With the MacBook Air, Apple has created the world's thinnest laptop--measuring an unprecedented 0.16-inches at its thinnest point (and 0.76 inches thick overall). Apple also introduces its vaunted multi-touch technology, found on the iPhone, to its laptops with the MacBook Air, enabling you to pinch, swipe, or rotate to zoom in on text, advance through a photo album, or adjust an image via the oversized trackpad.
Despite the its slender shell, the MacBook Air doesn't skimp on the specifications. It includes a 13.3-inch LED-backlit widescreen display, full-size and backlit keyboard, and a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing. The MacBook Air is powered by a custom-built 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, which provides an optimized, multithreaded architecture for improved multitasking performance. Other features include 2 GB of RAM, an 80 GB hard disk drive, Wi-Fi connectivity via 802.11a/b/g/n standards, a micro-DVI video output (with included adapters), and up to a 5-hour battery life.
It comes pre-loaded with Apple's Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system, which adds over 300 new features including easy backup of your most important data via Time Machine, a redesigned desktop that helps eliminate clutter, and the newest version of the fast-loading Safari web browser. It also comes with the iLife '08 suite of applications, including iPhoto, iMovie, Garageband, and iTunes.
 Amazingly thin at just 0.16 inches at its thinnest and 0.76 inches at its thickest point, the MacBook Air weighs just 3 pounds. |
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The MacBook Air embodies Apple's continuing environmental progress with its aluminum enclosure, a material highly desired by recyclers; Apple's first mercury-free LCD display with arsenic-free glass; and brominated flame retardant-free material for the majority of circuit boards as well as PVC-free internal cables. In addition, the MacBook Air consumes the least amount of power of any Mac, and its retail box, made primarily from 100 percent post-consumer recycled material, is 56 percent smaller by volume than the previously smallest MacBook packaging.
Design
The thinness of MacBook Air is impressive, but even more impressive is that fact that there's a full-size notebook encased in the 0.16 to 0.76 inch of sleek, sturdy anodized aluminum. This svelte, 3-pound laptop has a vibrant, energy efficient 13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, and its spacious trackpad offers multi-touch gesture support for pinch, rotate and swipe--making it more intuitive than ever to browse and rotate photos or zoom into web pages in Safari. It also features a full-size keyboard that's backlit, making it ideal for dimly lit environments such as airplanes, studios or conference halls. It includes a built-in ambient light sensor automatically adjusts the brightness of the keys as well as the display brightness for optimal visibility.
One of Apple's most celebrated innovations is the MagSafe power adapter connector, which offers a magnetic connection instead of a physical one. So, if you happen to trip over a power cord, you won't send the MacBook Air flying off a table or desk--the cord simply disconnects, without damage to either the cord or the system.
Optical Drive
Because of the amazingly thin design of the MacBook Air, an optical (DVD/CD) drive was not included. To install software from a disc, you can wirelessly use or "borrow" optical drives on remote PCs or Macs using the Remote Disk feature. This allows you full access to an optical drive without having to haul one around. If you want to have an optical drive for burning CDs and DVDs, you can purchase the optional MacBook Air SuperDrive (sold separately). This multi-format CD/DVD read/write drive is powered by the MacBook Air's USB port, eliminating the need to carry a separate power adapter.
Networking
The MacBook Air doesn't include wired Ethernet networking, and instead relies solely on Wi-Fi to connect to your home network as well as wireless hotspots. The built-in 802.11n wireless networking provides up to five times the performance and twice the range of 802.11g, but it's also backward-compatible with 802.11a/b/g routers, enabling you to communicate with the a wide variety of Wi-Fi resources. It works seamlessly with the optional AirPort Extreme base station as well as Apple's Time Capsule Wi-Fi base station/hard drive--both of which include 802.11n capabilities. If you don't have access to a wireless network, you can use an optional USB Ethernet Adapter (sold separately)
Use the built-in Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) wireless technology to connect to your PDA or cell phone, synchronize addresses, or download pictures from your cell phone. You can also use a wireless headset for iChat audio chats and VoIP calls as well as quickly share files with a colleague.
