Apple announces MacBook Air (1 Viewer)

thiefinthenight

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Apple just announced the .16-inch thin MacBook Air -- a laptop so thin it fits in a manila envelope. The new machine features a full-size keyboard and LED-backlit 13.3-inch display with built-in iSight, and the new larger trackpad supports multi-touch gestures. Just like the iPhone, you'll be able to pan around, pinch to zoom, and rotate with two fingers, and move windows with a flick. Apple got the size down by using the same 1.8-inch 80GB drive that's in the iPod classic, but you'll be able to order a 64GB SSD as an option. The Air eschews optical media, but there's a separate external you can snag for $99 and Apple's also announced a feature called Remote Disk that'll let the Air get data off the optical drive in any PC or Mac running the Remote Disk software. Pricing starts at $1799, and the Air will be shipping in two weeks.

http://www.apple.com/macbookair/
 
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Yeah, it's .16" at the edges and .8" in the middle. I'm sure it will be a great machine, and yes it is a tad pricey. It might turn out to be a niche product. Of course, some might say that all Macs are niche products. (disclaimer: I'm running Tiger)
 
Apple is charging an additional $1300 for that 64GB SSD.


Insane.
 
Apple is charging an additional $1300 for that 64GB SSD.


Insane.

Yeah, those drives are high enough before the Apple markup. You're best to get one of those later. Here's what a lot of people aren't realizing about this machine: It is powered by a special smaller die sized Core 2 Duo chip. This processor has the same horsepower as any of the OTS Core 2 Duo's, but consumes much less power and generates much less heat. The chip is quite costly, and a big reason for the high price tag of the machine.
 
Yeah, those drives are high enough before the Apple markup. You're best to get one of those later. Here's what a lot of people aren't realizing about this machine: It is powered by a special smaller die sized Core 2 Duo chip. This processor has the same horsepower as any of the OTS Core 2 Duo's, but consumes much less power and generates much less heat. The chip is quite costly, and a big reason for the high price tag of the machine.

Well yea, it is a custom made processor. The thing is as small as a dime.
 
Yeah, those drives are high enough before the Apple markup. You're best to get one of those later. Here's what a lot of people aren't realizing about this machine: It is powered by a special smaller die sized Core 2 Duo chip. This processor has the same horsepower as any of the OTS Core 2 Duo's, but consumes much less power and generates much less heat. The chip is quite costly, and a big reason for the high price tag of the machine.

Honestly, considering the form factor, I don't think the price tag is outrageous at all.
 
well i own a macbook pro. i think apple is $1000 too much. nice stuff but if you arent a programmer or somehow involved in photo stuff, it isnt worth the buy.
 
well i own a macbook pro. i think apple is $1000 too much. nice stuff but if you arent a programmer or somehow involved in photo stuff, it isnt worth the buy.

I'd have to disagree on that. I've got a Macbook Pro too. At the time of purchase the specs were in line with those of a Dell XPS notebook. However the Mac was several pounds lighter and the power brick was much smaller. The XPS actually cost more. The only performance advantage for the XPS was the graphics processor.

Comparing a MBP to something like an Inspiron is an apples and oranges comparison. You're not getting the performance or the quality of a Mac in those cheaper Dells.

All that said, I do believe Apple has higher margins on their hardware sales but I don't begrudge them for it. They build a pretty darn solid product.
 
Apple is charging an additional $1300 for that 64GB SSD.


Insane.

Actually, it's a $999 option. Still insane.

I strongly suspect the price for an Air will come down a few hundred dollars after a few months a la iPhone. The price makes no sense right now unless you must have a laptop that fits into a manilla envelope.

Here's an article commenting on features left out of Air and how much it matters (to the author):
http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20080116/tc_pcworld/141407
 

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