INTRODUCTION
I had considered buying the previous generation MacBook Air (pre July 2011) but just couldn't quite force myself to spend the money on machine that still used Intel's Core 2 Duo CPUs (despite the fact that the older Airs were still actually quite speedy). Apple was using the then newer generation Core i5/i7 CPUs on their other computers.
So when Apple updated their Airs with Intel's significantly faster Sandy Bridge i5/i7 CPUs, I became interested again. But, which size would be best for me?
11" VERSUS 13"
I've been struggling over this decision on which size 2011 MBA would be better. It's the usual dilemma with the 13" boasting pretty much better specs and battery life than the 11". Then I thought, well, the 13" is ONLY 2" larger diagonally, and ONLY weighs a "little" more (and ONLY costs a "little" more).
But the reality (for me) is that for a truly mobile device, like an iPad, only the MBA 11" has a shot at being mobile. The MBA 13" is great and certainly more mobile than a conventional MacBook Pro 13", but the MBA 13" is still IMHO more of a portable, than a mobile laptop.
The MBA 11" is actually mobile.
Once I realized this, there really was no longer a comparison to be made. They are two different devices. One being mobile and the other very portable. I have a 2011 MBP 17" which is my ultimate portable, and now my 2011 MBA 11" is my mobile computer.
PROS
1. Extremely fast CPU The MBA 11" comes with a Sandy Bridge 1.6 gHz dual-core Core i5 CPU (or a 1.8 gHz dual-core i7 directly from Apple). Despite rumors to the contrary, the Turbo Boost and hyper threading capabilities were NOT turned off in the Core i5 CPUs. Geekbench benchmarks show extraordinary speed increases. The previous generation MBA 11" 1.4 gHz Core 2 Duo produced 2024 on Geekbench, while the 2011 MBA 11" now produced 5040 for a 149% increase. This speed even rivals the 2010 MacBook Pro 17" which scored 5423! The 2011 MacBook Air 13" uses a slightly faster 1.7 gHz dual core i5 which scored 5860.)
2. Extraordinarily small! The MBA 11" measures 11.8 x 7.56 x 0.68 inches, while the MBA 13" is 12.8 x 8.94 x 0.68 inches. This means that the 11" is "only" 1 inch shorter and "only" 1.3 inches less deep, but in reality, when you hold up both machines, the MBA 11" feels like a completely different machine. My wife uses a 2011 MacBook Pro 13" which has a similar footprint to the MBA 13". The MacBook Air 13" still felt too much like a laptop, albeit an extraordinarily thin and light one.
3. Extraordinarily light! The MBA 11" weighs 2.38 pounds (while the MBA 13" weighs 2.96 pounds and an iPad 2 weighs 1.35 pounds I actually sometimes hold the MBA like an iPad while reading in bed because it's so light. If you are seeking just a light, portable laptop, then the weight of the MBA 11" or 13" would be great, but if you (like me) are seeking a truly mobile device, then even fractions of a pound matter. The MBA 11" weighs less and is consequently the better choice, but as amazingly light as it is, even lighter would be better. Its doubtful that a mobile device will ever exist that would be considered too light.
4. High-speed Thunderbolt (i.e. Lightpeak) port offering bidirectional 10 gigabits/s throughput Thunderbolt technology is far more revolutionary than USB 3.0 or eSATA. Thunderbolt is NOT limited to the use of a storage device. An external LCD can be attached. Although I use the MBA 11" as my mobile device, it may be acceptable as a primary computer if one attaches an external LCD display and a high-speed Thunderbolt drive. Supposedly an external Thunderbolt hard drive would be nearly as fast as an internal hard drive.
5. Everything is solid state! This MBA feels more like a true "mobile" device since it is fully solid state with its solid state drive. I am far less worried about damaging this versus other laptops I've owned in the past.
6. Extremely fast cold starts and shutdowns thanks to the solid state drive and OS X.
7. Great, full-size keyboard AND keyboard backlighting is back again! While this may seem like a minor point, the previous generation Core 2 Duo Airs did not have the backlighting.
