Review: Apple's 2010 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch MacBook Air - Page 2

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.

He doesnt list anything but vague generalities. If he means the casing, it was the first to use the milled aluminum block... and I havent heard that it was flimsy. If he means the motherboard, well its obviously different for the new MBAs and I havent heard of the others having a high failure rate. If he means the 1.8 HDD (something that is most likely to die from my experience) thats not even an option in the new MBAs. If he means the trapdoor, something I havent heard of being an issue of breakage, just inconveniance thats also not an option in the new MBAs. What else could he be referring to or has he come to the conclusion that the MBAs, Apple and/or Steve Jobs is bad without needing to know anything specific or factual to back up that position.

I think it has nothing to do with weight or foot print. Anyone who thinks that IMO is looking at the issue the wrong way. It has everything to do with battery life. on the 11" model you get 5 hours of life and 30 days standby. That's about half as much as the iPad and 3-4 hour less than the MBP 13". I think they were trying really hard to eliminate every nonessential battery draining component in order to save battery life.

This could also be the reason why there is no 3G card either, but I don't know enough about 3G to know how it effect battery. On my iPhone the more I use the 3G the quicker the battery dies. I would love to have seen that as an option at the very least. But, as I've been advised by an Apple Store employee, there are many other options out there that are similar solutions, like a MiFi that's pay-as-you-go from Cricket and other similar solutions. The lack of Ethernet and HDMI components are a bit troubling though, since this device would be perfect for traveling business people and sales people. Being able to plug into an HD display or projector would be great, but I see that there are dongles out there for that, so it's really no big deal.

1GB of RAM? Are you sure? I thought it was 256MB...

me!!!

It's a typo. 1Ghz A4, and 256MB RAM.

I agree. My MacBook screen, and before that my Powerbook G4 screen are much brighter and clearer than any Windows laptop I've used.

Here is one recent set of benchmarks comparing many notebook displays.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3889/a...dows7-laptop/3

I checked out the Macbook Air at the Apple Store yesterday.

It's impressive. The 13 inch display has the most legible text of any Apple laptop, better even than the 15 inch MBP hi-res matte, certainly better than the horribly glare-prone glass-fronted displays on most of the other MBP models. And also much better than the 11 inch MBA, which the AI review unfortunately fails to mention. Speed is very good; it handles Aperture well, which was a big surprise to me, and the instant opening is a godsend with hog-like applications like MS Office that usually take forever. And it runs very cool. Puts my Penryn 15-inch MBP to shame there. And you actually have a decent number of input-output ports; the display port, two USB and the SD slot on the 13 inch.

But there are stupid mistakes keeping me from buying one. First off, even with all those I/O choices, there's no high bandwidth input/output. No USB 3, just USB 2. No Gigabit Ethernet, just 10/100 due to the limitations of USB 2. No Firewire at all. And the SD slot sits on the USB bus rather than the PCI or ATA buses, leaving no overhead to take advantage of the superior speed of SDXC.

Second concerns the keyboard. Not only is the backlight missing -- possibly a result of where they have chosen to locate the improved speakers (underneath the keyboard) -- but the symbols seem to be silk-screened on the keys rather than embedded in the form of a different color of plastic as on the MBP. With my track record, I'd be wearing those symbols off the keys. Not good.

Third concerns Apple's vagueness on specs. SDXC? Not indicated, but it appears to be supported judging by posts. Still, not very well given the bandwidth limitation. Does it support the latest 802.11n-2009 WiFi standard with its 640 megabit bandwidth? We'll have to wait for someone to test that out, as it isn't indicated in the specs either. That's important because it would be the fastest I/O on the computer if it's there. Some kind of SSD management equivalent to TRIM? Again, not indicated. Implied by OS X's file management and Apple's custom SSD, but not actually indicated. How will this hold up for write speed over time?

I'm in a tight spot because I need to buy new computers soon for work. Here's hoping the 15 inch MBP gets an Air-style makeover, losing the optical drive, incorporating custom SSD, leveraging Sandy Bridge's power savings, and providing robust I/O and the full set of keyboard features.

No, my iPad doesn't zoom in. I have the latest updates. And no installed
Bookmarklets.

Thats new info to me. Thanks.


