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Sony's Thoughts On the MacBook Air: They did it First/Better

gizmodo.com — During the Keynote, Jobs compared the Macbook Air to Sony's TZ ultraportable, implying it had a small keyboard and screen, was too thick, and was not that good. Here's what Sony thinks of the Apple MacBook Air:

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  • ncraig, on 01/17/2008, -23/+100I think the MacBook Air is too thin, but thats just me.

    Now I just want those MacBook Pro prices to drop
    • searcade, on 01/17/2008, -54/+4Its thin, unlike your head.
    • pine1045, on 01/17/2008, -5/+23Forget a price drop, Apple should have refreshed the entire line. They really hosed us on that one. There was absolutely nothing for the professional user during the MacWorld keynote.
      • Butros, on 01/17/2008, -2/+27Apple didn't make its comeback catering to professional users...
      • darkphan, on 01/17/2008, -1/+14Atleast the MacWorld keynote was not an iPhone Keynote like it was last year.
        • mywhitenoise, on 01/17/2008, -6/+8Yeah, but at least the iPhone serves more purpose than an $1800 laptop with no ethernet port, no optical drive, and a $1000 upgrade for 16GB less hard drive space.
          • darkphan, on 01/17/2008, -13/+5No Ethernet port is no big deal, everything is wireless these days. 802.11n is pretty fast, and much faster than what your internet connection will be. No optical drive, no big deal, there are several laptops that do not include an optical drive. Apple has a few options for this, you can purchase an external optical drive, or you can connect to a drive over the network. As far as the $1000 upgrade to the 64GB Solid State Disk, have you priced 1.8" 64 GB solid state disks, apple is right on par I think with the pricing on that. Some people will opt for that upgrade, since it will help extend battery life.
          • bacon_skoda, on 01/17/2008, -5/+4you for got no modem port, no serial port, no parallel port, no floppy, no vga, and no pointing nob.
          • mrsteve007, on 01/18/2008, -1/+6If you think having no Ethernet port is not a big deal, try doing an initial sync to a 2-3 gig exchange mailbox. On wireless, it'll take a good hour or two. Via 10/100 (like the optional Apple dongle), it'll be well over 30 mins. And via 10/100/1000 Ethernet, it'll be less than 5 minutes.

            The lack of a decent Ethernet port is a big oversight for anyone dealing with large file sizes in a workplace network environment. The top purchasers of Apple desktops/notebooks are frequently graphics designers. This machine is next to useless for them - especially with the pokey PATA hard drive.
      • aahamedi, on 01/17/2008, -6/+9Thats kinda what WWDC is for buddy
      • Firehed, on 01/17/2008, -1/+12It's a consumer event. What did you expect?

        And they DID (finally) update the Xserve and Mac Pro the week before. There's nothing wrong with the MBP in its current form though it could stand a price drop for sure.
        • dandonia, on 01/20/2008, -0/+1There is nothing wrong with the mbp but it could be improved
      • suprememilo, on 01/17/2008, -1/+3What's wrong with the current MBP again?
        • norman619, on 01/17/2008, -2/+3It's old perhaps? People like getting new hardware even though there is nothing wrong with last model and it holds up well.
        • MacGyver2210, on 01/17/2008, -0/+9apparently it's too thick...
        • starkruzr, on 01/17/2008, -0/+3What's wrong with it is that there is no 12" MBP.
      • starkruzr, on 01/17/2008, -1/+4I don't get this either. Why is thin supposedly so important? The damn thing has the same footprint as a 13" MB. That's just stupid.

        Give me small over thin, please.
      • r3zonance, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1"Apple should have refreshed the entire line."

        They pretty much did that about 1-2 months ago, with the Santa Rosa chipset.
    • Mejogid, on 01/17/2008, -1/+9I'm actually with ncraig here - I have a first generation macbook pro and had to get the case replaced after it came apart just below the keyboard. Apple has anything but a perfect track record of build quality, and I'd be pretty wary of buying one of these before they work the kinks out.
      • chedabob, on 01/17/2008, -1/+9My biggest worry is if you drop it. If it lands on a corner, it'll smash to pieces. If you have the HDD version, say goodbye to 80gbs of data because the case won't absorb any of the impact.

        There's a distinct balance between style and practicality. Thin is good, but too thin is impractical.
        • r3zonance, on 01/18/2008, -1/+1The case will remove most of the force, as it breaks leaving a little bit for the hard disk, which isn't exactly touching the edge of the case anyway.
    • Urkel, on 01/17/2008, -3/+4One bad thing about the Macbook Air is how it affects the rest of the product line. Apple doesn't fill voids based on needs, they fill it based on price. And there's two big gaps in the Apple portable lineup. One is between the iPhone and Macbook, the other between the Macbook and Macbook Pro.

      What is odd about the Macbook Air is that in terms of specs it fits between iPhone and Macbook, but in price it is between the Macbook and Macbook Pro. So now the likelyhood of pricedrops on any level are remote since it would end up cannibalizing each other. And that means the chance of 12-13" Macbook with dedicated video may have gone out the window.
    • BESTenemy, on 01/17/2008, -10/+2It's designed to match the size of "egos" of those that buy these kinds of devices.

      / Sarcasm
      • MacGyver2210, on 01/17/2008, -1/+6I'm sorry, I'm a bit confused. Did you just compliment people buying these things, while sounding like you were hating on them? That's a skill...
        • BESTenemy, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1Left a sarcasm tag for clarification.
    • mahklo, on 01/17/2008, -1/+3I was really let down by the macbook air. I was actually expecting a tablet type unit. This laptop just doesn't carry the same wow factor as the Iphone did, don't know why. When the Iphone came it there were a lot of things that made it stand out but the MBA just doesn't seem to carry that same appeal. Sure it's thin and it looks cool but like others have said, the practicality of the unit is very questionable .

      I love my mac and am generally impressed by a lot of apple products but I got to call this one for what it is....weak!!!, I wanted a sexy slim touchscreen tablet that was similar to the Iphone with a multi touch interface. Ahhh well.
      • mrsteve007, on 01/18/2008, -0/+2We just received the Dell XT tablet. That is one sexy tablet. 3.6 lbs, 1 inch thick, multi-touch, and up to 11 hour battery life.
    • BlueStarr, on 01/18/2008, -4/+2Uh...yeah...x505 not so great. The Mac Air looks to pound x505 into the dirt.

      The first hit from a google search and the reviewer says it's not that great of a UP
      http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/sony-vaio-x505-ser ...
  • clak, on 01/17/2008, -9/+311Finally! A topic about the MacBook Air!
    • Chirp08, on 01/17/2008, -6/+9wtf is a MacBook Air?
    • chrismag1979, on 01/18/2008, -1/+1Now how am i gonna install XP when Macbook Air doesn't even have any optical drive ?

