On Mac Book Air

There are certain things that are constant in life: death, taxes, Bill getting the latest CPU, Steve Jobs putting on his January Apple show, and me criticizing something. Today it's the Mac Book Air intro that's got me wondering if Jobs is the best snake oil salesman ever.

Before you jump to the comments and blindly defend Apple, hear me out. I saw one look at it, and I'll agree that it has an intriguing design. However, when I saw the tech specs, I just couldn't believe what they're trying to sell for so much dough. To make my point, I'm going to compare it to my three year old notebook.

My regular readers will recall that my notebook is an Averatec 3250HX, purchased for less than $1000, back in 2005. I'll also agree that it was no barnstormer, and most computers are ready to be a doorstop after three years. Anyway, here goes.

The new MacBook Air has a Core 2 Duo processor standard, it's the ULV one, with a clock speed of 1.6 GHz. My Averatec shares the 1.6 GHz clock speed, but the single core of an Athlon XP 2200+ won't keep up with the C2D.
Winner: Apple

All right, my Averatec took a beating on the processsor, but there's more than just that. How about storage? Both notebooks feature an 80 gig hard drive with a 4200 spindle speed. The Mac is a 1.8" one, while my Averatec is a more standard 2.5". And don't even get me started on the optional 64 gig flash hard drive for a mere grand!
Winner: Tie

In the RAM department, the Mac with its 2 gigs clearly has my Averatec's 512 mb beat, and I'll give it to them. However, just recall that you can't upgrade the Mac.
Winner: Apple

Form Factor: Ok, the Apple clearly wins this one too with the "thin is in."
Winner: Apple

Optical Drive: Ok, the Apple doesn't have one, and my Averatec has a LiteOn DVDRW in it. Finally, a clear win for Averatec.
Winner: Averatec

In the ports department, I'm also disappointed in the Apple with only one USB port, and no audio connections except for a mic. I'll stop complaining about my three USB ports being crowded, and my on board audio.
Winner: Averatec

Speaking of audio, did Apple really expect us to buy into mono sound? That's so AM, 1970's that I've got to give it to the Averatec again.
Winner: Averatec

On the battery, the Apple claims five hours, and my Averatec new was under three hours, so I'll give it to the Apple. However, deduct some points for a battery that can't be replaced in the MacBook Air.
Winner: Apple

In the wireless networking, both have wireless built in. The MacBook Air features N, and my Averatec b/g so it must be better, right? Unfortunately, the N is really draft N, so don't count on it.
Winner: Tie

In the screen department, the Apple is 13+", and my Averatec is 12". I'll give to Apple, but it's hardly a bloodbath here either.
Winner: Apple

The conclusion is that the Apple Mac Book Pro is clearly a better product than my 3 year old notebook. However, for something costing twice as much, with three years of technology advancement built into it, I was expecting a bloodbath. However, it's not objectively. Unless you need the super slim lines, look elsewhere for a better deal. As for me, I'll hang on to my Averatec a while longer.

Jonas