If you haven't already seen it, go to www.apple.com to take a look at the ultra-thin (incredible) new Macbook Air!

I want one ;)

Oh goodness! This old heart's been seduced again. My jaw was gaping all through the demo. Where's that bib when you need it ? When I woke up I finally remembered my pockets were empty.

That trackpad touch interface really works great on a computer!

I think aPple made two mistakes in the design.

The first mistake was a small one; no 10/100 port. I, for one, don't have wireless everywhere.

The second mistake could kill the mAcbook aIr. The user cannot replace the battery.

Good points Nate. If the computer's so thin, imagine the size that battery must be. Power issues?

That, and it's a built in obsolescence point -- that may not be a big deal for an iPod, but is it for a Laptop?

... These days it may not be, come to think of it. :shrug:

The first mistake was a small one; no 10/100 port. I, for one, don't have wireless everywhere.They do offer an optional USB Ethernet dongle: http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?nplm=MB442Z/A

Only $29!

What's the weight?

Yes, and the dongle will take up the only USB port. But that's okay. It's not like you'll need to plug in the optical drive or a flash drive or an Ipod.

Heaven forbid you should want to use all the processing power to do two things at once.

What's the weight?

Just under 3 pounds.

G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S!

Want one. Now.

But....but....IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A TABLET!!! Waaaa! :bigcry:

Just under 3 pounds.

nAte, yOu sOould wRite aLl yOur pOsts oN aPple tHe sAme wAy yOu tReat tHeir nAmes. wIth the uPper cAse oN tHe sEcond lEtter. yOu're hIlarious mAn! :D

nAte, yOu sOould wRite aLl yOur pOsts oN aPple tHe sAme wAy yOu tReat tHeir nAmes. wIth the uPper cAse oN tHe sEcond lEtter. yOu're hIlarious mAn! :D

y34H, m0b1L3R34d 1s f0r h4xX0rZ !

I kind of like the design of the Macbook Air. I think. I haven't decided yet. But damn, that is thin!

Personally, I have wireless networks at home & family places too. Having no ethernet port doesn't bother me that much, nor does the lack of drive bother me that much. Price obviously does but then.. all apple hardware costs you every piece of coin you have. With apple you pay for looks & reputation though the Macbook Air certainly does hold some high-tech hardware! Led backlight, ultra-small components, sff processor package, ..

I think aPple made two mistakes in the design.

The first mistake was a small one; no 10/100 port. I, for one, don't have wireless everywhere.

I'd say that's a big mistake, personally. I use wired networks a lot more than wireless!

The second mistake could kill the mAcbook aIr. The user cannot replace the battery.

That "problem" hasn't especially harmed the iPod.

That "problem" hasn't especially harmed the iPod.

There is a big difference between the Ipod and the aIr. One tops out at $400; the other starts at $1800. They basically made a disposable laptop.

And the battery was a problem on the Ipod. I remember when it first came out. One early adopter had a bad battery, just past the warranty. Apple told him to buy a new one. It was $400 at the time. Instead, he made a documentary about his experience that got Apple enough negative publicity that they released a battery replacement kit.


P.S. Heavy users often have several batteries that they swap out so the can keep working. The aIr won't let them do that.

A seventeen hundred dollar disposable laptop?

Must be kidding! Everything that can be assembled can be disassembled, you only have to know how.

That keyboard reminds me of something ...

Memories (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:TRS-80_Color_Computer_1.jpg)

I'd say that's a big mistake, personally. I use wired networks a lot more than wireless!

I think I read somewhere that optionally you can use a Ethernet-to-USB2 adapter to use wired networks...

Poor Steve... out of context you could easily misinterpret his gesture...

Tiny chips!

But....but....IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A TABLET!!! Waaaa! :bigcry:
I'm crying with you :bigcry:

Even though I couldn't have afforded it anyway. :rolleyes:

A seventeen hundred dollar disposable laptop?

Must be kidding! Everything that can be assembled can be disassembled, you only have to know how.The trick isn't disassembling it, yvanleterrible, it's disassembling it in such a way that you can reassemble it afterwords! :zoiks:

The trick isn't disassembling it, yvanleterrible, it's disassembling it in such a way that you can reassemble it afterwords!

