Latest MacBook Air 'Clone' packs SD Card, 3G, removable battery and $249 pricetag

Seth Weintraub
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November 16, 2009
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We think this might be a huge stretch on the term 'clone' but the latest aspiring Air coming out of Taiwan packs an impressive array of features, especially for the $249 pricetag it carries.   This one has:

  • Built in Ethernet port
  • 3G Wireless
  • HDMI video out
  • Full laptop HDD
  • SD Card slot

On the downside, it has a Intel Atom 280 processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM and a battery rated at 2.5 hours -and it is plastic and not so thin...

So really, it is simply a flattened out Netbook with a 12-inch screen. Still, some of these features might be nice on the Air - which would you like to see?  We're in the 3G camp. Lots of pictures below.

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Comments (13)

Pats (not verified) | November 16, 2009 - 5:31am

How do you compare this to a Macbook Air?  You must be kidding

Pats (not verified) | November 16, 2009 - 5:31am

How do you compare this to a Macbook Air?  You must be kidding

9to5Mac Noob | November 16, 2009 - 6:50am

Macbook air: 0.76" thin

This behemoth looks like it's about 2" thick. The underside looks like someone went nuts with a cutting wheel, after forgetting that airflow is required—but forgot that it's not ventilation, but airflow that's important. 

Is it possible for them to have made an uglier way to get to the battery (which has a truly pitiful lifespan compared to the Air) and the hard drive?

 

And really, an Atom? 

The Chinese photocopiers need the glass cleaned; there's clearly some distortion going on here. 

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | November 16, 2009 - 7:10am

Why, of course it compares to the MBA.


See? It has that convex underside, the same thumbscoop design and the same fold down access port.


Gotta love the the precision fit of that keyboard too.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | November 16, 2009 - 7:44am

This is a joke. That's all I can say.

9to5Mac Lurker (not verified) | November 16, 2009 - 8:49am

This "clone", and others likely to follow, are examples of what compelled Apple to block the Atom processor on Snow Leopard updates.

The only way this plastic Airy toy could compete with the real deal is to show it running OS X.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | November 16, 2009 - 11:18am

this is not a macbook air.. it is windows based sysyem which clearly shows the window key on the keyboard also..

ao (not verified) | November 16, 2009 - 2:44pm

one more reason to buy a mac: they don't put a dozen stickers on the fucker to show all your buddies what's inside

The ones you only think of peeling off after you've had enough sun on your machine to tell the difference and see their footprint on your laptop body forever.


Die in Peace, dear chinese.

sault (not verified) | November 17, 2009 - 3:31am

i have a basket for dirty clothes that is made of aluminium, and is esquared. Would you like to make a comparation with a Mac Pro¿

 

;)

sault (not verified) | November 17, 2009 - 3:32am

i have a basket for dirty clothes that is made of aluminium, and is esquared. Would you like to make a comparation with a Mac Pro¿


;)

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | November 17, 2009 - 7:55am

at 249 dollars this is no joke

china is a coming

yes it is

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | November 17, 2009 - 7:58am

yeah but why bother?

eee 9"ers cost 100 dollars refurbished and still they do the trick

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | November 17, 2009 - 12:23pm

Excuse me folks, but last time I checked, most if not all of Apple hardeware  products are made in China, and Taiwan.  Maybe after the dollar looses so much value, it may be worth it to start making Apple computers here again. But with a devalued dollar we couldn;t afford them..

Let's face it the Chinese can and do build quality stuff. You just have to pay a little more for it.  You want cheap, they will build cheap. You want good quality you pay for it accordingly.

Caveat Emptor

 

 

 

Caveat Emptor. (sic) on price.