I mentioned last year that there was a rumor that Apple was going to release an ultralight notebook around the end of the year which might be a good option for those of us that travel a lot.

Well, I was off by a few months but Apple did release the notebook.

The new Macbook Air - 3 lbs, 0.75 inches thick

Guided tour

Masaki

I thought the price wasn't too bad. Too bad I just bought what I thought was a "light" mac at 5 pounds

Problem with it - no CD or DVD drive.

So when I travel, download photos, and then want to cut a disk of my photos (which is what I do on trips as security), no can do. Also can't watch a movie or look at stuff on CD's while travelling. Jobs says don't need disks anymore (Maybe there will be a big sale on flash drives?).

Other than that, looks really neat. I'll probably stop by the Apple store soon to check it out.

The idea is to go completely wireless. So you'd download your movies before you go on your trip. Of course, they want you to get them from iTunes! I'll wait and see how that one plays out--bluetooth and wifi are marvellous things, after all.

I just heard on the news that it's only wifi capable. What if you are in a hotel that doesn't have wifi yet?

Just noticed a few other missing features. Like no Firewire, only 1 USB port, and the battery cannot be replaced by the consumer. When the battry weakens you have to bring it to Apple & pay $129 to have them change it. Max HD is 80Gb and processor is slower than their current laptops.

I guess there is a market for this unit - people who want very light, and who already have a Mac & wireless network. But did they make too many compromises to get it this light?

Karen - they also sell a USB to Ethernet adapter that you can use to plug in if you need Ethernet capability.

The lack of Firewire is strange, considering it's an Apple standard. This means that this laptop can't be placed in Target Disk mode which allows the laptop to act as an external hard drive (useful in installing OSes or copying files from one computer to another quickly). I'm assuming that the HD sizes will get bigger with time - my current Macbook uses a 80 GB HD which gets me by but I've also crammed a lot of music and photos in it. If I was downloading a lot of movie rentals from iTunes and loading them on the HD to watch on a flight, I might be running out of space quickly. Battery life is impressive (claimed 5 hours) but having to bring the laptop back to Apple to swap out the battery is not. This seems to be following in the trend of recent Apple hardware (iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch) and I think generally a bad idea.

As Gil said, there are certainly some compromises with this design. I could live without having an onboard optical drive but would need a larger HD to make up for it. Jump drives (USB drives) are cheap though and take up less room than CDs do if you're looking to have more security regarding your pictures and backing them up. :)

Masaki

Oh Masaki I loved your Ethernet adapter comment - reminded of high school Latin ... intimidating to me - remember I still can't figure out cell phone but in awe of YOU!!!

Oh, my, anyone out there who speaks plain English? I use my MacBook only when I travel, and I just added IPod Touch to my repertoire to learn about when I am finally retired!

But how are you going to upgrade the OS with no optical drive and no Fire Wire? I could possibly live with the ethernet adaptor, but when do you get so weighed down with the external stuff you have to lug along with you, that you surpass the already lightweight Power Book?

And the RAM is welded in, so you can't upgrade that. But I thought you could pay an arm and a leg to upgrade the HD; could well be mistaken on that.

I'm not really computer savvy, but even I can see shortcomings to this one. That's awful, because my Power Book is 5 years old and I could have justified a new one if it was "have to have" impressive.

Masaki is the weight on this Mac correct 3.0lbs
I thought is was lighter than that, I heard someone on the radio talking about it and they kept going on how light it was. I have the Dell Latitude D420 which is a little over a year old and thats only 3.0lb with the middle of the road battery, works really great, but I have been considering getting a Mac for a little while now.

Thanks
FV

Joanna/Olivia - sorry about the geek talk. :D In summary, it's an interesting computer but I think that for most people, its compromises might outweight its usefulness.

Pam - good points. To upgrade software including OS upgrades, the easiest solution is probably buying the external Superdrive. If that's not an option, then Apple has a crazy idea about using other computers on your network (whether Mac or PC) to upgrade your Macbook Air (this is a really strange idea)

http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/15/apple-announces-remote-disc-to-wirelessly-install-software/

And as to the non user replaceable battery, it turns out the cost of the battery is the same cost at the Macbook Pro's battery and installation will be free. You're still out the time though that Apple will need to have the machine to do the battery swap.

Frank - the weight is correct. There's really no way to get the weight down further significantly and be able to maintain the full sized keyboard or avoid reducing the size of the LCD screen (the screen on the Macbook Air (13.3 inches) is bigger than your D420 (12.1 inches)).

Still I agree with all of you. I think that for most people, the regular MacBook is probably a better choice - more flexible without odd restrictions though it is heavier (5 lbs).

Masaki

Even better, buy a Windows pc, lol!!!

Sorry, my hubbie works at HP. I'm attempting humor.

Seriously, the idea they have of updating from another pc is an optimistic one. The average user is not going to put up with that, and even technogeeks will surely be annoyed.

I have an Apple Store (which I love to go into; I could just sit and people-watch there), so I guess they could change out the battery. I've been so busy with things to be chosen with the new house that I haven't even been to the Apple Store since before Christmas (gasp!!!). Need to get there for my "vibes recharge" if nothing else.

Debbie, I've been a Mac person for 20/odd years. My kids are Windows people, but you'd pry my Mac out of my cold, dead hands.

Debbie - I've owned HP PCs in the past and currently still have a HP Deskjet printer so I'm still supporting HP! :D

Well, I've almost talked myself into one of these. Not yet, but I'm close. It's too cold to even think about a journey to the Apple Store, but I'll be really close to it on Monday. Hmmm....

Pam - read the review of it in the Wall Street Journal. Can't remember exactly when it came out. He gives the plus and minus features. There are some negatives. I'll try to find the review if you want. You can email me.

I've talked myself back out of it again, I think. I don't think they are even IN the stores yet, and I wouldn't do anything until I could do a hands-on check.

Betty, I'll try to find the review; if I can't, I'll email you. Thanks! I know there are a lot of negatives, and the regular MacBook is probably a much better thing.

Or the Macbook Pro ... :)

Masaki

Yes, but with the Pro, don't you get back into a weight thing? I have a PowerBook, I was trying to go lighter.

Macbook Pro 15 inch - 5.4 lbs. Heavy? Heavier than a Macbook Air, I suppose. But in return for the extra 2 lbs, you get 2 more inches on your screen which means more legibility and an optical drive built in.

Compromises, compromises ... :)