The best antidode for the Apple MacBook Air Kool Aid
I think that this video says it all:
Thanks to “Fake Steve Ballmer” for the video! But let’s get real folks. The MacBook Air is a pretty slick design. Regardless of what peripheral capabilities it does and does not have, it packs a lot into a pretty tight package, and Apple deserves kudos for that. I am fairly certain that most users don’t need an optical drive, either (especially if they get media via iTunes or something similar). And a lot of consumers (and prosumers), basically anyone not tied to a corporate desk 8 hours a day has a WiFi connection, so the wired NIC is less of a requirement for a lot of people. But where did Apple miss? The mouse. Every laptop user I know who uses it for more than 1 meeting a week is forced to drag a mouse around with them everywhere. And that’s the real rub. I don’t care what you do to the device, users hate the trackpads and pointing sticks, and these devices will always be cumbersome if the user has to drag one (and a power cord) around. That’s the real pain point, not the thickness or even the weight. J.Ja
Eee PC is better, especially if you somehow offset the 2 hour battery lifetime. Looking forward to their next Eee PC rev (i.e. Eee PC 900). I also like the Samsung Q1 Ultras (especially the Premium), but haven’t seen one in person yet. The SAMQ1UEL model is $599 from some online stores now. I am also very much in love with the look of the WILLCOM D4 (WS016SH Sharp). Kohjinsha’s products are also interesting. My friend just ordered a Fujitsu T2010 which arrives later this week. All of these appear superior to the Air.
Seriously, though — optical drives are worthless. I haven’t physically touched CD or DVD media in years. I’ve been rolling IBM/Lenovo X-series Thnkpads since I can remember (this one that I type from is my fourth) — best laptops in their class for many years running. Apple is late to this game and did it wrong (as always).
My suggestion to Mac OS X users – buy this instead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF45r9iW6G8
Eee PC is better, especially if you somehow offset the 2 hour battery lifetime. Looking forward to their next Eee PC rev (i.e. Eee PC 900). I also like the Samsung Q1 Ultras (especially the Premium), but haven’t seen one in person yet. The SAMQ1UEL model is $599 from some online stores now. I am also very much in love with the look of the WILLCOM D4 (WS016SH Sharp). Kohjinsha’s products are also interesting. My friend just ordered a Fujitsu T2010 which arrives later this week. All of these appear superior to the Air.
Seriously, though — optical drives are worthless. I haven’t physically touched CD or DVD media in years. I’ve been rolling IBM/Lenovo X-series Thnkpads since I can remember (this one that I type from is my fourth) — best laptops in their class for many years running. Apple is late to this game and did it wrong (as always).
My suggestion to Mac OS X users – buy this instead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF45r9iW6G8
Dre -
I think that the UMPC form factor will be the future, to be honest. If two things happen, it will be unstoppable:
* A universal docking station system that plugs in with 1 mini-USB plug
* A way of writing applications so that they can detect docked/undocked status and automatically adjust their display and expected input methodologies to suit
These two, in combination, would allow people to stop having desktop PCs complete, and just carry UMPCs and dock at a desk when needed. The UMPC form factor beats laptop hands down, since it recognizes that portability requires *different* input techniques than a desktop, instead of trying to squeeze desktop style inputs into a portable device. One thing I saw recently was from Microsoft Research, giving a UMPC the ability to detect a "squeeze", "stretch", "twist" and "bend" motion and have the app respond accordingly. The laptop form factor also does not work well for people not sitting at a desk/table. It trully is a "portable desktop", not a "mobile computing device" like a UMPC is.
Thanks for the heads up on those price drops, BTW. That now puts those much closer to my price range!
J.Ja
Also, I too am looking forwards to the Eee PC 900! I might just get one for my girlfriend, and use it as an opportinity to evaluate it for myself as well.
J.Ja
USB?! Docking stations?? Interesting ideas, but I would take this a bit further if I were you…
I want to walk into any given room in my house and see my UMPC projected onto all four walls. I want to sit down at a table at Starbucks and have my pocket UMPC login-screen pop-up on the wall from a cigarette-pack-sized projector built into the table along with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse that auto-sync to my device. My "other"/second UMPC device should show up on a second screen when available, and controlled in a similar way as Synergy2.
Dre -
That’s an interesting idea (the projectors), but I think it could be problematic when it works automagically, especially for people who don’t know it’s about to happen! I do like the idea of using one device to control the other, or maybe even co-joining a UMPC with a desktop and/or laptop. Or some other way of essentially having a wireless docking station.
J.Ja
I am rewriting a piece on the Asus Eee PC 701 Model. I recently took a business trip and do to some configuration problems with my work laptop, I ended up using the Asus Eee PC for most of my work. (Everything that wasn’t VPN)
As the review will be mostly favorable for the advice, there will be some caveats that I feel need to be addressed. This will probably be mostly on the Linux side of the world as for the device itself, I feel it managed to do quite well.
Nothing beats having a line of containers with you at the airport when you take more than one laptop.
Thank god I only took two.
Apple MacBook? I need to get an Apple Macbook, but I don’t aware much regarding it. My dad told me that it’s like, a completely newsworthiness scheme to relearm and such. what are the pros and cons regarding purchasing an apple macbook? or any apple computer