1. This is my blog and yes, in fact, I can give my opinion unfettered.

2. Walt Mossberg’s review at the WSJ pretty much says exactly what I say — that the MBA is good for some users but lacks options that make it fully appealing to the traditional market. That’s Apple’s choice, but there are disappointed people out there.

3. I’m a tremendous fan of Apple’s technology, but I’m not one who thinks everything that comes out of Cupertino is perfect.

My criticisms of the MBA are being echoed in many, many early reviews of the unit.

You’re in the vast minority, which you’re entitled to be. However, that fact doesn’t change the validity of my MBA impressions nor the reality that most reviewers are finding the product flawed along the same axes I am.

I like the form factor but just see it as an expensive machine for my needs. however Apple needs it for Asian markets.

What puzzles me is, I hear a lot of people moaning about how their notebooks are too big and heavy. But I have never heard anyone complain that their notebook is too thick. If anything, I know 2 people who had Sony and Fujitsu subnotebooks who gave up on those machines because they were TOO THIN and consequently uncomfortable to type on when on a desktop.

I am genuinely pissed off with people presenting subjective opinions as the basis for this shoddy imitation of analysis. Even bloggers should aspire to better ideals than that.

Look, you don’t like the MacBook Air. Fine, I get it. You want to swap out batteries on road trips. You want optical drives and firewire. Great. OK. Cool. This machine is not for you and you know what, strangely, I have no beef with your personal preferences. I’m sure they make sense to your way of working. I have a great deal of beef, a whole bull-load, with the number of people who for some reason cannot conceive that, just maybe, OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE OTHER PREFERENCES THAN YOU!! That maybe, there’s a whole load of people who would be really well served by a simple, appliance-like, wonderful computer so gorgeous they’ll love merely stroking its smooth, lustrous exterior. People who are not just poorly served, but *not served at all* by the current computer market. People at whom this computer is, you know, aimed…

I suggest you go re-read Wil Shipley’s article about this subject. And then re-read it again. And then think about that for a while. Until you realise that actually releasing a computer not *specifically designed for you* isn’t a direct personal insult, and the reaction “You released a computer that isn’t right for me and my *exact way of life* OMGz this will never sell you SUCK!” is in fact neither appropriate on a personal level, nor something that can honestly be presented as generally applicable analysis. Then go away and think about what you’ve done.

People should think of it more as a souped up Palm pilot or iPhone with DVI, rather than as a scaled-down Mac Pro.

I mean, how else can you call a smaller hard drive an upgrade?

As a matter of fact, yes, two MBP batteries equal more unplug time than 1 MBA battery. Last time I checked, 7>5.

Every single laptop save the MBA has a user-replaceable battery. I know Apple users like to think they’re *that* much better than everyone else (which bugs me to no end as an Apple user myself), but when people start arguing FOR a sealed battery that takes five days to replace…well, you’ve got a wee bit of a cognitive dissonance problem. In fact, you’re the only person I’ve read defending that choice.

So be it. When your MBA battery dies, have fun sending your machine away for five days with no promise of data preservation. Next time mine dies, I simply slap in my spare or go to an Apple store (or online reseller) and get a new one and put it in myself.

And finally Benji, let’s just say that the “repair” CAN be performed in the store, although you can’t seem to be bothered with providing a link. It will still typically take five days to finish, which leaves you sans machine for that period of time.

If that’s acceptable to you, then congratulations, you’re not a mainstream user. Celebrate! Without your computer!

Mac Pro Misses the Mark for a Mainstream Audience because … it wasn’t aimed at a mainstream audience.

Beyond the basic 3, iMac, MacBook, and MacBook Pro, Apple is targeting specific niche markets with the Mac mini, Mac Pro, and now MacBook Air. Looking at comparisons of the MacBook Air against other really lightweight notebooks, it stacks up really well. Compared to my usage pattern of my Thinkpad X60, I think they’ve nailed it, as they’re left out the things I’d need about 2% of the time, while giving me a larger 13″ screen, keyboard, and lighter weight which I’d want all the time, and a thinner package that better utilizes space in my briefcase/backpack. The only adapter I’d carry is for VGA projectors.

Regardless of whether or not that is the case, my point was, quite clearly, that just because you and about six other humans happen to carry spare batteries with you doesn’t give you any justified argument about the Air’s suitability for mainstream audiences. This article is specious in presenting it as such.

“For the record, the battery cannot be replaced in the store… The “repair” also typically takes five days to perform.”

For the record, according to reports, yes it can. Your link makes no mention of the subject.

For the record, the battery cannot be replaced in the store. It costs $129 (as would a battery for any other laptop), but Apple makes no promises that your data will be preserved. The “repair” also typically takes five days to perform.

Apple’s MacBook Air Service Policy

No, the battery can be replaced in-situ. For the vast majority of users, who don’t lug spare batteries around with them, this time of one-in-a-hundred-thousand “xTreme battery failure” would be exactly the same level of problem as on any other notebook. You’d need to get a new battery, and could run it off mains in the meantime.

The only difference is having to go to an Apple store to get the battery installed. Since this is, as I said, a one-in-many-many-thousands occurrence, this whole point is anyway frankly of miniscule significance.

With respect to immediate failure, yes, “typically” batteries fade over time. What happens if your battery is defective? What happens if your battery isn’t “typical”? Then you have to go into an Apple store and have them send it away for repair. You can’t even buy a new one and replace it yourself.

I hate that decision. I’d be furious if I took the MBA on a two week vacation only to run into that sort of problem — one that’s easily addressed on any other ultraportable.

Apple’s love of non-user-replaceable batteries is bullshit. I’ve hated it from day one, and will always hate it.

This is pure FUD! Battery failure is typically a slow process. How likely is it that the battery will fail spectacularly such that it can no longer be recharged when you land? The worst that might happen is that the battery runs out if juice after 4 or 5 hours of use. What other laptop would even give you that much running time?