Silly David.

As for the Air and the X300, looking at the new configuration of the Dell XPS M1330 they both appear to have been blown out of the water. As sub 4lb 2.6GHZ Penryn equipped laptop? That’ll do for me.

Anything that does is junk.

Earlier up, someone said Windows and OSX both have strengths; can anyone give me an example of a Windows strength for a typical business user who has web based applications? Please also keep in mind parallels/fusion.

“Hmmm, such as its weight and size?? Why are you the only one who gets to decide what goes in each computer class??? Hmmmm?”

Actually, the subnotebook class IS defined by weight (

Whats up?

“The Mac Air is beautiful. It’s a remarkable piece of engineering, however there are several very important features which it lacks which eliminate it as a credible ‘reference system’ in the subnotebook class.”

Hmmm, such as its weight and size?? Why are you the only one who gets to decide what goes in each computer class??? Hmmmm?

“Not having a removable battery is absolutely inexcusable.”

Hmm, so its OK to carry a spare battery but not an external one that just plugs in??? What up with that??

“In form and function, laptops liberate users from sitting in front of a desktop – making computing possible virtually anywhere. By not including a swapable battery, Apple has imposed a false time constraint on portable computing. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve swapped out a battery on a flight to or from a client meeting. Not acceptable.”

Again, there are “plug in” external batteries that weigh the same as an internal battery. Is this some sort of personal phobia or are you just stuck on PCs and have a thing about “plugging” in a battery.???

“Similarly, the design principle of ‘thinner is better’ is dubious at best in light of the sacrifices made in the Air”"

May I suggest that the MacBook Air is perfect for what it does. Period. And the xxx300 is perfect for what it does. The key is to pick which one is right for you. Not put down an ultralight for being ultra light and not having every possible plug on its side. After all, where is the folding 20 inch screen on the MBA. Every laptop should have a 20-30 inch screen that folds down to say 8 inches, right. Its required.

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Presence of more ports on the Lenovo will not give it priority for many buyers since we rarely, if ever, use all the ports on our current computers. Ditto for removable battery. One battery usually lasts the entire two years or so one has a given computer.

I have been a MacBook Air user for about eight days now. On the fifth day, I felt confident enough to put my MacBook Pro in the shop. The utility of the Air is adequate to serve as my main computer temporarily, though I bought it as a truly conveyable computer that will more than half the weight on my shoulder or back.

The Mac Air is beautiful. It’s a remarkable piece of engineering, however there are several very important features which it lacks which eliminate it as a credible ‘reference system’ in the subnotebook class.

Not having a removable battery is absolutely inexcusable. In form and function, laptops liberate users from sitting in front of a desktop – making computing possible virtually anywhere. By not including a swapable battery, Apple has imposed a false time constraint on portable computing. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve swapped out a battery on a flight to or from a client meeting. Not acceptable.

Similarly, the design principle of ‘thinner is better’ is dubious at best in light of the sacrifices made in the Air. The Air achieves slower performance than a Macbook at twice the price with less ports and only has 3/4 of an inch less in thickness to show for it.

Traditionally, the subnotebook class has been geared towards business travelers. Lenovo’s new laptop should be benchmarked against a credible subnotebook offering like an XPS M1330 rather than a beautiful collection of compromises like the Air.

Virus protection alone is a killer feature that makes it worth the switch.

And those who can afford the MacBook Air are they types who will pay extra for the style element that is central to its appeal.