Apple Macbook Air...who's getting one?!

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I am an owner of the "fossil" I got it about 2yrs ago and I am still paying it off. With that being said, It will be awhile before I can upgrade.

You have gotta be a little scared of breaking that thing though...it's so thin!
 
NateAZSD said:
I am an owner of the "fossil" I got it about 2yrs ago and I am still paying it off. With that being said, It will be awhile before I can upgrade.

You have gotta be a little scared of breaking that thing though...it's so thin!
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I too own a "fossil". Just bought it about 6 months ago so I won't be upgrading.

I would definitely drop it and break it. At least I know I can drop a Maglite on my MacBook Pro (twice) just below the right side of the keyboard and it'll still work like a champ.
 
I'll just wait for version 2, with SSD hard drive standard, more space and more cpu power ... maybe a lil bit cheaper, just maybe!
And the SSD Hard Drive is $999 ??!!! WTF ??!!
 
IT has no dvd/cd drive...How do you play cd's-watch dvd's, what about textbooks that come with cds that have additional information?????...unless you have another computer nearby (to wirelessly transfer the information to the airbook)you can't use them...you bascially have to borrow another computer to use cd's/dvd/s....thats pretty stupid!

other than that it is amazing and has cool new features!
 
You could do better for less money.

The Apple logo is kind of like the Nike swoosh on shoes. You can get better shoes at half the price.
 
what are your suggestions for a better notebook with similar features?? especially the size???
 
I'd be scared of breaking it. Its a cool concept, but I think its TOO thin. I'm kinda-but-not-really-but-I'm-stuck-with-it-for-a-few-years happy with my kinda new pink Dell. lol

However, I would love to get a Mac once they get it where you can use all the windows stuff with no problem. I don't understand why they cost so much.
 
You can buy a perfectly fine PC laptop for $700-$800. Even if I had the money, I would not spend that much for a laptop.
 
However, I would love to get a Mac once they get it where you can use all the windows stuff with no problem. I don't understand why they cost so much.[/QUOTE]

There is a new program called parallels in which you can run any windows operating system including vista. It works great and I have had no problems with it. The program before parallels (Virtual PC) totally blew though...it was always freezing up. The cool thing about parallels is that anything you save on your mac will also save on your PC and vice versa.
 
collegegirl247 said:
IT has no dvd/cd drive...How do you play cd's-watch dvd's, what about textbooks that come with cds that have additional information?????...unless you have another computer nearby (to wirelessly transfer the information to the airbook)you can't use them...you bascially have to borrow another computer to use cd's/dvd/s....thats pretty stupid!

other than that it is amazing and has cool new features!
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you have to buy a seperate drive thing for 100 dollars..it's wireless and you just stick the cds in there and it transmits it to your macbook air through bluetooth...pretty awesome if you ask me..but you're right it's stupid that you have to buy that extra thing..it's all marketing!!

Knickerbocker said:
The Apple logo is kind of like the Nike swoosh on shoes. You can get better shoes at half the price.
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that's true...but that won't slide with us label ******

OKgirl said:
I'd be scared of breaking it. Its a cool concept, but I think its TOO thin. However, I would love to get a Mac once they get it where you can use all the windows stuff with no problem. I don't understand why they cost so much.
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it's thin but durable...have you seen those sites where they bust up ipod nanos and they still kind sorta work? same thing here
i don't own a mac so i don't know how well windows works on it..do they have problems?
 
I use Boot Camp with no problems ... yes, I know you have to restart, but it only takes seconds.
 
Why would you pay that much for a Mac and use Windows on it? Most Mac people I've spoken to say that they got a mac because they hate Windows. If your paying that much just for the look of the casing, you're crazy.

You won't find a pc laptop quite as sleek and cool looking as a mac(book, air, etc.), but there are some pc companies that are beginning to follow in mac's footsteps and realize that a laptops design is important.

Check out this hp. It looks really nice, it's $800 cheaper and it's much faster, has a bigger hard drive, better graphics card,etc.

