Apple MacBook Air (Core 2 Duo 1.86GHz, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M)
Manufacturer: Apple Part number: MB940LL/A
- CNET Editor rating: Not yet rated
- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 9 reviews
- More product information:
- Editors' take
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The MacBook Air introduced the unibody chassis design and multitouch gestures last year, and, thus, it doesn't receive much of an upgrade this time around.
Read more
Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Costcentral.com | ![]() | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 12/08/2009 |
| ![]() | In stock | as of 12/08/2009 | |
| ![]() | In stock | as of 12/08/2009 |
CNET editors' take
Apple MacBook Air (Core 2 Duo 1.86GHz, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M) price range: $1,449.99 - $1,690.34
- Reviewed on: 10/14/2008
- Updated on:06/10/2009
- Released on: 10/14/2008
The bottom line: The MacBook Air introduced the unibody chassis design and multitouch gestures last year, and, thus, it doesn't receive much of an upgrade this time around.
Editors' note: As of June 2009, the product discussed here has been replaced by these updated models.
The new MacBook Air looks the same as the original Air, but Apple squeezes a mini DisplayPort connection under the flap that hides the lone USB port and headphone jack.
As with the MacBook and MacBook Pro refreshes, the new MacBook Air ditches the Intel chipset for Nvidia and features integrated GeForce 9400M graphics. It also increases the front-side bus from 800MHz to 1066MHz, while keeping the Core 2 Duo processor offerings roughly the same, though the chips' L2 cache increases from 4MB to 6MB. The default memory is 2GB and you still can't upgrade beyond that, but it's now of the DDR3 variety. A 120GB (4200rpm) hard drive replaces the old 80GB unit, and a 128GB solid-state drive replaces the previous 64GB SSD offering.
The price of the lower-end Air remains $1,799, while Apple knocked $99 off the higher-end model, bringing it down to a still pricey $2,499.
User reviews
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Buyer Beware, Good Reviews are Mostly by Apple Hacks
by DEXTERMORGANX2 on April 20, 2009
Pros: It is super thin & super lite. It charges pretty fast, it has Dvd add on that wasnt over priced like the Air Notebook
Cons: Getting the Faster Processor or The Faster & Bigger Hard Drive Option. Then you are paying more and entering a One Way Street & You will No longer Be able to Return it or Trade Up, if you aren't Happy with It On the First Day , It's already too La
Summary: I am Sure the Later Models of the Air Notebook will Be Everything, Apple wants this one to be. However right now, it just cant be This Thin and Lite ...
Summary: I am Sure the Later Models of the Air Notebook will Be Everything, Apple wants this one to be. However right now, it just cant be This Thin and Lite without Missing out on Performance. To Play Poker Online; a Simple Task, I have to Clear My Cache and Cookies Or it just runs too slow, which it really does anyway. I am giving this Air Notebook to my GF and Im getting Apples Best Pro with all the Best Options.
And Be Very Sure the Great One line Statements on the Reviews, " Great Work Horse Laptop" are just Hacks that work for Apple, which should be illegal.
Apple Hacks Reviews, if you look at them it is easy to see they are Tag Lines Straight from Apples Ads. If someone comes on & Gives an Honest Review, they Jump on them with all Kinds of Bull , and Bury the Bad Reviews with Fake Positive Ones. I have No Axe to Grind, Apple has a Better Platform than Dell's Pc's. I love the Force Quit, it takes all the Problems out of a Frozen Puter. Something that would take a Total reboot with a PC. And I Love being able to Go Into an Apple Store and Talk to Real People, ( Americans Even!! ) If you want a Laptop for Very Lite Chatting and Shopping Online, Then Air is Ok, but if you want anything a Normal laptop can do = Play Games, Run More than One Program, You would be Better off with a Notebook Pro. The Air's Sky High Price is because its So thin & Too High for What You Get in Performance.2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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A mini workhorse for those business meetings & trips
by QuinzePrime on November 16, 2008
Pros: Size, weight, & sturdiness make this perfect to carry for business trips. LED backlight, gives great instant-on bright color. SSD HDD is great for quick bootups. Good battery life (~2.5-4 hours depending on usage). Cool temps, even on H.264 playback.
Cons: Slow recharge rate for battery (~4 hours to fully recharge). Battery charge capacity appears to be inferior to that of MBA 1,1. MBA 2,1 has 7% loss after only two weeks of usage vs. MBA 1,1 which has 6 months usage, losing only 5% capacity since.
Summary: If you have a MacBook Pro, an iMac or a Mac Pro, this is a perfect everyday-to-work or travel companion. I would not use this as a standalone computer unless ...
