why i hate the macbook air.
now, i know that there are some advantages to this computer. i am not forming blind opinions. sure, it's logical for businesspeople who travel extensively (carrying a heavy laptop case around the airport sucks; i recently had to do it). but, for the consumer, this computer makes no sense to me, and the hype is sickening.
1. you can only use wireless internet. there's no ethernet port. wtf. you can get an "ethernet adapter" that plugs into the usb port, which brings me to my next talking point...
2. one usb port. ONE.
3. the only part that can be replaced if need be is the battery.
4. the speakers suck.
5. word on the street is that it's slow as hell.
6. NO BUILT IN CD DRIVE. yeah, i know that you can buy the wireless drive, blah blah. but, come on. this is a basic one. my ancient purple imac that i got in the third grade even had that.
7. $1800, base price. for an awful computer.
i guess that the blame isn't really on apple. the blame is on the stupid people who just want one because it's the next big thing without thinking that they are being ripped off. :-\ i am a huge fan of apples. i am typing this on my macbook. but, come on, this computer is NOT meant for the social user. obvi.
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Some people will think they're hot shit typing away on one of these things in a coffee shop. Good for them, but I won't be one of them.
-The 1 USB port can be solved with a hub.
-If you are ultra-portable, which I think was Apple's thoughts when designing the machine, you don't really need wired Ethernet as you will likely be hitting hotspots at bars, coffee shops and Airports.
I don't think that this machine is made to be an every day computer but more along the lines of a traveling computer that you put what you need on it and get out into the world with an ultra-lite machine.
and i would argue that a CD/DVD-ROM is very useful for a social user. i watch dvds on my macbook all the time in my dorm room (where i can't have a tv) and in my room at home (where i also don't have a tv).
word on the street is that the usb port is non-expandable.
I still disagree on the DVD/CD issue. I can rip movies to my hard drive and watch them there. It is my understanding that you can do remote installs/transfers on the Air. Plus, this is not meant to be your every day/swiss army knife computer but as a secondary computer for trips where you need to be extra light in your travels.
You are right about the average consumer -I don't think that this machine is for everyone but as an IT professional, I do have people that I support that could benefit from this machine.
I agree with you that there needs to be better replacement part options. But all that is really capable of being replaced on most laptops are the Battery, HD and memory. You COULD replace the screens but the cost of doing so is so high that most people will opt for a new laptop instead.
Oh yeah, the speakers really do suck badly. I checked one out at the Mac store a week or so ago and it was aweful. It forced me to ask why garageband came pre-installed.
And really, if you're having to schlep around with a USB hub and a bunch of peripherals in your bag, isn't the advantage of portability largely negated?
and, if you're like me, i have no clue how to rip anything to/from anything. i am not great with technology.
The thing about Apple products that's bugged me lately is that their innovations are largely fluff being shoved down everyone's throat as some kind of revolutionary lifestyle. Besides, if carrying around a less than 10 pound laptop around with you is hard enough to justify spending hundreds of dollars extra to make it lighter, you might want to get off your computer and... like... work out a little bit. Schoolchildren carry books heavier than that on a daily basis.
do you think that the reason the next gen ipods can only mount on usb, not firewire, is because the macbook air was coming out, and it would only have usb...?
Let me preface this with: I am fairly anti-Mac, and definitely anti-Mac hype.
But, I think you really only alluded to the crux of your issue here with your first paragraph.
The MacBook Air is a great solution for its target audience. The marketing might not necessarily reflect this - as Mac always tries to oversell its Cool Factor. But in reality, the weight of blame falls on the consumer for not matching a product to their needs.
For anyone who needs an extremely portable notebook, the MacBook is a fantastic solution. With the exception of perf, each thing on your itemized list really is not a disadvantage to the target audience. They are non-factors.