Should I buy a MacBook Air??

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For that, check out http://www.appleinsider.com.

As for the Air, I have had mine since it had launched. It is an incredible machine. I use it for traveling purposes too.

It is so incredibly thin, light, and extraordinarily durable.

I have not had a single problem with it.

A USB thumb drive should plug into your USB slot very easily. If not, you can purchase an extender cable from the Apple Store.

Remote disk is great. However, if you intend to create a Windows partition using Boot Camp, you will need to buy or borrow a USB optical drive.

In my view, having the external USB optical drive is a good investment.

It is just such a solid machine. Everything about it is wow!

My Air is the 80 GB HDD. I did not go for the 64 GB SSD, as I had read the following article.

http://lenovoblogs.com/insidethebox/?p=141

I am in the same situation but I am going to hold out for the possibility of an updated version soon!

Having read all the rumours, I anyway went ahead and bought an MBA yesterday. Have been playing with it for almost a day now.

To your questions:
1. Yep.
2. I guess so. I'm using it for similar needs.
3. Open the hatch on the right side. One port is there. I haven't needed it to move files yet due to blue tooth and wireless.
4. Seems to work fine, but I bought the Superdrive so I'm not using it. The Superdrive is nice though.
5. An update may or may not come very soon. I wanted (not really needed) the thing now. I usually like to buy the "late" builds of the current revisions when most of the initial bugs are out. The next version may have new bugs. Also, here in Russia, several months go by before the new products reach us (at ridiculous price premiums).

As to what's cool. The whole thing is light, bright, and solid. I moved from my old Powerbook G4 17", and the difference is striking in all aspects.

The touch pad is outstanding, and so is the screen. The laptop snaps into full operation a second after opening the lid. I bought the SSD, and after installing all the software and moving all the files I need, I still have 42 GIG available (I shaved off all the unnecessary crap like printer drivers and languages apart from Engl, Jap and Rus).

Knock knock, but I haven't experienced any issues yet. I've been running a lot of simultaneous software installations, updates, web browsing, and writing, and the thing is hardly warm.

This far, I'm smiling.

As for the good old PB -- it'll have an honorable retirement to become my wife's kitchen computer after its full life of world travels and many drops! It still is a great machine.

Alexander Efimenko,

Nice to hear from someone who is having a positive experience with their MacBook Air ! I also like mine a lot.

Hi,
I have an MBA.

Yes, the Air is light, convenient and the battery life is very good. I have it for a similar reason, lugging a heavy notebook around NYC isn't good. For internet, email and writing, I think it is an excellent choice and recommend openoffice.org for a Office like application.

I haven't used a CD/DVD in a notebook for a least six years, my Thinkpad A31p had it and I removed it, swapped in a second battery, as I didn't need it. A usb memory stick works well.

I don't use remote disk, can't help you there.

There are a couple of problems with the MBA that you should know. You can only get power adapters from Apple so if you have iGo or another charger with changable tips, you can't use it. The Apple charge is $80. I don't believe there is a auto/air charger, I remember seeing a airplane adapter but it wouldn't charge your battery.

A big problem, the wireless is poor. The Bluetooth audio doesn't work well, not an issue for me. The Bluetooth tethering to a phone is horrible. Wifi is unrelaiable unless you are connected to a 802.11n WPA router. If you plan to use it in Starbuck and commercial 802.11b/g networks, I haven't had one good experience.

Lastly, the MBA isn't a fast machine especially when it comes to the disk drive. The SSD is very expensive and didn't have much of a performace increase to justify the cost to me.

My primary PC is a DellXPS720 and my primary notebook is a Thinkpad T61. The MBA is what I use when I'm traveling (locally) between job sites. It works well for that application.

Regards-Michael G.

