I have owned many Apple laptops and computers over the years, and without a doubt think that the 2010 13" Macbook Air is one of the strongest offerings the company has ever had. I am a 'power user' and use my laptop for heavy photo and video editing. I frequently have Photoshop running simultaneously with many other memory-intensive programs, including Windows 7 (through Parallels), and use my laptop for hours every day.
I purchased the 13" Macbook Air (which I'll refer to as 'MBA' for simplicity) directly from Apple, and added 2GB of RAM to make the set-up 4GB total. I do not know if Amazon allows you to customize it this way, so if it doesn't consider buying it directly from Apple or another store which does allow this upgrade. From what I understood, due to the MBA's construction the RAM is soldered onto the motherboard you won't be able to add RAM yourself later. If you're a light user, you should probably be fine with just 2 GB of RAM, but if you plan to intensively multi-task, consider upgrading the RAM.
This laptop is expensive, but is worth every penny if you can afford it. While it lacks an optical drive and certain ports which can at times be inconvenient it makes up for that by offering great performance and a stunning design.
DESIGN
I thought my 2010 13" Macbook Pro (which I'll refer to as 'MBP') was sleek and stylish, but this is just amazing. The MBP looks sleeker in some ways since its keyboard is backlit and its display has a nicer black trim to it, but in overall design, the MBA just can't be beat. You won't truly appreciate the Macbook Air's portability and stylish design until you physically play with it in person. The Macbook Air is very thin, but because it employs a tapered unique design it's not uniformly thin throughout the device.
The 13" model features 2 USB ports and an SD card reader (the 11" model doesn't have the SD card reader). The USB ports are cleverly located on opposite sides of the laptop so that you can have even bulky peripherals plugged in simultaneously. The built-in SD card reader is incredibly convenient (more on that below). What's more important to read here is not what connections it does have, but what it doesn't. The most important things missing on the Macbook Airs, in my opinion, are the optical disc drive and an Ethernet port. While I don't necessarily use and therefore, miss either of those too much, there are times when Wi-Fi is problematic or when you need to use a disc for something. Still, the Macbook Air has a great portable design that should offer more than enough for most people's daily use.
PERFORMANCE
Even with my heavy use, this has been very reliable for my daily multitasking. While some of that speed might result from my expanded RAM (mentioned above), the bulk of it comes from the Air's use of a Solid State Drive (SSD). While SSD technology is relatively expensivewhen compared to traditional hard drives on a per-Gigabyte basis, it is worth the money! You can find many comparison videos on YouTube showing how much faster Solid State Drives are when compared to traditional hard drives. The SSD really shines when cutting down the time when launching a program, or when turning the system on or off.
DISPLAY
The high-resolution display of the Macbook Air is great. The 13" Air features a 1440x900 resolution (like that of the 15" Macbook Pro), which is better than the 1,280x800 resolution of my 13" 2010 Macbook Pro. It is very sharp and crisp!
LIFE WITHOUT AN OPTICAL DRIVE
Some people have argued that the lack of an optical drive makes the Macbook Air impractical for daily use. Honestly, I have for the past several years used my optical drive very rarely, and knew I wouldn't miss it too much on the Air. That being said, you usually don't appreciate something until you no longer have it, and I have since noticed that there are times when having a built-in optical drive is convenient.
Since thumb drives and external hard drives are becoming very affordable, digital distribution of software and games is rapidly growing, and many videos are now available through streaming services as opposed to hard copy DVD forms, a lot of the inconveniences associated with lacking an optical drive can be worked around. That being said, there are times when an optical drive is necessary, especially when it comes to installing software (i.e. Windows).
While the MBA doesn't have one built in, you can 'Share' the optical drive of another computer wirelessly. That is understandably less convenient than having an optical drive physically connected to the same computer, so you can instead plug in an external CD/DVD drive through the USB port. The major inconvenience of doing this is that you have to buy an external drive. That being said, you do not need the Apple brand 'Superdrive', and can instead get a 3rd party external optical drive for a considerably cheaper price.
HAVING A BUILT-IN SD CARD READER IS VERY CONVENIENT
The SD card reader is very convenient, and helps compensate for the relatively small hard drive found on the Macbook Air. While my largest SD card is only 16GB, I find SD cards to be even more convenient than using a thumb drive. Without the built-in SD card reader you could always plug in an external SD card reader, but having it built into the system frees up a USB port.
BATTERY LIFE
If you've ever felt that your cell phone, laptop, or other battery-based device doesn't hold nearly as long a charge as it should, it's not just you. Battery life is something that a lot of electronics manufacturers frequently distort the truth about. Amazon often omits external links from reviews and replace it with a so I can't paste the link, but on the Apple website's section on Macbook Pros, for example, they state in the fine text: 'The wireless productivity test measures battery life by wirelessly browsing various websites and editing text in a word processing document with display brightness set to 50%.' In other words, their battery life claims are based on situations many more intensive users don't find themselves in...
For the 2010 Macbook Air, Apple has supposedly changed their battery testing method from the aforementioned Pro testing, and used improved technology to prolong the battery life. The Macbook Air's battery is rated to last for around 7 hours, but you might get less than that with heavy use. I have been pleased with the battery life so far, but I have had less than 7 hours of battery life when I was using the computer intensively. While the battery life isn't the strongest of all of Apple's offerings, the 30-day standby time is very impressive. I believe that the impressive standby time is a result of the SSD drawing less power in sleep mode than a traditional hard drive.
COMPARED TO PREVIOUS AIRS
I was really intrigued by the Macbook Air when it was first announced in 2008, but couldn't justify the high price tag. Since with this generation prices have gone down considerably, all models employ Solid State Drives, and there are 2 USB connections (instead of just one), now is a much better time to buy a Macbook Air than ever before. The only thing changed for the worse is that this model does not have backlit keys not such a big deal for fast typers, but probably inconvenient for people who 'hunt and peck'.
COMPARED TO THE 2010 11-INCH MACBOOK AIR
Prior to deciding on the 13" Macbook Air I considered the 11-inch model. While the 11-incher is lighter and smaller than the 13-inch model, I decided against it because I felt that the screen was too small to be reasonably effective for my intended use. Additionally, the 11-inch model lacks a built-in SD card reader not a huge deal since external USB-based SD card readers are cheap and also employs a weaker 1.4 GHz processor (as opposed to the 13-inch model's 1.86 GHz processor). You lose half a pound in weight going from the 13" and 11" models, but I decided a slightly heavier laptop was more worth it for the screen real estate. You will have to play with the models in store to see what works best for you, but if you like opening multiple windows side-by-side, you will more likely than not also prefer the 13" model.
COMPARED TO THE 13-INCH MACBOOK PRO
Due to the similar price points between this and the 13" Macbook Pro, the two computers naturally lend themselves to head-to-head comparison, which I'll focus the rest of the review on.
Comparing a 2010 13" 128GB 1.86 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Macbook Air with 4 GB of RAM (again, upgraded, the default configuration is 2 GB) with my 2010 13" 250 GB 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Macbook Pro with 4 GB of RAM, I definitely felt the Macbook Air was faster. This is not an official comparison with benchmark tests official benchmarks actually rated the Pro to be a faster machine but for my use I felt things were noticeably faster with the Air's SSD in spite of its weaker processor.
Advantages Compared to Base Configuration 2010 13" Macbook Pro
Lighter (2.9 pounds vs 4.5 pounds)
Thinner (0.11 inches at its thinnest point and 0.68 inches at its thickest vs 0.95 inches)
Considerably faster in spite of a weaker processor (see below) due to its use of a Solid State Drive (SSD)
Higher resolution display (1440x900 vs 1280x800)
Disadvantages Compared to Base Configuration 2010 13" MacBook Pro
Slower Processor (1.86 GHz vs 2.4 GHz)
Smaller Hard Drive (128 GB vs 250 GB)
No backlit keys (Not a big deal for most, but some might find this inconvenient)
Fewer ports (the lack of an Ethernet jack can be a big inconvenience if you don't have secure Wi-Fi available)
No optical drive
FINAL THOUGHTS
The speed of a Solid State Drive is one of the selling points of the Macbook Air, but its ultra-portability is its stronger selling point (keep in mind prior to 2010 only the higher-end Air models featured SSDs). That being said, think of what's important to you. For students and business professionals who travel frequently, I think the Air is an ideal solution.