So true... I learned it the hard way when I attempted to replace the battery of my 2nd gen iPod Mini. :wall:

I can't even remember all the stuff that I took apart and couldn't put back together. The one that still pains me to recall even now was my Armatron (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armatron) -- it just had so many gears in it, I just couldn't ever get it to work quite right again. :cry:

I'm crying with you :bigcry:

Even though I couldn't have afforded it anyway. :rolleyes:

Well, neither could I, frankly. But that would not have stopped us from ogling and drooling heavily! :)

They're not making a tablet because some idiot might be inspired to carve the ten commandments on it with a chisel and kill himself in the process... litigation you see.

... litigation you see.:laughboom:

I think aPple made two mistakes in the design.

The first mistake was a small one; no 10/100 port. I, for one, don't have wireless everywhere.

The second mistake could kill the mAcbook aIr. The user cannot replace the battery.

The battery is replaceable, but Apple have to do it, the price is comparable to their other laptop batteries so you don't get charged for the replacement.

This is true, but it doesn't help the people who are used to having 2 or 3 batteries with them. Plus, the $129 is the price aPple charges. I'm sure you can find them on Ebay for less.

I recently joined this group because my original battery is down to only half its original strength. Three hours battery life just couldn't cut it.

Besides, if aPple has to do the work then you're out of your laptop for the duration of the return/replacement cycle. :sad: Not the most attractive alternative to swapping the rascal yourself. :shrug:

This is true, but it doesn't help the people who are used to having 2 or 3 batteries with them. Plus, the $129 is the price aPple charges. I'm sure you can find them on Ebay for less.

I recently joined this group because my original battery is down to only half its original strength. Three hours battery life just couldn't cut it.
I too dream of that eink computer and that aPple would make it.

I pre-ordered one as soon as it was announced even before seeing it in person. I did get to spend some time using the Air at Macworld and it is an amazing machine. It's not for everyone, but it exactly what I've been wanting in a laptop: VERY Portable and Thin, light, yet a totally solid build, great screen, great battery life, runs cool and silently, yet is quite fast/responsive. I don't really use a CD/DVD drive on my existing laptop (USB flash drives and ripping/re-encoding DVD's to mpeg4/DiVX for on the road viewing works great, just takes some advanced planning). I don't plan to do any video on this laptop (I have a desktop for that, which actually has a slower CPU than the Air as it's older) and I already have everything wirelessly networked for file transfers, video/music streaming and printing, etc.

Some have panned the Air on the fact that there is no built in 3G/WiMax for cellular/wireless communications. Not a deal breaker for me as 3G/WiMax is not universally accessible nor a solidified standard here in the US and some areas have better coverage by one company than another. The addition of a wireless 3G/WiMax modem means more bulk/power use/expense to squeeze into any laptop. Given that there is not one dominant standard in all areas of coverage, why force someone buying the Air into one solution? I suppose you could always use one of those bulky/ugly EVDO/3G USB external adapters (already supported in OS X BTW), but remember, the Air has Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR. I can easily tether the Air off my current 3G cell phone via Bluetooth and access my cell provider's network that way. I'm already paying for one cell with a data plan, why not use it instead of having to pay for a second cellular data plan (which are NOT cheap BTW).

The non-replaceable battery is not a huge big deal for me as Portability/size was key for me and a design allowing for a removable battery would require a thicker/bulkier shape. It's an acceptable trade off especially if you consider how easy it would be to make an external battery pack that would feed power via the Magsafe adapter for long trips (and if it was built with multiple tips/cords, it could also maybe feed/re-charge other devices like your iPod/iPhone, Cell phone, GPS, etc). It sounds like the internal battery isn't that difficult to replace every few years as the battery wears down (as all rechargeable batteries eventually do).

If you're looking for a tablet form factor, check out this authorized Apple Macbook modification:
http://www.axiotron.com/index.php?id=modbook

I got a chance to use the Modbook as well. While it's quite full featured, it's also MUCH bulkier and heavier (and more expensive to boot). As good as the ink input is, it just isn't that easy/seamless to use for heavy text input without an external keyboard. It would suit someone who's primary software tools work well with a pen/point and click interface (drawing/graphics/photoshop). If you're looking mainly for a web browser, e-mail and e-book reader, it's probably an overkill.

I think the mousepad gestures in the Air really makes a leap in usability that I'm sure will trickle down to all of Apple's laptop (ie. alot less mousing around and having to click on all the little buttons, or constant mode changes between typing and mousing).

