Long time no updates, I am really sorry for that. Life has turned upside down since the recent move. It has been a month now, so we are in the calming stage already, and hopefully I will have more time to maintain the blog.

But just to give you an update, I have already started building my newest and first to Dubai project, a HTPC aka Home Theatre PC.

We purchased a Sharp Aquos 32″ LCD TV, which is small, but perfectly fits in size to our anyways small apartment. But since a TV by itself is just plain boring, I went looking for options. And of course added the fact that I am an Apple geek, I had to go down the proper, Apple road.

After having read extensive amount of articles about options, I have decided to go with a Mac Mini as the head unit, and it will be wired to the LCD TV via HDMI to DVI cable for best quality. I will have internet, emails, iTunes music and videos, and of course DVD and “other” video playback. This will become our entertainment centre, and to have the best control over all this, I purchased a Belkin MediaPilot keyboard, which is wireless, has a mouse built in with an intelligent Remote Controller on board. So one device will drive it all.

This was just a teaser, stand by for the outcome. I ordered via Amazon to a US address to eliminate the horrific UAE and in general non US Apple prices. There is a company called Aramex who provides a US shipping address, I ship everything there, and they forward it to the UAE, to our doorstep.

More later cheers, I am off picking up my wife from her lunch gathering…

Ben

So finally the day has come, the Macbook Air arrived to Hungary. My mother in law brought it over from Tokyo. So that the bag wouldn’t get scratched, I also ordered a Fabrix case from Singapore, which I earlier mentioned, and she was bringing the two together.

As I don’t have much time now, need to catch an early flight tomorrow, I just thought of tossing out a few pictures, for teasers.

Enjoy, a full review will come shortly,

This is how the “package” arrived from Japan, in pieces packed at various suitcases, to eliminate attention from the Custom agents at Budapest Airport.

And some random pictures…. enjoy

And this is how “unbelievably” thin this thing is, compared to a “Fat and thick” iPhone

Doing the remote install from Yuka’ iMac. I wanted to get this done in order to customize the installation of Leopard, and get rid of all the unnecessary languages and save precious space on the otherwise small (80GB) HDD. I was able to cut a good 5-6GB from the install size, making the available space being somewhere above 65GB.

That’s all folks for now, need to get ready for Istanbul. Look out for more MacBook Air updates in the close future….

So I had purchased the AirMail from Manillamac, but since that has not arrived yet, I needed another case for the shipping. The MacBook Air is being brought to Budapest by my Mother in Law from Tokyo, and since I want it protected, I need to send her a sleeve case she can place the precious MBA in.

I went on googling, and found a very nice and in-style sleeve called Blue Suit from Fabrixcases, a company based in Singapore. Since I want it sent to Japan, it actually makes sense to order from the Far East, and of course quality-wise the Far East is unbeatable. I wanted to order in Japan, but the lack of credit card acceptance put me off.

This is how it looks, more on this later once I have it in my hand.

Happy Ben reports the purchase of a MacBook Air as of yesterday 11PM CET . I must say I am really excited, I was almost unable to fall asleep from thoughts in my head. Yes, before you say it, this is a definate sign of geekyness, and I am most definitely a geek.

Read on for details of the purchase, and proof

So, the whole thing started with the fact that I saw the MacBook Air AD on apple.com and I was immediately attracted to the thing. Of course, the price tag was really high, and I already had a brilliant MacBook and on top, I wasn’t sure if the lack of features that the Air presents will be enough for me.

Giving it a little thought and a few days of boiling brains, I got to the Decission, that I am definetally going with the MacBook Air. This was on the 16th of February, and I blogged it, you can read it here if you haven’t seen it before.

Once I made up my mind, I started putting my MacBook online for sale, which started with a fresh reinstall of OS X Tiger, and a few online ADs. There is an excellent Mac site in Hungary which takes Mac related ADs, and this brought me much luck, as I sold the MacBook the day before yesterday, on the 26th of February. I also blogged that, read it here.

Having sold the MacBook already, my mind was all over the MacBook Air, and how to get it purchased fast and cheap. In Hungary, its not yet available, they are expecting it in 2-3 weeks, and the price tag will be 457,900HUF which is about $2664USD at current rate from www.xe.com, which is a far far off price compared to the US price $1799 for the same exact model.

