Our Laptop Editor, Edward Distel, talks about the dealbreaking flaws in the Macbook Air and why it won't be the next item on his wish list.
Also read: Point / Counterpoint: Why I would buy the Macbook Air
I'm impressed by the slimness of Apple's latest must-have gadget, the MacBook Air. Only 0.16 inches thick at its thinnest point, it's a sexy, head-turning form factor that shows why Apple fans are so devout: other OEMs just lack the imagination to do things like dump a wired Ethernet port and shrink the size as small as possible. That being said, there are a couple of reasons not to buy the MacBook Air.
Where's the Air?
First, the decision not to offer the option of integrated WAN is not only disappointing, it's baffling. Why not even give me the option of integrated 3G services? Verizon, Sprint and AT&T all have deals with the other major OEMs, it can't be that cost prohibitive to implement. I don't have anything against Wi-Fi, but the MacBook Air is supposed to be the next step in the evolution of ultraportables -- it's hard to crown it the new king of 13.3-inch laptops when it's not available with the latest wireless technology.
I want my DVD
Second, I'm kind of a stick-in-the-mud this way, but I still want an integrated optical drive in my ultraportable. When you have a notebook that doesn't include an integrated optical drive, what inevitably happens is you begin carrying around a standalone/USB optical drive just in case. What if you want to watch movies? What if you have software you want to install? What if you want to burn some music? While tech soothsayers have been predicting the death of physical media for years, the fact is it's still difficult to do everything you want to do without an optical drive, and I’d like to at least have the option of a slightly bigger 13.3-inch MacBook that does have the optical drive I crave.
Two batteries, or not two batteries
There a couple other things that prevent me from slobbering over the MacBook as the greatest thing since sliced bread. The battery has to be unscrewed to be removed -- good luck doing that while crammed into coach seating on an airplane. I can barely fit in my seat as it is, the idea of performing laptop surgery to finish watching a DVD (with my add-on optical drive) is not enticing. Also, I think Apple showed courage in omitting wired Ethernet, but I have to pay for a USB adaptor? It should be thrown in for free with the notebook.
I have no doubt the MacBook Air will fly off the shelves when it becomes available; I've long been a believer in the value of ultraportables, and the MBA has a couple of key innovations. But without the option of integrated WAN, it simply is not the most advanced notebook in its class. A difficult to remove battery, having to pay for wired Ethernet and no integrated optical drive option all show that it's not a perfect machine and it may not serve everyone's needs.
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