JCOM 2300- Assignment #2

Is Less Really More?
Ken Mingis reported on the new MacBook Air for Computerworld, he covers a lot of details that were left out of the Apple Press Release. Ken experimented with a lot of comparisons between his MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air. Some of the things that were discussed in this article were first the shocking fact that this new technology doesn’t even have an optical drive. There is no way to pop a CD into your Mac just to upload it to your iTunes library. Without an optical drive how are you supposed to upload the software necessary to run your MacBook Air? Apple realized the need for this so they sale an additional product, it is the SuperDrive which goes for about $99. This not only costs more money but will add a little weight and number of items to carry along with your MacBook Air. In place of the necessary optical drive Apple has a remote disk in the MacBook Air which enables wireless access to another computer’s optical drive where you can upload or install any software or information you need on another computer and then wirelessly send it to your MacBook Air. This is a new way of installing but really is it that convenient?
For $300 you can purchase a slightly faster processor, 1.8 GHz, or for $999 you can get a 64 GB solid-state drive (SSD) but this will result in 16 GB less memory. Apple has said that the only advantage to the SSD is that there are no moving part’s which provides a more durable product with more longevity. The perceived speed of the Air will be about the same regardless of what drive you get. This is quite interesting that Mingis has pointed out that you have to spend an additional thousand dollars to get a durable machine. Most consumers should expect to receive a durable item for $1,799.
The MacBook Air is actually even slightly slower in many applications compared to the MacBook Pro; the boot up took about 40 seconds longer and the opening of Photoshop CS took about 32 seconds longer. Mingis made the same point as was in the Press Release from Apple that they intentionally used the keyboard backlighting which enables typing in all situations. This article also discussed the pronounced 5-hour battery life which in fact was a little over 4 hours for Mingis who was running iTunes radio, and a few other applications which affected the battery life.
According to Computer World the MacBook Air is pretty much just a glitzy accessory to the pc or laptop that really does everything you need. This was certainly a dominantly negative report on the Macbook Air. There were a few points made that were positive but overall it was a lot of comparing and testing and almost always coming out on bottom compared to the MacBook Pro. I found it interesting that Mingis compared the Air to another Apple product the MacBook Pro, I would have liked to see it compared to a different product line.
Source: http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9062959&pageNumber=1

Oohs and Ahhs for the MacBook Air
The MacBook Air was unveiled at an expo in San Francisco and received a pleasing “Bravo” for the new technology according to Wired. The MacBook Air was pulled out from a standard manila office envelope. Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, reported that “the display is gorgeous.” When the Air is closed it has an unusual wedge profile that tapers to a point less than two-tenths of an inch near the front latch. Even the thickest part on the Air is thinner than the thinnest part on competing sub-notebooks in the market. The Core 2 Duo chip even had to be specially shrunk so that it could fit in the laptop.
Jobs reported to Wired that Apple is moving all of its products to eco-friendlier materials. The Air has a mercury-free LCD display, arsenic-free glass, and is made primarily from 100% post-consumer recycled material. Not only are the machines themselves more friendly to the environment but the packaging itself uses 56% less material.
There are many new upgrades to the Air. It has a built-in iSight camera, five hours of battery life, and the new ability to flip through web pages or pictures as you would on the iPhone or iPod Touch.
This article failed to go into much detail on the missing optical drive in the Air but emphasized the upcoming ability to rent any DVD from the iTunes library. This article certainly reported on the MacBook Air in a positive way handling topics that could turn negative in the positive.
Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/news/2008/01/macworld_products

Apple Introduces the World’s Thinnest Notebook- MacBook Air
I did my research using the search engine Google. I also searched directly on Apple’s website. This press release covered every detail pertaining to the MacBook Air, even some of the things that could be viewed as downfalls to the new product. The Press Release covered the missing optical drive in a very positive, carefree way. There is no need to have an optical drive in the Air when you can have access to any movie you could ever want through renting it on iTunes. This was interesting to see the way Apple covered this in their Press Release because really it is just furthering their profits by forcing consumers to purchase from their iTunes store. There is also a simple solution to installing software- just wirelessly access it from another device. This was quite a clever profit-boosting tactic Apple has established.
Both of the articles that were written paralleling the Press Release that Apple released on Jan. 15, 2008. Wired.com was the closest to the news release. Not only was Steve Jobs the one making the comments but it also used direct quotes from the Press Release. Wired also released their article on the same day that Apple released the Press Release. Both articles contained the same detailed information that was contained in the Press Release. The tone of the articles was really quite different; Wired reported the release in a very positive way whereas Computer World reported it in a critical, negative way. In the Computer World article it still ended with the conclusion that the MacBook Air is a neat, new technology regardless of the fact that it really didn’t win in every comparison Ken Mingis put it through. Not only did it end with the resounding note that it is an amazing laptop it was also compared to another Apple product, the MacBook Pro, this doesn’t really harm the company in any way because they will still keep their customers within their product consumption. Both articles were a target of the press release. The sources delivered information that Apple wanted it’s consumers to hear.
Apple did a great job of writing and releasing a detailed Press Release that helped provide information writers could use to inform the public on.
Source: http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2008/01/15mbair.html