*2012 Pro and Air models are available but the designs remain the same meaning the physical aspects covered below are the same as well.
The primary features of the 2012 13" MacBook Air are:
Ivy Bridge processor + HD 4000 graphics (60% better performance)
USB 3.0
720p webcam
2x SSD read speeds. Write speeds didn't change.
$100 price drop
I've owned the machine for 10 months now and have simplified the review for your convenience.
Things I like:
+ Light weight; 2.9 lbs (1.3 kg). You can easily hold it with one hand the MBP 13" is noticeably heavier at 4.5 lbs.
+ Solid build quality like the MBPs. Chassis is rock solid, no keyboard flex, screen housing is rigid with minor flex in the middle.
+ Better ergonomics than the MBPs; the palm rest edges don't dig into your wrists like the edges on the MBPs do.
+ Same fluid multitouch trackpad and the backlit keyboard makes a return.
+ The screen is a pleasure to use with it's high resolution (1440 x 900) and semi-gloss finish.
There is no glass cover so there will be dramatically less reflections compared to the screen of the MBPs
I personally chose the Air over the Pro because of reduced glare.
+ 18 second boot ups and 3 second shut downs. Resumes from sleep within 3 seconds.
+ The two USB 2.0 ports are on opposite sides of the laptop (less clutter than MBP)
+ Speakers are surprisingly loud; they can fill up a small room.
+ Runs extremely cool and it's so quiet that you'll wonder if the fan is running at all.
I can definitely feel heat ~ 87 degrees F on the MPB 13's underside after 6 hours of use
where as the MBA 13's underside stayed relatively cooler.
+ Runs Windows 7 just as cool and quietly. (I installed Windows 7 via flash drive)
+ Performance is almost identical to the MBP 13" 2011 on everyday tasks because the Core i5
CPU can turbo boost to 2.7 GHz and the SSD allows for instant application launching.
+ Gaming: it has the same Intel HD Graphics 3000 as the MBP 13" 2011. I was able to run
Starcraft II smoothly at low settings on native resolution. Medium settings also ran nicely but
you get less FPS during large battles. League of Legends ran smoothly at medium settings
30 FPS flat) on native resolution.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Things I don't like:
*IMPORTANT* Wifi drops have been less frequent in the wake of more updates from Apple.
The keyboard is shallower and has less travel than the MBP keyboards (you'll get used to it
within a few days)
The screen has less color gamut than the MBP 13's screen. This screen covers only 46% of
sRGB color spectrum where as the MBP 13's screen covers 77%. For image editing,
I would use an external monitor.
The vertical viewing angles aren't so great. One minute tilt of the screen causes colors to shift
dramatically (for example: a purple color can change from lavender to light blue as you tilt
the screen backward or forward). Again, I would use an external monitor for tasks in
which accurate colors are mission critical. For everyday use it's not noticeable and is
actually easier on the eyes than the glare-prone screens of the MBPs.
Not all models come with the same SSD. There are 2 variations; a Samsung SSD and a
Toshiba SSD. The Samsung SSD significantly outperforms the Toshiba SSD in
benchmarks (check the AnandTech review)
To check what SSD you have, click on the Apple logo -> About this Mac ->
more info/system report -> then look on the left hand side and click on "SerialATA".
If your SSD's serial number starts with "SM" it's a Samsung and a "TS" means it's a
Toshiba.
I personally get 5 hours of battery life max on a single charge while surfing with 10+ tabs open on safari; I got
~7 hours doing the same tasks on the MPB 13 2011. My activities included watching
YouTube videos, viewing flash content on tech and news sites, reading/writing email,
and using AIM.
No FaceTime HD Camera (720p) as on the MPBs. The quality difference is, unfortunately,
very noticeable.
The integrated microphone is located on the side of the laptop instead of on top of the keyboard
as on the MBP. During Skype calls, my buddies told me that my voice sounded muffled
when using the Air. Using a headset with a mic, I was able to improve the sound quality.