8675212_ra.jpg
 
JohnLennon said:
Why would you pay that much for a Mac and use Windows on it? Most Mac people I've spoken to say that they got a mac because they hate Windows. If your paying that much just for the look of the casing, you're crazy.

You won't find a pc laptop quite as sleek and cool looking as a mac(book, air, etc.), but there are some pc companies that are beginning to follow in mac's footsteps and realize that a laptops design is important.

Check out this hp. It looks really nice, it's $800 cheaper and it's much faster, has a bigger hard drive, better graphics card,etc.

8675212_ra.jpg
Click to expand...

I would never pay for design alone. Most people don't buy macs to run windows; they only use windows when they have to. If you have ever owned a mac and a PC you would know the difference in quality. When I married my wife she owned a new "top-of-the-line" Dell and I owned a mac...well a few months later I bought her a mac because she was always on my damn computer 24/7. Anyways, I myself am a total tight-wad and I try to save a buck when I can. However, once you buy a mac and experience the superiority of the machine you will never go back to the archaic PC...believe me...it's worth the price.
 
NateAZSD said:
However, once you buy a mac and experience the superiority of the machine you will never go back to the archaic PC...believe me...it's worth the price.
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All of the (recent) Macs that I've used over the past couple years were terrible.

The stupid icon at the bottom of the screen bounces, but the program never runs. Kind of cute, but it would be nice if Excel actually would run.
 
I went from PC ( 15yrs) to MAC (5yrs now and continuing); and it, the MAC, is a powerful machine with a touch of originality and style! PC is disposable, fossil material. Considering how the MAC technically operates, performs, and maintains, PC is over priced. PC may be cheaper but its lifespan is shorter than a MAC; so, " spend $800 today and smile a year... but spend $1600 with student ID and smile for YEARS ". :laugh:

ALSO, like many and most, i am able to run all programs ( for example: word, ppt, excel, etc)
 
ive used mac for most of my life...

IMO, i found that mac desktops are good computers for media software...PC's are better for everything that is academic. almost everything is compatible with windows...i had to buy a PC because all the statistics software is compatible with windows, i would imagine that software for other fields cater to windows ....except those fields related to video editing graphics etc. but it seems that mac is trying to work on this issue with the "parallel" feature mentioned in hte thread...

but still...ridiculous pricing for a machine in a field with high turnover rate.

also, i bought a mac ibook back in 2001..the darn thing had a lifespan for 1 year (hard drive fried). i bought an toshibla in 2000, ran strong for 6.5 years....just bought me a new high end toshiba.
 
goinkhead said:
ive used mac for most of my life...

IMO, i found that mac desktops are good computers for media software...PC's are better for everything that is academic. almost everything is compatible with windows...i had to buy a PC because all the statistics software is compatible with windows, i would imagine that software for other fields cater to windows ....except those fields related to video editing graphics etc. but it seems that mac is trying to work on this issue with the "parallel" feature mentioned in hte thread...

but still...ridiculous pricing for a machine in a field with high turnover rate.

also, i bought a mac ibook back in 2001..the darn thing had a lifespan for 1 year (hard drive fried). i bought an toshibla in 2000, ran strong for 6.5 years....just bought me a new high end toshiba.
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It's funny how I had the opposite experience with Toshiba, 2 bad laptops before getting a full refund. But generally there are way more software for Windows than there is for Mac. However, everyone's experience is different. I'm a happy and proud Mac owner and won't go back to Windows as my main system in the forceable future 🙂
 
you can't replace the battery. no deal.
 
terse said:
you can't replace the battery. no deal.
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not true. apple offers in-house replacement for $129, which is about how much you'd pay for a Li-Ion battery for the macbook.

One this goes version 2, this will be my pharm school notebook 🙂 I am impressed. 64GB SSD ftw!

I travel a lot...so i want a light one like this, don't care about graphics cards or anything.
 
nerv12345 said:
wow really? i didn't catch that...this changes everything! i will have to settle for a macbook or macbook pro.
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Not being able to replace the battery is another low tactic from Apple. When your iPod battery dies, they expect you to throw it away and buy a new one.

Apple is so clever with advertising - many people don't realize that portable digital music players have been around for a long time and that there are other cheaper options out there. "Podcasting," obviously named after the device, has been around long before the iPod was invented.

