Sweet graph, but some of these dudes seem like they are losing their touch. Pogue's complaint - no dial up modem!? - anyone who lays down the scratch for one of these probably hasn't used a 56k in a decade.

all laptops should kill modems, parallel ports and any display out that isn't mini-dvi or displayport.

Add eSATA. Please.

Who it's for?

People who like to turn heads with their cool tech.

Let's not kid ourselves. People want one to make everybody else jealous, regardless of whether it's practical for them.

:)

Matrix of the obvious

"people who don't see the value of elegance"

What a shitty answer to why people don't like this thing.

It couldn't have anything to do with it's utter uselessness based upon it's severe lack of hardware and compatibility; no is must be that us ignorant savages, who still listen to our brick-sized Walkman cassette players, and work on our Compaq computers, find grace and beauty utterly repellent. Shame on us.

Remote disc can't install Windows or watch DVDs - that I totally and completely understand.

But it can't import music -- even slowly. That's a bit surprising. So any music you load onto this must be pre-ripped, bought via iTunes, or loaded through the external drive.

I guess I hadn't really thought about the lack of 1394.

Any notebook that does more than sub-notebook duties has to be able to do HDV capture (media notebook), and my sub-notebook has to have a small enough footprint to not get recline-crunched in coach on an A320 or 757.

I'm not sure I see what market they're aiming at, but they might be able to create a new market of living-room-laptop buyers that previously couldn't stand having a computer next to their Eames chair.

So, if you can't install windows from a networked drive, can you install it from one of those $99 drives made for it? SURELY!?

my MacBook wakes from sleep in one second, as did my PowerBook. Thank you pogue for that little known fact.

@Machete_Bear: I couldn't agree with you more. It's like if I don't like the same things he likes it's because "I don't get it". What an idiot. But hey, some people are form over function and some of us are function over form and I doubt either camp will convince the other who's right. By the way the answer is function.

I hope they don't take the computer to bed.

@BENNY THE INTERN:
and
@schrosa:

While its true 56k modems are almost useless, they do come in handy on the rare occassion when your Monopolistic-and-therefore-unconcerned-with-providing-decent-service broadband provider decides to take a crap and leave you without service for half a day.

@BENNY THE INTERN: He also tore through the review on the show floor. I want that kind of review Force power.

@baltwade: "By the way the answer is function."

LOL. But really, I hate it when people imply something needs to suck function-wise in order to have elegant design. You can make beautiful, elegant products that have a wide range of functions (I've never used an MBP but I assume it qualifies).

Just because most companies DON'T do it doesn't mean it's not possible. Someone needs to hire a good designer and make a laptop like the air that has the functions people want and need.

Great, the one thing I really care about is it's durability and no one addresses that.

I can easily see this as a secondary computer for a heavy traveler or even someone like my father, doesn't take pictures, been listening to the same 6 Patsy Cline albums for 40 years and uses web based applications almost exclusively.

But if it can't take a mild beating it just isn't going to cut it. Hopefully Apple fixed that up. all my previous Apple laptops I've found to be surprisingly durable.

u sooooo...... nailed it @dcartist:

Can you guys IMAGINE the SIZE of strip these apple-polishers would RIP off Dell or Sony or Asus if they left out the same crucial features Apple did!?
/shudder

How in the world does anyone still consider this matrix of toolbags still relevant?

does remote disk seriously not work for movies or music?

So what the fuck is left? My electronic Encyclopedia Brittanica?

Wow. That's a full on kick in the testes.

No dial-up modem!?

Troglodyte.

That is all.

David Pogue uses a modem? Daaaammmnnn the NYT is that cheap?

Seriously, what the hell do you want a modem on a "Wireless" device for? What part of wireless do you not understand?

@BENNY THE INTERN: I won't buy a computer anymore if it doesn't have a zip drive.

Why do you need a dedicated cellphone modem slot? That's what Bluetooth is for.

I think the people who say the MBA is for travelers are missing something very important. If you have, say, a Dell m1330 you have the option to carry 2 or 3 extra batteries with you if you're traveling. However, once the MBA's battery dies it's gone until you find a power port. Now imagine flying to Korea. The MBA's battery won't last for 16 hours whereas you could easily carry enough batteries for an m1330 to make it usable for the whole flight. That's something worth considering that I think makes the MBA very impractical for travelers.

Everyone is asking "who is this for". Well, I'll tell you who this is for... someone like me: a professional with an expense account. I've got my order in for the solid state model, and I plan to use this for presenting, internet access, and viewing / listening to media ripped to the HD when traveling. I care about portability, battery life, ergonomics, aesthetics, and a non-scalded groin. I don't care about cost, the lack of ports, expandability, replaceable batteries, or gaming options. This is a *mobile* platform, intended as a secondary rather than primary computer. Students can buy the Macbook, and performance junkies can go for the Macbook Pro. This is a niche product, people! If you don't like the trade-offs, just buy a different model in the Macbook product line-up and relax.