8. The battery life between the 11" and the 13" was only found to be 36 minutes shorter for the 11" (and NOT the 2 hours claimed by Apple) for light usage by Anandtech (...). The battery life is Apple (conservatively) rated at 5 hours (compared to 7 hours for the MBA 13" and also 7 hours for my MBP 17"). Apple's battery life ratings have become much more stringent in the past few years are much closer to real world usage. I am indeed able to use my 11" for about 6 hours with light usage, which is much better than Apple's claimed 5 hours.
9. Tremendous, typical Apple build quality. The MBA feels like a piece of solid precision crafted machinery.
10. Same great glass trackpad with even more gestures in OS X Lion to be used.
11. Comes with the new Mac OS X Lion (which I won't discuss, but it will allow for apps to use a full-screen mode which is of benefit to MBA 11" owners)
12. Extraordinary aesthetics I can't express adequately in words how beautiful this machine looks.
CONS
1. Although I have a Samsung LCD, the vertical and horizontal viewing angles are not nearly as good as on my 2011 MBP 17". It's still more than acceptable, but it's something that MacBook Pro owners will probably notice.
2. Some MBAs come with a Toshiba solid-state drive which is not necessarily a con, but this may bother some users. In real world usage, I have read that one cannot detect any speed differences, but if you like to run benchmarks, then the Toshiba drives in the 128 GB size seem to be slower than the Samsung 128 GB drives in certain benchmarks.
3. MBAs come with either a Samsung or LG LCD panel. It's not clear what the differences are between them. There is pure speculation and mostly fear that one panel is superior to the other, but I have seen comparison photos of both types of displays, and the only difference I can notice is an extremely slightly warmer look to the LG panel. BUT this was on computers that did not have the screens color calibrated. In any case, I can state clearly that my 2011 MacBook Pro 17" display is vastly superior in color and viewing angles, but they are completely different machines.
4. There is no SecureDigital memory card slot on the 11" MBA, although there is one in the larger 13" size. I can't believe I got another Mac laptop WITHOUT a SD slot! My 17" MBP doesn't have one either while the smaller MBPs do! And now, the smaller MBA doesn't have one while the larger one does! I wonder if I'll ever get a Mac with an SD card slot!)
TIPS
1. Believe it or not (do a Google search) but if you use Adobe's Flash, your laptop battery life will most likely be significantly shorter. Some reports show that having Adobe flash turned off allows for 2 hours of additional battery life.
2. I purchased the MBA 11" with standard 1.6 gHz Core i5 and am happy with this. If you get the built to order ones from Apple, you can upgrade your 11" to include the same 1.8 gHz Core i7 that's also available as an upgrade on the MBA 13". Anandtech has found that the 1.8 gHz Core i7 upgrade produces significantly faster benchmarks >20% speed difference without a shorter battery life. The i7 upgrade did produce significantly more heat, however.
3. If you do not need a truly mobile laptop, then the MBA 13" is probably better for most people's needs as a standard conventional laptop (albeit very light, thin, and also beautiful).
4. If you absolutely must have USB 3.0, and you can wait, then you should know that Intel's next future CPU/chipset for Ivy Bridge will allow for native USB 3.0 support.
CONCLUSION
There is no such thing as the perfect computer for everybody just as there is no single tool for every task for every person. I needed a truly mobile laptop to fit with my lifestyle and work needs, which for me included a smartphone, tablet, mobile laptop, and a large laptop/desktop replacement. For the right person, this MBA 11" is truly in a class of its own.
I've been waiting for a new computer for my wife, something that she can use both as her desktop computer attached to a monitor, mouse and keyboard and still take along on business trips around the world. Ideally, something she could throw in her big purse and go. The previous edition of the MacBook Air was close, but too compromised in terms of processor speed. The Air is perfect for her.
At this writing, Amazon is selling two versions of the 11.6 inch MacBook Air, an i5 model with 2GB of RAM and 64 GB of SSD storage, and this model with 4GB or RAM and 128GB of storage . You can order elsewhere a third model with an i7 processor, 4GB of RAM and 256 GB of SSD storage--the i7 is the low voltage 2 core version. This review aims at helping the consumer decide if a MacBook Air is the computer for them, and if so, which one. I think most people will find this model, the middle model to be more than adequate but some will need to seek out the larger capacity version, while some can get along with the lower capacity version as a second computer.
