If you’re like me, and don’t want to watch the whole 90-minute MacWorld love fest, watch this instead. The folks over at Mahalo have edited the keynote down to sixty seconds (thanks to TechCrunch for the pointer):
I haven’t spent much time taking the temperature of the tech blogosphere, but early returns seem pretty underwhelming. That Macbook Air looks sexy, but this piece describes its manifold shortcomings. I still miss my lovely 12″ PowerBook, and the MacBook Air ain’t the replacement.
Rather randomly, I was inspired to register MacBookArian.com MacBookAryan.com, but I couldn’t think of anything to do with it. I can do a pretty good bad German accent…
DarrenBarefoot.com 
I wouldn’t buy a MacBook Air myself right now (even if I were in the market, it’s worth waiting for the 1.0 bugs to shake out) — but I think it’s a swell device for plenty of people.
I think a good chunk of laptop buyers rarely swap in an extra battery, plug into wired Ethernet, connect more than one USB device (such as a camera or thumb drive) at a time, or need the maximum possible CPU horsepower. But they do want something that won’t weigh down their bag at the airport or cafe or boardroom or conference presentation.
It’s a niche product, but I think the niche will grow. I too wish it were smaller, not just thinner. Looks like those 12″ PowerBooks will still be a hot eBay item.
I’m with Derek, this v1 laptop isn’t for me, but I think people will be surprised by how well it does or at least how it influences the rest of their product line and other companies.
Darren, what part of the TechCrunch article speaks to your own laptop requirements unmet by BackBook Air?
Lloyd: I think you mean CrunchGear, but regardless:
* No ethernet connection – We used wireful connections in Malta (wireless was impractical, thanks to the provider and our big stone house) and are using them in Morocco (why buy a wireless hub for two months, when we don’t need one).
* No optical drive – I’m not sure how big a deal this is, but I’ve installed a few things from CD over the past year (iWork ’08, WoW, etc). I know I can buy an external drive, but the fewer peripherals, the better, particularly when traveling.
* 1 USB – I know I can buy a USB hub, but it’s another peripheral.
* Weight – It’s not a big deal for me. I just don’t carry my laptop around that much. Even when I’m in Vancouver, it’s probably a twice a week thing.
* Battery replacement – Actually, this is no big deal for me. I’ve never owned an extra battery.
All that for what amounts to twice the price of a MacBook. It’s sexy, but not for me.
The only thing that really spoke to me is the concerns that it seems fragile. What 2 USB attachments do you often have plugged in at the same time?
In Malta I was using an external monitor, keyboard and mouse. The latter two were USB.
I guess the saying is true then, “When in Malta…”
Most people don’t have 2 USB devices plugged in at the same to their laptop.