The brand new MacBook Air is incredibly sexy. There isn’t a single hipster who wouldn’t want to be seen with it at Starbucks. It gives off good vibes, but what might not be quite as obvious is the true appeal to the non-nerdy crowd.
The MacBook Air’s light weight, beautiful hardware isn’t nearly as scary as a Dell, HP, or even a MacBook Pro with plugs and ports and slots this way and that. The Air is as simplified as a computer can get at this point, and that is the beauty of Apple as a consumer company. The number of gigaflops don’t really matter to Grandpop and Aunt Mabel. What matters is that the hardware is as user-friendly as the software. Frankly, I think “Friendliness” is the biggest ally we have to convert our technophobic relatives into 21st century citizens. Apple is making software and hardware in combination for both me and my mom. That’s huge.
We’ve seen the same thing happen with the iPod and iPhone. MP3 players and smart phones were the realm of the mega-nerd not too long ago. Today, they are vital devices many people couldn’t imagine being without. The Jobsian version of Apple is something that everyone can get behind. I appreciate that, and I hope you do too.
Tell me, would you start your technophobe of choice with an iPad or MacBook Air? Frankly, I can’t decide quite yet. They’re neck and neck for me, so leave a message in the comment section of this post to be heard.