This is an actual screenshot from apple.hu’s store page.

Since I wasn’t lucky enough to find someone who travels to the US in a short while from present time, I decided to go for the 2nd best option, and order from Japan. My Parents in law are coming to Budapest on the 29th of March, which is only one month away. Japanese prices are not as good as US or Hong Kong prices, but they are still more charming than EU prices. I checked the rate on the 26th, and it wasn’t very good, but I saw a huge lift in the Forint to Yen conversion, and counting in Forints, the Japanese price dropped with 30,000HUF in just two days. I needed nothing more, got online with Yuka (translator/wife), created an Apple ID for her, and ordered the MacBook Air. Between the time I checked the HUF/YEN rate, and we were ready with the Apple ID creation, the forint further advanced compare to the Japanese YEN, and the price became even more desired.

This is the SMS I received from my bank (OTP) when we processed the order:

The SMS was forwarded from Yuka’s mobile, as we used her card ideally for the purchase, thus she was the one getting the SMS. Ideally meaning ideal for me, as it wasn’t my money Well, actually it was, so I am broke like a dog now. The MacBook sale didn’t cover the full sum.

But getting back to happy mode after the depression of seeing my Account ballance, here are some more details.

This is the email I got from Apple right after the purchase. As you can see, I also ordered the Ethernet Adapter, becuase that is the one thing I may need which the Air doesnt have. Now I feel fully loaded:

And finally, once I click on the Tracking Link Apple sent me, I see this on their website.

As you can see, the MacBook Air is going to be shipped to my Parents in law’s house no later than the 12th of March, and the Ethernet Adapter by no later than 17th of March. I will order another sleeve case from Japan, and have it delivered to their home, so they can bring the laptop padded, and safe on the long journey.

And the price after all came out to be 358,576HUF which is $2084USD and this even includes the Ethernet Adapter, an additional cost otherwise. If I had bought it in Hungary, I would have ended up paying an extra 100,000HUF which is $581 USD. European taxes are insane, and therefor Apple products are positioned as Luxury items, which I don’t buy into.

So what’s left now is to wait 30 days and 30 nights until my much expected MacBook Air arrives to Budapest. I am going to Turkey for a conference on the 1st of April, so the Air will have a nice welcome trip with me. Its coming from Asia to Europe to Budapest, and just in 2 days of time, going back to Asia. Quite a lucky piece don’t you think?

Cheers

Was I not satisfied? I couldn’t say that. Did I not like the features? I loved them. Did I not like the Design? Jeez, who doesn’t like Apple’s design?

So the obvious questions comes to mind. Why on earth did you (I) sell the Macbook?

Well, to buy the even cooler, more superb, outstandingly stylish MacBook Air. Granted, its a controversial product when it comes to its price/feature ratio, but like I explained earlier:

I am seriously thinking about getting the MacBook Air.

The MacBook Air just fits the bill for me, and with the sale of the MacBook, I am one step closer to buying it. I have the money saved up already, and I am now only debating where to get it from. Hungary, and the EU in general is out of the question. US would be best, Canada/Hong Kong are on the 2nd place pricewise, and Japan, which is realistic in my case comes in at 3rd place in the price game. Its somewhere between the US / EU price, but still a bit closer to the US price.

As for memories, this is/was my belowed MacBook:

Cheers

]]> http://www.celifornia.com/blog/2008/02/27/macbook-sold-ready-for-the-air/feed/ 0 http://www.celifornia.com/blog/2008/02/16/manila-folder-type-sleeve-for-macbook-air-purchased/ http://www.celifornia.com/blog/2008/02/16/manila-folder-type-sleeve-for-macbook-air-purchased/#comments Sat, 16 Feb 2008 19:43:54 +0000 bence8810 http://www.celifornia.com/blog/2008/02/16/manila-folder-type-sleeve-for-macbook-air-purchased/ Hi

Before you say it, yes, you are right. I don’t even have the MacBook Air yet, but I already got an accessory for it. What can I say, I am a dumbass. However, it makes time go by quicker while waiting for the MacBook Air, plus this will allow me from day one to protect it properly.

