One of the major points against the MacBook Air is the dearth of …nearly everything. Which should be its strength in the minimalist context, but after the RDF fades, just emerges as a way to squeeze more out of the fanboys. They yank everything out, tell us it’s the better for all that, then sells us back the parts they took out. At a premium. Sheesh.
Don’t get me wrong. The MacBook Air is beautiful. But hey, too much form over function this time, man.
So here is a partial list of the things that should have been in the box, if not in the laptop itself, that Apple is selling back to us, in Apple’s own words:
Apple USB Ethernet Adapter
Easily connect your MacBook Air computer to an Ethernet network with the Apple USB Ethernet Adapter. Small and light, it connects to the USB 2.0 port of your MacBook Air and provides an RJ-45 connector that supports 10/100BASE-T performance. $29.00
* Apple Micro-DVI to DVI Adapter
Newly designed to fit the slim profile of MacBook Air, the Apple Micro-DVI to DVI adapter allows you to connect to an external DVI monitor or projector. It can also be used in combination with the Apple DVI to ADC adapter to support older Apple flat panel Studio or Cinema Displays. $19.00
* Apple Micro-DVI to VGA Adapter
Newly designed to fit the slim profile of MacBook Air, the Apple Micro-DVI to VGA adapter allows you to connect to an external VGA monitor or projector. $19.00 (Doodler Note: I think this’ll be the more popular of the video adapters - I can imagine all the folk wanting to show off their new MBA at the office by using it for a presentation on a projector; they’ll need one of these.)
This next one is not on the Apple Store yet as far as I can see. Not the most egregious omission (because of the Remote Disk feature Apple made that makes this a bit moot), the USB Superdrive accessory seems a good one to get at $99, until you find that it only works for the MacBook Air. Huh?
All these things will be out in 2-3 weeks.
*Update: Oops. Apparently the video adapters ARE already in the box, as a couple of my outraged (and attentive) readers have pointed out. (Thanks to RBB and designissues.) I thought I looked. Must’ve missed it. Silly me. I should have known; for the price of the MBA, it should be in the box. Mac-A-Mea Culpa. Heh.
January 18th, 2008 at 12:57 am
Actually both the micro-DVI to VGA adapter AND the micro-DVI to DVI adapter ARE in the box already. So… what’s your beef here? (go to http://www.apple.com/macbookair/specs.html and look at “What’s in the Box”)
January 18th, 2008 at 12:36 am
Did you even look at the specs for the MacBook Air before typing this up? Both of the Micro-DVI adapters ARE included in the box. No matter what port they put on the laptop, you will always have a need for some sort of adapter, whether for projectors or other monitors. Why not put the smallest port they could on the MacBook Air and just give you the needed adapters? The superdrive is great for those that need it but like you mentioned it’s not needed because of Remote Disk. If you want it than buy it, thats the point of an accessory. Only include in the box what’s needed. Who else but Apple would have made Remote Disk? Not one rumor predicted that. All of the rumors were content on it just being a stand alone drive. Removing the ethernet port is similar to removing the modem in my mind. Of course more people will miss the ethernet but again if you need it buy it. Most people who the MacBook Air is actually targeting won’t need it. The majority of people that will complain about it missing are the ones that need a full laptop, not an ultra portable one.