Fresh Air

[Yokohammer]

[Warning: the following may be offensive to inveterate Windows users.]

I popped into the Sendai Apple Store yesterday and a new 13" MacBook Air followed me home.

I had been waiting for the refreshed Air lineup, and it looks as though the wait was worth it. The Core i5 processor at 1.7 GHz and the fact that it's readin' and writin' flash memory rather than a hard disk makes for some seriously snappy computing. The new OS (Lion) comes on it, and that is probably contributing to the speed as well. Lion is much lighter that its predecessors (Leopard or Snow Leopard), and seems to be nicely streamlined.

Somewhat unsettling for an old-timer like myself is the complete lack of physical restore media. There are no disks anywhere. Lion has some sort of built-in restore partition that will supposedly get things back on track if something goes wrong, and there's also the capability for a complete Internet restore. On the other hand, if Lion is as solid as Leopard or Snow Leopard those are capabilities I'll probably never need. Haven't needed to restore for several OS iterations anyway.

I did also buy the external SuperDrive for doing installations from optical media, encoding CDs, watching DVDs, etc.

Another thing the Air doesn't have is an Ethernet port, but a little USB-Ether adaptor thingie takes care of that. It does have a newfangled super-fast Thunderbolt port, but since there are no compatible peripherals available yet, although some have been announced, that'll have to wait. There's no Firewire either, just Thunderbolt and USB.

But for a secondary traveling machine it suits me perfectly, and will be replacing the netbook I have been using on the road primarily because it speaks the same language as my main system at home and will stay synced with it.

Oh yes ... the backlit keyboard is back on the new Airs! They dropped that feature for the last model, but it's back. Yipee.

So why an Air rather than a smaller and lighter iPad? One reason is that the Airs have a proper keyboard (I do a LOT of writing). Another is that I absolutely need MS Office for work, and no substitutes can be accepted. It's not that I'm a huge fan of Office, but the rest of the world seems to be so I have Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files coming and going all the time. Kind of locked in there. But be warned that Office 2004 and prior will not run under Lion. Office 2008 will run, but the installer and updater won't so some kludging is required. That's not good, so I just went ahead and bought a copy of Office 2011, which is supposedly all comfy with Lion.

Thus begins the MacBook Air thread. Anyone else gone or going this way?

[Coligny]

Sort of drooling to go this way... But since I barely leave home and the Ipad works well from the loo... I aint no got much need...

Meanwhile... comparing the IPad to the Air is pointless... you can't 'create' anything on the IPad even typing text is more or less of a nightmare thanks to the randomness of the text selection modus operandi... But as a book reader or youtube player on the loo... it can't be beaten...

Still curious aboot the new OS, I phear to break again softs like little snitch, synergy, VNC and friends... have to check again the dog slow compatibility websites...

[Taro Toporific]

... for a secondary traveling machine it suits me perfectly, and will be replacing the netbook I have been using on the road primarily because it speaks the same language as my main system at home and will stay synced with it....

One month ago, I went over to the "Dark Side."

I bought at bargain-debasement Windoze 7 Acer netbook for $219. I have been totally shocked and delighted. Please note I came to Japan with a brand-new Apple IIc (1984) and owned dozen Mac iterations since. Additionally, I have owned several round lots of Apple stock since its nadir in 1989.

However, I gotta give Micro$oft its due, at the same weight my Win7 netbook is getting the job done at 1/4 the price of an Apple "Air."

Would I rather have an Air? Sure!!

Will I pay for the new Air. Fuck no.

[Taro Toporific]

...Still curious aboot the new OS, I phear to break again softs like little snitch, synergy, VNC and friends...

ARRG!

The Lion OS has broken my Dragon Dictate, 3rd party screen capture utilies, and SCREWED all my audio tools for work.

I've downgraded back to Snow Leopard until I get all my site licenses straightened out, meh. [color="Gray"](The companies I work for will issue me a site license for upgrades but since they are all Japanese that will take at least six months. FG translators out their please note: my TRADOS dongle freaked out when Lion was running.)[/color]

[Yokohammer]

However, I gotta give Micro$oft its due, at the same weight my Win7 netbook is getting the job done at 1/4 the price of an Apple "Air."

I can appreciate this. I'm not entirely anti-windows, and have in fact used an Asus netbook (admittedly loaded with Ubuntu Linux) on the road for about a year, and it certainly did get the job done. The main drawback to that approach for me was staying synced with my Mac system back home. I eventually decided that the overall system integration, especially with the current "cloud" capabilities of me.com and iCloud to come, made the cost of an Air worth it for my business.

Side note: I was recently using a Toshiba Dynabook with a Core i5 processor running Windows 7 for a "Windows-only" project (they come along occasionally), and was very impressed. Fast, smooth, stable. Really nice, and not particularly expensive. But I'm afraid I'm brainwashed. I'm just more comfortable and efficient with a Mac.

[Coligny]

One month ago, I went over to the "Dark Side."

