i am currently writing this review after several weeks of use. i spent about 3 weeks researching different laptops before i got this one. it was no easy task. i hope this review will help you decide.
i have the 1.6GHz, 4GB Ram, & 128GB Flash Storage. (not sure if this review will be placed for this specific spec or for all MacBook Air 11".)
LAPTOP USE:
mainly for work. checking email and managing contacts. viewing documents.
i am also an amateur photographer so i will be doing some light photo work.
huge gamer. see below for more details.
DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION:
there's not much to say regarding this. it's built like no other machine i've ever used. it's rock solid. i have read some reviews stating that they were concerned with the joint where the screen meets the keyboard area but it should not be of any concern. it feels great in your hands. i can find no flaws with the laptop itself. make sure you go to an Apple Store and play with it to see for yourself.
OS:
i am currently running both OS X 10.6.5 & Windows 7 Ultimate 64. it came installed with OS X 10.6.4. make sure you update this before you install anything.
Apple states that you can only install Windows 7 through Boot Camp using a DVD player. after some research before i bought the laptop, i found this to not be true.
by using an open-source program called rEFIt, you can install Windows 7 using a USB flash drive. you can also install Linux, if you wish. by using this program you can dual boot or even TRIPLE BOOT on your MacBook Air.
if you would like to install Windows 7 using a USB flash drive, you can use a program by Microsoft called "Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool" to accomplish this. make sure your USB flash drive is at least 4GB for installation. YOU ALSO NEED A COPY OF WINDOWS THAT YOU PLAN ON INSTALLING HANDY.
INSTALLING WINDOWS WITH A USB FLASH DRIVE...
** UPDATE ADDED **
** before you go and install Windows 7 on your shiny new MacBook make sure you've updated your OS X to 10.6.5 first! i was so excited to get Win7 on my MBA that i installed it first before upgrading. i had installed EVERYTHING. all my PC programs and had it set up perfectly. bad mistake. when i upgraded the patch it wiped my NTFS (Windows 7) partition and everything there. ugh. save yourself that headache and PLEASE UPDATE OS X to 10.6.5 FIRST!!!
i have recently increased my Mac partition to allow for more room for my Mac needs. it is now at 48GB for Mac and 70GB for Windows. your needs may vary so give yourself ample space for both partitions. if at a later time you need to increase/decrease your partition sizes, you can do so easily by doing a FULL BACKUP WITH A SYSTEM IMAGE using Windows BACKUP or any other Backup program. remove your Windows partition ONLY AFTER doing the backup. go into Boot Camp Asst and create a new partition. connect your choice of Windows 7 installation, either USB OR DVD. do a RESTORE with the backup of the system image and backup files you made. VOILA... you have everything the way it is again. ***
make sure you first go into OS X. click on Boot Camp, which you can find using the Finder feature or go into your Utilities folder. get to the second page. download the Windows support software for your Mac. you're going to need it later after you've installed Windows. save this on your other PC. hopefully you have a PC to run that Windows 7 USB/DVD Tool. just go through the steps it tells you and you should be done. now place the "WindowsSupport" folder you dl'ed through Boot Camp onto your flash drive. you should have 3.65GB used. i used Windows 7 Ultimate 64 so your size may be less.
now you should already have installed rEFIt. if not, you should do so now. follow the instructions on their site. this gets installed through OS X, just in case you're wondering. after installation, make sure you reboot your MB Air at least twice. don't ask me why. it just takes at least twice before it gets fully working.
as you're about to do your second reboot, plug in the flash drive you have Windows 7 installed. as your MBA loads up, you should get a screen with a few icons, which you may have noticed after your first reboot. just select your USB drive and VOILA! you should now be starting your Windows 7 installation. once you're done make sure you install the Boot Camp drivers in the "WindowsSupport" folder. Boot Camp 3.2 is out so make sure you update to that ONLY AFTER you've installed 3.1 first. you will not be allowed to install 3.2 without 3.1 installed.
