Why I want more Air

I’m fundamentally against anything that restricts my computing.  I love computers and have been lucky enough to have spent quite a bit of time in the industry, in a number of fields.  I love the tech and really enjoy building, playing with hardware, looking at the hardware, spending time with the hardware….. I really get a buzz out of messing around with new and alternate Operating Systems as well.  That being said, I'm really exited to look at the new Macbook Air, and just as much for what it doesn't have as to what it has.  I'm keen on not so much the product, but the philosophy the product promotes.

I started/switched to Apple only a few years ago.  After making most of my money and career off Windows and Linux I decided that for home I wanted to have a computing experience that revolved around things just working, and less of the wrestling match that was much of my working day.  So I went to a Powerbook and have only looked back to thumb my nose at those still hanging on the hope that service pack 23 will fix Windows.

Apple are not the great PC saviors but they're having a good crack at it.  And the Air is a milestone in the journey that we may need to take to move forward in the world of personal and business computing.  That may sound a bit profound, but what it means is Windows has been training us as users that we are the problem when something doesn't work.  I mean, most of us spend huge amounts of time sourcing fixes to problems/features which made it to our expensive hardware.  Apple on the other hand are working on the user experience first, which makes their products more usable for the consumer in the first place.

The iPhone was a great example of how leaving features out made a product work and become popular.  The Air, though, is more about creating the perfect portable computer.  It is underpowered, but overkill for Internet and business applications.  It is missing ports, but makes use of wireless technologies we all seem to be putting in our homes and offices.  It is missing a DVD drive, but helps us to rely more on digital distribution of software and media.  It has only 80 Gigs HDD for storage, but if you want more, that's what your desktop is for.  It is really thin and light, but what we have always wanted.

I watched the launch of the Air, listened to all the negative press, then listened to the same press respond positively some time later once they had got their paws on one.  It is a good piece of hardware and a product that fits into the computing lifestyle between your phone and your desktop.  It is the computer you grab when you move to the couch, or head to the cafe for that coffee fix/muse, or head off to the beach for the weekend to do that report/blog post.

I do super agree that it is too pricey and this will keep me banging away at this heavy Powerbook keyboard for a while longer.  I understand the pricepoint, milestones should mean something to the wallet, but as I mentioned previously, I see the Air as a compliment to the iMac or Powermac.  So I could see it being like an add-on in the future, and one I would shell out for. 

Me "Yes that will be a 24" iMac, 2Gig RAM, Macbook Air, Applecare, and hold the Mightymouse."  Young Geek behind the counter asks "Would you like .Mac with that, Sir?"  Me "Why?"

Jason