Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Mac Air...Anyone Have One?

Anyone have one of these? Thoughts?

Looks like it would break the first time i got pissed and threw it at the wall. My HP has withstood real well. My FFL swears by them apples, I am pretty sure he has one of those already, i'll get his take on Monday. Les

Cool. I'm hoping mine will arrive on Monday...

I don't think you can go wrong with that Mac.

It's on my want list.

It's just a matter of time. They do look cool.

I tried one in a store, and I could not stand the keyboard. Might be acceptable if you are a two finger hunt-and-peck typist, but if you use all your fingers and type properly, this would drive you nuts. They clearly had to make some sacrifices to get the machine so thin.

Keyboard preference is a personal thing, but make sure you try the computer before you order!

Also, as a general principle, I would not buy anything from Apple (or Microsoft!) until it had withstood a somewhat longer test in the marketplace. Doesn't anybody remember the Apple laptop that ran so hot that you could not put it in your lap -- at least not if you ever wanted to father children! I got burned by that one...

John

I've read a bunch of reviews by pro writers who praise the size of the keyboard. Also, it seems keyboard size would determine case dimensions other than thickness (width, for instance).

It sounds like you didn't think the keyboard was full-size?

I have heard of some heating/fan speed issues...

Thanks for your thoughts.

Hi Brother Dave

I thought the key spacing was a bit smaller than standard but I didn't measure it and this was not my major problem with this keyboard. I was not impressed by the feel and travel of the keys -- basically I thought these latter two aspects were terrible and I made a lot of errors when I typed on this computer.

The store I tested the computer in had it locked with a short lock, so I could not try in in my lap, but do make sure you check out the heating issues on this model as well.

It would not be the first time Apple has put aesthetics ahead of functionality or durability... I used to make a lot of money repairing computers, and Apple's design decisions made me a lot of extra money compared to PC clones (note that here I am speaking of desktops though).

John

USB ports?

Dave,

Please keep us posted on your thoughts after you use it for a while.

Don

Depends what you want to do with it. It is a really neat package but if you want to watch a movie on a trip there's no internal DVD drive and the battery is internal only so no way to swap it out if you don't have a place to charge it (like on most planes). I'm working on a MacBook Pro (dual 2.4 GhZ) right now and I'll happily put up with a bit of extra weight for the greater capability.

It does have a single USB2 port for whoever ask about that.

http://www.apple.com/macbookair/

My needs are pretty basic, but I travel a lot. I wanted it mostly because it's small and light. My current Vaio is just under 7lbs.

I ordered the superdrive for installation of software, etc. Lugging a bunch of peripherals sort of defeats the purpose of a light machine, so I probably won't carry the supdrive everywhere.

Only having one USB port is limiting, especially since the supdrive must be connected directly to it (vs using a hub).

For net browsing, email, and some limited .doc and .xl work though, I think it will fit the bill.

Sounds like exactly what it's designed for. Let us know what you think

Keep in mind that the MacBook Pro (several) are also lightweight. The "Air" is the new kid in the block, and very thin and lightweight when compared to the rest. There must be some sacrifices in relation to thinness, such as not being able to incorporate components that are not made thin enough to fit inside the Mac Air. One thing for certain, once you use any of the new Mac computers you will love it. The touchpad of new Mac's work in a similar fashion as the iPhone in that you can pinch words and things, roll them, move them, zoom-in/out, etc. with your fingers.

The clarity and brightness of the screen is amazing, even when set at medium brightness. You will need a fast modem, because Apple upgrades Safari and the OS several times a year. In fact, sometimes twice per month. You can set it to download the updates when you are not using the computer. It will download them, but won't install them for you until you are ready, because it will ask you for a password before installing. Before authorizing any installation, see what applications you are authorizing first.

I believe that with WI-FI built it you should be able to download and watch movies if that's what you want.

Haven't really gotten into movies on the computer. Just check emails from hotel rooms, browse the net forums, and a little work now and then.

With Conair's 32gb little jump disk, I can probably rip a couple movies and bring 'em along though...

I'd read that this thing was thin...but wasn't really prepared for how thin. So far I'm digging it quite a bit...light, fairly fast, nice display, and quiet.

Thats cool, how much more room does the external dvd-rom take up? Les

It's pretty small, really...not much bigger than a dvd's dimensions, save thickness of course....

Nice, did it come with Windoze also?

Could have, but I opted not to go that route. I did buy MS Office for Mac however.