WINDOWS 7 GENERAL USAGE:
Windows 7 Ultimate 64 runs smoothly on the MBA. i was very surprised. it boots up almost as quickly as my 3.4GHz desktop which has a SSD drive. considering the MBA only has 1.6GHz this thing can only be labled as a BEAST. i like to tinker with my computer a lot so i've removed many startup services and programs that i don't need and just eat up valuable resources. i will not go into details about it now but if you are curious just ask and i will comment back with some good info for you.
i have installed Lightroom 3.3 and Photoshop CS5 and they run very nicely. it will definitely not give you the same experience as a 3.4GHz desktop but considering the size of this laptop, you should be pleased.
Hulu & Youtube runs quite nicely. definitely not as smooth as my desktop but then again look at the size of this laptop.
i personally have not installed Windows Office 2010 because i've opted to go with the free Libre Office program. it is still in beta stages but runs quite nicely without any major hiccups. i also have Firefox and Thunderbird installed. they both run well.
WINDOWS 7 GAMING USAGE:
i currently play Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Black Ops. i installed both on the MBA. i was quite shocked that it ran pretty well. of course, you will most likely have to run at lowest settings but if you need to get your fix for blood and you're away from home then you can! let's be realistic though. you really don't want to be playing games on a 11' screen. to be honest, i had such a hard time seeing enemies that were far away in BFBC2.
MAC USAGE:
this is my first Mac. i was very hesitant booting up the MBA the first time. it's like that first day at high school... as a freshman. you thought you knew it all but now you're in a totally new environment. fear strikes in.
don't fret. you're about to embark on a wonderful new adventure!
i am beginning to love the Mac OS X. it's so stable and runs as smooth as a babies bootie on this laptop.
i have Aperture 3, Final Cut Express 4, Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Firefox, and Thunderbird installed on the Mac OS X. they all run very well. Final Cut Express will not be the same as a desktop experience most definitely but you can do some light work on your MBA. i also suggest you install a program called Onyx to remove any garbage files. also get Growl. a very nifty program for Mac's.
** UPDATE ADDED **
** a commenter had asked about doing a fresh install of the Mac OS X. i know what he meant immediately. most laptops come with some sort of BLOATWARE (garbage programs that slow your system down). Mac's are not plagued by this issue so you do not have to worry. since the storage on your MBA will be limited compared to other systems, every bit of free space is valuable. OS X contains files for use with X11, which is a X Window System implementation for running X11-based applications on Mac OS X. Based on the de facto-standard for X11, the open source XFree86 project, X11 for Mac OS X is compatible, fast and fully integrated with Mac OS X. It includes the full X11R6.6 technology including a window server, libraries and basic utilities such as xterm. if you have no idea what i just wrote, then you won't need this. :) i'm not sure if it's installed by default but since i had to do a fresh reinstall due to the OS X 10.6.5 Update patch wiping my Windows partition. there are also over 1GB worth of language support files within OS X and other Mac programs. you may want to do a fresh install due to these reasons but if X11 is not a concern of yours and only removing the language files then there is an easy solution. check below for more details under the "RECOMMENDED MAC OS X PROGRAMS". **
RECOMMENDED MAC OS X PROGRAMS:
after a few more weeks of use, i have been using OS X a lot more than i had first thought i would. due to these reasons, i have been researching for more OS X programs. here are my results. i will add more as i come across them.
1. CleanMyMac: this program is A MUST HAVE. it does so much i can't even begin to tell you everything it does. basically, it cleans out all your garbage files, unnecessary junk, and language support that you won't need. i gained over 2GB worth of storage space from this program. THAT'S A LOT! considering i just got my MacBook so it wouldn't have any accumulated that many temp files. it goes to show you how many other files there are you don't need.
2. Onyx 2.2.1: this is another MUST HAVE. it is a multifunction utility for Mac OS X. It allows you to verify the Startup Disk and the structure of its System files, to run miscellaneous tasks of system maintenance, to configure the hidden parameters of the Finder, Dock and of some of Apple's own applications, to delete caches, to remove a certain number of files and folders that may become cumbersome and more.
