RSSAnalysts: MacBook Air will score with Windows and Mac users
By Jacqueline Emigh | Published January 15, 2008, 5:55 PM
As some analysts see it, Apple's 'Air' has something for just about everyone: gesture recognition, a dual-boot function, a full-fledged screen and keyboard, and possibly the slimmest PC notebook form factor anywhere.
Despite rumors to the contrary, Apple rolled out the MacBook Air notebook computer instead of an ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) at Macworld today -- and some industry analysts are already predicting that the dual-bootable Air will be a hit with Microsoft Windows users in addition to long-time Mac fans.
As much if not more so than most of us, analysts heard all kinds of speculation in advance around what Apple's Steve Jobs might announce today, including tales that a UMPC was in the works.
"But I didn't believe the (UMPC) rumors, because they didn't make sense. The UMPC isn't where Apple wants to be. UMPCs are geared mainly to vertical markets, and that's too narrow of a space for Apple. The Air will be useful to a much broader market," said Jeff Gamet, an analyst with The Mac Observer, in an interview with BetaNews.
Instead, although only 0.16- to 0.76-inches thick across its tapered design, Apple's Air will be a full-sized notebook PC with a 13.3-inch screen and a full keyboard; Intel Core 2 Duo processor running at 1.6 GHz standard; an 80 GB 1.8-inch hard drive; an optional 64 GB solid-state hard drive; and a so-called "multi-touch" keypad supporting gesture recognition.
Carmi Levy, senior VP of strategic consulting at AR Communications, told BetaNews that he was similarly unconvinced Apple's mystery announcement at MacWorld would turn out to be a UMPC.
"Apple would hardly be the first vendor to venture into UMPCs. But Microsoft and its partners have been experiencing a difficult time there. Apple tends to go after well established markets, rather than new ones, but it does so by integrating features very well, as in Apple's iPod," according to Levy.
Levy believes that the Air's sleek, lightweight form factor will appeal to users on both sides of the great Apple/Microsoft divide, and that Apple will be able to reel in long-time Windows users for the Air because of its underlying Intel processor support and dual-boot capabilities.
"There've been a lot of Windows users who were sort of on the fence about moving to Mac. They were kind of interested in doing so, but they didn't want to leave their Windows applications behind," Levy said.
The Boot Camp software built into Apple's current Leopard release of OS X lets you manage the start-up sequence so you can boot up into Windows if you'd like.
Alternatively, if you want to run Windows applications alongside Mac apps in the same environment, you can do so by installing third-party virtualization software such as Parallels Desktops or VMWare Fusion, Gamet contended.
Levy told BetaNews that he thinks Apple's starting price point of $1,799 is just about right for the Air.
"This is what the fashion-forward, style-stoked, high-end consumer would expect to pay for something like this. They'll be willing to fork over the dough," the analyst elaborated.
Meanwhile, according to Gamet, Mac users who are accustomed to the gesture recognition in the iPhone will appreciate Apple's use of the same multi-touch technology in the Air, at least on the touch pad if not the screen.
"This was a brilliant move by Apple, because it ties in with the way you navigate an iPhone," Gamet told BetaNews. "You can use gestures to zoom in or out, or to move between images. You don't even need to grab a mouse or a stylus."
it looks kool but looks can be deceiveing!!!
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|@ those people who are carrying on about the optical drive....
Get serious people, complaining that a portable device does not have an optical drive in the age of online content downloading and wireless networks is just plain stupid.
I pray for the day that someone makes a windows notebook like this (yeah even if it works with bootcamp I dont see the point in paying apple a premium for their hardware), as it is on my desktop I rarely use my optical drive, I use it for the odd game that I bought in a physical box, but most I have bought from steam, ea-link or other online purchase system.
Occasonally i will burn a cd or dvd to send data to a customer but thats pretty rare these days.
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|Install software? Photoshop, perhaps? Illustrator? God forbid, Office 2008 for Mac?
Ooh... Ouch. Need to buy the $99 external drive to do that, sorry.
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|The air for air heads! Mac. What can one say? They make a good iPod?
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|This is for super rich people, not your average joe,
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|Nope. This is for Apple enthusiast.
I bumped into one recently seeing him in an elevator with an iPhone. I started a short conversation and asked:
me: What do you like about the iPhone?
Apple's Zealot: It's the best phone on the market.
Go figure.
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|If you have to ask, then just use you regular phone... You dont deserve one.
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|You dont deserve one.
Hey, look everyone! It's the poster-boy for the "Apple Snob"™.