The base of the machine developed a creaking noise within the first week of use. I suspect this to be
caused by uneven tension in the screws.
after 5 months of, a white cluster of stuck pixels developed in the bottom left corner of the screen.
The machine has been handled with care so it's not accidental damage.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion: Which one should you get?
As a college student, I would recommend the Macbook Pro 13". The Air is more than capable of being a primary machine because
of it's superb performance and overall very good screen. For everyday tasks, it should be snappy and an ease to use.
However, students will get a $100 discount on the Pro while the Air only provides a $50 discount. This means that there is a price
difference of $150 for students. The storage space on the Air is imited to 128GB or 256GB while the Pro comes standard with 500GB.
Plus, you can always add a SSD to the Pro later on. The Pro will be the better choice for creative students because it's screen has more color
gamut than the Air's. Lastly, you are getting a full voltage processor which can make a differencein video encoding or other CPU intensive tasks.
If you are not a student:
If you value the extra ports (Ethernet, Firewire, optical drive), a high gamut screen (although more reflective), a 720p webcam
(it's a lot better), and the ability to upgradelater down the line go for the Pro.
If you prioritize portability (light weight), higher screen resolution, fast boot ups/shut downs, and less reflections go for the Air.
In everyday performance the Air feels faster when booting up and launching applications because of its SSD. In CPU intensive tasks,
the Pro will have a slight edge but not much. (the two CPUs are actually pretty neck to neck on GeekBench benchmarks). They both
have the same graphics chip but note that the Pro will get better battery life (1-2 hours more) than the Air because the Pro has a bigger
capacity battery (63.5 watt-hours vs. 50 watt-hours)
Unfortunately, my unit is affected with a wifi drop problem. I don't know if you will encounter the same issue but if you buy an Air from
an Apple Store, make sure to test the wifi out by using it on multiple networks. If you encounter any erratic wifi drops within
the first 14 days demand a refund or an exchange.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Update December 27th, 2011
After installing the 10.7.2 and a firmware update, the wifi connections in my dorm room became more reliable.
However, after taking it home I experienced drops as before on the home network. I DOUBT it's a problem with my
router because ALL other connected devices work fine. The 2011 MBP 13" I previously owned worked flawlessly on my network.
This is most likely a problem with the Air's drivers. 5 months after product launch, I don't believe Apple
has acknowledged the issue or either chose to IGNORE it as other users on the official forums continue to
have similar complaints even to this day.
Hardware wise, the casing held up well except for a scratch on the side. The lid is frighteningly thin and I've read
reports of the screen's fragile nature cracking at the slightest bump by another object. I would handle with care.
Want to know something funny? With the machine off, I can see through the Apple logo on the lid if there's light
behind it it's that thin.
Software wise, sometimes the machine would run hot with fans blazing full throttle when watching HD YouTube videos
and would remain that way even though I close everything. Very odd. A quick reboot solves the problem.
A creaking sound developed within a week of purchase. When I lift the machine up, press on the palm rest or type on it
there would be a creaking noise produced. I suspected the screws of the bottom to be loose so I decided to tighten them.
Note that you'll have to order a pentalobe screwdriver to do this the screws aren't the typical type.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
January 9th, 2011
A cluster of 4-5 stuck pixels developed so I went to get a screen replacement. The Apple genius confirmed it was
4-5 pixels which qualified me for a screen replacement. Service was prompt and I got the machine the next day.
However, the new screen had 2 clearly visible dead pixels in the center of the screen. I tried using it for a few days
but they were an absolute distraction.
Dissatisfied, I took it back to another genius only to be met with rude service. I stated that the dead pixels hindered
functionality as they were visual distractions. He snidely responded with, "Where? I don't even see them" and remained
adamant about not replacing it because I didn't qualify for the "minimum of 5 dead pixels for a replacement" policy.
