MacBook Air - Light and Heavy
- 18 Feb 08, 11:53 GMT
It started so badly. My first few hours with the were full of frustration as I struggled - and failed - to import data and settings from my old computer. To make this ultra-slim laptop fit into its aluminium casing Apple has had to chuck a lot overboard - including a firewire port - so that means you are completely dependent on wireless technology to import your data or install new software. And for me - and plenty of others as far as I can see from online discussions - Apple's new migration assistant did not work.
But from then on life with the Air just got better and better. I took the laptop with me to Barcelona and used it as my prime tool for all my reporting from Mobile World Congress. Its sheer portability was a joy - when you're racing around a crowded congress site, a 1.4 kg load feels an awful lot better on your back than the 2.4 kg machine I normally carry.
The 13" screen is very bright and clear, there is a fully featured keyboard, and the Air coped with just about everything I threw at it - from checking the web, to editing audio and video, to uploading video via FTP. I had thought that I might miss a few more ports, a DVD-drive, and a removable battery. In fact, only the lack of a spare battery was a worry but every three or four hours I found somewhere to plug in.
The MacBook Air comes with Apple's latest operating system, Leopard, which features some decent - if not dramatic - new features. I also downloaded and installed three applications - iMovie 6 (Apple appears to recognise that iMovie 8 is a backwards step, so makes the later version available as a free download), a free audio editing programme Audacity, and Open Office, the open source productivity programme.
Which brings me to one complaint, common to all Apple computers. Where is the word processor or the spreadsheet? Many years ago Apple's Claris Works software came free with a new computer - now you have to choose to pay 拢55 for iWork or between 拢100 and 拢350 for Microsoft Office.
The MacBook Air certainly wins the battle with the Asus rival when it comes to looks. I was besieged in Barcelona whenever I got the notebook out and started working. As a design object it is a worthy successor to the iMac and iPod which have made Jonathan Ive, Apple's chief designer, such a huge influence on the look and feel of the modern gadget.
It's also a pleasure to use - but at a price. I was trying the version with a Solid State Drive, which costs a ludicrous 拢829 extra, but even the standard machine with an 80gb hard drive costs 拢1200. For that money you can get an awful lot of laptop - albeit something rather heavier than the Air - or you can buy half a dozen Asus eee's.
But if money is no object, then the Air lives up to the hype. Just as the iPod was not the first MP3 player and the iPhone was not the first touchscreen phone, the MacBook Air is not the first ultra-slim laptop. But yet again, Apple has succeeded in setting a standard which others will have to try very hard to surpass.
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This is dot.life - a blog about technology from 大象传媒 News.
Rory Cellan-Jones is the 大象传媒's technology correspondent.
Maggie Shiels is the 大象传媒's tech reporter based in Silicon Valley.
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Comments
If you want a free spreadsheet you can get one with NeoOffice. NeoOffice is based on OpenOffice but designed to run specifically on Macs.
Macbook Air is still too expensive for the likes of normal people like me, but once the price of solid state drives comes down in a couple of years to something comparable with traditional hard drives, then I'll definitely be getting one.
But when you can download Neo-office for free is the lack of a pre-installed office suite such a big deal?
I've used Neo-office problem free for about a year or so now, and before that Open Office (a bit more buggy than Neo). I don't miss having MS Office at all.
To the average, no-techie person - the very high costs of the Mac products (not just the Air) seem absurd, but to regular Mac customers the price seems almost irrlevant because they will still be bought anyway. Apple could charge 拢2000 for the Air - and people would still pay for it!
I would agree with the previous poster that NeoOffice / OpenOffice is brilliant but also with your comments about giving a suite away.
I have Apple's iWork and rarely have to use anything else. Pages is a delight to use and feels much snappier than anything else. If Apple gave it away with every new Mac, I am sure most people would not bother with anything else.
I have put together a list of many OpenSource and freeware apps for the Mac that might help you further. You can get them at www.thefreemac.com or
its really expensive, and i bet somebody makes it a millions times better with a linux distro specifically designed for it
linux on a mac surely tics all your geek cool boxes?