I am a Professor at the University of Colorado and I use it for my main computer. I have it connected to a 20" monitor and the USB Ethernet adaptor. The applications I typically have running are Pages, Mail, iChat, Sente, Safari. I often use Adobe Acrobat and Illustrator with no problems. I am very happy with mine. The last update fixed my core shutdown problems with the monitor attached. I tend to use mine in places that I never used my MacBook Pro since it was a chore to get it out of the bag and balance it on my lap.

I have the SSD version, it is blazingly fast and I am quite happy with it.

mgerbasio wrote:

A big problem, the wireless is poor. The Bluetooth audio doesn't work well, not an issue for me. The Bluetooth tethering to a phone is horrible. Wifi is unrelaiable unless you are connected to a 802.11n WPA router. If you plan to use it in Starbuck and commercial 802.11b/g networks, I haven't had one good experience.

Lastly, the MBA isn't a fast machine especially when it comes to the disk drive. The SSD is very expensive and didn't have much of a performace increase to justify the cost to me.

That is just not true! A MacBook Air has amazing wireless connectivity. A MacBook Air will kill any ThinkPad in terms of wireless connectivity.

I can make this statement because I have been an Advisory Member of the Lenovo Forum for a long time, and I have dealt with many ThinkPads. I have also dealt with many ThinkPad issues. Whether a T61 or an X300 ThinkPad notebook, wireless connectivity is just weak. Lenovo has tried to fix this at the expense of giving customers an off-center screen, but the results are still excruciatingly horrible.

Furthermore, you cannot compare any Apple product to Lenovo. Apple is first-class, and Lenovo is third-rate garbage. You can never get support for a Lenovo product these days. They just do not care. Apple treats you like a king or queen.

My comments can easily be substantiated with a visit to the Lenovo forum.

My MacBook Air is lightening fast when connecting to wireless networks, and it has proved to be a faster, more reliable, and more durable computer than my ThinkPad X300, which they claim is the competition of the MacBook Air.

LukeD,

Thanks for the "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish". No kidding this is the first YouTube I ever watched using my MBA where my temp, ( 35C ) and fan ( 2500 rpm ) did not rise while on charging mode to relatively max values.

Eerie!

Message was edited by: barkingmad

I appreciate your post, Barkingmad.

Thank you!

Luke,
One need to look no further than this forum to see multiple threads about the poor wifi connections and bluetooth. You can call Apple tech support and they acknowledge problems. Other web sites also have documented users frustration. Have you tried to tether with Bluetooth?

I do agree that Lenovo has done a poor job with the Thinkpad line and my T61 will probably be my last. Prior, I'd buy without question or looking around, a Thinkpad and my latest is the fourth one I've owned so that's about 10-12 years. Lenovo is trying to compete on price with the Thinkpad line which had always been high quality at a primium price. Too bad, my T61 is a disappointment. However, the wifi never gives me a problem connecting, not on any model I've owned. Nor does tethering with bluetooth have problems. The off center screen on the T61 is barely noticable I'd hardly call it excruciatingly horrible.

It seems, under the right conditions, the wifi on the MBA is terrific. I can say that with my 802.11n router without b/g devices connected and using WPA2, it is steady and fast. I've tried many, many times on a b/g router at home and commercial locations, with and without WEP, without success.

As you say to look at the Lenovo forums for comments on the Thinkpad, look here for comments on the Wifi and Bluetooth, you'll see many of us are having problems.

Regards-Michael G.

Thank you for your clarification, Michael.

I am sorry for your MacBook Air troubles, and I guess that I have just been lucky with mine.

Cheers,

Seems like a no-brainer here. I see a Macbook Air in your future. Go to an Apple Store and lift it up, see if you find it light enough for your tastes, though I think you will. I tested out the Air and really liked it a great deal.

I've had my Air for 3 weeks, no Wi-Fi connection problems at all. Connects every time.

It's a really wicked little notebook, much easier to carry around than my 17" MacBook Pro (or my array of Mac Pro's). The MacBook Air is a perfect companion to my family of Apple machines, I'd be lost without it now.