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James T Kirk
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Joined: 23 Aug 2005
Posts: 757
Location: The Netherlands, Europe
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 Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 5:12 am Post subject: |
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| curt wrote: | | mojofrojo wrote: | | I just want to know if the USB superdrive can be used on Mac minis. A fat buck to put DVD burning on my rev a mini? Sold american. |
I would bet my life that it works like any other external DVD burner. |
Only more expensive and no Firewire!
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heulenwolf
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Joined: 31 Aug 2006
Posts: 20
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| Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 3:38 pm Post subject: Memory not upgradeable |
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| zuzu wrote: | | DCGuy wrote: |
For me, the dealbreaker on this subnotebook that I was anticipating like mad is the 2GB memory limit!!! At least it could have been upgradable (at time of purchase) to 4GB! |
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If you look at the motherboard Steve showed during the keynote in the cut-away view of the Air, you can see that the memory is soldered directly onto the board. There are no SODIMM slots like in larger notebooks. There just isn't room. Even making it upgradeable only at the time of purchase means a whole new motherboard design. Since its stuck at one memory size, I'm glad they went with at least 2 GB. It wasn't that long ago that their systems only came with 512 MB by default.
So there's one compromise he didn't list - memory upgradeability. Of course, most "competing" ultraportables aren't memory upgradeable, either.
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zuzu
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Joined: 07 Jun 2006
Posts: 164
Location: Darknet
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| Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 3:47 pm Post subject: Re: Memory not upgradeable |
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| heulenwolf wrote: | | zuzu wrote: | | DCGuy wrote: |
For me, the dealbreaker on this subnotebook that I was anticipating like mad is the 2GB memory limit!!! At least it could have been upgradable (at time of purchase) to 4GB! |
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If you look at the motherboard Steve showed during the keynote in the cut-away view of the Air, you can see that the memory is soldered directly onto the board. There are no SODIMM slots like in larger notebooks. There just isn't room. Even making it upgradeable only at the time of purchase means a whole new motherboard design. Since its stuck at one memory size, I'm glad they went with at least 2 GB. It wasn't that long ago that their systems only came with 512 MB by default.
So there's one compromise he didn't list - memory upgradeability. Of course, most "competing" ultraportables aren't memory upgradeable, either. |
Yeah, I figured there wouldn't be SODIMM slots, which is also why I figured 2GB or 4GB (or more, since it's a custom motherboard) would have to be configured at time of purchase.
The "512MB default" days were miserable though; everyone immediately upgraded to at least 1GB. There seems to be a serious disconnect between the way people write and use software, and the people making the choices about how much default memory to include. The years of a 2GB ceiling were even worse... so we're back where we started with that. 
The lack of higher density memory chips is the direct result of lack of demand by the OEMs; Apple, Lenovo, Sony, et. al. ones dropping the ball here.
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mojofrojo
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Joined: 21 Jul 2005
Posts: 93
Location: maryland
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| Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 4:19 pm Post subject: |
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| curt wrote: | | mojofrojo wrote: | | I just want to know if the USB superdrive can be used on Mac minis. A fat buck to put DVD burning on my rev a mini? Sold american. |
I would bet my life that it works like any other external DVD burner. |
Super drive does not work with any other mac.
http://macenstein.com/default/archives/1052
You owe me one life there slappy.
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Bandit Bill
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Joined: 07 Jun 2005
Posts: 5793
Location: Edmonton, AB, Canada
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| Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 5:42 pm Post subject: Re: Memory not upgradeable |
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| heulenwolf wrote: | | It wasn't that long ago that their systems only came with 512 MB by default.] |
It wasn't that long ago that the Mac mini shipped with 256MB of RAM.
My G4 (which I purchased with Tiger pre-installed) shipped with 256MB RAM, no airport or Bluetooth.
That was just slightly over 2.5 years ago. |
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gigaguy
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jun 2007
Posts: 466
Location: AusTX
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| Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 5:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Maybe it'll follow the iphone model and drop price 30% in 2-3 months. |
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zuzu
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Posts: 164
Location: Darknet
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| Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 8:49 pm Post subject: |
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Actually, it seems to me that the issue referred to in in that article is that Apple laptops from the aluminum Powerbooks to the MacBook Pros have had underpowered USB ports that couldn't drive external slimline optical drives. This has even been a problem for some 2.5" external hard drives, and there are all kinds of workarounds such as power-merging USB cables that combine two ports worth of power into one, etc.
