Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Summer 2011)
Manufacturer: Apple Part number: MC966LL/A
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The latest version of the 13-inch MacBook Air vastly outperforms its predecessor, and can finally be called suitable for mainstream use, instead of relegated as a niche product.
Read more
Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Once you know, you Newegg! |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 05/21/2012 |
 | | In stock Get free shipping on orders over $25! | as of 05/21/2012 | |
 PREMIER SOURCE of cutting edge electronics since 1973. | | In stock Ships Free,Ships Today! $0 Pay Avail! Apple AuthDealer | as of 05/21/2012 | |
 | | In stock New | as of 05/21/2012 | |
 Savings, Selection & Service since 1971 | | In stock FREE SHIPPING! Authorized Apple Dealer | as of 05/21/2012 | |
 | | In stock | as of 05/21/2012 | |
| Vanns.com Free Ground Shipping! | | In stock | as of 05/21/2012 |
CNET editors' review
Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Summer 2011) price range: $1,498.00 - $1,599.00
- Reviewed by: Dan Ackerman
- Reviewed on: 07/22/2011
- Released on: 07/21/2011
The good: The 13-inch MacBook Air has been updated with the latest Intel CPUs for better performance and battery life. Backlit keyboards make a welcome return.
The bad: The 128GB SSD drive is a lot smaller than a standard hard drive. This also starts at $100 more than the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
The bottom line: The latest version of the 13-inch MacBook Air vastly outperforms its predecessor, and can finally be called suitable for mainstream use, instead of relegated as a niche product.
As with most Apple products, the MacBook Air has moved into an annual update cycle, taking it from the original niche product version to its new perch as Apple's mainstream laptop line. With that, we've also seen a continued mainstreaming of the system's components and capabilities over the course of three generations.
Apple's new Air models hold last year's prices, the 13-inch model starts at $1,299, but while dramatically upgrading the processing power: the new second-generation Core i5 processor in the base 11-inch and 13-inch Air is a jump of two Intel generations, going directly from the older Core 2 Duo CPUs past the first generation of Core i5/i7 chips and directly to the 2011 second-generation Core i-series.
Physically, the new MacBook Air looks and feels identical to the one from October 2010, with one important exception. Both the 11- and 13-inch models now include a backlit keyboard, a much-missed feature in the previous generation (in a CNET poll, 26 percent of readers listed a backlit keyboard as their most-wanted new MacBook Air feature).
Related links
Apple MacBook Air Fall 2010 (Core 2 Duo 1.86GHz, 128GB SSD, 13.3-inch)
Samsung Series 9 NP900X3A (13-inch)
Apple MacBook Air (11in, Summer 2011)
Thunderbolt has been added to the both Airs as well, replacing the Mini DisplayPort (the new combo port acts as a Mini DisplayPort output as well). At the moment, it's more of a novelty than anything else, with few accessories available, but Apple's upcoming Thunderbolt Display, intended for use with laptops, seems intriguing.
The most obvious non-component-related change to the MacBook Air line is the preinstalled OSX Lion software. If getting this new operating system update is your primary goal, it's available for any Intel-powered MacBook for $29--so there's no reason to trade in your last-gen Air just yet.
With 4GB of RAM and 128GB of SSD storage, the 13-inch Air is a better bet for trouble-free mainstream computing than the 11-inch version, which defaults to 2GB of RAM and only a 64GB SSD (of which, only around 48GB is available to use). The trend toward cloud storage makes this less of a problem than it might have been, but you may want a little more breathing room.
Now that it uses current-gen Intel CPUs, the MacBook is definitely a viable everyday laptop, rather than a specialty product--its performance was very close to the 2011 13-inch MacBook Pro in most of our benchmark tests, and its battery life similarly excellent.
| Price as reviewed | $1,299 |
| Processor | 1.7GHz Intel Core i5-2557M |
| Memory | 4GB, 1333MHz DDR3 |
| Hard drive | 128GB SSD |
| Graphics | Intel HD3000 |
| Operating system | OS X 10.7 Lion |
| Dimensions (WD) | 12.8 x 8.9 inches |
| Height | 0.68 - 1.1 inches |
| Screen size (diagonal) | 13.3 inches |
| System weight / Weight with AC adapter | 2.3/2.7 pounds |
| Category | 13-inch laptop |
Both the 11-inch and 13-inch versions of the MacBook Air have the same thickness, ranging from 0.11 inch to 0.68 inch, but spread over the larger footprint of the 13-inch chassis, the 13-inch body has always seemed especially thin.
