Well the MacWorld Keynote is over and the two big announcements were a new MacBook and Video Rentals.
First, the new MacBook is named the Air. It’s a beautiful tiny computer that Steve Jobs called the thinnest laptop in the world. I don’t know enough about the thin computer market, but it looks mighty thin.
I am wondering what Apple was thinking (other than “wow cool we have a thin laptop!”). I own a couple of the PowerBook Pro aluminum shell laptops and while the 17″ lasted just over the three years that AppleCare pretended to provide some coverage by virtue of it’s size and mass, the 12″ is dented, warped and the screen top barely closes when I put it to sleep.
Apple is asking for a torrent of service calls from people who have it slip through their fingers at TSA checkpoints, find fido crushing it to pieces, or have it folded as someone tried to squeeze by them on a crowded subway/train. This product isn’t going to be good news for apple’s return/service people at all.
MacBook Air Prediction: More than 20% are returned for service within the first 6-12 months.
MacBook Air Prediction 2: At least a couple blogger-originated memes every month about dead Airs and their owner’s experience with Apple Support.
I’m saving the new iTunes Video Rental service for my next post.
Edited to add MacBook Air Prediction 3: Air owners will eventually start purchasing rigid exo-skeleton covers for their Airs, which defeat the whole “thin” esthetic of the laptop — but they will still be the owner of a wikkid cool portable computer!
