return of the Duo?

so Apple announced a new laptop yesterday: the MacBook Air.

i really like this new product, and it’s not just the Steve Jobs “Reality Distortion Field.” i think it’s got a lot of potential.

i always liked my Duos, and wished Apple would once again make a powerful professional sub-notebook (though the term “sub-notebook” is becoming ever more meaningless).

yet like the 2400c which replaced the Duo line, the MacBook Air has no docking ability (which was a feature of the Duos that i really loved). with a full-up DuoDock, the Duo was transformed from a functional road machine into a powerful desktop, complete with removable media and expansion slots.

the MacBook Air does have a new software tool called “Remote Disc,” which allows it to utilize the optical drives of nearby Mac and Windows PCs – assuming they have the software installed as well. so we’ll see how well that works.

but all in all, it’s a neat package. not that i’m going to be ditching my MacBook Pro any time soon! but i think that the MacBook Air will probably succeed, particularly in markets where the Duo did well (like Japan, for instance).

quote of the day:

“Never trust a computer you can’t throw out a window.” – Steve Wozniak