As with the 2010 version, which this is physically indistinguishable from at first look, the rigid aluminum construction makes the Air feel sturdy enough to just throw in a bag and carry along with you without a protective case or sleeve. The trade-off there is that the 13-inch Air feels a bit heavier than its thin body would lead you to expect, especially compared with the 11-inch version or an iPad.
While the keyboard and trackpad are the same (backlighting aside) as on the previous 11- and 13-inch models, using the new OS X Lion gestures can take some getting used to. The gestural language is now even further divorced from the Windows standard. For example, you no longer double-tap-and-drag to move a window: instead, just use three fingers while hovering over the title bar. The four-finger flick to return to the desktop has been reassigned to a feature called Mission Control, which shows all active apps and alternative desktop screens. To get back to a clean desktop, you now pinch out from your thumb and three fingers. There are several other new gesture tricks, and fortunately the System Preferences menu shows animated examples of each one.
Our standard enthusiasm for the unmatched Apple trackpad and excellent keyboard remains, and applies to both sizes. Other laptop makers have also moved to larger clickpad-style touch pads, but we have yet to find a touch pad that comes close to this for multitouch gestures. The pad is again hinged at the top, allowing the entire pad to click down, and we suggest going into the Preferences menu and turning on all of the tapping options for further ease of use.
Unlike the 11-inch MacBook Air, the 13-inch screen is not a 16:9 display. The screen area also lacks the edge-to-edge glass over a black bezel found in other MacBooks; instead the screen is surrounded by a thick silver bezel. We thought this made it less attractive than the MacBook Pro back in 2010, and that continues to be the case.
On the positive side, the native resolution of the display is 1,440x900 pixels, which is a better than the current 13-inch standard of 1,366x768 pixels. The current 13-inch MacBook Pro has a lower resolution of 1,280x800, and does not offer any higher-res screen upgrades, meaning this Air has the highest-resolution 13-inch display you can get from Apple (not to be outdone, Sony's Air-like Vaio Z crams a 1,920x1,080-pixel screen into a 13-inch laptop, although at great expense).
Apple's displays are invariably clear and bright, with excellent off-axis viewing, but if you find them too glossy, only the 15 and 17-inch MacBook Pro models have antiglare screen options. the speakers are, as in the case of previous MacBooks, oddly quiet, and not great for playing music for a crowd--but fine for solo streaming TV.
| Apple MacBook Air (13-inch) | Average for category [13-inch] | |
|---|---|---|
| Video | Combo Mini DisplayPort/Tunderbolt port | VGA plus HDMI or DisplayPort |
| Audio | Stereo speakers, headphone jack | Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks |
| Data | 2 USB 2.0, SD card reader | 3 USB 2.0, SD card reader |
| Expansion | Combo Mini DisplayPort/Thunderbolt port | None |
| Networking | Ethernet (via optional USB dongle), 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional mobile broadband |
| Optical drive | None | DVD burner |
Even with a pair of USB ports and an SD card slot, this remains a pretty spare set of connections compared to other 13-inch laptops. Still, it's a major improvement over the very first MacBook Air, which had only a single USB connection.
There's been some concern that Apple lists the MacBook Pro models on its Web site as having an SDXC card slot, for high-capacity SD cards, and only lists the card reader on the Air as an SD card one. We tried a 64GB SanDisk SDXC card in the MacBook Air's card reader, and the system recognized it as the appropriate size, and was able to access files on it. But, if you're looking to get a massive SD card in order to augment the smallish 128GB SSD built into the Air, note that the card slot leaves the SD card hanging halfway out on the side of the system, so it's not appropriate for full-time use. Instead, you'll have to upgrade to the $1,599 version to get 256GB of storage.
With the move to the current generation of Intel Core i5 processors, the performance of both the 13 and 11-inch MacBook Air has taken a major jump. In our benchmark testing, the 13-inch Air with its default 1.7GHz Intel Core i5-2557M, was nearly evenly matched with 2011's 13-inch MacBook Pro, with has a non-ULV version of the same second-gen Core i5. The 11-inch Air was reasonably close behind, and the 2010 version of the Air was significantly slower. Aiding the Air was its solid-state hard drive, and the fact that some of our benchmarks use Mac-friendly apps such as Photoshop and iTunes, and we've always seen Apple laptops perform especially well on them.
