Review: Apple's 2010 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch MacBook Air

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 132
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    The real reason they do not have backlit keyboards is so the next MacBook Airs can bring that feature back. Not simply to cut costs.
  • Reply 22 of 132
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mazda 3s View Post


    All I'm saying is that it's a step backwards. But please be truthful, aren't you just the slightest bit disappointed that the feature is missing?



    My old computer did not have a backlit keyboard. It was a PITA. I still have an Itty Bitty Book Lite type LED device that I used to use with the old computer. Likely the battery is dead in the light.



    I like a backlit keyboard. It would be hard to go back to having to tilt the screen down to see where certain keys are located.
  • Reply 23 of 132
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by foobar View Post


    Played around with the 11'' model in the Apple Store today. The high resolution screen really makes it feel less cramped than my old iBook 12'.



    I love the 11 incher. It is so tiny. I'd spring for the bigger drive and especially for 4 Gigs of RAM.
  • Reply 24 of 132
    All this complaining about what these machines lacks is rather stupid. I seriously wish people would freakin' STOP complaining about these computers missing a few of the items such as FW and GE. These are meant to be ULTRA portables ... ULTRA!! If you need all the inputs and outputs, dvd drive, and so on and so on get a MBP, period.



    Without a doubt, people are missing the point of these computers!
  • Reply 25 of 132
    since when has the ipad had 1 gb of ram?
  • Reply 26 of 132
    801801 Posts: 271member
    No mention of thermal output. Hows this thing when you crank out Itunes on it for the afternoon while writing ? Or run a netflix movie for a few hours?

    This is what I am worried about. Seemed a common complaint on the last version.
  • Reply 27 of 132
    Correction: None of Apple's current laptops feature IPS screens.
  • Reply 28 of 132
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 801 View Post


    No mention of thermal output. Hows this thing when you crank out Itunes on it for the afternoon while writing ? Or run a netflix movie for a few hours?

    This is what I am worried about. Seemed a common complaint on the last version.



    Supposedly these run better... and don't slow down due to lots of heat.

    I don't get these computers though. The weight of my 15" doesn't bother me. Each to his or her own though.
  • Reply 29 of 132
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    At its "Back to the Mac" event, Apple launched a revamped 13-inch MacBook Air and an entirely new 11-inch MacBook Air ...



    I don't see any mention in this review of the elephant in the room. The previous MacBook Air was a delicate flower that needed constant repair, and broke easily. Most people I know that have one have lost their data at least once and had the entire book replaced at least once or twice over the life of the product.



    While the review can't really speak to how more durable the new model is (we'll find that out over time), to not even really mention this aspect of the Air is a bit odd. Perhaps I missed the section on how durable they aren't?
  • Reply 30 of 132
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Steve-J View Post


    It is so tiny



    I get that all the time. Ugh.
  • Reply 31 of 132
    MacBook Air is a Nice piece of equipment giving the buyer yet another option when weight and size are more important Than performance and function. These new models surely have their place in todays world and support many great features which are appealing such as instant on and no hard drive.
  • Reply 32 of 132
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Buckeye in Fla View Post


    I couldn't agree with you more about the declining usefulness of optical for the space the drives require.




    I can't remember the last time I used the CD/DVD/burner in my laptop. Not even for content consumption. I have a huge stack of blank Cds and a smaller stack of blank DVDs sitting in the cabinet.



    The lack of an optical drive and ethernet is not a real problem with the advent of Wireless N. I understand why there's not eSATA, but something to replace it would have been nice for installing ghosted disk images or tens of gigs of data at a time.
  • Reply 33 of 132
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aimbdd View Post


    ...I don't get these computers though. The weight of my 15" doesn't bother me. Each to his or her own though.



    In my case, every day I have to carry my MBA (on my motorbike in a shoulder bag) for a couple hours each day and the occasional airline flight. Over the course of the day, the weight difference between my MBA and a regular notebook becomes very, very apparent. It's just that much less strain on the back.
  • Reply 34 of 132
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Pennywse View Post


    All this complaining about what these machines lacks is rather stupid. I seriously wish people would freakin' STOP complaining about these computers missing a few of the items such as FW and GE. These are meant to be ULTRA portables ... ULTRA!! If you need all the inputs and outputs, dvd drive, and so on and so on get a MBP, period.



    Without a doubt, people are missing the point of these computers!



    But ya know what's worse?



    All this complaining about what other posters say is rather stupid. I seriously wish people would freakin' STOP complaining about these posters saying a few things. These are meant to be OPEN forumss ... OPEN!! If you need all the comments to be of the same type, and so on and so on go onto Apple's forums, period.