However, Apple does deserve some blame for designing and manufacturing laptops with underpowered USB ports in the first place. The Titanium Powerbooks (although only USB 1.1) do not have this problem.
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Cypher
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Joined: 24 Jan 2007
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Location: North West - UK
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| Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 7:51 am Post subject: |
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| zuzu wrote: | | Actually, it seems to me that the issue referred to in in that article is that Apple laptops from the aluminum Powerbooks to the MacBook Pros have had underpowered USB ports that couldn't drive external slimline optical drives. |
If that were the case wouldn't connecting the optical drive via a power USB hub get around it 
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Mac Mini 2.53GHz - iMac 2.0Ghz - Macbook Pro 2.4GHz - iPad 1 32GB 3G
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zuzu
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Posts: 164
Location: Darknet
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| Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 7:59 am Post subject: |
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| Cypher wrote: | | zuzu wrote: | | Actually, it seems to me that the issue referred to in in that article is that Apple laptops from the aluminum Powerbooks to the MacBook Pros have had underpowered USB ports that couldn't drive external slimline optical drives. |
If that were the case wouldn't connecting the optical drive via a power USB hub get around it |
Yes, it would. Has this been tested with the Apple external "SuperDrive"?
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iMav
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Location: Columbus, WI
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| Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 10:27 am Post subject: |
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I thought for sure the new MacBook Air would have at least a marginally smaller footprint than the MacBook. Instead, it is BIGGER!! (MacBook: 12.78" x 8.92" - MacBook Air: 12.8" x 8.94")
Sure, it's thinner...but the MBA is going to take up (marginally) MORE space in your briefcase, more space on your airplane tray table, etc than the more powerful and vastly cheaper MacBook.
I think the MacBook Air looks cool...but a laptop's "thinness" really doesn't have any real-world benefit for me. However, its footprint certainly does.
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JohnnyBoy
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Joined: 13 Jul 2007
Posts: 3954
Location: West Sussex, South-East England
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| Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 10:54 am Post subject: |
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| iMav wrote: | | I think the MacBook Air looks cool...but a laptop's "thinness" really doesn't have any real-world benefit for me. However, its footprint certainly does. |
Exactly, iMav. After the excitement and good sales figures created by the Asus Eee PC, I was really expecting (hoping for) a sub-notebook, and by that I mean a machine with a 10 or 11 inch screen. Ah well. I'm just glad that I bought my MacBook at the beginning of December - I would have been disappointed if I'd waited with the expectation of a UMPC and then been offered the "skinny mini". 
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Paul W
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Joined: 16 Jan 2008
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 1:13 pm Post subject: |
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I really like the design, color scheme and size, but here are the factors that turn me off.
1.) The glossy screen.
2.) The slow 4200-RPM 1.8" HDD. The 80GB capacity isn't helping either.
3.) The battery situation.
4.) The lack of FW
5.) The sticker price.
I might be able to look past the glossy screen and it not having Firewire, but the rest of those factors will prevent me from buying. |
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Cypher
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Joined: 24 Jan 2007
Posts: 2909
Location: North West - UK
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| Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 2:00 pm Post subject: |
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I agree with all 5 of Paul W
but I would also add the optical drive should have been included in the price. It being an external doesn't worry me too much but it should have been in the package.
and the £9 for the optional remote is just taking the mick. 
When you add the cost of the Ext drive and the remote. The air is more expensive than the basic Macbook Pro 
If I had that kind of money to splash around on a notebook, I would go for the 15" Mac Book Pro any day of the week.
Had the macbook air been smaller and cheaper I would have considered it, but as iMav says the footprint means I may as well buy a macbook. An extra couple of pounds in weight I can live with.
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Phil
Mac Mini 2.53GHz - iMac 2.0Ghz - Macbook Pro 2.4GHz - iPad 1 32GB 3G
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JohnnyBoy
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Joined: 13 Jul 2007
Posts: 3954
Location: West Sussex, South-East England
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| Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 1:49 pm Post subject: |
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Engadget has posted a whole bunch of photos of the MBA:
http://www.engadget.com/photos/apple-macbook-air-first-hands-on/587573/ (Scroll down for the thumbnails)
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zuzu
Member
Joined: 07 Jun 2006
Posts: 164
Location: Darknet
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| Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 6:05 pm Post subject: |
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Anyone know if this is the same pin interface as the other MagSafe connectors? ...just with an L-shaped head to fit underneath? Could you use someone else's MacBook or MBP power adapter if you were stuck in a jam without one?
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