And The Macbook Air Cometh: An In-Depth Review of the World's Thinnest NotebookThe Macbook Air is the first try from Apple to give it's users something that PC customers have already had for quite some time, a sub-notebook computer. For some time there were quite a few rumors about an apple sub-notebook, some said it would have a multi-touch screen, others said it would have a smaller size to make it even more portable than the already established macbook line, but what we ultimately got is a mix of good and bad that, even with it's sacrificed features makes up for a pretty decent machine. The Chosen One These are the main specifications of the Macbook Air we are going to review: .1.6GHz Intel's Core 2 Duo There is also a 64GB Solid State Flash Drive model that costs $3,098 but we don't review that one here. I've read some forums and other reviews and all seem to agree that there is really not much difference between them however, if you want a more accurate opinion on that model, you can check the excellent Ars Technica review. Ok, now we can start on the outside:
There is a reason why the Macbook Air got that name, and it's is totally noticeable the moment you pick it up, with only 3 pounds in comparison to the Macbook's 5 pounds the Macbook Air is the lightest notebook computer of it's size. Really good news for the ones like me who take their notebooks almost everywhere. Those 2 pounds less DO make a difference on my shoulder. Did I told you the Macbook Air is really thin? So much so that pictures just don't do it justice, you need to hold one to really feel the difference. It's 0.16 inches wide at its thinner point and 0.76 at its thickest which makes for a really thin notebook overall, in fact it's the thinnest notebook available on the market right now.
On the other hand, such a thin notebook doesn't come without some sacrifices. The most important for me are the Super Drive and the Firewire. They simply don't exist. But of course Apple came up with a very ingenious way to make up for the absence of a Super Drive at least, which is Remote Disk, a way to wirelessly connect to another computer's optical drive and install programs or browse files from there, but we'll talk about that feature later. But just in case you were wondering, you can't watch movies or import music that way -both of which I do a lot- so if you want to do any of those you will have to buy the external Super Drive Apple sells for $99.
In fact the only ports the Macbook Air has are the headphones port, the USB port, and a micro-DVI port which are hidden on the right side of the notebook behind a small folding door. The ports are a bit on the small side and I found that 2 pairs of headphones I had had some problems fitting inside the port. So you may want to check the size of the ports before buying any accessories.
*Safer* Magsafe Another different thing on the Macbook Air is the Magsafe connector, which is a bit smaller and sits diagonally on the left side of the notebook instead of sticking out right from the side like in the Macbook and Macbook Pro. Maybe it may seem like a really small change but I can't stress enough how welcome it is for me. You see, like many of us, I use my Macbook a lot on my lap and sometimes I take out the MagSafe connector accidentally because it sits right on the side of my laptop, however, that is not the case with the Macbook Air, since the size and location of the MagSafe connector makes it virtually invulnerable to my day-to-day clumsiness.
Screen, Keyboard and *Multi-Touch* Pad When you open the Macbook Air it reveals a totally gorgeous 13.3" screen, the very same size the Macbook has, the screen is LED backlit which means that it can get really bright -quite a bit more than the Macbook- and save some battery at the same time, but in my case, 1/4 of the total brightness on my regular Macbook is more than enough for me, but if you are looking for a way to burn images directly on your brain and for the fast lane to blindness this screen's maximum brightness won't disappoint you. I found the keyboard and trackpad a real joy to use, the keyboard size is the same as in the Macbook but the chicklet-style keys are just a bit sturdier which gives typing on them a very solid feel. The keyboard is also backlit, which is a feature I love but I don't think it was really that necessary. I don't know if they put that feature there just to make it appeal to the business user or just to justify the price, but there's nothing to do about it, it is there and it is welcome.
While I think there is potential here, I think the current use of the multi-touch technology on the Macbook Air is very limited to say the least, but I also think this is just the first of many multi-touch iterations to come. Coming back to the trackpad, the button is very slim now compared with the one on the Macbook and I find it responsive and easy to get used to. It wouldn't surprise me to see these changes on both the keyboard and the trackpad on future editions of the Macbook and Macbook Pro and I can't wait to see the full potential of the multi-touch technology grow in the months and years to come.
The speaker of the Air is quite good also, but it only has one of them, however the sound is pretty decent, maybe because it is located right under the arrow keys, in any case it sounds better than my Macbook. But if you ever had a laptop before you know a decent pair of headphones is mandatory.