    Without a doubt, people are missing the point of these forums!
  • Reply 35 of 132
    macnycmacnyc Posts: 342member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mazda 3s View Post


    I understand what you're saying, but that last statement doesn't really add up. The 13" MBA is roughly the same footprint as the old one and is only a tenth of a pound lighter. Are you telling me that in all of their infinite wisdom that a tenth of a pound, a few millimeters, a few dollars is worth losing the backlit keyboard?



    All I'm saying is that it's a step backwards. But please be truthful, aren't you just the slightest bit disappointed that the feature is missing?



    I was just talking about that with a computer friend and he said:"you look at the keyboard?".



    I guess that's what I get for never having learned how to type.
  • Reply 36 of 132
    macnycmacnyc Posts: 342member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Steve-J View Post


    But ya know what's worse?



    All this complaining about what other posters say is rather stupid. I seriously wish people would freakin' STOP complaining about these posters saying a few things. These are meant to be OPEN forumss ... OPEN!! If you need all the comments to be of the same type, and so on and so on go onto Apple's forums, period.



    Without a doubt, people are missing the point of these forums!



    You wouldn't happen be complaining about what other posters are saying, would you now?
  • Reply 37 of 132
    macnycmacnyc Posts: 342member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post


    I don't see any mention in this review of the elephant in the room. The previous MacBook Air was a delicate flower that needed constant repair, and broke easily. Most people I know that have one have lost their data at least once and had the entire book replaced at least once or twice over the life of the product.



    While the review can't really speak to how more durable the new model is (we'll find that out over time), to not even really mention this aspect of the Air is a bit odd. Perhaps I missed the section on how durable they aren't?



    It's amazing how many disasters happen around you with Apple products. The people I know with MacBook Airs have not experienced any of those problems...
  • Reply 38 of 132
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    If you only look at those aspects and don?t consider anything else then it will appear that way. But if you consider that the battery makes up most of the device, is heavy and has been drastically increased then I think the user wins compared to the previous model. For instance, if I had to choose between adding cost, complexity and reducing the battery life to include a backlit keyboard I wouldn?t agree to those terms.



    We can say that Apple didn?t have to make it so thin, but that would be a strawman argument. Obviously Apple has choice in the matter, but if size and weight are less important to the user then the MB and MBPs are there to fill the void, and just like a desktop compared to regular notebook you get more bang for your buck.



    Personally, as much as I love the new design I, too, wish that the backlit keyboard was there, but it?s not a deal breaker for me. The deal breaker is the considerably less battery time, the low storage capacity, and the 16:9 display on the 11? model when I compare it to my 13? MBP.



    I'll miss the backlit keyboard too. But in hindsight, it was a nice-to-have and added to the coolness factor. In the end, I never really used it. I'm not into working in a dark room with a bright LCD display being the only source of illumination. It's just horror on my eyes to adjust to that kind of lighting environment.



    I still find it odd that after all these years, people still try applying regular notebook capabilities with the MBA. Apple now provides a huge notebook selection and the different capabilities of each model at their price-points indicate what Apple's decision-making processes were.



    More hardware / performance - MBP

    More lightness / mobility - MBA.



    Yes, gigabit ethernet would have been nice, having an optical drive would have been nice, backlit keyboard, FW, etc... but gutting the rarely-used items out keeping it light and replacing the empty space with batteries is the better way to go - on the MBA of course. I have needed the first two items maybe a handful of times in the 2+ years I've owned my MBA. Non-issue.
  • Reply 39 of 132
    g-newsg-news Posts: 1,107member
    Just got my 11" yesterday. Fantastic machine. Definitely beats the iPad. Only real drawback is the lack of 3G, which can of course be compensated with an iPhone tether, but still, that wouldn't have used a lot of space and would have made it that much more versatile. Other than that, it's fantastic!
  • Reply 40 of 132
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post


    I don't see any mention in this review of the elephant in the room. The previous MacBook Air was a delicate flower that needed constant repair, and broke easily. Most people I know that have one have lost their data at least once and had the entire book replaced at least once or twice over the life of the product.



    While the review can't really speak to how more durable the new model is (we'll find that out over time), to not even really mention this aspect of the Air is a bit odd. Perhaps I missed the section on how durable they aren't?



    What elephant? Are you referring to your own personal experience? My 2+ year old MBA has been flawless, and to my knowledge, all my colleagues and friends that own MBA's have reported the same solid performance as well since I see them quite often.



    You're implying that there is an inherent flaw in the MBA, and I'm here to tell you that in my experience and of those of my other MBA owning friends, that is simply not true and you should not be making such a blanket statement without actual proof to back it up.



    No product from any manufacturer has a perfect 100% performance record. No one. Are you simply a recipient of bad luck, or do you treat your notebooks in a harsher way? Do explain.
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