With the change of CPUs, you no longer get Nvidia's 320M as your not-quite-discrete GPU. Instead, like most of the Windows laptops we've seen this year, the graphics are powered by Intel's integrated HD 3000. It's certainly better than the integrated graphics Intel used to supply, but we'll miss the Nvidia part, which was simply better for gaming. In Call of Duty 4 (sadly still considered an up-to-date Mac game), we got 19.7 frames per second at 1,440x900 pixels and 32.1 frames per second when we dialed down the AA and ran it at 1,280x800. The Air will do some basic gaming, but don't expect to run, for example, Civilization V (one of the few high-gloss recent games we can think of on OS X) at extra-high resolutions with all the eye candy turned on.
 Juice box |
|||
| Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (Summer 2011) | Average watts per hour | ||
| Off (60 percent) | 0.18 | ||
| Sleep (10 percent) | 0.59 | ||
| Idle (25 percent) | 4.55 | ||
| Load (5 percent) | 31.7 | ||
| Raw kWh | 25.31 | ||
| Annual energy cost | $2.87 | ||
At this point, Apple has been at or near the top of our battery life charts for so long, that any drop in runtime would be considered a major scandal. Fortunately, however, the 13-inch Air runs for more than 100 minutes longer than its predecessor, and even a few minutes longer than the 13-inch MacBook Pro (although that difference is small enough to be statistically insignificant). On our video playback battery drain test, the new 13-inch Air ran for 6 hours and 46 minutes. That's also about 80 minutes longer than the similar 13-inch Samsung Series 9.
Service and support from Apple is always a dual-edged sword. Apple includes a one-year parts and labor warranty, but only 90 days of telephone support. Upgrading to a full three-year plan under AppleCare will cost an extra $249 and is pretty much a must-buy, considering the proprietary nature of Apple products. Support is also accessible through a well-stocked online knowledge base, video tutorials, and e-mail with customer service, or through in-person visits to Apple's retail store Genius Bars, which, in our experience, have always been fairly frustration-free encounters.
The new 2011 version of Apple's MacBook Air laptop takes a major step forward, both in hardware and concept. With the demise of the long-serving $999 white plastic MacBook, the Air now becomes the default mainstream entry point for potential Apple laptop buyers. The parallel is clearer in the 11-inch version, which starts at the same $999, but unless you need the bigger hard drive or optical drive of the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the new 13-inch Air should be your first stop for that screen size.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Find out more about how we test laptops.
User reviews
-
-
Who Needs a MacBook Pro Now?
by Josh-Hall on March 9, 2012
Pros: 1) Boot times are lightning fast
2) It is very easy and comfortable to use
3) Very good keyboard , very easy and fast to type on it
4) Screen quality is excellent
5) Design is absolutely gorgeous and rock-solid
6) Light weight; 2.9 lbs (1.3 kg)Cons: 1) Hard disk is only 256 GB in size
2) Battery life seems less than the late 2010 model, 7 rather than 8 or 9 hoursSummary: I reviewed the latest 13" MacBook Pro shortly after it came out in February 2011 and pronounced it the best 13" notebook computer money could buy. Well, its reign at ...
Summary: I reviewed the latest 13" MacBook Pro shortly after it came out in February 2011 and pronounced it the best 13" notebook computer money could buy. Well, its reign at the top was short-lived and the time has come to hand over its crown to its younger brother, the latest 13" MacBook Air.
Using Intel's advanced Core i5 and i7 Sandy Bridge processors the new Air is incredibly powerful. These chips give it more than enough horsepower to comfortably outclass anything other than the early 2011 MacBook Pros. With Solid State Drives, the perceived speed of the new Air is faster than the MacBook Pro. Boot times are lightning fast. The Air only lacks power when asked to perform resource hungry work like digital editing. For all routine tasks, the latest Air demolishes my previous 2010 13" MacBook Pro. It's fair to say that it is all the computer that 99.9% of users will ever need.
Despite all this power, it doesn't get too hot. All in all, it is very easy and comfortable to use. Hard core gamers may bemoan the lack of a discrete graphics processor, but the inbuilt Intel GPU is perfectly adequate and it is certainly no worse than the previous generation of MacBook Pro which was a respectable gaming platform. Call of Duty 4 and Civilization V can both be played without enduring intolerably slow polygonal rendering. Screen quality is excellent.
