Macopinion

Hot Air?

by Marc Zeedar macopinion@designwrite.com

I figured it out: people who complain about price do it because they are jealous. They want something they can't afford and it irritates them.

For instance, I don't wear jewelry. It has zero appeal to me. I can't even fathom the attraction. So if someone has bling and says, "Hey, this ring cost $10K," I'm like, "So?" I care nothing about it. It means nothing to me. It could cost $5 or $100,000 and it would mean the same to me. I'm not jealous or angry or anything. I have no emotional connection to the issue because it's not something I care about.

But show me something I desire: a fancy sports car or awesome computer or giant HDTV and I'm drooling. Then tell me the price and I'm frustrated because it's too high.

Surfing news sites and message boards after Steve Jobs' Macworld keynote address shows a lot of people are angry about the "high" price of Apple's new laptop, the MacBook Air. Anger is an emotion. That means people are involved, connected. They want this thing. And it's too expensive.

As far as Apple is concerned, that's just fine. The MacBook Air is a speciality laptop for people who want or need thin and light. It's also for people who don't want to compromise and have a laptop with a smaller screen, slower processor, or fewer features. It's priced accordingly. I'm sure Apple knows it's not going to sell a billion of these, but that's okay. They'll sell plenty. It's little different from the high-end 17" MacBook Pro, which is similarly expensive and geared at a niche market.

Here's the thing about MacBook Air that's disappointing for many Apple fans (myself included): we'd hoped for something that we could buy that would complement our existing equipment. For instance, I had hoped for a smaller tablet-style device, either a giant iPhone or $899 sub-notebook with 10" screen. It wouldn't replace my MacBook, but be useful as adjunct.

Instead Apple has produced a product that clearly falls between the MacBook and MacBook Pro. I knew instantly when Steve started to describe the specs that this was a "full" machine (despite some sacrifices for mobility) and would cost more than a MacBook. That meant it was not a product for me.

But the MacBook Air is powerful enough that it will be a capable laptop for most people. If they don't already have one, that is.

For existing laptop owners, unless you have lots of money or your current laptop is too bulky, I'm not sure the MacBook Air represents a good upgrade. It's expensive for use as a secondary machine, and as a replacement laptop you'd spend a lot of money and get less: smaller hard drive, slower processor, fewer ports, no optical drive. For those getting their first laptop those limitations aren't as significant and the MacBook Air has serious appeal simply because of its portability. But someone like myself, with a 160GB drive in my MacBook, the Air would be a step back I'd have trouble accepting (I couldn't even fit the contents of my MacBook on an 80GB drive and I don't have a lot of excess).

Thus I predict grumbling over the MacBook Air in the Mac community. These people wanted A and Apple gave them B. They are frustrated and annoyed. So give these people slack with regards to the MacBook Air. It's not a bad machine at all. In fact, in most regards it's a great machine, typical Apple. But it's not what many hoped and wanted, and they aren't going to be happy.

No Compromise
On the other hand, the MacBook Air is attractive to a lot of users thinking about moving to the Mac for the first time. It's unique, ultra-portable, and yet doesn't sacrifices too much on features. It's definitely a showcase device to bring people into Apple Stores.

What Apple has created with MacBook Air is a full laptop. It's almost as powerful as a MacBook or MacBook Pro and yet in a micro-thin package that's half the weight. What's wrong with that? Does the average non-tech person worry about details like an 80GB drive versus a 120GB or a single USB port and no Firewire or sound input? Probably not. Geeks do, but this isn't a machine for geeks.

Apple has done this before. In fact, Apple was one of the first companies to create laptops that were as powerful as desktops and thus really pioneered laptop computing. Apple's Final Cut Pro video-editing software has revolutionized the video industry in large part because Apple's high-powered laptops made it possible to edit video while mobile, something filmmakers love.

Back when Apple started introducing such high-end laptops people were complaining because they were so expensive or couldn't do some of the things desktop computers did -- and yet today such laptops are standard (and often replace desktops).

The MacBook certainly isn't all things to all people and the specs right now limit the market a little. But in time, it will become more and more attractive to more people. For instance, say next summer or fall Apple ups the hard drive size to 120GB, speeds up the processor 2-Ghz, and drops the price to $1500? Doesn't that become more of an interesting product?

