iPad, MacBook Air, Kindle 2 and iPhone side-by-side

As you can see, my iPad is here.  Thoughts, impressions and comparisons to follow.  In the meantime, I shoot an album to give perspective versus other similar gadgets.

You can view the full gallery here.

The Lee Equation

My friend Nathan Lee was contemplating the MacBook Pro vs. MacBook Air decision that so many of us are facing.  He came up with a handy equation that solves the issue perfectly.  I'm proud to introduce the world to the Lee Equation:

Z = D - L

D is the number of days in a month your MacBook would be on a desk.

L is the number of days in a month your MacBook will be on your lap.

If Z is a positive number, get the Pro

If Z is a negative number, get the Air.

MacBook Air SSD has taken over me.

My MacBook Air with 64 GB SSD arrived last week.  After pondering its form and dead silent operation, I've decided to use it full time.  This hasn't been an easy decision--the Air has a lot going against it for someone like me.

• My home directory is 112.59 GB.  That's bigger than the Air's SSD or HD options.
• I'm a chronic multi-tasker.  I have a lot of apps open and many of them are disk, CPU and GPU intensive.
• I travel frequently, but not so often my 15" MacBook Pro is cumbersome.  I am not a road warrior.

Because of these considerations, Apple's 15" notebook has been my One Machine since the launch of the titanium PowerBook G4.  The PowerBooks (and MacBook Pros) have always been a compromise compared to their desktop siblings, but I've rarely felt held back by my computer.

The Air is different.  64 GB is tiny.  I frequently use more than one USB port (while traveling), and I travel with a Verizon ExpressCard.  The Air shouldn't be a machine I even consider, but then I held one.

It's tiny.  It's silent.  It wakes from sleep instantly--and it's completely usable as soon as the screen comes on.

Did I mention its silent?  You don't know how loud a hard drive is until you have a computer without one.

So, I've ordered a Mac Pro to use at my desk at work and a 24" iMac to use for managing family media at home.  The Air will be my travel/meetings/presentations computer.

This will either be fantastic or a total disaster.  I'll keep you posted either way.