OT Macbook Air
- Thread starter ReefWreak
- Start date
Rogger Castells
New member
I like it, no optical drive! I guess Apple is setting a trend again, weird but I said the same thing when they stopped using floppy drives years prior to win base machines got away from them too
snake33015
In Memoriam
optical drives have their limitations but we are years if not decades from them loosing practicality like a floppy
its not like a cassete drive
what about cds and dvds
just seems like mac has a new marketing gimmick
like the emate
or the color classic or the ever popular
Macintosh LC 500
i guess i just don't get the mac thing
its not like a cassete drive
what about cds and dvds
just seems like mac has a new marketing gimmick
like the emate
or the color classic or the ever popular
Macintosh LC 500
i guess i just don't get the mac thing
snake33015
In Memoriam
the best part is the ipod like irreplacable battery that has to be sent to mac for replacement
i like the design aspects of it but ive had to replace 3 ipod batteries so that alone would make me stay away
i like the design aspects of it but ive had to replace 3 ipod batteries so that alone would make me stay away
Rogger Castells
New member
Don't get an ipod because, you don't like it, cool; because you don't listen to music, acceptable; cause it is too expensive, ok.
Not getting an ipod because you will need to replace a battery makes no sense to me specially since you can replace it yourself. see link
ipod battery replacement
this is almost as saying that you wont get a car because sooner or later you will need to bring it for service.
loyalrogue
New member
The new macbook airs still have optical drives... you just have to pay $100 extra to have an external one added.
Of course, you don't need to spend the extra $$$ if you don't ever intend on watching a DVD movie or buying software from a store.
Of course, you don't need to spend the extra $$$ if you don't ever intend on watching a DVD movie or buying software from a store.
ninjamini
New member
Years away? Naww. Funny thing is that in the tech world we are closer to getting rid of disk players than you think. I do netflix for my movies and its great. Really convenient But not as convenient as just going to my TV looking at the movie list or watching trailers and then just watching the movie. In ten years that will be common place. Getting rid of optical drives on computers. That will be here sooner than you think. You have to think why do we use optical drives:
To load software - already on the internet for most. Has yet to gain mass acceptance. But with the closing of CompUSA this may prove to be the only real answer.
watch movies - Netflix and iTunes are starting to deliver this online
back up data - Its easier and safer to do this online too. What if your house burns down? If your back ups are in the house there gone too.
share data - When we used to have floppy disks we called this the sneaker net. You move the data to a disk and walk it to someone. File sharing is so easy online. Espically if you have a mac and a .mac acct.
rip music Few are buying CDs anymore. Everyone downloads.
The transition from physical media to online is happining because we are getting fast connections. As we speed up the connection to the internet it becomes faster and easier.
CD/DVD/HDDVD/Blueray are all going away. Soon we will just be connected.
jeffbrig
Premium Member
Sorry, but there's way too much sensitive information out there to presume everything can be stored online safely.
Strongly disagree. The problem with on-demand delivery of movies/software is that it's only as good as the connection you have. You do NOT want your ability to use a computer or watch a movie to be tied to your ability to find an internet connection. Do you remember how long you were down after the last hurricane? I'll take a hard copy, please...
Von_Rahvin
New member
same weight as the new Dell laptop. but just 1/4 inch thinner.
ofcourse the dell has a dvd drive and a removable battery.
apple is good at marketing.
ofcourse the dell has a dvd drive and a removable battery.
apple is good at marketing.
ninjamini
New member
Think about your home internet connection. 10 years ago you had to dial up. We can all remember the AOL connection sound. Internet connections are a lot more stable now and as fiber optic rolls out to the home and we see true 10-15-20 MB/s it then becomes feasible, easier and the selected method for the media provider. It costs a lot to master, print, distribute those disks. Then they also have to share the pie with the retailer and they have real costs of production. Going online is easier and cheaper.
Your internet connection will be more stable, faster and easier to use. You will also start to get it coast to coast over the next 20 years.
I have been in the consumer electronics industry for almost 15 years. This roadmap was established a long time ago. Everything we are seeing now was very planned out. The real issues in CS is making it so the the average consumer will use it.
So sorry Jeff but your shiny little disk is going away. I hope that does not mean that you will no longer advise me on my tank when its sick.
