[X4U] MW Expo; I'm underwhelmed

[Eugene]

On Sat, Jan 19, 2008 at 01:42:12PM CST, Dave B <DaveB_Lists_1004 at gto.net> wrote:
> On 19-Jan-08, at 12:26, Shawn King wrote:
>> On 1/17/08 2:56 AM, "Eugene" <list-themacintoshguy at fsck.net> wrote:
>>
>>> In contrast, The MacBook Air is
>>> designed for the ultra-portable market where weight and bulk far
>>> outweigh CPU power and expandability.  It is a focused product for
>>> a specific (and larger) target audience.  It is not aimed for the
>>> desktop user, or for the portable user who really prefer a portable
>>> desktop (MacBook) or workstation (MacBook Pro).
>>
>> Finally - a voice of sanity... :)
>
> I have to put my vote in against the Air. And for one reason only. Price. I 
> can't justify the price vs. functionality. Sure it is sexy and slim (just 
> like a super model), but it is also expensive and fragile. I'm sure there 
> are people who will value what the Air doesn't have (thickness and 3 
> pounds) and it's status (Mac snobbery at its highest), but I'm not one of 
> them. And the dozens of people I've spoken with about the Air are all in 
> agreement.

You are not part of the target audience of the MacBook Air.  Nor are the
dozens of people you've spoken with.  I get this.  Do you?  Why are you
still complaining about a Mac that you have no true intention of owning
because it does not fit your digital lifestyle?

> If the Air was $800, I'd be enthused about it, as it would make a great 
> ultra-portable 'accessory Mac'. But it is $1800 (the price of a high end 
> MacBook with 4GB of 3rd party RAM, AND accessories like a case, mouse, 
> cables, adapters, etc) and the Air requires additional hardware to be fully 
> functional. Now that hardware may be another Mac, or a PC, or it could be 
> the optional superdrive. The built-in battery is also an insult that Apple 
> is continuing to push on us consumers in more devices. First it was iPods, 
> then the iPhone, now the MB Air.

If you don't like it, don't buy it.

On a related note, CPUs, GPUs, LCDs, etc. of most notebooks cannot be
replaced or upgraded by end users.  If your digital lifestyle requires
end-user expandability of tower computers, the only Apple computer that
suits you is the Mac Pro --- no iMac, no MacBook, no MacBook Pro, no
MacBook Air.  No problem.

On another related no, CPUs, GPUs, LCDs, etc. of most cell phones cannot
be replaced or upgraded either.  Sans the battery and the SIMM chip.
Does that mean that cell phones do not fit your digital lifestyle?

> I'd been waiting for MacWorld and this announcement. Now I'm going to vote 
> with my $ (like I did last year when I bought a Nokia E61 rather than an 
> iPhone). And despite being the president of a MUG and a Mac consultant, I'm 
> going to buy an Asus Eee PC. Sorry Apple, but my MacBook Pro is portable 
> enough for me, and 3 Eee PC's will do more for me and my family than one MB 
> Air.

If you don't like it, don't buy it.  That's your choice.  Apple products
are premium items and are priced accordingly.  But if you buy a Porsche
to drive to work and wonder why your gasoline/petrol bill is so high,
you have no one else to blame.  The rest of us are tired of hearing the
non-complaints about a highly-specific and narrowly-targeted product.



-- 
Eugene
http://www.coxar.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/