Apple MacBook Air MD711LL/A 11.6-Inch Laptop (NEWEST VERSION)

So first I will say I am coming from a MacBook air 11' mid 2011 with 2GB ram and 64GB harddrive. This one I got has 4GB of ram and 128GB harddrive. I use this laptop mainly for browsing the internet and some programming. Now that you have a little background Ill give a quick review.

From the get go this laptop is MUCH faster then my previous Macbook air. When you open the lid you are ready to go that second. On the old one I would have to wait a little for it to load and if I left chrome up and clicked on it right away then I would get the loading wheel. I havent seen this do it once. That could be because of the harddrive being so much faster.

When I opened the box the laptop was already charged to 91% so im trying to kill it. Well I was on it ALL NIGHT last night and now its the morning and its only at 60%. That battery life is amazing and let me honest thats what we ask for in a laptop.

If you are up in the air about this laptop(no pun intended). I would say give it a go. You could even buy it from the Apple store and if you dont like it just return it.

If you are replacing an older Macbook air and have one thats because the mid 2012 then I would say get it but if you have the mid 2012 I dont know if I would suggest spending the money unless you really want battery. I hope this helps anyone trying to purchase this laptop.

I am not an Apple fan boy. My desktop is a custom build Window machine so I know both worlds. Please if you have any questions just comment and I will be happy to try things for you or just answer questions.

I am a Computer Engineer so im use to testing things so feel free to ask.

(This is my first review)

Working off formerly a 13" macbook air mid 2011, I just bought this new 2013 model with the Haswell CPU and low power consumption infrastructure.

Off a full charge, I disconnected 3 hours 40 mins and had an external drive connected the entire time, restarted 4 times, and did NONSTOP heavy application installs (Office suite, Photoshop etc.), a total of 23 applications, and ran youtube vids in the background the entire time, and after all of that nonstop heavy loading, I had 76% on my battery, of which id have around 35% on my older Macbook Air.

Further still, the entire unit has run UTTERLY COOL during this EXTREMELY heavy loading, installing and heavy 1080P video graphics play. My other Macbook Air would be almost too hot to touch underneath near back under same conditions.

Even without 802ac (new Wifi connection thru the new Air), I notice roughly 25% faster throughput on likewise file downloads using my new Macbook Air than that of my older version Macbook Air.

This new Macbook Air contains PCIe-Based Flash Storage Approaches 800 MB/s Read and Write. I notice BLAZING fast write speed on my 1.1 Gig Photoshop app, and seemed about 40% faster than my previous generation Macbook Air. Also, this new Air model contains PCIe-based SSD modules made by Samsung and is smaller than the previous Air model SSD made by Toshiba.

These new Airs also sport batteries with increased capacity driven by higher voltages: increasing from a 7.3 V, 6700 mAh power battery to a 7.6 V 7150 mAh power battery. Other changes include a redesigned expanded heat sink covering both the CPU and GPU, which must be why this unit runs SO COOL even maxed out.

ALL my apps run perfect on this new Air, including Office suite, and the entire Adobe suite and the rest of my apps, ....which it should, its still running Mountain Lion OS.

I really have to say again, that write speeds on HUGE app instals is just faster than you dare hope for; its just blazing faster than my previous gen. Air.

My Macbook Air has been without a question my most treasured gem of "go-to" Mac product hands down, I own all of them (2 Airs, Macbook Pro, MacMini etc),...I was skeptical when I shelled out $1099 today for the new Haswell Air and its presumed prognosticated "crazy long" battery life and improved speeds overall; but the hype isn't hype, its real and amazing. The mere NOTION that I can overload this Air with App installs, and have a 2.5" HD attached for nearly 4 hours, run 1080P Youtube vids,...and still be at 76% Batt life is just, well, its stunning.

Tested out the NEW dual (stereo) mic and it IS much nicer in record, additionally the camera/vid is much sharper and crisper than my other Mac Air. Considering the price point is lower on these new Airs than the older ones, I give the new Macbook Airs a "110%". Having repaired laptops (non mac) in the past, and owned at least 20X more laptops than most consumers, I don't lightly conclude this is the cornerstone workhorse for everything I dare consider doing, fast got faster, and battery life now is enough to make a crusty "hates everything" person like myself nearly cry with joy. Congrats Apple! Homerun on this lovely gem.