People say that Microsoft is evil (which it is), but Apple isn't any better.

Oh, while we're in an Mac vs PC debate:
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant
 
it's process of elimination...PC sucks...so people use macs. (and by "suck" i mean the amount of errors, extra crap that comes w/ a new PC, etc). also it's somewhat of a fashion statement--innovative, trendy, "new"

by the way...when my ipod battery died, i spenta total of 15 dollars to replace it
 
nerv12345 said:
it's process of elimination...PC sucks...so people use macs. (and by "suck" i mean the amount of errors, extra crap that comes w/ a new PC, etc). also it's somewhat of a fashion statement--innovative, trendy, "new"

by the way...when my ipod battery died, i spenta total of 15 dollars to replace it
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It's a tradeoff. Very cheap PCs are often loaded with garbage that you can unload in 15 minutes. If you buy Dell's higher end desktops and laptops (business class), they don't have all that garbage on them.

You can also put together a PC yourself and buy the OS for a clean setup. Doing it yourself is usually cheaper than buying one prebuilt, but the price gap has shrunk in recent times.

What is so trendy and new about the Mac? It's a bunch of advertising nonsense that people fall for.

As for the iPod, it must have been in warranty or you got brave and tried to replace the battery yourself. The Apple page says that it is about $67 for one out of warranty.
 
yeah my warranty ran out so i replaced it by myself. lol.

as for apple...look at the innovations that they have revealed over the past few years..i believe that's why they're so expensive--it's because people don't mind paying extra for all the new features. these innovations have turned into a trend

ex: the iphone is the single most advanced piece of consumer technology i have ever seen. my jaw dropped when i first heard about it..which is only one of the reasons i love apple
 
man no linux people in here? 😛
 
nerv12345 said:
yeah my warranty ran out so i replaced it by myself. lol.

as for apple...look at the innovations that they have revealed over the past few years..i believe that's why they're so expensive--it's because people don't mind paying extra for all the new features. these innovations have turned into a trend

ex: the iphone is the single most advanced piece of consumer technology i have ever seen. my jaw dropped when i first heard about it..which is only one of the reasons i love apple
Click to expand...

What innovations would those be? Not to be too critical, but they are about the same as the shoe innovations from Nike.
 
mac user from 1991-1997, PC from 1997-2005...on a whim decided to try mac again, and have been a mac user from 2005-present.

This whole mac/PC debate is useless...who cares? I'm happy with my purchases. Each side can argue numbers...whatever.

and $129 for a replacement battery is not bad, like i said...it's how much you'd pay anyway for a replacement macbook/ibook/etc... battery. i don't consider that a "low tactic." If it were $300...another story.

and yeah i consider 0.16" thin on a laptop + an LED screen to be an innovation. If you travel as much as i do...you'd probably appreciate the first one.
 
As a currenty pharmacy student - trust me - you want to have a tablet for school. You will be drawing chemical stuctures EVERYDAY - adding them to your powerpoints. Or you may be annotating a PDF case study - or any other of a million uses for tablets. They are more expensive - but with what you can use them for - you will find them an integral part of your education experience.

I dont know how I learned before having one - but I know for a fact that I cannot go back - they are phenominal (spelled right???)

~above~
 
confettiflyer said:
and yeah i consider 0.16" thin on a laptop + an LED screen to be an innovation. If you travel as much as i do...you'd probably appreciate the first one.
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It is 0.16" at the thinnest edge. Fatter portions go up to 0.76". And Dell has LED laptops already.

It's simply not worth the money. Give it a few months, and cheaper alternatives will come out.
 
aboveliquidice said:
As a currenty pharmacy student - trust me - you want to have a tablet for school. You will be drawing chemical stuctures EVERYDAY - adding them to your powerpoints. Or you may be annotating a PDF case study - or any other of a million uses for tablets. They are more expensive - but with what you can use them for - you will find them an integral part of your education experience.

I dont know how I learned before having one - but I know for a fact that I cannot go back - they are phenominal (spelled right???)