3. KisMAC: it is an open-source and free sniffer/scanner application for Mac OS X. i've used this for when i'm out and need to get more WiFi info than is given through OS X. many of you probably won't need it but it's a nice program to have.
4. WinClone: clones your Boot Camp partition. can be useful for many applications. (use with precaution, as it seems to be no longer developed. i suggest you google this application and see if it fits your needs.)
5. Libre Office: an open-source Office platform program. it's the better version of Open Office, in my opinion. it's FREE so try it. it's also available for PC.
6. Text Wrangler: 90% of you won't need this, but for the other 10% it can be very useful. this is the only free program that does this that i could find. A powerful and richly-featured tool for composing, modifying, and transforming text stored in plain-text files. It features flexible "grep" pattern-based search and replace, syntax coloring, and function navigation for C, C++, and Objective-C. Also includes integration with the UNIX command line via the "edit" tool, built-in support for opening and saving files to remote FTP servers, and a rich plug-in architecture.
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS FOR YOUR MACBOOK AIR (which i am using. do a search on Amazon for these products.):
elago Mobile Nano II USB 2.0 microSDHC Flash Memory Card Reader (Black)
Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 1 TB USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 Ultra Portable External Hard Drive WDBACX0010BBK-NESN
Logitech Wireless Performance Mouse MX for PC and Mac
Samsung USB 2.0 8x DVD Writer External Optical Drive for Mac and PC SE-S084D/TSBS (Gloss Black)
Transcend P8 15-in-1 USB 2.0 Flash Memory Card Reader TS-RDP8K (Black)
FINAL WORDS:
i love the MacBook Air 11". i do not regret purchasing it at all.
i hope you have all found this review helpful. i am sorry to those who i have bored with my long rant. i hope i helped a few people decide on purchasing this laptop. if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments section.
cheers!
I should admit upfront that I am not a scientist or engineer. Nor am I a gamer or video editor. I am a scholar and writer, so my use of this machine is largely limited to word processing, Power Point presentations, web browsing, and watching streaming videos. Thus, my experience will very likely differ from those who'll be using this computer to run several large and sophisticated programs simultaneously. Given these parameters, I am simply thrilled with this addition to Apple's MacBook collection. I am a relatively recent convert to Apple products after nearly two decades on PCs. So my views might be positively colored somewhat by the enthusiasm of the newly converted. I have been using a MacBook Pro 13" for the last year or so and I can safely say that this new MacBook Air 11" is simply a charm and a wonderful companion to the larger computer. Mine is the fully maxed-out model, with the factory-installed 1.6 chip, 4GB ram and 128 flash. I bought it to use for travel to libraries and research centers, and to carry easily from home to school. While I've only had the machine for a short time, there is no doubt this will be instantly more useful than any PC or Apple I've owned before. I have now spent several hours running it through its paces and I am genuinely impressed.
My first reaction was that it truly is as amazingly thin and sleek as it looks in the ads--almost disconcertingly so compared to my MacBook Pro. My first few times typing, I thought I might break it, it seemed so thin. But it's a toughie, no doubt about it. Light yet solid. Easily slips into my bag--hardly noticeable. It took almost no time at all to set up. The battery charged in less than an hour and, so far at least, seems to run almost as long as my Pro, though I do have to be especially careful to quit programs I'm not using to preserve and prolong power. I installed Office Suite 2011 in 15 minutes via the wireless network through the university. No need for a disk drive in this instance. Even more exciting, it easily networked wirelessly with my Pro and I was then able to operate its DVD drive as if it were part of the Air. Amazing. Assuming you have another MacBook, there really is no need for a DVD drive in this machine.
