Comments on: On our unhealthy obsession with features http://comments.deasil.com/2008/02/20/on-our-unhealthy-obsession-with-features/ escape colon w q Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:32:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: felix http://comments.deasil.com/2008/02/20/on-our-unhealthy-obsession-with-features/#comment-9633 felix Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:50:36 +0000 http://comments.deasil.com/2008/02/20/on-our-unhealthy-obsession-with-features/#comment-9633 Yeah, I don't think anyone thinks it's going to be a gigantic seller. Hopefully, though, it'll start opening the ultraportable segment here. I mean, the typical ultraportable is less good and more expensive. But I disagree with coffee house and travellers, when I see people with laptops around town and at the airport, more and more they're Apple laptops. Yeah, I don’t think anyone thinks it’s going to be a gigantic seller. Hopefully, though, it’ll start opening the ultraportable segment here. I mean, the typical ultraportable is less good and more expensive. But I disagree with coffee house and travellers, when I see people with laptops around town and at the airport, more and more they’re Apple laptops.

]]> By: Ben http://comments.deasil.com/2008/02/20/on-our-unhealthy-obsession-with-features/#comment-9629 Ben Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:38:21 +0000 http://comments.deasil.com/2008/02/20/on-our-unhealthy-obsession-with-features/#comment-9629 Non-Apple phones have apparently hit 5MP already in the past year. I should take a look to see how photos from those things actually look. I know what you mean about not buying the MBA based on the posted benchmarks. Our IT guy cancelled his order because of it. He's probably better off with the next MBP anyway, just got caught up in the RDF and all. A reasonable segment of a niche market is a pretty darn small market and I gotta think Jobs had to know that when he ok'd this thing so I don't think he's overly concerned with having the Air be a huge seller. I think your coffee house/travellers would tend to be those who would more likely settle for the Dell M1330 than the MBA. The MBA does have one thing going for it; it's the only game in town if you want a ultraportable Mac so it'll rack up buyers from that alone. Non-Apple phones have apparently hit 5MP already in the past year. I should take a look to see how photos from those things actually look.

I know what you mean about not buying the MBA based on the posted benchmarks. Our IT guy cancelled his order because of it. He’s probably better off with the next MBP anyway, just got caught up in the RDF and all.

A reasonable segment of a niche market is a pretty darn small market and I gotta think Jobs had to know that when he ok’d this thing so I don’t think he’s overly concerned with having the Air be a huge seller. I think your coffee house/travellers would tend to be those who would more likely settle for the Dell M1330 than the MBA. The MBA does have one thing going for it; it’s the only game in town if you want a ultraportable Mac so it’ll rack up buyers from that alone.

]]> By: felix http://comments.deasil.com/2008/02/20/on-our-unhealthy-obsession-with-features/#comment-9625 felix Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:24:57 +0000 http://comments.deasil.com/2008/02/20/on-our-unhealthy-obsession-with-features/#comment-9625 It's sad about the MP's. The Ricoh and the LX2 would, I strongly suspect, take really nice photos if they were 6MP cameras. Sigh. Alas, although, if I had a 3MP iPhone that took half decent shots with a teeny bit of zoom, I would *not* complain. :) As for the Air, I'm saying not quite either of your options. The Air is not for the masses - not in the same way that iPods are - no Apple computer is really for the masses. But I do believe that there is a reasonable segment of the market that is the coffee house/travelling segment that is well served by this and arguments about power and expandability are not significant factors for them (although they may be swayed by them). The Air is clearly more niche than MBP or MB are - and maligned for it's cut corners. But I think that there are many who will buy one an MB/MBP w/out even considering an Air because of the spec sheets and the benchmarks and what not, and I think that's a real mistake. It shouldn't succeed *because* it trimmed down on features, it should succeed because it's enough computer for most people and it's half the weight, with a reasonable screen and keyboard. It's also cheap - relative to most other subnotebooks. It’s sad about the MP’s. The Ricoh and the LX2 would, I strongly suspect, take really nice photos if they were 6MP cameras. Sigh. Alas, although, if I had a 3MP iPhone that took half decent shots with a teeny bit of zoom, I would *not* complain. :)

As for the Air, I’m saying not quite either of your options. The Air is not for the masses - not in the same way that iPods are - no Apple computer is really for the masses. But I do believe that there is a reasonable segment of the market that is the coffee house/travelling segment that is well served by this and arguments about power and expandability are not significant factors for them (although they may be swayed by them).

