay $1800 for a computer to do that either, nor do they need it to be the "thinnest computer in the world". "

There are numerous things that people don't NEED, but nevertheless buy.

So your argument about "need" is essentially worthless as a predictor of whether the macbook air will sell or not.  BZZZT.  Try again.

"So your argument about "need" is essentially worthless as a predictor of whether the macbook air will sell or not."

may i present the evidence in my favour:

http://tinyurl.com/38qnr8

Pingback from  Airline Travel » The MacBook Air has no clothes

Pingback from  Airline Travel » The MacBook Air has no clothes

lotsamystuff: Fair enough. I'm not so much trying to prove I'm right as point out, again, that the MBA has some flaws that should be so obvious that you don't need to buy one to find them out. But quoting someone from Macworld as liking the MBA is ... I don't know. Not so convincing. :)

cesjr : Fair enough as well. I'm wrong several times a day. Hopefully each one of those mistakes doesn't cost me $2000. But I did point out he was credible for admitting his mistake, even though I'm curious why he "stands by" his previous assertions about this weird, niche laptop. I added the "and" and "and/or" bits there for a reason. "Light duty users" shouldn't have to spend $2000 on a machine. There are $450 laptops out there. Etc.

"the MBA has some flaws that should be so obvious that you don't need to buy one to find them out."

FWIW, Paul, I agree with you. The lack of FireWire is a killer for me, and if I had my druthers, I'd like to see the return of the 12" PowerBook. But judging by the apparent success of the MBA, a lot of people think the lightness and portability are features that are worth the tradeoffs. They're not for me, that's for sure.

"There are $450 laptops out there."

None of them run OSX, though. That's a deal-killer for many of us.

There's also the style factor. Not something Microsoft fanboys would have any idea about.

"There's also the style factor."

ya, in your case, style = cheap white shiney plastic and technology inside it with a 50% cost premium.

My Dad bought the MBA with SSD. The for them is that they wanted an very small computer. He had already decided to buy the MBA and I told him to get the SSD. For him money is no issue. For him spending $3k on a computer is not an issue.

My dad fits the MBA's market just perfect: a (retired) CEO who travels a lot and has quite a bit of money.

This computer was not made for us geeks. We know how to actually run a computer for its worth. For the CEO-type they are just using it for email and browsing the web. These are the people Apple is marketing, not the power users.

I will not buy a MBA myself at the current price and specs. It is just not enough machine for me at the price.

Who Apple is competing with at this point is Sony for the tiny stylish UMPCs. Both are overpriced and underpowered. For some reason people are still buying both. They love the small form factor and love to toss money around.

I just wish I had money to toss around.

@cesjr - I think you've got  it right with this quote:

"In fact, the Macbook air is fine for everyone except (1) people who need something cheaper and (2) power users trying to use it as a primary (rather than secondary machine)."

@waethorn

"last time i checked, the industry agrees that notebooks are continually outselling desktops.

so who needs a second laptop to act as a secondary machine to that primary laptop."

Obviously someone who buys a laptop will consider mobility as a factor, so they're not going to buy two mobile laptops.  

There are still lots and lots of people who buy desktop PCs, Mac Minis, iMacs, and 17" laptops that you'd need a mule team to haul around.  Like cesjr says, the MBA is a secondary machine, designed primarily for a good combination of mobility and screen size.  

When I travel (less than a month a year) I use an old, OLD, OOLLLD Compaq N410c laptop with a Pentium III-M processor and 12 inch screen.  I use a browser, copy photos to it and do light photo editing.  That's it.  Add word processing, and that's all most people do with their machines.  Yeah, it's slow - WAY slower than a MBA, but it's fine for what I need it to do.  It's a secondary (or really, third or fourth) machine.  Outside its cost, (which cesjr mentioned) a MBA would be a fine replacement for this machine.  

I'm not buying one because I agree that the price is too high for a secondary machine, but the MBA itself is perfectly capable of doing what I (and a lot of other people) need.

Paul - " "Light duty users" shouldn't have to spend $2000 on a machine. There are $450 laptops out there. Etc."

Another strawman argument from Paul.  Nobody - and I mean NOBODY said light duty users "have to spend $2000 on a machine."  