Summary: If you have a MacBook Pro, an iMac or a Mac Pro, this is a perfect everyday-to-work or travel companion. I would not use this as a standalone computer unless your needs consist of only web surfing, doc editing, watching videos or importing photos from a digital camera. Some games, like WoW3, will play fine on default or low settings.
This is absolutely well worth the price and investment. It may be prudent to opt for the MacBook Air SSD option since it eliminates any risk of damage to the hard drive due to wearing down of internal mechanical parts.
MBA 2,1 is a mini workhorse. The NVIDIA update makes a huge difference in performance and it feels closer to a full blown MacBook/MacBook Pro without all the girth caused by the DVD-Rom drive.
For those still on the fence and need higher end performance, be mindful of the limited RAM since the NVIDIA card shares its memory with it (~2GB - 256MB Video = 1.768 RAM) . You may wish to wait for 3,1 when Apple boosts the RAM to 3GB or more.
Overall, I love my MBAir and am very pleased with my purchase. It is well worth the wait from version the MacBook Air version 1,1.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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I'm not an Apple hack and I love my Macbook Air
by ag2twins on December 8, 2009
Pros: - Light
- It's a Mac :)
- Very portableCons: There are none as long as you have REAL expectations.
Summary: I'd like to start by saying that I am not a Mac fan boy or employee. I just love my Macbook Air. I bought this with REAL expectations. I ...
Summary: I'd like to start by saying that I am not a Mac fan boy or employee. I just love my Macbook Air. I bought this with REAL expectations. I already owned an iMac and wanted something to free me from my desk when surfing the internet. Noticed what I said, I have an iMac and bought it to free me during my surfing. It's true this is not a gaming PC it's meant for light use. My iMac does all my heavy lifting and I use my Macbook Air for general surfing, music, and watching movies. On occasion I watch a movie and surf or listen to music and Facebook. The point I'm trying to get across is it does have enough power to facilitate multitasking to a point. Obviously if you have over 20 applications open or you load it up with back processing apps then your going to run out of ram, but for those of you that have a work horse at home and just want something to run cloud apps (internet based applications) or would like to just have something to surf with, this is could be a solid solution. I admit I was worried how it would handle flash based sites (Adobe = resource hog), but it handles all that just fine. I can honestly say that I have never had issues with running out of resources, but again I use it for surfing, and web based applications.
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Great Product
by brandonwang on May 30, 2009
Pros: Got this as a replacement of the 1st generation MacBook Air from AppleCare, the new MBA is faster and has larger storage space.
Cons: Nothing at all~~~
Summary: I liked my 1st generation MBA and I am sure I will be even happier with the new MBA experience.
Summary: I liked my 1st generation MBA and I am sure I will be even happier with the new MBA experience.
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Good product but not for everyone
by Mr_Rage on May 21, 2009
Pros: Light, portable and has a decent LCD screen.
Cons: It's a disposable computer with no hardware upgrade path, so buy the one you want to still have 3 years from now. $2,499.00 does raise the bar for a none upgradeable computer, not really a good thing.
Summary: If you do not need graphics and you need to use applications like word, the internet and these types of things then your looking at the right computer. The only ...
Summary: If you do not need graphics and you need to use applications like word, the internet and these types of things then your looking at the right computer. The only issue I have with this computer is that there is very little value this machine can offer that you can't get out of a $500 beater from Best Buy. It is a Mac and it is small and portable, but when you get down to it your not going to be browsing the web any better or worse than the competition and end up spending 5x as much. But if you can afford it, then its a nice computer and should last at least 3 years given its current level of technology.
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The future of laptops
by ascarter on March 19, 2009
Pros: The size is perfect. Light and portable without sacrificing keyboard or monitor space. Very fast with SSD drive. For most tasks, more than enough horsepower.
Cons: Very few ports, memory cannot be upgraded
Summary: This is what laptops should be. It is singularly focused on portable computing. It's possible to use as a primary machine but is much better as a compliment to ...
Summary: This is what laptops should be. It is singularly focused on portable computing. It's possible to use as a primary machine but is much better as a compliment to another full-featured laptop or desktop. More than adequate performance. I'm a software developer and haven't felt compromised at all. Even can run modern games like World of Warcraft with detail levels kept at a minimum.
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fully capable primary computer. very fast and portable
by dclund on December 13, 2008
Pros: fast, light, v. bright screen means you can use low brightness setting to get longer battery life (have routinely gotten > 4 hrs per charge). ssd is quick.
