February 2008
Apple MacBook Air: First Look
An ultra-portable notebook that's super-sexy—but not much else
What it is: The Apple MacBook Air is the latest addition to the Mac family. Its design features a brushed-aluminum finish and black keys,
with a slightly curved cover and tapered edges. The laptop has a 13.3-inch glossy screen, a height of three-quarters of an
inch when closed, and weighs just about 3 lbs. Our tested model included an Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6 GHz processor, 2 GB RAM,
an 80GB hard drive, a built-in webcam and microphone, wireless 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities, a built-in mono speaker,
and integrated Intel GMA X3100 video. Options include a 64GB solid-state drive and an Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz processor.
Retail price starts at $1,800.
Watch our video (at right) to review the MacBook Air's features. We're still testing this super-slim notebook and will include it in our complete Ratings of laptop computers (available to subscribers) soon. But here's what we've discovered so far:
HIGHS
Great portability. The MacBook Air is similar in size to the MacBook, but is 2-lbs lighter and 1?3-inch thinner. Unlike the MacBook, its keyboard is slightly angled, which can ease typing. The MacBook Air ran cooler than the 15-inch MacBook Pro in stress tests, so it’s easier on your lap. Like the MacBook Pro, it has a backlighted keyboard, which makes typing easier in dim environments. Battery life was measured at 4½ hours under office productivity use, and though it didn’t last as long as the MacBook, it still outpaced the 13-inch Dell and Sony, which had 1 to 2 hours less battery life.
Larger touchpad and additional gesture controls. Apple increased the size of the MacBook Air’s touchpad, providing a greater area to support its additional gesture controls. But the touchpad button became smaller—to about half the size of the button on a MacBook. New gestures similar to the Apple iPhone allow you to rotate photos, zoom in and out of text or images, and swipe through pages.
Bright display and colors. The use of an LED backlighted display creates a brighter screen than either of the other MacBooks, as well as the 13-inch Dell and Sony. Colors are good, similar to other laptops, and are still fairly vivid when viewed at a wide angle.
LOWS
Lacks an internal optical drive. Instead, the MacBook Air includes a Remote Disc Sharing feature, which lets you share the optical drive of a remote Mac (OS X 10.4.10+) or Windows (XP, Vista) computer on the same wireless network. That lets you install programs or copy data files from a CD or DVD, but not play music or video. You can connect an external optical drive ($100).
Slow performance speed. With less processing power than other Mac laptops, the MacBook Air had a slower performance speed, and tasks such as encoding QuickTime videos took a longer time, but it was still adequate for typical tasks such as internet browsing and e-mail. The time it took to copy a large folder on the desktop was generally slower than that of the other Mac laptops, but about equivalent to the Sony and Dell 13-inch laptops.
Costly cutting edge drive. The MacBook Air can be equipped with a 64-gigabyte solid state drive (SSD)—a $1,000 option—instead of the conventional 80-gigabyte hard drive. Since the SSD doesn't rely on spinning platters, it should be more durable, yet offer lower access times than the traditional hard drive. While the SSD-equipped Air starts Mac OS X and applications faster, the traditional hard drive-based version is faster at other tasks—namely accessing and saving large files. For most consumers, the faster start-up times will be more important. But, you will be paying a hefty premium—and for less storage space.
Few ports and not user upgradeable. Only 1 USB port is available, so you'd have to attach a USB hub to use more than one peripheral. Plus, the port access door is beneath the low edge of the laptop and not easily accessible. The MacBook Air also includes a mini-DVI port, along with VGA and DVI adapters for connection to a larger monitor or a projector, as well as a headphone jack. But, it also lacks some basic connections, namely an Ethernet port and an Expresscard slot (for a cellular modem, say). Unlike other MacBook laptops, the battery is encased inside and cannot be replaced by the owner. (If the battery fails to recharge, you'll need to take it back to Apple for repair/replacement.) Memory also is not replaceable, as it is on most other laptops.
Tinny, mono speaker. The built-in mono speaker has little bass, creates tinny music, and could not get very loud. The 13” Dell and Sony and the other MacBook laptops produced similar bass, although the Sony 13” sounded better playing songs.