AnandTech vetted this. The controller used for their SSD tested very well without TRIM support in their previous, thorough reviews of SSDs, which may be why choose those controllers.

Its the same controller thats in Kingstons SSDNow V+ Series and the SSDNow V Series Boot Drive. I reviewed the latter not too long ago and found that it was a good drive for the money, and heres the kicker: the SSDNow V Series Boot Drive was amazingly resilient when written to without TRIM support. Its performance hardly dropped as a result of normal desktop use.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3991/a...nch-reviewed/4
If they dont get rid of the ODD before you need a new machine you can remove the ODD yourself, replace with OptiBay. You can have large HDD for storage and SSD of your choice as your boot drive. Ive been using this for about 6 months now and its awesome. Also, despite not having TRIM my Intel X-25 actually rates at being faster than when I first set it up according to synthetic tests, likely do updates to Mac OS X.

iPhone, not iPad.

Can the article be updated to show if it's possible to plug in the mini displayport and USB on one side, and only the magsafe power on the other side? Both Ars and Apple Insider have made a issue here, where I suspect there isn't any if the USB cord is used on the same side as the displayport connector.

You caught that too?!

I dont see how that would make a difference. Either way the result is clumsy as one of the three cables coming off the Apple LED Display will have to routed to the opposite side of the new MBAs.

What a thorough, detailed article! Just excellent! Thx AI!

Best

Well Stevo did indicate this is the form factor future laptops should/will be.
So here's hoping the next iteration of MBA or MBP will have this form factor with the backlight keyboard(I use my thinkpad light all the time in dark locations, it's close to a deal breaker). And since storage is premium, eseta or FireWire or? for data backup.
Options for a faster processors(yes battery will drop off, it's a choice)

So, I need to update from my T40. Luv the apple styles, but a Thinkpad T410s plus an iPad seems like the combo for me. Or perhaps a MBA... arrrrgh, shoot, decisions, decisions, compromises, compromises.

I played with the 11" and 13" MB Airs at the Apple Store yesterday and noticed that the power button is now a black key along the top row of function keys instead of a flush metal button as on previous MB Airs and current MB Pros.

Even with that extra "power key" on the top row keyboard, there are still 14 keys on the top row. This is because the keyboard illumination keys aren't needed, and one of them has been removed. There is only a blank F5 key now. So it's possible that this generation of MB Airs will never get backlit keyboards. In the future, Apple could add an extra key to the top row for 15 total keys including the keyboard brightness up/down keys. Or they could improve the automatic keyboard illumination brightness setting and let the user adjust it in Preferences.

Also, the keys themselves are shorter than on the MB Pro and have a shorter stroke. No doubt to enable the MB Air to be extra-thin. I really like the key action. It feels like you can type faster and more quietly, yet there is still tactile feedback. I still think Apple is conditioning its user base for an eventual touchscreen keyboard + trackpad. It would have no physical feedback but boy would it be thin. And it could avoid separate LED backlight systems and trackpad controller hardware.

The success of iPad shows that lack of tactile feedback for light-duty typing isn't a deal-breaker. Apple might do the same thing on future ultra-light laptops if touchscreen costs come down enough.

My iphone defaults to http://iphone.appleinsider.com in mobile safari. It seems pretty nice as a small scale version of this site.

The difference is that two plugs (USB and Displayport) leave the connector straight, while the MagSafe plug leaves the connector at a 90 degree angle towards the back of the machine. While yes it's still somewhat clumsy, it's less so then having 2 different connector exit angles on one side (Power and USB).

Gotcha. Now I see what youre saying. That makes sense.

[QUOTE=photoeditor;1744084]
Great Post

And the SD slot sits on the USB bus rather than the PCI or ATA buses, leaving no overhead to take advantage of the superior speed of SDXC.

Really? That sucks. That blows away my argument for software on SD. Now I fully understand that USB software stick backup thingy. Probably costs a lot less and in the MBA it has no speed disadvantage. Thanks for the information. Wouldn't dissuade me from buying a MBA but would explain my future frustration why it takes 5 times longer to download a photo SD to an MBA over my iMac. Not worth removing the card from the camera since I seem to be all thumbs trying to get those things in and out of my camera. Long term though I still doubt the future of USB on Macs but I think SD will be around for a while.
Brian

Hi,

How you create that nice photo frames? Is it hand made or some Template? What application you use?