WiMax WiMax WiMax!!! lol
My friend who is planning on getting the Air is only worried about the future-proofness of it, that even though it has 802.11a/b/g/n, that he fears that WiMax will be the next big thing, and since he spends $3kish on a laptop when he gets one, he makes it last for 4-5 years. Interesting point, even tho WiMax was said to have it's final nails laid into it's coffin when Sprint's previous CEO (I believe it was CEO, but forget) said that they wouldn't roll it out as it was too expensive.
I'm a big fan of VZWs EVDO computer service, which you can't get installed internally for the Air, only USB.
My friend who is planning on getting the Air is only worried about the future-proofness of it, that even though it has 802.11a/b/g/n, that he fears that WiMax will be the next big thing, and since he spends $3kish on a laptop when he gets one, he makes it last for 4-5 years. Interesting point, even tho WiMax was said to have it's final nails laid into it's coffin when Sprint's previous CEO (I believe it was CEO, but forget) said that they wouldn't roll it out as it was too expensive.
I'm a big fan of VZWs EVDO computer service, which you can't get installed internally for the Air, only USB.
jeffbrig
Premium Member
Ninjamini,
It's not a question of speed, it's the broader questions about privacy, security and reliability. If I back up my personal tax and financial records, there's no way I want that out on the net where someone can potentially hack into it. Plus, how can you trust an offsite storage site that THEY won't have a disk crash and lose your 'backups'. A magnetic platter just isnt a good long term solution for permanent data storage (allthough newer flash based drives are intriguing).
On the reliability front, come back and talk to me when someone can provide 5-nines reliability on any sort of residential communication service. The problem with distributed software models is that you're stuck twiddling your thumbs when the network goes down. Sure, it may work great almost all of the time, but in times of crisis or natural disaster, the fundamental flaws get exposed.
Don't get me wrong, I have no particular affinity for optical drives. I just don't see them going away in the near term. Anyone who packages a computer these days without one is doing it for pure cost savings, regardless of what they may claim.
It's not a question of speed, it's the broader questions about privacy, security and reliability. If I back up my personal tax and financial records, there's no way I want that out on the net where someone can potentially hack into it. Plus, how can you trust an offsite storage site that THEY won't have a disk crash and lose your 'backups'. A magnetic platter just isnt a good long term solution for permanent data storage (allthough newer flash based drives are intriguing).
On the reliability front, come back and talk to me when someone can provide 5-nines reliability on any sort of residential communication service. The problem with distributed software models is that you're stuck twiddling your thumbs when the network goes down. Sure, it may work great almost all of the time, but in times of crisis or natural disaster, the fundamental flaws get exposed.
Don't get me wrong, I have no particular affinity for optical drives. I just don't see them going away in the near term. Anyone who packages a computer these days without one is doing it for pure cost savings, regardless of what they may claim.
ninjamini
New member
jeffbrig,
I do not mean to disagree with you. And you are correct. "questions about privacy, security and reliability" and always an issue. Privacy is never private. Security is never secure and reliability fails. This is nature. "back up my personal tax and financial records" Would I do this on line? Perhaps? Perhaps not. Do I need an optical media to back it up? No.
"trust an offsite storage site that THEY won't have a disk crash" They will. Fortunately they back up the back up. They mirror the drives. "allthough newer flash based drives are intriguing" They are and we will see very large sizes in the next few years. I still remember holding the non-working prototype of a 1GB memory stick. They said it could not be done. I even got to show it to B. Gates himself. Those were the days. But I digress.
"reliability on any sort of residential communication service" My crummy cable modem is very reliable. Enough so for me at home. I would not run a business from it but for my house it was good enough to fire ma'bell and get vonage. Cable is very reliable. Fiber will be even more so with out the degradation of cable.
"distributed software models" Never mentioned that. I said we could download the software from the internet instead of using a disk. So if the network goes down due to hurricane I guess I cant download that new version of mac office.
"in times of crisis or natural disaster, the fundamental flaws get exposed" But then who cares because I do not have power to run my computer for long and the battery is going to be almost dead anyway. I surly wont be watching a DVD. If fact when wilma hit I was more concerned with getting charcoal and food.
