MacBookAir posts

Remember last week's Back to the Mac event where the stunning iLife '11 suite and the jaw-dropping new Macbook Airs were announced? No? Well if you missed it, Lockheed91 has saved you some time and reduced the introduction of the awesome new computers along with the amazing new releases of the incredible new iPhoto, the stunning new Garageband and the extraordinary new iMovie down to a remarkable 104 second adjective-fest. Take a look at this phenomenal (and really exciting) video after the break and see for yourself.

[via Huffington Post]

The US Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, has officially stated that travelers passing through US airport security with the 11.6-inch MacBook Air will not have to remove the little laptop from their bags for inspection. Unfortunately, that's not the case with the 13-inch model.

Size is the differentiating factor. According to the TSA blog, any electronic device considered to be of a "standard laptop" size or larger must go through the x-ray machine solo. Apparently, the cutoff point is at or very near thirteen inches. The iPad, Kindle, Nook and other small devices, including the entry-level MacBook Air, may remain stowed away during screening.

As if travelers needed another reason to lust after the thing.

[Via The Mac Observer]

The only company that can make Apple's products look comparatively ugly is Apple. Take for example the new MacBook Air. Grab one of those babies, put it next to a current MacBook or MacBook Pro, and the bigger notebooks look like monstrosities. Now, I'm sure Apple will start to port many of the improvements of the latest Air -- like the SSD chips and improved screens -- over to the MacBook and MacBook Pro, but I'm hoping that Apple takes the biggest step that it can regarding the MacBook line and tears out the optical drives.

I've owned my 15" MacBook Pro (the last one to have a removable battery) since June 2009. Not once in my seventeen months of ownership have I ever used the optical drive. I've never used it to import music, play a DVD, or burn a CD or DVD. I'm not alone in my realization of having a completely irrelevant piece of hardware on my top of the line laptop either. MG Siegler at our recently acquired sister site, TechCrunch, pretty much noticed the same thing a few weeks ago.

If the MacBook Air really is the sign of the future of Apple's laptops, then the optical drive just has to go. People own laptops because they take them places. Portability is their main attraction. As Apple has shown us, no optical drive equals more portability. I mean, it's not like most users need them, is it? When was the last time you actually were out and about and needed to use your optical drive? Were you in a coffee shop, and the guy next to you needed to give you a Word file, so he burned it to a CD? I didn't think so. There are so many faster, lighter, and more portable ways to transfer data -- like USB drives or DropBox -- that the optical disc is all but pointless for file transfers. Installing software is also a moot point, since most of us download our software or will buy it through the upcoming Mac App Store. As for watching DVDs? A movie plays better and drains less power on your laptop if it resides on your hard drive.

There was something for everyone at Wednesday's 'Back to the Mac' event: new hardware, new software, new OS preview and new paradigm for Mac software sales. If you've got an opinion on any of these topics -- and we know you do -- then be sure to join us tonight on the TUAW Talkcast.

We're going to be joined by a special guest this week: Talkcast frequent flyer Ged Maheux from the Iconfactory (the company's latest iPhone app, music auto-resume utility Take Five, is on the App Store now). Ged will bring his perspective on the Mac App Store, so we'd also like to extend a special invitation to any and all Mac developers: come on down! We want to hear your take.

To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, the embedded Facebook app, or the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. For the Web UI, just click the "TalkShoe Web" button on our profile page at 10 pm on Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (take advantage of your free cellphone weekend minutes if you like): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *8.

If you've got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac or your PC, you can connect via the free Gizmo or X-Lite SIP clients or by using the TalkShoe client's ShoePhone tool; basic instructions are here.

We'll kick things off at 10pm ET/ 7pm PT. See you there!

A MacBook Air update already? Yes, we've had some tips about intermittent MacBook Air issues, and it seems Apple's next-generation super-thin wedge-Macs are already sporting a shiny new software update that addresses "an issue where a MacBook Air (Late 2010) computer may become unresponsive while playing back movie trailers in iMovie" and a bug where the Mac becomes unresponsive after waking from sleep when connected to an external display. Oh, the the requisite "general graphics performance updates," whatever that means.

Fire up software update or check here for the manual download. The update is wafer thin like the new Air itself!

Thanks to Swords for the tip.

Several of the folks lucky enough to get their hands on new MacBook Air review units noticed something a little strange: the Adobe Flash Player, usually bundled as a browser plugin with new Mac OS X installations, was AWOL. It wasn't clear at first if this was an early-build hiccup or a design decision; although Apple has been dinged in the past for shipping out-of-date versions of Flash Player, it hadn't stopped bundling the plugin. I confirmed today that shipping units and Apple retail store models were also Flash-less.

Now Engadget has an official statement from Apple that confirms the situation: yes, Flash Player is no longer being included, and users can & should download the most up-to-date version from Adobe if and when they need it. Alternatively, they could just grab a browser that bundles it in.

The official statement: "We're happy to continue to support Flash on the Mac, and the best way for users to always have the most up to date and secure version is to download it directly from Adobe."

Easy enough for them to say, not always so easy for the novice Mac owner to do. I expect that some of the MacBook Air-shaped packages under the Christmas tree may be followed on 12/26 by phone calls saying "YouTube is broken! Help!" Then again, another plugin not installed by default: Silverlight.

I need a new MacBook Air like I need a third eye (in other words, I don't need one), but when the first press release we received after the announcement on Wednesday was about some MacBook Air cases from WaterField Designs, I could feel my resolve slipping rapidly.

This company is based in San Francisco (Go Giants!) and is known for making nice looking and rugged cases for a variety of devices. Their iPad Exo SleeveCase, for example, is a customizable bag that can be trimmed in leather, outfitted with a choice of straps, and will even fit an iPad that's already wearing an Apple iPad case.

Well, the object of my desire is their Laptop SleeveCase, which comes in new sizes to snugly fit the new MacBook Air models. The cases are available for pre-order, with shipping scheduled for October 29th. The price depends on what accessories you get -- just the bare SleeveCase will put you back US$37, while one that is outfitted with leather trim, a closable flap, a suspension strap, and a piggyback pouch with leather trim will run up the cost to $111.

I must go lock away my credit cards before I end up buying one of these and a MacBook Air. Sigh.

[via Macsimum News]