Home > Consumer Reviews > Apple MacBook Air MC234LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop

I don't think I'll go back to regular "full-size" laptops again. I didn't think that the weight difference between my 15.4" 2008 MacBook-Pro and the "AIR" would be so substantial, but it is. My back is thanking me. Even with the power supply and my average bring-to-work payload, I often forget that I'm wearing a bag.

As far as general computing goes, it has been -- by far -- the most pleasing computing experience I've had in over 17yrs working with computers... no doubt because of the SSD.

--Average applications load in one or two "bounces", tops.
--Web pages load faster
--No stuttering when displaying the contents of a a folder, scrolling through image galleries, etc.
--Startup/Shutdown times.

Other PROS:

--Screen is perfect. I was worried that the glossy screen may be a little bothersome, though I've yet to come across a situation where it was a problem and I've taken it everywhere with me.

--Its build seems "solid". Maybe it's a trait of the new unibodies, but, when the lid is closed; it feels like a solid piece of metal that would be very difficult to damage. Maybe im naive, but I no longer feel the need to wrap my laptop in 4 layers of protection to keep it from damage in my bag.

CONS:

--Today's laptops support up to 8GB, typically in 2x 4GB configurations. It would be nice to see support for a 4GB module in the future.

--Typical complaints: no firewire or eSATA, only 1x USB.

--Runs a little hot, and I'm not fond of the location of the exhaust vents.


OTHER:

Don't call it a netbook or a laptop. It's the best of both worlds. It deserves its own category.

First of all, make sure that the battery is working properly. I just returned one with a bad battery -- it kept telling me that there was no battery present and also the system kept stalling. But i did play around with one that worked properly.

I'm only going to speak about the SSD (higher end) version. If you are going to get this MacBook Air, I completely feel that you are wasting your money buying the lower end version. The lower end drive is terribly slow and feels underpowered whereas the SSD drive version beats a faster MacBook Pro with a HDD. To further illustrate, the Macbook Air SSD opens up Adobe Photoshop in 3 seconds. Word in 2 seconds or less.

So here are the pros:

--super, light...it's addictive, wonderful. You'll carry it everywhere, annoyingly so.
--good battery life. I think the battery life in real world conditions even beats out the 7 hour battery of the Macbook Pro. Seems to use less battery and more intelligently
--AC converter is also light to carry around (but i still think it should be lighter)
--sturdy, and able to comfortably hold with one hand

The cons:

--don't use this for multimedia, other than simple video, YouTube, etc. If you try playing HD video on this machine loses frames
--the speakers! sorry, the speaker. don't use this machine for presentations that involve sound. hard to hear in a busy environment (such as trade shows). really i think this is the worst con!
--the USB port is hard to reach, difficult for those USB Verizon/Sprint/AT&T mobile broadband sticks. You have to use with a cable. But i think this is just a little cosmetic issue

The non-issue issues:

--lack of DVD drive. Other than installing software or viewing DVDs that someone wants to you watch then and there, how many times do you really need to do this? If the answer is frequently, then this machine is definitely not for you (go with a Macbook Pro). If occasionally or infrequently then the networked DVD drive (using Bonjour) works really well. If you feel a need to get a portable drive, then don't get this machine. It wasn't meant for this, really.

So, who is this for?

--writers! Screenwriters, students, business writers, writers, period. This is the funnest machine to use if you are a writer, period. you will love the ability to take this everywhere, put in a small, light bag, just open it up and start writing, either in Word, Pages, Final Draft, etc. (I HIGHLY recommend using a service like Dropbox -- [...] -- so that whatever you write is automatically synced over the air to your home desktop, automatically! -- no need to worry about losing your work ever!).
--traveling business people who need to show off pictures, electronic brochures, etc. Even to walk around shop floors and plop that Macbook Air out of a bag, hold in hand as you are walking
--road warriors, photographers on the road, journalists, etc.

After owning and enjoying the first generation Macbook Air (1.6 MHz, 80GB drive), this unit is an unbelievable upgrade. For the same price as the original, this unit is incredibly faster. Programs start up about 3 times faster and the SSD drive is silent and extremely quick. Startups and shutdowns are noticeably quicker too. My initial experience has indicated that the battery life should be better as well. I was also impressed with the browser speed pickup as pages seem to render all at once without the typical lag the original unit had.

After humming and ha-ing about this purchase, to replace my 17" macbook pro, I finally bit the bullet and am delighted with the results. The start up time is stunning, the graphics, keyboard etc are wonderful. The only drawback I have found is the USB slot. If you have a usb device which has large "shoulders" you will need an adapter. I don't miss the dvd drive, I can simply hook it up to my macbook pro and install from there. It's light and sexy, you know you want one ;)

One thing you might not notice unless you read the product description carefully is that the USB Ethernet Adaptor is now included with the computer. So it is a mystery that this adaptor is listed as a commonly purchased accessory for this model. I almost bought one myself.

The MacBook Air is an unexpectedly nice aesthetic improvement in using a computer. Lightness, thinness and silence (with the SSD) make a surprising difference. Another thing I like compared to the MacBook Pro is that the edges of the case are tapered, not sharp 90 degree corners that scrape your arms. Particularly if you are considering the 13" MBP, the MBA is definitely worth a serious look.