Has the MacBook made the Air less attractive?

The time is near for me to upgrade to a new machine. While this should be an exciting time, I find it more and more stressful as to which MacBook to purchase. I'm currently deciding between the Air and the 2.4 GHz MacBook. The MacBook weighs in only slightly more than the Air, and the thickness of the machines are getting closer to each other. However, the real separating factor for me is the display and the trackpad. I've grown very accustomed to a mouse button, and taking that away feels.. awkward at best. I don't know if I would be able to get used to that. The real separating factor here is the display. This picture says it all (courtesy of Gizmodo):



So I am asking everyone, is the Air still a viable option or has the MacBook defeated the Air?

 

the screen in the new macbook is awful.. omg
didnt know it was that bad

 

While I was one of the first to post about the various quality issues with the new macbook, I have to ask, who would want to view a laptop at an angle anyway??? Sorry, but if I'm sitting at my computer, I either adjust myself, or the angle to view it head on. Who's going to want to watch a movie looking down or to the side of the screen?

 

Lol that is no where near an extreme angle. If you are watching a movie with a friend it will look like that... Not to mention it doesnt take much to get color shift on the Macbook's LCD. On a black background the top and bottom of the screen is silvery.

 

God the Air display is gorgeous compared to the MB.

So glad I returned the MB (but unfortunately didn't get a MBP or Air.)

 

Oh!..... poor Macbook

This display is worst than my Sony FW notebook

 

Are you inquiring the FW screen is bad? I always thought they were gorgeous. At least on the FW390's with XBRITE =).

 

Mine is FW11E

Worst Display Viewing angles . Actually it's the worst notebook display I ever use. My almost two year old AS5920G is better than this display

 

Haha yea, you should see the new FW screens. Yummmmmmmmmmmmmy. I went through intense testing on them because that was the laptop I WAS going to buy before I decided to give my hand a shot at Mac.

 

Heh, if anything, it's made the Air MORE attractive, all thanks to the craptacular screen.

 

Looking at my own Unibody MacBook from various angles, I can say without any hesitation that the screen I have is NO WHERE near that bad and I would recommend the new MacBook over the Air.

 

you posted you were a little afraid about the new trackpad. this was also a huge concern of mine. typically i leave my first finger stationary on the button and move the mouse with my middle finger. for some reason you can in fact use the new trackpad in a similar manner. you can place your first finger in the bottom left corner touching the pad and still navigate with your middle finger at the same time. the transition to the new trackpad went very smoothly for me. I went from hating the design based on concept to loving it based on actual experience with it.

As far as the macbook air having a better screen i dont argue that point. it is better but i dont think the new screen is as bad as people make it out to be. I dont notice the crazy screenshots people have posted in the past during actual use.

 

stopped by apple store earlier today looking for an over-priced battery pack for iphone since i will be traveling; i had a brief look at the macbook due to the continual complain of the screen and i would have to say the vertical viewing angle is definitely on the poor side; so poor that a tilt of 10degree up or down kills the color

imagine yourself limited by a machine; oh wait, you don't, cuz you have been limited already (if someone can fill me up with the apple slogan on their banners it will be better )

on the side note, i had to convince my friend to go up from macbook(alu) to penryn 2.5 pro just because of that (i was actually making him getting 2.4, but being a more wealthy friend he refuse to feel inferior, even remotely so...)

 

Neither. I would get a new couch.

Seriously, the Macbook has the built in optical drive and advanced interface for the trackpad. With the slightly heavier body, the Air has no real advantage. I was in the Air v. MB v. MBP dilemma. I was happy with the decision to get a MBP.

 

i always prefer macbook over macbook air.

but the display on the macbook is very poor. yes it will affect you. i often find myself hunching over to see whats on the screen.

the macbook air has beautiful screen.

but i prefer the thinkpad x300 over the macbook air...

 

There are also the little details how the the Air has the backlit keyboard standard, and you need the 2.4 MacBook to get that.

One must ask oneself (ooh, fancy) whether you really need an optical drive so often. There are those that frequently watch DVDs on their laptops, and those that never do.

The X300 is a very nice alternative to the Air - higher resolution matte screen, but when it comes to contrast and brightness, it's not as good. It also has an optical drive and more ports, but is slower (1.2 GHz). Price tags are similar, though the newer 1.4 X301 is very expensive.

 

This generation of MBA "Has" started to blur the lines between the each unit. !

Biggest thing holding back the Air was the hard drive size (well, price difference also) but this is fast approaching a "Usable" size now in the Air.

I really don't use the "optical" drive often enough to wonder if I would be just as happy with an exterior drive (only $ 99 for Air) and just throw it in my briefcase for travel.

The MBA does have a noticeably nicer screen than the MB does.

Most people I believe look at screen real-estate (% wise) much more often that hardware use. I'm sure this is why it's getting harder to make a decision between both units now !

 

The mb is waaaay more beautiful!!!