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Read the tech blogs at the moment and you can't help but notice how controversial Apples new Macbook Air is. Although it is not yet shipping to the general public I was lucky enough to spend 20 minutes with one while attending MWSF2008. First impressions? Super sexy. This thing is impossibly thin and is typically well engineered. However, as noted by many pundits, the size comes at a cost. No optical drive, no replaceable battery, no firewire port, no ethernet port, non-upgradeable memory.

I have read many vitriolic user comments on the tech blogs lambasting the high costs/low feature set of the Macbook Air since its announcement at Macworld. The consensus seems to be that the MBA is for a niche market. Yet it has reminded me of another Apple product launch from the not too distant past.

When the iPod nano was released there were many people who questioned why anyone would purchase a 4GB MP3 player when for only $50 more the same person could purchase a full sized 30GB iPod. It was labelled over priced and under specced. Yet the nano went on to be Apples most successful iPod to date selling many more units than the classic iPod.

My point? The vast majority of the population are not posting on Engadget or Gizmodo. They have little need for more than one USB port at a time. They spend the majority of their computer time surfing the web, sending mail, instant messaging and working within general office apps. And dare I say it, they are more fashion conscience than your average geek. I would argue that the authors of countless negative blog posts are missing the point. It is in fact they who are the niche market. The pro user. The nerd. Apple is targeting the Macbook Air at everyone but them.