Agreed, though I'm not a fan of smaller is better. I'll take a moving parts HDD any day. Since stuffing my laptop in an envelope isn't a priority to me, I'll be happy with a bit more machine…

I think the problem is, Steve and company is more interested in setting records, than delivering what their customers want.

iPod touch, that's maxed at 16gb? Because Solid state is too pricey beyond that, make it a freaking HDD based unit then!

now this with it's unreplaceable battery so that it can be crowned the lightest, thinnest ultra portable… Do any of us care if it's thinner than the Sony? Would we buy the Sony if this had been the same size or bigger? Since the Sony has been out a while, I'm guessing the answer is no.

Oh well though. I'm hopeful that at some point in the future apple decides that building what the customer wants, vs what's pretty, thin, light, etc is where they should be, it's where they were, then they went on this ultra light, thin kick.

Did you see the size of that thing? It's tiny! To make anything that small they have to custom build the batteries, motherboard, processor and harddrive and then cram them all together so they end up all tangled. Nicely spaced/laid out components which can be easily removed/replaced is a luxury which they can't afford.

Having said that, I wont be buying one either. Even if they do ever start selling them in my part of the world

I agree the Air is targeted at travelers, that's why I want one. But find any traveler and look in their bag, they'll have more than one battery. The Air is for the 'traveler' who doesn't go very far. What's Apple's target audience going to do when they fly over seas? 5 hours, not when you watch a movie I bet, 5 hours… I think the flight to Italy I'll be taking is a bit more than that.

The Air is targetted at Steve having a legacy of pushing the envelope (the one that has a laptop in it I guess) of size, which is fine, but he makes compromises that I think the public won't be down with, I know I'm not.

@Lola. 2nd (as it would be for me) or third or forth, it's still sub useful. Sure it'd be great to have on my nightstand, in an envelope, and on the kitchen counter, etc. But that's a device, not a laptop. That's the Emate.

Gruber makes many good points, I don't agree with him on the battery. The iPhone is a device. it's a phone. In America most of us, throw them out after 2 years when our contracts are up. Those that keep a phone 5-10 years, don't own iPhones. Those that toss every two, don't care that the battery is sealed, because 2 years won't see a big hit in performance. I replace my batteries after 3-4 (my moto was a sucker, i had like three extras). Laptops aren't devices. ESPECIALLY mac laptops. Look how many powerbooks are still out in the world. Macs are made to be long lived, the Air, is made to not be long lived. 2gb RAM, cap, no swap out. Bad RAM, latop goes on a trip. No battery, battery gets flakey after 2 years, laptop goes on a trip. Hard drive acts up (asuming you don't have the scrath for the SS one), laptop goes on a trip.

No thanks.

I've said this to many people but the MacBook basic model contains the computing power needed for almost all users. (Just don't buy the extra memory from Apple, go to Other World Computing — cheaper prices and powered by ColdFusion :) )

The Air is targeted at people who travel and for whom 2-4 pounds will make a big difference.

I think Niche is probably a good description of it. I don't think mainstream will ever be the category, so niche fits. Hope you enjoy it.

Well, I want one, so I guess that they're making a device that SOME people want. Which is, come to think of it, the very definition of a niche product.

I think Niche is probably a good description of it. I don't think mainstream will ever be the category, so niche fits. Hope you enjoy it.

Well, I want one, so I guess that they’re making a device that SOME people want. Which is, come to think of it, the very definition of a niche product.