"I have no particular affinity for optical drives" Thats good.
"I just don't see them going away in the near term" You may not see it but here is the first step.
"Anyone who packages a computer these days without one is doing it for pure cost savings, regardless of what they may claim." For years I have said why does everyone want to lug these big laptops around. All these drives that we never use. And once we learn to go without we will never miss.
ReefWreak.
Tape has a life of 15-20 years
CD-R has a life of a 100 years (estimated)
CD-rw has a life of about 40 years.
All of these times are in airtight/no light storage. In reality these have never been tested. I guess we will see. O'yes flash has an indefinite storage. Well till you drop it.
Who's thread did I totally hijack? Ahh it was you ReefWreak. Sorry. I just love a good debate about things we have no real control over.
I do not mean to disagree with you. And you are correct. "questions about privacy, security and reliability" and always an issue. Privacy is never private. Security is never secure and reliability fails. This is nature. "back up my personal tax and financial records" Would I do this on line? Perhaps? Perhaps not. Do I need an optical media to back it up? No.
"trust an offsite storage site that THEY won't have a disk crash" They will. Fortunately they back up the back up. They mirror the drives. "allthough newer flash based drives are intriguing" They are and we will see very large sizes in the next few years. I still remember holding the non-working prototype of a 1GB memory stick. They said it could not be done. I even got to show it to B. Gates himself. Those were the days. But I digress.
"reliability on any sort of residential communication service" My crummy cable modem is very reliable. Enough so for me at home. I would not run a business from it but for my house it was good enough to fire ma'bell and get vonage. Cable is very reliable. Fiber will be even more so with out the degradation of cable.
"distributed software models" Never mentioned that. I said we could download the software from the internet instead of using a disk. So if the network goes down due to hurricane I guess I cant download that new version of mac office.
"in times of crisis or natural disaster, the fundamental flaws get exposed" But then who cares because I do not have power to run my computer for long and the battery is going to be almost dead anyway. I surly wont be watching a DVD. If fact when wilma hit I was more concerned with getting charcoal and food.
"I have no particular affinity for optical drives" Thats good.
"I just don't see them going away in the near term" You may not see it but here is the first step.
"Anyone who packages a computer these days without one is doing it for pure cost savings, regardless of what they may claim." For years I have said why does everyone want to lug these big laptops around. All these drives that we never use. And once we learn to go without we will never miss.
ReefWreak.
Tape has a life of 15-20 years
CD-R has a life of a 100 years (estimated)
CD-rw has a life of about 40 years.
All of these times are in airtight/no light storage. In reality these have never been tested. I guess we will see. O'yes flash has an indefinite storage. Well till you drop it.
Who's thread did I totally hijack? Ahh it was you ReefWreak. Sorry. I just love a good debate about things we have no real control over.
ninjamini
New member
Things that have come to pass:
Floppy drives
Zip drives
CD-R
Tape drives.
5.25 floppys
Punch cards
dialup
2800 baud...14.4...28.8...56K
Shotgun (thats using 2 56k modems at one time to increase speeds.)
ISDN
spyder
whois
ping
bulletin boards (BBS)
when the internet was only porn. OK Well that one is wishful thinking.
The telephone POTS (PlainOldTelephoneService) -VoIP
Cable TV/Sat TV - Yea soon we will watch TV over the internet too. AppleTV, Slingbox
Fax machine - email
TV - HDTV Feb. 2009
And get ready
The CD/DVD drive.
Hey guys I hope you all read this in fun. I don't want to PO anyone.
Floppy drives
Zip drives
CD-R
Tape drives.
5.25 floppys
Punch cards
dialup
2800 baud...14.4...28.8...56K
Shotgun (thats using 2 56k modems at one time to increase speeds.)
ISDN
spyder
whois
ping
bulletin boards (BBS)
when the internet was only porn. OK Well that one is wishful thinking.
The telephone POTS (PlainOldTelephoneService) -VoIP
Cable TV/Sat TV - Yea soon we will watch TV over the internet too. AppleTV, Slingbox
Fax machine - email
TV - HDTV Feb. 2009
And get ready
The CD/DVD drive.
Hey guys I hope you all read this in fun. I don't want to PO anyone.