In short, the hardware and design is amazing. It's priced well for an ultraportable laptop IMHO (accepting that you'll always pay a premium for more portability, can't get around it) if you don't want an "everything but the kitchen sink" type laptop. My current 15" Titanium Powerbook has essentially become a desktop that stays at home as it's just a bit too big/bulky/heavy and fragile (believe me the Air feels more solid/sturdy than even a current Aluminum Powerbook or a Macbook, no flex or creaking at all) to want to tote along everywhere.

I can't wait to get it in early February, I'll be sure to post a more thorough review when it does get here.

Dave

How silent is the Macbook Air? Thats something really important to me. i had an LG TX which could be operated fanless, depending on your currently needed computing power. That was really awesome.

How silent is the Macbook Air? Thats something really important to me. i had an LG TX which could be operated fanless, depending on your currently needed computing power.

It was pretty hard to hear the fan (there is an internal cooling fan that runs at variable speeds depending on internal temps) at all but there was alot of ambient noise in the Moscone center and the crowd around the Macbook Air display was huge.

I held the laptop up to my head and could barely hear the fan, it'd been on pretty much on and being used/poked at continuously for 4-6 hours at that point. It was only slightly warm to the touch, not hot, and the fan was on but pretty quiet. It'd be good to hear it in a really quiet environment to really see how silently the Air runs.

The Apple spokespersons/handlers said that they were easily seeing a 5 hour battery life from these things. But I'd want to see some real reviews/systematic/real world testing though.

I suspect that as constantly the demo units were being used, there was probably alot more touching/looking/poking around the gorgeous hardware than constant WiFi use/browsing/photo editing/running programs/etc. so they may not have been pushed very hard in terms of CPU use so the amount of fan noise, heating up and battery usage may not be representative of real life hard use. More like casual or moderate use.

Dave

Lets compare it to their current laptops... less powerful, no Ethernet port, very few other ports, can't replace the battery, no optical drive. And the only thing it has over them? It's thin. I just don't see paying more money for something that has one advantage with so many disadvantages. If I really wanted an ultra mobile laptop, I'd get an EEE PC and mod the crap out of it as they come with a solid state drive by default and are very well priced. If you want the solid state option on the Macbook you are paying $3k in the end.

Lets compare it to their current laptops... less powerful, no Ethernet port, very few other ports, can't replace the battery, no optical drive. And the only thing it has over them? It's thin. I just don't see paying more money for something that has one advantage with so many disadvantages. If I really wanted an ultra mobile laptop, I'd get an EEE PC and mod the crap out of it as they come with a solid state drive by default and are very well priced. If you want the solid state option on the Macbook you are paying $3k in the end.

Well, if you look at any company's ultra-portable laptop (Sony, Fujitsu, Toshiba, Lenovo, etc.) they're all a bit less powerful, a bit less full featured, have a smaller screen, have smaller batteries and you'll pay a price premium for the light weight/portability. There will always be some trade offs, these compromises are not unique to the Air. Apple with the Macbook Air has just decided to push the envelope a bit in terms of shaving the hardware down to their vision of the bare functional essentials without compromising the user experience (big screen, full sized keyboard, mousepad gestures and most importantly OS X).

The comparison to the EEE PC on features and/or price is like comparing apples to oranges (little bitty ones) I'm afraid. Can you really fairly compare the Celeron CPU and 4 GB SDD in the EEE, the smaller/lower resolution screen, the smaller keyboard, mass produced plastic construction to the Air with it's Core 2 Duo CPU, it's solid/beautiful aluminum chassis, larger screen, full sized keyboard and much larger (and almost impossibly pricey) 64 GB SDD in the Air? Really?

If you want (and have the expertise) to modify an EEE PC to your liking to vaguely approximate what features you'll get with an Air, go ahead as it's a really cool project/hack. But don't discount the amount of time, energy and expertise that will be needed (which most folks don't have). Most importantly, for me anyways, is the value of being able to run a very full featured/usable/stable OS X (legally, yes I know folks have gotten the EEE to run OS X albeit rather sluggishly), the option to boot/run virtualized instances of multiple other OS's (XP, Vista, Linux, BSD, etc) and have the rest of the stuff "just work".

