Why the MacBook Air will set the tone...
Back in 1998 Apple released what at the time was the
most controversial computer of the decade.
The iMac did away with Apple's conventional ports and replaced them with the now de facto USB, which at the time was still an emerging technology.
But even more so was Apple's brave decision to completely ditch the internal floppy drive, a close to dead storage medium today.
Sound familiar? Well its no shock to see 10 year on Apple have taken the same approach to the MacBook Air as they did with the iMac. Gone is the CD/DVD drive and the same goes for a majority of the I/O. This may seem daring today but Apple are setting the tone for the future, pioneers I dare say.
Physical storage mediums are on the out, every piece of software imaginable can now be downloaded and purchased online and the same goes for Music and now with Apple's movie rental service, over 1000 movies (which will no doubt grow in a similar fashion to Music on iTunes over the coming years.)
Of course this doesn't come without a transition period though, External floppy drives where big sellers alongside iMacs for several years and the same will be true for the MacBook Air, Apple are offering an external "Superdrive" and even take advantage of a PC or Mac's internal Drive over a network as if it was inside the Air.
By the looks of things USB hubs will be popular sellers over the coming years, but by building in the latest generation WIFI and Bluetooth 2.0 its clear that Apple sees the future as a wireless one.
Is it too far ahead of its time or will it cause a stir in the industry? Only time will tell.
The iMac did away with Apple's conventional ports and replaced them with the now de facto USB, which at the time was still an emerging technology.
But even more so was Apple's brave decision to completely ditch the internal floppy drive, a close to dead storage medium today.
Sound familiar? Well its no shock to see 10 year on Apple have taken the same approach to the MacBook Air as they did with the iMac. Gone is the CD/DVD drive and the same goes for a majority of the I/O. This may seem daring today but Apple are setting the tone for the future, pioneers I dare say.
Physical storage mediums are on the out, every piece of software imaginable can now be downloaded and purchased online and the same goes for Music and now with Apple's movie rental service, over 1000 movies (which will no doubt grow in a similar fashion to Music on iTunes over the coming years.)
Of course this doesn't come without a transition period though, External floppy drives where big sellers alongside iMacs for several years and the same will be true for the MacBook Air, Apple are offering an external "Superdrive" and even take advantage of a PC or Mac's internal Drive over a network as if it was inside the Air.
By the looks of things USB hubs will be popular sellers over the coming years, but by building in the latest generation WIFI and Bluetooth 2.0 its clear that Apple sees the future as a wireless one.
Is it too far ahead of its time or will it cause a stir in the industry? Only time will tell.
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