MacBook Air

"(The company) is getting greener, but not green enough." Hind commented further, "The Macbook Air has less toxic PVC plastic and less toxic BFRs, but it could have zero and that would make Apple an eco-leader." In May 2008, Climate Counts, a nonprofit organization dedicated to directing consumers toward the greenest companies, gave Apple 11 points out of a possible 100, which placed the company last among electronics companies. Climate Counts also labeled Apple with a "stuck icon," and the environmental group added that Apple was "a choice to avoid for the climate conscious consumer."

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Jobs knows how to deliver a sound bite right, such as the introduction of the MacBook Air, saying: "It's the world's thinnest notebook," instead of saying "The MacBook Air is 0.16 inches thick. "

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"It's not a MacBook Air," said PC analyst Mika Kitagawa of the Gartner research group, "but they're thin and nice looking.

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"What s weird about the new high-end MacBook Air model is that although it cost dramatically less than its immediate predecessor, it was also slower than that model," wrote Macworld's editor, Jason Snell. "The late-2008 1.86GHz MacBook Air was faster than the new top-of-the-line model in 11 of our 18 tests, and as a result, the old system s final Speedmark score was slightly higher."

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"The MacBook Pro to the MacBook Air has a GPU," Huang said, and the Air has benefited by having both an Intel CPU and a Nvidia GPU, he claimed. "Doing the right job with the right tool is more efficient,"

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"I think the Macbook Air has not done as well as they expected," said Mr Dulaney.

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"In tough economic times, [ultrathin laptops] do fill a role. Some people don't need the fancy stuff of a Macbook Air, which is priced well north of $1,500," Chou said. "It's in the early stages, but I do think there is room for them. "

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"The affordability thing is really important. Look at your MacBook Air and think about that in terms of being available at different price points," said Intel spokesman Bill Calder.

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"I would expect volume production of this product to be early next year. ULV notebooks: "The big trend in notebooks this year, starting mid-year, is likely to be very well-designed thin and light notebooks... using ultra-low-voltage products," he said, referring to MacBook Air-class notebooks, not netbooks. "I think you'll see those at very attractive price points. Up to this point in time, those products have been sort of executive jewelry."

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"These are beautiful," he says, spotting a MacBook Air that is "so thin" but costs $1,700. "What can I get for $1,000?"

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