The strengths:
This computer is fast. The combination of a Solid State Drive (SSD) hard drive and an i5 (or optionally an i7) processor make this the fastest computer I've ever used, and I have a 2011 13" MacBook Pro as my personal computer. The SSD gives it a qualitative responsiveness--application launching, task switching--which any spinning disk laptop will be unable to match. Quantitatively, it more than keeps up with its larger siblings in CPU intensive tasks. For example, my big laptop can compile a large, commercial application I maintain using Xcode 4 in 9 minutes 38 seconds, this tiny sub notebook can do the same in 9 minutes 5 seconds. Whichever computer is literally the fastest isn't relevant, what is relevant is that Air buyers are no longer trading speed for portability.
This computer is portable. I went to the local Apple Store and compared the 11.6 to the 13 inch MacBook Air, and while the 13 is extremely portable it is not a good fit for a woman's purse. This 11.6 can nearly get lost in a purse, I can imagine my wife hunting around for a few seconds trying to find it. It's ridiculously small.
Battery life when not under heavy load is good. I can web browse, and as long as I stay away from Flash websites, can do it for several hours. However, under load the 5 hours Apple promises for wireless web browsing becomes sub two hours. If the fan is on, the battery will not last, so it becomes time to figure out which page is running Flash, or which application is hogging all the CPU cycles. The larger Air has more room for a battery and thus has a longer battery life. The battery life of my MacBook Pro is certainly at least an hour or two longer under the same approximate load.
The screen is beautiful and crisp. Color balance and contrast seem superior to that of my MacBook Pro's (which isn't bad either). Viewing angles are good but not the spectacular IPS angles of an iPad. I had been wary of dropping down to the 11 inch screen from the 13 inch of my MacBook Pro, but I think I could work all day at this size especially if all I were doing was web browsing or video watching. I wouldn't want to edit videos or do long term software development at this size, but of course there is a Thunderbolt port and with the appropriate MiniDisplay adaptor I could attach it to any monitor. This will spend most of its life attached to a 21 inch LCD.
The keyboard is thankfully backlit. Typing is reasonably comfortable, although I'd prefer another milimeter or two of key travel. Again, this will spend most of its life attached to an external keyboard so it doesn't matter much but I much prefer the touch feel of my MacBook Pro.
The trackpad is large and Lion ready for all your taps, pinches, swipes (one, two, three and more fingers). Apple is renowned for its trackpads and this is no exceptions. Perfect finger feel, no stutters, accurate tracking.
Build quality. This is not some shoddy plastic netbook. The unibody construction is amazingly rigid and could be used to bludgeon an attacker in a pinch (and still keep on downloading).
The weaknesses:
Storage size is a bit cramped, especially at the lower price points. I think the 64GB model targets users looking to keep all of their documents, images, videos, music in "the cloud" and while I'm sure people will live in the cloud in the future, most of us live on Earth with our limited speed Internet connections. The larger capacities are fine for many people, including my wife, but not for me, I have too many videos, photos, and music files filling up my MacBook Pro to compress myself even down to the 256GB model.
There are not many ports on the box. Two USB ports, a headset port and a Thunderbolt port are limited. I purchased a USB to Ethernet adaptor which takes up one of the two precious USB ports--or pushes me into using a desktop USB hub--but I refuse to use WiFi on a desktop computer. Apple has announced a Thunderbolt version of its well regarded but expensive Cinema display for release in September and that will relieve most port complaints (replaced by I have to pay a thousand dollars for a monitor with a Firewire port? complaints).
Fan noise under load is a bit loud. Surprisingly, this computer which is dead silent until the fan kicks in can be pretty loud due to the small space available for the fan vent.
The FaceTime camera is weak compared to the cameras in the Air's larger cousins. It's OK, but not the spectacular clear FaceTime HD of the camera in my laptop.
This is not a gaming laptop. The one performance compromise is the lack of a proper discreet GPU. The integrated Intel HD 3000 is OK, probably as fast as the last generation NVidia 320M used in the previous Air, but not something you'll want to throw the most demanding game at. It will be fine for watching video on, and just about anything else but high end gaming. This is the same GPU in my 13" Pro laptop.
