Out of the four big announcements at MacWorld today, the most significant was something that we all saw coming: an ultraportable MacBook. The name of this lightweight wonder is something we actually learned a few days ago when bits of news about it started to leak, though it is something that tech journalists have been predicting for months.
After all the speculation, rumors, leaks, and waiting, what we are left with is the MacBook Air. This notebook will measure in at 12.8″ x 8.94″ x 0.16-0.76 inch and weight 3.0 pounds, putting it in the same class as high-end ultraportables like Sony’s TZ and Toshiba’s R500, though it is a good deal thinner than other models. It will be powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo processor (1.6 or 1.8GHz) and be built around a 13.3″ 1280×800 LED-backlit display. Other features include 802.11n draft wireless, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor, and 2GB of RAM standard. The notebook will also feature a full-sized keyboard, iSight webcam, and MagSafe power connector.
Packing a MacBook into such a small aluminum shell is not cheap though–the starting price for the Air will be $1799. This base model uses an 80GB 1.8″ disk and the 1.6GHz processor. If you want the full Air experience you’ll have to drop $3098 on the upgraded model which will feature the 1.8GHz processor and a 64GB SSD for storage.
One serious downside with the Air is its limited set of external connectors. The curved exterior does not give room for a full set of peripheral connections so Apple has limited the selection to an audio jack, a single USB 2.0 slot, and Micro-DVI out, all in a pop-out door on the right side. The notebook does not have an optical drive, but Apple developed two options to solve this. The first is a $99 USB accessory drive which can work with the MacBook, the other is a software solution, called Remote Disk, that lets the Air connect with a computer on the network and read a disk from that system’s optical drive. This second solution will work with both PCs and Macs so it looks like it will be quite useful.
The Air will use an extra large touchpad that will be able to work with a number of different finger gestures. These will vary based on what program you are using, but they will be similar to those used on the iPhone. Using gestures like pinches and swipes it will be possible to do things like zoom in/out, go forward or back, or rotate a photo. The MacBook Air’s video fully explains this.
The Air is expected to have a battery life of 5 hours. This seems generous given the size and processor, but we’ll give Apple the benefit of the doubt, based on past performance. Assuming this number, the Air will not offer the life of ultraportables like Sony’s TZ, Lenovo’s ThinkPad X61s, or the Panasonic W7, but it has a larger display than these and is not running an ultra-low voltage processor. It’s worth noting that the system does not look to have a user-replaceable battery. So, just like with the iPhone, if the battery dies, the device has to be sent back to Apple and if it runs out while you are in the middle of a flight, you’re out of luck.
If you are looking for some better pictures, Engadget got some early hands-on time with the system. Check out that rocker-style up/down button–it looks pretty annoying.
The MacBook Air is available for pre-order now but it probably won’t be in the hands of consumers for about two or three weeks.
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar