Apple's 2010 MacBook Air (11 & 13 inch) Thoroughly Reviewed
by Anand Lal Shimpi on October 26, 2010 10:08 PM EST- Posted in
- Mac
- Apple
- MacBook Air
- Laptops
The 13
13-inch MacBook Air (left) vs. 15-inch MacBook Pro (right)
The 13-inch MacBook Air feels more like a regular notebook. It’s like one of those cartoons where you see the character straight on and he looks normal sized, but turn him 90 degrees and he’s pencil thin. When viewed from above you’d think you had a 13-inch MacBook Pro on your desktop. Its footprint isn’t that different:
But pick it up and you’re dealing with a much thinner notebook. Like the 11-inch MBA, the 13-inch model ranges from 0.11 inches to 0.68 inches in thickness. You get the same angular ID from the 11-inch model, just on a bigger scale.
13-inch MacBook Air (left) vs. 15-inch MacBook Pro (right)
The underlying hardware is unchanged, although you do get a noticeably quicker CPU. While the 11-inch model ships with a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo (3MB L2 cache, 800MHz FSB), the 13-inch model comes with a 1.86GHz part by default (6MB L2 cache, 1066MHz FSB). I call it a noticeably quicker CPU because it is noticeably quicker, even in typical day to day use.
The 13.3-inch diagonal screen features a 1440 x 900 display (16:10 ratio). That’s the same screen resolution as the 15-inch MacBook Pro but in a smaller package. And it really makes a big difference when it comes to getting work done on the MacBook Air. This is a big improvement over the limited 1280 x 800 found in the previous two MacBook Airs and a high enough resolution to actually get work done on.
The old 13-inch MacBook Air (left) vs. the new 13-inch MacBook Air (right)
I’d go as far as to say that Apple could’ve bumped pixel density even further and the 13-inch MacBook Air would still be useable.
The 13-inch screen is a bit brighter and has a slightly better contrast ratio than the 11-inch, but it’s not something you’ll notice in use. The same vertical viewing angle limitations apply here. Unlike the 11-inch model however, you’re more likely to notice them because of the size of the display. On a plane when the passenger in front of you leans back all the way you’re probably going to have to angle the 13-inch display, while the 11-inch model may give you enough room to clear.
From left to right: 11-inch MBA, 13-inch MBA, 15-inch MBP
The trackpad on the 13-inch model is a taller rectangle, identical in size to what you’d find on a MacBook Pro. The wrist rest area is also normal-sized. In fact, other than the thickness there’s very little that separates the 13-inch MacBook Air from a 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Apple integrated an SD card reader with the 13-inch MBA which further identifies its light workhorse nature. It’s a nice addition that does make the MacBook Air more useful if you have a camera that uses SD cards (*grumbles at the D700*). The rest of the ports are unfortunately just as limited as the 11-inch model, but if you really want an Ethernet port you can either go the USB route or you can get a MacBook.
The 13's SD card reader
The stereo speakers are an improvement over the original MacBook Air. The old mono speaker was horrible to listen to. Now you've got two of them, which somehow makes the sound better. This isn’t exactly a set of Klipsch drivers but you get far less of a laughable sound out of them than before
The keyboard is identically sized to the 11-inch. You get larger function keys but there’s still no backlight. The backlit keyboard continues to be the biggest miss from the old MacBook Air.
Apple calls the new MacBook Air the future of the MacBook. If we take that literally it could mean that all future MacBooks will be the Air. Pro users will simply buy the bigger machines if they need the added performance, but the majority of users could get by with the Air. I tend to agree with this philosophy. There’s really no reason to get the base MacBook. The 13-inch MBA sacrifices a bit of performance and expansion, but you get a far more portable machine. For users who need the performance, there's always the Pro line.
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cabjf - Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - link
The fact that the iPad will easily sync with your main computer does give it one advantage over the Air. If Apple produced some type of easy to use syncing software so that you could use the Air as a portable version of your main computer's contents, it would be the perfect road companion to an iMac, Mac Pro, or even a 17-inch Macbook Pro. Perhaps that is the way they are moving in bringing an App Store and other iOS features to Mac OS X. Maybe that's part of the intended use for that huge data center they are building (and already considering expanding).wintermute000 - Wednesday, October 27, 2010 - link
" If Apple produced some type of easy to use syncing software so that you could use the Air as a portable version of your main computer's contents, it would be the perfect road companion to an iMac, Mac Pro, or even a 17-inch Macbook Pro."Easily done with a bit of work
- know where the files are and don't do things like let itunes sort folders
- rsync or any decent gui backup/sync software
storage is an issue but for work purposes 64Gb is enough to handle it
for streaming media use streaming media solutions.
psonice - Wednesday, October 27, 2010 - link
Apple sell 'mobile me' which pretty much does this. It gives you an 'iDisk' in the cloud, accessible from any of your machines (think it supports windows too?), plus there's an iphone app to access it. It also syncs your bookmarks, preferences, dock icons (don't think it syncs the actual apps though) and keychain (for passwords). There's push email + web hosting (main thing I use it for) and other bits too.It's $60/year, and it's possible to get pretty much everything for free elsewhere. But like a log of apple stuff, it works well, it's nicely integrated, and if you have the money it's not worth arsing around with the others.
