The future of the Macbook Air, and why you shouldn’t buy one…yet

Section: Mac + Computers, Laptops, MacBook Air, OriginalsIf you’re in need of a new notebook and are considering the Macbook Air, then you should probably consider some key points first. Is the Air worth spending your money on? Should you go for a cheaper alternative such as the Macbook? And just what could the future bring for the Macbook Air? The Macbook Air is the newest addition to Apple’s notebook line, and it’s arguably the best looking, but there are many reasons why a Macbook Air probably isn’t right for you...yet. Weighing in at just three pounds and sporting the “thinnest notebook ever” tag makes the Macbook Air undeniably irresistible, but only for those reasons alone. The Macbook Air is the slowest computer that Apple currently manufactures, and one of the most expensive. I guess that tag-line comes at a price. Can you justify paying $1,799 for something that is less powerful than a Mac Mini ($599)? Okay, that’s obviously not a great comparison since the Mini is a desktop machine, but from a power point of view, surely you catch my drift. Marketed as an extremely portable machine, the air doesn’t exactly come up trumps here, either. 13” is a little on the large side for an ultra-portable, as its foot-print is the same as a Macbook. And what do you get for almost twice the price of the lovable Macbook? Well, half the height certainly, but also half the storage, half the USB ports and half the power, not to mention the lack of a disc drive and any upgradability. So, the Air might not be such a great buy as it stands, but that’s not to say Apple should discontinue it. It’s what lies in the future for the Air that’s really interesting. Here are some of the things that might make the Air a little more attractive (obviously, not aesthetically speaking): Price. This has got to be a big issue for a lot of “wannabe” Macbook Air owners. As prices of components drop, so will the Air. O,r instead, Apple will give the Air little boostsin the form of periodic upgrades. If you’re really not desperate for the Air right now, then you’ll certainly get more for your money the longer you wait. Memory. 80GB is okay, but that’s for the slow P-ATA drive. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like the sound of one of those oh-so-reliable iPod hard disks storing my data. The 64GB SSD is fast, but too small, and way too expensive. The price is understandable, since large solid state drives are relatively new, but this won’t always be the case. SSD prices will drop, and I’m confident that the P-ATA option will, in the future, cease to exist. Power. Been looking at some of the Macbook Air/Pro comparison benchmarks that make the Air look not all that bad? Sure, the Air can probably power through many tasks, such as duplicating files and encoding an MP3, but opening multiple pro applications at one time probably isn’t so smooth. Since the Air is arguably more portable than the Macbook, I’m guessing lack of power may just be one of those sacrifices you have to live with. But a slight power-boost (perhaps a 2.0GHz processor option) certainly wouldn’t go a miss, and perhaps make that price a little easier to swallow. For now, if you use a lot of CPU intensive applications such as Photoshop and Aperture, the Macbook could probably do a better job. Anything 3D, and you’re definitely going to need the Pro. Whether the Air will remain targeted at an extremely niche market or make its way into a mass market, only time will tell. What do you think lies in the future for the Air? What will it take for you to consider one? Full Story » | Written by Steve Embleton for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

China Mobile ready to talk iPhone again

After backing out of talks with Apple several months ago, China Mobile now says the biggest hurdle for bringing the iPhone to China has been cleared.

Apple lawsuit targets "iPod Mechanic"

