Next June I’m planning on buying a new notebook and since I know this is going to happen I of course have been thinking about what notebook I’d like to buy. There isn’t much of a decision to make here since I already know of 4 contenders, the decision comes in when I try to decide whether I want a netbook or a full notebook.
The first (and obvious) choice for me is the MacBook Air, since I bought the iMac I haven’t really needed a lot of power in my notebook and have mostly been using it to write blog posts or casually surf the web while sitting on my couch so the MacBook Air would be great, I would get a reasonably powered notebook that is super thin, super light, and have a nice keyboard (which would be a great feature considering the typing that I do while writing blog posts). The next option would be the MacBook, which really won’t even be in the running unless Apple decides to change the material they use the make the case for the MacBook. But, with all the rumors pointing towards an aluminum MacBook it is worth the mention. Not quite as light as the MacBook Air, but slightly more powerful, just as good at battery life, display size, and keyboard usability. But, the MacBook isn’t as light and honestly, just isn’t as stylish as the MacBook Air (which could be worth it since I would be spending about $700 less on it).
The next couple of options are both netbooks and the reason I chose these two specifically is because of their features, their size, and the company building them. The first netbook option is the Dell Inspiron Mini 9, a good looking netbook at a great price ($350 and up), currently it has a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, 512MB of memory, 4GB (and up) solid state drive, and a 9″ screen (most of this will change by the time I purchase it). If I was to buy the Mini 9 I would most likely get the lower $350 version and install Windows XP on it myself (I have a few licenses that aren’t being used right now). The low price and the size are the main reasons I would pick this one but that lack of OS X is what’s making me a little weary of going down that path.
The last option is the Acer Aspire One, The reason I would pick this one is it’s 9″ display, stylish design (I’d get blue), and it’s nicely priced ($399). The problems I have with this one are the same as with the Mini 9 though, it doesn’t run OS X and not having a mac as my main laptop would be a little frustrating.
So, this is obviously a very early look at what I would actually be buying, by then I’m sure I will have many more options. Currently I’m leaning towards the MacBook Air because of its weight, its comfortable keyboard, and the fact that it will run OS X. I’m not anti-Windows at all but my blog workflow works best on OS X, the software that I use, and like to use, is only available for OS X. If your curious it is Transmit mostly, I haven’t found a single FTP application for Windows that I like. And since I use the FTP client daily it needs to be the best app possible.
Hopefully I’ll make the right decision and will be happy with the decision. I’m hoping that Apple will make my decision a lot easier and they have plenty of opportunities to do so, October 14th, MacWorld, and WWDC between now and the time I will be making my purchase.