Cons: a bit pricey
Summary: if you want a small, light, portable laptop to replace a bulkier version, this is it. this computer is 2x as fast as my first gen MacBook Pro, and weighs ...
Summary: if you want a small, light, portable laptop to replace a bulkier version, this is it. this computer is 2x as fast as my first gen MacBook Pro, and weighs half as much. sure the new MacBook is slightly faster, but is it noticeable? I walk to work every day and can barely feel the Air in my shoulder bag.
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nice upgrade to the original, no performance problems
by ghileman on December 7, 2008
Pros: I have no trouble performing all basic computing with the Air including some RAW photo editing and watching video. Performance is snappy. The machine doesn't suffer from overheating like the first version did.
Cons: None so far
Summary: If you want a Mac, put size/weight at a premium, and have the budget, then this is your machine.
Summary: If you want a Mac, put size/weight at a premium, and have the budget, then this is your machine.
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TOTAL RIP OFF!! SLOW, NOT ENOUGH MEMORY,SLOW EVERYTHING
by warrens2722 on October 28, 2008
Pros: THIN, TRUE ITS THIN, BUT AT WHAT COST??? ITS THE WORST COMPUTER I HAVE EVER USED IN MY LIFE. AND I HAVE MY FIRST COMPUTER IN 1889.
Cons: ITS UNGODLY SLOW & I GOT THE FASTER PROCESSOR. IT CANT RUN MORE THAN ONE PROGRAM ONLINE WITHOUT CHOAKING UP. IT HAS ONLY ONE USB PORT. SO YOU CAN USE YOUR DVD PLAYER OR YOUR FIREWIRE, REALLY FUN WHEN SETTING UP.
Summary: I GOT THIS AS A GIFT WHILE IN THE HOSPITAL COMING BACK FROM IRAQ. WAS ORDERED BY MY FAMILY ON 9-19-08 , I DIDNT GET BACK FROM HOSPITAL AND OPENED IT ...
Summary: I GOT THIS AS A GIFT WHILE IN THE HOSPITAL COMING BACK FROM IRAQ. WAS ORDERED BY MY FAMILY ON 9-19-08 , I DIDNT GET BACK FROM HOSPITAL AND OPENED IT TILL OCT 13. I SAID, THIS THING SUCKS. I CALLED AND EMAILED APPLE ASKING TO TRADE IT IN , NOT WANTING MONEY BACK BUT TO TRADE UP AND I PAY THEM MORE MONEY TO GET A NEW APPLE MAC BOOK PRO. COSTING ME A FEW THOUSAND MORE..THEY SAID, SIR, YOU ADDED EXTRAS ON YOUR DESIGN. MEANING I PICKED THE MORE EXPENSIVE PROCESSOR AND HARDDRIVE. COSTING ME WAY MORE MONEY. APPLE'S POLICY SAYS ITS FAIR, THAT SINCE I GOT THE BETTER UPGRADES, I WASNT DUE THE SAME CUSTOMER SERVICE , PEOPE WHO GOT THE BARE BONES CHEAPER MODEL. SO AT 23DAYS OLD, THEY SAID I WAS STUCK, WITH THIS COMPUTER THAT IS USLESS TO ME. I ASKED THE APPLE MANAGER LADY BTW, THE 3R LADY AS THE HIGHER YOU GO, THE BIGGER THE HEARTLESS JERK THEY PUT ON THE PHONE. "DO YOU FEEL RIGHT ABOUT THIS, AND THIS IS FAIR, TO DO TO AN IRAQI VET WHO IS STUCK IN BED??? WHEN ALL I WANTED TO DO WAS PAY YOU MORE MONEY TO GET A PRODUCT , I CAN USE AND BE PROUD TO SHARE STORIES WITH PEOPLE.
I READ THE REPYS, AND WHILE *** REAL** CUSTOMERS ALL AGREED AND SENT ME THANK YOU EMAILS FOR SAVING THEM FROM THIS PIECE OF CRAP. ITS THIN, ITS SLOW, ITS CRAP, IM SURE THE NEXT GENS WILL BE BETTER.... AND I DID PAY FOR IT, AS WHEN YOUR KIDS BUY YOU SOMETHING, THEY USE "YOUR" CREDIT CARD.. SO I PAID IN FULL. SO BLAME MY FAMILY, WAS THE BEST APPLE LITTLE HOOKERS COULD COME UP WITH??.....APPLE SCREWED ME, IF YOU ORDER A COMPUTER FROM APPLE WITH CHANGES, EVEN MORE EXPENSIVE CHANGES, THEY WILL NOT LET YOU RETURN IT, THATS RIGHT THEY SCREW THE CUSTOMER WHO PAYS MORE.... AS TO STOP MOANING= MOANING IS WHAT I DID , WHEN I WAS SHOT!!! THATS SOMETHING I DIDNT WANT, BUT I DONT DESERVE A NICE LAPTOP , WHEN SHELLING OUT TOP DOLLAR? YOU ARE AN APPLE HACK, THAT GOES AROUND PUTTING UP FAKE HAPPY GO LUCKY STORIES AND HOW NICE APPLE WAS TO ME, IT IS BS,, IF YOU CHANGE ONE SINGLE OPTION, YOU CANT TAKE IT BACK OR TRADE IT IN , PERIOD!!! THATS THE FACTS HACKS!!
