MacBook air 11" .. anyone got one yet?

yes, using boot camp you can have windows on your mac. 2 partitions voila.

but i don't see why you would need to as osx can do almost everything windows can do now and is a lot more stable.
 
Nexus said:
I think you already know that an Air is going to be a waste when you already say that your MBP doesn't get much use.

You either need a laptop with you, or you don't and the fact it's a bit smaller and lighter isn't going to change that.

At the end of the day, it's your money and you do what you like but it looks like you want it because it's new when really you don't need it... especially when you have a recent MBP, an iPad and presumably an iPhone too?
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No .. my MBP doesn't get much use because it's too large and heavy and the 11" MBA is much smaller / lighter.

Interesting some people say the 11" isn't much smaller than the 13.3" MBP, I had one and I got rid as it was sort of a nothing machine - not all that portable, not all that powerful.

Cheers,
Adam
 
I have one now. It's a fantastic piece of kit based on my early plays. 10/15s to a usable desktop from a cold-boot is nice.

It'll be replacing my iPad+Keyboard - that's going to my lass I think.
 
Raymond Lin said:
My guess is that your ipad is the wifi only version?

I cant see anyone with a 3G iPad going to replace it with the MBA.
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Probably a slightly inelegant and ham fisted solution, but wouldn't you be able to share your mobile phone 3G connection with the Air, like a modem? Allowing it to access the net anywhere that your phone can, or is that impossible?
 
K1LLSW1TCH said:
Probably a slightly inelegant and ham fisted solution, but wouldn't you be able to share your mobile phone 3G connection with the Air, like a modem? Allowing it to access the net anywhere that your phone can, or is that impossible?
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Tethering? Yup, of course that works.

But i think if you have a 3G iPad you won't need tethering so going to the MBA is a backwards step in terms of mobility and practicality and functionality.
 
Raymond Lin said:
Tethering? Yup, of course that works.

But i think if you have a 3G iPad you won't need tethering so going to the MBA is a backwards step in terms of mobility and practicality and functionality.
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Ah yeah that's it, I knew I hadn't dreamed the concept up, just couldn't think of the word. :p

From my point of view, if I was a 3G iPad owner I would skip this generation of MacBook Air, if I only had the WiFi version I'd be tempted, but if I already had a 13" MacBook I wouldn't really see the point. I can see who it would appeal to, and there's definitely something telling me that I would really love one, but probably because it's the newest thing out, it looks uber sleek and it would definitely turn heads in a coffee shop. It's shiny new toy syndrome which would cause me to buy one of these, I'd never consider one for my main machine but I can see the 11" being a perfect, if not a little expensive complement to a main machine such as an iMac.
 
Must say I'm tempted, just got a netbook at the moment and would like something that little bit bigger and quicker.

Just got to justify over twice the price for one. Actually no I don't, it looks and feels great to use, just need to buy one lol.
 
adam_m said:
not all that portable, not all that powerful.
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The MBA is only slightly smaller than the 13.3" MB/MBPs out now though, thickness isn't an issue so we can rule that out, as for the weight then I don't see that big a deal, the MB certainly doesn't weigh that much.

You pretty much just described the MBA with what you said, it's considerably less powerful than the 2.4Ghz MB/MBps while only being slightly more portable!
 
Margaret said:
it's considerably less powerful than the 2.4Ghz MB/MBps while only being slightly more portable!
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Have you had a go on one? The SSD storage makes it vastly quicker than you'd expect. Honestly, don't write them off til you've had a good play on one. I was staunchly against the previous MBAs, and now I appreciate the 13.3 for what it is, especially the 'lower' model (price mostly), and desperately want an 11".

Yes, encoding and such, of course it will show itself up - but how often do you do that? Day to day, they are absurdly fast compared to their specs.
 
What does one use it for though?

Obviously you buy it to take it with you on the move, but the lack of large storage and low clock speed means its not going to be any intensive CPU work. The lack of 3G means restricted to hotel rooms, anD only hotel with wifi unless you get a network to USB adaptor or carry an airport express with you. To get one to type a few word documents while on your travels seems like a waste to me unless your word documents are really important.

For once I actually think Apple missed the mark with this. The 11" is nice, but it's not enough different enough to the MBP, I mean SSD is quicker, but i can put that in a MBP anyway myself too and it will then be 2.4ghz with SSD and longer battery performance too.

I keep coming back to this..if it had 3G then this will be totally awesome, absolutely totally. Imagine cloud computing with it, the lack of storage would be less of an issue and it would totally make itself truly mobile. While at the moment, although it is mobile intems of weight and size, it isn't in terms of getting online and connecting to the world.
 
K1LLSW1TCH said:
Ah yeah that's it, I knew I hadn't dreamed the concept up, just couldn't think of the word. :p

From my point of view, if I was a 3G iPad owner I would skip this generation of MacBook Air, if I only had the WiFi version I'd be tempted, but if I already had a 13" MacBook I wouldn't really see the point. I can see who it would appeal to, and there's definitely something telling me that I would really love one, but probably because it's the newest thing out, it looks uber sleek and it would definitely turn heads in a coffee shop. It's shiny new toy syndrome which would cause me to buy one of these, I'd never consider one for my main machine but I can see the 11" being a perfect, if not a little expensive complement to a main machine such as an iMac.
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The iPad is a great *consumer* but it's difficult to work on. For example I go diving a lot and the pics & vids that come out of it are just way too big for the iPad.... So I end up lugging along my MBP as well. Pointless.

This device 'consumes' media just as well as the iPad and yet has an added piece of flexibility.

Is it 'better' than an iPad? Not really, no..... It's just different.

I will say though that the things perform far better than their specs would indicate. I'm putting some video together so I'll fire them over when done to show what I mean.

As a side note, I don't actually pay retail on this kit - I don't pay VAT, it's tax deductible, and it's out of the company. If it were *my* money I'd probably take different decisions....and would have stuck with the iPad.
 
I have been using an 11.6" ultraportable laptop as my main laptop for the last 6 months and haven't found the power to be a problem for my needs. It has a pentium low voltage SU4100 and I find the 1366x768 resolution to be fine too.

I had the ipad for a while but got rid of it because I found it too limiting and given my ultra portable isn't much bigger I just moved back to that. I do a lot of travelling but realised I still had to carry my laptop round with me anyway to put files on the ipad so for me personally it didn't make sense.

I was initially really in love with the idea of the new 11" air as the screen resolution, etc is the same as my current machine but it is more powerful. It also looks really nice (which is my main weak point as I like shiny objects!).

I have had to fight the magpie in me and realise my current laptop is a better overall solution. Sure, it doesn't look nearly as pretty, but it's a lot more functional and a 1/3rd of the price! If the new air had 3G built in this could make it more intriguing for me, but for now I'm going to stick to my trusty Acer 1810tz mainly because:

1. The acer has more USB ports.
2. The battery lasts 8+ hours and I have two batteries for when I'm on long flights or whatever. I can change them over when needed.
3. The acer has a HDMI port
4. The acer has a built in SD card reader
5. The acer has built in ethernet so if a hotel doesnt have wireless no problem
6. The acer isn't that much bigger
7. The acer is a lot cheaper!

BUT every time I go to Apple's site I see the picture of the Air and I still want one. How crazy is that! It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever based on the above, but it's oh so pretty. I could buy a new kite surfing kite and board for the price, but who needs exercise!
 
jakspyder said:
buy the MBA give me the MBP :) everyone is happy.
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Can i have the MBP instead?

On a serious note i'd love a MBA, well i'd love a Mac full stop (windows/linux man here) but i just cant justify the amount of money apple charge. Now if i could find one closer to the £500 then i snatch one up.
 
Raymond Lin said:
What does one use it for though?

Obviously you buy it to take it with you on the move, but the lack of large storage and low clock speed means its not going to be any intensive CPU work. The lack of 3G means restricted to hotel rooms, anD only hotel with wifi unless you get a network to USB adaptor or carry an airport express with you. To get one to type a few word documents while on your travels seems like a waste to me unless your word documents are really important.

For once I actually think Apple missed the mark with this. The 11" is nice, but it's not enough different enough to the MBP, I mean SSD is quicker, but i can put that in a MBP anyway myself too and it will then be 2.4ghz with SSD and longer battery performance too.

I keep coming back to this..if it had 3G then this will be totally awesome, absolutely totally. Imagine cloud computing with it, the lack of storage would be less of an issue and it would totally make itself truly mobile. While at the moment, although it is mobile intems of weight and size, it isn't in terms of getting online and connecting to the world.
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We're completely at odds on this - I think the previous MBA was a complete waste of space and feel totally different about the new one, specifically the 11".

The lack of a 3G slot is, you're right, disappointing. There is, however, the MiFi, which I think are fantastic. If you have one, it doesn't matter what gadget you're taking with you, it'll work with the MiFi. One 3G payment a month, works with all your stuff. My work owe me one and they haven't given me it yet, I want it!

But if you need a proper computer to lug around everywhere, the MBA is now capable of being that, where imo, it wasn't before. Not if you didn't have a spare £1400 to drop, anyway.

It now is actually quite powerful. I haven't had a chance to play on an 11" yet, but the 13" bowled me over. Yes its clock speed is relatively low, but for use in general, it's incredibly snappy. I'm genuinely impressed with it. The SSD storage is very fast indeed. Loading apps, even something like iMovie with the big library of demo HD footage, is as quick as you like. Working in iMovie again as an example is spot on. Ignore the numbers - it's a fast machine.

I'm very eager to see how the 1.4 performs, but honestly I think it'll be faster than you expect. 2gb of RAM yes, but look how fast the storage is. You need a lot of RAM in a machine with a mechanical HDD. The advantage is diminished when your storage itself is solid state and fast as buggery.

I still would never get the 13", I'd just get an MBP. The 11" though, will be very popular and deservedly so.
 
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