I agree that Apple has made a cracking job on this long awaited addition to the Mac line up and, like the original iMac, has dropped legacy components not necessarily needed......But, I'm not sure what market they are aiming the Air at especially at that price. I guess it's a similar dilemma to the G4 Cube which pitched itself at the same price as a G4 PowerMac but with a few bits missing. The Air is dearer than a Macbook but with A LOT missing, slower and the only gain is it's thinner, not as heavy and the screen is better. I appreciate the cost in the new technologies but would the casual buyer. Is the Air really going to sell to frequent flyer business set in viable quantities? Only time will tell. Great machine though - maybe I can pay for Christmas next month.........
MacAir, Hmmm.
Just got myself a Dell XT Lattitude, and and as a table/laptop it is excellent, with Bluetooth, wireless, inbuilt 3G, no way I would go back to a normal laptop now, regardless of the weight.
If you want something pretty, get a Mac, if you want something that is built for business, then get a proper laptop.
Fair enough, Rory, but what other 3-4lb laptops have you tried so you have a balanced comparison? For example, have you tried a Dell XPS M1330 or a Lenovo X61 or are you just going to compare it to some woefully underpowered ASUS machine that's not even in the same class?
I look forward to your review of the Lenovo X300 when it comes out.
You need Apple's iWork suite of programmes - a kind of modern day equivalent to Appleworks,
You'll have to pay for this although it is cheap, but it comes with a very good Word Processor and an excellent new spreadsheet - Numbers - which I prefer to Excel for much of the time.
You spend a lot of time in this blog bashing the new iMovie. I've been using it for the past couple of months now and find it a dramatically faster and easier solution for editing video.
Could you be more specific as to what features you miss in the new version? While some features have indeed been cut, they're only things that I really wouldn't think you'd actually need when editing wobbly cameraphone video.
If you need something more professional - Final Cut Express is only 拢129. Surely pocket money for a 大象传媒 reporter!
Doesn't OpenOffice come with Word Processer and Spreadsheet any more ?
It used even to have the reputation of being able to open broken MS Word files that even MS Word couldn't open.....
In reply to Matt Robin's post, Matt, they are charging 拢2000 for the macbook air with an SSD installed.
working cross platform on both mac and PC i find the expense of macs restrictive in terms of upgrading.
while the air looks nice and the idea is good, i'm afriad it all looks a little too fragile and with it's lack of features doesn't appeal to me.
Well, why not buy a smaller (though not thinner), lighter laptop with an optical drive and multiple ports? And you don't have to lay out any more squids.
Yes, believe it or not such laptops actually do exist.....(not that you'd think so given recent media andf blogging coverage).
I must agree that neooffice is excellent. I have used it for a couple of years and find it very stable. I cannot understand why anyone would pay 拢350 for Microsoft Office with all those horrible floating palletts.
You should try using Google Documents which support Microsoft products and file types in addition to being able to import and export in any commonly used format. It has calendar, spreadsheet, word processor and powerpoint, all of them online, free and requiring no download other than a standards compliant browser. Older version of Safari have some problems rendering the calendar correctly but Google Documents is an amazing set tools that have since freed me from using expensive and bloated software.
"To the average, no-techie person - the very high costs of the Mac products (not just the Air) seem absurd."
I think it's a dubious claim that Apple products are more expensive than equivalent products from other brands. Sure, you can buy a no-name laptop for much less, but that's like comparing the cost of a new Mercedes with a second-hand Skoda.
And to continue the car analogy, maybe the MacBook Air should be thought of like a two-seater convertible. Just because YOU need space for three kids, a dog and a caravan doesn't mean that everyone needs five seats and a towbar.
I fail to see the complaint about the lack of a spreadsheet and word processor. As you stated, there is a free solution, an intermediate price solution ad an expensive solution. You have a choice. ClarisWorks was available years ago. Times change. You still have a free solution if you want it!
Does Windows come with a free copy of Office?
If we're not careful this post is in danger of turning into a Mac vs PC battle.
The lines have been drawn - prepare for a biblical bash of the zealots!
(Or for a slightly humorous view of the Mac vs PC debate, check out the link below)
Apple products have always represented bad value for money and are liked by people who need to be looked at. Laptops are not used by serious workers anyway.
Download and install NeoOffice. It is Openoffice for Mac and is free even though you'll probably donate some money towards it after using it for a while.
Jerry
Paying extra money for an Apple Mac is worth it. A laptop that is reliable, runs quicker than a windows laptop bogged down with Virus checkers, spamware and still at a greater risk in getting infected. The actual risk of your windows laptop getting infected is incredibly high. If your using a laptop for work then a decision should be based on risk assement and business continuity.
