Devin makes a number of entirely logical and valid points in his post while at the same time completely missing the point that sub-portable laptops ARE for people who want basic functions.

I looked at the demo on Apple’s site today and found myself lusting for one but then saying “well it doesn’t have an optical drive and the processor doesn’t have the horsepower that my MacBook Pro has”. But when I think about it, I rarely pop a CD or DVD into the drive I currently have and writing this blog post or running a web browser or editing a powerpoint file really doesn’t take a lot of processor power.

I only plug in and sync my iPhone and iPod so one USB is not a problem and I don’t use an external monitor and rarely a projector so what’s the big deal with the mini-DVI. Wireless internet only… not a problem, I can’t remember the last time I actually plugged in an ethernet cable. EVDO would be awesome but I don’t know if there is an ExpressCard slot, probably not.

I think the one thing that would frustrate me is that running Photoshop (and I just use Elements) might be a challenge on an Air and a Windows virtual machine is going to be out of the question. But having said that, to be out and about and have that instead of my 15″ MBP would be a real treat.

Yeah I want one but will probably wait until rev 2 of this model.

First, let me just say that the Air is an extremely impressive piece of technology. The miniaturization, the optimization of space, the blatant disregard for current standards — it’s everything a revolutionary machine should be. Except it isn’t one. It’s a flight of Apple vanity that is completely impractical for anyone who needs to do more than the most basic functions with their computer. Find out why inside.

[From CrunchGear » Archive » MacBook AirHead: why Apple’s new laptop is basically useless]