To those for whom speed is more important than portability, consider purchasing a Macbook Pro and upgrading its hard drive to a SSD yourself. You can also upgrade the Pro's RAM on your own, up to 8 GB (Air maxes out at 4GB, and you can't upgrade it yourself).
Think about what your primary use for the machine will be. If you don't have reliable access to Wi-Fi networks or need a CD/DVD drive regularly, you might find the Air constraining. For most people, however, the 13" 2010 Macbook Air is a great purchase that will offer a very powerful computer in an incredibly portable and sleek package.
I chose the 256 GB storage option model, but the other specifications on this machine are the same.
I do have fairly recent Mac desktops, but my own personal Mac notebook had become aged. It was a Powerbook.
With the release of iPad last Spring, I had considered not going back to owning a new notebook, with a desktop and iPad at my disposal.
However, I decided I simply need a keyboard for some on the go work, and my machine was simply too old now.
This October 2010 MacBook Air redesign is the answer for me. I will try to post some images of the device soon.
Physically, the footprint is not much different than a 13-inch MacBook or MacBook Pro that other members of my household own. However, it's the thinness and lightweight design that brings out the "wow," for those who see it. If you want to use it on your lap in a large chair or sofa, it is simply comfortable. If you need to stop while walking, and stand against a wall and check something very quickly, while it can still be slightly awkward, the light weight makes this possible. Still, I'd try not to do this, in fear of dropping the precious unit. You do see some Apple marketing images of people using the device standing up. This would likely be even more comfortable with the 11-inch model.
The reason one would choose this updated 13-inch MacBook Air is simple! This particular model gives you the thinness and light "wow," factors that defined the MacBook Air since its introduction nearly four years ago. However, this model gives you something that was not offered at this price point previously. A nearly fully functional and performing notebook computer. The included 1.86 GHZ Core 2 Duo processor is not a slouch. 2GB of memory is not bad in efficient OS X, and the decent storage. I chose the 256GB model, but for a second Mac, a light user, or someone with an external USB hard drive when back at there desk, even this 128 GB is not too far behind an entry hard drive notebook. PLUS, there is a huge benefit of this solid state storage. It is INCREDIBLY fast. The slight hit in processor and memory compared to a MacBook Pro is at least partly made up for by the speed of solid state memory. Just check out the boot up time on this device. It boots up fast. Plus, when it sleeps, open it back up, for instant on. It's a new way of experiencing a computer. If you need it to look something up, edit an image, or type a report, it's ready for you.
The battery life is impressive too. Apple is quoting 7-hours on this 13-inch model, and I will get close to that it appears. Apple is using a new battery testing standard than they have used to quote hours on previous systems. Therefore, this 7 hours quoted might be closer to the optimistic 10 hour advertised on the MacBook Pro than the numbers themselves would have us believe.
This 13-inch model has a higher resolution display than the 13-inch MacBook Pro, so you will fit more of your windows, pictures, etc. on the display. Indeed, it matches the resolution of the stock 15-inch models.
What don't you get on this model and do I miss it? Obviously, once again, Superdrive is missing. I do not miss this. I have Superdrive on my desktop computer, and you can always buy the USB Superdrive for less than one hundred dollars, if you want that capability when at your desk. This Air loses the backlit keyboard, one suspects due to the even slimmer and lighter design. However, I type efficiently, so I only lose the cool factor of illuminated keys, not function.
Truly, with the add on of the USB superdrive for pinch situations, this particular model is a Mac that could actually be one's main computer. Decent processing speed, decent memory, and most of all plenty of solid state storage and the speed benefits of that storage. The graphics processor in this release is much improved over the previous generation too enabling watching of high definition videos. Two USB ports allow for connecting your iPod, external USB hard drive, USB Superdrive, printer, or whatever other USB device you might have. SD Card slot is included on this 13-inch Air model for the first time too.
