MacBook Air, Apple’s Big Bet on Notebooks?

The legend of Apple continues to forge ahead as they release the long rumored Macbook Air into their lineup.

At the annual festival of all things magical and Mac, came the big announcement everyone had been waiting on, the Macbook Air (yes, that’s really its name). Billed as “The World’s Thinnest Notebook”, Steve Jobs, excellent showman that he is, not only mentioned that it could fit inside an envelope, but actually unveiled it for the first time from an envelope. So what is with all the hype?

Aside being amazingly thin, just what is so exciting about the Macbook Air? Well, that is the source of major contention with most loyal Apple fans as well as notebook enthusiasts everywhere. It goes without saying that to create an “ultra portable”, there are sacrifices that must be made in order to cram the latest technology into the smallest package. Apple made no bones about the compromises, and instead played them up as features. So, did they get it right? Let’s break it down.

RAM, who needs a DIMM slot anyway?

One major focal point has been that the Macbook Air does not allow you upgrade your RAM, nor does it even have an accessible DIMM slot in which to add or upgrade RAM. The RAM is soldered to the board leaving you stuck with whatever configuration you purchase. It’s debatable whether the ability to upgrade or install extra RAM is “needed” in an ultra portable device, as it’s not intended for creative professionals or high end media enthusiasts. The Macbook Air comes with a standard 2GB of RAM, which is pretty solid for most computing tasks, but still, the ability to add more later sure is a nice feature that may go missed by many.

Battery? You mean there is a battery inside?

Common across most of Apple’s new portable media line, such as the iPod collection and the recent iPhone, are non user accessible batteries. Sealed inside a tiny package that more or less needs a clean room in which to open and start knocking about, is the built in battery. The battery can not be replaced or changed by the user, leaving many road warriors who hoped to use the new Macbook Air as a trusty companion in the dust. While often a battery replacement is not needed (and the unit can be sent to Apple for battery replacement, should the need arise), most critics are vocal about the need to have the ability to carry a spare battery should your juice die at an inopportune time with no A/C outlet in sight. Aside from being very sad, you would also be out of luck if you are in the middle of a project that needs to get done now.

No Optical Drive, but hey, is still has a floppy doesn’t it?

Apple also decided to cut some fluff by removing the optical drive. Once again, the battle lines are drawn as to whether this move makes sense or not. On one hand, it’s not often for many users to have the need to use a DVD / CD on their portable. Installing software, making a backup, etc are usually the only times that the optical drive is called into action for some. For these users, it does make sense, as you can leave the extra bulk of the optical drive at home when you don’t need it. Others contend that the lack of a “built-in” optical drive severely cripples their day to day user experience.

To make amends, Apple also has a new USB portable optical drive for use with the Macbook Air, should you need to run a quick DVD. You can also remotely connect to any Mac or PC and “borrow” its optical drive, which is handy as well. In the world of backups, Apple has also made it incredibly easy with their new Time Capsule unit, which consists of a Airport Extreme unit with a built in hard drive, allowing you to wirelessly backup at any time.

Another key portion of this design decision, is to push the wireless capabilities of the machine (the Air) and get users into the mindset of doing everything wireless and everything online. Apple is betting that the future is in total wireless connectivity where all major tasks, entertainment, as well as backup and storage will be done without the need for built in hardware or wires.

Those are just a few of the major bullet points that are being thrown around in fierce discussion on pretty much every Mac and technology site you can find. The same arguments made the rounds when Apple released their iPod, and then later their iPhone; and they turned out to be right with many of their “controversial” design decisions. The question now is, will they be right again?

A Quick Look at the Technical Specs:

• .16 to .75-inch thickness on top
• 12.8 x 8.94 inches
• 3 pounds
• 5 hours of battery life with everything running

• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor at 1.6 or 1.8GHz, motherboard the length of a pencil.
• 800MHz frontside bus.
• 2GB RAM 667MHz DDR2 standard.

• 13.3-inch screen, LED backlit.
• 1,280 x 800 pixels
• Micro-DVI adapter (for DVI, VGA, composite and S-Video output)
• Intel GMA X3100 Graphics processor with 144MB RAM shared

• 1.8-inch 80GB HD or 64GB Solid State Drive (no moving pieces, but for a stunning $1,300 price increase!)
• Multitouch trackpad with gestures. Pans, zooms, rotates, etc.
• 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1.
• Optional external HD for $99, USB-bus powered.
• Full backlit keyboard.
• One USB 2.0, one audio port, one Micro-DVI

Read the full technical specifications at Apple’s website

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Previous Comments

1. This is about as good idea as tel domain names.

   Posted by clown  on  01/11/09  at  11:52 PM

2. What the crap...Who cares if its a micron or two thinner?  If you have the headache to upgrade your memory and change your battery...No thanks. and $1800 blah!

   Posted by Scooby Doo  on  01/19/08  at  01:21 AM