Thanks for answers,
Tomek

I thought the same thing. It certainly looks like plugging the DisplayPort and USB in together on the same side would alleviate a lot of the awkwardness.

STOP look in the mirror and realize you don't have a handle on everybodies needs. Gigabit Ethernet is actually very important if you travel a lot it gives you an option when WiFi doesn't work, is to slow or unreliable.

Plus it is a lower power solution and it comes free with the chipsets. For many it is a big deal.

Nope, not at all, I'm actually impressed with these machines but the lack of an Ethernet solution is a real concern. Some legacy hardware is just harder to give up than others. Ethernets widespread use puts it into a category where it will need to be supported for years from now.

I understand what you're saying, but I don't think it's as dire as your'e making out. After all, if the concern is having access to ethernet connections when WiFi is slow or unreliable, why the insistence on Gigabit? A USB/Ethernet adapter is still going to be faster than WiFi, so it's more of a slight inconvenience over wired Gigabit than a complete show stopper.

Ok, I stopped, looked in the mirror and saw one superfly (yes I said superfly) dude! Thanks for that; but anyways, I digress ...

For every single input you add, you will have to make the computer just that much bigger and that's not where Apple is going with this computer. Do you really think a majority of travelers are going to need a Gigabit Ethernet? What are you going to be plugging that into on the go? There is a very small connector that turns your USB into a ethernet (problem solved), which covers internet connections if WiFi is not available w/o having to build a bigger laptop. It's a tiny lil' thing and works well.

Ok, I can admit my 'stupid' comment was a bit harsh, but I still stand by my assessment that to want all input/outputs on the MBA would FORCE the computer to be bigger, and with bigger comes weight. If you need all the hardware, then just move up to a MBP.

And lastly, can anyone name a product on the market that is as small, light, fast, and capable, and has all the inputs and outputs everyone is talking about? I'm seriously curious.

The 11" MBA is what I have been waiting for a long time, and the reason why I have a Hackintosh Netbook running OS X.
However, 128GB SSD isn't enough. Why not offer the 256GB option for the 11" model, too?
And 8GB RAM is key for swift multi-tasking, because the 4GB I have in my netbook now prove not to be sufficient for my work habits. And a backlit keyboard, it's a Mac, and the most missed feature on my netbook.

With these changes, we'd have a sell, as it is, I'll make do with my EeeMac 1201N Hackintosh for the time being.

If Apple really wants to convince me: add a FW interface, even FW400 and with the small port (no bus power).
Reason: I work with FW audio interfaces for on-location recording. I wish I could use a smaller, lighter, less noisy Mac instead of my current MacBook Pro.

That lacking optical drive is not an issue, there are USB drives, WiFi sharing, etc. so that's a great thing to leave out.

FWIW, see: http://www.lowendmac.com/bookrev/10br/1029.html#16

I thought the USB adapter for the old 'SSD stick' was a nice touch.

Since lots of people are pointing out errors in the article, I thought I'd throw in 2 that I didn't see when I scanned the first page of posts:

The graph says 10 inch and 13 inch air.

The article mentions the old air uses a 1.8 inch harddrive, also used on the iPod Mini. However, the iPod classic is the one that uses a 1.8 inch harddrive. The iPod mini used a 1 inch harddrive.

Excellent catches.

Well after 12 hours of work you don't want to know what I see.

After a point yes! However Apple hasn't reached that point on the AIRs yet. Besides who says the connector for the RJ plug has to look like the standard recpticale on most computers.

Who knows. The point is Gigabit Ethernet is standard with many chipsets these days. If you are going to install the port you might as well support it. Beyound that the better your Ethernet support is the more likely you can get some sort of connection.

In any event the reason I'm so focused on this is that I seem to have an ability to pick the hotels with the worst WiFi going. We are talking so bad that sending an E-Mail is a problem.

Well problem solved if you buy one, remember to bring it along and never loose the adapter. Further you best hope the USB port isn't speed limited by other devices.

Isn't the whole point of the AIRs is traveling light? I really don't want another tiny little thing to carry around.

