MacBook Air: It's the iPod of Macs

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Sunday, 20 January 2008 09:17

Opinion and Analysis

A lot of hot air has been generated over the past few days since Steve Jobs announced the MacBook Air in the Macworld 2008 keynote, and while part of me still wishes it had a smaller screen, Apple has re-invented something yet again: this time, it’s the way we think about ultraportable computing.
When you think of an ultraportable computer, you normally think high price tag, small footprint, small screen, small keyboard and not much grunt in terms of power.

Apple have flipped this notion on its head, producing the thinnest notebook among its peers, while still preserving a large screen, a full size keyboard and a new Core2 Duo processor that, while not as fast as some of its full-sized brethren, still manages to outclass every other mobile processor that Intel currently makes.

Given the amount of work we do on our computers these days, and all the windows we have open, having extra screen space (and especially a widescreen), just makes life easier when working.

The complaints people have aren’t usually about a screen being too big – it’s normally about the screen being too small. And anything less than full-size keys is certainly something that you can get used to, as people are finding with the ASUS Eee PC.

But there’s nothing like having a keyboard with regular sized keys – there’s that much less for you to have to ‘get used to’, and more time that you can spend just getting on doing whatever it is you do on your computer.

Of course, the MacBook Air’s processor isn’t as fast as the processors used in other Macs, but it’s as fast as or faster than plenty of competing notebooks, especially those in the ultraportable category. That means it will have more than enough power for all the everyday computing tasks you can throw at it - instead of lumbering you with a Core Solo processor or an Ultra Low Voltage Core 2 Duo running at 1.2Ghz.

Yes, the 1.8-inch hard drive only spins at 4200 RPM, and while the optional 64GB SSD promises much faster speed, it’s also more than $1000 more expensive. SSD drives will get cheaper over the next couple of years, so at least this price differential will drop, but if you can easily afford it, you'll be in early adopter heaven.

The smaller surface area of a 1.8-inch drive platter means that it should be faster than a 2.5-inch hard drive running at 4200 RPM, and in reality it should only mean waiting an extra second or two.

And, at least compared with other ultraportable notebooks, once the MacBook Air gets its data off the hard drive, its faster processor means it will get to work with that data faster than competitors.

So, is the MacBook Air the iPod of Macs? Please read onto page 2 for the conclusion...