      Booo for not able to install XP !!!!!
      • r3zonance, on 01/18/2008, -0/+3Plug in an external USB optical (not sure if it has to be the Apple one, but probably :P)
  • TalkingBanana, on 01/17/2008, -78/+18Course you did Sony, whatever makes you feel better.
    • ausfahrt, on 01/17/2008, -9/+35Well they did so i dont get what ur saying. Oh that is blind fanboy speak. I see i see.
    • dsmx, on 01/17/2008, -5/+23In this case they are right, sony got there first. Only a blind apple fanboy would deny that sony got there first. You can dig me down all you want apple fanboys it doesn't change the fact that sony got there first.
      • PA42, on 01/17/2008, -20/+5that may be true, but Apple did a better job telling people about it.
        • dsmx, on 01/17/2008, -6/+9That's not what I'm arguing, Sony got there first and that's the end of it.
        • PA42, on 01/17/2008, -8/+3I guess my question to you then, is: Why does that matter? Who cares who got there first?

        • tdous, on 01/17/2008, -0/+3TalkingBanana for one, apparently. Why does how much it matters mean anything to you, here, 4 levels down from the top?
  • MonsterChaOS, on 01/17/2008, -30/+234...and for once I agree with Sony.
    • hexydes, on 01/17/2008, -53/+10Sony could be against cancer in small and cuddly puppies, and I would still not agree with them.

      Just because they aren't wrong, doesn't make them right.
      • TheG2, on 01/17/2008, -3/+36What's the opposite of blind fanboyism? Because I think you have it.
      • fhornplayer, on 01/17/2008, -2/+16Do you realize how stupid that sounded?
      • drakenlot, on 01/17/2008, -2/+7I chuckle whenever I see fanboys of any kind.

        Their view on the world is just so fresh and funny.
    • TypeEE, on 01/17/2008, -16/+8You can ask them again about mp3 players and they will still say Sony has better mp3 players than iPod. It'll just be stupid to say our competitor is better than us
      • shinythingy, on 01/17/2008, -2/+6They do have better MP3 players. For me quality comes before capacity, its hard to find both but the sound quality on SONY's mp3 players is so much better than apples.
        • lonewalker, on 01/19/2008, -0/+1doesn't the sound quality depend on the quality of the audio encoding and a good pair of headphones? you encoding at song at 32kbps mp3 it sure sounds like crap on both players no doubt
      • Bamborzled, on 01/17/2008, -3/+2Sound quality? That has to do with Apple's crappy earbuds. And last time I checked, Sony was still using their crappy SonicStage software. You think iTunes is restrictive and crappy? SonicStage is 100x that.
        • DarKnight90, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1I have to agree sonicstage is *****.
    • Firehed, on 01/17/2008, -2/+9Well, there's no contest. Sony DID do it first. Better - I can't comment, as I haven't used either machine. But they certainly came out with an ultraportable before Apple did, at least in terms of this generation of systems.
      • Cerebral, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1Considering they did it 4 years AFTER SONY I don't think that they did the time that much justice. You would think that they would have developed something better than this in that time.
        Technically speaking it's the same as comparing the Xbox360 to the PS2.
      • dragon76, on 01/19/2008, -0/+1I seem to recall the PowerBook Duo. Maybe it's just me but my memory is such that I know Sony wasn't making computers in 1992.
    • santaliqueur, on 01/17/2008, -18/+5Call me when Sony's laptops run OS X.
      • ShogunWarPig, on 01/17/2008, -3/+10Hackintosh?
        • santaliqueur, on 01/18/2008, -4/+1***** that, I mean native OS X. Hackintosh is for messing around on the weekend, not for real work.
      • Tahiri, on 01/18/2008, -0/+2OSX86 called.
    • kutateli, on 01/17/2008, -6/+12This may just be me.. but the Sony laptop looks better and more professional. The Macbook Air looks like something a rich woman would pull out of her purse...
      • pauleric, on 01/17/2008, -1/+5Except it's too big to fit in the purse. Being thin doesn't make it more portable. If they had made the other dimensions smaller, and not compromised quite so much on functionality, then you might have something.
        • polygons, on 01/18/2008, -0/+4Have you seen the purses women carry these days? They can lug their entire life in it.
      • Cerebral, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1I agree... Also there seems to be no information on the power brick for this thing. Does that not count in the size category?
    • Haohmaru, on 01/17/2008, -5/+14Nothing Apple does is really original. They just try to do it better. And make it white.
      • AGiantBear, on 01/17/2008, -1/+13Not anymore, now it's silver. White is so 2006.
      • jaxcs, on 01/17/2008, -0/+6Don't know how to respond to this. People say the same about Blizzard, but plenty of fan boys have played wow, starcraft and warcraft, not so much other RTS games. Polish is the innovation here.
        • DarKnight90, on 01/18/2008, -1/+1All those games are great. The MacBook Air is just stupid.
    • zeejay, on 01/17/2008, -11/+3Apple was selling laptops looooong before Sony did. Toshiba and Sharp were selling ultraportables looooong before Sony did.
      Sony has done absolutely *nothing* first in the PC market.
      • betterth, on 01/17/2008, -1/+14Sony was selling music players loooong before Apple was. Sony has been around for a lot loooooonger than Apple has.

        Apple has done absolutely *nothing* first in any market.
        • TheReport, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1Sony has been suing its customers loooooong before Apple was, Sony has been putting DRM on their content looooooong before Apple has

          Sony has done absolutely *nothing* first to make me like them
    • ZenMojo, on 01/17/2008, -2/+3Diggers saying Sony > Apple!? WTF!?!?!?!??
    • wedges, on 01/17/2008, -1/+5only problem is that even today the TZ series STARTS at $2099
    • markperia, on 01/18/2008, -1/+5The only thing Sony couldn't have predicted was how Apple's fanbase grew within the past few years to the point that if Jobs and Co. put their collective farts in a jar, someone will buy it as long as it has the Apple brand.

      They may have done it first but Apple will make it successful.
    • smrekar, on 01/18/2008, -6/+3problem is, none of sony's craptops run OS X.
      • Tahiri, on 01/18/2008, -1/+6OSX86 called... Says you're behind the times by about a year or so.
      • niico100, on 01/19/2008, -0/+0craptops - nice reasoned arguement there....
  • chris9902, on 01/17/2008, -28/+75the Air is an over-priced and over-engineered waste of time. Where was the mini MacBook Pro or the computer missing between the Mac mini and the iMac?
    • 80hd, on 01/17/2008, -23/+5The x505 STARTS at $2999 with a 1024x768 screen, 512ram, runs down it's battery in 2.5 hours and it's the winner?!?
      • plncrzy, on 01/17/2008, -1/+22Apparently your reading comprehension is not strong.

