Man, this is cool. The rumors about WiMAX or 3G wireless capability proved wrong, but I still really, really want it. I lug my PowerBook G4 around more or less wherever I go, so a 3 pound laptop looks really attractive. If the promise of five hours battery life is anywhere close to true, that seals the deal right there; my PowerBook gets about two, two and a half if I'm lucky. Being able to use multi-touch to browse the web and edit images is really attractive. And the thing's even more aesthetically pleasing than Apple products tend to be; one cannot emphasize enough that it's three quarters of an inch thick.
The only real problem I can see with it is its lack of an optical drive. But with Apple selling a $99 SuperDrive, and including software allowing access to CDs over a network, that shouldn't be too much of a problem. The only thing I use my SuperDrive for most of the time is ripping and burning audio CDs, and it wouldn't be too much of a hassle to whip out an external drive now and again for that.
There are two models, and I'd definitely opt for the cheaper one. The two prices are $1,799 and (gulp) $3,098. The only differences are that the Intel Core 2 Duo processor in the $3,098 model is 200 megahertz faster (1.8Ghz compared to 1.6Ghz) and that it has a solid-state hard drive with 16GB less storage (64GB compared to 80GB). The latter fact accounts for the vast majority of the price differential; customizing the $1,799 model to have the solid-state drive will set you back $999. Ignoring the fact that I currently use about 64GB, the speed and durability advantages from solid-state simply aren't worth one grand, for me at least.
The only real problem I can see with it is its lack of an optical drive. But with Apple selling a $99 SuperDrive, and including software allowing access to CDs over a network, that shouldn't be too much of a problem. The only thing I use my SuperDrive for most of the time is ripping and burning audio CDs, and it wouldn't be too much of a hassle to whip out an external drive now and again for that.
There are two models, and I'd definitely opt for the cheaper one. The two prices are $1,799 and (gulp) $3,098. The only differences are that the Intel Core 2 Duo processor in the $3,098 model is 200 megahertz faster (1.8Ghz compared to 1.6Ghz) and that it has a solid-state hard drive with 16GB less storage (64GB compared to 80GB). The latter fact accounts for the vast majority of the price differential; customizing the $1,799 model to have the solid-state drive will set you back $999. Ignoring the fact that I currently use about 64GB, the speed and durability advantages from solid-state simply aren't worth one grand, for me at least.
I don't think I'll buy one. It's gorgeous and I drooled over it, but it's not really useful for me. It isn't powerful enough to be my primary machine (I use a 2.4 GHz LED backlit Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro with 4GB RAM & a 200G drive) and there isn't an easy way to sync it quickly with another Mac. I might reconsider if Apple comes out with the rumored docking station and puts a larger drive in it.
Posted by: mike3k | January 16, 2008 at 08:40 PM