I didnt get this delivered in one day, I picked it up from my local Mac store, I got my buddy to sell it to me 1 day before they officially "have" them which is today 6/12. As for the questions about using this new Air with Photoshop and it lagging on heavy filtering and photo editing, Ive tested that fully and this IS the machine you want for ultimate portability, it works fantastic.

Also of great importance is that this version of Mac Air is supposed to have "nearly double" fast write speeds as the Macbook Pro Retina. And the new Hard storage on this Air has "up to 6X faster than a 5400RPM disk drive" as found in current Macbook Pro which contain 5400RPM Toshiba Hard drives (made by Hitachi for Toshiba actually). In short, YES, this is a perfect "must own" book in the field or travel use for photoshop work, with just blazing fast write speeds, and crazy long battery life.

This new Macbook Air brings TRUE definition to being "disconnected" and "portable" to those who want to do a LOT of work free of the power socket! Genuine portable is finally here, ...no more staring at the battery % to rush to shut down!

Buy Apple MacBook Air MD711LL/A 11.6-Inch Laptop (NEWEST VERSION) Now

** Apple is offering a $100 App/iTunes Gift Card with computer purchase for students until 9/6/13 ** (as well as $50 off through the education store (no deadline) )

This might look like just a minor spec bump from last years model. However, the new MBA boasts all day battery life: 11 inch (9 hours) and 13 inch (12 hours). This is a big step up from the previous generation. This is due to a larger battery and more efficient processor. The upcoming OS X Mavericks is supposed to be even more energy efficient than Mountain Lion. The MBA is also faster due to the new processor and has a faster wifi connection. The solid state drive in this computer makes it much faster than a regular hard drive computer.

This is a great computer overall. The screen is not as nice as the retina Macbook Pro, however it is not a deal breaker. The MBA is a lightweight, portable computer and the Retina screen is thicker, heavier, and more expensive. You will probably not miss the disc drive on this computer because it is a featherweight without it and you can use an external disc drive if you have to or remotely access another computer with a disc drive.

If you are debating between the 11 and 13 inch models, it depends on what you want to use it for. The extra screen space, SD card slot, and longer battery life for $100 more makes the 13 inch a worthy choice. However, some want a truly portable machine that can fit easily in a large purse or briefcase.

If you are debating between this computer and an iPad with a bluetooth keyboard, consider the ease of use of the computer versus the portability and cost of an iPad. For students, it is nice to have a real keyboard and be able to easily create documents, spreadsheets, and powerpoints on an actual computer, but I see more and more students with iPads and a keyboard case getting by just fine.

If you are debating between 128GB and 256GB (or custom order 512GB from Apple), consider cloud storage. Flickr now has 1 TB free photo storage with no size restrictions. Google Drive and Evernote are great for documents and you can always store your iTunes library on an external hard drive if you have a massive library.

If you are debating between this and a Windows Ultrabook, consider the operating system, reliability, and resale value. People love Apple products and you can resell the computer if you want to eventually upgrade. They hold their value pretty well. The operating system takes a little getting used to but it is a lot smoother than Windows and you will probably never want to switch back to the dark side.

Read Best Reviews of Apple MacBook Air MD711LL/A 11.6-Inch Laptop (NEWEST VERSION) Here

Well, I purchased this at the Apple Store at Manhattan Beach, CA, and immediately upon opening the box, the Macbook Air had two small dings in the aluminum one on the side of the monitor, and one that appeared to be small hole by the keyboard. It was small but noticeable, so I returned it and got another that was in pristine condition. Any Apple executives out there reading this, please check out this store. I don't know if they're repackaging returned products or what but this was the second time I purchased something from there and had to return it because of some issue.

The Macbook Air was a better choice for me over the Macbook Pro Retina (which I kept for three days and returned), and here's why (1) better battery life (until they come out with the new Haswell Pro's)... you will get 12 hours at least if you're writing and doing light surfing or watching Youtube videos. If you turn off wifi and bluetooth, you may get more; (2) smaller and easier to carry, hold, etc. (this factor might not sound much but it makes a huge difference and is probably the #1 reason why people love their Macbook Airs); (3) less expensive (which means I was less paranoid about it); (4) and for some reason, the screen doesn't hurt my eyes as much. It's strange but the Retina display hurts my eyes after a few hours. (5) the keyboard is great right out of the box so it's easier to type on than the Macbook Pro. I had to work on the Macbook Pro for 3 days before the keyboard was soft enough for me to type faster. Also the fact that the laptop is shaped like a wedge also helps me type faster and is more comfortable for me to type on (Apple exec, please take notice of this for the Macbook Pro's).