SHE SAID, " YES I DO", I THEN TOLD HER, THEN THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU, AND LOOKS BAD FOR APPLE'. THIS IS WRONG. I SHOULD SAY, HOW I GOT INTO BUYING AN APPLE LAPTOP, WAS BUYING AN IPHONE, THEN AN IPHONE 3G. THEY TOLD ME THE 3G WILL UPDATE ITSELF OUT OF THE AIR. LATER AFTER I GOT IT, THEY SAID, OHH BTW, YOU WILL NEED TO BUY AN APPLE LAPTOP TO UPLOAD ITUNES. SO NOW AFTER BUYING A IPHONE($600), THEN A 3G IPHONE ($399), THEN A MAC NOTEBOOK AIR ($2440), I AM INTO THIS FOR 3,600 , PLUS CASES , HEAD PHONES, SPEAKERS... THEY SAID, "SORRY ITS YOUR PROBLEM!"
BEST PART WAS , I WAS A LIFE LONG DELL FAN, AND LEFT THEM BECAUSE THEY HAD BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE AFTER SHIPPING ALL THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE TO INDIA. SO APPLE SCREWED ME IN A HUGE WAY.
OHHH THEY DID OFFER ME $100 GIFT CERTIFICATE FOR BUYING THE MAC BOOK PRO, I WANTED. ( OH, TWO WEEKS BEFORE BUYING THIS AIR MAC, I CALLED THE APPLE STORE ASKING , IM ABOUT TO SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON A LAPTOP, ARE THERE ANY NEW LAPTOPS COMING DOWN THE ROAD, IN UNDER 30DAYS??? " OHHH NO SIR" , 23 DAYS LATER APPLE UNVAILED THEIR ALL NEW LINE OF NOTEBOOKS , WITH NEW STUFF THAT MADE MY 23DAY OLD COMPUTER LOOK OUTDATED AND LAME. SO IF YOU NEED A LAPTOP THAT CAN HANDLE MORE THAN ONE TASK AT A TIME, DO NOT GO ANYWHERE NEAR THE MAC NOTEBOOK AIR!
ITS A TOTAL RIP OFF, AND IF YOU ADD ***EXTRA MORE EXPENSIVE OPTIONS, AT ALL, YOU CANT RETURN IT ALL ALL, EVER!!" THAT IS THE DUMBEST AND WORST BUSINESS POLICY IN THE HISTORY OF ANY COMPANY SALES PROGRAM. APPLE HAS SOME SERIOUS PROBLEMS, AND BELIEVE ME, IF THEY WONT HELP A BEDRIDDEN VET, WHO PAID, NEAR $4,000 BUCKS, , THEY WON'T BE HELPING YOU ANYTIME SOON. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM ANYONE WHO HAS ANY IDEAS, HOW I CAN GET JUSTICE! SOMEWHERE IN THIS CYBERWORLD, THERE MUST BE SOMONE WHO CARES. GOD BLESS, YOU ALL.! WARRENS2722@AOL.COM
Updated on Apr 20, 20090 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Apple
- Part number: MB940LL/A
- Description: MacBook Air is ultrathin, ultraportable, and ultra unlike anything else. But you don't lose inches and pounds overnight. It's the result of rethinking conventions. Of multiple wireless innovations. And of breakthrough design. With MacBook Air, mobile computing suddenly has a new standard. MacBook Air is nearly as thin as your index finger. Practically every detail that could be streamlined has been. Yet it still has a 13.3-inch widescreen LED display, full-size keyboard, and large multi-touch trackpad. It's incomparably portable without the usual ultraportable screen and keyboard compromises. The incredible thinness of MacBook Air is the result of numerous size- and weight-shaving innovations. From a slimmer hard drive to strategically hidden I/O ports to a lower-profile battery, everything has been considered and reconsidered with thinness in mind. MacBook Air performance is as impressive as its form, thanks to its Intel Core 2 Duo processor. This chip was custom-built to fit within the compact dimensions of MacBook Air.
