I keep thinking about the limited number of connectors on the MacBook Air–a headphone jack, USB connector, and a mini-DVI (for external displays and projectors). It reminds me of the new generation of MIDs (Mobile Internet Devices), which only have a minimum number of connectors too.
I like the mini-DVI connector. That’s a good idea. VGA connectors are too bulky on notebooks as it is. Good move on Apple’s part.
The single USB port I’m not so keen on but I guess it’ll pass since the MacBook Air includes most of the things that you need in a device anyway, such as a webcam. EVDO is the one big thing not in the computer, but a USB EVDO will do OK, although it will eat up the battery–which by the way how do you change if you need more than five hours of run time??? Is there an external battery extender? Where’s the connector for that?
Now as to the headset connector. That’s OK, but since there’s no mic in jack, this means you may want to use a USB mic for podcasting and the like. I guess USB mics are getting more and more common so maybe this isn’t a big deal. However, using the USB port for a mic means using EVDO connectivity at the same time which is going to be problematic, though not impossible to get around. I’m guessing a USB hub will work.
So is the limited connectivity on the MacBook Air a thing of the future? In some ways I think it is. As more devices are built into the base unit and devices get smaller and smaller we’ll see fewer connectors. Another possibility is that we’ll see more smaller specialized connectors, like the mini-DVI connector on the Air.
Oh, and one more thing: The MacBook Air also shows that all notebooks don’t need CD/DVD players. The Tablet market had this right to begin with–they didn’t include integrated CD/DVD players at first. Sure it’s fine to include DVD players in some units, but I don’t think most Tablets need them. Part of the problem was that retailers thought they couldn’t sell Tablets without optical drives. Kind of makes sense when you consider the premium Tablets have been selling for. However, I really, really think the OEMs should have held their ground and gone the other way–towards thinness and lightness.
Apple has it right. It shows the MacBook Air next to a thin envelope. That’s the correct imagery. Ever seen an add where a Tablet was marketed this way? Me neither.
Oh, how I wish NEC would have keep going with the NEC LitePad.
Bluetooth, Bluetooth, Bluetooth! Oh, and 802.11n. Wireless is it! That’s one of the reasons Time Capsule got released at the same time as the MBAir. As far as the external battery connector, the magsafe connector will do fine for that (while simultaneously locking in users to Apple products). It’s DC at the connector, the AC transformer’s in that big white box that usually sits on the floor and gets stepped on.
I still think that tablets won’t be a really successful form factor until they’re about the size of a clipboard. The mbAir is getting close. Drop the keyboard and trackpad and it would probably weigh about 2.6 lbs and be 0.6 inches thick. Drop it to 2 lbs. or so, and make it 0.5″ thick and it’d be an amazing slate. I think the inability to meet that kind of a target for form factor may be the reason we haven’t seen a Mac tablet yet.