Personally, my time is better spent getting work done, not figuring out how to hack stuff to work (sort of/most of the time). To claim you're not you're getting nothing at all for the added expense of the Air is really not accurate.

I'm afraid you're just not Apple's target audience for this product. It doesn't mean that the Air doesn't hold some significant value/functionality for someone else, especially as a laptop that is a clean/integrated/ergonomic design that will "just work" right out of the box.

Dave

Well, if you look at any company's ultra-portable laptop (Sony, Fujitsu, Toshiba, Lenovo, etc.) they're all a bit less powerful, a bit less full featured, have a smaller screen, have smaller batteries and you'll pay a price premium for the light weight/portability.

Actually I am not missing so much on my Dell D420. I have three USB ports and that is very useful. I really do not see how you can manage with one USB port without much extra trouble.

Actually I am not missing so much on my Dell D420. I have three USB ports and that is very useful. I really do not see how you can manage with one USB port without much extra trouble.

Having only one usb port is a bit of a hassle, yes. But then I wouldn't -really- need that many more USB ports when I am on-the-go. Serious, what else would I lug around?

The thing I have mostly connected is either a mouse (because I dislike trackpads) or a removable harddrive.

Having only one usb port is a bit of a hassle, yes. But then I wouldn't -really- need that many more USB ports when I am on-the-go. Serious, what else would I lug around?


When am travelling I usually need two ports to move data from one USB device like a camera to another USB device like a hard disk (an Archos or an iRiver).

When am travelling I usually need two ports to move data from one USB device like a camera to another USB device like a hard disk (an Archos or an iRiver).

I have a WD Passport drive myself (wonderful thing! Heartily recommended!) and I plug it in fairly often. Two ports -would- have been handier. But pulling the plug on the mouse and shoving in the Passport would not bother me much.

Especially since you can use a bluetooth mouse :D Oh and a USB hub. But more than one USB port would have been nice.

Especially since you can use a bluetooth mouse :D Oh and a USB hub. But more than one USB port would have been nice.

True. But I hate replacing batteries. Still, it is something worth thinking about.

Of course, if I had a bluetooth mouse I would just have to have a Macbook Air too, just to be complete. Mmm... now there is a thought ....

Boy! Lucky most of you.

Compare all that to the choices we had 20 years ago!

A portable computer will be a compromise of features as long as there are choices to be made. When the whole is the size of a dime they will complain that we can still see them!?! Where does it stop?

Even if this device does not comprise all you need there is still a way out that allows your access to all you need. It's connected via your virtual surroundings, a simple part of a whole. Just like a car needs a fuel supply infrastructure and highways. Put simply, the device is only the front door of a building.

The comparison to the EEE PC on features and/or price is like comparing apples to oranges (little bitty ones) I'm afraid. Can you really fairly compare the Celeron CPU and 4 GB SDD in the EEE, the smaller/lower resolution screen, the smaller keyboard, mass produced plastic construction to the Air with it's Core 2 Duo CPU, it's solid/beautiful aluminum chassis, larger screen, full sized keyboard and much larger (and almost impossibly pricey) 64 GB SDD in the Air? Really?

If you want (and have the expertise) to modify an EEE PC to your liking to vaguely approximate what features you'll get with an Air, go ahead as it's a really cool project/hack. But don't discount the amount of time, energy and expertise that will be needed (which most folks don't have). Most importantly, for me anyways, is the value of being able to run a very full featured/usable/stable OS X (legally, yes I know folks have gotten the EEE to run OS X albeit rather sluggishly), the option to boot/run virtualized instances of multiple other OS's (XP, Vista, Linux, BSD, etc) and have the rest of the stuff "just work".Obviously the Macbook Air has quite a few things going for it over the EEE PC. The reason that I think the comparison valid, is that when I look at what I would do with an ultra portable laptop, the EEE PC has more than enough power and functionality. Some of the hacks people have done for it are pretty cool, but I think I could be happy with just upgrading the ram and doing my own Linux build on it. I'm also quite cheap. :D

Obviously the Macbook Air has quite a few things going for it over the EEE PC.

Well, yes. But I do not think you can compare the two easily for some reason while you say you can. EEE PC is certainly very portable though. Yet does it target the same crowd as the Air?

Hard to say. I do not know.

Unarguably though, you can more easily work on the Air given the power of the processor, memory, drive not to mention keyboard and screen size.