The maximum memory capacity of the Air, despite being a 64-bit computer, is 4GB. This is a shame as RAM is cheap these days; I have 8GB on my MacBook Pro. The SSD is upgradeable although online prices for the unusual SSD on a board used in the Air are amazing; maybe in a couple years it will make financial sense to upgrade. The lowest model has only 2GB of RAM and that may be too low for many combinations of applications, or when running a virtual machine.
The lack of an optical drive. I had a USB DVD drive already but many will not. Apple will sell you a pretty one, but in most cases any cheap USB drive will do. The only time my wife used her optical drive on her old computer was once a year to install TurboTax, so this will not be a big problem for her. I did have a problem installing Windows 7 using the Parallels Desktop virtual machine in that the virtual machine would not see my cheap optical drive to install Windows. I ended up using Disk Utility to make an ISO disk image of the Windows installer disk and use that as image for installation. My advice here is to not buy an optical drive but wait to see if you actually need one. We are in a future where a household only needs one shared USB optical drive.
The lack of an SD slot reader. I use the reader in my larger notebook several times a week. The larger Air has a reader, and while USB SD card readers are cheap, they are also awkward, often slower and easily lost.
The expense. On a per pound basis, this is the second most expensive object I have ever purchased. My wife will mainly be using it to run Windows software, and I guess I could have gotten a netbook for traveling at a third (or less) the price. I felt it important to get a high performance computer that she could replace her desktop with too, one with a nice screen and a decent keyboard. The previous Air wasn't there yet, this is.
Tidbits:
This laptop ships with Apple's new operating system OS X 10.7 (Lion), which means new users will be getting used to the more gestural iOS like elements of OS X, as well as the infamous upside down scrolling. Thankfully, Lion is a solid release. As a developer, I've had many fewer problems with it than the previous 10.6 release which was a string of pain. Users should know that 10.7 dropped support for PowerPC applications so longtime Mac users should check that all their needed applications are Intel or Universal.
I've installed Windows 7 under the Parallels Desktop VM on this box, and it works well. I gave the virtual machine its own core and 2GB of memory and it is zippy fast. This was the main reason for moving my wife to a new box, the 5 year old Core 2 Duo she had been using was starting to slog under the weight of dozens of Excel spread sheets and scores of browser tabs. I don't know how well a VM would run on the smaller capacity model--splitting a mere 2 GB RAM and finding room to install Windows on the meager hard drive.
There are reports online that some units ship with Samsung SSD drives, and some ship with slower Toshiba SSD drives. There is no way to guarantee getting the faster drive, and you may not notice anyway. This review was based on a laptop with a Samsung drive.
Which to Buy:
There are 6 different configurations of MacBook Air. I chose the i7 4GB of RAM 256GB of SSD 11 inch model--a model available in Apple's brick and mortar stores or as a custom build. This is the more portable model and has an adequate RAM and fairly good hard drive capacity. I had been thinking of getting the 13 inch version, but on looking at them in the store, I realized the extra portability and the usability of the screen was enough to make the smaller version preferable. If you don't have a purse and will be putting the laptop in a case anyway, get the 13 inch version, everything will be a bit less cramped, the battery life will be longer and you'll have an SD reader built in. I actually only purchased the i7 because that's what came with the 256GB SSD, it probably isn't worth a premium over the i5 models for what the typical Air user would be using it for.
11-Inch i5 64 GB 2GB RAM -> People with no media who want a fast web browser, or as a second computer
11-Inch i5 128GB 4GB RAM -> People with little media who run applications occasionally on the go (Most People)
11-Inch i7 256GB 4GB RAM -> People with applications with high performance requirements such as running a VM
13-Inch i5 128GB 4GB ->People with little media who run applications occasionally on the go, like a larger screen over portability
13-Inch i5 256GB 4GB -> People needing a larger screen and high performance.
13-Inch i7 256GB 4GB -> People with applications with high performance requirements such as running a VM and a larger screen
Compared to Other Laptops:
I'll be keeping my 13" MacBook Pro with its much larger disk capacity. Replacing the 750GB laptop drive in my Pro with an SSD would be ridiculously expensive. Also, I like having an SD card reader, a high resolution camera, an Ethernet port and a Firewire port. In most other ways this Air is superior. The Air has a better screen, is much more portable, and with the SSD is noticeably more responsive.