Apparently, being deserving of an iPhone does not require being able to use punctuation.
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|You mean the new Apple iSnob™?
It's just like a normal snob, but looks better and costs twice as much...
;-)
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|What an expensive price to pay for an overheated, underpowered, pretty face. The lack of a card reader, USB ports, CD/DVD drive and a swappable battery makes this absolutely useless.
I mean seriously, let me get this straight, if I want to walk over to another computer and put in a CD/DVD/media card, I can access it over the network? Great, but why wouldn't I just stay at the computer with the media?
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|Gotta love the ignorant and annoying PC fanboys....
Hey, GoodThings2Life, dont you get tied of running around in circles getting laughed at? hahaha
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|Unless Apple announces a firmware enhancement in the unit that allows booting Windows Install CD's off of USB CD-ROMS you most explicitly _can not_ install Windows on a MacBook Air.
The lack of mention of BootCamp in the promotional material indicates that this is so.
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|What do you get with an extra skinny laptop? An extra fragile device that will not only overheat, but cook your thighs at the same time.
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|Macbook Air, now with 75% LESS features! Buy one today!
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|Let me just say that optical drives are irrelevant, everyone is using flash drives for data swapping.
Nice idea, nice laptop without a doubt, but at that price...come on... You're paying for mac quality, but that's just exorbitant.
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|Mac quality? Thats an Oxy-Moron
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|Please stop saying they're irrelevant because they're not. Granted whatever you can do on CD and DVD you may have alternatives for, but the easiest method of watching DVDs and listening to CDs is....yes, an optical drive. They may head the way of the floppy, but that day isn't here yet. The majority of people who think they can live without them will be sorry. I admit, I use mine less and less but I still can't even imagine myself without it. The DVD burner in my other machine broke and I though, meh! Whatever and I ended up having to buy one a few weeks later. I'm pretty sure people are going to own these things won't want to have to sit and burn every freaking DVD they want to watch and then have to transfer it or watch it over the network. They won't want to have to copy programs over from another Mac to install and use programs, or have to make all their CD/DVD software into images. So you know what? All these people are going to end up spending an extra $100 for the optical drive they thought they didn't need.
It's a nice laptop, but it's more than exorbitant, it's almost criminal.
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|LOL so so true!
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|My only question is that once in Windows, do you still have the ability to use remote disks to install applications? I'm just curious if they've added something to boot camp to allow that to happen.
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|Slysoft Virtual Drive
Daemon Tools
Alcohol CD Image Mounting
...
I am sure I am leaving out a huge number of other similar applications that do this.
So, yes, you can do this in windows, and have been able to for ages.
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|Judging from the same hysteria over the DVD drive that was expressed over the floppy, you would think that none of these folks understood what a network attached device is.
And the SlySoft AnyDVD Suite rocks.
It is amazing that these folks even claim to be familiar with technology...
I wonder what their reactions are to Lamborghinis, Porsches and Ferraris are - oh, look! No trunk! Flash and no substance.
Its a niche product, one that I have little use fo- as i want the other extreme, but there is a large market for such a device.
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|Better watch it, I called it niche elsewhere and got swarmed for it... ;p
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|it is a niche product. Dont like it? Dont buy it... you wont be missed at all.
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|You agree then?
you wont be missed at all.
Yeah...that was necessary.
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|LOL, you have no apps so you have to emulate:
Alternatively, if you want to run Windows applications alongside Mac apps in the same environment, you can do so by installing third-party virtualization software such as Parallels Desktops or VMWare Fusion
in order to give your users something to do and convince windows users to buy?
I love the self defeat in that alone :D
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|great except for one major flaw. NO OPTICAL DRIVE. Forget the sharing from a network crap. What the hell where they thinking. Real Dumb.
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|It does have an external drive you can plug in that uses the same power supply as the rest of the computer.
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|The longer XP is better than Vista, the more customers Apple takes. With almost zero Vista-only apps, this is a great transition.
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|"This is what the fashion-forward, style-stoked, high-end consumer would expect to pay for something like this. They'll be willing to fork over the dough," the analyst elaborated.
Like it or not (and personally I wish they would spend more efforts beefing up the MacBook Pro), they are exactly right.
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|In other words flash over substance.....
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|SO I guess you only wear BDUs, 5.11 HRT Tac boots and drive a jeep.
And your thinking is just as limited!
Gee, Porsche GT3's can't tow boats, and where do I put 13 bags of groceries? Flash over substance.
I don't personally care about the flash, but the reality is that a large portion of the MARKET does! Duh!
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