In redefining thin, MacBook Air has shed something you no longer need: the optical drive. That's because MacBook Air is built for the wireless world. So instead of watching DVDs, you can rent movies wirelessly from the iTunes Store. And instead of backing up files to a stack of discs, you can back up files wirelessly using Apple's new Time Capsule.Yeah. So, what if I don't like the limitations of the iTunes store (some of us have been irritated with the DRM for a while now)?!?
Fortunately, there are ways around Steve's Empire, but one does wonder how much he plans to tighten his grip on us consumers. And in the meantime, getting information off of CDs or DVDs will require the use of another computer -- do you have one handy?
However, for those times when you still need to install software on MacBook Air from a CD or DVD, a new feature called Remote Disc lets you wirelessly use or "borrow" the optical drive of a Mac or PC in the vicinity.The new MacBook Air is a beautiful machine, and not quite as ham-fisted as the iPhone, but for the second January in a row, Steve's keynote is giving me pause...
UPDATE: on the other hand...
2 comments:
Did I read the specs all wrong? I just assumed that they mention renting movies from iTunes because iTunes is their own product (and they always like showing off the seamless integration of their products), not because the MacBook Air is incapable of d/l from any other source. After all, the optical-drive borrowing was demonstrated using a PC.
No, you didn't read it wrong. That's why I qualify my comments by saying it's not as ham-fisted as the iPhone.
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