It was an unpleasant experience to say the least and didn't help.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
March 11th, 2011
I've learned to live with the two dead pixels on the screen and Apple has released an update (10.7.3) to address the
wireless card. I've noticed that with Bluetooth off, the connections are pretty stable around campus and at home.
I've not yet tested this with Bluetooth it makes me curious because people on the official forums report wifi drops when
enabling Bluetooth. Anyway, After 7 months of ownership I would say most of the initial bugs have been remedied and
the Air is a pleasure to use. However, I speculate that the Pro and Air lineup will be updated to Ivy Bridge in the summer
(along with the rumored redesign of the Pros). Buy now if you need it but if you can waiting might be better.
Cheers!
I have been using my new 13" Macbook Air, 256GB, Core i7 for just over a week and here are my impressions...
First, the good stuff...
The industrial design is absolutely gorgeous and rock-solid. The laptop is thin, light and pleasure to look at.
Screen is 13" but the resolution is comparable to that of most 15"+ laptops. Perfectly usable for graphic/software development. While Macbook Air uses (supposedly) an inferior TN panel compared to Macbook Pro, I did not find a drastic difference between the two (I also own a 17" Macbook Pro). The Air has slightly smaller viewing angles and perhaps not as good colour reproduction, but the differences are subtle. Also, there's a lot less glare on Air's "glossy" display compared to glossy Macbook Pro.
Performance is great, in some cases it bests the Quad Core i7 17" Macbook Pro, thanks to its SSD Drive. Startups/shutdowns are super fast and the applications open/close almost instantly. Having said that, do not expect to do any serious gaming on this little guy. The built-in Intel graphics chip has hard time handling even 5 year old games and is actually slower than nVidia chip on the previous generation Air.
Expect to get about 4-5 hours of mixed use out of "7 hour" battery. That's what I average while doing some Photoshop and web dev work, browsing, listening to music and viewing a few video clips.
Now, the negatives...
Well, it's one negative really, but it is something I find extremely annoying. The laptop gets VERY hot when CPU usage approaches 50% and the fan kicks in full-blast at 6,000+ RPM.
I first noticed the excessive noise when I was transferring my data and applications from the time machine backup upon initial setup. The fan stayed on entire time, CPU temperature was approaching 90C while being only 30% utilized.
I continued to experience high heat/fan noise issues throughout the week. Sometimes it was during routine web browsing where some of the websites contained Flash elements. Starting Windows XP in Parallels would immediately set the fan in motion, again, sometimes hitting 6,000+ rpm. Playing Civilization IV, a fairly old game, had fan going full blast entire time with CPU again reaching 90C. Apple's own "Cosmos" screensaver brings the CPU temperature up to 80-85C and the fan up to 4500-5000rpm. The most annoying thing -none of these tasks were taxing the CPU at more than 50%!
I did a fair bit of research on this issue. There are multiple discussions on Apple, MacRumours and other forums about excessive heat and fan noise. Also, many report increased heat on their older Apple laptops after upgrading to Lion, so perhaps (fingers crossed), there's a patch on the way that will improve thermal management somewhat.
The thought about returning the Air for refund did cross my mind, but I decided to keep it in the end. I am not a gamer and doing my work (web/mobile development) is not very taxing on the CPU, however, I do not think it is unreasonable to expect relatively quiet operation on such premium laptop with only 50% CPU usage. I can only hope that Apple is listening and looking to remedy the problem.
***Update: March 28, 2012***
It has been several months since I purchased the Air, so I thought I'd write a quick update.
There were no software updates from Apple that would fix the overheating issue. Some claim in the comments that the thermal problems are limited to Macbook Air Core i7 version, however, I got to play with friend's Core i5/120Gb Air and got the fan hitting 6,000+ rpm simply by opening two browser tabs with YouTube videos in them. The playback has become choppy pretty quickly as well. The fan was also audible on pages with a few Flash elements in it (like newspaper sites). It seemed slightly (very slightly) less prone to heat issue, but it's definitely there.