Compared to the larger MacBook Pros. The larger models have real GPUs and bigger screens, and I think are only of interest to people with specialized needs: gamers or people who need to do video editing on the go. They won't be much faster at anything not requiring the GPU. I'm just not the kind of person who'd buy a 17" laptop. It wouldn't fit on my lap. I was at a neighbor's house today and the college bound daughter had just bought a monstrous HP desktop replacement portable, and it was ridiculous, just get a smaller laptop and an external monitor so you have the option of portability--or spend less money and get a desktop.
Compared to Windows laptops. If I wasn't such a consistent purchaser of Apple hardware, I'd have taken a hard look at the i3 version of the Samsung Series 9. It might be a bit more expensive (yes really), and has a lesser processor but for pure Windows use it seems like a fine piece of hardware in this ultra thin category.
In Summary:
This is a great laptop. Apple's going to sell millions of them. If it fits your needs and you have the cash you will likely be happy with it. I know people with the previous generation Airs, and they love them, and this Air is all that and twice as fast. However, be sure it fits your needs, check to see what your disk space requirements are. Check to see if you have any PowerPC applications which need to be updated. Maybe you'll need the extra battery life of the larger models. Go to an Apple Store and try out the keyboard, maybe the short key travel will drive you nuts. Maybe the short wide screen of the 11 inch will make you feel like you are browsing the web through a mail slot. Maybe you could get a refurbished last years model for a smaller amount and make do with the lesser processor. In short, because this is a pricey little laptop, you have to be sure its the one for you.
Buy Apple MacBook Air MC969LL/A 11.6-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION) Now
MAKE SURE TO DOUBLE CHECK THE SPECIFICATIONS TO THE PRICE!
When Amazon sells out, the 3rd party retailers jack up their prices on the cheaper models to try and confuse customers into thinking they're getting a better deal than they really are!
For example, Apple's base 11" MacBook Air is $999, but after Amazon sold out, there were 3rd party retailers selling them for $1199 (the price of the upgraded 11" model) even $1299 and $1499, Priced WAY above MSRP!!!
Do not be fooled, make sure you know what you are getting and don't just assume because it costs $1200, that you're getting the $1200 model!!!
Read Best Reviews of Apple MacBook Air MC969LL/A 11.6-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION) Here
I was in the market for a new laptop with the following requirements: small size, lightweight, has enough horsepower to run Adobe CS5 and Microsoft Office, had a lighted keyboard, and excellent battery life. My last 3 laptops have all been Windows laptops, but were in the 15-17" size range and a bit too large to be convenient.
When I read about people running Windows 7 on the latest MacBook Air's I took a long look at the product. At first I was a little taken back by the specs of the smallest 11" MacBook Air, which was about $100 more than my previous 15.6" Windows laptop but my Windows laptop had an HD screen, Blu-ray/DVD-R drive, 16GB of RAM, and a 650GB hard drive the works. I was asking myself if I was seriously thinking of replacing my high-spec 15.6" Windows laptop with an 11" Apple laptop that costs more and has less features? After all that was said and done, I decided on the 11" MacBook Air with the Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB SSD hard drive, and here's why:
1. PERFECT SIZE
You can read the measurements of the MacBook Air on Apple's website, you can even go into an Apple store and see one for yourself, but let me tell you you will never really get a feel for just how small the MacBook Air is until you have your own, on your lap on the couch, or at the foot of your bed while watching TV... when you actually use items as part of your daily routine you tend to notice more of the details. I chose the 11" over the 13" because I wanted something small and light and the 11" MacBook Air is both.
Size-wise the MacBook Air with its lid closed is barely an inch longer than an iPad 2 and can easily be mistake for one if it's left sitting on the table. Though the weight is about twice that of an iPad 2 (a shade under 3 lbs. according to my scale) you don't really notice it. Yet it's small enough to be able to cradle with one hand or hold up like a tablet. If I went with the 13" I would basically have a slightly smaller laptop than my previous one, and that wasn't what I was looking for. The 11" MacBook Air is truly portable, it's small enough to fit inside my car glove box.
2. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE (Updated 0916/12)
I had read about how OSX handles memory differently compared to Windows machines, and I'm not sure how much of this is actually true but for a machine with "only" 4GB of RAM, the MacBook Air sure does feel faster than my previous Windows laptop (same Core i5 processor but with 4x RAM!). I'm sure part of the speed bump has to do with the MacBook Air having an SSD instead of a magnetic hard drive, but there's just something else that makes this machine zoom. Start-up from a power-off state is measured in a matter of seconds, not minutes like on a Windows machine.
Programs launch fast, and I have yet to experience any system lag or slow-down; I did a test by running the following programs simultaneously: Adobe Photoshop CS5, Adobe Dreamweaver CS5, Microsoft Excel, iTunes, Google Earth, Google Chrome and VLC Player. I had documents open in each Adobe/Microsoft program, music playing in iTunes, a sample movie playing on VLC, and streaming video in Chrome while I used Google Earth and the MacBook Air didn't even flinch. I could switch from program to program and there was no slow-down whatsoever. Being a primarily Windows guy for the better part of 15 years, this was refreshing.
UPDATE: I wanted to add some notes about gaming and multimedia performance. With low-medium level games (App Store games mostly) the Macbook Air handles them fine. When I play more graphics-intensive games (i.e. Portal 2, Need For Speed) the internal cooling fan will come on after about 10 minutes. This is expected though, as the Air wasn't designed to be a full-spec gaming machine that said it can still do it if needs be. As for multimedia, I have yet to see a stutter when watching movies. I often run Netflix with a Thunderbolt-to-HDMI cable through to my 34" HDTV, and video playback is smooth. Finally, when I use real-time DJing software (Serato Itch and Virtual DJ in both audio and video mixing mode) I can set latency to minimum The fan does come on when using Serato for extended lengths which is understandable, since my Macbook Air's current configuration is slightly short of the "minimum recommended" system specs for Serato but even if it's running a little hot, there is no visual, audible, or program response lag at all.
3. USER INTERFACE
I remember trying to use a Windows netbook once and absolutely hated it the keys felt cheap, the layout felt cramped, and response was sporadic. I was initially concerned that the 11" MacBook Air keyboard would feel the same, but when they say "full-sized keyboard" they mean it. I can type just as fast on the MacBook Air as I can on a regular desktop keyboard. The spacing of the keys, and more importantly the feel of the keys, is excellent. The latest MacBook Air's (mid-2011+) have a lighted keyboard (which mine does) and they implemented it perfectly. I like the fact that you can set the keyboard lighting to a comfortable brightness, and then OSX will automatically adjust the brightness compared to ambient light automatically.
Being a Windows user I was also wondering if I would be able to use Apples "single button track pad" but you know what? It only took me an hour or two to get used to using the track pad and OSX's very useful multi-touch gestures. One thing that caught my eye about the track pad it's very precise. In Adobe Photoshop I can control the cursor with precision that I could only match with a mouse on a Windows machine. My previous Windows laptops' track pads pale in comparison, so much that I would always factor in a wireless mouse into the budget when buying a Windows computer.
4. EXTRAORDINARY SCREEN
For being only 11" in size, the MacBook Air's screen is amazing. Initially I thought I'd have something similar to a Windows Netbook due to the size similarities, but the MacBook Air's display is more comparable to my previous 15.6" 1080 HD laptop. Type is crisp, and the only time you'll realize that you're working with a smaller screen is if you run programs that use fixed-size pallets.
5. EXCELLENT BATTERY LIFE (Updated 09/16/12)
With normal usage (web browsing, mail, some YouTube visits, etc.) I get around 5.5-6 hours in between charges. When I have to use Adobe CS heavily that drops down to around 4.5-5 hours from my experience. It's weird not having to plug the AC adaptor into the MacBook Air every night before I sleep (which is what I used to do with my Windows computer.)