Can we argue against something people are actually asserting?  Jeez

My point was that there are a lot of light users out there - for whom the macbook air is more than adequate.  The issue then is - do you want to pay for the light weight and thinness and sexiness of the thing?  There's plenty of people with $$$$ out there, and they aren't looking to buy a $450 brick laptop.

@ Waethorn...

Linking to Paul's graph from last week is all well and good... Perhaps now we can link to a graph with the actual profit margins for the computers which as a share holder is all I am interested in.

@ Paul

I trust you will update the graph every say 6 months to show how the market share breaks down - oh and how about splitting the Windows one up into XP and Vista and see how the new Mircosoft is doing?

I'd love a Macbook Air. It'd be nice to use, touch, it'd be quiet. Of course, any time I wanted to do anything remotely useful or be productive at all, I'd have to pack it up and use a real computer.

It's the computer of the future. Unfortunately for Apple, the future isn't here yet. I still need USB/Ethernet/Windows and so do most other people.

And that's a lot of money to pay for a slow CPU.

That's not to say they won't sell a lot of them. The fanbase of Apple products is something to behold. They seem to rabidly disagree with any assertion that anything with an Apple logo on it could possibly have a flaw in it.

I will be super impressed with the first Apple fanboy to admit that Steve Jobs might have possibly farted once.

benjwah said:

It's the computer of the future. Unfortunately for Apple, the future isn't here yet. I still need USB/Ethernet/Windows and so do most other people.

Eh? The MBA either has or does all of those.  You just need the ethernet adapter and external drive.  Both are external add-ons and cost extra, but are entirely viable.

The MBA is clearly not for everyone.  I have no use for the thing, personally.  But my father-in-law, who's the ceo of his company and doesn't know computers at all LOVES his new air.  The design is sexy and cool, which he loves to show off.  And it's fast enough for office, email and the web, which is all he does.  He's got a single USB verizon broadband stick which works fine.

There are more than enough people like him for this machine to be successful.  And, while it is expensive, it's in the same general price range as it's competitors.  And discounting the style for this is stupid.  People buy cars for style... why not computers?

p.s. Paul... it's interesting that you say Jason "seems like a credible, nice guy"  because not to long ago you linked to him as on of the "real mac freaks".

I bought an MBA and simply love it.  It was really a waste of money, but I don't care.  It's so light and great when you just want to flick it open and check email or browse.  Especially good when I travel which is quite often.  I wouldn't use it for serious work though it's just too slow and not enough hard drive space - not to mention Windows being impossible also a problem :(

I am more of a Mac user, but would rather buy a cheap Windows laptop for travel, for about 25% of the cost of a MBA. If it breaks in a year, I can buy a new one, every year for 4 years, or forever if you consider the expected usage life of the MBA. No fear of dropping it, losing it or having it stolen. You can just buy another for $599.

Travel conscious, size of the device, all of these reasons are valid, but I feel that the device will be dealt with like the G4 Cube...looks cool but way to expensive when cheaper alternatives are better.  If they can manage better performance and perhaps a second USB (at the least), then its possible the unit can servive.

Of the Apple notebook line, I would go with a MacBook Pro (I have a 15" and LOVE IT), but would get a MacBook WAY before even considering an Air.  What the MacBook may lack in sleekness (which the Air has, no doubt about that), it makes up with speed, more inputs, and price (not to mention that they are both the same size screen).

I honestly believe that Paul nailed it with his initial thoughts on the device, stating that Apple when with form-over-factor, where the design of the unit is the ONLY selling point.  I really think that Apple can improve on this design and create a portable that has all the sleekness and features of a Vaio or any other ultra-portable (Apple has done it many times with the "second go around" with many of their products.  Apple TV anyone?).  But this one seems like its more hype over anything else.

Well, Paul, I'm not sure Jason O'Grady being critical of Apple will be a shock to anyone -- to me (and I'm biased; once upon a time I was a PowerPage contributor), the shock is that there's not more widespread, healthy criticism in general.

And yeah, criticism IS healthy. The AIR clearly isn't for everyone -- and Jason says honestly, personally why it didn't work for him in a way that could be relevant to other people.

