Review: MacBook Air
I’ve had my MacBook Air for 15 days now. It has been serving as my primary computer and I have used it to do everything I usually do with my MacBook Pro. I’ll cover how it has stacked up to the MBP in this review in addition to how the MacBook Air’s smaller size has changed the way I do things.
As a reminder, I picked up the lower model MacBook Air with the 1.6GHz dual-core processor and the 80GB 1.8-inch 4200RPM hard drive. The MacBook Air has finally allowed me to use it how laptops should be used - on the go. Several years ago I had a similarly small Dell Inspiron 300M 3 pound notebook. It didn’t have an optical drive either and I took it everywhere. I didn’t have to think about it whether I really wanted to lug it with me to class. It was so small and light that bringing it everywhere wasn’t even something to think about. I’m finally back to that with the MacBook Air.
The Air is great for traveling. Look at the size of the charger compared to other MacBooks. From left to right: MacBook Air, MacBook, MacBook Pro (new), MacBook Pro (old).
I’ve begun leaving my school notebooks at home and started taking notes solely on the Air. Some classrooms have “half” desks with a limited workspace area where a paper notebook only barely fits. The Air feels right at home on that platform. So what else does the Air make easier? As I just learned over my spring break, it makes traveling a bit easier. Where better to take the Air than an airport?
Charging the Air at the busiest airport in the U.S. - Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport.
Or on a plane..
Or a train..
Or a wi-fi hangout
Dealing with the “limitations”
From my last post I received numerous questions about how I will cope with the obvious limitations of the MacBook Air: no optical drive, no ethernet, slower processor, slower hard drive, a single USB port and 2GB of RAM. As for the optical drive, I seriously never used it before so why would I suddenly feel limited by not having it now? If I absolutely need to use an optical drive there is Apple’s Remote Disc that I can use to borrow another computer’s optical drive or I could just get the superdrive add-on. But for most of the cases where people would need an optical drive, I just connect to my NAS server (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), where I have my data - backups of application installers, movies and the like.
As for transferring massive amounts of data over Wi-Fi, well that is sucky so I had no problem dropping $30 for the USB Ethernet adapter.
Apple USB Ethernet dongle in front of a Cisco switch.
Unfortunately, going through USB it tends to use a bit of CPU power to process network traffic. For example, when transferring a file from my NAS over ethernet to the Air, CPU usage noticeably increases as seen in the Menu Meters graph. This is probably because the USB Ethernet adapter might not have a dedicated chip and most of the work gets done with software.
In regards to speed, it’s not that slow. I have been able to do everything in my daily work on the Air. This includes using multiple spaces, constantly streaming iTunes radio music, using many tabs in Safari, casual Photoshop use, taking notes and recording lectures in Word 2008, watching episodes of Top Gear and doing web development with Firefox.
The hard drive isn’t particularly rapid. It’s a tiny 1.8-inch 4200RPM disk - the same size used in iPods. I’m just not too sure I trust my data on such a small drive, prone to failing. I remember when I had my 2nd generation 5GB iPod and Apple warned people against running an OS off of the hard drive as it would be too stressful on the 1.8-inch drive… and now Apple put that same drive in a laptop. Granted they probably did a lot of testing but it still makes me have second thoughts.
Regardless, that’s just more incentive to backup regularly. After initial bootup, the MacBook Air doesn’t feel slow. Applications take a bit longer to load but after that there is no real speed issue. From a fresh boot, Photoshop CS3 takes 20 seconds to load completely.
Having “only” 2GB of RAM hasn’t been much of an issue either. On average with having Safari, iTunes, Mail and Photoshop open, I consume around a gig of RAM. After having the Air running for a few days and opening/closing various apps, the amount of free RAM is closer to 500 megs - still adequate. Whereas I used to always consume 3GB of RAM in my MacBook Pro, I’m just a bit more careful about not having 10 or more applications open simultaneously. It hasn’t negatively affected my workflow though.
As for having one USB port, that’s not an issue on the go. I don’t need to plug anything in other than a pair of headphones. While I’m at my desk I’m usually connected to my external monitor and I utilize it’s built-in USB hub.
Air-only Features
In addition to the fancy trackpad featuring iPhone-like gestures (my favorite is the three finger slide to go forward or backward in Safari), the Air has another neat feature: A2DP Bluetooth (stereo). This means you can get a fancy pair of stereo bluetooth headphones and use them completely without wires.
And while not exactly a feature I thought I’d point out that the Air has a single speaker, unlike other MacBooks. It’s located under the right side of the keyboard and is decently loud at best.
Problems I’ve Noticed
Like older PowerBooks, the keyboard on the Air ever so slightly comes in contact with the screen. At certain angles you can see imprints of the keys on the screen. It’s not much of an issue, just a slight annoyance. Similarly, the trackpad button touches against the top of the screen when closed, leaving scratch/rub marks against both the screen bezel and the trackpad.
Those are the only aesthetic issues. Other than that the Air has absolutely magnificent build quality. The case is strong and sturdy. If you thought the MacBook Pro was pretty solid, you need to try out an Air.
The biggest problem with the Air that I have noticed as well as many other users on the MacRumors forums is core shutdown. As a safety feature, when the MacBook Air gets too hot one of the two cores will shutdown. On paper, this sounds good. I wouldn’t mind sacrificing performance to save my laptop if it was for some reason extremely hot and on the verge of killing itself. My car has a similar feature where it will shutdown 4 of the 8 cylinders if it overheats. Fortunately I’ve never experienced that in my car.. but I have with the Air. The crazy thing is, my Air has never been “extremely” hot and usually remains within the 60-70 degrees Celsius range with load.
Many users report this issue when watching video. A core will shutdown and then frames will start dropping from the loss of performance. I have had one of the cores shutdown a handful of times in the last two weeks. It has happened more often when my external monitor was connected and that seems logical as the X3100 Intel graphics chip gets put under more stress and gets hotter. While the processor might be in an okay temperature range, the overall system isn’t, thus causing a core shutdown. For example, while watching a non-HD TV show on the external monitor, a core shutdown 30 minutes into the episode. Fortunately, when using just the Air’s screen, this does not come up much at all. I watched several shows back to back in fullscreen on a flight with the Air and suffered no such problems.
Another issue of core shutdown seems to be a software driver issue where the kernel_task process will begin using close to 70% of the CPU and cause a core to shutdown. Again this seems to occur more often when an external monitor is in use. During these core shutdown issues, the internal fan is set to the max (6200RPM) and the issues still occur.
That being said, it is not really possible to play HD content on the Air reliably to an external screen. Specifically, I have only tested playing to an external display set to 1920×1200 resolution. However, on the Air’s internal screen, 720p content will play fine and use 50-70% of the CPU. Larger 1080p video will play but tends to drop frames quite regularly.
Annoyances
All of the ports are on the slanted bottom of the Air, making it hard to connect things without tilting the Air and seeing what you’re plugging into. Also, I haven’t run into this problem myself but I can imagine that chunky USB memory sticks won’t fit into the USB port - there isn’t much clearance.
Also, the Air tends to wobble if it’s not on a 100% sturdy surface. Some Airs don’t have this issue but many people have reported it.
The iSight in the Air doesn’t seem to have the same quality as other MacBooks. Pictures seem a bit “fuzzy” and soft and seem to lack detail at times. Perhaps it is a consequence of a thinner sensor or lens setup used in the Air.
Any regrets?
None at all. The Air has enough power to do my work tasks and small enough to bring everywhere. Down the line I can see myself eying Mtron’s 128GB 1.8-inch SSD capable of 100MB+/sec read/write throughput. Hopefully it comes in a PATA/ZIF flavor as the Air does not use SATA at the moment. Subtle rumors indicate a move to a 45nm chip and a SATA drive in the summer, but we’ll have to wait and see.
If I had to pick out one thing about the Air and call it my favorite, it would be the sturdy construction. This thing is solid and feels like it was carved from a block of aluminum. Despite the bugs and issues, the Air gets a 9/10.
Thoughts? Is the Air for you? If you read all the way to here, leave a comment and claim your Stammy points.
Your the only blog that I don’t use google reader to read. I just enjoying coming to your site and reading the article within your layout. Great review and love the pictures you took for the review!
Well considering that I finally got my first MacBook Pro yesterday, I think I can wait on an air.
You’re making me want to consider actually getting a Mac now instead of my bulky (but widescreen) Dell.
Great image used for the “Copy” above… I’m going to be very self-centered and assume that was my voice on that 281 MB file :)
-MJT
I might be a thrifty person, but dropping so much more money (compared to a Macbook) for a drop in spec seems pointless. But you do bring up a good point about weight and desire to carry it around.
It seems that you’ve found yourself the perfect portable, though I don’t see my MacBook as less portable as the Air.
I couldn’t see myself with an Air - not with the current specs at least… My 1st Gen MacBook (1.83GHz, 2GB RAM, 160GB 5400RPM SATA HDD) pwns the Air on specs - and I feel like it’s time for an upgrade (it’s my only machine).
The form factor is essential though, and had the specs been comparable to a MacBook, I would have any second-thoughts about buying the Air. The price is insanely scar, however (in Denmark its 13,000 DKK = 2,735 USD - and that’s the base model!).
Good to hear a positive review - it seems like you’ve thought a lot about what to write (as always), which is rare nowadays.
Great review, been looking forward to this. That last image, in the “any regrets” section, is pretty sick too.
I went through a little anxiety this past October when i bought my MacBook. I’ve ALWAYS been a Powerbook/MacBook Pro guy. But I wanted something smaller so I was seriously considering a black macbook. I sure am glad I went through with it. I was worried about graphics, processing time and hard drive responsiveness… But Apple packs a decent punch in it’s smaller “not so top of the line” notebooks.
I am positive, if I had the disposable funds, that I could make the MacBook Air a primary computer and be comfortable with it.
Give it another year or for the Air to mature a bit, along with my bank account, and I’ll be all over it. (Air for $15 you say Stammy?)
I’m sold. As soon as they get the core shutdown issue fixed. I think I’m taking one of these babies home.
I just got a laptop for about 15 days too, and just Like you i’m ridiculously happy with it:)
It’s a Dell M1330 XPS, and It’s faster than some of my desigener friends Desktops. It’s got 4 gigs of Ram.
It’s the most I ever spent on a laptop, but I think it’s exceptional value at RM 5000.
I dunno but for me, a computer is a consumable. So I’m looking to get the beast value propasition available. No doubt the mac air has ‘cool’ in abundance… but most of us get over that really quickly.
and what’s a Stammy point?
Nice analysis Paul. The core shutdown functionality is an interesting choice by Apple. Regarding the “Air-only Features,” the new MacBook Pros also have multi-touch trackpads offering the iPhone-ish gestures.
well done, refreshing!
i’m infatuated with the Air, but having 20 years of apple experience, i will hold out for a rev “c” to replace my mbp. have you tried lightroom on the Air?
281 is slick, giving it a spin. best…skip
Well Stammy, I just got my first mac today. A Macbook Pro - Just amazing. Really. Now I know why everyone in the Valley uses one of these. This has absolutely got to be the best laptop I’ve used to date.
Can’t even begin to imagine about the MBA and it’s portability… and prior to this I had some crappy Dell XPS M1210.
Apple is ahead of the game, that’s for sure.
Great review Paul, a good read as always. I think I’m still in the same place regarding the Air though, I would love one but I just don’t think I can have it as my main machine.
When they bring out a higher spec one I’ll be all over it because the portability is just brilliant. I don’t want to go down to EeePC size but the Air would be perfect, just slip it into your bag and forget about it.
I guess I’ll just control myself and wait…
I’m surprised the 4200 rpm hard drive isn’t slowing you down substantially. I have an ultra portable with a SanDisk SSD and about the same speed processor and photoshop opens for me in 15 seconds (25% faster). I would’ve thought mine would be even faster than that, but I guess not.
That is an amazing review, thank you. You gave everyone the ability to make the right decision
Paul - I thought you were going to break into Dr. Seuss’ “Green Eggs and Ham”
“At School, or on a plane, or a train, Or a wi-fi hangout… I will not eat them stam I am!”
Sorry for the moment of silliness.
Great review! I have had my eyes set on the MacBook Air since it was announced, but I am waiting until the second or third revision of the thin notebook arrives. Why? Let’s just say I regret rushing into buying a first-gen MacBook Pro that I still use to this day.
I really enjoy reading your articles, very well organized and the pictures are of great quality as well. As for me, I think I’m still pretty happy with my ol’ basic Macbook it still gets the job done for me.
I love how you pointed out the versatility of the Air, I’ll bet there are new competing imitations from other companies that will try to cash in on the new product but I will also bet you that they will not come close.
Take care.
http://maxthemac.com
Stammy, you’ve giving me a hard time with this… I’m on a 15″ MBP thinking of getting a 17″ Hi-Res just to get more screen real estate. Looking at how you’re using the Air as a primary machine seem quite possible. It’s such a beauty, but I might shut down its cores too often given the way I overdo my Firefox browser with 50-150 tabs at one time… that’s a CPU killer. Ah well. Either change my habit or change the machine. ;)
I am looking at macs for the first time ever because I want to develop an iphone app for my siteRideSearch.com and their SDK doesn’t work on PCs . I know you can word process and surf on anything. The question is, can you do development on a Macbook Air?
@Kevin
Wow, 150 Tabs, what are you doing?! Sheesh! ;-)
I never could justify spending $200 for two more inches on a so called “Portable Computer.” The MBP 15 inch is just as powerful as the 17 inch. So keep your portability, take the difference and get an external monitor and run Duals at home. Then your screen real estate will be 15 inches plus anywhere from 19 - 22 inches depending on what you can swing.
Nice photos!
Good review. Lovely machine! :)
Great review, but I really can’t see paying 1800 for that little processor speed and un-upgradability.
*yoink*
Excellent; 5 stammy points.
Thanks for the review. You have further convinced me that, if I ever decide to get a personal laptop again (I have a Dell Inspiron 8600 for work), I will be picking up a MacBook Air.
I’m still not sold on the MacBook Air personally. I’d just pickup a black MacBook and put the money towards a nice Dell 2007WFP monitor for home use. That’d be a great setup.
@Evan: Didn’t you hear about the FuriousFirefoxTabs challenge?
Much like Frank Cantu I am interested in buying an Air, but I am going to wait until they get into later revisions. I have heard too many horror stories from 1st gen Apple laptops (the 1st Macbooks most recently).
Still, the Air is an amazing piece of tech, and I am glad you are happy with your purchase. When you have it hooked up to an external can you close the lid and have the external run as the sole display? Or is there potential for screen damage because of heat?
Well that answers the questions I have had. My overall main concern has been, would it be enough machine for what I do. Based on your great review, I would say it is.
Great review, Paul. Makes me want to get one even more, but that’ll have to wait a while until I can afford it. Now that you’ve had it for half a month or so, have you decided whether or not you’ll be selling your MBP?
I admit that I am an anti-mac snob. The [utility/cost*coolness] ratio of all macs has never been able to compete with my dirt-cheap, ultra useful, armed-to-the-teeth WindowsXP laptop. To me, the *non-coolness* of my hp v6000z laptop, makes it cool.
That being said.
This Air is killing me. It’s *SO COOL* and I badly want one. I would be as happy as a little girl if I could have one. I showed up in a Mac store the other day and practically started selling one to a customer, going on about the form factor, battery life, etc…
Martha Stewart has a MacBook Air too…and she loves it! http://blogs1.marthastewart.com/martha/2008/03/my-new-macbook.html
Here’s while I’ll stick with my 1st gen MacBook:
-it’s my main…actually, currently my *only* computer
-I don’t own an HD
-I have almost no portability issues
I really identify with what you’re saying about those annoying small half-desks in classrooms, and I’m always a little worried about balancing my MB on them, but I manage. Also, the pictures of your MBA in use on planes/trains are nice and all, but I could do that just as easily with my MB. The thinness doesn’t really help you, except for maybe enticing a cute stewardess to come over and gush, “Ooohh, your laptop is so pretty!” But let’s be realistic. That never happens.
Having said that, this is a great article. I enjoyed it, as always. Keep up the good work.
The MacBook Air is definitely very nice and appealing, but I couldn’t consider it a wise purchase for myself, being a poor college student.
It’s definitely a beautiful product, though, I would love to own one in the future. I’m glad that you are enjoying it.
I was shocked when I saw the price for this thing. I actually think the $1800 price tag is pretty damn reasonable. Especially for as Oregonians where there’s no sales tax. :)
If I were single and were in the market for a new computer, it would be a no brainer, hands down. (Easy for me to say, I guess)
Excellent review. While the Air is not for me, I do appreciate the effort put into your review. I am also glad I was wrong about the Air and it’s build quality. Having been an industrial designer myself, I was afraid the Air would be too thin and structurally weak. I hope you continue to enjoy your Air and keep up your great work.
The Air seems like a pretty nice machine. The price and relatively low specs (and the fact that I’m not in the market at the moment) make it not for me, however. I am surprised that it is sturdy; I would think otherwise due to its form factor.
Right now, I’m perfectly happy with my ThinkPad T61; I take it just about everywhere with me.
I’m not sure what I think of the Air as an option for myself. One problem is that I have yet to see on in person yet.
Thanks for this review. I don’t get out to ‘touch’ the products I read about and your descriptions helped me get a feel. The biggest worry I had for Air when I first read about it was the durability of such a thin construct. Your last lines practically blew me away.
I was picturing a laptop wherin you could see the sway when you, say, picked it up from a leading corner (as I am wont to do).
I like the Air, and enjoyed reading your review. I am personally torn between going for the pro, and the air. Me thinks I will wait for June, to see if Apple refreshes the Pro line with a new design.
-Ezra
Dude u know how to review stuff!!!
Rock on!!
Great article Paul. When the Air was released, I immediately thought, man that is cheap; relative to my prior thin Sony notebook research. Then everyone was talking about how expensive it was, I guess you got over that.
Overall I think it is a great computer but maybe a little to low thrills for me. I would like to see Apple scale their other notebooks down to 3/4″ or even 1/2″ thickness and not scam on some of the power features.
Great review. Thanks
Just wanted to add one comment. I have one of the new macpro 45nm processor notebooks and the drop in operating temp is incredible compared to other macpro notebooks.
Swicthing to 45nm which has to be comming will completely eliminate the temp issues i suspect.
I also have an Air. Since buying I would not even consider using MBP…just so mobile….
nice review, thx !
Good review, one of the few that does not lament lack of ports/SATA HDD etc.
PS: Update your ‘my gear’ section below to cross out MBP and add MBA.
Great review, thanks! I still want to replace my 3+ year old iBook w/ a MacBook. ;-)
Nice review Paul … complete and well written.
I have another experience however, I sent mine back for I had a 4 week return policy. I loved the touch and feel, the design was absolutely fantastic but the performance including external hook ups (USB) was poor. I exchanged it for a MBP and whenever I have enough money to spend to purchase one for “minimal” computing I will do that ….
Great review as always, Paul. I had the good fortune to use a MB Air for a few days and agree with you that most of the supposed compromises are non-issues. However, the single USB port is, for me, significant. As you say transferring large files over Wifi is a pain, which makes using the Ethernet adaptor essential. With that conencted, there’s nowhere to plug in a mouse or card reader unless you carry a hub around.
I do however love the constructin, in paticular the hinged flap over the ports, its supremely well implemented.
Keep up the good work, Paul.
Great review….. You went on a Train and a plane for Spring break?
Paul, you may want to call AppleCare about your core shutdown issue.
I experienced the exact same problem, but AC says that ‘limp mode’ (running on a single core) shouldn’t be happening.
I’ve returned mine for a new unit. You may want to consider doing the same.
paul would you reccomend the macbook pro to people if they didn’t mind carrying it around.
@biju - yeah I would still recommend it.
@leslie - thanks for stopping by. Yeah, I went to D.C./MD and used the metro system quite a bit.. so it’s not really a train but same difference. :-)
Great review with nice pictures, makes me wanneh fall into the mac family.
I didn’t buy a MacBook Air, ’cause the price is unbelievable. Pricey as a hell, in numbers $6000, not in dollars, but in my currency. But I bought 2 days a go MacBook White (medium version), waiting the ship. I hope I like it, will be my first mac machine. :)
the price is unbelievable
Hey, I’m following you on Twitter and saw that you’ve listed your MBP on craigslist. I had to see what you were so excited about that made you willing to sell the MBP for such an inferior Apple product.
Now that I understand it’s the portability I guess I have some forgiveness for you :P. My girlfriend at GSU got herself a MBP a year or so back and I’m surprised she carries it as much as she does to class… that thing is a BEAST.
Good luck selling it, if I had the cash to spare I’d be more than willing to buy it.
Great post. I love my Macbook Air. Anyone who compares specs and concludes that the Air is a bad deal just doesn’t get the product. Apple is trying to take the elegance of laptop usage to a new level with the Air. The screen is great, the keyboard is great, the build is great and everything else works as well as most people use those things anyway. There is minimal wasted capacity with this machine.
Having said that it would be awesome if there was one more killer feature for the Air. I would like the machine to have access to the internet from anywhere like my iphone and the kindle does.
Who knows, maybe this is coming in the future with iphone 2.0 and 3G.
Great work, I like you….
Well, nice review. I’ m now on a MBA with the 64 MB SSD drive, “down” from a solid 2,4ghz MacBook Pro. I must say that I really love this MBA, it’s a feeling that I didn’t had since I dropped my old 12″ G4 Powerbook (and I’ve got zillions of MAc stuff already).
Some work has been needed to slim down the HD (actually cut it by 3 !) but thanks to a small WD portable HD of 320 gb, I can really feel I’m missing something, to the contrary !
Well a great product, not for anyone maybe, but a product that understands me (like my beloved iPhone) and that’s what counts, not the number of USB ports…
Dude, what is that wallpaper? Is that LA at night from a plane? Where’d you get that?
@Blake - Chicago actually http://www.flickr.com/photos/myelectricsheep/343703624/
I just got a Macbook Air and have had it for 10 days.
I see the same wear as you do, so they have not changed anything yet. I design high end products and have a trained eye for build quality.
So, here are the Macbook Air Problems with my machine:
1) The bezel around the screen is painted plastic. When the screen is closed the bezel edge below the camera seems to hit the mouse button and palm rest. this has caused marks on the mouse button, the palm rest, and bezel area around camera.
The marks on the button and palm area are from plastic/paint from the bezel. The bezel marks from the the two edges of each side of the button. there is also scuffing across the whole area that the button touches on the bezel.
2) The Mouse button is not flush with the surface of the palm rest, that makes it worst for above.
3) There is a big tooling mark on the radius area just above the esc key.
4) The bottom cover is even around the edge, it is 0.5mm above the main body out on the area in the front (notch for opening)
5) One of the corner screws holding the bottom cover on is bottomed out, I can tell by pushing on the bottom cover and it moves up and down. So the bottom is not really being held down on that corner.
6) The I/O door is not flush with the bottom, forward edge is inset and rear edge is protruding.
7) You can see one spot weld divot on the bottom. It could be just cosmetic defect as I have not opened the unit.
8) One dead pixel….
Significant issue for the future, marks on underside from insertion of cables into the I/O door area. Since you can’t see the connector holes without picking up the Air and USB and Audio connectors have bare metal tips the users may hit the slanted portions and create marks. I already have one slight one.
Magsafe is actually worse since it has a sharper metal edge.
Notes,
Unit was handle with extreme care for a 6 days.
unit was then taken on an asia trip in a Tumi laptop bag that has separate padded area for laptop.
I had the usual phone, Air ACA, PDA, and 1.8″ hard drive in bag too.
vance
Well.. After my two months white MacBook, I’m really really thinking to get a new MacBook Air. It’s so cool, and small, and with the same 13.3 inch screen. When I’m on the go, I really think, if the MB is so light, the MBA is just the air! XD