Apple is a great name and Steve Jobs did a good job in being demanding, however the attitude to make computers like "homes" is not quite correct. We use computers, they are tools, but not the extensions of our consciousness. A Macbook Air is more a product for prestige than a tool for computing. Perhaps I should say that a MacBook Air does not offer any more functionality of an Acer that goes for $350. Battery life is overrated. The struggles of dealing with a battery, estimates time and "power saving" features are rarely useful considering that most people are comfortable plugging in their system and using a computer for a number of hours.
As for the metal case, I think it looks good, but it is an overkill. Few people keep machines running for more than 5-6 years. I do have a couple ThinkPads that date from early 2000s and the plastic casing is just fine. A great deal more energy is needed to produce aluminium and is often overkill for a device with a short life. Could it be that CNC machining the aluminium costs less than having a plastic mould?
Regarding thickness. Thin keyboards do not mean that they are more comfortable. Yes it may take less room in a backsack, but I never had any problems lugging around a 35mm textbook.
I agree with a few points in the general design :
- A SSD should not take so much space and could be integrated as a card or directly on the motherboard.
- Optical drives are occasionally useful. A 35$ USB addon would make all laptops thinner an lighter. When I travel (on bicycle), I usually remove the battery and the DVD drive as I always have access to an outlet. I cycle for about an hour so less weight is nice, but I will not give up a silent machine with a WUXGA screen.
- Max out the RAM if you can. The Intel memory controller can take up to 16GB RAM, through it in. It may only be useful if you are working with photos, there will be some innovation to determine a way to work with the additional RAM to make the computer more efficiently.
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