I also played around with an 11" Macbook Air Core i5 at the Apple Store and, interestingly enough, it handled Flash far better than (supposedly) more powerful 13"... I opened 5! 1080p YouTube videos and still wouldn't hear the fan... Quite amazing actually. The difference seems to be the i5/i7 processors in the 13" Air that can hit higher clock speeds but nearly frying the internals in the process.
If you find your Macbook Air fan going off like a jet engine every time you visit YouTube or any page with Flash content, here are a couple of browser plugins that I found helpful (they block movies until you specifically click on them):
FlashBlock for Firefox
ClickToFlash for Safari
There's a model refresh coming sometime this summer, apparently, and I hope Apple will figure out the way to solve this problem. Of course, much depends on Intel chips that they're going to use in new models.
Buy Apple MacBook Air MC966LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION) Now
Background:
For the past two years or so I've gone through numerous brands/models in an incessant search to find a laptop that was easily portable and had enough horsepower to match or exceed the performance of a solid $500 desktop with enough battery life to last over four hours of real world use. In this time span I've gone through over a dozen laptops or netbooks that were eventually returned, sold, donated to family or friends, modded and repurposed, or are currently sitting collecting dust awaiting a similar fate. A short list of the more memorable laptops/netbooks that I've previously owned/used that I can remember off hand include: HP TM2T(Core 2 Duo); HP TM2T(Core i3), Asus T101MT, MacBook Air (2009), Acer 4820TG, HP Envy 14, HP dv7t Quad Edition, ASUS U36JC, MacBook Pro 13, and two lower cost laptop models made by Gateway and Acer that I won't mention because they really didn't fit the criteria I was looking for when I acquired them.
I can truly say the 2011 MacBook Air 13" is the most satisfied I've been with any laptop I've used. Although I do find some quirks with the 2011 MBA lineup they are passable and this product still deserves a full five stars. I will probably echo some of the same pros and cons that others have stated, but let's move on with my review so I can tell you my impressions of this.
HARDWARE PROS:
Weight/Form Factor: I've always considered portability to be important in a laptop but I can't emphasize this enough. If you've never held and used a MacBook Air before you should be impressed by its weight and form factor alone. Mostly anyone could easily hold the 13" MacBook with one hand. It means I can be watching a video and if I need to move to another room in the house and can easily walk with the laptop in one hand. However, I don't think it is light/comfortable enough to hold while standing for prolonged periods of time. I've demonstrated how light it is to several people under 5 feet tall by stand and watch a YouTube video holding the MBA with one. So, if you're concerned about the 13" size because you're short you shouldn't let that deter you until you actually try it.
Core i5 2nd Generation Sandy Bridge Processor/ 4GB RAM Standard: When I first got the 2009 MBA I was extremely impressed by its form factor and weight as stated above, but after trying to use the 2009 MBA for productivity and multitasking you realize that something is amiss in the hardware and this eventually leads to frustration. The 2009 and 2010 MacBook Air base models only included 2GB of RAM and missed an entire generation of Core i-series processors, and despite having a solid state hard drive and a dedicated graphics card their of value in price to performance was very underwhelming compared to what was available for much less at the time. I currently have 16 tabs opened across four windows in Firefox, 5 tabs in Chrome, two applications(Silverlight and Java) streaming live financial quotes, DropBox, iTunes and a P2P application running while I am typing this review. I haven't noticed any noticeable hitches in performance. I have read about others complaining about issues with various Adobe software (especially Flash) with the latest version of OS X Lion. I have only experienced some sluggishness once when resuming from deep sleep. For testing I used a downloaded Flash game. It took a little more than 10 seconds to re-render. However, this may have more to do with the integrated graphics and could possibly be corrected in the future with an update.