UPDATE: 7 months into ownership, I decided to see how the battery has held up. I used a timer widget on the OSX dashboard, and started with 100% battery. Throughout the test I was doing normal web browsing using Google Chrome, iTunes was playing music in the background, and I also had an Excel spreadsheet and a Word document open that I was working on. For reference I had WiFi on, Bluetooth off, screen brightness was at 8 bars (50%), keyboard backlight brightness was at 4 bars (25%), and volume was at 12 bars (75%). I used the laptop as I normally would, allowing the battery to run down as far as it would; even after the Air gave me the 8% warning, I kept computing as usual until it finally shut down on it's own. After a minute I connected the Magsafe adaptor to the Air, restarted the computer, and the battery indicator was at 1% and charging. The timer widget indicated 5 hours, 53 minutes, and 33 seconds before complete shutdown when starting from 100% full charge excellent performance I'd say. Oh by the way, this "test" was done with Mountain Lion 10.8.1 not the original Lion OS that came with the laptop when I bought it which contradicted the reports of Mountain Lion being a battery hog, at least compared to what I experienced during this test!
6. THE LOOK AND FEEL OF QUALITY
From its aluminum unibody to the texture of the keyboard keys to the responsiveness and precision of the track pad, you know that the MacBook Air is a high-quality product. Nothing feels cheap from the way the screen hinge moves to the fact that every external port is machined into the aluminum body, not a plastic faceplate. Even the Magsafe power connector snaps into place with a convincing click. There is no Windows laptop this size that I've ever seen that can match the quality that the MacBook Air possesses and believe me, I shopped around A LOT for a Windows laptop before I chose the MacBook Air. Did I forget to say that the MacBook Air looks beautiful? Well it does.
7. STUFF I MISS... SORTA
Nothing is perfect, but the MacBook Air is pretty close. I do miss having a built-in SD card reader (the 13" MacBook Air does have a built-in card reader) but I can easily plug in a $5 SD card reader into one of the USB ports and I'm set.
There is no built-in HDMI or VGA output port, but with a profile this thin it's understandable. To remedy this I bought a Mini Display port-to-HDMI adaptor (the new Thunderbolt port also doubles as a Mini Display port) in order to put Skype on my HDTV when talking to relatives overseas.
I was well aware before purchase that the MacBook Air did not have an internal optical drive, but after a few weeks of daily usage, guess what? I don't miss it at all. Thinking back to my old laptop, I probably only used the Blu-Ray drive once for movies, and only a handful of times to burn DVD or music CDs.
8. ONE MORE THING OSX MOUNTAIN LION (Updated 09/16/12)
Remember how initially I was looking into installing Windows 7 as my primary operating system onto the MacBook Air for the ultimate portable Windows machine? Well I did try Windows 7 on the MacBook Air using OSX's Boot Camp Assistant. I had a fresh Windows 7 installation in place, and then I realized that I'd have to do Windows Update. Then I would have to install Service Pack 1. Then I'd have to install all my Windows programs and update those as well. And then I realized that I'd have to run anti-virus software and a firewall. It became such a hassle that I decided to try OSX Lion out as my primary operating system, and I set out to use OSX daily, to see if I could use OSX as comfortably as Windows 7. After 3 weeks (give or take a day or two) I was so comfortable and adept at using OSX especially the multi-touch gestures that I deleted the windows 7 partition completely and I ended up sticking with OSX Lion. I still run Windows 7 on my desktop, but on the MacBook Air there's nothing like Lion. This coming from a die-hard Windows user should tell you something. I'd suggest that if you are a Windows user, give OSX a shot you'll probably end up liking it, and then you'll probably ask yourself why you put up with Windows all this time.
UDPATE: I updated the operating system to Mountain Lion when it was released, and unlike some reports of higher battery drain, I have not experienced this at all with the Macbook Air. I have Notifications active, as well as iCloud syncing of Notes, Reminders, and Contacts. I also use iTunes syncing over WiFi for my iPhone, and battery life doesn't seem to be affected (see more detailed info in the "EXCELLENT BATTERY LIFE" section, above.)
IN A NUTSHELL
So what rating do I give the MacBook Air? A solid 5 stars. If you look at the first paragraph in my review, the MacBook Air met or exceeded all of my requirements. The MacBook Air is perfect for those of you who want something portable, fast, and comfortable to use all while having a high-quality look and feel compared to the competition. If the price concerns you, it's understandable given that there are larger Windows laptops out there for the same price, or smaller Windows laptops at a lower price. In this case however, you absolutely get what you pay for the quality, the system performance, and of course the ease of use that Apple is very well known for.
