Thursday, January 17, 2008

MacBook Air - form over function?

I'm no tech guru but the sexy new MacBook Air (see demo) is intriguing. Three of my friends are really interested in it, but I've been reading way too many comments about it being more about form than function. The reviews are still pretty sparse even.

As a student a laptop that's thin and very portable is ideal for me, but at the price point (CAD $1,899.00, 100 bucks more expensive than it is in the U.S., which does not make sense given the current exchange rate) it's not practical. The ultra thinness of it, wireless power and multi-touch pad are incredible, but is it really worth it? No optical drive, one USB port, non-upgradeable RAM, no Firewire/Ethernet/Apple remote -- pretty basic necessities -- do not really make the notebook work for most people. Students without MACs yet, MAC fanatics and those with money to spare might be attracted to it, but for now I'll wait 'till a more practical thin notebook comes along. (More comments about features here)

The manufacturers forgot the world isn't completely wireless yet. I should know; I live in student residence and still have to use Ethernet. And I still watch my movies on DVD, thanks much.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's a good thing that people are thinking about this "form vs. function", but to most people (especially those with money), it doesn't really matter. Nowadays, branding has a large role in consumers' decision-making process.

Me? I'll stick with my $400-lappie, because I'm miserly like that. :)

Glennie Cruz said...

Sounds great if it has everything you need. :) I've been called technologically slow myself, for having "old" gadgets (talk about "new" mentality!), but I really don't feel the need to get all the latest products out there if my current ones work perfectly fine.