Video Conferencing with Built-in iSight
Artfully placed in the display bezel is an iSight camera, which enables easy video conferencing as well as allows you to snap pictures of yourself and create video podcasts. Using the iChat AV application, video conferencing is integrated into your iChat buddy list, so initiating a video conference is a breeze. iChat also lets you hold audio chats with up to 10 people and provides high-quality audio compression and full-duplex sound so conversation can flow naturally. For video podcasting, you can record a short clip using the iSight camera, then use iWeb to create a video blog entry or post your GarageBand-recorded podcast.
Display and Graphics
 The MacBook Air includes a vibrant 13.3-inch LED-backlit display and a full-sized keyboard. |
Hard Drive and Memory
For storage, this MacBook Air comes with an 80 GB Parallel ATA hard disk drive (4200 RPM). The 2 GB of PC5300 DDR2 RAM (two SO-DIMMs of 1024 MB) has an industry-leading 667 MHz speed, and it maximizes the capacity for this laptop.
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
Custom-built to fit within the compact dimensions of the laptop, the MacBook Air is powered by a 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with a super-fast 800 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and an enormous 4 MB of Smart Cache, an L2 cache that can be shared between the cores as needed. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)
 The innovative now-you-see-it, now-you-don't port hatch flips down to reveal (and closes to hide) all the ports you really need: a USB 2.0 port, a headphone jack, and a micro-DVI port. |
Other Features
- DVI output using micro-DVI to DVI adapter (included)
- VGA output using micro-DVI to VGA adapter (included)
- Composite output using micro-DVI to video adapter (optional)
- S-video output using micro-DVI to video adapter (optional)
- Analog audio output/headphone out (minijack)
- Built-in mono speaker and omnidirectional microphone
- Integrated 37-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery provides up to 5 hours of battery life
- Built-in full-size keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys, 4 arrow keys (inverted "T" arrangement), and embedded numeric keypad
- Supported resolutions: 1280 by 800 (native), 1152 by 720, 1024 by 768, 800 by 600, 800 by 500, 720 by 480, and 640 by 480 pixels at 16:10 aspect ratio; 1024 by 768, 800 by 600, and 640 by 480 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio; 720 by 480 pixels at 3:2 aspect ratio
 Preloaded with Leopard, you'll enjoy enhanced productivity and a clutter-free desktop (thanks to the redesigned 3D Dock with Stacks). |
The biggest Mac OS X upgrade ever, the Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system features over 300 new features, including:
- Time Machine, an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac
- A redesigned Finder that lets users quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs
- Quick Look, a new way to instantly see files without opening an application
- Spaces, an intuitive new feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them
- A brand new desktop with Stacks, a new way to easily access files from the Dock
- Major enhancements to Mail and iChat
Time Machine lets you easily back up all of the data on your Mac, find lost files and even restore all of the software on their Mac. With just a one-click setup, Time Machine automatically keeps an up-to-date copy of everything on the Mac. In the event a file is lost, you can search back through time to find deleted files, applications, photos and other digital media and then instantly restore the file.
The MacBook Air also comes with the iLife '08 suite of applications that make it easy to live the digital life. Use iPhoto to share entire high-res photo albums with anyone who's got an email address. Record your own songs and podcasts with GarageBand. Break into indie filmmaking with iMovie and iDVD. Then take all the stuff you made on your Mac and share it on the Web in one click with iWeb.
What's in the Box
MacBook Air, MagSafe power adapter, Micro-DVI to DVI adapter, Micro-DVI to VGA adapter, cleaning/polishing cloth, install/restore DVDs, printed documentation
| • | 1.8 Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4 MB shared L2 cache; Intel GMA X3100 video processor with 144 MB shared memory |
| • | Thinnest, lightest MacBook ever includes multi-touch trackpad, built-in iSight webcam, and up to 5-hour battery life |
| • | One USB 2.0, built-in Wi-Fi (802.11n draft plus 802.11b/g), Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, Micro-DVI video output with adapters |
| • | Preloaded with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system and iLife '08 suite of applications |
| • | 13.3-inch glossy LED-backlit screen; 80 GB hard disk drive; 2 GB of RAM (maximum capacity) |
I've had my Macbook Air for over two weeks now and it continues to amaze me. I bought it to replace an almost 5 year old 17" Powerbook and the first thing that struck me was how light it felt on my lap. It's almost like it isn't even there. I bought the 64 gig SSD version and the second thing that struck me was how cool the computer felt. Literally. My Powerbook would become uncomfortably hot after a while but the MBA remains cool the whole time I use it. This may be a function of the SSD not having any moving parts but it certainly is welcome, especially for prolonged web-browsing on the couch.
