Would someone please explain the benefit of "thin" here?

Given that it's still about the same depth and width of any other 13.3" notebook and therefore requires exactly THE SAME lap space, THE SAME notebook bag etc.

Losing the ports, the removable battery and paying $1800 US seems an awful lot to pay to say "hey look how thin this is".

A couple things also not remarked on. Anyone else notice the shift in Apple philosophy over firewire? As we move from DV video to HD formats and eSATA for HDD firewire looks dead, dead, dead... Also the standard HDD is a 1.8" 4200rpm IDE drive. That is going to be REALLY SLOW, these are really aimed at media players, not notebooks. It's also used in the cheapo Cloudbook and other via nanobooks.

I'd buy a thinkpad x61 now if looking for a road warrior special, which is really what Apple should have made with a nice aluminium case and a widescreen. Hell even a cheap Lenovo 3000 V200 is probably a better bet.

If only Asus had put a full 10" screen in their eee pc at the $400 price point...

This really should have included two USB ports. Once a user connects an external mouse to the machine, there should always be at least one spare port so that printers, scanners, external optical drives, thumb drives etc. can be attached to the machine without requiring a hub or a disconnect of the mouse.

Especially since Apple offers you the option of bundling at least three or four USB devices with your MacAir order.

Having at least two ports is also a saving grace against the inevitable day when, well outside of warranty, damage occurs to a port because of a jammed plug, the unit gets tipped sideways with a thumbdrive still installed, etc.

My sony sz weighs 4 pounds, has a larger hard drive, 2 gigs of memory, longer battery life when doing the things you can do on that machine, and extended functionality past that machine. It has discrete graphics that you can turn off and use onboard to save power, a DVD drive, a replaceable battery, and basically everything that laptop misses.

That extra pound seems to have cost them a lot of functionality.

The MacBook Air looks to be marketed at the stereotypical coffee-shop hipster who wants to surf the Net on something trendy-looking; it's interesting as an industrial design exercise, but not much more. Apple's designers sacrificed way too much functionality to get the slimness they wanted, especially for a 13.3-inch notebook. With no built-in DVD drive, no Ethernet, and only one USB port, it's not got enough connectivity to be really useful in a lot of situations. I'm willing to bet the chassis flexes like a paperback book to boot, which doesn't bode well for the longevity of the screen or motherboard...

this is a pass for me
i think it's fantastic that tech has gone so far we can get laptops this small, but i think this is still in it's infancy

- no optical drive: apple says this was designed for the wireless world. i'm sorry but we're still living in an optical media world. and if you're looking to go mac os11 or whatever the next version will be then you're in a spot of bother. many people saying they could do without it are probably more a case of "i suppose i could do without it" which is more of a compromise

- no ethernet: yes wireless is nice. but there's a reason why most networks are still wired. and again a lot of people say i they can do without it when it's more a case of 'i suppose i could do without it'. when i'm on site i'm not going to want to bring a different laptop because their network doesn't offer wireless. of course i could bring an adapter of some form but then that's missing the point of "portable"

- 1 usb port: this is a downer. you can make do with the touch pad. but the question is whether you're more effective with the mouse. like a lot of the previous things this is a compromise of 'i suppose i could do without it'. and yes you could use a BT mouse then lug around a power adapter in case it's running low. but if you have to remember to bring a usb hub, wireless-ethernet adapter, external optical drive, and power adaptors for said drive and mouse then you've just missed the whole point of "portable"

- size: this one is weird. is it just me or does it look like they started with a 13.3" laptop then said, "ahh stuff it, we'll chuck it in a 14.1 casing instead". part of the whole small form factor is that they are small. but looking at the keyboard and display they look like something small in something big. maybe they should have demo'd a black one. after all it is slimming.

this'd be nice in a few years time when storage of everything is online thanks to gigantic google clusters offering unlimited storage space (sure i've lost my privacy but it was likely an illusion that i had any in the first place)
of course to make that worthwhile it'd also have to upgrade it's wireless to catch up to ethernet so i can transfer at around 125mb/s to make up for the lack of connecting an external drive thanks to only 1 usb port which i'm using for a mouse because i didn't want to have to carry the charger unit for a bluetooth mouse.
oh and if they can make this "ultra-portable" look like an ultra portable rather than ultra portable stuck in a portable's body then i'll take a punt. otherwise nicely done apple. next.

Just saw this on gizmodo -- Lenovo Thinkpad X300.

http://gizmodo.com/346797/ultralight-lenovo-x300-series-thinkpad-le...

Now THAT is drool-worthy...

The Macbook Air is an abortion.

At 1.36 kg, it is the same weight as the hp nc2510 (1.29 kg), Panasonic Toughtbook W5 (1.3 kg) or fujitsu P7230 (1.34 kg), and heavier than the sony vaio G (~1.0 kg), all of which have an optical drive as well as ethernet and more than 1 usb port.