'Tis better to give than to receive, so Apple is giving some legal love by filing trademark and fraud suits against Portage, Michigan businessman Nicholas Woodhams.Woodhams operates an online iPod repair business called iPod Mechanic. Apple claims they asked Woodhams to stop using the iPod trademark back in 2006 and that the parties came to an agreement to have Woodhams stop using the iPod Mechanic name in January, 2007 and park the ipodmechanic.com domain name two months later. Apple says those conditions were never met. A quick browse to ipodmechanic.com shows that it now redirects to imechanic.com. The company name is still iPod Mechanic.But wait, there's more! Apple accuses Woodhams of defrauding them by convincing the company to send him free repair parts. Woodhams allegedly scammed Apple's iPod shuffle Advance Replacement Program in 2007, filling out online forms for customers using a credit card as insurance that the broken shuffle would be returned. Apple claims that Woodhams would immediately decline charges made by Apple when the broken shuffles didn't show, and then sold the iPods at a heavy discount. Apple claims this scheme cost them over $75,000.Woodhams is also accused of swapping back plates on out-of-warranty iPods for those still covered by a warranty in order to avoid paying for parts and repair charges. All of the offenses are viewed as deliberate, so Apple is seeking triple damages and the discontinuation of the iPod Mechanic name and website.[Via Apple Insider]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

So Hot Right Now: Top 10 Appletell posts for the week of June 22, 2008

Section: AppleHaven’t caught all of the Appletell news this week?  Here’s your chance to catch up on this week’s top 10 articles! Time to sell your old iPhone dock, as the iPhone 3G won’t fit on it“For those who are still clinging to their iPhone dock hoping they can use it for the iPhone 3G, well, don’t get your hopes to high, folks. An Apple Store employee confirmed that the old iPhone Dock will not fit in…” MORE »More Snow Leopard Screenshots Appear“ German Apple site Apfeltalk has released new screenshots of Mac OS X 10.6 “Snow Leopard” onto the internet. There’s not really much to see, but the screenshots offer “photo evidence” of Safari 4’s web-application feature, Address Book…” MORE »Details on all the new Snow Leopard features“As news of Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard abounds, speculation about features begins. Read on for some more features expected in 10.6, including Multi-Touch support, auto activation, ZFS support, and more.  More Multi-Touch support. With an update to…” MORE »What Apple should allow with the SDK, but won’t“Let’s face it, when it comes to the iPhone and its SDK, there are some types of applications Apple isn’t going to allow. Many of these will be expected, and I certainly don’t care if Apple blocks access to all the applications…” MORE »Apple updates Safari for Windows, fixes security flaw“ Apple has just released a fix for a very serious Windows Safari security flaw, which was addressed by Microsoft a short while ago, and allowed the download of malicious software without warning the victim. The patch…” MORE »Safari beats Firefox at JavaScript rendering, and IE, of course…“ Firefox 3 may have beaten Apple’s Safari in several tests, but Safari is still the best browser in the market at JavaScript. Webkit…” MORE »Apple can be successful without Mr. Jobs?“ After his appearance at this year’s WWDC, many people were worried about Steve Jobs’ health after seeing the gauntness of his physical appearance (many said this was simply a side effect of his pancreatic cancer). This caused Reuters…” MORE »Run the Spore Creature Creator in Mac OS X v10.4.11“ For those of you who want Spore, but are still running Tiger, we’ve got the fix for you. With some simple .plist editing, you can be on your way to making strange looking aliens in no time!  First, obtain…” MORE »O2 offering iPhone pre-registration from 1 July“A recent report has said that O2 will be offering iPhone pre-registration from 1st July, letting UK customers have their contract set-up and be given a unique registration code. Customers won’t be paying for the contract until they return…” MORE »New 3G iPhone cases from NLU and USBFever“It seems there have been a lot of iPhone 3G cases released lately. Well, it’s time to add two more cases to the mix: the Bodyguardz from NLU and the iPhone Chocolate from USBFever.  MORE » Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

iTunes 7.7 reveals iTunes Remote app for iPhone and iPod

Tucked away in Apple's pre-release version of iTunes 7.7 is word that the iPhone and iPod touch will soon act as remote controls for nearby computers. Also, Apple is now accepting submissions to the App Store. A reference in the late beta version...

Apple makes example of iPod repairman in lawsuit

The owner of an iPod repair shop is being sued by Apple for misuse of its coveted iPod trademark -- and of allegedly manipulating Apple to both send him replacement units for free as well as tricking the company into repairing out-of-warranty iPods. ...