Apple MacBook Air

[Martin_Doudoroff]

Some are reacting to the MacBook Air as introducing a new paradigm in portable computers while some look at it as simply an unappealing value given the specifications. For those so inclined, I wanted to share this perspective on the new device. I've read a good many such write-ups, and this is the most incisive I've seen.

Whether the Air will prove appealing to photographers is certainly TBD. Its form factor has undeniable appeal to heavy travelers, but its RAM, storage and connectivity limitations may be deal-breakers. But, that form factor...

[Martin_Doudoroff]

The first MacBook Airs have been delivered, and the resulting stampede by "journalists" to provide the first benchmarks and comparative performance analyses has produced a mountain of nonsense. When I see a credible analysis, I'll post about it here.

In the end, the MacBook Air will most likely be amongst the "slowest" Apple laptops in terms of "practical performance," but not by so much to matter to anyone employing one as a supplemental system. The machine's performance compromises and miniaturization costs will probably be quite tolerable to those for whom the form factor is a boon. For others, the Air will remain a luxury that is too expensive to contemplate. (But the same could be said of the Mac Pro, the Mac Book Pro, or any other equipment line.)

I am increasingly sure that for some photographers—possibly including me—the Air will be an ideal machine to take on the road. Why? Because for some of us, our needs "on the road" are actually quite modest: writing/communication, maybe a little casual Photoshop and image review, and little more. The Air basically wipes out most concerns about bulk and weight that might otherwise discourage some—such as myself—from taking a laptop along at all. (The Air does, however, weigh 3 lbs.)

Two brief bits worth skimming by the curious:

- A brief discussion of the solid state hard drive option in the MacBook Air.

- A diverse photographic comparison of the MacBook Air's form factor (but they should have hired a photographer from this forum to light and shoot those pictures!)

[Jerry Skrocki]

The first benchmark test has proved the MacBook Air to be the slowest of all the Mac offerings. Even the Mac Mini is faster.

Macworld | MacBook Air: First Lab Tests

In my opinion, this computer is not geared towards graphic professionals. It is for the style minded, coffehouse crowd. More of a novelty, fashion accessory than a serious tool. The 15" MacBook Pro offers a lot more computing power at a similar price point.

[Martin_Doudoroff]

Originally Posted by Jerry Skrocki

The first benchmark test has proved the MacBook Air to be the slowest of all the Mac offerings. Even the Mac Mini is faster.

Macworld | MacBook Air: First Lab Tests

If (and it's a big if) this benchmark actually proves anything, I'd say it proves that the MacBook Air is perfectly capable of performing image editing and video tasks.

Originally Posted by Jerry Skrocki

In my opinion, this computer is not geared towards graphic professionals. It is for the style minded, coffehouse crowd. More of a novelty, fashion accessory than a serious tool. The 15" MacBook Pro offers a lot more computing power at a similar price point.

And in my opinion, you're completely missing the forest for the trees. The MacBook Air is a serious tool with valuable attributes that are not available anywhere else. Those attributes may not be a priority for you, personally, but that does not make the Air a novelty or a piece of jewelry.

[Jerry Skrocki]

Martin,

You may not agree with my assessment of the MacBook Air, but I am sure that many others will. This is NOT a tool for Graphic Professionals. It lacks a firewire port and has only 1 usb port, it lacks a CD/DVD drive. The memory (2 gigs) cannot be expanded, the battery is not user accessible requiring the unit to be sent back to Apple for replacement. The hard drive is limited to 80 gigs @ 4200rpm and cannot be upgraded. The graphic processor has no dedicated memory and must share the computer's limited memory. The 13.3" LED display is glossy with no choice for matte finish. There is no ethernet card and the processor 1.6 ghz core 2 duo is Apple's slowest.
The base price for this feature lacking laptop is $1,799.

For just $200 more you can purchase a 15" MacBook Pro with a 15.4" matte finish LED screen, firewire 400 and 800 ports as well as two usb ports and an Expresscard port. The Macbook pro has a CD/DVD drive built in, 2 gigs of faster memory expandable to 4 gigs, 120 gig 5400rpm hard drive expandable to 250 gb 7200rpm. The battery is user repaceable, the video card is faster with 128mb of dedicated memory, it has a built in ethernet card. The base processor is 2.2 ghz core 2 duo.
Base price for the 15" MacBook Pro is $1,999.

Thinking rationally, which package should a photographer, graphic designer buy?

In my opinion the MacBook Air is an overgrown and overpriced iPhone (without the phone capability)!


Jerry

[Noel_Carboni]

The memory (2 gigs) cannot be expanded

Ouch!

That's opposed to the whole rest of the line, which can be pushed up to 4 GB for less than $100 if you buy memory from other than Apple. YouTube even has video tutorials on doing the swap.

-Noel

[Jerry Skrocki]

Originally Posted by Noel_Carboni

Ouch!

That's opposed to the whole rest of the line, which can be pushed up to 4 GB for less than $100 if you buy memory from other than Apple. YouTube even has video tutorials on doing the swap.

-Noel

Exactly, the MacBook Air has "onboard" memory, meaning it is fixed directly on the motherboard (no slots). The same is true for the battery which is soldered in place and not removable.

Jerry

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