For a little more weight, the sony vaio SZ (1.68 kg) provides protability and performance with none of the compromises the ultraportables do.

All these laptops also have user-accessible and removable batteries.

In their quest for shiny, Apple seems to have disregarded practicality as opprobrious.

There are so many strikes against the Macbook Air, it's hard to know where to begin. Wait, I know, the best place to start is by not buying one.

.76 inches?
No wonder the rest of the world switched to metric :)

i'll stick with my vostro 1400 ot gateway mt3707

OMG. Apple has finally produced a product that I want. This is a sign of the apocolypse or something. I'm afraid, Dave.

OMFG that is so chic! I must buy one irregardless of cost or practicality!

I wrote this in the forums, but it applies here:

For the record, I'm not sold on this machine. Believe it or not, I still think it's a bit overpriced because of all the things it DOESN'T have. The form factor is nice, but the tradeoffs for me are a bit much when I could get a Mac Book with better computer features than this machine, in a slightly less sexy package.

There are tradeoffs when you move into this market. Our company bought a 50,000+ Thinkpad X21 laptops. Sexy laptops, but within a year, we had so many complaints about the lack of a built in CD Drive (never mind DVD) that we had to requalify new machines. But since we had so many out, we couldn't start replacing them for a long, long time. The original requirements were an ultraportable laptop. We gave them what they wanted, but the tradeoffs were too high, so we had to reconsider.

I think quite a few people, especially people that don't travel that much with their laptop, are going to have to consider this very, very carefully before they switch.

Had this laptop been priced at $1499 or so, I could really get excited, but at this price and with this feature set, I think I'd rather have one of the Sony V series laptops. Or hell, I'd be happy if they gave us back the 12" form factor back.

My point about the sealed battery is that the people that will buy this thing DON'T CARE. They aren't stupid, they just don't have the same needs as a bunch of dorks like us who hang out on tech sites. Besides, who the hell carries around a second battery? If you're carrying around a second battery, chances are the weight saved by getting a 3lb laptop isn't a big concern. Just buy the 4lb MacBook and get as many batteries as you want.

I've said this before and I will doubtless have to say it again: People who hang out on tech related websites usually do not understand the consumer market. At all. And the worst part? We don't REALIZE that we don't understand what the market might want, so we assume that we speak for everyone.

Apple may have another winner on their hands. Or they may have another cube shaped turd. But the fact remains, they understand their market a helluva lot better than a bunch of armchair marketing experts on an enthusiast website. Apple has never made an attempt to cater to everyone's whim. They've left that to Dell. And yet, despite the fact that they don't cater to your specific needs, they seem to be making a bit of money. Scratch that, a SHEDLOAD of money. So, I guess they may know something about their market.

Yeah, it's almost 1/2 the weight of the regular macbook (about 3 Ibs vs 5 Ibs) and almost half as thick... but really - what's the big freakin deal?

For this small decrease in weight and volume you get a higher price tag, lower performance and fewer features, no optical drive and a non-replaceable battery. (The LED screen is nice though, but there is no reason why they can't make this an option for current macbooks -as on the Dell m1330).

If business travellers/commuters are so worried about such small differences in weight then they should be buying carbon fiber briefcases, nylon packs and forgoing materials such as leather or wool for their overcoats, etc.

Next to notebook enthusiasts I think about the only other group that is as concerned about avoiding transporting trivial amounts of weight are road bike enthusiasts. What would happen if the two got together?

"For the longest time, I was hoping to take my mac with me on that long distance bicycle race so I could check my email at the checkpoints but I just couldn't justify the extra weight - But now with the macbook air...!"

Sheesh.

"but the MacBook Air has a sealed, non-user-replaceable batter"

Pwnd!

A basic Sony VAIO TZ is $2099.99

and has a 1.06Ghz processor and a gig of ram, Apple have, I think, safely batted this one out of the park.

It's an interesting design, to be sure.

Man, Apple has come a long way in the last 10 years. I remember, back in 1997, hanging out on my porch at my old apartment with a tech friend of mine who does support for SLB. Apple was in deep trouble back then, right before they brought Jobs back. My friend was talking about what the computer scene was going to be like in a year since "Apple was about to go away."

Today, that kind of thinking is humorous.

You know, it's a sexy sexy laptop -- but I think I'd rather get a Macbook -- sure I lose the LED screen and gain two pounds, but I also get:
Faster Processors
Faster, larger hard drive
Ethernet, Firewire, etc
Optical drive
$700 back (well, a bit less to upgrade to equivalent ram)
Standard power adapter for when I forget mine ;)

This certainly looks nice. But typical marketing from Apple - playing on the stupidity of the end-users (which is brilliant btw) have claimed that they (single handed) "asked" Intel to reduce the size of their C2D and they did (just for us implied).... nice. Anyway I have the new Dell XT and it is roughly in similar price range (when you add the same "accessories" the the Air) and you get a much better & faster computer with a full 13" multi-touch screen.