The 13" Air runs MS Office flawlessly. It's great for surfing the web, watching movies, managing pictures in iPhoto and video chatting. The way in which you can perch it on your lap while sitting on a sofa makes it ideal for writing, reviewing email and doing countless other stuff in a relaxed way. It really makes you wonder why all computers aren't built this way. Since the form factor hasn't changed since 2010, suffice it to say that the Air's ergonomics are peerless.
There are two downsides. One is that the hard disk is only 256 GB in size. I think the minimum acceptable size is now 500 GB and ideally 1 TB or 2 TB. If you own a lot of media, this machine may run out of memory quite quickly. I am very surprised that Apple hasn't made a 500 GB SSD available as BTO upgrade for the Air as it has for the 13" MacBook Pro. I guess this is due to cost.
The other problem is that battery life seems less than the late 2010 model, I got 7 rather than 8 or 9 hours. This is a disappointment, but isn't a deal-breaker. You expect a certain loss in battery life when you get a much more capable chip.
In short, this is a truly great personal computer. It marks the fact that we've now reached a point in time where processor power is no longer dependent on chip size. The latest processors are capable of being squeezed into the thinnest enclosures, allowing small and light machines to perform tasks that only a few short years ago would have required a slab of plastic and metal weighing almost 10 lb. This is progress.
The OSX 10.7 Lion operating system is a work of genius. Launch Control, which enables you to review and launch all Apps via a single click, is a very clever refinement. So too is Mission Control, which replaces Expose and allows you to wade through a mass of open windows and applications to find the one you need. Lion also comes with a new Apple email programme which works well. In Safari, I like the way you can now slide pages with your fingers just as if you were turning pages in a book. Nice touch. Hundreds of other interface tweaks make this a no-brainer upgrade.
I'd go as far as to say that the latest 13" Air is so good, it makes the 13" MacBook Pro redundant. It is definitely the benchmark for future systems to beat. When you get as much power in a machine this slim, the incremental power you get in a 13" MacBook Pro doesn't seem worth it toting around in a machine that weighs so much more.
If you need a new machine now, this is undoubtedly the one to buy.
PS: If you're will buy this Macbook Air, I suggest you have to compare prices before you decide at: Compare2prices.info/MacBookAir-MC966LLA
Hope my review helpful.12 out of 12 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Bliss, delight and peace (notebook nirvana)
by Elliott Minor on August 14, 2011
Pros: Boots almost instantly, great back-lit keyboard, ample storage with 256 GB solid state drive, OS X Lion, the most clarity I've ever seen on a laptop screen. The one laptop you'd like to take into the hereafter. Do yourself a favor, take a bite of this App
Cons: This is such a perfectly designed laptop, I feel guilty every time I pull off the little plastic protector on the magnetic power connector. I'm afraid I'll loose it, but I always seem to find it.
On a more serious note, the Safari browser seemed to crashSummary: My granddaughter likes her new 13-inch MacBook Pro and one of my national guard buddies has been raving about Macs for years. I'm comfortable with Windows and Linux, but ...
Summary: My granddaughter likes her new 13-inch MacBook Pro and one of my national guard buddies has been raving about Macs for years. I'm comfortable with Windows and Linux, but wondered if I was ambitious enough at 69-years-old to tackle OS X.
Some of my sentences were cut off in the original.
I'm glad I did. It's a very user friendly operating system. Early on, it was easy to find answers online - the type of file system, how to reformat an external hard drive to the Mac HFS+ file system, the availability of Tuxera NTFS software that allows me to access movies and TV shows stored on drives with the Windows NTFS file system, how to use Time Machine for backups.
My biggest question is, "Why didn't I do it sooner." Everything about my Air - and I'm sure this also applies to the Macbook Pro - tells me I've moved to a higher realm of computing - paradise..
Updated on Aug 14, 2011
I've switched from Safari to Firefox and had no more crashes.
The sentence "Do yourself a favor, take a bite of this App." App should be Apple.