Tmoz - Wednesday, October 27, 2010 - link
You could use Dropbox to do this: http://db.tt/eiXQTsi (Disclosure: Referral link)It syncs your files to Amazon S3 and then to any computers you have the software installed on (Mac/Windows/Linux are supported)
dendysutrisna - Friday, August 12, 2011 - link
Yes I understand, since this article was made when Apple's MacBook Air which has been reinforced Intel Core i5 has not come out. MacBook Air the latest generation, which has been paired with Mac OS X Lion, there is a AirDrop feature, where you can share with computer around you which in one network, even with the computer windows though. Try to look http://www.bestdealscomputers.net/netbooks/apple-m... I've made a little review about the newest MacBook Air, you might want to find out more.quiksilvr - Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - link
Seriously, their pricing scheme makes absolutely no sense. I have attempted to see what COULD be the decent price point, but a few points have to be made:1) The Macbook 13 (the white one) simply needs to die.
2) They are now hitting 4 different screen sizes, and IMO they should stick to three and make things easier (as should other PC makers)
1) 12" screen (not 11.6", 12") for the netbook market
2) 14" screen for the general market
3) 16" screen for the heavy multimedia and desktop replacement market
3) Get rid of the "Pro" terminology. Simply have it Macbook 12, 14, 16 and Air versions of these models (Macbook Air 12, etc.)
4) STOP forcing customers to get the "upgraded" version just so that we can upgrade the CPU. This is annoying and very Dell like and customers don't like it.
martyrant - Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - link
Apple has needed a price overhaul since the company's inception.Glad you are only now realizing.
darwinosx - Tuesday, November 2, 2010 - link
You are just too dumb to understand that similar quality, service, and a modern OS from other companies is as much or more than Apple products. Except they don't have a modern OS.quiksilvr - Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - link
Okay, here is my attempt (and I know this will never happen because it makes too much sense)Macbook Air 12: $799
Macbook 12: $599
Macbook Air 14: $999
Macbook 14: $799
Macbook Air 16: $1199
Macbook 16: $999
And as shocking as this may seem to Mac users, this is still a major premium over PCs.
Macbook Air Baseline:
-Core i3 LV (or ULV) with Core i5/i7 LV/ULV option (add thickness if necessary)
-Integrated Intel HD chip and dedicated nVidia card with Optimus
-SSD (I would say start it at 90GB and work your way up)
-USB 3.0 all the way
-mini Displayport with choice of adaptor included (DVI, VGA, HDMI, Displayport, etc.)
-Wireless, Bluetooth, yada yada
-4 GB RAM
-No Optical
-And one thing I just noticed, put an actual microphone PORT and put a stereo microphone next to the webcam
-Expresscard Slot option
Macbook Baseline:
-Core i3 with Core i5/i7 option (add thickness if necessary)
-Integrated Intel HD chip and dedicated nVidia card with Optimus
-HDD with SSD option (start HDD with 250GB)
-USB 3.0
-mini Displayport with choice of adaptor included (DVI, VGA, HDMI, Displayport, etc.)
-Wireless, Bluetooth, yada yada
-4 GB RAM
-DVD Burner with Blu Ray Player/Blu Ray Burner option
-Expresscard Slot option
5) And for the love of god, stop making these screens epic glossy. This is a message to ALL PC makers! Make it half and half or give a realistically priced matte option (FREE)
solipsism - Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - link
Nothing you wrote makes sense.How much is the ULV CPU from Intel?
How much is the LV CPu from Intel?
How much is that Nvidia 320M?
How much does it cost to mill an aluminum case?
How much are 9.5mm ultra-slim slot-loading BRDs?
Can you find any for sale?
Which Core-i3 LV and ULV chips will they use?
Which USB3.0 controller will they use, how much will cost, where will go in the Airs?
Where will this ExpressCard slot go?
Why scrape the 11, 13 and 15” Mac notebooks for 12, 14 and 16” displays?
Why didn’t you fail to address the size, weight, or quality of anything? You just took a price that you compared to other vendors, bumped it slightly and then added a whole mess of features without considering engineering, costs, or anything else. You might as well add include TARDIS technology to fit all that in there and/or use a TARDIS to go into the future to a time when all that is actually possible, but instead you just sound like a TARD in your self proclaimed “makes too much sense” post.