General
- Built-in Devices Speaker, Bluetooth antenna, Wireless LAN antenna
- Width 12.8 in
- Depth 8.9 in
- Height 0.7 in
- Weight 3 lbs
- Notebook type Ultraportable (Under 4 lbs.)
- Wireless capabilities Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11 n (draft), IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
Processor
- Processor Intel Core 2 Duo 1.86 GHz
- Multi-Core processor technology Dual-Core
- 64-bit processor Yes
- Data bus speed 1066 MHz
Cache Memory
- Type L2 cache
- Cache size 6 MB
RAM
- Installed Size 2 GB / 2 GB (max)
- Technology DDR3 SDRAM - 1066 MHz
- RAM configuration features Provided memory is soldered
Environmental Parameters
- Environmental standards EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Gold
- Min Operating Temperature 50 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 95 °F
- Humidity Range Operating 0 - 90%
Storage Controller
- Storage controller type Serial ATA
Storage
- Floppy Drive None
- Hard Drive 128 GB Solid State Drive
- Storage Removable None
- Hard drive type Portable
Optical Storage
- Type None
Optical Storage (2nd)
- 2nd optical storage type None
Display
- Display Type 13.3 in TFT active matrix
- Max Resolution 1280 x 800 ( WXGA )
- Widescreen Display Yes
- Features Glossy, LED-backlit
- Screen type Widescreen
Video
- Graphics Processor / Vendor NVIDIA GeForce 9400M Shared video memory (UMA)
- Video Memory DDR3 SDRAM
- Max Allocated RAM Size 256 MB
Audio
- Audio output type Sound card
- Audio Input Microphone
Notebook Camera
- Camera Type Integrated
Input Device(s)
- Input device type Trackpad, Backlit keyboard
- Features Multi-touch technology
Telecom
- Modem None
Networking
- Networking Network adapter
- Networking / Wireless LAN Supported Yes
- Data link protocol IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.1 EDR, IEEE 802.11n (draft)
- Networking standards IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.1, IEEE 802.11n (draft)
Expansion / Connectivity
- Interfaces 1 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A, 1 x Headphones - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1 x Display / video - Apple mini-DisplayPort
Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories Cleaning cloth
- Features Aluminum enclosure, Ambient light sensor
Power
- Power device form factor External
- Voltage Required AC 120/230 V
Battery
- Technology Lithium polymer
- Installed Qty 1
- Battery capacity 37 Wh
- Mfr estimated battery life 4.5 hour(s)
Operating System / Software
- OS Provided Apple MacOS X 10.5
- Software Front Row, Apple iCal, Apple iChat, Photo Booth, Apple Safari, Apple Spaces, Apple Dashboard, Apple QuickTime, Apple Spotlight, Apple iLife '09, Apple DVD Player, Apple Quick Look, Apple Address Book, Apple Time Machine, Apple Mac OS X Mail, Drivers & Utilities, Apple XCode Developer Tools
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year 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 (Sept 2009) 4.9
Accessories
- Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station (Winter 2009) (33549749)
- Apple MagSafe Power Adapter for MacBook Air - power adapter - 45 Watt (32824220)44.99 - 79.00
- Targus Chill Mat for Mac (33352014)22.70 - 28.35
- Belkin Neoprene Sleeve for MacBook Air - notebook carrying case (32862051)13.92 - 27.60
- Targus Wireless Mouse for Mac (33351294)27.99 - 34.99
- Case Logic 13.3" Laptop Sleeve - notebook carrying case (33234176)14.79 - 23.99
- Samsonite High Tech Leather BACKPACK - notebook carrying backpack (32818167)196.43
- Tucano Work-out 13" MacBook - notebook carrying case (31976799)44.84 - 52.21
- SanDisk Cruzer USB flash drive - 32 GB (33544914)58.74 - 139.99
- SanDisk Cruzer Micro - USB flash drive - 8 GB (32631690)18.69 - 29.55
- SanDisk Cruzer Micro - USB flash drive - 16 GB (33032681)27.45 - 79.99
- Apple Magic Mouse (33783857)66.94 - 99.99
- Apple Mighty Mouse (wireless) (31985391)129.99
- Logitech V220 Cordless Optical Mouse for Notebooks (32481206)22.95 - 29.48
- Apple keyboard (32568153)43.67 - 59.00
Manufacturer info
- Apple
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Apple products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.apple.com
- Address:
One Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA 95014 - Phone: 1-408-996-1010