Solid State Drive: There's not much to say here. If you've never experienced the performance leap from using a SSD then you will probably be more than a little impressed by the much faster load/boot times. I've installed SSDs on a few computers after talking up the performance boosts. I guess they were expecting everything to be instantaneous. Anyway, it's very noticeable in Bootcamp running Windows over the MBP 13 I've been using or when transfering/copying larger files. You can read more about the much faster load/boot times from other reviews online.
Trackpad: Quite often, previous MacBook owners don't mention this as a Pro. However, the trackpad is the biggest reason why I prefer a MacBook as my laptop of choice. I grew tired of the jumping cursors, crappy drivers, and erratic touchpad gestures. For some reason Synaptic and most PC vendors overlook or can't seem to get it right. How do you neglect its importance as the primary functioning hardware you use to actually interact with your computer. The trackpad on the MBA just works. It works so well and is far more than accurate enough that I actually prefer not using a mouse with my laptop because of it.
Backlit Keyboard: The keyboard itself may take some getting used to if you've never used a MacBook before. However, once you grow accustomed to the layout you will enjoy the amount of travel and "clickiness" to it. Thankfully, the backlight was brought back for the 2011 lineup. I don't understand why this feature was removed to begin with since it doesn't impact battery life that much. It's clutch and greatly appreciated in low lit environments.
Build: It's the same aluminum casing material used in all the MacBook models and the same chassis design that was used in the 2010 model. Solid construction
HARDWARE CONS:
No USB 3.0: Although USB 3.0 is not as ubiquitous USB 2.0 it is quickly growing and peripherals are far more abundant and less expensive than Thunderbolt peripherals. USB 3.0 will likely remain far more popular than Thunderbolt after Apple's exclusivity expires next year because USB 3.0 is more cost-effective to produce and is backwards compatible with the millions of USB 2.0 devices already available. I agree with other reviewers in that this reduces the future proofing of this model, and it seems like Apple's Firewire vs USB 2.0 situation repeated. (I digress that at least there are two USB 2.0 ports on opposite ends. My original 2009 MBA had one.)
Facetime Camera not High Definition: I try not to show my mug on camera but sometimes I have to use it to speak to clients via remote connections and occasional video conferencing. Again, considering the profit margins on each MBA sold I don't understand the reason to exclude this feature other than Apple being Apple and including this as an improved feature for next year.
Power Button: The power button is placed in the keyboard layout right above the delete key!!! It's where the eject button is on my MBP right above the Delete key. Yes, I just praised the keyboard in the Pros. Until you grow accustomed to this your chances of accidentally hitting the power button by mistake in the beginning is likely. It won't shut your computer down or put the computer to sleep. It simply brings up the power down dialog, but it's still a questionable button placement.
Memory is not upgradeable: Not much more to add here. 4GB is enough for me and the SSD is definitely a huge boost to hard drive caching.
Need adapters for HDMI, VGA, DVI. At this price and considering the profit margins on each unit sold the adapters at least an adapter for HDMI or VGA should be included. Meh...
OS X LION PROS: (because it deserves its own section)
Mission Control and Spaces: I really like it. I used spaces on Snow Leopard with full screen apple(via third party apps) and this makes using it that much easier. You can drag windows from Space to Space to re-arrange your groups. It's a great improvement that can be improved.
Cloud/App Store Operating System Installation: No 50 character CD Keys, scratched backup disks, or corrupt files on your thumb drive. Cheaper prices.
Automatic Resume: It seamlessly automatically saves the last state of your applications. Some users don't like that applies universally to every open app, but it's very simple to prevent from occurring. If you are done with an and want to prevent said app from automatically restoring simply right click its icon in the dock press option and select force quit. Another app I've used is Flexiglass which adds the functionality of right clicking the red X to completely close an app and all its windows.
