Walking on (Macbook) Air
By Dave Adamson in Reader
Posted in MacBook, Apple on January 18, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Okay, okay, my stance has changed slightly over the past year and a bit what with the acquisition of a MacBook and, at work, an iMac to call my (almost own), so I must admit I was very, very nearly tempted to forget eating for a few months and buy myself a fancy Macbook… then I took a breath.
The morning after the Steve Jobs keynote, people came up to me asking if I had seen the Jobs keynote… for a moment, I did wonder if they were referring to jobs-as-in-careers, but they actually meant the keynote. Now, you see, I hadn’t watched it and I hadn’t been privy to endless phone calls from colleagues and friends updating me on the ground breaking announcements being made. You see, I don’t tend to sit around watching keynote speeches or waiting for big announcements to be made because I am, first and foremost, a consumer. I appreciate that some people do - for example, the wonderful fellows at the perennial source of all IT news that is ITPro (I’m not sucking up, honest…) are (hopefully) paid to keep on top of what’s happening in order that people like myself can keep track, in our own way, without the presence of large envelopes and gasps of awe.
Anyway, I digress (as always) and must now chip in about the Macbook Air.
I nearly ordered one from Apple. I was stunned by how thin it was, how light it was (I guess… it’s difficult to gauge from the pictures) and how new it looked. I was amazed by the functionality that they’ve managed to cram in there and felt confident that, having used a Toshiba Portege 3500 TPC for over 3 years ago, I wouldn’t miss the optical drive. I was relishing the option of dual booting Mac OS X or Windows Vista. I even liked the idea of being able to put more into my bag, thanks to something so slim it makes Posh Spice look portly. Then, I stopped…
Why? I hear you ask (don’t talk to the screen, you’ll look mad!) Was it the 3 week wait? Was it the £1200 price tag? Was it the fact that I am using a perfectly functional, if somewhat discoloured, first-gen Macbook?
No, No, Maybe. That, and it lacks Firewire and I have access to Firewire enabled camcorders and hard drives and don’t fancy replacing. It is awkward (or maybe impossible) to increase the RAM or replace the battery. I could get a Macbook Pro, which is still wonderfully slim and has many, many more features for a similar price. Hold on, fixed battery and good looks - it’s the iPod of laptops.
Yes, I know that the Air is aimed at a niche market - I guess the type who can drop more than a grand on something stylish - but I do use my Mac for a variety of features, including video editing and I’ve shoved more than 1 CD into the SuperDrive! The Air definitely has that Wow factor, but that won’t be my reason to purchase.
Rated: 80% (1 votes)
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