I think the MBA makes more sense in a larger context: not only increased performance, but better miniaturization and (here's the biggie for me) better power consumption. If we can work out ways of providing more power in laptops, and using less power in laptops, all kinds of things become possible. Instead, the trend has been a kind of stalemate between increasing performance and decreasing power consumption where we're actually requiring more powerful batteries, at enormous cost.

@Waethorn What planet are you on?  I paid £440 for my MacBook and it beats anything at that price, holds its wireless connection better and has more wireless range than any PC I know of.  Paul, TWIT, CNET have all reported that feature for feature Macs can match PC's on price.

www.systemshootouts.org/.../0515_lt1100.html

I have to agree with Paul.  The MacBook Air has a market but not one that I will be a part of although it looks lovely.  The market is a niche market but ti seems to be selling very well indeed.

If I wanted something smaller than the MacBook I would go with the new touchscreen Linux Asus EeePC.

news.yahoo.com/.../143882;_ylt=AruTVkVWkR4_QREi8E_liU.SxLEF

"ya, in your case, style = cheap white shiney plastic and technology inside it with a 50% cost premium."

Funny, I thought the air was made of really high quality, matte, caste aluminum compared to plastic on all the competitors.  If you've ever used an Air, you'd know it's an amazingly solid feeling machine.

Man, Waethorn, you do love to troll with tripe, don't you?  Is the growing mac market really this much of a threat to your business?  I would think there's more than enough people interested in some cheap commodity PC to keep you busy and profitable for the rest of your life.

Oh... and I'm pretty sure the air is noticably faster than the Sony TZ or Lenovo X300 that you bashers love to compare it to since they're 1.2ghz compared to the Air's 1.6 or 1.8ghz chips. And you can't choose a faster chip.  Oh yeah, and the X300 is $3000 MINIMUM. Sony TZ seams to start at $2100 with 2GB of ram.

So... if you want an ultra portable in this class of machine, anyone with any shred of honesty has to admit that the Air offers a unique value mix.  It's faster than the competition by a wide margin.  It's got a much bigger screen than the Sony and is much cheaper than the Lenovo and the Sony.

There are plenty of users that don't need more than 1 usb port on a daily basis and don't do anything that'll tax this machines' processor or ram too hard.  Plenty.  There's plenty of people who'd like an ultra-light machine with a full-sized screen for under 2grand.  Plenty.  There's plenty of people that can't tolerate a small keyboard.  

Apple made different choices for compromise with the air that are reasonable.  They delivered a faster performance, a better keyboard and screen for less money the competitors in the 3lb class.  if you need stuff it doesn't have, no problem.  But for you windows users and zealots like Waethorn to be so offended by this machine's value equation is irrational and ridiculous.

And it doesn't matter.  It looks like the Air is a pretty solid success already.

"no drive, one USB, no ethernet... LAME".  This all sounds very familiar.

"Is the growing mac market really this much of a threat to your business?"

Nope - 3 Mac stores in my area have closed down in as many years.

"I would think there's more than enough people interested in some cheap commodity PC to keep you busy and profitable for the rest of your life."

I don't sell cheap PC's, sorry to say.  But I can tell you that I can beat Apple's prices ANY day of the week - it's not exactly that hard to, either.  One just has to wake up each day thinking: "how can I NOT screw over customers today, like Apple does?"

Yep.  Screw over customers.  That's just what Apple does.  And they lace their machines with hallucinogenic drugs that keep them happier and more satisfied with their computers than any other computer users.  

I know I felt totally screwed when I bought my Mac Pro for less than a Dell workstation.  I felt so screwed when I bought Final Cut Studio 2 for $1299 vs. Avid's $5000.  Or Logic Studio for $499 compared to it's former price of $3000.  When I was saving enough money on Apple's software to buy two more computers with the savings, I felt completely screwed over.

I've also felt horribly screwed by the past 8 years of amazing customer service, as has everyone else that rates them miles ahead of the nearest PC competitor.

Oh, but that's right.... I can't buy a single-proc quad-core gaming rig from Apple and they aren't the absolute cheapest machines on the planet.  That MUST mean that they're categorically horrible on all fronts in every context.