Updated on Aug 16, 2011Just realized that it's totally free of what I consider crapware. Most of the PCs I've owned required an hour or two to get rid of software I didn't want. Even then, I was always left with the feeling that maybe I didn't get it all. I put crapware in the same category as spam, excessive television breaks for commercials and junk mail. Annoying.7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Light weight and lightning fast
by tlackner on July 30, 2011
Pros: Weighs little, does everything, very fast, good display, great battery life
Cons: Only 2 USB ports, keyboard not illuminated
Summary: I've been using "portable" computers since the original Compaq luggable PC. The MacBook Air finally seems to be the answer. First, it's light. That, of course, is achieved ...
Summary: I've been using "portable" computers since the original Compaq luggable PC. The MacBook Air finally seems to be the answer. First, it's light. That, of course, is achieved at the cost of things like a built-in DVD drive, so you wind up carrying some peripherals: for me, that's a superdrive, a 2-button bluetooth mouse, a couple of video adaptors, an ethernet adaptor ... But I put my bag on the scale the other day and even with power supply, pens, pad, etc., it comes in at less than 5 lbs. That's a long way from the 9 lbs my old MacBook Pro weighs. And that is a big deal when you're standing in endless airport security lines.
The battery life is phenomenal. It handles transatlantic flights effortlessly, although if you're working on graphic files or watching a couple of movies you'll want to add the magpower adaptor (assuming your seat has power).
The full size keyboard is a nice feature. The PC netbooks are hard for people like me (short, pudgy fingers) to use. And, speaking of PC netbooks and laptops, the MacBook Air has other strong advantages over them. One is that this is a computer, not a computer wannabe. It handles all my needs and runs all the software effortlessly, without resorting to stripped-down versions of MS Office and similar software. And, it does these things quickly. It is faster than my MacBook Pro or my PC tower, and far faster than my 15 month old PC netbook or my 3 year old PC laptop.
PC laptops and netbooks all come with another disadvantage: the jumping cursor. You're typing away and suddenly notice that the cursor isn't where it's supposed to be. Instead, it has gone back several paragraphs - or pages. This seems to be a problem endemic to PCs, because every PC laptop and netbook I've used has suffered from it. Not so with the MacBook (Air or Pro). Cursors go where you tell them, and stay there. Think about the difference between a puppy (PC) and a well-trained dog (MacBook).
The display is stunning. No other word for it. It's as good as a free-standing monitor, although you'll want a larger separate monitor if you plan to use the MacBook Air as an office machine.
Disadvantages: relatively small storage space (hence the superdrive) and only 2 USB ports for all those peripherals you're carrying plus the flash drive someone at the meeting wants to plug in. Four-port USB hubs are small and lightweight, and I carry one of them right beside my mini-powerstrip. You don't have a travel powerstrip? Maybe the best single investment I ever made. Now I don't have to move the furniture in half the hotel rooms I stay in. But these weigh little, and certainly weigh less than building them into the computer.
In short, it's only taken 25 years for me to find what I wanted: a full-featured, truly portable computer. At last, I'm the one who's envied in the coffee shops and security lines. And, from the boss's perspective, my productivity on the road is the same as in the office. Although maybe that isn't such a good thing.6 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
The Best Apple Option, the best mobile Option
by mxidis88 on August 14, 2011
Pros: Thin and Light. Excellent Battery Life. Love the backlit keyboard and bright screen. Large trackpad is the best ever made especially when using OS X Lion.
Cons: I'll let you know when I find one...
Summary: I have spent the last month and a few thousand dollars(I got a big scholarship this year and had money to throw around) testing out some of apple's ...
Summary: I have spent the last month and a few thousand dollars(I got a big scholarship this year and had money to throw around) testing out some of apple's top computers. I've used everything from the 11" 2010 Air to the newest 13" Macbook Pro and I've finally settled on the 13" 2011 Air. This is the perfect combination of size and power for someone who is tired of carrying around a 7 lbs. beast.
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Fast, light, sleek.
by n2dablue on August 1, 2011
Pros: Blazing speed (I opted for the 13" 1.8GHz i7), backlit keyboard, touchpad and gestures have no rival, nice long battery life, relatively loud speakers. It's been on my bare legs since unboxing and there is very little heat.
Cons: Ole Steve got a little more of my money than I'd liked. It's pricey.
Summary: If you're looking for a great laptop for travel, this is it. Don't let the lack of a CD/DVD drive stop you. I bought the external SuperDrive ...