        The X505 came out in 2004. The newer models are in the TZ line.
      • sadilak, on 01/17/2008, -1/+11But the x505 has an upgradeable hard drive aand user replaceable parts. Its newer sibling, the TZ Series, has a whooping 250 GB hard drive and replaceable batteries. Oh and an ethernet port
        • ShrimpCrackers, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1Plus there's a variant with a Digital TV Tuner and it gets 3G....
      • norman619, on 01/17/2008, -3/+1FAIL!
    • Renton, on 01/17/2008, -12/+25Normally, I would agree with you. But this article is comparing it to Sony's laptop that's even more overpriced and weaker.
      • drjekelmrhyde, on 01/17/2008, -7/+29Underpowered and cheaper umm yeah cause it was out in 2004
      • drakenlot, on 01/17/2008, -5/+13Try comparing the specs to computers from 04 and I'm thinking it would be a lot closer considering how much we've jumped in microbuilding since then.
      • norman619, on 01/17/2008, -3/+12The gist of the article was that Sony did something similar to the Air back in 2004. Did you read ALL of the article?
        • bacon_skoda, on 01/17/2008, -4/+2and no one noticed.
          that's the difference.
          (If you made a laptop in the forest, but no one care...
          did you really make anything?)
        • blaze03, on 01/18/2008, -0/+3The POINT is: they did this in 2004. And found out that nobody wanted it, because the novelty of being ultra-thin wasn't enough to offset the cost and loss of functionality.

          Which is exactly what people are discovering now, in 2008, with the announcement of the Air.
        • r3zonance, on 01/18/2008, -1/+2Sony are just bitter, that they have now got to do something to retain their marketshare for the computer they made on 2004 (which they let stagnate).
    • Urkel, on 01/17/2008, -1/+1Mac Mini, Macbook and Macbook Pro are all due for an update. The fact that none of them got one is probably because updating ANY of those products would take attention from the Macbook Air.

      So it's kinda sad that there probably is a newly designed 12-13" Macbook in the labs that may have been delayed purely for showmanship.
      • r3zonance, on 01/18/2008, -0/+2Macbook and possibly MacBook Pro were updated only 1-2 months ago with the Santa Rosa chipset.
    • kp606, on 01/17/2008, -5/+7I speak for myself but:

      I'd say the MBA is not as overpriced as one might think. Some of you are going to ask "WTF?!" but my answer is this: Anything that can natively run Tiger/Leopard is well worth a few extra dollars. While Air itself may be nothing special, an ultraportable that can run a Mac OS is something to consider. And currently... it's the only ultraportable that can do it.
      • Cerebral, on 01/18/2008, -2/+1You do speak for yourself fanboy. Other machines can run Tiger/Leopard but just not LEGALLY.
        • kp606, on 01/18/2008, -1/+2Hence my use of the word "natively".

          Go home Tiger.
          • Cerebral, on 01/21/2008, -0/+1Technically wouldn't it still be running natively because it is still using the same hardware and not being emulated in any way? I thought the only thing that had to be done was to change some things to UNLOCK it so that it would be allowed to run.
      • DarKnight90, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1How is it ultraportable? It still has a large screen in it like any other MacBook / laptop.
        • kp606, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1I don't think Apple is a fan of making screens that are perfectly square. The 13'' (I wast to say 13.3...) screen is still wider then it is tall.
    • thenome, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1I think the Air is the best subnote book so far if it's half as good as my 12in Powerbook. However, I do agree that they need a third tower mac.
  • Eslamicolt3, on 01/17/2008, -18/+30Sweet where can I buy this? Oh right, I can't.

    Clearly you don't think it's that bad of an idea, or you wouldn't be calling firsties now.
    • jimbojim, on 01/17/2008, -8/+34You can't buy it because NOBODY bought it. As soon as the initial "wow" of the thinness of the Macbook Air wears off, people will realize how impractical it is stop buying it, too.
      • PaulPinfield, on 01/17/2008, -10/+4I think the Air will sell by the ship load. There are more than enough achingly hip people who will be willing to pay over the odds for, what is clearly, the most desirable laptop around at the moment.

        Apple is clearly the most desirable tech brand by a country mile. They know it, you know it, and we all know that that is why it is priced the way it is.

        Me? I'll stick with my MBP.
      • bunit03057, on 01/17/2008, -0/+4I'm not making any predictions about the success of the MBA. However, I have heard sentiments similar to yours for other successful Apple products. Especially for the iPhone. I think the iphone is impractical for my needs, but apparently many can afford such a product. I wonder if the same will happen with the MBA.
      • skidooer, on 01/17/2008, -3/+3Unless it's an ergonomic nightmare, I don't see what's so impractical about it? My iPod is the only peripheral I ever connect to my Powerbook and the last time I used my Combo drive was years ago. The Air would fit my usage quite well.

        That said, I don't need an ultra portable laptop, so I'd still rather have a MBP. Especially considering the price of the Air.
    • norman619, on 01/17/2008, -2/+10Zip up your fanboy is showing.
    • eyefork, on 01/18/2008, -1/+1They call firsties to remind people to take their Mac glasses off.
  • spect3r, on 01/17/2008, -10/+50Sony doesn't do the caliber of marketing that Apple does. Ask a regular joe if he's heard of an X505 and you will undoubtedly get a blank stare. :|

    My question then is, why doesn't Sony use... more appealing names for their products? The X505 really doesn't roll off the tongue like "MacBook" does... same with my Asus G2...

    And even though people like you and I know what it is, the average Joe does not.
    • BinaryDelt, on 01/17/2008, -3/+69The average Joe is a complete retard, and Apple understands that. Why do you think AOL was successful for so many years?
      • drakenlot, on 01/17/2008, -0/+7Why do you think AOL still exists?
        • norman619, on 01/17/2008, -1/+2It does? It's a shadow of the shadow of its former self. You are aware of this right?
        • BinaryDelt, on 01/17/2008, -1/+2My girlfriend was using AOL and I told her to get rid of that *****.
          • DarKnight90, on 01/18/2008, -0/+2Lies. Diggers don't have girlfriends.
      • streak, on 01/17/2008, -2/+1Is that why you're reading and commenting on an Apple posting?
      • jabberwolf, on 01/17/2008, -6/+3Every PC user knows that macuers are mactards! lol
        Why do you think the original Apple OS died in 2000?
        Why do you think developers dont develop for Apple ( software or hardware wise?) Why do Apple users still not able to price out a PC versus an Apple and do simple math = MACTARDS!