~above~
Click to expand...

I'd go for a tablet if I had the money. Those are useful for the price.
 
not so much a fan of the tablets right now...but they are interesting. I remember using photoshop though taking notes in an ochem class. Haha...yeah i was a bit crazy, i had preprogrammed shapes that i copy/pasted and quickly typed things in. Good times.

and can't beat apple aesthetics IMO...there's too many ugly things out there.

and yes 0.16" at its thinnest, but even at it's thickest, it's still thinner than anything else i've seen. Plus, I like the full size keyboard & screen...yeah i like to travel, but i don't have dainty fingers or good vision. Those that do have more choices with the portable sony computers that are out.
 
Too expensive. Macs do have style but thats not worth the price.
 
Maybe if it turns out to be a failure like their Apple TV Version 1, they'll lower the price for Version 2 ... who knows ...
 
I didn't even know 64GB SSD existed...haha, i thought it was gonna be like a 32GB SSD at the most. No wonder that version is $3k right now. I think the going rate is $10/GB for a 16GB SSD, so it'd be fair to double that at least for the 64GB to $20/GB, so that's about $1280, which is close to the price difference.
 
confettiflyer said:
I didn't even know 64GB SSD existed...haha, i thought it was gonna be like a 32GB SSD at the most. No wonder that version is $3k right now. I think the going rate is $10/GB for a 16GB SSD, so it'd be fair to double that at least for the 64GB to $20/GB, so that's about $1280, which is close to the price difference.
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I understand the technological differences but I just don't see the explanation for the price. I also know that Toshiba came out a couple of weeks ago with a 128Gb SSD
 
LoKoTe said:
I understand the technological differences but I just don't see the explanation for the price. I also know that Toshiba came out a couple of weeks ago with a 128Gb SSD
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All technology companies tend to do this. CPUs are a good example. Look at Intel's fastest CPU and then compare the price of it to the second best, third best, and so on.

Often, the performance difference is negligible between the #1 and #2 options, but the #1 option will cost 50% more.

The price is probably a combination of having an expensive, high end product for people who are like that and limited manufacturing runs.

To take a tangent, here is proof that people react better when something is more expensive. People respond better to a wine at $90/bottle than they do to the same thing at $10/bottle.

http://www.news.com/8301-13580_3-9849949-39.html?tag=nefd.pop
 
NateAZSD said:
I would never pay for design alone. Most people don't buy macs to run windows; they only use windows when they have to. If you have ever owned a mac and a PC you would know the difference in quality. When I married my wife she owned a new "top-of-the-line" Dell and I owned a mac...well a few months later I bought her a mac because she was always on my damn computer 24/7. Anyways, I myself am a total tight-wad and I try to save a buck when I can. However, once you buy a mac and experience the superiority of the machine you will never go back to the archaic PC...believe me...it's worth the price.
Click to expand...

I'm with you on that. My dad was anti-Mac until he saw my MacBook Pro. Now he's waiting for his PC to puke so he can get a Mac. Windows has too many redundant files and he has a whole folder of patches and fixes for random things on his PC. He hates windows want wants to blast it with a shotgun when it's done. I will never go back to a PC. Macs are way more user-friendly and you don't have all the stupid, useless junk that comes on a PC.
 
kdoddzie said:
I'm with you on that. My dad was anti-Mac until he saw my MacBook Pro. Now he's waiting for his PC to puke so he can get a Mac. Windows has too many redundant files and he has a whole folder of patches and fixes for random things on his PC. He hates windows want wants to blast it with a shotgun when it's done. I will never go back to a PC. Macs are way more user-friendly and you don't have all the stupid, useless junk that comes on a PC.
Click to expand...

The cheapest PCs come with lots of junk as a way of price reduction. Higher end PCs don't come with that garbage. Sometimes it is worth saving a few hundred dollars because it only takes 15 minutes to remove stuff. You can also put together your own PC or own your own copy of the OS; in these cases, you do a clean OS install without any garbage.

PCs have an open market that allows this. Are there any Macs from anyone other than Apple? If there were, you'd have Macs at various (and more reasonable) price ranges. Some would come junk loaded.