The Air is clearly more niche than MBP or MB are - and maligned for it’s cut corners. But I think that there are many who will buy one an MB/MBP w/out even considering an Air because of the spec sheets and the benchmarks and what not, and I think that’s a real mistake. It shouldn’t succeed *because* it trimmed down on features, it should succeed because it’s enough computer for most people and it’s half the weight, with a reasonable screen and keyboard. It’s also cheap - relative to most other subnotebooks.

]]> By: Ben http://comments.deasil.com/2008/02/20/on-our-unhealthy-obsession-with-features/#comment-9624 Ben Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:12:35 +0000 http://comments.deasil.com/2008/02/20/on-our-unhealthy-obsession-with-features/#comment-9624 Yeah I don't think you'll be seeing 5-6MP sensors again until they show up on cellphones. I'm hoping that the cam companies will shut down the MP race now at the 8-12 range and work on getting better quality out of the sensors. I've been using dSLRs for so long now that I don't even know what a good P&S photo looks like anymore. Those sample ISO100 Ricoh shots look not so hot and that's at ISO100 fer cryin' out loud. As for the MBA, I think the general problem is mistaken expectations. The last couple of products Apple has released has been aimed squarely for the consumer market, the everyday schmo (or the has-a-bit-more-spending-money-than-average everyday schmo to be more exact). Then when word got out that Apple was going to be releasing an ultraportable, I think everyone was expecting something along the same line. A cool ultraportable for the masses. Unfortunately, ultraportables never were for the masses to begin with (at least for the past decade and the present). And to tell you the truth it does puzzle me a bit that they did release something like the Air. The possible market just seems too small to be worth it. It almost seems like they released it just to say that they have the world's thinnest laptop. The Air is like the laptops I used to drool over at dynamism.com every now and again. Sexy as hell but in no way justifiable unless I suddenly morphed into a high-powered jet-setting executive. Even if the base model is cheaper than the ones at dynamism. If you're saying that the Air is going to revolutionize the ultraportable market and bring ultraportables to the masses like the iPod brought way-too-much-music-in-one-device-than-any-person-not-a-DJ-would- know-what-to-do-with to the masses, I disagree. If you're saying the Air will/should succeed because it's trimmed down on unnecessary features, eehh..... that'd still be a hard sell. Yeah I don’t think you’ll be seeing 5-6MP sensors again until they show up on cellphones. I’m hoping that the cam companies will shut down the MP race now at the 8-12 range and work on getting better quality out of the sensors. I’ve been using dSLRs for so long now that I don’t even know what a good P&S photo looks like anymore. Those sample ISO100 Ricoh shots look not so hot and that’s at ISO100 fer cryin’ out loud.

As for the MBA, I think the general problem is mistaken expectations. The last couple of products Apple has released has been aimed squarely for the consumer market, the everyday schmo (or the has-a-bit-more-spending-money-than-average everyday schmo to be more exact). Then when word got out that Apple was going to be releasing an ultraportable, I think everyone was expecting something along the same line. A cool ultraportable for the masses. Unfortunately, ultraportables never were for the masses to begin with (at least for the past decade and the present). And to tell you the truth it does puzzle me a bit that they did release something like the Air. The possible market just seems too small to be worth it. It almost seems like they released it just to say that they have the world’s thinnest laptop. The Air is like the laptops I used to drool over at dynamism.com every now and again. Sexy as hell but in no way justifiable unless I suddenly morphed into a high-powered jet-setting executive. Even if the base model is cheaper than the ones at dynamism.

If you’re saying that the Air is going to revolutionize the ultraportable market and bring ultraportables to the masses like the iPod brought way-too-much-music-in-one-device-than-any-person-not-a-DJ-would-
know-what-to-do-with to the masses, I disagree. If you’re saying the Air will/should succeed because it’s trimmed down on unnecessary features, eehh….. that’d still be a hard sell.

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