People who complain about the MacBook Air's lack of features largely miss the point. This isn't a desktop replacement; it's more of a proof of (wireless) concept. It's about "sexy" in an incredibly non-reproductive, geeky sense. It's about making something that shoots to do a single job -- be ultra portable without compromise for 90% of a PC's uses -- without compromise, sorta like the Tivoli Model One table radio that surprisingly created a new niche in audio. To want a Swiss Army knife is to miss the point. Enjoy slim and wireless. The more I think about the Air, the more I want one.

Still, the Wall Street Journal's review of the Air has discovered what, to me, is a small but legitimate flaw in the Air's design.

It also doesn't work for installing Windows on your Mac, for watching DVDs, or for playing or importing music. For those tasks, you need an external DVD drive. Apple sells one for $99.


Hrm... you can't install Windows with Remote Disk? The point of the Remote Disk is that you are able borrow another box's optical drive as if it were your own. Now every optical drive is potentially your own "local" drive. The inability to install Windows tells me the implementation isn't as smooth as it should be. Compromises were made where the Air was trying to get things right.

There's not really any such thing as imperfect perfection. Any weakness with the core of the Air is a big one. When you're shooting for idealistic success, compromises in the areas where you're trying to get it Right aren't acceptable.