I liked Apple during the IIG/S and original Mac days, when they were actually good. Today, they have to use the "we're trendy!" campaign to sucker people into buying overpriced computers.

I've used three modern Macs over the past couple years, and I'd say that this sums up my experience:

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVwbhsqEyNI[/YOUTUBE]
 
I think that video is WAY outdated ... all computers crash and have problems. But honestly, in my 3 years of using 5 different macs with 3 different operating systems, only my eMac froze once. Again, that video is WAY outdated. I don't deny ppl can have problems with Macs, after all, it's a computer. But the rate of errors, freezes, crashes is WAY below from windows.
 
Hahaha, that YouTube video was hilarious.
 
I've never seen anyone use a laptop in pharmacy school for purposes other than surfing the internet during lecture. I'd just buy one of those $300 Asus EEE things. THOSE are portable....and all you really need to surf the net, listen to music, type **** up, whatever. There really isn't any reason to buy a fast ass laptop when you can get a value laptop and a much, much faster desktop for the same price.

But that's just me.....

Also, I haven't had a computer crash on me since Windows 98. Windows XP/Vista have been solid for me....is it really that common a problem with the general idiot?
 
pcproduct said:
Happy Fedora user here 😛.

The MacBook Air is a ripoff. There are similar laptops out there with better specs for a smaller price. All you'd really be paying for is the Apple branding. Check out the Dell XPS M1330. If someone does get the MacBook, he or she shouldn't forget the brand new manila case though.
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The case may be $300, but don't forget that you are paying for innovation. :laugh:
 
heh, i just think some people need to learn how to use a pc properly (not trying to imply that pc > mac..or that mac users dont know how to use a pc..or ya you get the idea. i think they are both even..just depends what you want out of your computer). the only problems i've on pcs were from 12 years ago when everything was buggy
 
wow, so much hatred for mac..haha it's great. I feel like a lot of hatred comes from those who haven't tried a mac post-2003. Those who defend mac have a fair amount of experience with both windows and mac.

as for open market...i like the fact that at a single company controls the hardware and software. Less of a chance for problems.

The only thing I concede to the PC market is gaming...but the only gaming I do is on my nintendo DS.

it's kinda funny....and creepy, everyone at my former university had a mac. I'd come in late from lecture via the front door by the lectern sometimes and spot all the shiny metallic powerbooks/ibooks in the audience.

sure...it may be trendy, and that's why i bought the ibook a few years ago, but after a few months i really did come to enjoy my computing experience with it.

and besides, it's not about money anyway...some of us are willing to pay for better design.
 
That did happen a lot with the iMacs. No one wanted to used them in my high school computer lab. I don't care about design when it comes to computers. I want it to work and not be terribly expensive. With my XP computer, it has only froze up once or twice since I got it. It's a stable machine.
 
wow, so much hatred for mac..haha it's great. I feel like a lot of hatred comes from those who haven't tried a mac post-2003. Those who defend mac have a fair amount of experience with both windows and mac.
Click to expand...

My experiences are very recent. One of them even came out of packaging just a few months ago. It was better than the others, but it had this strange sluggishness to it.

as for open market...i like the fact that at a single company controls the hardware and software. Less of a chance for problems.
Click to expand...

You're the first person who doesn't own Microsoft to say that monopolies are good. :laugh:

The only thing I concede to the PC market is gaming...but the only gaming I do is on my nintendo DS.
Click to expand...

Several years ago I would agree. PC gaming is in a really bad state now with a bunch of games with great graphics but nothing else. Actually, that's most of the game industry these days. My DS is getting the most play time from me these days.

it's kinda funny....and creepy, everyone at my former university had a mac. I'd come in late from lecture via the front door by the lectern sometimes and spot all the shiny metallic powerbooks/ibooks in the audience.
Click to expand...

Was the parking lot also full of shiny BMWs? And what about the computer science people? I bet they didn't go for Macs.

and besides, it's not about money anyway...some of us are willing to pay for better design.
Click to expand...

And some are easily taken by advertising. Apple is so lucky that they get a lot of it for free from the mass media.
 
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