        Apple Air rolls off the tongue? So nike air, air jordon, other AIr products havent been done enough? Are you THAT MACTARDED to fall for cheap and bad marketing now? Form over functionality yes that is the average Apple user.
        • Kelmon, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1Listen, nimrod, if the price of the computer was all that mattered then we'd all be using EEEPCs right now. Oddly, we don't and that rather implies there may be other important aspects beyond price. I. Don't. Care. What I want is a computer that works how I want it to and a bloody Windows PC does not. Drive that through your thick head. Preferably with something sharp...
      • Kelmon, on 01/18/2008, -1/+1Here's the thing - give a product a catchy name and people will remember it. Give the product a model number as a name and no one will remember it. It's not exactly rocket science and it has nothing to do with "average Joe [being] a complete retard". Oddly, you probably are "average Joe" yourself - do you consider yourself a retard? Get off your high horse.
    • kanabiis, on 01/17/2008, -2/+11Sony knows its customer. Apparently their market research says that potential Sony customers don't care about flashy names. A company like Sony spends a considerable amount of time and money figuring out who their customer is, and caters to them. Just like Apple, whos customer apparently likes flashy names.
      • CamperBob, on 01/18/2008, -2/+0"Sony knows its customer."

        Yeah, they ought to, considering they rooted my PC.

        Two definitions of insanity: 1) doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result; and 2) expecting Sony to give you a square deal.
        • bigbadgoat, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1you bought one of those ***** cds?
      • Kelmon, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1Given the decisions made by Sony over recent years I think we can all conclude that Sony "thinks" it knows its customers but in reality they couldn't find their arse with both hands. Sony's management seems to exist in some weird parallel universe...
        • dandonia, on 01/20/2008, -0/+1do people have to bash sony ALL the time? *****
    • jabberwolf, on 01/17/2008, -0/+4Yeah but Nike Air, Air jordon, Air this that is much catchier isnt it?! Why didnt Apple call it iAir (too many vowels maybe?)
      Sony is competing on the PC market. Apple is well, their own market, they can call it whatever they want and it will be unique on their market.

      But then you are making a statement about marketing and not functionalty. I think Apple likes you because they conentrate on marketing more as well.
    • niico100, on 01/19/2008, -0/+0you're exactly right - same with Sony Ericsson phones. The P800 did most of what the iPhone did 6 years ago - but they didnt have the apple marketing machine. It had handwriting recognition & a touch screen then - and now...

      apple know how to package brand and launch things - maybe its the differing cultures. I guess sony cater to the 'boring' but lucrative business market much better than Apple...
  • hs112186, on 01/17/2008, -25/+77screw Apple and Sony, ASUS is the only company to get it right so far. can't wait for gen 2 EEE
    • ZeDJS, on 01/17/2008, -1/+6amen!
    • TypeEE, on 01/17/2008, -2/+5true, $400 for a white light notebook with SSD, it's brilliant.

      On the other hand it'll cost $1799 + $1300 for SSD for mac. The HD is bigger, the cpu is more powerful, but some people might not need that.
      • arenas46, on 01/17/2008, -5/+1the high definition is definitely bigger....
        • GfunkGbuss, on 01/17/2008, -1/+2Yes, but if you truly want definition, you could probably get a 30" LCD and an Asus Eee for the price of an Air + SSD drive.
      • chingy1788, on 01/18/2008, -0/+2High Definition? Its Hard Drive
        get into context and stop making jokes

        with eeePC you can always plug in an external HDD and a mouse, the mac book needs a USB hub
        more money to be thrown at it
    • darkphan, on 01/17/2008, -7/+9Yeah, the eeepc is right there up with the specs of the Macbook Air isnt it...
      • Monopole, on 01/17/2008, -2/+2I'll be happy to compare the performance of your Mac Air with the Beowulf cluster of 10 Surf 2G EEE's I can buy for the same cost.
        • Mizery, on 01/17/2008, -1/+0I couldn't care less about laptops, as I have no need for them, but are you going to carry that cluster of 10 with you in a briefcase? Seems like an invalid argument. If you're going to make a statement like that, just build a desktop computer with the parts you want.
    • Monopole, on 01/17/2008, -2/+6Damn straight, the EEE is the "Computer for the Rest of Us". It's the VW of laptops little, cheap, funky and easy to mod.
    • charlesray, on 01/18/2008, -0/+2The next gen Eee needs to have better battery life. It's only advantages are price and size. Ultraportables need to have good battery life as well.
    • niico100, on 01/19/2008, -0/+0eee pc - yes nice little web machine - but please its not a full spec laptop is it...
  • bobbothegrayson, on 01/17/2008, -24/+18YAY! Two companies comparing their proprietary ***** to each other!
    • Sabin, on 01/17/2008, -2/+17YAY! I can't wait to see that ultra-portable that you managed to build using off the shelf components.
      • drakenlot, on 01/17/2008, -7/+1Ever heard of the P-p-p-p-powerbook? His is the M-m-m-macbook Air.
    • Nerfdude, on 01/17/2008, -0/+5i award you five points for "proprietary" and ten points for "sticking it to the man", but because of the Digg playing field and your speaking of Apple without singing its praises, i have to deduct twenty points, leaving you in the red. thanks for playing.
    • wush, on 01/17/2008, -0/+2what does that even mean?
  • duffy89, on 01/17/2008, -12/+26I agree, not against Apple or anything but every one ***** themselves every time they bring something new out which is already on the market under another brand.
    • saucedmike, on 01/17/2008, -1/+2There's companies like that in every type of product.
    • rolf, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1The computer Sony had was in 2004 and discontinued.
  • HypocriteDigg, on 01/17/2008, -27/+6I'll give Gizmodo credit, they were the first to pander to the anti-Apple crowd. ***** sellouts.
    • jabberwolf, on 01/18/2008, -0/+2There is no ANTI-APPLE crowd !
      We just all make fun of the mactarded sheep !
      Only a mactard would think there is a conspiracy actually comparing functionality with regular PCs.
  • trenchfever, on 01/17/2008, -16/+7An asus eeepc can do nearly as much with a fraction of the cost. Its a common consensus that most fanboy mac user (not the professionals) are suckers.
    • darkphan, on 01/17/2008, -2/+6yeah, its nearly the same, except the screensize, led backlit screen, fullsize backlit keyboard, 802.11n, core 2 duo processor...
    • burrgrinder, on 01/17/2008, -3/+1Most fanboys are suckers. Mac has nothing to do with it.
    • arenas46, on 01/17/2008, -2/+5yep, that eeepc. it can definitely run OSX no problem. seriously wtf are you comparing?
    • Kelmon, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1"...it's a common consensus that most fanboy mac user (not the professionals) are suckers"
      Yes, amongst ***** know-it-alls who actually have no idea what it is that we want but are incensed that we choose something that they didn't.
  • johnbell, on 01/17/2008, -20/+21Sony may be right, but Apple has a loyal fan base. Can anyone really hate them for that?
    I converted and never looked back. Why? Because their customer service is THE best thing I have ever experienced.

