09-25-2008, 07:00 PM
I'd be curious to see (though even if Apple has data like this, they aren't generous about sharing it) what the breakdown is between male and female buyers of the Air.
At the risk of stereotyping, or overstating the case...
I generally find my gear-head male friends insist on a laptop that's durable, powerful, and you can plug 18 things into it once. They don't care so much how small or light it is, within reason. It's gotta be versatile, have lots storage, and lots of juice. Thinner and lighter is a bonus, as long as it doesn't compromise on the other priorities.
My women friends, could give a flip about most of that stuff, and would prefer a laptop that's smaller, lighter, and pleasing to use for mail and web (95% of what most of us do on a computer) and think the scale and features of laptops like the MacBook Air are nearly ideal, especially if they have to lug it around, to work and back, or when traveling.
Example: my wife (who uses a little Sony Vaio notebook) saw the Air in an Apple Store with me for the first time about six months ago. She immediately smiled and said "It looks like an Italian cookie".
This is not to dismiss the Air as a fashion accessory. She's a demanding user. Works at MS. And is generally a no-frills, high achieving personality. But weight matters to her. A lot. Any ounce that's there better be there for a damn good reason, because it counts, every single day. Thin and light trumps external ports, easily.
Any others have observations similar to this? Not just gender, but priority. Form, function, features, portability...
At the risk of stereotyping, or overstating the case...
I generally find my gear-head male friends insist on a laptop that's durable, powerful, and you can plug 18 things into it once. They don't care so much how small or light it is, within reason. It's gotta be versatile, have lots storage, and lots of juice. Thinner and lighter is a bonus, as long as it doesn't compromise on the other priorities.
My women friends, could give a flip about most of that stuff, and would prefer a laptop that's smaller, lighter, and pleasing to use for mail and web (95% of what most of us do on a computer) and think the scale and features of laptops like the MacBook Air are nearly ideal, especially if they have to lug it around, to work and back, or when traveling.
Example: my wife (who uses a little Sony Vaio notebook) saw the Air in an Apple Store with me for the first time about six months ago. She immediately smiled and said "It looks like an Italian cookie".
This is not to dismiss the Air as a fashion accessory. She's a demanding user. Works at MS. And is generally a no-frills, high achieving personality. But weight matters to her. A lot. Any ounce that's there better be there for a damn good reason, because it counts, every single day. Thin and light trumps external ports, easily.
Any others have observations similar to this? Not just gender, but priority. Form, function, features, portability...