Summary: If you're looking for a great laptop for travel, this is it. Don't let the lack of a CD/DVD drive stop you. I bought the external SuperDrive for that.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Finally, a laptop as capable as it is portable
by johnl97 on October 29, 2011
Pros: Design, screen, trackpad, Mac OS, speed
Cons: Nothing much, although battery could be better
Summary: Being a PC user, I would have never even thought of owning a Mac a few years ago, but with a good experience using the iPad, I decided to try ...
Summary: Being a PC user, I would have never even thought of owning a Mac a few years ago, but with a good experience using the iPad, I decided to try an Apple laptop out. I had difficulty deciding between the MacBook Pro and the Air, but I went for the Air because of its portability. When I received the laptop, I found that I got more than portability.
First of all, it's the design is fantastic. It's truly amazing how such a capable computer can fit in something like the Air. I doubt any other computer can come close to this, even with the hordes of ultra-books trying steal it's design (Asus Zenbook), the aluminum build and precision is unmatchable.
At first, the low-power i5 seemed to have measly power in comparison to other laptops, but when you actually use the computer, the processor, coupled with a speedy SSD and Mac OS, ends up being quicker than many more powerful PC's I have owned.
Furthermore, after using the gestures, I can't really get used to a PC's trackpad anymore. The accuracy is phenomenal, and the gestures are very useful for key tasks.
However, the battery life isn't the promised 7 hours. It probably lasts 5 hours on moderate usage, at optimal settings. In order to squeeze 7 hours out of it, you really have to tweak the settings to an uncomfortable level (too low brightness).
Overall this is one of the best laptops I have ever owned. It's well worth the money, and isn't too expensive (for an Apple product). You really can't beat something so powerful and portable.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Good but not superbly excellent yet. See cons.
by Liboriopasq on January 22, 2012
Pros: Light, good screen quality, responds well, fast. No hard disc moving to malfunction. Pad setup... great response and feel when moving fingers across the pad and the two finger touch scroll is great.
Cons: Needs one more USB port. Does not have ethernet port... must use USB. Does not fit well in the other world of PCs. I do contract work for mining, petroleum and construction companies, mostly outside the U.S. with connection issues. See summary.
Summary: This is a great portable work machine. I'm glad I purchased it, even at the high Apple price range. I went the whole enchilada and got the Air, iPad ...
Summary: This is a great portable work machine. I'm glad I purchased it, even at the high Apple price range. I went the whole enchilada and got the Air, iPad and upgraded my iPhone. I've yet to take advantage of the iCloud. Not sure I want my stuff out there on someone else's server for some bored techie to break into and browse through my files, especially my client stuff. I know, I know, password and all that stuff but they know how to break through the codes.
What seems to be a major downside are connection problems and a shortage of support from other manufacturers. Specifically, I am on a remote mining project where the client has a LAN setup that performs poorly and Apple users are having more problems than the PC users. There seem to be some quirky things going on that the IT guys cannot sort out. There are several other Apple users here and we all have the same problems. Specifically: the client has Xerox printers and there is not an updated Apple driver available. The IT guys have tried to download several times only to eventually find a note at Xerox that the latest Apple system is not supported... thus, no print capability. We all with Apple find that we are having difficulty with connectivity both with wireless and ethernet connections. The PCs are not having this problem. It seems if the signal is weak none of the Apples will get a good connection. The IT guys have worked with us to no avail... eventually one IT guy who seems experienced and competent said, "Apple just does not do well in the corporate business world." I don't know if that's true, but three of us here on site seem to be struggling all together. We all believe there are gremlins hidden in our MacBooks that react in the other PC world.
Another downside is the extra gear you have to carry because of the unavailability of ports and Apple's own connectivity differences. A special adapter is needed to connect ethernet. That's such a common connection I can't see why Apple would not have that included... the entire world has not yet gone wireless and in some cases companies do not want wireless for their own security reasons. The Air, iPad and iPhone all have different connecting devices for charging. Seems to me they could make them all the same and my bag would be lighter.
Anyway, it's a good machine but needs some improvements.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
The best ultra book on the market and then some
by thinktech on December 3, 2011
Pros: * Solid as a rock. Born out of single piece of aluminum.
* Great look and feel
* Light as a feather.
* Keyboard is awesome and lights up!
* Track pad is second to none.
* Instant startup from sleep mode.
* Magnet attachment for power.Cons: * Too many dongles. Don't forget your monitor dongle for client presentations if you do that thing.