Several other things make this my best laptop. First, it wakes up in a snap when I open the lid, although it does take a few seconds to find the wireless network. As others have mentioned, the screen is bright and absolutely gorgeous. I was a little nervous about these 52 year old eyes reading on the small screen but no problem at all so far. Watching downloaded movies and TV shows is a pleasure. The computer is plenty powerful for my needs. I use a laptop for web-surfing, watching videos, Office type applications and making presentations and the MBA is just fine for this. I have an Imac for heavier duty applications like Photoshop and video creation.
Last week I flew with my MBA on commuter planes, the ultimate test for any laptop. It was great replacing my heavy Powerbook with something so light and easy to handle. I didn't do any work on the plane (I find it hard to work while flying) but I did watch videos and the computer opened up sufficiently to allow me to enjoy what I was watching. Plus it was easy to store under the seat for takeoff and landing. And as an added benefit, two flight attendants came up to me to ogle my MBA and chat with me. That never happened when I had a Dell!
I bought the external DVD drive and used it to load some software. The lack of a built-in drive is no issue for me. Neither is the port "shortage". I've never had more than one USB device hooked up to a laptop at a time anyway and I don't need Firewire. So Apple's compromise is no compromise at all for me.
So if your needs are like mine I'd urge you to strongly consider the MBA. It's pricey in my configuration- although I did get the 10% education discount available through Apple- but if you plan to keep it for years like I do it's less of an issue. It's light, stylish, highly functional and fun to use. What more can you ask for?
Macbook Air defines "laptop" February 20, 200817 out of 20 found this review helpful
Let's start with the negatives.
This laptop is not for everyone.
Obligatory Disclaimer to the savvy consumer: this laptop is a don't buy. First of all, it's a first generation product. NEVER buy a first generation product. The only people who should buy this laptop are the people who can shrug if they lose the thing.
* There are limited ports. In fact, there's only one.
* The battery is not replaceable.
* There is no integrated Wi-Max.
* The battery life is on par with current generation Apple laptops.
* It's "underpowered" in this generation of overpowered desktop-replacements.
Consumers who worry about the above, but still want to run a variation of OS X may purchase this: Apple MacBook MB063LL/B 13.3" Laptop (2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, 8x Super Drive) Black Or this:Apple MacBook Pro MA896LL/A 15" Laptop (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive).
Or simply get the Thinkpad X300 and run it on a last generation OS.
But I gave this 5 stars, why?
* It's beautiful.
* The build is solid.
* I can carry it in one hand with no effort.
And here's the thing about the lack of ports.
* Peripherals will eventually all be wireless.
Bluetooth peripherals are already in the marketplace (obviously where Apple hedges its bets on). Products like Eye-Fi Card, Wireless 2 GB SD Memory Card will become the norm. Laser Printers can be run on wireless networks.
And why pay $1000 more for a lower memory Drive?
If you can't afford it, then don't! But consider this in two years:
* SSD will be the standard for all future laptops.
This price will definitely go down in future renditions of the laptop and will no doubt be the standard in 2 - 3 years. Not only will the price fall, but the speed and quality will undoubtedly increase too.
I've had every laptop hard drive fail on me throughout the past 5 years. No more. The reason why the military invests in SSD is in their stability. I "needed" stability in my laptop HDs, and I "wanted" it now.
This laptop is ahead of its time. People shouldn't kid themselves. It's the equivalent of having the option to own either a Ferrari or a Toyota pickup (Apple apparently recommends both i.e. wireless CD access). They accomplish the same thing, but the former's capacity is limited by legal speed limits. Not only that, the former is vastly expensive to maintain and has limited applicability.
Both is better, but if you had to choose?
This laptop is the same thing. And I love it.
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