Why the MacBook Air is a toy with no promise
Over the course of the past week, I decided to wait before making my final decision on whether or not I believed Apple's new MacBook Air would be a success or not. After evaluating the state of the ultraportable market historically (poor) and the specs Apple is doling out with this device, it seems almost too obvious that very few people will be willing to buy this junker.
Let's face it--the MacBook Air is nothing more than a gimmick to make people believe Apple is a trendsetter that knows the best way to bring "cool" products to the masses. But what everyone seems to forget is that this company already has a slew of "cool" products and there's no need for something that's underpowered and overpriced.
Suffice it to say, the MacBook Air is nothing more than a toy that has no promise and will flounder in stores. Why you ask? It's simple.
First off, let's look at Apple's current stable of notebooks. The company offers the MacBook, which is slim and small in its own right and features the same size screen as the Air. Not only that, but it sports far superior specs and is only 0.32-inches thicker than the Air when comparing them at their thickest points. Oh, and let's not forget that it only weighs 2 pounds more and starts at $1099, compared to the Air's $1799 pricetag.
On the other side of things, Apple's MacBook Pro is built with the power user in mind and although it's much bigger than the Air, its entry-level price is just $200 more.
So let me get this straight--I can have a Mac that's barely thinner than its brother, underpowered, but admittedly "cooler" for an additional $700? Now let's be honest--who in their right mind would spend an additional $700 on a device just because it looks nicer?
Now, I know that some Apple zealots are screaming right now saying that it's all about portability and it's not meant to be the workhorse the other MacBooks are, but if you're telling me that you can't carry a MacBook around because it's too big and too heavy, you might want to see a doctor.
Another problem that Steve Jobs failed to address during his keynote speech is, who in the world is going to buy this toy? My guess: the diehard Apple fanboy and people with enough money in the bank that they don't mind spending $1799 on a product they'll use in their car or at coffee shops.
Beyond those two groups, who else is really buying this thing? Can anyone honestly say that the average consumer will run down to their local Apple store, excited to get their hands on their first Mac, and choose the Air over the MacBook if they're looking for something small?
I can hear it now: "Hold on, so what you're saying is that I can get a much faster and better-equipped computer that's barely larger for $700 less? Where's the cash register?"
And while I don't think the lack of an optical drive is a big deal by any means, think of the average person just looking to get their hands on a Mac and listening to others tell them how it "just works." How will they feel when they get the Air home, try to install Office and realize the optical drive is missing? Sure, they can go through the trouble of connecting to another computer in the home and pop the disc into that drive, but doesn't it significantly reduce the allure of having a device that "just works"?
Of course, it doesn't quite end there. So far, ultraportable sales have been flat, to say the least, and aside from a few bursts in sales every now and then, the ultraportable market is not the best to enter if a company is looking to increase its market share and turn a profit.
So why did Apple decide to get in on the ultraportable game? More than likely, it's because the company thinks it can do no wrong. And who can tell Steve he can? Not only has the iPod been an unbridled success, but the iPhone is selling extremely well and Mac sales have never been stronger.
But for the first time in years, Jobs and company has committed a blunder that could have enormous consequences. Not only is the MacBook Air a glorified toy that won't be used by the vast majority of consumers, it's overpriced and lacking any significant benefit of ownership other than its looks and multi-touch trackpad.
If you're looking for portability, save $700 and buy the MacBook. If you're looking to spend money, go the extra mile and find yourself a MacBook Pro. Suffice it to say, there's no need for the MacBook Air.
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
(Not a big fan of the in-your-face movie rental DRM either. If I download something, it should be mine. You shouldn't be able to take it away.)
Cheers,
Donald Sipe
There are some further details at www.memyselfandmyiphone.com
Check it out.
I envision some apple boys lining up for the first shipment and then after that the vast majority not purchased will sit in the back collecting dust as everyone goes in and says the thing. Why am I going to buy something that is $700 more, less powerful, and a little smaller.
