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Criteria
Comments
Rating
- Speed and features It flies, and makes my late-2009 27-inch iMac i7 feel slow at times.
- Design and form factor It's beautiful and comfortable. The keyboard feels great and the backlighting is perfect. The trackpad is comfortable and optimally positioned.
- Battery life Lasts as promised.
- Display Clear, and surprisingly easy to read given the increased PPI relative to the first generation.
- Durability My previous Air (early 2008) still looks new and I expect this one will in three years.
- Expandability Two USB ports is enough for me. I typically use the Remote Disk feature when I need to access old school media. The SD reader is a nice touch.
- Noise i rarely hear any. If I get multiple disk-intensive processes running, it will heat up a bit and I'll hear a very faint fan noise.
- Portability (size / weight) I'll be curious to see how Apple ever gets this thing any thinner.
Detailed review
GREAT
I upgraded from the very first MacBook Air, which I purchased shortly after it was announced in February 2008. I loved the idea of that first MacBook Air more than the reality of it. It was slow, took too long to boot, and its battery life was short. I didn't use the first Air much, which was a shame given the cost.
The new one gets the formula right. It has everything I loved about the original and adds speed, battery life, a far better trackpad with multitouch, and lots of subtle improvements. I use it a lot more than I did the first Air. I often find myself using it in place of my iMac, simply because it's so fast and easy to pick up and use.
It's not often I say this about a product, but I'm not sure how I'd improve the current 13-inch MacBook Air. Of course, I said the same thing about the 27-inch iMac when it was released, and now, thanks to the Air, I really wish the iMac had an SSD.
For now, the 13-inch MacBook Air is hard to beat.
- It flies. It starts up in about 15 seconds and resumes from sleep almost instantly.
- It runs for hours without a charge.
- It's gorgeous, and the case is subtly more functional than the previous design
- Lion feels great on this device. Navigating the OS with the trackpad is a real pleasure.
I upgraded from the very first MacBook Air, which I purchased shortly after it was announced in February 2008. I loved the idea of that first MacBook Air more than the reality of it. It was slow, took too long to boot, and its battery life was short. I didn't use the first Air much, which was a shame given the cost.
The new one gets the formula right. It has everything I loved about the original and adds speed, battery life, a far better trackpad with multitouch, and lots of subtle improvements. I use it a lot more than I did the first Air. I often find myself using it in place of my iMac, simply because it's so fast and easy to pick up and use.
It's not often I say this about a product, but I'm not sure how I'd improve the current 13-inch MacBook Air. Of course, I said the same thing about the 27-inch iMac when it was released, and now, thanks to the Air, I really wish the iMac had an SSD.
For now, the 13-inch MacBook Air is hard to beat.
good review!
1 person found this review helpful
review history
- 2011-10-26
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Updated detailed review
Updated detailed review
Updated detailed review
Edited comment on Design and form factor
Edited comment on Speed and features