I bought at bargain-debasement Windoze 7 Acer netbook for $219. I have been totally shocked and delighted. Please note I came to Japan with a brand-new Apple IIc (1984) and owned dozen Mac iterations since. Additionally, I have owned several round lots of Apple stock since its nadir in 1989.

However, I gotta give Micro$oft its due, at the same weight my Win7 netbook is getting the job done at 1/4 the price of an Apple "Air."

Would I rather have an Air? Sure!!

Will I pay for the new Air. Fuck no.

Dood, even XP was quite awesome... as long as it works it super cool...Then it start hic upping (give it 6 month-one year) and you'ze a fucked as a schoolgirl in a candy van... and pray for your data, bookmarks, apps, settings... because the only good way to go back to a working state is a fresh install...

I haven't made a fresh system instal os OSX since the release of the beta on my G4 who retired 6 month ago...

[Ganma]

An Air sounds great!
In my case software would be a big issue if I bought a windows machine. I just have too many legacy Mac applications to make it worth going over to Windows even if the actual machines are cheap. My MacBook Pro does me fine.

[Yokohammer]

An Air sounds great!
In my case software would be a big issue if I bought a windows machine. I just have too many legacy Mac applications to make it worth going over to Windows even if the actual machines are cheap. My MacBook Pro does me fine.

You'll have to be careful of Lion then. It doesn't support PPC apps anymore (no Rosetta in Lion), so you'll probably end up having to upgrade your apps anyway.

[Ganma]

You'll have to be careful of Lion then. It doesn't support PPC apps anymore (no Rosetta in Lion), so you'll probably end up having to upgrade your apps anyway.

Bummer. I guess I won't be upgrading anytime soon then.
or...

create a dual-boot Mac—]http://www.macworld.com/article/160497/2011/06/lions_nixrosetta.html[/url]

[Mock Cockpit]

So what was the damage?

[legion]

jeez, computer porn

I thought this thread was going to be about hiking in the countryside or something

[Yokohammer]

So what was the damage?

You mean the *gulp* damage to my wallet?

I got the 13" 256 GB version:
The MacBook Air lineup at the Apple Store

[Mock Cockpit]

You mean the *gulp* damage to my wallet?

I got the 13" 256 GB version:
The MacBook Air lineup at the Apple Store

Fucken hell! Did you at least get a reach-around?

[Yokohammer]

Fucken hell! Did you at least get a reach-around?

They reached around and grabbed my wallet. [SIZE="1"][color="Gray"](Figuratively, of course.)[/color][/SIZE]

I realize it's not exactly a bargain computer, but for my needs I think it's worth it.

[Mock Cockpit]

Yeah they're lovely bits of kit. I'd have one. Unfortunately for me Mrs MC insists that the only adjective that should describe a computer is cheap.

[matsuki]

I just tore down my business desktop last month and replaced it with a NEC notebook. Vista was complete shit but Win 7 got their shit together. I got no hate for Apple, like Coligny, I should probably mount my iPad in the restroom...but I am really annoyed at their focus on "the future" and putting on all this madness in their products before there is support for it. (any by the time there is any, they already have the next generation of whatever you just bought) Then, like others mentioned, there is the price.

[Catoneinutica]

Got an Air, the basic 13.3 model, for 110,000 yen at the Apple Store in Ginza. It's a present for the Mrs., but I may use it from time to time - heh. She uses a Windows notebook now. I'm a complete moron about this kinda stuff: how can I migrate her Excel, Word, and PP files over to the MBA? Will I need to get Parallels, that virtual Windows application?

[Greji]

Got an Air, the basic 13.3 model, for 110,000 yen at the Apple Store in Ginza. It's a present for the Mrs., but I may use it from time to time - heh. She uses a Windows notebook now. I'm a complete moron about this kinda stuff: how can I migrate her Excel, Word, and PP files over to the MBA? Will I need to get Parallels, that virtual Windows application?

Get Office for Mac. Well worth the investment and with her job she would need it!

[Coligny]

Get Office for Mac. Well worth the investment and with her job she would need it!

For the files... go with a USB drive... 900 yens near the cashier usually between the mint candies and the PEZ dispensers...

Also... if youz Julie is as I recall a doctor if she is in the public sector they got governement employee discountz of varying percentage on all apple hardware and for Microsoft she will have the education discount license. (so if youz Julie is like mine and you bought the compy without using her discount, you'ze az good az dead... pack your stuff and leave the country for a few month while she cools down)

If she still need some windows software I recommend a vmware fusion virtual machine

[Tsuru]

Being a vehement Linux fanboy, I finally broke down and picked up the most basic iPad 1 for a bargain just after the 2 came out because I'm a cheapass, but I'm practically married to the thing. To paint a picture about how strongly I feel about Linux: everything at our house is Fedora, I even forced my wife to use it (she says she likes it).

I have one Win7 box and have to say it's pretty good, but the iPad is nothing short of excellent. Perfect for use at work and around the house in places where a phone is too small and a laptop is too big. Which is, as it turns out, almost everywhere. If you don't have one, get one.

