The MacBook Air doesn’t get much love anymore. Its last update was back in 2009, and no one seems to fawn over it as they did when it was introduced in 2008. However, Apple’s slimmest notebook has recently become very appealing to me, and could be more so if Cupertino puts just a little effort into its next revision. Here’s why.
I’m embarrassed to admit it, but a week ago I accidentally spilled some Pepsi on my MacBook Pro. It wasn’t that much, but a few days after the spill, my enter key started getting sticky. Over the next few days, it got worse. It still works, but it has this sticky click that drives me insane. Sending it in to Apple would cost me $800, so rather than spend half the cost of a new MacBook on it, I figured I could just get a MacBook Air and use my Pro as a desktop.
The more I think about it, the more sense it makes. I’d only use the Air when I’m on the go, and I don’t do anything that would be too strenuous on the Air’s slower processor; the most I do is go through my massive list of RSS feeds in NetNewsWire and write. The portability of the Air also makes it an alluring option, allowing me to get some weight out of my backpack so I can avoid permanent spinal injury.
Adding to those benefits, the rumors of a new, 11.6-inch Air really excite me. For my own part, I predict the new Air will look like a mini MacBook Pro, so there won’t be a taper on the body. This could allow Apple to include the new whole-surface-is-a-button trackpads, as the current Air’s body looks too thin to accommodate them.
The smaller screen would help shave size while allowing the machine to be a bit deeper. Screen size should help the price go down as well, hopefully to $1400, which seems like the sweet spot for it. It might stay at $1500, but it definitely won’t go up. Either way, I’d be willing to pay for it.
The only drawback I can think of to having the Air is having to sync my documents to my Pro so I can work on them later. It would be kind of annoying to have to sync everything. I suppose I could have a “working” folder on the Air, and then set up a rule in Hazel that copies that folder over to my Dropbox for syncing every once in a while, so that mitigates my concerns somewhat.
What do you think of my idea? Do you have an Air-sized hole in your computer line?
October 24th, 2010 at 5:13 PM
New Macbook air is out – 11.6 inches, just like a netbook!
This is what a netbook is:
Netbooks are a category of small, lightweight, and inexpensive laptop computers.
Let’s see – new MBA is:
small (check)
lightweight (heck yeah)
inexpensive (for $1000 you can buy a MacBook…)
Oh well.