Apple has reimagined the MacBook Air and we've been using one full time for a few days now. Since Steve Jobs pulled the original out of that manila envelope back in early 2008, Apple's premium laptop has been somewhat of an enigma. At the time it wasn't underpowered, but it has never exactly sparkled either.
And it has gained notoriety as the ultimate coffee table computer – well, that was until the iPad came along. The new model retains the sense of haughtiness and has now been launched in two models – 13 and 11-inch.
This is the 13-inch version – we'll review the smaller model separately. The new model is so thin at its bottom end that it's hard to grasp to open it – just 0.3mm. The laptop is a real wedge shape and people are extremely impressed as to how thin it actually is. The indented part near the trackpad can seem quite sharp though and, while we haven't caught ourselves on it, it's a distinct possibility.
As with the original Air, the hinge can easily hold the weight of either half of the notebook, so if you hold the screen with the keyboard part raised, the keyboard section won't drop down.
The Air's real problem remains price – for a laptop of this core spec, Apple's latest MacBook represents extremely poor value for money. With only 128GB (or 256GB if you pay for it) of onboard storage, many would be hard-pushed to use it as their only machine. And, given that, the question has to be asked whether you can really afford it. A huge number of people would surely prefer to plump for the extra storage and oomph that a MacBook or MacBook Pro can offer.
In terms of ports, you get a Mini Display Port connector and headphone jack. There's also an SD card slot in the side (plus an additional USB port - there's now one on either side).
Once again there is no Ethernet port, so you can only connect to networks wirelessly, and no DVD drive. This is to be expected of such a slim machine, but be sure to consider your needs carefully before buying. Once again, you can install software over the air from a DVD drive on another PC or Mac on your home network.
A big omission is the backlit keyboard which was inside the original Air but not this new model. However, despite its compact dimensions, Apple has still managed to fit a full-sized keyboard into the slim chassis. The isolation-style design makes it incredibly comfortable to use.
The Air also now has the full size multi-touch gesture-enabled glass trackpad from the MacBook and MacBook Pro, too. You can effortlessly scroll through documents, zoom in and out of photos and rotate images using a range of easy-to-master finger gestures.
Performance-wise, the specs have improved, but there hasn't been a big boon in this area. Intel developed a special version of the Core 2 Duo when the MacBook Air originally launched and it's this processor that has been retained – albeit with better performance.
1.86GHz is the standard in the 13-inch now. Beyond the issue of physical room, there's also the issue of cooling, but the fact is that the MacBook Air is now a decidedly poor performance relation of the MacBook and MacBook Pro with their latter-generation Core processors.
The main addition is in terms of flash storage, now available in 128GB as standard, with a build-to-order option of 256GB in the 13-inch, though 2.13GHz is an option.
The screen surround is still metallic silver, and the Air now contrasts with the look of the MacBook and MacBook Pro which both now have black screen surrounds. Because of those design changes, it almost seems like there's something old-Apple about the screen surround of the new Air.
The camera has been changed from an iSight camera to a FaceTime camera, but essentially it's still the same hardware underneath – you can use a beta software add-on to communicate with iPod touch and iPhone 4 owners.
The Air has received a boost in terms of graphics though, with the Nvidia GeForce 320M which has dripped down from the MacBook Pro. If the Air had not had a decent Nvidia chip, it would have been a serious flaw in this design.
The MacBook Air now has a deep sleep mode, which kicks in after your MacBook has been sleeping for about an hour. Apple says that the battery can last up to 30 days in this mode and, while we haven't found it to dispose of too much power when in this mode, we obviously haven't had it for 30 days to test that particular claim.
While the original MacBook Air had a terrible battery life of just over two and a half hours, this latest model runs for nearly six hours, a great improvement.
The battery remains non-user replaceable.
And in terms of raw performance, the Air is finally able to compete with the best ultraportables in the business – even if it doesn't have the processor grunt of many cheaper laptops with Core i3 and i5 processors. Indeed, the performance of the Air vastly exceeded our expectations, running Apple's iMovie and iPhoto video and photo editing tools with aplomb. Even mid-level gaming is possible.
The flash drive means it boots in absolutely seconds, but it's not cut out for serious video editing or other processor intensive tasks such as serious Photoshop work. The flash storage is extremely rapid – apps load in seconds and while 2GB of memory may not be enough for some, all the standard programs seem quite happy with it, as was Office 2008 (we didn't have 2011 at our disposal at the time of testing).
A key criticism of the original MacBook Air was its limited performance, so it's great to see the problem rectified. Applications open and respond quickly and smoothly. Graphics are even more impressive for such a slim machine, thanks to those MacBook Pro-spec graphics.
While the standard 128GB of storage is poor compared to many Windows-based machines, many purchasers of the Air will just be looking for a machine to take out on the road rather than a core workhorse. Unless your needs are light and you employ extra storage, this is still a secondary machine.
By fixing many of the significant flaws of the original, the MacBook Air is fi nally a viable rival to the best ultraportables on the market. While it is still not the most comprehensively equipped sub-2kg machine, it is certainly the most luxurious and its improved power now makes it as capable as it is gorgeous.
We liked
The flash drive is exceptionally speedy, and the whole package is extremely pleasurable to use. It really is a fantastic Mac that zips along for basic tasks including media and productivity apps.
We disliked
The cost makes the MacBook Air exactly what everybody knows it to be – an expensive luxury that looks the business. More power is surely a requirement for many using a Mac for work or serious pleasure and Intel will surely have to do better for the next generation of the Air. We'd also like our backlit keyboard back please.
Verdict
If you're going to go and buy this laptop, you have to know exactly why you want it. Despite the flash memory and great graphics, it's seriously underpowered for the kind of money you're paying – and you have to be completely comfortable with paying such a sum, though flash memory remains expensive, so that's worth remembering.
Portability freaks may prefer to go for the smaller 11-inch model, even though the screen real estate is far better here. Aside from the obvious aesthetics, the only other explanation for buying this laptop is the ultimate portability it offers.
Having carried it around, used it on flights and trains and used it for many different purposes, this is surely the ultimate travelling companion – one of the best laptops for mobility around. But light PC laptops are available with more powerful processors – they just don't look this good. Somebody asked us whether it was the best combination of portability and power. It's great for the former and average at the latter. Have you got the money?
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