Ars says you’re stupid to spend the extra cash to get a SSD MacBook Air
And…I’ll start this off by saying I don’t give a flying rats ass about benchmarks. As someone who has both MacBook Airs (don’t worry, the one we’re giving away is not opened), I can tell you that for most things, it’s the fastest Mac experience I’ve had. Let me introduce you to the Mac stable I own:
- MacBook Air 1.8GHz, SSD, 2GB RAM
- MacBook Air 1.6GHz, 80GB HD, 2GB RAM
- 24" iMac 2.8GHz, 4GB RAM
- (2) 20" iMacs, 2.4GHz, 2GB RAM
- (2) 15" MacBook Pros, 2.33GHz, 3GB RAM
- 15" MacBook Pro, 2.16GHz, 2GB RAM
- Powerbook 17", 2GB RAM (forget CPU speed, PowerPC)
- MacMini 2.0GHz, 2GB RAM
- G5, dual 2.7GHz, 4GB RAM. (PowerPC)
That’s all I can remember off the top of my head, and I’ll put this out there right now…The SSD Macbook Air launches most applications faster than anyone of those computers. I’m not talking about Final Cut necessarily, I’m talking about iChat, Safari, Firefox, iTunes, etc. Will you be recording Mariah Carey on your 1.8GHz MacBook Air with one USB port? I highly doubt it, but that’s not the point. The point is that the SSD is certainly worth it as long as you can afford it. In fact, I think a whole lot of people sprung for the SSD model that wouldn’t have, or didn’t plan to have bought one. That’s a good thing. Enjoy your SSD MacBook Air and don’t let a benchmark test make you upset you dropped a little more coin on something. The SSD drive, in my opinion, certainly makes up for the slow processor on the MacBook Air, and puts it on par with it’s brother, the MacBook Pro, in most normal usage. I’m not saying its the fastest Mac by any means, I’m just saying from real world usage, it’s pretty damn fast. Screw the benchmarks. Oh, battery life! Got around 4 hours last night managing the site, ordering from Amazon, playing iTunes music, and random madness. Not scientific, but I certainly wasn’t by a power supply and unless Daylight Savings hit twice and my clocks rolled back, it was a good 4 hours of battery life.
On Feb 6, 2008 @ 6:39 pm, justblase Said:
that’s garbage … an upgrade that costs nearly 50% of the total cost of the machine should produce significant results - of the kind that boost hardcore computing apps like FCP and not just things like ichat that already boot quickly
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On Feb 6, 2008 @ 6:39 pm, Jon M. Said:
I’d love to try a MAC….especially the new MacBook Air!
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On Feb 6, 2008 @ 6:59 pm, Impaler Said:
Bah…you may not give a rat’s ass about benchmarks, but most of us do. We want a performer. The MacBook Air is a joke of a machine…form factor is normally a big priority for Steve and the crew, but this one’s painfully shy of even marginal capability the MacBook is. Awful laptop. If the MacBook/MacBook Pro isn’t thin enough, you’re nuts.
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On Feb 6, 2008 @ 7:05 pm, CB17 Said:
I’m sooo CONFUSED. I really want one but there’s just so many conflicting reviews out there! What do I do?!
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On Feb 6, 2008 @ 7:26 pm, Dtest5477 Said:
impaler, speak for yourself. Unless your a hardcore gamer / video producer i see no need for benchmarks.
The Air is designed for the user who want and needs its size and weight, not to replace the workhorse you might already own.
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On Feb 6, 2008 @ 8:05 pm, J.C. Said:
Stickin’ it to the…. benchmarks…
Yeahhh
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On Feb 6, 2008 @ 9:01 pm, Jeff B. Said:
Sounds good to me, how about you share the Macbook Pro love…I love them…
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On Feb 6, 2008 @ 10:50 pm, Jimmie Geddes Said:
100% agree with you about the MacBook Air. I have the 1.6GHz HDD model, and while spec wise it’s not up to my iMac, it certainly feels faster. The 2GB of RAM makes up for the “slower” processor, but it definitely doesn’t feel like a “slow” processor. I don’t use either to run Final Cut Pro, or do Photoshop, but what I do use it (MacBook Air) for, it’s certainly fast. If it wasn’t fast enough, and get the job done it’d be returned already. Sometimes you can’t go by “specs”, “benchmarks”, try it for yourself. It’s a fast machine. You can always try before you buy. It’s one helluva machine.