OSX LION CONS: (because it deserves its own section)
Launchpad: This was a poor, not well executed integration into OS X. Out the box the Launchpad replaces the App Folder in the dock that used to be next to documents and the trash bin. I actually stared at the screen for a few moments until I dug through the search results. I've tried to use it. It keeps the desktop icon less cluttered for me and I moved many of the icons I typically place there in the Launchpad. However, customizing the Launchpad has its quirks. For instance, adding and renaming folders/icons in the Launchpad isn't just easily done on the Launchpad by right clicking the icon. You have to open it in Finder to rename it. There are no options to change the gesture in System Preference to view the Launchpad. I truly feel like the default gesture was tested using the midgets or elementary school kids. My hands are too big to consistently do the gesture. You'd think I could palm two basketballs with one hand.
Right now, the launchpad is quirky and somewhat redundant. I understand the direction Apple is heading and are thus slowly blending touch-based iOS and traditional Mac OS X, but the way Apps for OS X are distributed and the complete integration is definitely not with us today in any of Apple's lineup. Hopefully, things will improve with future updates. My hopes is that the launchpad serves as a replacement for Show Desktop in the future.
Natural Scrolling: By default scrolling is inverted. Some like it, some don't, most people will find it awkward at first and I'd bet the majority no matter how slim will change this back. I'd prefer an opt-in integration method for this if Apple wanted to change several decades of computing.
Three Finger Back/Forward and Scroll to Top/Bottom: I don't know why this configuration was changed from 10.6 to 10.7 but out the box you may notice when you run a third party browser such as Firefox or Chrome that you are unable to page back/forward using the old gesture three finger swipe left/right. Well, you have to change "Swipe between pages" to "Scroll Left/Right with Two or Three Fingers" under Systems Preferences->Trackpad->More Gestures. A gesture that is now missing entirely is three swipe up/down to scroll to top/bottom but I found a solution with an app called BetterTouchTool By Andreas Hegenberg. It's a very good tool to customize the trackpad gestures to your liking.
Expose: No minimized apps unless you are using another window of said minimized app. I don't understand the logic as to why this was removed. It was still featured to be working during the beta but has been removed. The last time I can remember having to click more than twice to view a minimized window was Windows 3.1. Again, I would prefer if this option was carried over from the Beta and preferred an opt-in integration method for this if Apple wanted to change a decade plus of computing.
OSX LION NEURAL OR MEH: (because it deserves its own section)
Many other changes in Lion were under the hood; complete migration to 64-bit and complete Trim support. A lot of the bundled apps have been improved particularly Mail, Lion Recovery, FileVault, AirDrop, Versions, overlay scroll bars. Some improvements are bigger/more noticeable than others. Also, you can now re-size windows from any corner/edge: Nothing innovative; better late than never; nice for those who are coming from Windows and haven't/won't use other third party accessibility apps.
OTHER THOUGHTS:
Screen: I've seen others mention the difference in screen quality between the MacBook Air and Pro models. I have noticed a slight difference. Two things that immediately affect your PERCEPTION of the screen are the resolution and the fact that the area surrounding the display on the MBA is metallic gray vs glossy black on the MBP. When you're comparing the two you might not think that matters. The screen on the MBA does use TN panels but they are far better than your typical run of the mill 1024 x 768 that continues to flood the laptop industry that I typically see. Because of its screen resolution I can dock windows side by side easier on the 13" MBA than I could with a 17" HP dv7 quad core edition that I used. No lie.
Battery Life: Don't believe the advertised 7 hours of battery life unless you're using a third party utility or disabling all wireless connections and dimming the screen down. However, I easily get about 5 hours surfing the web indoors. I've gotten a little under four hours streaming financial quotes and actively surfing indoors, but I'd typically have it plugged in if I need it for more intensive productivity tasks. Definitely not as good as the MacBook Pro 13".
No Restore Drive: I understand this was a concern for some. Apple released the free Lion Recovery Disk Assistant from Apple's support page. You can make your own recovery thumb drive on a low cost thumb drive of your choice or you can order an OS X Lion Thumb Drive for Apple's Mac App Store for $69 which was released today.
Graphics: Will it max Crysis? No... I have a desktop rig for that when I want. This is an ultraportable laptop and IMO it's the best available.
