OT: new macbooks, no firewire

[Chipp Walters]

Hey Andre,

Yep, checked out the various blogs....one of the most amazing design
flaws I saw was the continuation of the very crisp edge on the front
of the laptop. Just Google "Mac wrist" and you'll see it's been a very
consistent theme regarding poor design.

Back a hundred years ago when I designed laptops for companies like
Apple, TI, Compaq, Dell, Toshiba and others, we actually did Human
Factors studies and research, along with the requistite aesthetic
models and design sketches. It appears Apple only cares about the
aesthetic these days, and doesn't bother with function anymore. That
sharp edge is a serious design flaw and provides much pain to many.

I suppose AIR's lack of a second USB port in favor of a nifty drop
down door should give us a clue regarding Apple's preference of form
over function.

Speaking of the AIR, I was in an Apple store the other day, and lifted
the AIR. I was surprised at how heavy the all aluminum Air seemed. I
then walked over to the Sony store and found their new carbon-fiber Z
computer to feel much lighter. I'm wondering if the Air is only 3 lbs?

Sounds like I need to grab some scales and go back to the two stores ;-)

Of course, the Sony does have a lot more in it, including Blu-Ray,
multiple ports (including Firewire), VGA and HDMI output, ExpressCard
slot, modem etc.. Maybe it just feels lighter but is not in fact
lighter.

Speaking of light computers, last time in Japan, my friend showed me
his new Panasonic toughbook W2 which was the lightest laptop I've ever
held, only 2.7 lbs. I couldn't believe how much difference weight made
in the coolness factor of a laptop. After that, I realized, for me,
size doesn't matter, weight does.