MacBook Smoke
I'm leaving today for a week in San Francisco where I'll attend the GDC (Game Developers Conference).
I'm not a big fan of the event, I'm more a Siggraph kind of guy. It's not that I'm one of those pricks that thinks that graphics in games is everything, it's that I just don't care so much about game business. When I play games (rarely nowadays) it's regardless of their graphics (Mario Kart on DS !!).
Anyhow, it will be an interesting experience, with business meetings and I'll get to meet some cool people !
Gettign into the subject... I like to take notes as the conference goes. This time around I wanted to go to the conference with a shiny new Apple laptop. I was ready to buy the MacBook Air even before it was announced (!). At the announcement I was pretty interested: "Wow... the thinnest notebook ever !! And it's pretty light too..." or is it ? As it turns out, my current Vaio SZ is not much heavier than the MBA !
Sure it's not as thin, but it's just as large.. and it doesn't cost anymore than I've already paid ;)
One problem that I have constantly is lack of battery life. I forgot how much is it in "stamina mode", but it's definitely not more than 4 hours. I'm always begging to plug my computer somewhere at those conferences.. it's a pain.
So, I decided against the MacBook Air and I instead bought an extra battery for my current Vaio. Swapping battery (easily, unlike for the MBA which requires a screwdriver) is hopefully going to be good enough.
Sadly the battery was incredibly expensive.. about 21,000 yen, or $194 !! The long-life one was even twice as expensive !!!!
For a little more I could have bought an Eee PC instead.. which I really wanted to buy, but unfrotunately it's all sold out in Japan 8( (also the battery life is only 3.5 hours..).
In conclusion, I think that Apple missed big time by not releasing a cheap and small sub-notebook.
Recently I gave to my mother my old Vaio C1/VN which she loved. In fact, she insisted to get it once she realized that I wasn't using it anymore. I've never seen her so interested in getting a computer ! And I realize now that she was right.. size is (almost) everything ! That thing with more RAM and with a larger battery, kicks the MacBook Air's ass !
Fack those large items, fack being thin (or being fat 8).. that's a joke, fack that 13 inches screen !!
Maybe it's that most Americans are 2 meters tall and weigh between 100 an 200 Kilos.. so for them a MacBook Air is indeed a sub-notebook 8P
Anyhow, time to start finish packing !!
Phack packing !
P.S. I'm also packing a company-provided DELL monolith 8( ...but hopefully I'll soon get a decent personal Vaio 8)
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Fujitsu FMV-U8240
This one is pretty cool, it seems to be very popular in japan atm
http://techsuki.net/2007/11/10/review-fujitsu-fmv-u8240/
http://www.akihabaranews.com/en/review-82-3+days+with+the+Fujitsu+FMV-U8...
$$$$
The problem it's that it's quite expensive !
Those things should be small and cheap. It's not easy, but ASUS showed that it's not impossible.
I run into the same battery
I run into the same battery issues of course, for instance next Saturday I'll be going to a 1-week long series meeting in Kuala Lumpur, quite packed with people, and therefore there's going to be a huge lack of space. Last time I ended up using paper for notes half of the time, and whenever I had enough space to put the laptop somewhere (just a table, I'm not even talking about power!), I kept the screen as dark as possible and disabled most ports to save a few minutes of battery life.
I'm also deeply tempted by the Eee, but the 7 inches screen is still too small IMO... I'll likely wait for the 9" one. Oh, and of course it's also pretty much sold out here as well!
Anyway, I also think that the advantages of carrying around my main laptop (the one I use at office as well, with a docking station) with all my stuff on it still surpass the benefits of portability. Unless you travel every week, of course (and I'm one of those who used a Palm + foldable keyboard for years).
Finally, about Apple.. they may have been a little late in releasing the MBA, but I believe that it's all they meant it to be. I don't really think the word cheap is anywhere to be found in Steve Job's vocabulary!
On my lap !
Having full functionalities (even at a lower performance) is definitely useful.
When a laptop is actually sitting on the lap, 13 inches is probably the right size, but I would still rather want something smaller and with more/replaceable battery. Knowing that you are going to be doomed after 4.5 hours sucks. No conference lasts just 4 hours and some of them don't allow recharging inside the rooms where the talks are happening.
Cool, I will not be
Cool,
I will not be attending GDC, because just like you I think that actually physically going to thoe conferences is a waste of time. Just read the proceeding afterwards...
Let us know when you have a free evening and we can have dinner and argue about shaders and displacement mapping =)
Well it's not all a waste..
Well it's not all a waste.. it's also good to develop some social connections.. more or less.. maybe more for me coming from Japan 8)
If you have time, I hope we'll be able to meet.. most definitely !!
This time too I'm without a car.. expired driver license, no credit card.. what a pain 8)
The hotel is relatively close to Moscone Center, so as far as the conference goes, the car is not really needed.. and for business meetings and dinners we use taxis (why is every cab driver talking on the cellphone ?!)
I sure hope you're wise not
I sure hope you're wise not to be walking around late at night in that area ... a really good way to become robbery bait ... Eee PC seems intriguing ... I have been thinking about (eventually) getting a laptop, but it seems like the battery life issue hasn't changed (or rather has incrementally changed) over the years.
I think that (perhaps) Apple might release an "MacBook Air II" or something in the future that'll allow simpler changing of batteries ... there's no way I'm going to hassle myself with screws to switch batteries ... though I've accepted this "fate" with desktop PCs ... 8P
I eventually need to buy a "modern" desktop PC anyways ... so ... no battery life issues for me.
MacBookAir badly designed...
http://www.akihabaranews.com/en/news-15556-%22The+MacBookAir+is+Badly+De...
MacBook Void
I dunno. The more I see the MacBook Air, the more I feel like buying a MacBook or a MacBook Pro.
I don't give a shit about thinness, I don't have envelopes to carry around.. and if Apple made its lightest laptop ever, then so it be... Not light enough, not enough practical battery life (can't remove it without a screwdriver ? Forget it).
MacBook Air is a miss and Apple knows it already. At GDC I only spotted 2, more or less. Lots of Apples.. but 99% were old models.
Yeah, most people are likely to have old models.. but not really.. many would have switched to the Air if it made sense.. but it didn't and Apple is flopping on this.
Welcome to the Windows ME world... next ?