Note The brand new iLife '11 is loaded on this machine too. It's fun to try out the new features of iLife on a brand new computer! iPhoto 11 enhanced full screen mode is fun to use with this high resolution display!
Sure, a graphic designer, developer, or engineer might need more horse power or a larger display. However, a 2.9 pound Mac that is fully capable of being a great second Mac, or primary Mac, for many users is an incredible achievement. Do not let the significance of this creation not take us back a bit. It is an impressive feat. Recommend unit.
Buy Apple MacBook Air MC503LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION) Now
This review addresses specifically the screen quality.
Those who demand desktop performance from a portable should consider the iMac. That being said, I have noticed that this low-voltage Core 2 duo 2.13GHz can easily keep up with its big cousins (MacBook Pro 13.3"). The performance is good enough, so I am unconcerned about benchmarks.
Let's look at the screen. Even if you have a tonal range of medium grey to complete darkness, the reflection on the screen is not as bothersome as the MacBook Pro's highly-reflective glass and the previous version MacBook Air's glossy screen (it, too, had a coating, but not as good as this version).
I am in my mid-40s, so I initially thought the 1440 x 900 pixels being squeezed down to 13.3" area may be too small for me to read. Not so. The increased pixel density and the increased contrast makes the text much more readable. Those who are skeptical should forget about the specifications and just see it in person.
I wouldn't consider the 11.6" because the screen's height has been chopped off 10% (16:9). This screen is 16:10. Those who think that 2.3lbs versus 2.8lbs is a big difference should think again. The smaller one has about 25% battery run time, which means you may want to carry the power adapter. It does not have an SD-card reader, which means another piece of cable (for camera) or card reader to lose. The lack of vertical space causes the user to scroll more. All these reasons combined, the 11.6" holds no advantage over the 13.3"--not to mention the fact that the processor and level-2 cache are not as robust as the 13.3" at the same RAM/SSD configuration.
* * * * * speed * * * * *
I thought I might as well mention a few things.
The unit I just installed is a 13.3", 2.13GHz, 256GB SSD, 4GB RAM
* cold boot to desktop: 13 seconds
* all MS Office 2011 applications take 1-1.5 seconds to launch
* iLife 11 apps all take about a second to launch, except Garage Band takes a bit longer to initialize.
Read Best Reviews of Apple MacBook Air MC503LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION) Here
Short answer is yes, this laptop is a good buy and your best option for a laptop from apple.
The Macbook air is the Terminator 2 of apple laptops, the second one is so much better. I had purchased a 13 macbook pro about 4 months ago and I sold it to get this 13 macbook air, and I am so happy I did. Just the better screen and flash memory alone is worth it. Read below for a detailed pros and cons list from a general to medium power user.
Pros : Beautiful display, they squeezed all the pixels of the 15" macbook pro, into the 13.3" macbook air, they also have improved ten fold on the glare problem because the coating or screen is glare free, its unbelievable.
Flash memory. 128GB is enough for 90% of people out there. With the ability to have dropbox or .mac account and so much stuff in the cloud nowadays 128GB is really not unreasonable, also what I will do If I run out of space is pop a 32gb (or maybe bigger when they release them) into the sd slot and boom, an extra 32gb of space for $55 as of now on amazon. I enjoy NEVER seeing the rainbow wheel, applications run smoothly and everything is very snappy, it is a noticeable difference from a regular hard drive, at least twice as fast, multitasking and doing tasks is enjoyable and zippy with the flash memory and the boot up time is great at just 14 seconds, and instant on from hibernate or sleep is very welcome, I can edit in photoshop easily with no lag at all, actually better than my macbook pro, watching hd video and other tasks are handled just as well, I am really surprised.
