[Swordmaker]

Macbook Air review from Great Britain... PING!

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.

[doc1019]

Can a women be too beautiful? Can a champion horse be to graceful?

[antiRepublicrat]

This space-saving design prevents users from carrying multiple batteries and simply swapping in a fresh one when needed.

True, simply swapping is out of the question. You can't put a big-enough quickly-swappable battery in something that small. But it only takes a minute to replace it using a screwdriver.

[Old Flat Toad]

“-and living without no CD drive-”

(Shakes head and walks out of the dealership)

[SunkenCiv]

living without no CD drive and only one USB slot

This is just some nitpicking, but really, "living without no"? Anyway...

Apple also included a mercury- and arsenic-free LED backlit display. The display packs a lot of brightness and clarity that really has to be seen to believed - it may be one of the best laptop displays ever created. Its immediate full brightness is a nice feature, though the real value comes in the power savings when compared with traditional laptop displays... The MacBook Air has a full-size keyboard that supports ambient light sensors and backlighting, the same 13.3-in. screen size used in the MacBook line, and low power to reduce heat and conserve juice.

Let's see, what do we use for more hours of the day, an optical burner, or the keyboard and display? Hmm, let me think. :') Sounds like Apple did this right.

[SunkenCiv]

Firewire didn’t appear on one of the latest iPods, if memory serves. Sounds like Firewire is goin’ bye-bye.

[dayglored]

> "...does that mean that it's the perfect portable Mac for everyone? Probably not... Several factors may limit its overall effect on the market...

* sigh *

Silly writer. Apples are not for everyone.

Like ALL Apple products, this new portable was never intended to be "perfect for everyone". Apple designs products for those who want something OUTSIDE the norm. Those who want to push the envelope and take risks.

Most people to do not want to take risks, like foregoing a built-in optical drive, or Firewire. Or especially wired Ethernet. Yet risks are what advance the market!

Tech writers predicted the Fall of Western Civilization when the original Mac used a 3-1/2" floppy instead of a 5-1/4". And again when Apple removed the floppy drive. This is no different. Steve is asking people to take risks again, for the sake of advancing the market. Why are writers surprised???

If Apple were designing a product that was "perfect for everyone", they'd have the same old boring mush that the other manufacturers put out.

[NoCountryForLiberals]

They look kind of fragile to me. I need a sturdy laptop that can take getting bumped around a bit.

[Billthedrill]

The answer to the headline is, alas, "Yes." I had one of the early Sony Vaio's in brushed aluminum - thin as a watch, fast as all git out, fragile as a little girl. You could put your fingertip on the back while it was on and watch the little black spot on the screen as you moved your finger around.

Haven't handled one of the new Airs yet so I can't say that they've encountered that problem. But bulk has its advantages, especially if you travel a lot. I'll stick with the MacBook for now. Its backup is a neat little Dell running (gasp! Heresy!) Vista. And you know what? I like both of 'em.

[gondramB]

Manager #1: I just got everyone Macbook Airs. They can’t plug into the network but they will fit in an envelope.

Manager #2: Really? We got $2000 bonuses and bigger envelopes.