Apple eliminated the floppy drive in the first iMac and everyone said they were crazy. Were they? Soon everyone followed.

Yes, drives have been left out before, e.g., the early Mac Duo. But they were needed. So everyone bought one. Now you don’t need one, but umbilical cords are still available (remote disk the external drive). Your article is correct! We can do without it, but most need the comfort of the knowing that solution still exist.

The Air will be big once people understand the new paradigm of computing. I already see long-time Windows users switching due to the Air.

You’re right in that the customer market will decide whether to buy Apple or not. And that based on these consumer trends, the manufacturing market will determine whether to emulate. I think, however, that all the trends indicate that consumers are very likely to buy Apple products and that the user base of Apple products (whether they be Macs or iPods or whatever) continues to gain momentum. I stand by my predictions but time will, of course, tell if the market agrees with me. :-)

While I think the advent of the Macbook Air is great, I love lighter notebooks, but, I am just not ready to cough up $1700-3300 for one. While tossing out the optical drives is great, as long as they are using other options for removable media like USB ports, Firewire, and SDHC readers.

I just dropped $400 on an EEE PC with Xandros linux platform. Very light, small, highly portable, and is very successful for these new styles of mobile computing.

Hurry up and get your macbook air Aaron and let’s see those pics :D

It is your standpoint that Apple is a business leader and that everything it does is to be emulated? I claim this is inherently false. Apple is a brand, such as Nike or McDonalds, which have a large brand following, and many imitators trying to make similar products in order to surf on the wave of recognition.

The iPhone may have sold like hotcakes, which is typical of the hype surrounding it. I claim many of the buyers did not know of it’s lackings mainly because they bought it sight unseen due to the branding and advertising. Like a beaten woman the fans make excuses for the iPhone’s lacking, but of course sensible people – the buyers outside of the brand recognition buyers – look objectively on the reviews and realize the phone looks nice but lacks feature. Sure, it is and will be imitated – often with MORE features at a lower price – but this is because the image sells, not because it is a wanted product in itself, or even a futuristic product. The iPhone was not a step forward, it was a step back. It is bought for bragging rights, not because of any need for a real phone.

I say the air is even worse. There are already competitors that are smaller with more functions. Again, the air will be a product only for the fans, since anyone who is not already a mac fanatic will not buy it solely for the looks and branding. It is always a balance between brand and features for a buyer. Could I live without the LAN connection to get a nicer laptop? Well, maybe, I can get a USB adapter. External DVD… What about battery life? Fragility? If somebody GAVE me a macbook air, I’d sell it and buy two REAL laptops for the money. I’m not saying I would not want a mac, I am saying if I have a laptop, I need to be able to use it as more than a fashion statement.

http://www.four77.com/air.html

But I’m a PC user, so that may explain it.

There’s one toshiba laptop that is actually lighter and as thin as the Macbook Air though… the Toshiba R500.. and the best thing about it is that it actually has a built-in DVD writer..

http://www.toshiba.ca/web/product.grp?section=1&group=1&product=7170

My opinion on these thin laptops is that they are way too fragile to be safely carried around… So I’ll stay with my 15″ 4 pounds notebook, thanks :)

Oh yeah, but my Dell was crap, because it didn’t say ‘Apple’ anywhere on it.