Since I write for a living, having a comfortable keyboard is essential. I was delighted and surprised to see that the 11" Air has a keyboard that measures exactly the same as my 13" Pro--no difference whatsoever. And the overall feeling is quite good with just enough bounce and resistance--essential in my view for effective typing. Only thing lacking are the illuminated keys--a nice feature, but certainly not essential. I don't think I'll miss it. The backlit screen is physically smaller, of course. But there are more pixels per inch, so it is amazingly bright and crisp. In fact, in a side-by-side comparison, this screen is every bit as brilliant as the screen on my Pro, and is certainly brighter and with greater high and low contrasts than the screen on the standard MacBook. Again, I am quite delightfully surprised by how good this screen is, since I was expecting something less in such a small package. Everything reads slightly smaller as a result, of course. But I still have no trouble reading whatever's on the screen. I imagine people with poor vision might have a slightly harder time reading their usual sites and documents. But I have no trouble--and my eyes are not perfect by any means. The improved track pad is a joy to use and genuinely intuitive. I am especially pleased to see the one finger "tap to click" option once again that you don't find on the older MacBooks--makes navigation that much faster and easier.
Despite the processor being only 1.6GHz, the speed seems to be about the same as on my MacBook Pro. Here, I'm sure more sophisticated users and gamers will disagree. But I am able to run Youtube, Netflix, and Hulu videos flawlessly. No discernible lag, no annoying pixelating. It certainly boots up faster (that solid state storage makes a noticeable difference there) and many of my usual websites seem to load up just as fast if not faster than they do on my Pro. So I'm not sure I will notice any difference in CPU speed, given my rather mundane needs and uses. But I'm glad I got the faster chip and larger RAM, nonetheless, given the ever-increasing demands of programs and the Internet. These upgrades make normal usage a breeze and should extend the machine's viability a bit longer.
Downsides? None yet--apart from minor issues like the lack of an SD slot, an Ethernet port (USB extension is available for purchase) and additional USB outlets. But I'm happy to sacrifice these things for the convenience of a light, ultrathin MacBook. No doubt this machine will now become my primary tool.
Be aware that this maxed out edition (1.6/4GB/128Flash) must be factory installed through special order. As a result, it takes longer to arrive than most might expect. Certainly longer than the 1-3 business days Apple claims it takes to process the order. Mine took 18 days from the time I placed the order until it arrived from the Apple factory in China. Your experience may be different. But don't expect it to arrive within just a few days.
In short, this is an excellent machine. Whether it is worth the price is up to you. But I'm more than happy with it. Obviously, I can't attest yet to its durability, but it feels solid and stout, and I expect it will get quite a bit of use.
Buy MacBook Air 1.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Now
I have a core i7 main 15" MBP and I wanted a travel laptop. I figured for big trips I would need the big boy to take the load. I was wrong. I bought the pimped out 11" model and it has handled admirably. I would like a 256 model as well but I think I will be able to find a bigger flash drive soon enough. I have been amazed with the ease the 1.6ghz handled everything I threw at it and multitasked like a champ. I would not do any video editing or encoding on this little guy but I don't really do that on the road anyway. I think my 15" MBP will be getting a lot of at home time these days. if you have the money to pay the apple tax you will not be disappointed.
Read Best Reviews of MacBook Air 1.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Here
I bought it, I love it. It has a full sized keyboard, a screen with about the same dimensions (in dots, not inches) as my old 13" Macbook, is small, light, and beautiful.
It also, to my surprise, will run World of Warcraft at a respectable frame rate.
Want MacBook Air 1.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Discount?
10 years ago, I bought a 12" powerbook. It was an amazing laptop. Small, powerful, the perfect travel companion. I used it as a road warrior for years. The full sized screen and reasonable battery life were ideal. I later replaced it with a 13" black macbook. I liked it, but it wasn't the portable wonder that the old powerbook had been. I've tried netbooks, bigger laptops, an ipad, etc, and they all work well, but still left a little something to be desired. Enter the 2010 Macbook Air 11". Wow. It's everything my old powerbook was, but better. Better screen, better keyboard, better battery life, and fast. It's not a replacement for a video render farm, you wouldn't want to run the latest game or lots of virtual systems on it, but for my needs, it's brilliant.
Has exactly what you want and none of what you don't. Light, compact, and powerful. Not loaded up with bloat-ware either. Not a computer to get if you're really into gaming, but has all the power you need for pretty much anything else you need and is only a little bigger & heavier than a net-book. With the advantage of having a DVD RW drive.
