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If Apple's reason for going from a 12-inch PowerBook G4 to a 13.3-inch MacBook can be compared to Godzilla in terms of size, what, matters this time is what was the reason for making a new non-pro MacBook--but now extremely thin & light--and adding the word "Air"?

Right now, you just can't see the light, and this new venture is going to be compared to another monster movie, that of J.J. Abrams's "Cloverfield" which features a Godzilla-like creature. The only difference between the monster in that film and the one we all know and love, Godzilla (like the 12-inch G4), is this.

We know not where it came from (well, the computer we do), what its reasons are for making an appearance, and who it's here for. Because let's face it, just like the monster in the film "Cloverfield," Apple's decision to create and roll-out the MacBook Air is just as mysterious.

'Thinnovation'
Yes, the MacBook Air is very innovative, and it is unlike anything ever seen. But just because it's thin, doesn't mean it's small. It's still bigger than the 12-inch PowerBook G4, and while the MacBook Air is almost as thin as a piece of paper, it's not the size of a piece of paper as the 12-inch PowerBook G4 was (which was a tad bit smaller even at that!). What's more important for portability? Features or weight? We'll have to, wait, on that verdict from sales.

'Flat-Out Stunning'
Yes, the MacBook Air is flat, and not very "out" (thick) which makes it stunning. But what's more stunning is that while it's lighter, thinner, and has some cool features--such as a backlit keyboard (missing from the 12-inch) and the new multi-touch gesture trackpad--it's not really, in a sense, a full-featured ultra-portable... you're sacrificing lots of necessary features for its one flat-out stunning feature. (And the "measly" 1.6GHz processor??).

'Major Minor Details'
In the quest to be thin, you have to shed some pounds. (If you're in the U.K., you'll be shelling out a lot of pounds!). For $1799, you technically get less--though, that was the price of the first 12-inch PowerBook G4 at release, (the 867MHz VGA model)--than the "current" 1.5GHz 12-inch G4 which has more features: two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire, optical drive, 5400 RPM drive, dedicated graphics, plus ethernet and modem jacks.

'Born Free'
Still on price, this new MacBook Air is not a free ride when compared to a similarly-equipped MacBook for less, or for just $200 more, a fully-featured MacBook Pro. (You're wasting a lot of dough just to have a cracker). And while it's designed to be used wirelessly, to do most of the normal everyday things you might expect, you have to get wired--and pay extra for what they left out--in order to do it. External optical drive, adapter for ethernet, etc.

Yes, yes, yes. The MacBook Air in its own right is innovative in Apple fashion, and only in the fashion that Apple knows how to make, and does every single time. It deserves praise and recognition in and of itself. But when compared to the 12-inch PowerBook G4, it just doesn't, fly, in this columnist's opinion. Third time's the charm? Not really.

But to be fair, this is their second attempt after the 12-inch PowerBook G4, so three translates to one last chance. (It's not bad enough that the MacBook Air is already being compared, less than 14 days after its announcement, to the infamous PowerMac G4 Cube).

Final thoughts? Let's look at the key words behind all of this debate. "Apple's smallest, lightest, powerhouse." The MacBook Air is not small, it is lighter, but it's not much of a powerhouse (your opinion, and again, based on one's needs) when compared to the other MacBooks--pro and non-pro--and especially, the 12-inch PowerBook G4.

The G4 dead and obsolete? If you're looking for Apple's smallest ultra-portable powerhouse, the 12-inch PowerBook code-named Thresher (and the modern-day Pismo!) is still it.

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