If your using a laptop from home the enjoyment you will get from your Mac as opposed to a Windows Laptop will be well worth the extra few quid. I also run a virtual windows computer on my Mac Os for the one program I need a windows machine for.
I've had 7 laptops. 6 of which were windows operating system. Now I have a Macbook I'm a great fan as you can tell.
Why don't you try Zoho (www.zoho.com) - online word processor, spreadsheet, presentation package, database + a lot more. All for free, compatible with Word + many others, free PDF conversion. Contains many more features than Google docs.
Where on apples website does it offer imovie 6 as a free download? cheers
Most people find this Laptop, 'Over-Priced'...
But if that's the case.. It's not for them, This is aimed at people with the money for that type of product and that is reflected in the market Apple are trying to reach...
I have a MacBook Pro (Which is technically more expensive than the air) and it's fine for me... It's a balance of power and a weight that I'm able to accept...
I couldn't get an Air due to the type of things I do with my Mac, but I'm not in Apple Market Reach....
This really is turning into a Mac/PC Debate!
Peter Moritt - I hope your Mac also has a virus checker and firewall installed.
Don't think that just because you run OSX, your computer isn't at risk.
That's just some Apple spin so they don't put the fear into their customers that the lack of third party solutions to viruses actually makes Macs potentially more vulnerable to hackers, infection and general nasties.
The reason it's not more of a problem?
There's not enough people using Macs to make it worthwhile to most hackers. There has been Mac viruses in the past, just nothing widespread - yet.
As to why anyone would pay for MS Office when NeoOffice was free, two simple reasons: Native file format and Exchange compatibility.
As an attorney, I MUST use the actual application that a document was written in or I'll be stuck reformatting a jumbled mess. Pleading paper (numbers running vertically down the left edge) almost always breaks when a file is moved from one word processor to another, even if the file opens and the text survives.
This is completely unacceptable on my end for documents others send to me, and will cause most courts to outright reject anything that I submit to them.
For that reason, I MUST have three word processors, MS Word 97~2004 (any of them), MS Word 2007~2008 (again, any) and WordPerfect 10 or higher (Windows only).
Thankfully, with Parallels I can have all three on my Intel Mac. I use the new MS Office 2008 most of the time, but in Parallels I have Word 2003 and WordPerfect 11 standing bye.
The other reason for paying real money for Office is Exchange. My office, like many others, uses an Exchange server for email and more importantly, shared calendar. Until the 2008 Office version, I had to use Windows MS Office 2003 as my primary and thus wound up just using Windows itself for work (Boot Camp). Entourage 2004 was Exchange compliant, but cannot view the shared calendars of other users. Apple Mail is also Exchange compliant, but sadly iCal is not.
So, you have one complaint, and it is common to ALL APPLE COMPUTERS (Did I misread, or this implies that it does NOT apply to NON-APPLE computers?): They do not throw commercial software for free....
Mmmhh.... so, please tell me (I've not used a PC in more than 6 years): Does windows boxes now include MS Office for free?
I really would like to know if they do. Otherwise, your complaint really applies to ALL COMPUTERS, and not only to Apple computers, doesn't it?
Actually David, most do. Windows has had for donkeys years a little app called Word Pad...its utterly useless, but included. Although many manufacturers ship working demo (ok demo) versions of Office, even on 拢350 HP's which out perform, out feature, and well out spec the Air.
As for the EEE, I find the comparison good. The EEE is smaller, lighter, has all the needed applications, better Wi-fi performance, better connectivity, and you have over 拢1000 in change! Also doesn't have the USB port in such a stupid location you can't use a memory stick without an extension cable like on the Air.
Is the Air pretty? yes. Is it actually anything more than a fashion statement? nope.
If you must use a car analogy then the MacBook Air is nothing more than one of those Smart Coupes. Looks pretty but that's all it is - looks. No power, no room, overpriced and a hell of a lot worse than anything else available for the money. Apple has always been for the image-above-everything crowd. For crying out loud, I find that Macs crash more often than Windows. Think I'll stick to linux.
@Allan Rutland
Macs ship with Textedit, which is similar to Wordpad. It has a little more functionality and supports RTF, DOC, DOCX, ODT etc.