Overall Apple's done an amazing job of including the key things people need: full-size screen and keyboard, decent power, built-in wireless and iSight camera, and the minimum of ports (USB, video, and headphone jack). Note that the lack of an optical drive is almost an non-issue: not only is there an elegant $99 USB Superdrive available if you want it (I'd actually like one of those for my Superdrive-less MacBook), but Apple's amazing "Remote Disc" lets you wireless use any other computer's CD/DVD drive. That's impressive.

Of course some people need Firewire (Ethernet can be added via USB so that's not an issue), support for big monitors and fast graphics, and for serious power users 2GB of RAM isn't enough (but then if you're that into power, you need a MacBook Pro or an 8-core Mac Pro tower, not an ultralight).

The bottom line is simple: if the sacrifices Apple made for portability are too much for you, don't buy the machine. Apple has other laptops that fill out the line nicely, from inexpensive-yet-capable (MacBook) to high-end (17" monster laptop). It's your choice.

The Cube all over again?
Some people are comparing the Air to the Cube -- Apple's ill-fated design beauty and one of Steve Jobs' supposed missteps. But even the Cube wasn't a failure. It merely wasn't an outstanding success. I don't think Apple lost money on the venture, though there's some risk of that with MacBook Air since it no doubt cost a lot to develop such miniaturization-technology and if it flopped out-right that could be a problem.

But I do not think it will flop: I think it will sell surprisingly well. Some of us power-users see the specs and are put off, but true road warriors won't hesitate. They know the value of portability.

Of course there are some potential gotchas we still need to see about. For instance, the Cube had two serious problems: it was seriously underpowered and developed a bad reputation for cosmetic flaws. For the high-class market it was going for, the latter was a disaster, and the former problem meant that the Cube was nearly useless as a "real" computer and it aged poorly.

Potential Problems
One big question is about the MacBook Air's durability. It's so thin, is it strong enough to withstand daily use? For instance, what happens if you accidentally sit on one? I've almost sat on other laptops before, leaving on the sofa and forgetting the laptop when I return, and with a paper-thin laptop that's a mightly likely scenario. With a regular laptop this has never been a problem, but the thin Air might just break even if you only half sit.

Apple's PowerBooks had some hinge issues in years past: are the Airs strong enough to support years of opening and closing? The Titantium PowerBook had some problems with its extra-thin (at the time) case, requiring early units to be sent back as the case flexed too much and would cause the battery to disconnect during use (mine had the problem). Apple fixed this for free, of course, but it's still an annoyance to have to send your brand new machine away for a few days.

What other glitches might we encounter in MacBook Air 1.0? This is a brand new no-one-has-been-there-before product. Some people might prefer to wait until version 1.1, or at least wait out the first few weeks and see the temperature of the water before diving in.

Still, Apple's an extremely high-profile company today (even more than in the past when their failures made national headlines, like the Newton's incompetent hand-writing recognition). Steve Jobs knows this and knows that the slightest slip-up could cost the company billions in stock value. I don't think he would release a product like this without a lot of testing. The iPhone shows how Apple learned from experiences like iPods scratching too easily and I bet the Air will be a similar situation.

Battery life is another concern. According to Apple you're supposed to be able to web surf for five hours via WiFi on one charge. That's impressive and usually Apple's estimates are conservative, meaning real-life usage might even be better. But the Air doesn't have a removable battery. For road warriors on long international flights -- ideal candidates for this ultralight product -- that could be a serious drawback as they can't bring a spare battery. (Watch third parties release external batteries for the Air within weeks of the machine's debut.) Of course such people are probably flying on larger jets with airline power connectors so it might not be such a big problem in the real-world.

Conclusion
The MacBook Air is not for me. Oh sure, if you gave me one I'd love it, and I'm certainly interested in playing with one at my local Apple Store, but it doesn't fit my needs. I rarely travel and my computing needs are little more heavy-duty (though the MacBook still strikes as the ideal -- the Pros are overkill). I just don't see it fitting in my life anywhere. Of course I said that last year about the iPhone... and now it's a huge part of my life. So never say never!

But I am impressed with the technology I see and can't wait for it to filter down through the rest of the line and come down in price. Remember how Apple got everyone started using translucent plastic and now touch screens are the hottest thing going? Watch for "thin" as the new thing for everyone to copy.

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macopinion@designwrite.com