* Nothing else. This is the tech that says we are in 2012!Summary: I have gone through two other ultra books before finally giving in an getting the Mac. I am a PC user that was simply fed up. The Samsung Series 9 ...
Summary: I have gone through two other ultra books before finally giving in an getting the Mac. I am a PC user that was simply fed up. The Samsung Series 9 was my first choice but had a lot of problems from acting quirky overall to a terrible wireless network card. The wireless card DID NOT WORK! Make sure they fix this if you get one. Also, mine was not just a driver issue. Then I went to the Asus Zenbook. What another disaster. The keypad does not register unless you hit the keys dead center and the track pad is like being in the WWF. When I returned the Asus I copied the same sentence to a word doc 10 times and challenged anyone in the return department to cut and paste a sentences to the bottom of the page using one hand... and impossible feet to accomplish in under 10 seconds. The Zenbook was beautiful, so I guess using it was like fighting with the hot girl you dated but could never get along with! So I ended up with my Mac Air loaded with I7 dual processors and 256GB off SSD. Parallels works great on this computer with more then enough horsepower under the hood to keep multiple operating systems like windows and OSX humming along. It works and its very cool. You actually start viewing computing, operating systems and the cloud differently from the Mac platform. Check out ICloud, Drop Box and Parallels to get a feel fro what I am talking about. If you use windows get this baby and if you are upgrading a previous Mac don't think twice. Happy computing!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Best Laptop I have owned
by swabbie568 on September 19, 2011
Pros: - light, high quality build
- fast start up
- beautiful buildCons: - The price is a bit steep, but if you want quality you pay for it
Summary: I have been a windows user forever, this is my first buy of a mac. I did not make a mistake with this one. It has been a terrific experience ...
Summary: I have been a windows user forever, this is my first buy of a mac. I did not make a mistake with this one. It has been a terrific experience from the day I took it out of the box three weeks ago. It is light, fast and I have found so far the the 128g SSD has not been a limiting factor. The i5 processor is more than adequate for what I use it for. So far the experience has been great.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Light as a feather but heavy on performance and speed!
by chesbeau on March 27, 2012
Pros: Light weight; performance; take anywhere; beautiful design.
Cons: I don't look forward to the day when $ervice will be required. Warranty is a must!
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Apple
- Part number: MC966LL/A
- Description: The MacBook Air is proof. It's designed around all-flash storage for better responsiveness and reliability. It features a trackpad with full multi-touch support. And though it's incredibly thin and light, its large battery gives you portable power. Chief among it was the precision unibody enclosure. That same engineering process comes to the MacBook Air display. Just like the main enclosure, the display housing is crafted from a single piece of aluminum, with all the structural elements machined directly into it. Total unibody construction means a less complex design with fewer parts. That makes MacBook Air exceptionally thin and light, yet still durable enough to handle the rigors of everyday use.
General
- System Type Notebook
- OS Provided Apple Mac OS X Lion
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Notebook type Ultraportable (Under 4 lbs.)
Processor / Chipset
- Processor Intel Core i5 1.7 GHz
- Multi-Core Technology Dual-Core
- Cache 3 MB,
L3 cache - 64-bit Computing Yes
Memory
- RAM 4 GB
- Max RAM Supported 4 GB
- Technology DDR3 SDRAM
- Speed 1333 MHz
Storage
- Floppy Drive None
- Hard Drive 256 GB,
SSD - Storage Removable None
- Optical Drive None
- Hard drive type Solid state
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 50 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 95 °F
- Humidity Range Operating 0 - 90% (non-condensing)
- Max Altitude Operating 10000 ft
Display
- Type 13.3 in
- LCD Backlight Technology LED backlight
- Max Resolution 1440 x 900 ( WXGA+ )
- Widescreen Yes
- Image Aspect Ratio 16:10
- Features Glossy
Audio & Video
- Graphics Processor 384 MB,
Intel HD Graphics 3000 - Memory Allocation Technology Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0
- Max Allocated RAM Size 384 MB
- Camera Yes
- Sound Microphone
Input
- Type Backlit keyboard,
Trackpad - Features Multi-touch touchpad
Communications
- Wireless 802.11n,
Bluetooth 4.0
Battery
- Technology Lithium polymer
- Installed Qty 1
- Capacity 50 Wh
- Run Time 7 hour(s)
AC Adapter
- Voltage Required AC 120/230 V ( 50/60 Hz )
- Output 45 Watt
Connections & Expansion
- Slots Memory,
SD Memory Card - Interfaces 2 x USB 2.0,
Headphone output,
Thunderbolt - Interfaces 2 x USB 2.0 - USB 2.0,
1 x Thunderbolt port,
1 x MagSafe power,
1 x Headphones - Memory Card Reader Card reader ( SD Memory Card )
Software
- Software Included Apple iCal,
Apple QuickTime,
Apple iTunes,
Apple Dashboard,
Drivers & Utilities,
Apple Address Book,
Apple Safari,
Apple DVD Player,
Apple Mac App Store,
Apple Launchpad,
Apple Mission Control,
Apple FaceTime,
Apple Automator,
Apple Image Capture,
Apple Dictionary,
Apple Calculator,
Apple Preview,
Apple System Preferences,
Apple TextEdit,
Apple Stickies,
Apple iLife,
Apple Time Machine,
Photo Booth,
Apple Mac OS X Chess,
Apple Mac OS X Mail Miscellaneous
- Features Aluminum enclosure
- Cables Included Power cable ( 1 pcs.)