@Machete_Bear: I too find nothing really "elegant" about something that's essentially just an Eee PC with a larger screen, a little more memory, and close to five times the price tag.

@Gev: "essentially an eeePC"

WORST.COMPARISON.EVER

@Quailrider:"I don't care about cost, the lack of ports, expandability, replaceable batteries, or gaming options." . . . to tell you the truth I don't even care if it even works. That's not the important part. It's new and cool and people will envy me for about 5 min because I'm one of the first people to have the new "IT". Who cares if it doesn't do this or can't do that. I have one and you don't and that's all I care about.

@dcartist:

People want one to make everybody else jealous, regardless of whether it's practical for them.

I think you just wrote the new Apple product mission statement.

"Apple considered [wireless WAN] but adding would take up room and restrict users to a particular carrier."

That didn't stop them with the iPhone and AT&T (which was reason enough for me to pass on it, aside from the other technical oversights), so why should it have stopped them with the Air?

Nice! I like the Snack-Mode-Summary.

@werk: Hey! Say what you want about the "toolbags" but don't be dissin' on my Review Matrix!

who are these people????!!!

@Wilson Rothman: I like the Matrix :-)

@Quailrider: That is exactly what I have said. It is for people who don't care about cost and have a need for an $1800 email checker and stock quote getter. I am not one of those people but I definitely know some.

From David Pouge: "people who don't see the value of elegance."

Wow! What an arrogant ass.

@baltwade: Well put.

@Zlevee: Who am I going to dial into in that case? GEnie?

Denim shirt with tie FTL.

Meh........
Hasn't this been covered on about 20 other threads? (besides the "expert" views on why its cool/crap)
90% of the time, whatever a person tends to gravitate to, fan boy or PC guy, reading a bunch of "expert" opinions is not likely to sway a person's opinion (excluding the few "I own both a PC and a Mac" people), no matter how provocative the statements in either direction.

Cool. It's thin. We get it.
NEXT

Who it's not for? People that want computing in their computer.

@schrosa: Well you might want to wait a bit on the eSATA till they change the specifiction to support power over eSATA. Then I'm all for it.

@Machete_Bear and baltwade:

Don't you think you're being a little harsh? Take a deep breath!

First, he does include other groups of people that wouldn't like it. Second, not seeing the value in something doesn't make you a savage...it just means you have different priorities.

I think it's pretty clear that neither of you see the value in the elegance of this computer. Given what is missing, it seems clear that you find the value of its elegance to be pretty minimal. Oooh, it's pretty is not a good enough reason to buy it you appear to believe.

And that's fine! That's not to say that you don't recognize or appreciate elegance or that you have no style, or that you're not super-cool, hipsters, it's just that features and function, in this case, have more value to you.

However, those that prioritize form over features (which you may find amusing) or that simply find that there are enough features for them, may want to buy this.

I mean, I love the design. Love it. Love it. Love it. But it's not for me. In this case, I don't see the value in its elegance.

@92BuickLeSabre: I don't think I'm being harsh at all. I'm all for a marriage of form and function, but function has to be first foremost. Anyone who says they're buying the Air for any reason other than it's the "IT" thing right now is kidding themselves. The plain old MacBook has more usability and functionality, same exact footprint, is only about 1/4" thicker, and $800 cheaper.

I know this is has been said to death but:

let's pretend you primarily do web design and/or write research papers. So having a 10% faster processor or whatever you get by going with a Macbook Pro will pretty much go unnoticed.

let's pretend you literally haven't used the optical drive on your laptop in years.

let's pretend you have never owned a spare battery for your current laptop.

let's pretend you have never use an ethernet cable with your laptop. Ever.

let's pretend the #1 complaint with your current laptop is that it's too heavy.

So I ask you haters: what would this person really lose by going with the Macbook Air? Given the list above going with a Macbook or Macbook Pro won't gain this person anything. Sure he could save a little money with a macbook (or spend a little more with the pro), but don't you think the person above (or somebody with a similar use pattern) is at least representative of some people out there?

@baltwade: Except the Macbook missing a Gig of RAM, a backlit keyboard, an LED screen, at it has a smaller trackpad with less gesture support. $800 is exaggerating.

@Padriac:$800 is an exaggeration. It's actually $700 cheaper. Yes the Air has more ram, but you can always upgrade a Macbook, and isn't the Macbook and the Pro getting the same gesture support the Air has. Look it's OK to want something because it's cool and new, but don't kid yourself, that's the only reason want it.