Dude, you're the worst.  Everything is just about black-and-white jab with you.  You have such absolute hate for Apple it's completely out of the realm of rationality.  I'd normally assume you were 14 years old, because generally it's only children that have such stark, partisan opinions... but that doesn't appear to be the case.  So I'm at a lose to explain your mentality about a platform and products you neither sell, nor use, nor effect you in any way.

But hey.  This appears to be the way you like to present yourself.  As a one-note platform zealot.  Enjoy that, I guess.

Oh, and I know that mac-based small businesses feel really screwed by OSX Server's cheap unlimited client licensing, which comes with the server hardware.  TOTALLY SCREWED.

"Oh yeah, and the X300 is $3000 MINIMUM"

Now.  Let's compare Apple's to, well, Apple's here.  The x300 only has an SSD drive.  It's $3,000 MINIMUM for the MBA too with an SSD.  There is a rumored SATA option coming for the X300.

"Oh, and I know that mac-based small businesses feel really screwed by OSX Server's cheap unlimited client licensing, which comes with the server hardware."

That's a weak argument.  If Apple's server market share was anything decent, they would NOT be offering unlimited client licensing, I can guarantee that to you.  This sounds like a manufacturer trying to scrape out a few licenses by offering a cost competitive package, not because they are being nice.

"So... if you want an ultra portable in this class of machine, anyone with any shred of honesty has to admit that the Air offers a unique value mix.  It's faster than the competition by a wide margin.  It's got a much bigger screen than the Sony and is much cheaper than the Lenovo and the Sony."

And anyone with a shred of honesty has to admit that the various Lenovo and Sony models offer their own unique value mixes.  I can get in to a Lenovo x61 decently equipped for about $1,200-1,300 for a sub 3 pound laptop.  Plus this gives you a plenty capable keyboard.  Also watch that space this year from Lenovo, as they are revamping their ultra-portable product line.

"Everything is just about black-and-white jab with you.  You have such absolute hate for Apple it's completely out of the realm of rationality.  I'd normally assume you were 14 years old, because generally it's only children that have such stark, partisan opinions... but that doesn't appear to be the case.  So I'm at a loss to explain your mentality about a platform and products you neither sell, nor use, nor effect you in any way."

Replace Apple with MS above.  Hate to say a one-lined jab, but I've got a kettle over here just dying to meet you.

Does MBA present a unique value mix: absolutely

Does X300 present a unique value mix: absolutely

I don't think anyone can deny it, but why not just say that although they are both unique and present great value, they are not targeting the same people.

For me, the MBA lacks the essentials I need.  Does it lack the essentials for my sister, no.  If you only do the basics, the rest doesn't matter.  Do you pay a little extra for that simplification?  I think you do.

Why is that a bad thing though?  Why not have machines which are designed from the ground up for a specific market group?  Why does it need to be generalized?

Yes, I am a PC user, but I can see the merits of having a device which has been streamlined for a specific market.

What do I need from a PC?......probably something from Alienware.

@brostbeef

I am most a MacUser and I could not agree with you more.  Sometimes when you see blogs you think they are inhabited by people who simply think there is only one way of doing things.  I have used only  OS X, only Ubuntu and only XP for several months at a time and found that each OS has its merits.

As for the MBA.  It wouldn't suit me much in that way that a Mazda MX-5 (US Miata) would not suit.  I am married with 2 kids and a dog and we need something rather more conventional in terms of transport.  A Honda Accord or Volvo Estate (US station wagon) suits us better.  It does not mean that the Mazda is bad car.

"mac-based small businesses feel really screwed by OSX Server's cheap unlimited client licensing, which comes with the server hardware"

ya- all 3 of them.  basing Mac server solutions exclusively on a rackmount design is a huge mis-step on apple's part.  it's no wonder nobody buys the stuff.

the Mac Pro's as a server?  that's the only logical use of those platforms in a small business environment.  similarly though, small businesses don't often need that level of power, especially for a first server, ESPECIALLY for the limited amount of services that OS X Server even provides to a small business network infrastructure.  don't get me started on the whole "consumer graphics on a professional workstation" deal either.  what a joke!  there's a reason why NVIDIA makes Quadro cards - they're validated for professional OpenGL implementations, while their consumer counterparts AREN'T.  consumer cards are optimized for Direct3D, but without Direct3D on OS X, the consumer cards are targetting not only the wrong audience on a Mac Pro, but also the wrong platform entirely.

