Derrick
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The Air is ludicrously short on features. It has no optical drive, it has only one USB port. There's no Ether-net port, you can't replace the battery; and the 80 GB hard drive is piddling in size.
In a question-and-answer session at a recent technology conference in Las Vegas, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer poked fun at Apple's new MacBook Air ultra-portable notebook. Grabbing an Air from the on-stage interviewer, legendary Silicon Valley venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki, Ballmer declared his Windows Vista-based Toshiba laptop to be lighter and more powerful than the Air. "That thing is missing half the features of a PC," Ballmer bellowed, gesticulating wildly
He's right. The Air is ludicrously short on features. It has no optical drive - you'll have to buy one separately - and has only one USB port. There's no Ether-net port, so you'll have to rely on Wi-Fi (not always available); you can't replace the battery; and the 80 GB hard drive is piddling in size.
But Ballmer can snicker as much as he likes - despite its lack of features, people are salivating over the Air. Why? Because it's so damned gorgeous. And its construction is surprisingly solid despite being only 40 mm thick at its thinnest point and weighing just 1,3 kg. The machine has a 1,6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 2 GB of RAM and a 1 280 x 800-pixel, 13,3-inch widescreen display. The keyboard is best-in-class and, in my experience, is matched only by the keyboards in the ThinkPad line.
But the MacBook Air - it's already being referred to as the AirBook - is not suitable for everyone. It's not a desktop replacement system, so if you plan to use only one machine for office and home, then find yourself another laptop. For road warriors who can live without Ether-net and multiple USB ports, the Air is worth considering. I'll be waiting for the second-generation MacBook Air before plonking down any cash. I have no doubt Apple will address the lack of ports in the next version.
In a question-and-answer session at a recent technology conference in Las Vegas, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer poked fun at Apple's new MacBook Air ultra-portable notebook. Grabbing an Air from the on-stage interviewer, legendary Silicon Valley venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki, Ballmer declared his Windows Vista-based Toshiba laptop to be lighter and more powerful than the Air. "That thing is missing half the features of a PC," Ballmer bellowed, gesticulating wildly
He's right. The Air is ludicrously short on features. It has no optical drive - you'll have to buy one separately - and has only one USB port. There's no Ether-net port, so you'll have to rely on Wi-Fi (not always available); you can't replace the battery; and the 80 GB hard drive is piddling in size.
But Ballmer can snicker as much as he likes - despite its lack of features, people are salivating over the Air. Why? Because it's so damned gorgeous. And its construction is surprisingly solid despite being only 40 mm thick at its thinnest point and weighing just 1,3 kg. The machine has a 1,6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 2 GB of RAM and a 1 280 x 800-pixel, 13,3-inch widescreen display. The keyboard is best-in-class and, in my experience, is matched only by the keyboards in the ThinkPad line.
But the MacBook Air - it's already being referred to as the AirBook - is not suitable for everyone. It's not a desktop replacement system, so if you plan to use only one machine for office and home, then find yourself another laptop. For road warriors who can live without Ether-net and multiple USB ports, the Air is worth considering. I'll be waiting for the second-generation MacBook Air before plonking down any cash. I have no doubt Apple will address the lack of ports in the next version.