    Nearly no one can argue that they keep (most of) their customers super-satisfied.
    • drjekelmrhyde, on 01/17/2008, -8/+22Customer service ?! WTF do you need CS for a computer for "that just works"
      • EvolvedAnt, on 01/17/2008, -3/+9The best computer in the world can't fix the user.
    • sadilak, on 01/17/2008, -10/+7Oh come on, every time I go to an apple store, I feel like punching the faces of those annoying sales people out there. They are very annoying.
    • digudown, on 01/17/2008, -5/+7@sadilak
      Same experience here. Once I wanted to use the store credit to buy a iphone for a friend, and the lady in the Apple store talked so rudely that I couldn't believe my ears. And to add to that they tried to sell a refurbished iphone as new to one of my friends. This all happened in Stanford Univ Shopping Mall's Apple Store in Bay Area.
      • matt646, on 01/17/2008, -3/+1Reply to this comment
        ty.
      • Kelmon, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1The ones in the UK stores that I've visited were wonderful. I can't comment on the ones in the US but the staff in the UK Apple Stores are very helpful and spend ages just talking with you without any guarantee of a sale. I seem to recall one talking me out of buying a camera that I was looking at and showing me what I should be looking at and where to buy it from (not Apple). The most important thing was that they appeared genuinely interested in what it was that I wanted and that's pretty rare in any type of shop.
    • tian2992, on 01/17/2008, -1/+1Yeah, with 20$ Upgrades and 200$ pricedrops... At least one of them has been fixed...
    • rilbyrne, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1Whenever I've gone to a Mac store they have been condescending douches. I went to buy a Macbook for my little sister and all they do is talk at you like you don't know what the hell a computer is. The "Genius Bar" is a whole other topic. I brought my iPod there multiple times due to chronic issues. Every time I went they told me I needed a new battery, and told me to ship it to Apple to get a new one put in (for a price I wasn't happy about). I finally got sick of them and went to a third party who informed my that my battery never had issues, it was the motherboard. They fixed it for cheap, and I never had another problem with it.
  • appleseed1234, on 01/17/2008, -22/+32girls1RonPaul
  • NJPENSO, on 01/17/2008, -0/+19So we're now into the 'not really even news' phase of the MBA articles.
  • NiGHTSChao, on 01/17/2008, -6/+5And before we get the anti-sony idiots, this isn't a surprise, every company would do something like this if 2 similar products were created
    People do it all the time, Apple complains and brags a lot too
  • JoeBaynham, on 01/17/2008, -9/+13Yeah but it can fit in an envelope! Thats what counts right?

    /Sarcasm xD
  • scrappyvintage, on 01/17/2008, -5/+56More fanboy falice fun on digg! "Steve J. loves me as a consumer!!" , "Sony has the best sweatshops!", "ASUS is all over my face!" Oh, yesss, Oh, HARDER, HARDER STEVE!!!
    • tim04, on 01/17/2008, -7/+2wow...that was...unnecessary
    • drakenlot, on 01/17/2008, -1/+14Not too hard, or he'd break his Air.
    • DarkDx, on 01/17/2008, -5/+2Need.....to....remove.......metal image.....from mind.....
    • Nerfdude, on 01/17/2008, -3/+15TAKE ALL 0.16 INCHES OF MY RAZOR THIN INPUT DEVICE
    • mattwalton56, on 01/17/2008, -3/+2...not right now you don't.
    • centerblack, on 01/17/2008, -2/+2rofl.
    • jabberwolf, on 01/17/2008, -2/+4sick sick puppy ! But Sony is kinda laughing at Apple as most of us are. And there is no fanboyism about it.
    • suriyou, on 01/18/2008, -0/+2I nominate this for comment of the year.
  • BobOki, on 01/17/2008, -8/+3Knowing WHEN to release what ever it is you are putting out is EVERY BIT as important as WHAT it is you are releasing.
    Case in point, Devo. IMO they are still (as of today) 5 years too early for their "time".
    Sounds to me like Sony did it first, and Apple did it at the right time, and better. Jeliousy sucks ;P
    • Monopole, on 01/17/2008, -1/+1So now Apple isn't inventing or innovating, just cloning spiffy kit at the right time. You must be so proud!
    • shinythingy, on 01/17/2008, -0/+1better?
  • pintomp3, on 01/17/2008, -1/+6the sony x505 was almost a prototype released to the market. the 4k price tag put it well out of reach of most consumers. one of the things that didn't help it was the external wifi. i used to have a sharp actius pc-um32 that was .75" thick. it had built in wifi, ethernet, 2.5" hd instead of 1.8, and had a funky keyboard that rose when you lifted the monitor. the ultraportable class is nothing new. they have always carried a premium price tag and have a lot of trade offs. what apple seemed to have done is not only go ultra portable (not new territory) but also try to eliminate all wires. the lack of on board ethernet and vga and only one usb port is not something most ultra portables do. we'll have to wait and see if this change is something consumers will go for.
  • guruboyguru, on 01/17/2008, -5/+27Seriously...a laptop that incredibly friggin thin is more of a fashion statement and a smug generator than something anyone actually needs. I'm not saying it's too thin, I'm saying that integrated graphics (among other mediocre stats) are not worth (starting) $1800.
    • BinaryDelt, on 01/17/2008, -6/+11All Apple products are smug generators. That's why they're overpriced. Smug people who are validated by how much they spend on things buy them.
      • burrgrinder, on 01/17/2008, -1/+1They're a decent value if they meet your needs. You can't just negate the value of the software included simply because you didn't need or want it.
      • centerblack, on 01/17/2008, -3/+2Aww the Vista kids are jealous.

        www.dell.com dude
    • scrappyvintage, on 01/17/2008, -4/+3Cut out that many peripheral NECESSITIES and still sell it for $1800?! You'd have to be a huge douche to fanboy up this bad. . .
    • Tippis, on 01/17/2008, -0/+3The problem is that many of the things you consider "mediocre" are non-issues in this segment (and, even so, they are higher-specced in the MBA than in most of the others). If you're in the market for an ultraportable, you pay for three things, and three things alone: weight, footprint, battery life.

