New Mac lighter than air

The MacBook Air, which Apple is touting as “the world’s thinnest notebook,” is, at its smallest point, one-sixteenth of an inch, and at its thickest, about three-fourths of an inch.\nIt weighs only three pounds, according to the Apple Web site, which might make quite the difference to the typical IU student lugging around hefty bags full of books. But despite its advertised light weight and durability, few IU students are rushing to the stores to spend the suggested $1,799 retail price.\n“Maybe later,” freshman Teri Zerman said. “Not right now, just because I just got my computer and it’s new.”\nProfessor Larry Yaeger, who teaches in the IU School of Informatics and is a former Apple employee, thinks the MacBook Air is affordable for what it offers. \n“They’re pretty cheap for a laptop,” he said. “I think this is a machine you could live with for a considerable period of time. It’s very easy to use and pretty well-priced.” \nThis could also be a catch 22 for some college students, considering many need to count their pennies and use them wisely. \n“It is so much lighter,” Yaeger said. “We all carry these backpacks that can knock you off your feet. I used to dread putting my backpack on before heading out. It’s so light and so thin you can carry it in anything.” \nYaeger made it clear that, although the critics are quick to ridicule the lack of CD/DVD drive, Apple made a conscious design choice to get rid of it in order to make the computer lighter. Although the CD/DVD drive was compromised, the full screen and keyboard remain intact. \n“Ultimately, it is a full-blown computer that is extremely mobile, which is a pretty good combination,” Yaeger said. \nHe said that although CDs continue to be useful for music and holding data, the wireless capability built into the computer means users can easily hook up with other computers and even download entire movies to their disk drives. \n“I don’t think (the CD/DVD drive is) very important,” he said.\nCritics also pointed out that the largest hard drive available for a MacBook Air is 80 gigabytes. Yaeger said that for him, the computer would be impractical because he uses his computer for various research projects and to hold the material for three different courses. However, for the typical consumer, he doesn’t think it would be an impediment.\nHowever, some IU students don’t want to switch to an Apple computer just for the benefits of a lighter load. \n“I’m not really a Mac guy,” freshman Josh Carpenter said. “I’d rather stick with Windows.” \nWhile Yaeger said the MacBook Air is fairly affordable, extremely compact and well-designed, it seems many students are perfectly happy with their most recent computer purchases and are entirely satisfied watching the MacBook Air tutorial on the Internet.