But nice non-the-less; has that typical Apple polish on the looks side of things -- which is never a bad thing.

mojo

I don't get it.

In my opinion this thing is barely an ultra-portable. And the lack of what I consider basic features (no ethernet jack?!?)kills any hope of me wanting to own one. If anyone wants a full featured ultra-portable I show them my 5 year old fujitsu lifebook, it has all necessary ports and a built in optical drive. All in a package that is 8"x11"x1.5", and while I can't really game on it since it is 5 years old. I does everything I need it to do on the road and still manages to weigh less than 3 lbs.

The newer Fujitsu ultraportables are a little bigger since they went from a 10.1" screen to a 12" screen, but they are cheaper than this latest "shiny" from Apple.

I seriously don't understand why people are looking at this as if they saw the product child of Satan and a rat.

Optical drive? The only purpose would be to watch movies in a flight, and unless someone here travels 2+ hours twice a week, it's barely worth mentioning. Hearing the complaints it looks as if they removed the screen from the machine.

I'm more tamed on the single-usb-only "feature" . Frankly besides a usb-key, I don't see much use for it. "Ultra-portable" and "mouse" or other "peripherals" is an odd combination. My printer is wireless, so is the router, and why would I need to plug in a camera and an ipod/usb-key at the very same time?

Non-user replacable battery is a pain, but 125$ with free service, I say minor detail.

Now that slow HDD and the 1k price tag for the SSD version is a nasty bite. The price is a tad high too. 1499-1599 would've been a sweet spot, and having had my father's laptop's HDD die, I want SSD.

Oh, and people thinking the Sony SZ is better/badder/faster/stronger need to see the big package: Sony doesn't even pack driver disks, much less an OS with their laptop (I know from the experience of setting up my cousin's SZ), and is packed full of bloatware that makes you think you just bought a 500MHz. Once you set one of these babies up you see the "it just works" in a whole new light (my brother has an iMac).

Now for the rest of the announcements, I say meh. Apple TV needs to be able to support all container formats (avi, mp4, mkv, etc etc) before I jump on that boat.

The touch finally has a nice package; I will probably end up buying the next revision with a bigger drive.

All you people saying this thing is a godsend and is "worth it" because it weighs next to nothing make me laugh. You sound like all the weak wristed people who complained about wireless mice because the batter made them weigh more. If all you want if something that weighs next to nothing, get an Eee. It weighs a whole pound less even! OR you could do what i did, get some muscles and just "suffer" with "lugging" around a 15" with you. Its really not as hard as some of you are making it out to be.

My predictions :

- ladies will love it

- other brands will try to follow this trend (yuck)

My admirations :

- Death of Ethernet port on notebook will arrive ?

- How to troubleshoot when OS die ?

- What if the battery caught fire, will the whole machine burn too ?

One USB port?

One speaker?

One mouse button?

ZERO ethernet ports?

ZERO audio input ports?

Looks nice though. Sounds pretty useless other than for looks though.

If I were to get a mac laptop I would want windows on it also. With that said it needs more usb ports and ethernet. A replaceable battery would be nice but battery life span is usually measured in years so that isnt an issue for most people. A faster and larger hard drive would be nice. The drive is fairly large but with OSX and Windows XP installed you could run out of drive space fairly quickly. My 17 inch laptop has an 80 hard drive in it an it is dam near full. With new games using 10gigs each to install 80 gigs just doesnt go very far.

The lack of USB ports alone is enough that I would never buy one of them. Hell my EEE Pc has more ports than the mac.

Every time I see a mac product used I think of that Incredibles line: "When everybody's super, no one will be."

This is a sweet machine, I actually just asked my boss if my employer would buy me one. I work as a systems engineer for a geographically dispersed company. I have a nice PC in my office and my own built machine when I work from home, but I need to work at odd sites a lot. When I had a full featured laptop I found I was always leaving it at home because it was a pain to lug around across shuttle busses etc. I've been using a slate model tablet for a year or so, and while it's good, I can't do anything more than take notes or read email on it. The handwriting recognition is good, but doing unix sysadmin stuff isn't really feasible with an on-screen keyboard.

The macbook air puts all it's cost and weight into the things that are most important to me: keyboard and screen. It will be great for remote desktop/SSH admin work as well as general email/web/document stuff.

Also, how is "Remote Disc" new?

I've been sharing optical drives over wifi for years with Windows XP.

I think this is the "mac cube" of laptops. It's cool, but not very practical.

I don't begrudge the small group of people who will want to buy this. But if apple is going to go through all the effort to make a niche product of limited appeal, why oh why can't they make a more mainstream desktop machine? All I ask is for a Mac pro with a single socket and regular old DDR3 RAM. Why can't they do this?

Like it or not....it will be in man new movies going forward. Apple is the choice of computers in the movies.

Heck even my wifes Pottery Barn catalogs have Macbooks in the staged homes.