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Mac Corner: The new MacBook Air — Who needs it?   

  
By Larry Grinnell, Palm Beach Phoenix Apple Users Group

larry grinnellApple has further advanced the state of the art of product packaging with the very interesting new MacBook Air, and in particular the 11-inch display model.

Just check out a few of these specs: Unibody construction, 5 hours of battery life (8 hours on the 13-inch models), multi-touch all-glass trackpad, flash storage (SSD), are 0.11 to 0.68 inches thick (it tapers — very thin at the front, thicker at the rear), and weighs a mere 2.3 pounds (2.9 pounds for the 13-inch model). 11-inch models come with a 1.4GHz Intel Core2Duo processor, and 64GB SSD (in the base model and optionally 128 GB SSD) storage, and 2GB RAM.

The 13-inch models sport a 1.86 GHz processor and come with 128 GB SSD or (the top model) with 256 GB SSD. Both models come with two USB-2 Ports for external peripherals. It has a Mini DisplayPort for sending the video output to external monitors, projectors, and, with an appropriate adapter cable, HDMI inputs on an HD television. The 13-inch model also has a SD Card slot for external storage.

One interesting thing missing is an ethernet port. Heck, everyone’s using wireless these days, right? Wired connections are so 1999 … It also lacks an optical disc drive, but you can always attach an external device via USB, or over the network to the DVD drive of another Macintosh using Apple’s DVD Sharing technology.

The 11-inch (actually 11.6 inches, measured diagonally) display is 1366 x 768 pixels native (just a bit bigger than HDTV’s 720P, by the way). Mind you, at 11.6 inches, those pixels are really, really small, and probably not what you would want to use on a regular basis, but here’s the thing:

The MacBook Air was designed first and foremost for the traveling executive or salesman who wants/needs a status symbol. Their IT folks bend over backwards to make it fit into their Windows-centric networks, which is easier than ever with the continuing improvements in MacOS X.

It's a perfect device to bring into a customer’s boardroom, plug into the projector or HDTV, and do the presentation. Further, with the solid state drive, it boots so quickly that you won't need to put it in sleep or hibernate mode, making the battery last even longer.  Just shut it down when you don’t need it. Most could also care less about 3G connectivity. When making calls on clients, the last thing users want to do is access a network or deal with external 3G connectivity devices. Most of these people are technophobes.

For those who have some inkling of the use of technology, they likely already have an iPhone 4 or DroidX phone, both of which have built-in tethering (uses a smartphone to connect wireless devices to the 3G/4G network) capabilities, so if they absolutely have to connect to the office via the Internet, they don't need another device (like a cellular modem) to keep track of.

No, this is not a laptop for the everyman. It is a laptop for that special individual who can (and does) have the best of everything, and is powerful enough to not have to fight the daily battles with IT to get Mac support. No, this kind of guy (or gal) gets the high-tier "executive" or "premium" IT support that most corporations offer to their top people.

These guys (or gals) could care less that it doesn't have a CD/DVD drive. Their IT folks install everything they need in software, and their administrative assistant (secretary) or some other office drone ensures their boss has the proper presentations and maybe some entertainment loaded up before they hop on the corporate jet or uses their millions of frequent flyer miles to settle down into their first class seat to go out to make the next big deal.

In fact, they probably have a 27 inch iMac (or a Mac Pro with a 30 inch Apple monitor — or maybe even an Al Gore setup with three 30-inch monitors — even though they don't really need them — but if Al Gore has it, they want it too!) as their primary office machine, because who can read that tiny 11 inch display every day for the 10-12 hours a day a top executive spends in the office?

Carrying a MacBook Air into a customer's boardroom sends a message that this person is a person of means, and a person of powe­ — someone to be reckoned with. This is something we would all like to project … at least once. It’s just so deliciously small and light. Executives can drop this into their briefcases without a care, and know they can run it for hours without worrying about hunting for a power outlet.

Finally, my friends, this is what the MacBook Air is all about. Status. Sheer, primitive corporate arrogance. Remember the first PowerBooks? Exact same thing.

Is this showing-off? Maybe, but it sure sends a message, and besides, if it weren’t for these demonstrations of the advancement of product design and technology, would people pay attention to Apple as they do? Also, those who buy products like this are the early adopters who don’t care how much it costs. This is a very important customer to Apple, because these are the customers who help Apple quickly get a return on their huge investment in new technologies. Doesn’t that just make you feel great that you can do your part to help Apple design the next-generation executive toys?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Readers are welcome to comment on this or any Mac Corner columns by visiting the Palm Beach Phoenix blog as well as by writing the editor of Palm Beach Business.com.

Mac Corner runs every Wednesday only in Palm Beach Business.com. Click to read the previous column.

About Larry Grinnell: Larry has been working with Macintosh and Windows PCs for over 25 years and worked as a senior technical writer and IT support professional for a major midwest-based consumer electronics and telecommunications equipment manufacturer here in South Florida. His musings on a wide variety of topics from computers to jazz guitar to strange foreign cars from the 1950s can be viewed at the MyMac.com website. Click here to reach him by email.

palm beach phoenix logoWriters of this column are members of the Palm Beach Phoenix Apple User Group, a nonprofit organization for Apple Computing Device Users, recognized by Apple Inc., with the purpose of providing educational training and coaching to its members (students, professionals and seniors alike) in a cordial social environment. The club meets the second Saturday (1-4 p.m.) and fourth Wednesday (6-8 p.m.) of each month at the Fire Station #2, 4301 Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach (just two block south of Southern Boulevard). Click here to visit their website. Click here to reach them by email.

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