"It does not mean that the Mazda is bad car."

Zoom Zoom Kaboom!

Silly, Apple... You can't get a cheap notebook right.

www.pcworld.com/.../article.html

At the CanSecWest security conference's PWN 2 OWN hacking contest, Charlie Miller successfully cracks a Macbook air in TWO MINUTES!

At the same contest, it took Shane Macaulay 2 days and some assistance from friends to crack a Windows Vista machine. However, it was vunerabilities in Java that allowed Vista to be compromised.

And yes, chalk one for you Linux guys, the Linux machine did not get cracked at the conference.

Poor Mac, 2 minutes. And they say their OS doesn't suffer from viruses and malware. Yeah, right.

However, of the 400 attendees had found bugs in the Linux operating system, she said, but many of them didn't want to put the work into developing the exploit code. Linux OS was worth the effort for $10,000. Wow, at least someone put in 2 days to try and crack Vista via a Java exploit.

I really don't know who to feel worse for, Apple or Linux?

DPSHT,

"Now.  Let's compare Apple's to, well, Apple's here.  The x300 only has an SSD drive.  It's $3,000 MINIMUM for the MBA too with an SSD.  There is a rumored SATA option coming for the X300."

- I realize that.  The point is, if you want this kind of light machine. $3000 is the entry point for the x300.  I'm not saying Apples-to-apples the MBA is cheaper.  I'm saying if you don't want to spend $3000, the MBA provides that choice.  The same is true in reverse for the Mac line.  If you want a cheap, expandable desktop (say for gaming), Apple doesn't offer that.  Apple-bashers attack them for this all the time and it's the same issue.  Entry price does matter for some people.

"If Apple's server market share was anything decent, they would NOT be offering unlimited client licensing, I can guarantee that to you."

- Value is value, regardless of the reason.  Waethorn's saying Apple always screws their customers.  This is one of the many examples where they offer better value.

"And anyone with a shred of honesty has to admit that the various Lenovo and Sony models offer their own unique value mixes"

- And I do agree.  I'd rather have an X300 than an Air personally (if it ran OSX).  I was merely comparing to disspell that the MBA is either "overpriced" or "underpowered" in it's class.  It's demonstrably not either.  The MBA is less niche than Table PC.  You won't see me claiming tablets shouldn't exist or are made to "screw customers".  It's called choice, and I welcome it in all forms.  Waethorn does not.

"Replace Apple with MS above.  Hate to say a one-lined jab, but I've got a kettle over here just dying to meet you"

- Wrong.  I've praised Microsoft for numerous things on this site from the 360, which I own and enjoy, to their innovation in Media Center, tablets and elsewhere.  Brostbeef can back me up on this.  Waethron, on the otherhand, is a one-sided, simplistic partisan.  

Waethorn:

"ya- all 3 of them.  basing Mac server solutions exclusively on a rackmount design is a huge mis-step on apple's part.  it's no wonder nobody buys the stuff."

- Leopard Server + Mac Mini with gigabit = cheap server with cheap licensing for small business.  Since Apple has somewhere north of 10% Apple share among small businesses, it's both reasonable and relevant.

subzero,

"Poor Mac, 2 minutes. And they say their OS doesn't suffer from viruses and malware. Yeah, right."

-  Funny,  I've never seen a computer virus or malware that actually manifests as a man sitting a the computer directly and hacking it.  I always though Viruses were software that was able to self-propegate and do damage.  Funny,  I thought the whole "reality" thing mattered.  You know, the reality where hacking and viruses are two different things.  The reality where there's been, to my knowledge, only one or two Mac OSX trojan horses discovered ANYWHERE, EVER.  The reality where there's never been a single Mac virus outbreak.

Yeah, Subzero.  I think I feel worse for the people who have lost billions in productivity and support costs on Windows to ACTUAL VIRUS ATTACKS.

All that said, it looks like Microsoft has made genuine strides on security, so bravo to them.  And I'm not so bold as to say "bring it on" to the malware community like some mac users.  But reality is reality and some hacking contest doesn't change that.  Just keep that guy away from my Macbook Pro.

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