      Everything else is unimportant as long as it's enough to fit and run the OS and the standard setup of office apps.
  • ruddy, on 01/17/2008, -4/+31the air is not a laptop, it's a really nice UMPC. i'm not gonna lie, i think its very sexy, but you can't take out vital compenents and call it a laptop (world's thinnest at that). as far as they're concerned, my key board is a laptop... minus the monitor, cd drive, etc...
    • superkendall, on 01/17/2008, -3/+3The UMPC failed because it took out the things msot people want - real keyboards, and a screen big enough to get something done with. The Air does away with all the things people don't actually use very often, and reduces weight while still offering a reasonably powerful system.
    • darkphan, on 01/17/2008, -4/+4what vital components did they remove that no longer makes it a laptop?
      • burrgrinder, on 01/17/2008, -1/+4None. If it weren't for the price tag, I would willingly choose the Air over a regular Macbook. I've got a Macbook, and I only use the USB port for thumb drives, and occasionally the DVI out for presentations. I use headphones every once and a while. The only disc I've even put in it has been the Leopard install disc. Most things I do work fine with wireless access only, and would be even better if I had an N router available.

        The limited port options is a non issue for the target market. Ultraportables are not intended to be gaming machines or desktop replacements. If all you do is sit on your couch with a laptop, you won't need an Air. If you have to carry your laptop around all day every day for your job, then you might be able to justify it.
    • Sabin, on 01/17/2008, -1/+2It has the same foot print as the MacBook and is only a quater inch thinner. I wouldn't really call the air a UMPC with a foot print that big. I would call it a damn sexy and very expensive laptop. The Sony Vaio UX is an UMPC.
  • tubalcane, on 01/17/2008, -1/+11I would have designed the Air to have a docking station with DVD burner, more USB, Firewire, wired ethernet, normal DVI connector, (eSATA?)

    I guess Apple would say to just use a USB hub.
  • Po0py, on 01/17/2008, -19/+13The Sony laptop looks better, imho.
  • brstilson, on 01/17/2008, -7/+21The Macbook Air isn't a laptop as much as it is a device to sell Apple products.
    • Po0py, on 01/17/2008, -4/+2I think you nailed it right there. I get the feeling that, because of fanboyism, Apple are under pressure to release some kind of new product every year. Simply because that is what people expect. And the fact that nobody can really pinpoint who the Macbook Air is for is evidence of this.
    • reparsed, on 01/17/2008, -2/+2It's an Apple logo that can also double as a laptop.
  • samfishercell, on 01/17/2008, -14/+3They're just bitter because unlike the Ps3, you can't use their feather-like laptop can't be used as a paperweight.
    • cambob76, on 01/17/2008, -1/+1A pox on your house!
    • Firehed, on 01/17/2008, -1/+43 pounds is hardly useless as a paperweight. It may be light for a laptop, but it'll have no problem holding down some papers.
    • AvidPreatorian, on 01/17/2008, -1/+4another 15 year old trying to tell us why his purchase was "better". dont u have some xbox livin to do?
    • samfishercell, on 01/18/2008, -1/+1It was a joke ,yikes.

      But thus far, the PS3 has been a glorified paperweight...we'll see what happens in the future. Also, if I was 15 I would be trying to out-curse my peers on Halo 3; that was a nice attempt at a crack, enjoy your Heavenly Sword.
  • cynicaljoy, on 01/17/2008, -0/+7for the price difference between the Air and the Pro why wouldn't you get the Pro? The only reason I can come up with is if you are a SERIOUS traveler, especially if you add the SSD option.
    • Zephik, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1That is still not a very good reason. Its still the same size as the macbook, its just thinner. The only reason, my opinion or not, is that its more of a fashion statement than anything else. Why else would you buy it? lol Traveling? Don't you dare even tell me that this would be THAT much easier to travel with than with the regular macbook.

      ...and who the hell could afford to travel after adding the SSD option?
  • photonut13, on 01/17/2008, -8/+12What is with everyone and saying they left out vital components??? I cant remember the last time i used my optical drive in my MacBook, it was most likely a month or so ago. On the road are you honestly going to be plugging in mad amounts of USB devices, one flash drive is all that comes to mind for me and at home you can use a hub. Also someone in the comments of Giz said it only has a GMA 900, it has a GMA X3100 people, same one as in the full macbook. Get your info right. Im not saying this is the right laptop for me though, if i ever ditch my White MacBook it will be for a base model MBP 15".
    • Dweller99, on 01/17/2008, -6/+5"What is with everyone and saying they left out vital components??? I cant remember the last time i used my optical drive in my MacBook, it was most likely a month or so ago."
      You seriously cant remember something you did a month ago? what happens when (for example) the next shiny version of OS/X comes along and you dont have a built in drive to install it? You buy a shiny new Apple branded drive? but.. you said you didnt need one, right?
      • Stirk, on 01/17/2008, -2/+3During the keynote, Jobs demonstrated CD Drive sharing.
        Basically, if you have any other computer, mac or pc, you can share that computer's CD Drive with the Macbook Air over a network connection.
        • DarkDx, on 01/17/2008, -5/+4Good luck booting something over 802,11n (and I'm not talking about speeds..)
          • mrBitch, on 01/19/2008, -0/+1due to OSX using intel's EFI (replaces ancient BIOS tech), booting up OSX via a shared wireless connected hard drive is no problem at all.
      • darkphan, on 01/17/2008, -1/+4You do not have to have the external drive to install stuff. You can use a drive from one of your other machines. Remember, the Macbook Air is not aimed at those wanting a desktop replacement.
      • Firehed, on 01/17/2008, -0/+6According to Apple's website, you can still use the remote drive feature during an OS re/install (how is beyond me and certainly falls under 'clever', but that's beside the point).