OTHER TIPS:
Screen Keeps Dimming and Brightening: At first, I thought it was because i was using the charger from my MBP and I was ruining a brand new expensive --computer, but I was 98% certain that couldn't be the case. I went to Systems Preferences -> Energy Saver and unchecked Slightly dim the display when using this power source but that wasn't the case because it wasn't on battery. Anyway, I unchecked Automatically Adjust Screen Brightness under Display and felt as if 7 million brain cells must've died beforehand because it took a while to figure it out, but that solved it.
Security: Please change your broadcasting discoverable wireless settings and enable your firewall under System Preferences. This is especially true if you are going to use this extremely portable laptop in public areas. Although, Macs aren't targeted nearly as much as Windows or the most popular Linux Distros you are not secure if leave the door wide open.
I avoided the expensive adapters and bought two aftermarket adapters to suit my needs that have worked well thus far. Kensington USB Mini Dock with Ethernet for Mac/PC which provides 3 USB 2.0 ports and an ethernet port. You can find a HDMI adapter for very cheap. Though, they may only last several months you could order a dozen of them. Again, I strongly recommend BetterTouchTool if you are looking to gain back the same gestures from Snow Leopard.
SO, THE QUESTION IS SHOULD YOU CONSIDER BUYING AND WHAT MODEL?
Obviously, this depends on your needs and budget. I feel the MBA is the best ultraportable available and if you can go without a DVD drive an a few extra ports my recommendations are the high end 11" MacBook Air or the base model 13" MacBook Air as others have stated. The 4GB vs 2GB makes a difference. The deciding factor would be $100, portability, and how much screen real estate you feel you is adequate for you.
I considered buying one of the best alternatives, the Samsung Series 9. The included warranty was enticing but I've had to deal with servicing a laptop through the mail four times and it's never pleasant. Resale value was another factor, and though it has one of the best touch pads I've used on Windows until Synaptics releases their next generation touch pads and trackpads it still felt subpar. Ultimately, I decided I wanted to get back into cross-platform development for OS X. However, another decent alternative to consider is the Toshiba Portege R835 if you are looking for an ultraportable with very strong battery life.
I want to raise a point not many people write about in their reviews and that is SSD performance over time. Although, OS X Lion includes TRIM support the performance of all solid state drives degrades as you store more data to the drive. I've experienced this with a couple of desktop builds I've done. With some SSD's the performance degradation begins after filling up just half the disk drive, and affects nearly all drives to some extent once the drive is 70% full. This is something to consider when storing data. An external storage solution of some kind is strongly recommended.
Currently, there are two different solid state drives that ship with the MacBook Airs. One is made by Samsung and is the higher performing drive and the other is made by Toshiba. You can check which version you have by going to About this Mac->System Report->More Info click Serial-ATA and check the the first two letters of the model after APPLE SSD. Credit goes to Amazon user Wayne N for pointing this out in his review. I haven't read any benchmarks on the performance over time with the new MBA.
I personally purchased the 256GB model because I need to store financial data and I need a large Bootcamp partition for Windows to compose and sample music, coding that involves very large libraries and enough storage for music and the occasional movie if I'm not on my home network. So, everyone's needs are different. Still, SSD size and degradation is something to consider for your intended use. The MBA is not a true desktop replacement especially if you're into playing games (of any kind if you want decent graphics) but I feel that the MBA can serve as a your primary computer depending on your needs.
Thanks for reading this lengthy review. Hope it helps in your decision.
Read Best Reviews of Apple MacBook Air MC966LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION) Here
Want Apple MacBook Air MC966LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION) Discount?
I've been using a Macbook Air for a week now. I have the 2011 13" ultimate: i7 1.8GHz, 4GB RAM, and 256SSD. My main uses are Office for Mac 2011, Skype, internet video, ArcGIS/Windows 7, Mathmatica, Matlab, C/C++, objective-C, and Java. At the moment I mainly use the Air for writing documents. I am trying to live with the Air as my primary machine and I plan to connect it to a thunderbolt monitor for additional screen real estate.