I am so glad I switched to a MacBook Air, and I'm sure you will be too!
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hi there
i am not going to go into a deep review, as there are already a lot of reviews out there covering the same things. but I will talk about special things that other reviews may not have covered. I personally have owned the 2010 11" and 13" airs, and I currently own the 2011 macbook pro 15" and 2011 11" air. the 15" is about 2x the processing power as the air (according to geekbench), but it lacks an SSD for faster daily tasks.
-on Engadget, they recently covered that the 11" air has a faster SSD than the 13" ones. not a difference you'll notice but still a nice excuse to purchase a smaller one :) (it was something like 240mbps vs 180mbps estimated)
-the battery life on the 11" is actually down from the previous generation by about 30 minutes on battery saving settings. Last gen can get about 7 hours, this one is just over 6 (about 25% brightness, web browsing only). Also, air's battery life plummets if it does moderate to heavy processing (flash, photo/movie editing, gaming), the pro's battery life goes down, but by much less.
-online benchmarks show that the 2011 11" air is about 2.5x faster in processor speed than the 2010 model. however, if you never used an i5 or i7 processor before, know that you will also be able to multitask a lot better than the old core2duos. for example, you can edit in iMovies and photoshop at the same time (something that will lag the crap out of the old generation).
-DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THE SCREEN SIZE. with Lion, applications can take advantage of its fullscreen function. For example, for many native applications like Safari, Mail, Calendar, etc, you can fullscreen them and they'll take up the entire screen, however, they dont actually take up the main desktop screen, but a whole new screen on its own. if you have multiple fullscreen apps, you can use 4 fingers to flick between them, fast and efficient. I owned the last gen air 11" with 10.6 SL, and it was a bit frustrating having multiple windows open, i usually have to minimize most of them. Now, you can browse in full 11" screen, and use 4 fingers to flick to check your mail.
-keyboard and trackpad have more of an "umfph" feeling to them. a bit more resistance than the older models. the 2010 air was my first mac, and i was disappointed a bit by the light and cheap feeling keyboard, but the 2011 made it right.
-FYI, if you never owned a macbook, the "instant on" feature is actually in all the unibody MacBooks and Pros, but they are just a bit slower than the air's. so don't think of it as a feature only the air has, it's just a bit faster.
-you can't change anything in the air once bought, unlike the pro.
-screen quality is actually worse than the Pro line up. Yes the air has more pixel density, but the vertical viewing angle is pretty bad. it is NOT made of the same screen as the Pro and iPad (IPS), however, it is a matte screen so a much better screen in the sun. i owned both the 11" and 13", the viewing angle problem was much more noticeable on the 13" just because the screen is bigger. I always found myself adjusting the 13" screen every time i move a bit.
-2gb ram is enough to run lion just fine.
-sound seems to be slightly louder on the 13" vs 11". 11" sound is TINY. i always turn it to max whenever i'm watching videos. headphones are a must.
-if you are deciding between a pro vs air, in general, i would say go with the pro if you do professional work with photo/movie editing, hardcore gaming (at least 15in), or if you plan on buying or already have a tablet. go with the air if you are a light user, want a tablet replacement. Owning an air and a tablet is a huge waste of money.
-I would personally recommend the 1.6ghz, 4gb, 128ssd 11" macbook air. I believe that is the most useful and "bang for the buck" you can get vs the rest of the lineup. but everyone's preferences are different.
All in all, my only complaint about this air is the price. the $1200 macbook pro 13" vs the $1200 11" macbook air, the air has a better hard drive, but thats it. it's using less material to make, a slower processor, smaller battery, small and worse screen, less ports, i would think Apple can price it less than the macbook pro. basically, less everything, but paying the same price because it has a good design. thats my 2 cents at least. $899 for the entry model would shut me up :)
Hope this will help you decide.
I love this computer and have had it in use for a couple months now. I wish the keyboard was a little bigger (or even had the second number pad) and the battery is a bit shorter than I expected it to be, but those are seriously my only real complaints thus far. Beautiful picture and sound, fast, lots of memory, and a solid price for a nice Dell product. I would recommend to a friend looking for something a little nicer for college or beyond. The thing that really got me was a Blu-Ray player too. Nicely done, Dell, nicely done.