BOTTOM LINE
In dropping its size and weight, the MacBook Air had to compromise on performance and accessibility. But compared with other 3-lb laptops, the tradeoffs are reasonable. Other ultra-portables usually have a cramped keyboard and only a smaller screen. The MacBook Air addresses both issues, and does so for less than $2,000. Yet its lack of upgradeability reduces its full potential—without cellular mobile broadband, you would have to search for Wi-Fi hotspots while on the road. Regardless, it works well as an ultraportable laptop, but would not be able to replace your primary computer.
Watch our video (at right) to review the MacBook Air's features. We're still testing this super-slim notebook and will include it in our complete Ratings of laptop computers (available to subscribers) soon. But here's what we've discovered so far:
HIGHS
Great portability. The MacBook Air is similar in size to the MacBook, but is 2-lbs lighter and 1?3-inch thinner. Unlike the MacBook, its keyboard is slightly angled, which can ease typing. The MacBook Air ran cooler than the 15-inch MacBook Pro in stress tests, so it’s easier on your lap. Like the MacBook Pro, it has a backlighted keyboard, which makes typing easier in dim environments. Battery life was measured at 4½ hours under office productivity use, and though it didn’t last as long as the MacBook, it still outpaced the 13-inch Dell and Sony, which had 1 to 2 hours less battery life.
Larger touchpad and additional gesture controls. Apple increased the size of the MacBook Air’s touchpad, providing a greater area to support its additional gesture controls. But the touchpad button became smaller—to about half the size of the button on a MacBook. New gestures similar to the Apple iPhone allow you to rotate photos, zoom in and out of text or images, and swipe through pages.
Bright display and colors. The use of an LED backlighted display creates a brighter screen than either of the other MacBooks, as well as the 13-inch Dell and Sony. Colors are good, similar to other laptops, and are still fairly vivid when viewed at a wide angle.
LOWS
Lacks an internal optical drive. Instead, the MacBook Air includes a Remote Disc Sharing feature, which lets you share the optical drive of a remote Mac (OS X 10.4.10+) or Windows (XP, Vista) computer on the same wireless network. That lets you install programs or copy data files from a CD or DVD, but not play music or video. You can connect an external optical drive ($100).
Slow performance speed. With less processing power than other Mac laptops, the MacBook Air had a slower performance speed, and tasks such as encoding QuickTime videos took a longer time, but it was still adequate for typical tasks such as internet browsing and e-mail. The time it took to copy a large folder on the desktop was generally slower than that of the other Mac laptops, but about equivalent to the Sony and Dell 13-inch laptops.
Costly cutting edge drive. The MacBook Air can be equipped with a 64-gigabyte solid state drive (SSD)—a $1,000 option—instead of the conventional 80-gigabyte hard drive. Since the SSD doesn't rely on spinning platters, it should be more durable, yet offer lower access times than the traditional hard drive. While the SSD-equipped Air starts Mac OS X and applications faster, the traditional hard drive-based version is faster at other tasks—namely accessing and saving large files. For most consumers, the faster start-up times will be more important. But, you will be paying a hefty premium—and for less storage space.
Few ports and not user upgradeable. Only 1 USB port is available, so you'd have to attach a USB hub to use more than one peripheral. Plus, the port access door is beneath the low edge of the laptop and not easily accessible. The MacBook Air also includes a mini-DVI port, along with VGA and DVI adapters for connection to a larger monitor or a projector, as well as a headphone jack. But, it also lacks some basic connections, namely an Ethernet port and an Expresscard slot (for a cellular modem, say). Unlike other MacBook laptops, the battery is encased inside and cannot be replaced by the owner. (If the battery fails to recharge, you'll need to take it back to Apple for repair/replacement.) Memory also is not replaceable, as it is on most other laptops.
Tinny, mono speaker. The built-in mono speaker has little bass, creates tinny music, and could not get very loud. The 13” Dell and Sony and the other MacBook laptops produced similar bass, although the Sony 13” sounded better playing songs.
BOTTOM LINE
In dropping its size and weight, the MacBook Air had to compromise on performance and accessibility. But compared with other 3-lb laptops, the tradeoffs are reasonable. Other ultra-portables usually have a cramped keyboard and only a smaller screen. The MacBook Air addresses both issues, and does so for less than $2,000. Yet its lack of upgradeability reduces its full potential—without cellular mobile broadband, you would have to search for Wi-Fi hotspots while on the road. Regardless, it works well as an ultraportable laptop, but would not be able to replace your primary computer.
