My reactions to Apple's MacBook Air

01/16/2008
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Apple released the MacBook Air on Tuesday at the 2008 MacWorld Expo and I have to say that I am somewhat impressed. The form factor is simply amazing. It is a beautiful computer and leaves all other sub-notebooks in the dust.

The MacBook Air is not for everyone though, and will probably have a small audience for several reasons:

  • No firewire = no fast external hard drives, no digital video editing
  • Small, slow hard drive (or fast, really expensive solid state memory)
  • Slower processor than competing Macs
  • Limited number of ports (only 1 USB port)
  • No graphics card
  • Non-replaceable battery
  • No way to upgrade anything ever
  • Very expensive
  • No optical drive
For the executive with no room for a bulky laptop or not wanting a heavy machine to lug around, it may be a good choice. For the casual computer user or anyone wanting to get the most bang for their buck, it isn't the best option and may be better off with a MacBook.

Overall, it's a great machine and I am once again impressed with Apple and their ingenuity.