It is always good to know that blog posts have been helpful, particularly when someone takes my advice and spends a load of cash. Reader Bruno Vinel had been sharing my thoughts on his iPad as a working device and finding that it couldn’t do everything he wanted. I know most people seem to be totally happy with pad computing, but I have my reservations when it comes to making blog postings, manipulating images and inserting hyperlinks (among other things).
Bruno read my enthusiastic outpouring on the MacBook Air 11in and decided to follow my advice. He is now the happy owner of a 1.6GHz computer with 4GB of memory and the biggie 128GB SSD. That's identical to mine, so I’m not not surprised he’s delighted: “I know that I made the right choice and that it is a great laptop."
Bruno converted to Mac in 2008, first buying a MacBook and then a 27in iMac for home. He also bought the iPad the day it was launched in the UK: “I was foolish to think that the iPad was for me. As you mentioned in one of your posts, it has its limitations as a productive tool. I couldn’t do many of the things I needed for the office, despite trying several apps and even buying the external bluetooth keyboard.”
It seems my experience is not unique. But before iPad fans start calling me out, I do think the iPad is a wonderful device, particularly for media consumption. I would be happy to carry one around for browsing and reading, but I cannot justify the extra weight. The MacBook Air is now my constant companion and I have become much more productive as a result.
Adding the extras
Back to Bruno. He’s bought the Zagg clear-film protective kit I wrote about earlier this month. He hasn’t fitted it yet, but I recommend watching some of the excellent YouTube videos on the subject. Lots of spray needed.
To add to his new stable he’s bought a 1TB Passport external disk from Western Digital, which he says is ridiculously light, silent and with good standard encryption software. One of these is on my want list as well.
Finally, what is the ideal slipcase for the Air? I’ve been searching the Apple stores for weeks and the absence of 11in cases was one of the reasons I snapped up the Speck polycarbonate protector (also reviewed here). He managed to find the Tucano Elements Special Edition Skin in silver for the Air. He reports the quality is excellent and value for money outstanding at £23 from Amazon UK. I must also try out one of these, so thanks to Bruno for the tip.
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