It's amazing the fact something is thin will give it glowing reviews, despite everything else... I don't regard bigshot print media tech editors as particularly knowledgeable.

@Quailrider: I don't care about cost

Really? Well, you might not but man...I hope your company does...

Anyway, this would be nice for an on the go businessman, but putting aside the fact that our comapny's software runs on the Windows platform and everything I need is in Windows, I would be very very worried about durability. It may be fine next to you in a car but, I gotta wonder what it'll be like when you and the Air are crammed inside a rush hour train in Tokyo... All I see in my mind is my poor Air snapping in half under the pressure...

@baltwade: I know you like to convince yourself that your are some super important guy who does nothing but 3D rendering all day and that every extra second counts... but you're not. Less than 1% of computer have these kinds of needs. Trolling around on Gizmodo's comment threads will be just as fast on the Macbook Air so obviously the MBA will be fine for you.

I'm wondering if there is any instability or tipping when using the most outbound keys or rest your hands on the bottom edge or adjust the screen backwards since the underside is sculpted and does not sit completely flat in those areas?

@Padriac: I never said that the Air didn't have enough computing power for me, but with it's lack of ports, slots, and drives it's crippled. When you can buy a MacBook that will do everything that your stated 99% would need, is $700 less, and only about 1/4" thicker, why buy the Air. So try reading before you write.

@baltwade:

The MBA also weighs half (OK, a little more than half) as much.
Being light is a really important feature for some people, and this feature doesn't come free. There is a tradeoff with all the other usual things, such as performance, screen/keyboard size, battery life, availability of peripheral features, etc. and yes, price. (Look at the other manufacturers' light machines with reasonable performance.)

Just because for YOU the feature of "being light" sits way down in the list of priorities, doesn't mean it does for everyone else too.

@baltwade:

You say anyone who thinks "they're buying the Air for any reason other than it's the "IT" thing right now is kidding themselves."

How frigging arrogant is this? I bet you were one of the bleaters on here last spring reminding everyone how forward-thinking and clever you were for predicting the failure of iphone.
Why don't you just offer your opinion on the tech at hand and skip the armchair psychoanalysis of the potential market? Why not address the excellent points brought up by Padriac ?

We're talking about 4 guys who are only important because SOMEONE thinks they're smart. They're not. They're only as smart as they keep telling everyone they are.

They've got opinions. Most are out of date and only useful for anyone who doesn't know anything about technology.

@paulwlee: Somebody please help me, my MacBook has fallen on top of me and I'm being crushed. If only there was an alternative that weighed a couple pounds less. Then I'd be able to use my laptop without crushing my legs. If five pounds is to heavy for you maybe instead of buying the Air you should use that money and joint a gym.

@baltwade: "crippled" is relative. For example, my car cannot seat 8 people. Is it crippled? Well, if my job is to vanpool people around all day then maybe. But it's not, so I can get away with having a smaller car. Most people aren't doing vanpools so most people are fine with a smaller car.

You tell me: put a number on the percentage of computer users for whom the MBA fits their needs. I guarantee you it's more than the number who "require" firewire ports and 4 USB peripherals at all times and other such things.

Obviously the MBA is not for everybody but to think it will "fail" based on not having things *most people don't need* is just retarded. Most people don't NEED 4 USB ports, but everybody can appreciate thin and light and sexy.

I know it makes Nerd-heads explode, but a spec sheet is only meaningful if you actually use or need the things listed. Most don't.

@Padriac: Holy Sh!t, I never said the Air would fail. I think most people would like to have one. It's cool, sexy, and the hottest thing in electronics right now. I'd love to have one if someone is willing to give me one, but I'd never buy one. It is basically a crippled Macbook for the sake of around 1/4" and it cost $700 more. A perfect example of Form over Function.

@Padriac:
Can we pretend to be a real computer user too? Or are we an iTunes lackey? Look, it's shiny, and people like shiny. I remember the reviews where people hailed the iPod Shuffle for it's "simplicity", and all the others were knocked for "not having a display". This laptop is not meant for most of us. We care about performance, expandability, and more than one USB port. There are people out there who don't care about those things, and just want to be the cool kid on the block. Let them be, the next Apple product will force them to buy a whole new device.

@Padriac: Forgot about the "is it really crippled?" comment. No CD/DVD drive - crippled. Only one USB drive that is tucked away so much that some USB devices, such as a G3 or EV-DO modems won't fit - crippled. No firewire port, how am I supposed to connect my camcorder now - crippled. Can't upgrade the Air - crippled. Can't replace or use an extra battery - crippled.