So I broke down and bought the Mac Air. After watching the damn thing emerge from an envelope over and over again to Yael Naim’s “New Soul” my Lenovo T61 (which I not-so-fondly) called my “hummer” laptop began to over-burden my back and my eyes. For those of you who work in corporate america you know your laptop becomes your significant “other” – your constant companion, your for better or worse, in sickness and in health….
So, with all this “togetherness” would I rather have a boulder-sized machine, or a sleek, glossy, silvery feather-weight dream under my arm every day?
Don’t get me wrong, I do miss some things about my old PC, but I have to admit, sliding this sliver-machine into my bag every morning makes me feel a bit lighter and yes, call me shallow but reading email on the glossy screen, well, it’s like the time my honda dealer added a manicure station to the service center- it adds a bit of delight to the necessary drudge.
If you think you have a problem with buying too many sweaters for your dog, I warn you about the dangers of accessories. An extra power cord, mouse, keyboard protector, airline adaptor, USB to ethernet converter, travel power adaptor kit, protective neoprene sleeve and a couple other “necessities” have set me back
As far as the basics go, no need to re-invent the wheel, let me just steal some points from Engadget’s review that were particularly relavent for me:
Mac air has a decent amount of horsepower with a Core 2 Duo processor.
The 13-inch LED backlit screen not only sips power where larger CCFL backlit displays guzzle, it also looks amazing: crisp, bright, and vibrant. Where other small laptops use 8-11-inch screens that are nigh-unreadable by many a squinty Engadget editor, for a laptop of this size the Air gives plenty of screen real estate to get things done.
Also rare for an ultraportable is the Air’s full-size keyboard, which adds some (worthy) width to the body keyboard feels thoroughly solid and sturdy. Typing on the Air is a pleasure, not a chore.
Air has only three ports: one USB 2.0, one micro-DVI, and one headphone
Air has no user replaceable battery
Despite all this, if you’d ask me again, I still say “I do” !!!