Lightweight. Never mind how gorgeous the design looks, the size and weight are amazing. I would never want to take my macbook pro out in the car or on the bus/train, even though the air is just a couple pounds lighter, it sure makes a huge difference, playing on the laptop out and about has never been more enjoyable, its like the laptop is not even there and its just me and the screen, I find myself taking my air everywhere.
Cons : No backlit keyboard! although personally I never look at the keys when I type. Battery Life, I wish I could get 10 hours like my macbook pro, but 7 is fine and worth losing the lbs and inches to attain that goal.
I'm sure there are more pros, and maybe even a con or two, but these are the big deciding factors in choosing an air over any other laptop. I truly feel this laptop could serve 99% of users needs, with only the select few people needing huge hard drives and super fast processors on a 17" laptop screen with firewire needing the top of the line fast mobile computer.
Want Apple MacBook Air MC503LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION) Discount?
I'm a computer engineering student, so I own several computers, each with their own purpose. I have a tablet for note taking in class, a desktop super computer (i7, SSD, 3x 23" monitors) for serious work and gaming. Previously I had a 2009 Macbook which I used for goofing off and light work (pspice, eagle pcb, office, etc). I loved my Macbookit was quiet, the battery life was better than a comparable Windows laptop, and it was quick enough for my needsbut I enjoyed using my desktop more. That has all changed since I bought the Airholy sweet jesus I love this machine.
The good:
-FAST. I mean this thing is blazingly fastyou really have to use it to understand. Every application I've tried is open before it finishes its first "bounce" on the dock. Even monsters like Excel and Powerpoint take less than two seconds to completely open. Chrome launches in milliseconds. Shutdown is ~3 seconds, cold boot is ~7 seconds to OSX, 15 seconds to Win7. Sleep is instantaneous.
-Battery life is great. For my usage I charge it overnight, unplug around 7am and use casually throughout the day, in and our of sleep. At the end of the day around midnight I plug it in with around 20% charge remaining. This is with the screen at 50% brightness (more on that in a minute) and wifi on all the time.
-The keyboard and trackpad are the same fantastic combination you get in all the other Macs (minus the backlight on the Pro)roomy, comfortable, and multi-touchy.
-The screen is incredible, the 1440x900 resolution makes my old Macbook's 1280x800 look terrible. The LED backlight is shockingly brightat 50% brightness it is as bright as my old Macbook at full-tilt. At 100% it is like staring at the sun. I keep it at around 50% during the day, slightly lower at night, and am quite happy with it. Another note: The screen has a nice matte finish which is great with reflections.
-Size. This thing is so thin and light it's practically non-existant. But you know that already :) Also, it is silent. Not quietsilent.
The meh:
-2GB RAM. While in OSX this really isn't a problem as long as you're using it reasonably. I haven't tried VMWare with it (I use bootcamp), but I imagine it might cause some swap issues if running Win7 virtualized with anything else (Word, excel, PP, etc). I just use bootcamp since it shuts down in under 3 seconds, and boots fully to Win7 in around 15 seconds.
-Outdated processor. This is really more of a principle issue than a practical one. I haven't found a situation yet where I'm lacking for CPU-oomph, but it's outdated and annoys me slightly as a spec-nerd.
-Price. There is no way around it, this is an expensive machine, especially for a second computer.
Final thoughts:
If you're looking to upgrade from an older Macbook Pro or any Macbook this computer will NOT disappoint. The size, speed, and screen come together to form a fantastic overall product. I've always said the best Windows machine is a Mac and bootcamp, and this is no exception. As an engineering student I have to use Windows all the time, Win7 runs great, with no issues whatsoever. This is by far the best laptop I've ever owned or used. Period. If you can afford it, I promise that you will not regret it.
I ordered this laptop about 30 days ago and have been solidly satisfied ever since. I desperately needed a new laptop for home use and wanted a machine that was stylish, updated and could handle a basic level of tasks. I use this as my primary and only home computer (which doesn't say much, after work, I go home to veg. I needed a machine I could use while watching TV, use while half-sleeping on the couch and something to answer emails in bed after I wake up late for work/other commitmentsagain).