The Macbook Air stresses compeltely opposite strenghts than what you consider to be strengths. That does not make the Macbook Air a toy or unuseable. I just bought a Macbook Pro for myself because I'm a power user and so far I'm loving it. (My first mac). I would never buy the macbook air, however as soon as I saw the macworld presentation, it jumped out as being immediately what 3 or 4 of the higherups in my organization need. THEY'RE NOT POWER USERS. They would never USE a macbook pro. What appeals to them, and what makes sense to them to pay for, is the size of the device, the long battery life, and the use of OSX and it's features.
Also, I think Apple is trying to experiment with the whole push they've made for the last 2 years, which is to get away from CDs/DVDs. The point of the Macbook Air is not the 3pounds, but the "Air". Apple was on the vanguard of helping us to get away from a floppy disk, and now it's trying to get away from the DVD. That's why there's no Blu-Ray drives on Macs yet -- there will never be. Apple is basically positioning itself to not ever NEED CD/DVDs. As many have noted after the keynote, want music in your Car, get an iPod, music/movies on your home theatre, get an Apple TV. I think the strategy needs to be more fully developed (wireless iPod syncing, WiMax or EDGE in the MacbookAir, wireless profile management w/ iPhones/other Macs, etc). But I can see where it's going.
Just my 2 cents.
I think enough will be sold that they will continue to make them an upgrade them and in a few generations they may be something worth having, but yeah right now it's a concept unit, designed to be bough by the fanboys who happen to have a spare $1800-$3000 laying around.
Unfortunately thats not me.
Actually truth be told, I was thrilled to see this thing. Why? because it meant I didn't have to run out and drop some serious change on another new Apple "toy." Apple, my wallet thanks you.
The "People who are against it just don't get it" argument is pathetic. It works with everything and nothing:
People who are against Windows ME just don't get it. People who are against murder just don't get it.
It's a moronic argument.
I agree with the author completely. You even proved his point by saying that "higherups in my organization" would get this albatross. He said one of the two groups of people who would get this is "people with enough money in the bank that they don't mind spending $1799 on a product they'll use in their car or at coffee shops."
This product line will disappear like the Mac Cube, only much quicker.
Even Apple Fanboy Walter Mossberg isn't real impressed:
"The sealed-in battery means you can?t carry a spare in case you run out of juice, and you have to bring it to a dealer when you need a new one. There?s no built-in DVD drive. The thin case can?t accommodate a larger internal hard disk. And the machine omits many common ports and connectors."
Only an Airhead would buy one. (grin)
A defensive look at the MacBook Air battery
http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13554_1-9854399-33.html
Michael Horowitz
To say that one "does not get it" is not at all a "moronic argument".
In regard to the Nintendo Wii, many gamers were moaning about the lack of advanced hardware in the unit as well as how difficult the controller would be for playing the games they like to play. Nintendo stated that their console did not NEED extra hardware inside because developers rarely make use of the hardware that they already have access to, and that they were intending to create a NEW playing experience. Not rehash what gamers had already played.
This is a classic example of people "not getting it" and missing the point. It's like refusing to buy a hovercar because it doesn't have enough trunk space to fit your old spare tire in.
It's nonsense to compare the macbook air to other products and claim that the others are superior in various ways and therefore the macbook air is inferior.
Simply put, of my small office of around 30 people, 8 of the "big muckity mucks" would LOVE the Macbook Air. They DO NOT EVER INSTALL ANYTHING. I'm not sure they would even know how. They, what, need to listen to CDs? No. Audio information is all digital these days. The Macbook Pro has more power? What do they need with more power? They're not running photoshop and aftereffects.
To users such as this, who do a lot of traveling, a great deal of flying, NO POWER COMPUTING WHATSOEVER, and would make great use of OSXs features, the Macbook Air is a great computer.
People who do not see that, just do not get it.
It's more like not buying a hovercar because it doesn't have enough trunk space to fit ANYTHING in.
- by john55440 January 25, 2008 4:57 PM PST
- "...who do a lot of traveling..."
- Like this Reply to this comment
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(14 Comments)Yup, the MacBook Air is great for travelers. When the sealed, non user replaceable, battery runs out, they can use it as a coaster. (grin)
Only an Airhead would buy the deeply crippled MacBook Air. People who do not see that, just don't get it. (grin)