Guest Author - Meg Meyer
If you have your own business and want to make it run anywhere you go, from the coffee shop downtown to a fabulous conference in Cabo - you need a laptop. And for those that want to rock the latest technology hardware, with minimal hassle, and maximum productivity are switching to Mac in droves. MacBook Air, the latest laptop from the folks that brought you the iMac, iBook, iPhone, and everyone's favorite iPod comes the latest portable technology innovation, unveiled this week at MacWorld.
Whether you are a writer and Business Coach, like me, who likes to travel, or a salesperson who takes a lot of flights, this 3 pound "ultraportable" laptop is the perfect companion for the executive on the go. Did I mention it's only 3 pounds?
It boasts a 13" widescreen monitor, a full-size keyboard, and wireless ports that work with both PCs and Macs. It can claim the amazing 3 pound featherweight because it gives up the optical drives, such as CD and DVD, which is available as a separate connectible component. MacBook Air also has specially designed components like an ultra-small Intel processor, and an optional solid-state hard drive (no moving parts = less likely to break.)
The idea behind this is that it's as wireless as possible, designed to download movies and music wirelessly, to get data from other machines wirelessly. It boasts the latest in WIFI & Bluetooth technology. Translation, in case you don't speak geek - what that means to you is you can go into any café or park, or friend's house, or room in your house, and surf the fastest and have the quickest downloads available over wireless fidelity.
With the $1799 base price-point, the MacBook Air isn't for everybody. Certainly if it's between pre-ordering this and feeding your family, maintain your priorities. And I wonder how it will hold up to shock-tests & drop-tests - I'd love to see the folks at BHG get ahold of it. But if you've been saving up for the latest gadget for your mobile-productivity, this might be just what you've always wanted! Go ahead and pre-order now or get it hot off the shelves in two weeks.
Oh, yeah, one of the neatest things, I think, is incorporating the touchpad motions that were used in the iPhone and iPod touch in the touchpad on the MacBook Air. These specialty movements of your fingers across the trackpad will come as easily and intuitively as possible. Paging forward and back, use three fingers and swipe right or left, accordingly. To make text bigger or smaller, you can do this by moving your thumb and index finger further apart or closer together. This is possibly the smartest laptop ever.
Speaking of smart, the full size keyboard is wise enough to sense low light conditions, and turn on the back-lighting so you can still see the keys! The LED lighting for the backlit keyboard and screen use less power than your traditional laptops have used, making this an energy-saver to boot. And giving you 5 hours of battery-life, you can fly almost anywhere and not have to shut down before it's time to stow your trays & return your seat-backs to their upright position.
As for me, even at 31, I'm still a girl-geek who gets squeaky over a do-it-all gadget that can fit in my purse.
To see more stats & a demo of the MacBook Air, visit the Apple site.
If you want help choosing the right technology for your business, please visit me at Meg Meyer dot Com, or Center of Muse. It is my goal for 2008, to help as many of you get to thriving on your own success stories!