This is what it looks like:

I purchased it from here: cost was $29 for the sleeve and $20 for shipping to Hungary, takes 3 days it says

Click their logo to visit their site:

Cheers

p.s. Please tell me why this thing is called a “Manila folder” ?

The MacBook is a superb machine, but still it isn’t made for me. I thought it was, and I was very satisfied getting it, and I had so much help from friends in Hong Kong in the process of the purchase, that I would never say I regret it, but somehow the MacBook is not me. Its too heavy, and the built quality is not equal of other Apple gear I (we) have at home. Granted its a nice Laptop, but it should never be compared to the quality of the iPhone I have, or Yuka’s iMac. Those things are made of sturdy aluminum and are very solid when handled. The MacBook isn’t built that way, but again, for the price it costs, its an amazing thing.

Long story short, I am 99% sure of getting myself a MacBook Air. My parents in law are visiting from Japan this March/April, so I think I will ask them to bring one for me. Its much cheaper there, and I kind of like the Japanese keyboard anyways. Its really unique here, and I also like the placement of the keys, like the @ sign at a much better location, no shift needed for a column, etc.

Lots of people put the MacBook Air down for its lack of power, ports and for the simple fact of it being extremely expensive. These are all true, and I 100% agree. The MacBook Air is not an everyday machine, definitely not a desktop replacement, and is not meant to be used for people who rely on a single machine solely or do extensive multi media stuff.

However, it fits the bill for me as I:

1. Have a server at home for all my files, iTunes library and iPhoto library, so don't need for extra HDD space
2. Have an iMac (Wife's) in the extreme cases when I need some power for photo/video editing
3. Have no desire to play games
4. Have not placed a single CD/DVD in the slot of the Macbook for months. I guess its clogged up now anyway from the lack of use
5. Only do Emailing, blogging, web editing, browsing in my private time
6. Only do Remote Desktop server management, emails, browsing, scripting (text editor) when working

All of these tasks can be accomplished with a machine much less powerful than the MacBook Air, in fact my current every day laptop, the Panasonic Let’s Note is a Low Voltage 600MHz Mobile Intel CPU powered thing which serves me perfectly fine.

On a usual day, when away from office, I use VPN to connect to work, then have a Remote Desktop connection to my station, and from there do the usual work I would when sitting at my desk. In these respect, all I need is a Terminal, and something to write emails on and browse.

This clears out all the Tech-related issues of the MacBook Air. Ports I don’t need except for the iPhone charging, but there is a single USB port available, so that is fine. CD/DVD drive I never use, keep everything on my server, and I have the 802.11n WiFi network, at over 100MBit/sec speeds. The non-replaceable battery worries me not, as from the ~20 laptops I so far had, I never replaced a singe battery once. When I am on flights, I never manage to work over 3 hours, so I don’t need a 2ndary battery. I usually watch films, eat myself full, and drink myself to sleep. (Before you judge me on drinking, I am 190cm tall, and cannot fit in my seat. Without drinking, there is no sleeping for me. Note to self, I need to get rich and fly first class)

Now the only remaining issue is the Price. Well, you got me there, this is one hell of an expensive thing to get. But when I think about having two laptops which overall actually cost more than the single MacBook Air, and I have to keep my emails, config files in both places and always updated, I guess having a single machine makes more sense.

All that said, I am getting the MacBook Air. I am interested in your thoughts, if you happen to pass by my blog, please have your say on this.

As for now, my MacBook is advertised in the local paper, and as soon as it goes, I wire the money to Japan for the MacBook Air.

Cheers

These things are really outstanding, and we have completely moved over and migrated to Apple Gear. Since than (October 2007) I am only focusing on buying things with a ridiculously snobbish Apple logo on it. Anyways, long story short, we have now an overstock of Laptops and Desktops at home. This list doesn’t include my work Dell laptop, and the 3 servers I have at home. I will repost later with more pics, this post is actually mainly to test the new blog software, and also to show off these ridiculous pictures. 

Enjoy,

Ben

For more pictures, visit my gallery: