Apple MacBook Air Fall 2010 (Core 2 Duo 1.4GHz, 64GB SSD, 11.6-inch)

• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 56 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 9 stars

  Macbook Air 13 in 256GB - much better than IPAD or PC

  by skjandjkj on October 26, 2010

  Pros: Size and weight are fabulous - love the full size keyboard, SD card slot - display is fabulous - very fast - runs iphoto without difficulty - web surfing is very fast - very comfortable to use in bed or slumped on the couch or at a desk

  Cons: some video downloads are stuttering - wish i had more hard drive room for photos - no word processor software - i miss the right click feature from PCs

  Summary: I bought the ipad the first week it came out but took it back after two weeks because of the lack of flash video support and the lack of a ...

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  Summary: I bought the ipad the first week it came out but took it back after two weeks because of the lack of flash video support and the lack of a keyboard - I could not get used to typing on the touch screen and was always getting the wrong letter and it was very frustrating to fill out web forms. Also the device felt uncomfortable in my hands to me and i couldn't find a comfortable reading angle in bed. I bought the attachable keyboard for the ipad but that sucked because who wants to carry a keyboard around, and again not good if computing in bed. I am on the road and airplane a lot and this MACbook AIR is the perfect solution for me. I have had it for 5 days now and I am addicted to it. I got the 13 inch because of the bigger screen and hard drive and faster processor and the SD card slot. The 11 inch was cute but I am getting older and so are my eyes. So far it is very fast and I especially love the rapid boot up - but I do worry about space with all my photos and music. I am a PC user at work and after using the AIR for 3 days I want to throw my PC in the toilet. the air seems sturdy but time will tell. It is much lighter than my partners Macbook pro and seems just as fast on most functions and much faster on boot up. It is way faster than my dell pc. Only downsides so far: I cant believe for this price there is no basic word processing software! Also cant figure out how to tell how much hard drive is available easily - but this is probably just my lack of mac experience. battery lasted for over 5 hours - again better than my PC but not as long as Apple claims.

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  9 out of 12 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Small full-feature portable desktop - aggressive price

  by qprize on October 26, 2010

  Pros: NOT a netbook!
  MORE than enough power and features for 90% of all users
  Great graphics
  Great trackpad, keyboard, display
  Great value

  Cons: 11" screen is tough on older eyes (but 13" doesn't cost a lot more)

  Summary: This ain't anybody's "netbook." This is a full-featured computer, capable of running everything you're already running on your desktop computer. It's more powerful than anything you ...

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  Summary: This ain't anybody's "netbook." This is a full-featured computer, capable of running everything you're already running on your desktop computer. It's more powerful than anything you had on your desk just 3 years ago. It's got a fast processor - more than fast enough for just about anything. It's got decent storage (the 128GB), and RAM. It costs more than a crapboo- uh, netbook computer because it's a LOT MORE computer.
  
  The carping about no SD slot is foolish. First, who really uses it? (That's rhetorical, so both of you who do use it please save your comments). Second, if portability is important enough that you'd consider a MAcBook Air, you've probably spent 40 bucks on an Eye-Fi card. The lack of multiple video connectors is also a red herring. You can spend 15 bucks for an adapter, but why would you want HDMI? This computer doesn't have an optical drive, so if you want to view movies you wouldn't buy it anyway.
  
  The Air gives you exactly what you NEED to get your work done, but doesn't bother with the bells and whistles we rarely use. It does it in a phenomenally small package and at a GREAT VALUE.

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  7 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  Portability of an iPad, Power of a Macbook

  by Jamie9230 on October 29, 2010

  Pros: -Extremely thin and tapered design
  -Very fast (for a laptop that thin), flash storage still amazes me
  -Silent, manages to stay relatively cool
  -Instant on isn't much of a feature, I turn my Air off. Though it boots in 12 seconds.
  -iLife 11
  -battery

  Cons: -NO SD CARD SLOT
  -Narrow selection of ports
  -Extremely hard to service the device (everything is soldered, only memory can be changed)
  -Cannot upgrade RAM
  -Speakers are shallow, slightly quieter than my liking

  Summary: The Good:
  The 2010 Macbook Air is a big update from those over-priced, over-heating, fragile Airs we saw a couple years ago. The biggest feature is probably the use of ...

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  Summary: The Good:
  The 2010 Macbook Air is a big update from those over-priced, over-heating, fragile Airs we saw a couple years ago. The biggest feature is probably the use of Flash Memory, Apple designed the new Air like an iPad, they soldered almost every piece directly on the computer to save space, though sacrificing customizability. The specs look meager on paper, but it out-performs my expectations. Again, I assume it's the Flash memory that's doing alot of the work, it can boot up in ~12-15 seconds which is the fastest I've seen in a Mac or a PC. It's quiet (no spinning disk), can get warm after a while. Applications are snappy, HD video is smooth, and multitasking is enough for the average user. Trackpad is easy-to-use, multitouch gestures become second nature. iLife 11 comes preinstalled, it's really a fun set of programs. iPhoto is easily the leader of the 3 updated apps, full-screen view uses every bit of screen you can spare on the 11-inch. This thing is crazy thin, it makes Macbook Pros look dated and fat. The batteries on the Air are gigantic if you have seen the inside, 5 hours on the 11-inch. Mine does around 4 hours and 40 minutes; holds a respectable charge.This new Air is the ultraportable of the ultraportable category. Great for the coffee shop, campus, or the traveler.
  
  The Bad:
  Because it's so thin and light, it's very breakable. You DO NOT want to drop this, though the lack of a spinning disk might protect your data, it's not going to protect the screen. I tried running Aperture 3 on it which was good, but the lack of a SD card slot causes you to tangle with wires and wasting one valuable USB slot. Keyboard is great, makes a nice crisp sound when you depress it. It is NOT backlit which is a big disappointment since I use this in crazy spots which don't usually have great lighting. The iSight/Facetime camera is VGA, not as high-res at the iMac's. The screen is 16:9, the first appearance on an apple laptop. Core 2 Duo is really kinda last-gen technology, I was expecting an i3. Flash Memory is very fast but also very expensive. 64GBs of storage isn't going to archive your entire HD movie library. 2GBs of ram is the minimum recommended to run Snow Leopard, because it's unserviceable make sure to get the 4GB of RAM when you buy it.
  
  Instant-On feature:
  So what is this new-fangled thing? Well Apple says this features makes shutting down obsolete because it can hibernate for 30 DAYS on one charge and can snap on instantly. I don't use this feature at all, because 1) It BOOTS UP in 15 seconds 2) Shutting down clears the RAM cache which is healthy for your system.
  
  The Macbook Air is powerful, though not powerful enough (or have enough storage) to be the main computer for the average user. It's a nice extension of your iMac/Desktop. Dropping down to $999 and becoming Apple's second laptop to dip below the $1000 level, I can see this new device to become extremely popular.
  
  Design: 9/10
  Features: 7/10
  Performance: 10/10
  Battery Life: 8/10
  Service and Support: 7/10 (9 if easier to open, I always liked non-technobabble language at the Genius Bars)

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  7 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Great ultraportable laptop

  by Rob Pettengill on November 3, 2010

  Pros: Super thin and light, high rez screen, near instant shut down and wake, feels faster than my 2.4 GHz laptop

  Cons: No 256KB SSD option in 11", miss the keyboard backlight

  Summary: Don't be fooled by the lower processor speed, SSD and fast graphics chip more than make up for it. I have the 1.6 GHz/4 GB 11.6 ...

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  Summary: Don't be fooled by the lower processor speed, SSD and fast graphics chip more than make up for it. I have the 1.6 GHz/4 GB 11.6 inch Air and it is fully the equivalent of a mid-level full size laptop for my work.
  
  You can view 1080p H.264 video without dropped frames and the CPU is more than 75% idle. Startup & performance of MS Office apps is very fast. No problem running heavy duty software development tools like eclipse.
  
  Users who need large amounts of local disk for applications like video editing or more than 2 cpu cores for multiple virtual machines won't be well served.
  
  The near instant startup and shutdown are invaluable. The extreme light weight and thin profile make it very comfortable on a table or in your lap in a chair or on a couch. The 16:9 screen is great for reading ebooks using Amazon's reader in two column mode.
  
  Build quality is fabulous and up to that of my macbook pro. I was thinking about an iPad as an option for more portability, but the 11.6" air feels hardly any heavier and not much larger as well as letting me do anything that I can on my macbook pro. My pro is now relegated to the desktop and I can't imagine ever buying a big laptop again.
  
  Updated on Nov 14, 2010

  In addition to being amazingly light and sturdy, this machine is fast. I have the upgraded 4GB memory and 1.6 GHz processor. Running 1080p mp4 video locally the processor is 75% idle. Running HD flash from youtube with Adobe's unaccelerated decoder the processor is 20% idle with no noticeable skipping.
  MS Office apps open in a couple of seconds and are very snappy.
  Adobe Photoshop opens in 3 seconds and is very quick at editing a 15 MP image. Adobe Dreamweaver flies. Eclipse (the java application development framework) opens in less than 5 seconds.
  
  Batter life is a real 5 to 6 hours with light editing, web surfing, and email use with the display at half .
  
  Overall the machine feels much faster than my 2.4 GHz Macbook pro. CPU intensive work like transcoding video is only ~60% as fast.
  
  After a couple weeks of use, I'm ready to give up my big laptop for good. I'm looking forward to an all SSD Macbook pro line next. I can't imagine buying a laptop with a disk drive again.

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  5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 8 stars

  I've had the 13 inch model for 2 days and I love it.

  by victory1111 on October 25, 2010

  Pros: Apps launch really fast and it's unusually quiet; both probably related to the Flash storage. Almost purchased an IPad but needed a physical keyboard. Battery life has been great. Doesn't get hot.

  Cons: No DVD/CD drive, No backlit keyboard

  6 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  Great Computer for Students

  by jamesrossini on October 26, 2010

  Pros: Super Easy to type a lot on it
  Great for college
  iPhoto is so Prooo!
  iTunes actually loads really fast
  Fast considering theres not all that much under the hood
  > Flash Memory must be THAT much better
  Uber Light = Ultra Portable = Epic

  Cons: Feels 'breakable' while holding, makes me really nervous about it
  People come up to you and say one of these things...
  > "Woah, what is thatt?"
  > "Can I see that?"
  > "What would you do if I just smashed that?"
  > "Thats a waste of m

  Summary: I'm at student at Boston College, and the MacBook Air makes my life so much easier, the battery life lasts me the entire day. I've only had it ...

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  Summary: I'm at student at Boston College, and the MacBook Air makes my life so much easier, the battery life lasts me the entire day. I've only had it 3 days, but so far I'm already in love with it. The new iPhoto which comes with it is awesome too. I have only used one Mac before this, an iMac I think... Anyways typing on the MacBook Air is really easy since its so light in your lap. The screen is really awesome too!

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  5 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Beyond perfect for students.

  by ninjaturtle21 on December 21, 2010

  Pros: Lightweight, Small, Fast, iLife 11 included, Screen resolution, Sound quality, Full-sized keyboard, Multi-touch trackpad

  Cons: Some users may find the 11.6" too small

  Summary: I bought this for university. That means I needed something small, light, internet ready and comfortable to type on. The MBA is all of that and more!
  
  The screen is ...

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  Summary: I bought this for university. That means I needed something small, light, internet ready and comfortable to type on. The MBA is all of that and more!
  
  The screen is gorgeous, the sound quality is much more than I was expecting from such a small machine and more importantly the thing is lightning fast. Boots up in mere seconds, runs multiple programs and applications simultaneously without any lag and the multi-touch trackpad makes browsing a cinch.
  
  The screen looks amazing. And it looks amazing from pretty much any angle.
  
  I can't join in on the "What! No backlit keys!" complaints because - Surprise! - I learned to touch type when I was in highschool. On that note, I can't say I miss the SD card slot either as I wouldn't have considered purchasing this machine for doing large volumes of photo editing in the first place (ie transfering to a USB stick is not a problem). In both cases the trade off was that the MBA ended up extremely slim and lightweight, and that was far more important for my needs than either illuminated keys or a photo card slot.
  
  All in all, I would highly recommend this to anyone on the go who needs a full-featured, but ultraportable computer.

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  3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Ideal 2nd computer: 13 inch MBA with 4 GB

  by rhean007 on December 1, 2010

  Pros: 1) Fast. Despite the older processor, the machine multi tasks very well with general use applications (email, word, browsing, itunes, photos, etc).
  2) Sturdy.
  3) Size and weight.
  4) Screen - 13 inch screen is pleasure to read on

  Cons: 1) A little high in price but worth it.
  2) Small disk storage but it does have built in SD card in the 13 inch model.
  3) Not easily upgradeable.

  Summary: So why did I purchase MBA? Well I was looking for laptop or netbook that had high portability but can handle programs and applications that would allow to do work ...

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  Summary: So why did I purchase MBA? Well I was looking for laptop or netbook that had high portability but can handle programs and applications that would allow to do work or photo/ non hd videos editing on the go. I never owned a MAC before this one but this won't be last MAC I buy.
  
  I am very impressed with MAC AIR. I am gamer at home and use my Windows 7 desktop for that. So if you are looking for hard core gaming, this is not for you.
  
  However, if you looking for mobile device that can run office, some causal games, heavy browsing, email, handle photos, have music, and light video editing - this is the machine to get.
  
  I had the machine for 1 day and the charge last about 6.5 hours of heavy general use. If your are doing things that use a lot of flash (Facebook and such), the charge won't last as long. Still, I think 5 hours is bare minimum on this device even with heavy use of flash.
  
  The main thing that stands out for me is how smoothly machine runs while switching applications. I had Firefox with 5 tabs opened up, moving music files from my pc to MBA , while writing a word doc. Switching between the three was no problem.
  
  I have not tested video editing from Samsung Camcorder yet but will be testing sometime in next two weeks when I have time.
  
  When Apple releases MAC Apps store, MBA machines are going to be one most versatile machines you can have. You can run apps like that you find on IPAD, Iphone and have power to run standard applications all on one device. While this is not available as of yet - this gives a kind of future functionality that makes this ideal device to have on the go.
  
  Some had mentioned the older processor is a downer, and in some ways it is considering cost. But performance of machine is outstanding and SSD makes up for it. The bottom line is performance of applications you intended to run it and for what it is designed for, it has more enough power.
  
  Even you really need that kind of power (hardcore gaming or video editing for instance) on the go, ultra portables really are not designed for that.
  
  Bottom line is if your are looking for laptop that is ultra portable, durable and has a lot versatility now and in the future, this is machine to get.

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  3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  Impressive - all the laptop most people will ever need

  by wgalle on November 5, 2010

  Pros: Size (13") is just right
  Ultra light weight
  Lightning fast startup
  Magsafe power adapter
  Full sized keyboard and trackpad
  Solid build

  Cons: Mac OS is not that intuitive for Windows OS converts
  Wish it had more storage capacity

  Summary: Purchased this to replace my Dell Inspiron, which I have loved, but even at 15" is a little heavy. From the time I opened it, I have been impressed by ...

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  Summary: Purchased this to replace my Dell Inspiron, which I have loved, but even at 15" is a little heavy. From the time I opened it, I have been impressed by this machine. I was a little worried about the relatively flat keyboard, but I have found it to be smooth and easy to type on. The display is crisp and bright, and the multi-touch trackpad is pretty intuitive. I keep forgetting that I can just use two fingers to scroll up or down, and trying to do it the old way (this is my first full-time Mac, by the way). The trackpad makes it so much easier! The build is solid. I purchased the extra RAM and faster processor, which, if you're going to spend this much on a laptop, a couple extra hundred to double the RAM, double the flash storage capacity, and upgrade the processor seems like a no-brainer. The 13" also comes with an SD card slot, which is a must for someone who takes as many digital photos as I do. The magsafe power adapter port is pure genius - i don't know why it took so long for someone to do this. I have a Toshiba laptop that has been rendered unusable strictly because the I/O port for the power adapter wore out and will not allow the machine to charge. That will never happen with the Macbook thanks to this innovation. I primarily surf the web, edit and post photos, and watch video and listen to music. I have yet to tax the limits of this machine. I recently took a trip with it,and it fit neatly on the airline tray table, ran like a dream. I watched a two hour movie while browsing and sending emails, and I never got below 70% on the battery! To put it away, I just put it in a sleeve and dropped it in the magazine pouch in front of me. I haven't missed the backlit keyboard, though I can see why some people would. It would be nice if it were possible to cram in more flash memory; or at least make it expandable in the future. The bottom line is, this is all the laptop I will probably ever need, and its portability and design make it a phenomenal fit for me. As much as I love my iPhone, all the various iPods, and our iMac at home, the Macbook Air is the best machine I have seen come from Apple.

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  3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  "Future of MacBooks"

  by UltraGeek1111 on October 28, 2010

  Pros: lightweight durable construction, 16:9 wide screen with excellent contrast ratio, decent performance

  Cons: No backlit keyboard or SD card reader

  Summary: Apple has always been a leader in forward engineering and the new MBA is no exception. Jobs' commendable transparency with Apple's vision for its customers is apparent with the ...

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  Summary: Apple has always been a leader in forward engineering and the new MBA is no exception. Jobs' commendable transparency with Apple's vision for its customers is apparent with the prediction of this being the "future of the MacBook". This subtly eerie feeling of a Nostradamus'esque prediction likely not only means that the physical design and hardware specs will be around for a while but, on a deeper level, be the company's market sh-air social experiment to determine what concepts will be used across the future MacBook lineup.
  
  For starters, we have the first 16:9 notebook by Apple. Depending on its success we may finally see the MBP have this aspect ratio in the future. Also, Apple's decision to streamline hardware in a more proprietary fashion than ever before in order to achieve maximum design efficiency may carry over into the MB and MBP line if sales prove that consumers are willing to accept this trade off.
  
  Lastly, we may truly begin to see the death of optical media. Many consumers who have been holding their breath for Blu-Ray drives in the MacBook will begin to see that it wasn't a rebel's self-asphyxiation that stopped the tanks in Tiananmen Square but a self-sacrificing physical obstacle. Unless society physically stops supporting streaming content (which it won't) it shouldn't complain about Apple's cost-saving decision to exclude Blu-Ray drives and its high licensing cost HDMI counterpart. Shortly after HD-DVD's defeat, Jobs was asked if Mac's would get Blu-Ray drives and he replied simply by stating that Apple is waiting to see how the Blu-Ray market will play out. At that time, who could have known the future impact media streaming was about to have except perhaps the Nostradamus of computers himself...Steve Jobs (1984 anyone?). Die hard Apple fans also know that the company, besides making green, is all about being green and their decision to evolve into a file streaming with flash storage ecosystem supports Apple's design disposition.
  
  As the price per gigabyte on SSD storage drops and ULV processors get more efficient this design will stay relevant until cloud computing matures and becomes the next future standard. I personally hope that the MBP continues to always be more user serviceable and upgradable than the MBA but that might not be saying much as iFixit has already rated the new MBA's repairability a 4 out of 10.
  
  Apple has nearly perfected a design here that finally delivers a more affordable alternative to the MBP and original MBA. However, it wouldn't be an Apple product if there wasn't room for improvement...
  
  1.) More SSD storage space at same cost (will come)
  2.) Faster processor at same cost (will come)
  3.) Better battery life (will come)
  4.) USB 3.0 (should come)
  
  Wish list?
  1.) Bring back the backlit keyboard (Brian Tong better throw a "bad apple" at Apple for that one)
  2.) Integrated mobile broadband support (Apple says they used advanced technology from the iPad in this MBA refresh but this, unfortunately, was one important portability feature left out)
  3.) Strengthen the hinge (as AnandTech points out it's the only durability weakness)
  4.) SD card reader on 11? model
  
  In a PC world of stagnant designs this marvel deserves recognition and celebration! The iPad might be Apple's most revolutionary and contrasting product compared to a traditional computers but this MBA is arguably the first evolutionary product that will bridge many Mac "Universe" concepts, both software and hardware, together. Only the future will tell.

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  3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.

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