New MacBook Air laptop

Mstar wrote in post #4710422
http://www.apple.com/m​acbookair/features.htm​l

I like the trackpab idea- borrowed from ipods. Could be useful for photos. I would however like to see it on a MBP for me to buy into this latest development.

MBP already have the capability for this IMO, since the trackpads support multi-fingered scrolling and double-tap Must be a software thing. Might appear in the next version of the OS.

I'm not all that enthused about the Air. It's just too small and inflexible - yes, it's small and portable, but that's not really what I need. I just prefer my 17" MBP

Anke wrote in post #4713546
My PowerBook has been through two batteries as they don't last forever, I couldn't imagine how much it would cost to send the Air in for a battery change.

To replace the battery its gonna cost $129, labor is free! Read about it here

ChrisBlaze wrote in post #4713631
To replace the battery its gonna cost $129, labor is free! Read about it here

...and how long do you have to be without it for?

metalman1010 wrote in post #4709567
when it should ever crash.

Fixed

futura wrote in post #4709570
- No user replaceable battery

Big no-no.

randomlinh wrote in post #4712169
that's because we wanted to see a sub notebook, not a thin notebook.

Looks like I'll hold on to my 12" Powerbook for a while for portability ...

Nope, this is totally uninteresting. I'll stick with my MBP. And if Apple ever gets the idea to turn all their laptops into something like this I may even have to go back to PC.

Pete wrote in post #4713630
MBP already have the capability for this IMO, since the trackpads support multi-fingered scrolling and double-tap Must be a software thing. Might appear in the next version of the OS.

I'm not all that enthused about the Air. It's just too small and inflexible - yes, it's small and portable, but that's not really what I need. I just prefer my 17" MBP

Pete, thanks, I currently have an old G4 and I wish to have a mobile option and the 15inch MBP 160gb. with 256mb video card would do me nicely. I just like that trackpad swipe option and rotate function of the Air. My sister's photos do not rotate (poor camera purchase- must get her a Canon), so it is useful, but, may be a gimmick for others. Zoom may me interesting?? I would not buy the Air- too little benefit for me, like yourself.

There is much speculation about a firmware update to allow this trackpad change- but, only rumours, like you saying it is a possibility. That's all. I'm almost ready to buy- now I'm on hold for the moment.

Too bad people seem so down on this laptop. I'm another PC-only guy who's thinking about giving a mac a try. For a long, long time I've been wanting a smaller, lighter laptop without it being a total performance dud or costing a fortune. In those regards, this looks like a step in the right direction. Maybe if the SS hard drive becomes more reasonably priced, I'll bite.

i don't know why you don't just look at a regular macbook yet, its small, light, and has good performance. truely unless you are obsessed with every last pound of weight, or just want to be "cool" i dont see a reason to buy the "air"

I don't see the value in this "Air laptop". For $1799 you get 1 usb port, 802.11n only, no "g", a small hdd. Borrowing an optical drive is as old as the hills. Did that years ago. Mind you I don't use a lot of optical drives now adays unless something is being installed. Multi-touch trackpad sounds cool though.

It is a Mac so people will rush to buy buy buy. Of course each to their own.

More rumours:

http://forums.macrumor​s.com/showthread.php?t​=415359

MBP hhhmmm...

I thought this sounded quite good at first but the more I read the happier I am with my Sony SZ laptop (same size screen, weight not too disimilar).

At least I can swap batteries on the go with my Sony if I need to. I just wish I could have a modular bay for the optical drive so that I could swap it out for a second battery like my tablet pc at work...

I do like how it looks. I do not like the feature set. I have played with the Sony TZ and found it great to use. I am looking for a small subnotebook and was hoping Apple was gonna come out with one.

Swapping batteries is no biggy for me. I never did it on any laptop. No drive is kind of BUTT for me since I like to watch movies. I guess I could ISO them and put them on the small HDD. LOL. Needs more USB ports and Wireless G. DUH.

These I love about it. The keyboard is great. I wish every laptop had a backlit keyboard.

I kind of hope this fails so they can get Version 2 out and make it what is really should be.

angusW: What do you mean no "g"? If you're referring to the 802.11n network card it works fine in n, g and b. The same way the MBP do.

Anyway, I went to macworld and had the opportunity to get a look on the MBA. It's amazingly good looking and feels great. I think they have made a good decision for the size and the prize. A little less power than the macbook and it feels much smaller, even though it's not really. The battery life is 5 hours, almost like the old ibook, and that's much better than for example the 15" MBPs 2.5h. I'm almost contemplating selling my Asus EeePC and getting a MBA, but I want to get a dSLR first. Not enough money for both.

Shadester wrote in post #4730476
A little less power than the macbook and it feels much smaller, even though it's not really.

and therein lies the problem. who cares if it "feels" smaller if it isnt. once your new tech honeymoon phase wears off a week after buying it, i just don't thing its size is going to be a significant factor, and really at the same time its the ONLY factor in favor of it.

Looks like the replacement of the battery is less than 5 minutes and doesn't require special tools:

http://www.appleinside​r.com …ts_take_only_mi​nutes.html

Still, not much of a photo machine.