BeamEcho

When i first moved to Toronto i worked for a movie theatre around the time the latest Star Wars film was being released. I remember laughing at the hundreds of fans who were lining up around the block days in advance. I think i promised myself that I would never get that excited over anything so insignificant. Fast forward to last Tuesday January 15th. Steve Jobs is giving his MacWorld speech and i am frantically refreshing my computer screen every second to see just what will be announced. When Steve brought out "the Thrilla in Manila!" (oh i wish i could take credit for that slogan:) I was cheering. Consider my promise broken.

But is the world's thinnest notebook right for you? With it being released around January 29th you still have some time to contemplate the answer. The Air does have it's advantages and disadvantages and a slightly higher price tag than any of the current MacBook models but is it worth it? In large part you are paying for the 'cool' factor, and it is very cool. Just take a look at this brilliant laptop case for it. In short, this laptop will be for people who value the weight of their laptop above ALL else. At 3lbs the Air is super easy to carry around. The design seems to be perfect for writers, or executives who travel a lot.

The trade off is that it is a bit slower than the other MacBooks (1.6 and 1.8 as opposed to 2.0 and 2.2GHz) with less hard drive space. Not so much an issue if its primary use is writing and surfing the internet, which it will do faster than its counterparts thanks to the 802.11N WiFi. Also if you decide to spring for the ultra elite solid state hard drive, it will use less power and be immune to shaking but add about a grand to the price. If you do decide that the Air is the perfect match for you, be prepared to invest in a few other accessories to enhance your purchase. Things like the external Superdrive or the new time capsule are perfect compliments. All and all if you do pick one up you will be the envy of everyone you know, myself included. I will let you know when they arrive.