Yet the functions you'd use the Air for can presumably also be done with reasonable ease using the EEE PC, albeit more awkward probably. I think you'd be less inclined to work on the EEE, on documents or whatever, then with the Air.

Still, we argree on putting Linux onto it regardless of which! EEE Pc is nice ... but I'd consider it more of a Dinky-Toy-Hack-Throwaround laptop.

I agree, it would be no fun doing any real work on the EEE pc. :)

I agree, it would be no fun doing any real work on the EEE pc. :)

I think of the EEE in terms of usability as being somewhere between the Nokia 770/800 and the iPod and the Air or some other Ultra Portable Laptop. The reduced sized keyboard and mouse pad and the smaller screen (lower resolution too as I recall, which causes you to have to do quite a bit side to side scrolling on many web pages like I have to do on my Nokia 770) may cause some usability issues. I hear that the EEE is quite responsive running Linux and works well as a browser for sites that don't have alot of Flash animation/applications.

It's a matter of degrees I guess. I had purchased a Nokia 770 for when I wanted to go REALLY light. The Air will open up the number of situations where I'd consider bringing on a laptop along by the virtue of it being far more pleasant to bring along than my current 15" Powerbook.

I think the EEE is a really cool device, especially if you have the hacking/do it yourself spirit and have the time/skills to extend it. It's just not enough of a leap up in usability/performance from my heavily hacked Nokia 770, which was fun to hack but no where as usable/stable as OS X.

This is a great discussion, there are alot of very valid and insightful opinions here and I'm having a good time taking it all in.

BTW, I started a Google Group for the MacBook Air (soon to be) owners/fans to talk and share information, as I've only found a few worthwhile discussion threads scattered in various web site forums (namely this one and a couple on MacRumors.com and some other Mac/Apple sites) that haven't degenerated into silly trolling/yelling matches/mindless Apple fanboy rants.

Please check it out, hopefully the group will amount to something and become a useful resource:
http://groups.google.com/group/mac-book-air

Dave

It is kind of what I like about this place (being MobileRead). That discussions remain serious enough to be interesting. It is what makes MR great for me.

I hope it remains that way.

One thing I am looking forward to is now that I'll finally have upgraded to a Mac Laptop with a Intel CPU (been flogging a G4 TiBook for almost 8 years now, guess I'm a bit of a cheapskate too!!) I'll be able to run the Sony Connect Bookstore software in VM Ware. Maybe it'll even run in Codeweavers so I won't have use up HD space with a full XP install? Has anyone tried Codeweavers with the Sony Connect software? It isn't listed as working software in their database.

Then again, I've gotten used to using Kovid's excellent libprs500 package and also accessing the Sony Reader's file system via the Terminal/command line via the Docudesk FuseFS system extensions.

It's nice to have all the options for accessing my eBooks AND a perkier computer to do work on. I still think there will be many situations where the Sony Reader will be better for reading eBooks on than even the very bright LED backlit screen that the Air has. Anyone know if there is an OS X port of FBReader?

Dave

One thing I am looking forward to is now that I'll finally have upgraded to a Mac Laptop with a Intel CPU (been flogging a G4 TiBook for almost 8 years now, guess I'm a bit of a cheapskate too!!) I'll be able to run the Sony Connect Bookstore software in VM Ware. Maybe it'll even run in Codeweavers so I won't have use up HD space with a full XP install? Has anyone tried Codeweavers with the Sony Connect software? It isn't listed as working software in their database.

Then again, I've gotten used to using Kovid's excellent libprs500 package and also accessing the Sony Reader's file system via the Terminal/command line via the Docudesk FuseFS system extensions.

It's nice to have all the options for accessing my eBooks AND a perkier computer to do work on. I still think there will be many situations where the Sony Reader will be better for reading eBooks on than even the very bright LED backlit screen that the Air has. Anyone know if there is an OS X port of FBReader?

Dave

I have been looking for eBook readers for OSX but I have yet to find any, open source or not. It is dismal!

Edit: Darn, my head appears often in this thread!