Concern?: the monitor is a bit looser than the Macbook Pro. For instance, if you adjust the viewing angle, the Macbook Pro was stiffer. But then again, I am a perfectionist and I notice little things like that.

Conclusion: if you want one of the most reliable brands out there, and you like ultrabooks, the Macbook Air in my opinion is your best bet. Just make sure to check every detail before you keep it. And it sure does beat using Windows 8. Damn that OS is ugly and close to unusable. I have no idea why anybody would want to touch their monitors. I'm probably in the minority, but I think tablets aren't really efficient for productivity. It's harder to cut and paste, use word processing software, etc. I'm more productive on a laptop... and I definitely don't want to touch the screen but that's just my personal preference. THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST LAPTOP I'VE EVER HAD. THANK YOU APPLE!!!! I'M IN LOVE WITH MY MACBOOK AIR!!!

Want Apple MacBook Air MD711LL/A 11.6-Inch Laptop (NEWEST VERSION) Discount?

My oldest son works in the Performing Arts and most of the software they use runs on Mac. The raw specs of every Apple notebook are sufficient to run the specialized software he uses, so it just comes down to individual preference of "battery life, portability and price" vs "screen resolution and hard drive space". In my analysis (see below) I came to the conclusion that 128gb is fine when supplemented with the SD card slot,an external drive and cloud storage (iCloud, DropBox, Box, etc).

I also came to the conclusion that the $300ish price premium for the retina display would be better spent on a very nice external monitor and/or a large external hard drive. The HD5000 video supports up to 2560-by-1600 resolution and with a tiny Thunderbolt to HDMI adapter you can use any HDMI monitor (Tera Grand Premium Mini DisplayPort / Thunderbolt to HDMI Adapter). We also owned notebooks with screens 11" and larger and have come to the conclusion that 13" is the minimum size needed to do "real" work.

Here are the Accessories I recommend:

Apple Magic Mouse or other Bluetooth Mouse

Mini DisplayPort / Thunderbolt to HDMI Adapter

Mini DisplayPort / Thunderbolt to VGA Adapter

External Hard Drive (examples 1tb, 4tb )

Apple USB DVD Superdrive or other USB External DVD Drive

SDXC or microSD Cards (there are some adapters on hte market that let the microSd sit flush)

Office for Mac 2011

[::: 2013 13.3" MacBook Air vs 13.3" Apple MacBook Pro MD101LL/A :::]

[+Air] 2.96 pounds vs 3.56 pounds

[+Air] HD5000 Graphics vs HD4000 Graphics (40% faster)

[+Air] PCIe based SSDs Drive vs ATA SATA drive

[+Air] 17.3 mm thick vs 19.1 mm thick

[+Air] 12 hours battery vs 7 hours

[+Air] 802.11ac Wi-Fi vs 802.11n

[+-Air] 128 GB SSD vs 500gb SATA (faster but less space)

[-Air] 1440-by-900 pixels vs 1280-by-800 Resolution

[-Air] no FW 800 Port

[-Air] no Gigabit Ethernet

[-Air] 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 vs 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5

[::: 2013 13.3" MacBook Air vs 13.3" Apple MacBook Pro with Retina MD212LL/A :::]

*** See above plus differences below

[+Air] $1099 vs $1419

[+Air] 128 GB PDIe SSD vs 128gb SATA SSD (slower interface)

[-Air] 1440-by-900 pixels vs 2560-by-1600 Resolution

[-Air] 4gb RAM vs 8GB Ram

[::: 2013 13.3" MacBook Air vs 2012 13.3 MacBook Air MD231LL/A :::]

[+] Faster PCIe based SSDs instead of SATA SSD drive

[+] DDR3L to LPDDR3 for faster RAM memory

[+] 802.11ac Wi-Fi for faster wireless

[+] 12 hours battery life vs 7 hours

[+] HD5000 video for better graphics and supporting DirectX 11.1, OpenCL 1.2 and OpenGL 4.0. It also features an improved decoder for 4K video

[+] Dual mics

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