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On Feb 6, 2008 @ 11:18 pm, CarBob Said:
BG,
So many models, so little time!! Do you get a discount from Apple? Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Seriously, I hope you are enjoying all your toys. (Wink)
- CB
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On Feb 6, 2008 @ 11:37 pm, Artur Said:
That’s laughable. I get 4+ hours of active work time on my 18 month old Thinkpad battery. Dual core and 12 inch screen and 3lbs. And it used to last longer when new, and its tough as hell. Ohhhh that’s battery life!
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On Feb 6, 2008 @ 11:43 pm, NuShrike Said:
Who cares if it launches apps a few seconds quicker. It doesn’t justify the money spent nor the hours of time lost when you actually need work done. Hell, for such light duty work, why not get a cheaper and more fully-featured ultra-portable instead?
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On Feb 7, 2008 @ 12:16 am, Galvatron Said:
heck my toshiba tecra isn’ skinny but pulls more the battery is bad and no optic drive theis is overpriced tendy hardware i could get away with running th usb version of back track on this thing barly
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On Feb 7, 2008 @ 12:22 am, zac Said:
Man, can somebody get these bg writers an iTowel to wipe the iJizz off of their mouths?
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On Feb 7, 2008 @ 12:31 am, evmonk Said:
BG, I wonder if your 11 Apple machines (off the top of your head) have anything to do with your glowing review?
Thanks for the advice.
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On Feb 7, 2008 @ 2:23 am, Galvatron Said:
@zac LMAO
@evmonk you hit the nail on the head
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On Feb 7, 2008 @ 2:48 am, zac Said:
heres food for thought…
I own one PC…just one…it gets everything done…..development with MS visual studio 2005, graphics with GIMP, downloading music with ZUNE MARKETPLACE, playing dvds with media center, burning cds…….it runs vista ultimate
my pc…laptop, actually…cost 400$ NEW and does everything that those computers can do, its a dell inspiron b130 - go see the specs on them, the specs are low….now go use one - they run like champs
i can easily download music, watch a movie, burn a cd, browse the web and develop websites…in a virtual PC while doing it all at the same time on the real pc…at the same time
so you BG authors need to get your act together, i know your making plenty of money giving Apple hand jobs and you don’t give a damn what I have to say but damnit its disgusting…sometimes there are good news tips up here but most of the time…well… yeah..
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On Feb 7, 2008 @ 6:53 am, AT Said:
The Apple bias of this website is ridiculous…
We are down to, “don’t look at the specs! IT’s a MACBOOKAIR!!!! it’s FASSSST”
lol
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On Feb 7, 2008 @ 8:26 am, Galvatron Said:
@ at no kidding I’m the gamer/coder typ I need my specs an decen ones at that.
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On Feb 7, 2008 @ 10:58 am, zac Said:
Boycott bgr until they stop being apples little beyotch!
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On Feb 7, 2008 @ 2:54 pm, The Boy Genius Said:
I simply stated the Macs I had and how I felt the MacBook Air performed in real tests. Please don’t think I’m Mac biased as I have many more PCs than Macs.
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On Feb 7, 2008 @ 11:28 pm, dullestbulb Said:
@ zac
I’m down with that idea… but if we boycott bgr, then how are we supposed to know when they stop kissing apple’s ass?
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On Feb 7, 2008 @ 11:56 pm, CarBob Said:
BG,
Since you say you’re ‘not’ Mac biased and “you have many more PCs than Macs,” how about telling us how your PCs perform.
- CB
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On Feb 8, 2008 @ 12:41 pm, Taire Said:
Oh SHUT UP ALL OF YOU !!!! I never comment on blog but yet I cant help but respond to the myraid of comments I keep hearing about the Macbook air…
@ Zac - yes we know you have a $400 dell laptop.. Yes it can do everything you want it to do… thats nice… but what is your point… who ever said the macbook air was supposed to be a logical purchase. A fully loaded mini cooper s costs more than a fully loaded honda accord which has a lot more space and quite a bit more horsepower… does that mean that everyone should not buy the mini coopers ?? Of course not, its a niche product and a darn good one at that… not everyone is concerned with buying the cheapest product… believe it or not, some people actually like style… I can guarantee you that more than 70% of computer users hardly do more than word processing and surfing the web, and the air can do all those tasks with aplomb….
I can still remember when I first got the 1g 4gb Ipod mini. A friend of mine with a 30gb RCA brick sized monstrosity (seriously, it was huge) chimed in saying that the apple was a bad value because it only had 4gb…
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On Feb 8, 2008 @ 12:52 pm, Taire Said:
continued from above
I can still remember when I first got the 1g 4gb Ipod mini. A friend of mine with a 30gb RCA brick sized monstrosity (seriously, it was huge) chimed in saying that the apple was a bad value because it only had 4gb. What did i need 30gb for ? I only had 3 cd’s of music, I certainly did not need 30gb to store that info. 2nd of all, I worked out and needed a small mp3 player. Most importantly, I appreciate great design and the Mini was at that time the epitome of good design… So while he preferred value (the RCA cost $175).. I preferred substance and usability… I do not need a bazooka to get rid of a little rat (obscure analogy alert)….
@ everyone else - If you dont like BGR, dont come to the website… go to the dell forums and chime in about how great their products are… this is a blog not CNN … even if they have biases… who cares, its their site, you are not paying them, if you dont like what they are saying, go home. Why is it that when people can do something or cant justify something, they spend so much time lambasting it…..
Seriously, chill out and keep your acrid comments to yourselves…
On another note, I have a 4 year old dell 600m laptop and only 2 (yes 2) apple products one of which is a 30gb 5G video ipod (yes i know, I eventually upgraded my mini because my music collection has grown to 10gb) and the other is an airport express. So I am by no means an apple fanboy (or maybe I am
However, I am sure my next laptop is going to be a Mac because while my dell has been good to me, I like the better design and the operating system of the mac’s better than xp or vista. Furthermore, I am getting more interested in photography and mac’s are better for creative use.
In case you guys havent noticed, most blog folks use and prefer to use MAC’s … why is everyone suprised… tech blog geeks are a combination of literary nerds and technophiles who like and lust after cool gadgets… cool != ugly and cool != practical…
2nd, most tech blog geeks are creative types… hence macs
3rd, actually but there is no third… people who are fans of gadgets and misc electronic stuff are usually never rational in their purchases… its like the purveyors of designer jeans and their 200- 400 dollar denim purchases.. and car forum nerds with their wheels and body kits and slr nerds and their f1.4 prime lens with carbon fiber tripods…. lets face it… they like the macbook air cos it thin, light and sexy… if they want power, they can use one of their 10 other machines…
ok.. .gotta get back to work !!!! l8tr (puts on flame suit)
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On Feb 8, 2008 @ 12:56 pm, Taire Said:
Oh and Boy Genius, why do you even bother replying… most of these people are typical blog naysayers who lambast a product simply because it doesnt meet their needs… they will be back tomorrow to complain that the new macbook pro does not have the latest graphics card, or that the iphone is a ripoff of the earlier uiq phones, or that the cowon has better audio performance than an ipod, or that steve jobs is actually satan spelled backwards !!!!
If people in blogs were right, apple would be bankrupt, Michael dell would be president of the world, and Steve balmer would be dead (yes people hate both apple and microsoft)
Once again…tada (puts on reinforced flame retardent suit)
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