        Still, the lack of an ethernet port is a killer for me. I never use my optical drive, but I plug in all the time. Wireless, even n, is too damn slow.
        • centerblack, on 01/17/2008, -2/+1I donno, 10megabytes/sec is pretty decent. Wish I could get torrents that fast?
  • F22Raptor, on 01/17/2008, -8/+11I'm gonna have to agree with Sony on this one. I have a macbook pro and a sony vaio VGN-TZ17GN/B which I bought in Japan. Sony's ultraportable is more sexy than the macbook air, and has not sacrificed features for thinness.
    • darkphan, on 01/17/2008, -4/+6What features were sacrificed? The fact that it does not have an optical drive? Many, many laptops ship without an optical drive...
      • Tippis, on 01/17/2008, -3/+5Optical drive; full-size video connector; multiple USB connectors and FireWire; replaceable and upgradeable memory, battery, and hard drive; built-in gigabit ethernet; built-in modem; video resolution; HD capacity and speed; built-in flash readers...
        • darkphan, on 01/17/2008, -1/+1You do realize that it comes with adapters to go from the mini dvi to dvi and vga right? Multiple USB connectors, why? This is meant to be an ultra portable, do you really have a need to plug in 10 usb devices and a firewire device while you are on a plane, or train, etc? Built in gigabit ethernet... its got 802.11n, which will be plenty fast enough for the majority of uses, this machine is meant for someone on the go, etc, for many, there would be no place to plug into anyways. modem, seriously? You do know that this is 2008 right? Video resoltion/hd, come on, this is an ultra portable laptop, not a media center system, or a desktop replacement. Speed, what are you planning on doing on your ultra portable?
          • Tippis, on 01/18/2008, -1/+2Yes, it comes with adapters. No, it doesn't have to -- adapters add to the extra crap you need to carry around.
            Yes, it's an ultraportable -- that's why you want to have the ability to plug in tons of external stuff, perhaps not on the go, but still. Firewire is particularly important since it drives the target disk mode.
            .11n is far from ubiquitous, even in (*especially* in, since it's still draft) corporate environments, where this thing will be used - GB ethernet is everywhere. In particular, ethernet is far more common in hotels and in mobile environments (trains, planes, boats...) so having to carry around an extra dongle for that is just dumb.
            Modem... ok, it's an antique these days, but it works on a "you never know" basis - also, regardless of how useless, it's something Sony managed to cram in there and still remain smaller than the MBE. Granted, modems are slightly smaller than chewed-up stamps these days, so that's quite easy ;)
            Video resolution is a good thing - it helps you pack more Office toolbars in there.
            As for speed, I think I missed a hyphen - I was talking about HD speed, which is rather important if you don't want to go nuts waiting for things to load.
      • mnick, on 01/17/2008, -3/+3ummm,hard drive space, 3g data,more usb ports, it's footprint is larger than the sony, ethernet port, removable battery, and it weighs more than the TZ
      • centerblack, on 01/17/2008, -2/+3You guys are hilarious. I can't remember the last time I actually plugged into a wired ethernet network, or used a modem. The 90's maybe for war dialing. Good times.
        • Tippis, on 01/17/2008, -1/+2Maybe you should travel more and doing a larger number of on-site visits -- that would put you in the target group for this computer segment.
  • Chassit, on 01/17/2008, -13/+3At least Apple equipment works! Sony couldn't build a ***** transistor radio if their life depended on it (well at least one that received radio stations).
    • Mejogid, on 01/17/2008, -1/+3I want to believe that's sarcasm... but the brackets lead me to believe otherwise. For the record - "This made Sony the first company to produce commercial transistor radios from the ground up"

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TR-55
  • digjam, on 01/17/2008, -9/+7The problem with Air is ..its neither a laptop..not a UMPC... I m pretty sure MAJORITY of the population can live with a tad bigger keyboard and 0.5 inches thicker.... but it makes absolutely no sense to have no optical drive..
    I mean cmon.. now to get a cd drive.. you need to buy a desktop ... or a 99$ accessory which hangs to it..
    when storage costs are declining rapidly.. theres only 80 gb available here..
    and to make full use of 802.11n i need to buy a 802.11n router which costs too much
    and the graphic card isnt that great either....
    and that damn thing is too thin.... what happens if someone accidentally drops it??.
    IMHO Amazing feat of engineering by apple n intel but its totally impractical... its more like a futuristic concept laptop than for daily use
    • superkendall, on 01/17/2008, -6/+4What do you need a CD drive for? I only use mine about once a month, so the remote solution the Air offers is totally workable.

      For extra storage, you can always use an external drive if you really need more.

      I'm sure it's sturdy enough to drop and take a hit or two.

    • zephc, on 01/17/2008, -2/+4I've used the DVD drive in my MBP twice in the last 6 months: first time was to install 10.5, the other time was to install WoW/Burning Crusade. *shrug*
      As for the .11n router, I'm guess Apple figures if you can afford the MBA, you can shell out a little extra for a .11n router. Agreed on the integrated graphics card though, but its no less than what you get on a regular MacBook.
    • eryximachus, on 01/17/2008, -1/+2cd drive in my thinkpad has been permanently replaced with a battery. What on earth do I need a cd rom drive for on the road?
    • centerblack, on 01/17/2008, -2/+4I use my optical drive to install and play video games.
      802.11n routers will come down in price, it works with g too, everything they ship comes with an N card now.

      Since we've established the ever self-important group "GAMERS" probably won't be using this laptop, unless they're "PIRATE GAMERS" bleeding edge graphics technology isn't really a top priority.

      Accidentally drops it? What happens when you accidentally drop any laptop.

      Let me get this straight. You want a thick laptop with an optical drive with more than 80gb, old wireless networking technology a bleeding edge graphics card and the ability to throw it against a wall and not have it break. Maybe you should start talking to Alienware and Panasonic. They can make you a supersecretarea51alienToughBook with glowing lights. Throw some rubber ***** or balls on it and Digg will love it.
    • Kelmon, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1Again, echoing everyone else, what the do you really need an optical drive for these days? Media and software comes over the Internet on-demand and media that I have and want to share with family/friends is uploaded to the likes of Flickr and YouTube. Aside from installing the OS I honestly can't think of a reason why I need an optical drive. Give it up - optical drives will disappear from all computers in the coming years just like the floppy drive did.
  • fhornplayer, on 01/17/2008, -4/+26But it has an apple logo on it, and Steve Jobs says its awesome, so it must be better than sony! right?
  • zapa, on 01/17/2008, -17/+18I hate apple fanboys.
  • dulcimer, on 01/17/2008, -4/+11The Air will be great those users (like myself) who want a powerful desktop at home for doing the heavy-lifting work (video, photo, etc.) and a slim, lightweight laptop for traveling to do email, web, word processing.
    • yetAnotherCroc, on 01/17/2008, -5/+2actually, to be honest its overspec'ed for that work (and overpriced) The king of that form factor is the eeePC.
      • centerblack, on 01/17/2008, -1/+9Yea and an etch-a-sketch is the king of portable painting studios.
  • DeFex, on 01/17/2008, -6/+5apple had to make the battery non replaceable and charge extra. advertising is not cheap you know.
  • burningmanstan, on 01/17/2008, -2/+9The VAIO X505 was only 1.85 pounds thanks to its carbon fiber construction. Aside from performance, weight is the only thing that matters to me when I look at ultra portable notebooks. How is 3 pounds of aluminum revolutionary. Carbon fiber and less than 2 pounds please.
  • Subriot, on 01/17/2008, -6/+1Does anyone else hate Sony's circular tube that opens the laptop? It's just so not-fitting.
    • jabberwolf, on 01/17/2008, -1/+2Its called a hinge and yes its better then Apples flakey ones.
  • gimmeslack12, on 01/17/2008, -4/+9I really believe we might have another Apple Cube G4 on our hands.
    • rolf, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1I don't know. People like having smaller computers but whether one is ultra small or not at home is not a big deal and was not something they spent money toward. Notebooks used to be much more expensive not too long ago so I can see business people and those types willing to pay money for what they have to lug around.

