Compromises Limit Appeal of Apple's MacBook Air Laptop

Speed Facts

The Macworld Lab tested the MacBook Air's $1,799 base configuration--a 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo processor with an 80GB hard drive.As you might expect from the slow clock speeds of its processor and the slow speed of its hard drive, the MacBook Air is quite a bit slower than the other MacBooks.

The MacBook Air was also outpaced in our tests by one of its closest desktop cousins, the ultra-compact Mac mini 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo. Its Speedmark score of 124 is the lowest score we've recorded for any Intel-based Mac laptop, but it does handily beat our PowerPC laptop reference system, the 1.67Ghz PowerBook G4. The MacBook Air is also clearly the slowest currently shipping Mac model, as shown in the chart below.

My time with the MacBook Air came on the heels of using a 2.16GHz MacBook, and I found its speeds in day-to-day use to be perfectly sufficient. Using writing tools, checking e-mail, and surfing the Web, I generally found the difference in speed between the two systems to be minor. Using Photoshop CS3 to do some minor image tweaking seemed perfectly fine.

However, users who must rely on their portable systems to do processor-intensive tasks as fast as possible should be warned: the MacBook Air is not remotely as fast as the MacBook, let alone the MacBook Pro. But for general uses, I rarely noticed that the system was slower than my MacBook.

Though Apple's laptops have long been criticized for running hot, sometimes intensely so, I've never been someone who's been bothered by it, for whatever reason. In using the MacBook Air for extended periods of time, I found it never got particularly hot. It certainly never felt warmer than my MacBook. The heat, when it is apparent, is concentrated in the back left corner. But at no time did I judge the temperature back there as being uncomfortable or potentially injurious.

Battery Included

One of the more controversial features of the MacBook Air is its battery. Not its rated battery life--although at five hours, even Apple's estimate of the MacBook Air's battery capacity is less than the six hours the company estimates for the MacBook and the 15-inch Mac Book Pro.

No, the most controversial issue is that the MacBook Air's battery is not replaceable. There's no battery door, no way to swap a dead battery out and replace it with a fresh one--like all other Apple laptops. Like an iPod or iPhone, the MacBook Air has a battery embedded inside and there's no official way to get it out other than giving your laptop back to Apple and asking the company to replace it for a fee. (Online reports suggest that the battery is relatively easy to replace--so long as you've got a screwdriver and some patience. In other words, replacing the battery is something to do when the original wears out, not something to do while on a long flight. And something to do if you're not concerned about voiding your warranty.)

For some users, swapping batteries is a necessity. If you take long plane flights or otherwise travel for long periods of time without access to a power outlet, bringing along a second battery has been a time-tested tradition. With the MacBook Air, that safety net is gone.

Apple's decision to eliminate the battery swap might not be quite as radical as you might first think, however. Many airlines already offer power outlets for laptops (though some plugs require Apple's $49 MagSafe Airline Adapter), and in a few years they may very well be common, especially on long-haul flights. But that's little solace if you fly from Boston to L.A. every week in the back row of a United flight where power plugs are just a rumor.

In my 12-inch PowerBook G4 days, I used to keep a second battery around, specifically for airplane flights. But honestly, since I upgraded to the MacBook I've never even removed my battery, except to install RAM or swap out the hard drive. One reason for that is a change in my in-flight habits: I use my laptop for work when I'm on the flight, but when I take breaks to entertain myself, I switch to an iPhone or iPod. By spreading the load out over multiple devices, each with their own batteries, I can get through the entire flight.

In the end, the lack of a replacement battery may be a deal-breaker for people who truly need more working time than the MacBook Air's locked-in battery gives them. In my days using the MacBook Air-Web browsing, writing, and using e-mail, all with Wi-Fi turned on--I found that it held a charge for roughly three hours total. It was an acceptable, if not inspiring, amount of time.

My attempts to recharge the Air's battery took a surprisingly long time. Apple says that the behavior I witnessed doesn't really fit with any of its testing; we're working with Apple to get to the bottom of the issue and Macworld Lab will do further battery testing (inluding both discharge and recharge time) soon to help clarify the issue.

The MacBook Air's power adapter itself is different from the ones sold with the MacBook and MacBook Pro-the Air's slim design forced Apple to place its power connector on a curved edge on its left side, and the MacBook and MacBook pro adapters-though they'll fit the connector itself-stick out straight, causing them to pop right off if you lay the MacBook Air flat on a desk or table. The MacBook Air's connector, in contrast, turns at a right angle and nestles snug in the case's curve.

Users of laptop stands may feel encouraged that they probably don't have to invest in extra power adapters for the MacBook Air: my simple Road Tools Podium CoolPad raised the Air high enough up off my desk so that my existing 85-watt MagSafe adapter connected to the MacBook Air with room to spare.