Apple MacBook Air User Review

[OS11]

One nitpick:
Intel did not develop a custom chip for Apple. They developed a special small form factor chip package for Apple. The chip inside is a standard part.

Ah, actually Intel DID create this chip for Apple, watch the Jan 08 Keynote and the Intel CEO comes on stage and specifically said that Apple came to them requesting a special chip and Intel didn't think they could make it, but after lots of effort and help from Apple, they were able to do it. The CEO gives Steve one of the first chips, then leaves the stage.

You can see the clip here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIwv8biGbtQ

[Lysander]

And lastly, if you know how to operate a phillips screwdriver, you can easily replace the battery when the time comes. Here is a video of how to do it.

I'll keep note of that next time I take a long haul flight.

[OS11]

I'll keep note of that next time I take a long haul flight.

you can always take along an extra 5 hour battery pack for your macbook air, so it's not like there are no options...

http://www.batterygeek.net/Portable_...atterygeek.htm

[BuleGila]

I felt this was a biased review. It started out stating that people often bring the PC vs MAC debate into the review, when the operating systems are not whats being looked at....but all throughout this review, I felt thats EXACTLY what the reviewer did.

As many people have already stated, this just sacrifices too much to justify its price tag. And, as was previously mentioned, it is NOT the smallest laptop. Sony still holds that title. Another apple gimmick for the fanboys.

[OS11]

Apple has never claimed it was the smallest, just thinnest, which is true.

And don't make the mistake in saying "sacrifices have been made" to get it this thin. The name of the product has the word "Air" in it, which means all those features are there, but through modern wireless methods not by old-fashioned spinning discs or old cable technologies.

Once you understand that everything can be done "through the air" the product makes plenty of sense, but until you do... you will not understand how truly sophisticated this product actually is.

All laptops will work this way in the future, we all know that... it's just that the MacBook Air is the first laptop to forgo all the old legacy ports which can confuse people that aren't used to being on the cutting edge.

[queshy]

Solid review on a Solid Laptop... Thanks...

Just a few points that seem to be missing... The name "Air" means more than simply light weight... It also means you can backup over the "Air" with a product that was announced at the same time: Apple's Time Capsule...

http://www.apple.com/timecapsule/

Belkin now sells "wireless USB hubs" for the MacBook Air so the need for even a single USB port is questionable. People talk about docking, when they don't understand... there is no longer a need for such a device, the "Air" is your dock....

Having obsolete "cable ports" on this modern of a laptop doesn't make much sense when you really think about it. We'll look back on laptops in ten years and say "remember when laptops had to use cables!" Basically, Apple is moving the industry forward here, but it's going to take the general public a while to understand the MBA feature set since it's just too advanced for most people to grasp.

It's called MacBook "Air"... NOT MacBook Cable...

One major surprise is the MBA is quite speedy, I keep seeing comments that think that since it is small, it can't be fast... ah, that's wrong. The efficient logicboard, 2GB Ram and OSX makes for a bit of a screamer, plenty fast for most anything you throw at it.

It's extremely durable, strongest mainstream laptop on the market perhaps. It's certainly tougher than the MacBook or MacBook Pro, the engineering here is a whole, higher level.

And lastly, if you know how to operate a phillips screwdriver, you can easily replace the battery when the time comes. Here is a video of how to do it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zyc8wMAihZA

Hi there,

Glad you enjoyed the review!

In terms of the interpretation of the word "Air" - it depends on how you look at it. Both the MacBook and MacBook Pro are capable of wireless backup, and the MacBook Air has no "extra" features that add to this. Other Apple notebooks can also back up over the "air".

in terms of the wireless USB hubs...seems like a great idea that will be more and more popular in the future, but the reality is that for someone who takes their laptop everywhere, it becomes a hassle to have to bring other things along, i.e. charger/AC adapter, external optical drive, ethernet port, USB hub, etc. If you are a person who needs all these things with them, then please don't buy the MBA and all these add-ons. Buy something like a MacBook, or a dell XPS, or the X300 from lenovo.

And yes, it is quite speedy!

Finally, I actually did mention in my review that it is possible to remove the battery yourself. Personally, since I'm too chicken to do so myself, I'd probably take mine in, but im sure a large % of users will opt to do the replacement themselves.

[queshy]

I felt this was a biased review. It started out stating that people often bring the PC vs MAC debate into the review, when the operating systems are not whats being looked at....but all throughout this review, I felt thats EXACTLY what the reviewer did.

As many people have already stated, this just sacrifices too much to justify its price tag. And, as was previously mentioned, it is NOT the smallest laptop. Sony still holds that title. Another apple gimmick for the fanboys.

Glad you read the review.

Actually, I will have to respectfully disagree with you. I think my review is anything BUT biased! It wouldn't be much of a review if you didn't point out the flaws, and only harp on the positives. I don't see what you mean when you say I compared operating systems throughout the review. Please elaborate further, citing examples of where this was done.