Some of the hacks people have done for it (the EEE PC) are pretty cool, but I think I could be happy with just upgrading the ram and doing my own Linux build on it. I'm also quite cheap. :D

I too am quite a cheakskate, but unfortunately I don't posses the skills to perform the extreme hacks this guy did to his EEE:
http://beta.ivancover.com/wiki/index.php/Eee_PC_Internal_Upgrades

He somehow managed to cram the following hacks/extra hardware into the EEE and got it all working to boot!!!:
-Upgraded the WiFi to 802.11 a/b/g/n
-2 USB hubs which hook up the following
-GPS and Bluetooth with their respective antennas mounted into the bezel around the display
-An additional superfast internal 4GB USB Flash Drive: Corsair Voyager GT with a staggering stated rates of 34 MB/s read and 25 MB/s write speed
-A SD Card reader for even more expansion of his storage capacity
-A Telephone Modem
-Power switches for all of the new stuff he installed.
-FM transmitter to send Audio to any FM Radio

Not only has he found some empty space in the already tiny EEE for all this stuff, but he does an amazing job of making all the additional wiring look really neat and tidy as well!!! Wow, you gotta check out his pics.

This cost him an additional $454 odd bucks over what he paid for his EEE, not counting his not insignificant labor and expertise. I mean, how does one put a price on that level of geek l33t'ness?

Amazing. Wonder what the battery life now though?

Dave

Wow, that is pretty impressive. I'm also curious on the new battery life. :)

I have been looking for eBook readers for OSX but I have yet to find any, open source or not. It is dismal!

Edit: Darn, my head appears often in this thread!

eReader works on mac's I believe. Check the wiki for mac compatible eBook Readers.

Dale

Go figure, someone did port FBReader to OS X:
http://www.fbreader.org/macos/
http://gobunov.ru/projects.html
Apparently, you also need TrollTech's QT library and the enca and expat libraries (the last 2 are included).

I haven't tried this port yet, but will give it a try when I get my new MacBook Air as it looks to be an ideal eBook reading platform (albeit bulkier than my Sony Reader) especially since I've accumulated a bunch of .pdf and .html eBooks.

I've also found a few eBook reading programs on www.MacUpdate.com in addition to the usual .pdf readers available free from Adobe, actually .pdf display is built into OS X (Safari and Preview) if you don't need any fancy features.

Chmox and Chimp - displays .chm files: http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/15121/chmox
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/18339/chimp

Maclit - displays .lit files:
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/25659/maclit

Text Reader for Project Gutenberg files:
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/18593/sophie

Multi Column Text Reader:
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/12575/tofu

I've also used TextEdit to save .rtf files as .html and view the .html files in Safari (easier navigation, can change text sizes easier, no accidental re-editing of the eBook while reading it in TextEdit).

Dave

----------------------------------

http://groups.google.com/group/mac-book-air

Well, I've had my new MacBook Air for a week now and aside from some intermittent problems re-associating with my US Robotics (non-Apple) WPA encrypted WiFi router, it's been flawless. This is a great laptop if you're interested in going light yet wanting to be able to get some work done on a comfortably sized screen and full sized keyboard.

I have a partial review/first impressions posted here:
http://groups.google.com/group/mac-book-air/browse_thread/thread/5912f586c71cbf17

There are lots of decent reviews on the MacBook Air out there, AppleInsider.com has a series of very well written/thoughtful reviews that you should definitely check out if you're looking at one of these.

BTW, getting back to the Asus EEE PC issue, here's an interesting followup on how usable the EEE has turned out to be:
http://gizmodo.com/351086/asus-eee-pc-long+term-review-verdict-honeymoon-officially-over

http://www.geek.com/eee-pc-chronicles-part-4-and-reality-sets-in/

The EEE's screen was just a bit too small (something I've experienced with my Noikia 770), the stock OS just isn't all that stable, WiFi can be flaky, and poor battery endurance (still drains too much power even while sleeping). I'm not sure if using an alternative hacked Linux OS flavor (Ubuntu for EEE or some other variant) fixes these problems, but they're not going to be easy solutions for most buyers to implement on their own.

All in all, I'm really happy with my Mac Book Air purchase. BTW, the Sony Connect eBook Library software runs perfectly in VMWare Fusion virtualization so now I can run it on my Mac for the occasional purchase. I still prefer to use libprs500 or Docudesk's PRS browser for most day to day chores.

Dave

P.S. I've been collecting the URL's for various MacBook Air reviews, tips, hacks and resources on that Google Groups page, check it out if you're interested.