[maraboutslim]

I'm still using a Dell Mini 10V I've "hacked" to run Mac OSX (currently 10.6.6). Meanwhile, my wife and two kids each have their own real Macbooks (purchased in 2008, 09, and 10). I think it's time that dad gets to have the best computer in the house for a change though and I think the Air may be the one.

[tone]

openoffice.org for mac is a good free alternative to office for mac - opens and edits all the .doc, .xls, .ppt bullshit

new MB airs look really sweet, for anything lighter weight work wise than the rendering stuff I have to do i would be all over that

[Ganma]

openoffice.org for mac is a good free alternative to office for mac - opens and edits all the .doc, .xls, .ppt bullshit

Good one.
I was just going to suggest that.

[Catoneinutica]

Many thanks, you guys: downloaded OpenOffice, and it works great - even the PowerPoint simulacra! Looks like with OSX Lion, Apple offers a Window Migration Assistant. I installed it on my wife's PC, and I'm now in the process of migrating the files; it's showing 3hrs 17 min remaining: makes me wonder if the transfer is FUBAR.

[FG Lurker]

Dood, even XP was quite awesome... as long as it works it super cool...Then it start hic upping (give it 6 month-one year) and you'ze a fucked as a schoolgirl in a candy van... and pray for your data, bookmarks, apps, settings... because the only good way to go back to a working state is a fresh install...

My main computer is an aging IBM ThinkPad T60 running Windows XP. The XP install on this machine was done on 2008-09-05 @ 16:48 and has been running well since. It's been heavily abused too, I have many dozens of packages installed and have added/removed dozens and dozens more. I use this machine 12 to 16 hours a day pretty much every day.

The days of having to do a reinstall every year or so ended with Win9x.

[damn name]

Yes, I agree Lurker. I never had a problem with XP either, even with multiple hardware changes. I skipped Vista and the migration XP to Win7 was effortless.

Sure, 3.1, Win95 and Win98 had issues, but XP was released 10 years ago this year. I've probably put 4 new boxes together in that time and never had any problems. I've had more hardware problems with my Macs.

[FG Lurker]

Yes, I agree Lurker. I never had a problem with XP either, even with multiple hardware changes. I skipped Vista and the migration XP to Win7 was effortless.

I'm just going through the process if building a new PC as I've finally had to admit that the 3GB of memory in the ThinkPad is too big an issue to ignore any longer. (It won't take more than 3GB and I am always running short of memory...) It's also time to go to Win7, something else this ThinkPad can't do.

New machine is an i7-2600K with 16GB of memory, Crucial 60GB SSD for boot (400+MB/sec reads!), and two 2TB disks in RAID1 for data. Will be running Win7 Professional on it and am really looking forward to having a fast computer again. It's amazing what you can build for about 80,000yen.

[Coligny]

I'm just going through the process if building a new PC as I've finally had to admit that the 3GB of memory in the ThinkPad is too big an issue to ignore any longer. (It won't take more than 3GB and I am always running short of memory...) It's also time to go to Win7, something else this ThinkPad can't do.

New machine is an i7-2600K with 16GB of memory, Crucial 60GB SSD for boot (400+MB/sec reads!), and two 2TB disks in RAID1 for data. Will be running Win7 Professional on it and am really looking forward to having a fast computer again. It's amazing what you can build for about 80,000yen.

Beware, the 2600K is for -forgot the word used to describe use of a processor above it's specced frequency, fuck you alzheimer- I builded a ubuntu machine lately and hunted for the 2600 instead as it has more hardware virtualisation capabilities (intel V sumthing) that is quite enjoyed by Xen, VBox and maybe even vmware...

XP never directly shitted on my face, but the combo ati driver switched to nvidia drivers and direct X upgrade resulted in quite a few fireworks more easily salvageable by a full reinstall...

[FG Lurker]

Beware, the 2600K is for -forgot the word used to describe use of a processor above it's specced frequency, fuck you alzheimer- I builded a ubuntu machine lately and hunted for the 2600 instead as it has more hardware virtualisation capabilities (intel V sumthing) that is quite enjoyed by Xen, VBox and maybe even vmware...

The 2600K is unlocked which allows for easy overclocking. I'm not planning to overclock but the 2600K also includes the better HD 3000 integrated GPU and I plan to use this for awhile to drive my twin Dell 24" 1920x1200 displays.

The 2600 has Intel vPro technology which seems to be aimed at IT departments for security and remote management. Both the 2600 and the 2600K have Intel's VT-x which is for virtualization with packages such as Xen or VMware.

XP never directly shitted on my face, but the combo ati driver switched to nvidia drivers and direct X upgrade resulted in quite a few fireworks more easily salvageable by a full reinstall...

If you uninstall one set of drivers and revert to VGA before installing the next set of drivers it should be fine. Personally I generally just stick with AMD/ATI graphics though, I've never really liked nvidia that much.

[Coligny]

The word wuz overclocking...