Whether you already have an Apple Laptop and need to transfer your data from it, or the Macbook Air is your first one, sooner or later you will have to use Remote Disk, Apple's solution to the lack of an optical drive. In theory, Remote Disk lets you transfer data or install software from another computer's optical drive -PC or Mac- to your Macbook Air, previous installation of the Remote Disk software on the *other* computer of course. I found Remote Disk to be less than pleasant. But don't get me wrong, the concept is great and the way they implemented it is not that bad. The main problem with it is that it doesn't work as advertised. First when I tried to use Migration Assistant -my second time ever- and choose to do it wirelessly, it just wouldn't work, I waited for like 3 hours and nothing, then I read some other reviews and forums on the net and it seems like a common problem, so much for wireless functionality, so at the end I had to do it via the Ethernet using an external adapter and I strongly suggest you do the same. It will save you a trip to the anger management specialist.
Another thing I don't like about Remote Disk that I mentioned above is that you can't watch any movies or import any cds from another drive. I use those 2 functions a lot so this one is a real letdown. I know we have the iTunes Store to buy songs and movies but I don't think every Macbook Air user would be happy to make the iTunes Store their only media purchasing destination. So if you want more freedom to watch movies and import your music among other things, you will have to buy Apple's external Super Drive -Macbook Air compatible only- that will cost you an additional $99. Not nice at all.
The hard drive is a bit on the slow side at only 4200 rpm, but the performance was ok for many of the things I did, regular tasks mainly, like listening music, surfing the net and writing this review, but when I tried to do more it showed a bit of a slowdown, specially when I tried to browse more that 10+ web pages on firefox, while at the same time sending a 9 Mb file via Mail, and installing Office from my Macbook's drive. This machine is not meant for the power user.
Wireless was pretty ok for me, but I have a really strong signal here so I tried at a nearby cafe to see if it was the same and I noticed that out of the 7 different signals that I detected with my Macbook, only 5 made it to the Macbook Air. Obviously this is a problem of the aluminum casing, which has never been the best one for a wireless antenna. Bluetooth and the Apple Remote had no problems whatsoever.
Battery life is not a good as I would have wanted it to be, but before I tested it, I used it for an entire week to let the battery adjust to regular usage, I know it may sound a bit odd, but many things I have, from cellphones to PDA's and even my Macbook when I just got it, showed lower battery performance levels the first 2 to 3 days. And I'm glad this was the case with the Macbook Air also. One week after I started using it, I tried the Macbook Air with regular tasks like the ones mentioned above, the screen at half brightness and wireless on and the battery lasted for an average of 2:50 hours, and 3:18 hours with the wireless off everything else being equal. It's not that bad, but it can't hold it's ground against the 3:45 to 4:15 hours that I can get with my year-and-a-half old Macbook. One thing I didn't like was that it takes up to 5 hours to recharge the battery while on sleep mode and a whooping 7 hours if I try to charge it while having the screen on at 1/4 brightness and listening some music in iTunes. On the bright side, If you ever had a Macbook Pro or a Macbook in particular, you now how hot it can get at the bottom left side, well this heat problem is no longer an issue with the Macbook Air The fans are really quiet and manage to keep the bottom of the notebook at a really nice temperature. I don't know about you but my left thigh is grateful.
I'm not even sure if it is the right notebook for me, it has too many shortcomings, and paying $1,799 for the slowest Mac available makes me question it's mainstream value, however I find the new features very promising and the weight, appearance and cool factor will certainly appeal to many. But be warned, this is not meant to be your primary computer, but a secondary one. In my case, I tend to take long trips and my Macbook became my main computer a long time ago and right now the Macbook Air just can't fill that gap. Maybe I would use the Macbook Air to go around town and do some light editing and regular multitasking. I can live with an external drive, but I need my travel notebook to be faster, to have a higher-capacity hard drive, Firewire and it's battery to last a bit longer. Happily, I'm pretty sure it won't take much before the Macbook Air gets all of that -except for the firewire maybe-. However, I know my circumstances and usage are quite different than most, so if you know you can manage with the shortcomings mentioned above, you might want to consider it, if so,
you are in for a real treat.
To sum up, I think the Macbook Air is a step forward for all of us, Mac lovers, because despite of it's flaws and the fact that it may not cater to the ultra-portable power-user group -because it's not meant to-, the Macbook Air is a really thoughtful effort on a quite different direction: the future of mainstream notebook computers. And I would like to think that future iterations of the Air will make it the notebook of choice, but for now, I'll enjoy as it is.
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