New MacBook Air Now Available on Apple Store • Hacker News Board

Re: New MacBook Air Now Available on Apple Store

#41

Post by justinchen » Wed, Jul 20, 2011, 2:18 PM UTC

For anyone else confused by the lack of DisplayPort:

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-20043524-263.html

Re: New MacBook Air Now Available on Apple Store

#42

Post by corin_ » Wed, Jul 20, 2011, 2:21 PM UTC

I'm really not a fan of their non-US pricing, it rarely works out well for international buyers.

For example the $1,199 model costs £999 in the UK. $1,199 is equal to £744. So to buy it from the UK store you're paying 34% more?

For the cheapest option, $999 in US store, the UK price is 37% more. And I'm too lazy to work out the 13" price differences.

Re: New MacBook Air Now Available on Apple Store

#43

Post by w1ntermute » Wed, Jul 20, 2011, 2:24 PM UTC

afterburner wrote: post #35

cdr wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The biggest downside might be 4GB maximum RAM - that's enough to dissuade me, anyway.

Seems like plenty to me for a laptop, do you bump up against that limit for what you do on a laptop? (I'm curious.)

He might need virtualization, which is essential for any web dev who wants to target the mainstream. You might have multiple VMs up so you can test different versions of IE (no IE 6 on Windows Vista or 7). When you add in Photoshop, Firefox with Firebug, and Apache, you really start pushing the limits of 4 GB.

Re: New MacBook Air Now Available on Apple Store

#44

Post by snorkel » Wed, Jul 20, 2011, 2:24 PM UTC

dman wrote: post #40

snorkel wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've also been coding and working on an Air for months and had no issues other than being spoiled by its lightness and speed. I run virtual machines on it with no problem. It does everything a Macbook Pro does only faster, quieter, and without a DVD drive which I don't miss. You can also trade in your shoulder bag for a neoprene sleeve and reminisce about what life was like before computers were the size of clipboard…

You do realise that you could use a SSD on the macbook pro too right?

What, and carry an extra kilo everyhwere too? That's crazy talk! IIRC Macbook can use SSD but doesn't boot off the SSD.

Re: New MacBook Air Now Available on Apple Store

#45

Post by w1ntermute » Wed, Jul 20, 2011, 2:26 PM UTC

corin_ wrote: post #42

I'm really not a fan of their non-US pricing, it rarely works out well for international buyers. For example the $1,199 model costs £999 in the UK. $1,199 is equal to £744. So to buy it from the UK store you're paying 34% more? For the cheapest option, $999 in US store, the UK price is 37% more. And I'm too lazy to work out the 13" price differences.

Aren't there various extra taxes in the UK, VAT or something?

Re: New MacBook Air Now Available on Apple Store

#46

Post by javan » Wed, Jul 20, 2011, 2:27 PM UTC

snorkel wrote: post #38

TillE wrote: post #9

That 13" Macbook Air is looking really attractive as a portable work computer. Any downsides I should be aware of?

I've also been coding and working on an Air for months and had no issues other than being spoiled by its lightness and speed. I run virtual machines on it with no problem. It does everything a Macbook Pro does only faster, quieter, and without a DVD drive which I don't miss. You can also trade in your shoulder bag for a neoprene sleeve and reminisce about what life was like before computers were the size of clipboard…

faster?

Re: New MacBook Air Now Available on Apple Store

#47

Post by snorkel » Wed, Jul 20, 2011, 2:29 PM UTC

jason_tko wrote: post #3

HD video cameras, backlit keyboard, i5 upgradable to i7 - pretty decent upgrade. Curses, 3 month old MacBook Air.

But the max screen is still only 13" max and not a significant price drop on existing models so I'm glad I didn't wait for this release before buying.

Re: New MacBook Air Now Available on Apple Store

#48

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Jul 20, 2011, 2:30 PM UTC

ionfish wrote: post #17

There's a bit of sleight of hand on their Thunderbolt Display page [1]. The first image is of a MacBook Air hooked up to one of the new displays, but when they talk about "The ultimate docking station" they show a MacBook Pro. This is because the Thunderbolt and power ports are next to one another on the MBP, but on the Air they're on different sides of the machine, which is going to make it a lot less elegant. [1] h…

[deleted]

Re: New MacBook Air Now Available on Apple Store

#49

Post by w1ntermute » Wed, Jul 20, 2011, 2:31 PM UTC

TillE wrote: post #9

That 13" Macbook Air is looking really attractive as a portable work computer. Any downsides I should be aware of?

Seems most people are interested in the 13". Does anyone have any comments on the 11"?

The only downside I can see is that only 1 external monitor is supported. After all, when you're traveling, the smaller the better.

Re: New MacBook Air Now Available on Apple Store

#50

Post by silverlight » Wed, Jul 20, 2011, 2:31 PM UTC

corin_ wrote: post #42

I'm really not a fan of their non-US pricing, it rarely works out well for international buyers. For example the $1,199 model costs £999 in the UK. $1,199 is equal to £744. So to buy it from the UK store you're paying 34% more? For the cheapest option, $999 in US store, the UK price is 37% more. And I'm too lazy to work out the 13" price differences.

Is VAT tax built-in to the £999 price point? Or is that added on at checkout (like sales tax is in the US)? If it's built in, that would explain at least part of the difference.