Pros:
The Air looks beautiful and Lion is an absolute pleasure to use. The SSD makes it all work together. The screen is gorgeous to look at under the right lighting conditions and the resolution is fantastic. The keyboard is generally good. The track pad is awesome and the diagonal cut of the case is much easier for writing on than my previous unibody macbook.
Cons:
* Build quality. The renowned Apple quality seems to be lacking in my unit. The space bar does not always respond and requires two press from time to time. The F5 key needs to be hit multiple times in order to work. The case does not seem to fit properly in the lower right corner of the unit and flexes. The screen gets darker edges near the silver bezel.
* Skype and facetime. I find that the placement of the mic on the side of the unit is a disaster for these applications. I am constantly responding to complaints about poor voice quality that only improves if I turn the machine on its side and speak directly into the mic. Depending on your use this may not be a big problem, but it is for me.
* The screen can be irritatingly reflective under fluorescent lighting, but I can usually adjust my position to compensate. However, I usually need to use a low screen illumination to get reasonable battery life, which compounds any glare problems. This is not a major issue unless you are sensitive to glare.
* The battery life on my unit is not great. The first two days I was impressed with 7+ hours. A week later and I'm lucky to get 4 hours. Disappointingly the unit does not always seem to hold a full charge. I'm not even sure I could watch a full-length movie without mains power. Part of the problem is flash, but watching any video drains the battery at an alarming rate. The battery monitor also does not seem to provide a reasonable estimate of remaining time.
* When watching video I have noticeable screen stutter. This could be a result of the streaming service I use, but I'm not sure. It is not so bad that I would return the unit for it, but it is there and if you value smooth video then be sure to check it out carefully before you buy.
* The Air gets blisteringly hot near the charger connection when running heavy applications. The fan comes on and battery life evaporates. Some complain the fan is noisy, but my main problem is the impact on battery life.
* The ram can only be maxed out at 4GB. This is really annoying when you need to dual boot and is compounded by the graphics chip using main memory.
* There are also two SSDs (Samsung and Toshiba) that the machine ships with. I ended up with the slower Toshiba drive. I do get the beach ball from time to time, but I could not say that this is related to my unit shipping with the slower Toshiba drive. Generally things are snappy. However, instant on is not always instant. I don't know if this is related to the slower Toshiba drive or just the applications I have open.
All in all this is a good machine, but not outstanding. I would say the Macbook Air has been seriously overhyped. It has some strong points. I enjoy using it and the portability and weight are outstanding. However, I am genuinely frustrated by the mic placement and poor build quality. There are solutions, but when you spend $1700 plus tax on a machine I think you have the right to expect it to work. The Toshiba drive is annoying, but may not be significant and the battery life is a worry. I'm not sure how the machine will standup to the day-to-day grind.
This unit is going back to the store and Apple deserves full credit for its return/refund policies. The 14 day, no restocking fee, window offered to return or exchange a unit is outstanding.
**** Update September 30:
Apple's customer service is fantastic. Apple provided a new unit which seems to have fewer build quality problems: all the keys work, the unit shipped with the Samsung SSD, and the microphone is much better. However, I still have problems with the microphone position and sensitivity and while battery life is better on this unit it is still not great for watching video. Instant on is still not instant on, but I can support other reviewers who have not noticed any performance difference between the Samsung and Toshiba SSDs, although I'm glad I have the samsung drive. All-in-all my new Air deserves at least another 1/2 star, may be even a whole star because of Apple's customer service.
I did some research for about a month to find the perfect laptop for light, pretty casual gaming (Guild Wars 2, Sims 3, Skyrim etc) and would be semi-future proof. For me, the N56VM-TB71 more than fits the bill. Once I reformatted and did a clean install of Windows 7 Professional and reinstalled drivers, it runs like a dream.
