We all can easily agree on the fact that the MacBook Air, released at Macworld this Tuesday, is an incredible feat of engineering. Let's just look at the specifications for it quickly:

Dimensions:
0.16-0.76 inches thin
12.8 inches wide
8.94 inches deep
3.0 pounds

Hardware:
1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor (upgrade to 1.8GHz)
80GB 4200 RPM ATA Hard-Disk drive (upgrade to 64GB Solid-State Drive
2GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM
Multi-touch trackpad
Micro-DVI port
One USB 2.0 port
Audio out
Up to five hours of battery life

To fit these things into 0.16 inches at the smallest point, Apple has really outdone itself. Here's my complaint, and the disappointment of many at the Macworld conference at all. While this Notebook is, indeed, extremely small, how practical is it really? I'm pleased that Apple didn't sacrifice the overall processing speed when shrinking all the peripherals (it still has a faster processor than the original PowerBook), but the biggest flaw with this MacBook is that it has no Optical Drive! Where do you put your CDs and DVDs?

Apple has a solution for you. For an extra $100, you can add a USB Optical Drive to your MacBook Air package. That's all well and good, but you only have one USB port. Ethernet port? You can add USB Ethernet port as well, if you want one. You can also add a USB modem port (um, who uses those anymore?). I also have a USB mouse, iPod (which plugs in through USB), USB GamePad, and an External Hard Drive, which plugs in through FireWire. The ironic thing is, even though Apple only gave us one USB port on this, when going through the ordering process, they don't offer the option of a USB splitter!

That's all well and good that it has built-in wireless and Bluetooth technology, but I've thus far found wireless and Bluetooth mice, keyboards, and GamePads to be unreliable. And who's to say FireWire isn't a necessity?

Another cool feature is Remote Disc. You can put a CD or DVD into another computer on your wireless network, select Remote Disc from your MacBook Air, and view the CD over your network. This is how Apple says the software of the future will be installed. It's a great idea, I really do think it is. I just don't think it's really going to catch on. Apple is assuming you have a desktop or another Notebook somewhere in the house which has an Optical Drive, and why would you, instead of offering it pre-installed, assume the customer already has one? That just doesn't seem very practical or professional.

In my final two paragraph, my overall opinion on the MacBook Air? Overrated and overpriced. There's a point where you must draw the line and say, "Wait, how small do we need this to be? 0.16-0.76 inches? I feel like it would snap in half! Sure, you can carry it around in a manila envelope ... but who's going to do that? I'll still put it in my full-sized briefcase or laptop carrying case.

Congratulations, Apple. You've created the worlds thinnest Notebook! It really is astounding. And I'm loving the 64GB Solid-State drive. But there's no way I would ever buy a MacBook Air. However, I am extremely excited about it. Why? Because of the technology it's paving the way for! (It is worth mentioning the 64GB Solid-State Drive is an additional $1200 to the price of the laptop.) The large Solid-State Drive is starting to make my dreams of a 30GB (or larger) iTouch to become available! That's what I'm really waiting for ...

UPDATE 1/22/2008:

Compared to other Ultra Thin Notebooks, the MacBook Air is much more practical, efficient, and competitively priced, instead of comparing it to other starter MacBooks or MacBook Pros. For a fancy comparison chart, check out THIS website.

Tags: Apple