      Besides, while the cube was a flop -- it paved the way for the Mac Mini.
  • protium, on 01/17/2008, -5/+2"built in 3G data. " Holy crap, does it come with the internet too?
    • asdfer, on 01/17/2008, -0/+2Built in service with that company that you don't want to deal with..... that's great.....
  • daxsymbiont, on 01/17/2008, -1/+1is that a fact or a clever ruse?
  • heystoopid, on 01/17/2008, -1/+2But then again I always thought SONY copied everything badly that Toshiba did better !

    However a quick check of the Toshiba Portege R500 PPR50A-04P05C specifications makes the Mac Book Air look like a primitive stone age spear in comparison !
    • streak, on 01/17/2008, -0/+1And I always thought Toshiba stole everything from HP!
    • Bamborzled, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1Everybody knows HP just copied everything from the TRS-80.
  • asdfer, on 01/17/2008, -1/+8Damn, I can't read the article because it's on Gizmodo.
    • centerblack, on 01/17/2008, -3/+1Why are we boycotting?
      • Jibberwalk, on 01/18/2008, -0/+2Halo 3, Tubgirl, CES... I really can't remember which one the bandwagon is riding right now.
  • aznhomig, on 01/17/2008, -9/+3Who cares what Jobs thinks.

    Oh yeah, that's right, all the Mac zealots that swing off his balls on command. MY LIFE FOR APPLE.
  • fani, on 01/17/2008, -8/+2Macbook Air is a result of Jobs' hot air
  • halfgook, on 01/17/2008, -3/+1honestly, why didn't apple use the 160gb ipod drive?
    • cambob76, on 01/17/2008, -4/+2Because they like to cripple their gear and then release the 'better' version later.
    • Icetype, on 01/17/2008, -0/+2because the 64GB SSD would seem to small.
      by the way, what's up with your user name? being racist about yourself is still being racist.
    • centerblack, on 01/17/2008, -2/+3Who knows. Cost. Size. Seek Time. Power Consumption. Research showing that their target market would be happy with 80gb.

      I'm not aware of what, if any, size differences there are between the 80 vs 160gb drive because I haven't looked at them that closely and all my friends just have 80gb.
    • spam4jan, on 01/17/2008, -1/+2It's because it's a little thicker than the 80gb version. I agree with you, but for the small market this is going to sell to as long as it fits a few word files, emails and a couple powerpoint presentations it's all good.
  • kanabiis, on 01/17/2008, -5/+5Apples response to any criticism, constructive or destructive, of the Air seems to be, 'this isn't the computer for you'. I'm just wondering, if it's not the computer for, well most people, then who is the computer for?

    I'm feeling that the Air is a product looking for a market.....
    • centerblack, on 01/17/2008, -3/+7It's for anyone who either:
      A) Has a dedicated desktop machine, but wants a laptop to have around the house or to take with them to the coffee shop, library, class, etc.
      B) Anyone who doesn't need 128 unique usb devices including a soda fridge, doesn't play video games, and just needs to surf the internet, do email, IM, VOIP, and download/listen to music.

      You're seeing lots of negative comments because the Digg community is a very small subset of the earths human population- they have things in common, like they use computers and each one thinks that they know better than everyone else. So no, for the most part, you're not going to see comments from the people who are going to buy this, BECAUSE THEY DON'T READ DIGG.

      It is a computer for most people. The majority of my family could and would use a computer like this. It's not like over 50% of the world reads Digg, Slashdot, and Gizmodo and gives a ***** what any of you has to say enough to come on here and post their ***** opinion. In like 10 months Steve will either say "WE'VE SOLD BILLIONS" or it will quietly be dropped from the product line.

      Suffice to say, Apple does their homework on this stuff. They're not afraid to axe a project, but 90% of the things that get started there, get finished and are sold. They make mistakes. Time will tell if this is one of them. But I remember the same stupid posts all over Slashdot when the iPod came out..
      • streak, on 01/18/2008, -0/+3This is for sure: the Air is not for most people. Many people might like to use one, but most people will not buy one ever. Not even close. I hate to mention it, but the U.S. economy looks like it's tanking and Joe Public buys an Air? Pffft. Talk about bad market timing.
      • agaudet, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1You can do everything you said on the asus eee 4g and its 1/5th the price sooo
        whats the market again :)???
    • streak, on 01/17/2008, -2/+1Among others, the "Air" is targeted to the CEOs and CIOs who will choose Apple for the enterprise.
  • TommieV, on 01/17/2008, -5/+3Anorexia?! :/
  • mdude85, on 01/17/2008, -3/+8Dig this down for stupid and inaccurate title. Nowhere in this article does Sony claim the Macbook Air was any better than the TZ.
    • sw33tsarin, on 01/17/2008, -1/+5Reading Comprehension.
    • niico100, on 01/19/2008, -0/+0yes i think u mis-read the title - sony claim *they* did it before apple x505, 2004 anyone...
  • Syphon8, on 01/17/2008, -4/+4After years of Sony claiming originality and creativity on random topics, they finally nail one.
  • knuvue, on 01/17/2008, -3/+7iPod, iPhone, and now MacBook Air. Apple is proving that you don't have to have more features and usability than all of the competing products out there. iPods were never the best and most feature rich MP3 players, iPhone introduces a revolutionary touch screen, but feature-wise it was definitely lacking behind other smartphones and now Sony is saying they know better what consumers want because their thin laptops have more features?

    Apple makes sexy, shiny things that people want because they are beautiful to look at and really fun to use. I don't know why it is surprising to anyone that their new ultra thin MacBook Air has sacrificed several features to become .16" thick. It's the same strategy they've used all along and people buy it.
    • ZenMojo, on 01/17/2008, -1/+3It helps to have an obsessive user base with disposable cash willing to buy whatever you sell...three times over.
    • Zephik, on 01/18/2008, -0/+1I don't think people are really complaining about the sacrifices so much as the price tag for those sacrifices. Why pay more for less? Because its sexy and thin, sure. But THAT much? Come on, really? Anywhere from a 999 - 1,299 dollars would of been good. Its only real feature is its ultra thinness, which is impressive, but so is the regular macbook for almost half the price and with more features as well as performance.

      This is a novelty for the rich, which is rather disappointing really... but that is pretty much the apple way.
      • mdude85, on 01/18/2008, -1/+0There's nothing wrong with Apple appealing to a luxury consumer base to sell products. A lot of things are novelties for the rich, like self-parking cars from Lexus, expensive jeweled handbags from Nordstrom, 150" plasma televisions from Panasonic ... the list goes on and on. Let's not single out Apple for tapping into this market. This has been Apple's market for decades and will continue to be for a while it seems.
    • mdude85, on 01/18/2008, -0/+0iPhone did not introduce the "revolutionary" touch screen, only brought it to the masses. Microsoft Surface was released a month earlier, except to a smaller audience. People have been working on multitouch for the last 20-odd years.
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