With regards to your 2nd point, to some people, the Air forsure does sacrifice too much. But why do you need an 8800 graphics card, 4 gb ram, 250 gb hard drive, 4 USB ports, DVD burner, etc., to check e-mail, browse the web, and take down notes? Each and every user out there will have a different need, and Apple's current lineup addresses those needs pretty well.

Apple has never claimed it was the smallest, just thinnest, which is true.

And don't make the mistake in saying "sacrifices have been made" to get it this thin. The name of the product has the word "Air" in it, which means all those features are there, but through modern wireless methods not by old-fashioned spinning discs or old cable technologies.

Once you understand that everything can be done "through the air" the product makes plenty of sense, but until you do... you will not understand how truly sophisticated this product actually is.

All laptops will work this way in the future, we all know that... it's just that the MacBook Air is the first laptop to forgo all the old legacy ports which can confuse people that aren't used to being on the cutting edge.

Sacrifices definitely had to be made to get it this thin. It is physically impossible (today) to have a MacBook Pro inside the case of a MacBook Air.

I will have to disagree that all the features are there, as you say. In fact, I believe they are not there for many people. What if you want to watch a DVD movie while on a plane, on your MacBook Air? This is just one example of something you can't do (there are many more I can think of). Obviously, people will say "well, rip it to your hard drive first", but not everybody has time to do that, and I'm sure a lot of people bring movies with them while traveling. What if you need to connect to a wired network for some reason and you don't have the dongle? The point of this isn't to give an exhaustive list of what the Air can't do, it's simply to make you aware that sacrifices have to be made and they have been made in the case of the MacBook Air. The important point, however, is the decision on where the sacrifices were made. For example, in order to get the weight down, many notebook makers resort to 11" screens and smaller keyboards, however, that's not where Apple compromised. Instead, they (clearly imo) compromised on, for example, the selection of ports.

[Lysander]

you can always take along an extra 5 hour battery pack for your macbook air, so it's not like there are no options...

http://www.batterygeek.net/Portable_...atterygeek.htm

That thing would be huge and defies the purpose of the MacBook Air.

[queshy]

Isnt everything is solder in like the memory and battery? Such a big disadvantage, dont you think?

I have my eye on the Latitude E4300 coming out soon.

(note: sorry not to multiquote and to have so many posts.)

The battery "can" be changed it's just not meant to be done by the user (but many claim it's as simple as removing some screws off the back). The memory is soldered in and can't be changed. But hey, even if you upgrade the MacBook Air to 4 gb ram, it won't give you that much of an improvement when you're running it off a 4200 rpm hard drive, haha.

[The General]

It's more of a concept computer than anything.

I think that's a perfect description of it: Great concept, would love to own one, shame it's lacking in practicality.

Solid review on a Solid Laptop... Thanks...

Just a few points that seem to be missing... The name "Air" means more than simply light weight... It also means you can backup over the "Air" with a product that was announced at the same time: Apple's Time Capsule...

http://www.apple.com/timecapsule/

Belkin now sells "wireless USB hubs" for the MacBook Air so the need for even a single USB port is questionable. People talk about docking, when they don't understand... there is no longer a need for such a device, the "Air" is your dock....

Having obsolete "cable ports" on this modern of a laptop doesn't make much sense when you really think about it. We'll look back on laptops in ten years and say "remember when laptops had to use cables!" Basically, Apple is moving the industry forward here, but it's going to take the general public a while to understand the MBA feature set since it's just too advanced for most people to grasp.

It's called MacBook "Air"... NOT MacBook Cable...

One major surprise is the MBA is quite speedy, I keep seeing comments that think that since it is small, it can't be fast... ah, that's wrong. The efficient logicboard, 2GB Ram and OSX makes for a bit of a screamer, plenty fast for most anything you throw at it.

It's extremely durable, strongest mainstream laptop on the market perhaps. It's certainly tougher than the MacBook or MacBook Pro, the engineering here is a whole, higher level.

And lastly, if you know how to operate a phillips screwdriver, you can easily replace the battery when the time comes. Here is a video of how to do it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zyc8wMAihZA

Oh yes, here's the cry of "It's not a limitation, it's a feature!". Seriously, you want to plug in a mouse are you going to do that over wireless? If the future of the industry is lugging wireless routers everywhere, I'll stick to the past thanks.

Apple has never claimed it was the smallest, just thinnest, which is true.

And don't make the mistake in saying "sacrifices have been made" to get it this thin. The name of the product has the word "Air" in it, which means all those features are there, but through modern wireless methods not by old-fashioned spinning discs or old cable technologies.

Once you understand that everything can be done "through the air" the product makes plenty of sense, but until you do... you will not understand how truly sophisticated this product actually is.

All laptops will work this way in the future, we all know that... it's just that the MacBook Air is the first laptop to forgo all the old legacy ports which can confuse people that aren't used to being on the cutting edge.

Sure, can I do these things over the air:

• Connect a mouse
• Play a DVD on a plane
• Connect to a TV
• Transfer files of a wired network.

Nope, none of those can be done over wifi without a lot of setup. Wireless is the future is some ways, but it is still slower than the old cables and far too much hassle.