Dimensions & Weight
- Width 12.8 in
- Depth 8.94 in
- Height 0.68 in
- Weight 2.96 lbs
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year,
Technical support - Phone consulting - 90 days Sustainability
- ENERGY STAR Qualified Yes
- EPEAT Compliant EPEAT Gold
- Greenpeace policy rating (Nov 2011) 4.6
Product series
-
Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Summer 2011)
Manufacturer: Apple
Specs: Intel Core i5 1.7 GHz ( Dual-Core ),
4 GB,
/ 4 GB (max),
128 MB,
13.3 in,
TFT active matrix,
Apple Mac OS X Lion,
None,
Intel HD Graphics 3000 Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0,
384 MB,
2.96 lbs,
L3 cache,
3 MB -
Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Summer 2011)
Manufacturer: Apple
Specs: Intel Core i5 1.7 GHz,
( Dual-Core ),
4 GB,
/ 4 GB (max),
256 GB,
13.3 in,
TFT active matrix,
Apple Mac OS X Lion,
None,
Intel HD Graphics 3000 Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0,
384 MB,
2.96 lbs,
L3 cache,
3 MB
Accessories
- A-Data Classic Series C008 - USB flash drive - 4 GB (34637987)9.69
- A-Data Classic Series C008 - USB flash drive - 64 GB (34581520)64.99
- A-Data Classic Series C008 - USB flash drive - 64 GB (34581564)62.99
- Apple Magic Mouse (33783857)57.99 - 114.38
- Apple Mighty Mouse (wireless) (31985391)69.89
- Ergoguys mouse (34828799)
- Cisco Linksys E4200 v2 Maximum Performance Dual-Band N900 router (35098697)164.99 - 199.99
- Asus RT-N56U Dual-Band Gigabit Wireless-N Router (34200558)114.79 - 135.00
- Belkin N150 Wireless Router - wireless router - 802.11b/g/n - desktop (34859948)28.99 - 34.99
- Belkin N300 Wireless N Router - wireless router - 802.11b/g/n - desktop (35263578)39.99 - 48.99
- Belkin N600 DB Wireless Dual-Band N+ Router - wireless router - 802.11 a/b/g/n - desktop (35190484)66.57 - 104.73
- Belkin N900 Dual-Band Wireless Router - wireless router - 802.11n - desktop (35262637)194.99 - 292.17
- Buffalo AirStation Nfiniti HighPower Giga WZR-HP-G450H - wireless router - none - 802.11b/g/n - desktop (34859675)82.11 - 95.99
- Cisco 881 Fast Ethernet Security Router supporting EVDO/1xRTT - router - cellular modem - 802.11b/g/n (draft 2.0) - desktop (35026157)
- Cisco 892F Gigabit Ethernet Security Router - wireless router - ISDN - 802.11 a/b/g/n (draft 2.0) - desktop (34693849)
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Apple products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:Apple
- Address:
One Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA 95014 - Phone: 1-408-996-1010
%20-%20Compare%20prices,%20reviews,%20user%20opinions%20-%20Shopper.com&srcUrl=http://shopper.cnet.com/notebooks/apple-macbook-air-13/4014-3121_9-34850081.html&x_breadcrumb=3000:3121&x_arw_bkts=MAD:low_wireless_switcher){kind=small}