Breath of fresh air
I KNOW I'VE BROUGHT a particularly special piece of technology into the office when the Luddite members of the Finweek team gather round to ooh and ah. That doesn't happen very often.
But that was the exact reaction of almost every member on seeing the MacBook Air. Though this ultra-thin offering from Apple has a number of drawbacks, it's arguably the most beautiful computer you can currently buy.
But anyone considering buying one needs to understand what it's designed for. First, it's not a desktop replacement, it's not a machine for power users and it's not for playing games – except maybe solitaire. It only has one USB port, you have to buy an external DVD writer and you can't buy an additional battery for it. It's also the slowest machine that Apple currently makes.
So why would anyone want to buy it? First, it's light and thin, which makes it perfect for the person who travels a lot. Second, it's a fully functional computer and (apart from some missing pieces) it can do anything that any other Mac can do, including run Windows.
For the normal computer user there's not a lot to recommend this PC, apart from its "wow" factor that follows it everywhere it goes. This machine was designed for the CEO, the chairman of the board and the road warrior who needs full access to a PC in a form that won't rack up the chiropractor bills.
At over R18 000 it's not cheap, but then again, neither is great art; it's simply a matter of what you can afford.
Finweek
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