All yes, an Ethernet port isn't all it is one small connector.

We are talking something suitable for an RJ connector, where is the weight.

As to that MBP, the new AIRs actually excite me about what is coming there. However if one looks at the small AIR as a better iPad to supplement the main machine then the discussion is slightly different.

Speaking of which the AIRs actually come up short in one manner with respect to iPad, that is no internal cellular networking solution. Now you may try to throw the same thought processes at me and say the AIR would get bigger, however IPad doesn't suffer in this manner.

You know that is a good question! The problem is I haven't looked at a non Apple laptop in years and really have no idea what is out there. In any event it is generally true that most PC laptops come better equiped with ports than Apple devices. At times it looks like Apple goes out of its way to be stingy with ports.

In any event remember I'm very impressed with the new AIRs. As far as the little guy goes the lack of Ethernet would not stop me from buying it. What would stop me is the small internal storage which in this case appears to be artificial.

There was a time when I'd rush out to get the latest hardware, or upgrade a machine just because. No more as it is way to expensive for one. More importantly sitting back and thinking a bit prevents making rash decisions and buying hardware that doesn't really meet a need.

This brings up an interesting issue, the current iPad is a bit lacking so I've been holding off. The new AIR could be considered a better IPad, but how will that comparison hold up when iPad 2 comes out. When your current computer works fine it gives you a lot more time to define your needs and justify the device.

[QUOTE=Mazda 3s;1743963]Now I can understand that cost savings statement for the "entry level" 11" model, but I'm less forgiving for excluding it from the more expensive 13" model.

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Actually the 11" and 13" are the same price if you compare apples to apples (as it were). 11", 128G, with upgrade processor (1.6) and 4G RAM is $1400. 13" (1.86) with 128G and 4G RAM is $1400.

If they had an alternative that worked as well or better, it would make sense to leave it off. But as of now, there is no good alternative. As such, I think it was a blunder to exclude it.

I think that the HP Slate 500 is what you have in mind.

If you look at Intel’s price list the 1.6GHz ULV is $289 and the 1.86GHz LV is $284. That makes the slower CPU on the 11” MBA slightly more costly than the faster CPU on the 13” MBA (based on Intel’s price list per 1000 units).

When I try to consider the cost saving from some other components, like the 11” display over the 13” display, and the additional costs from shrinkage of the 11” model it’s hard to get a good grasp on which model yield’s the most profit for Apple. They are too close.

SL9600 (6M L2 cache, 2 Cores, 2 Threads, 2.13 GHz 1066 MHz FSB 45nm)

$316
SL9400 (6M L2 cache, 2 Cores, 2 Threads, 1.86 GHz 1066 MHz FSB 45nm) $284

SU9600 (3M L2 cache, 2 Cores, 2 Threads, 1.60 GHz 800 MHz FSB 45nm) $289
SU9400 (3M L2 cache, 2 Cores, 2 Threads, 1.40 GHz 800 MHz FSB 45nm) $262

Thanks for stating what to me is obvious, but apparently not to so many others. My original MBA has served me perfectly for nearly 3 years (bought first week in 2008) and I've just ordered an 11", 128, with upgrade processor (1.6 which is the same processor as my current one) and 4G RAM. And yes, I'll miss the backlit keyboard, but for $400 LESS than I paid 3 years ago I'll be getting a 128G SSD rather than an 80G HDD, 2 instead of one USB and I could have bought the 13" for the same $1400 if I had wanted it.\\

My only question is: Will my new MBA be as fast as my wife's Summer 2009 with 2.13, 128 SSD but only 2G RAM? My guess is that it will be far faster. As well as being, again, $400 less expensive.

The CPU clearly wont be faster, but your machine will likely feel faster. Im still on the fence on getting the 11 MBA. I dont need it as my 13 MBP is my main machine, but I do want one.

My first week MBA did lose its HDD fairly early on and 27 months in the hinge cracked, but I still love it and just ordered a new 11" (128, upgrade processor, 4G). What can I say, it's all I want or need. ALWAYS, always buy AppleCare extended 3 year warranty and eBay your machines after about 34 months so the new owner has a few months to see if any additional repairs are needed.

Are you willing to accept the reduction in screen height?