Apple MacBook Air

Reviewed by: mcconnell

04-23-08

Duration of ownership: 2 Months

Strengths: Other than being very, very thin and fairly reliable, I haven't found any strengths. I will say that it is extremely portable.

Weaknesses: The processor is weak (even upgraded) and the HDD is small. I have felt very limited while working and playing games. I am a huge gamer and I also edit photos/videos a lot. This laptop, although small, doesn't have a lot of room to work. Also the lack of a CD/DVD drive, monitor port, small screen, lack of fire wire port, Ethernet port and only 2 USB drives make it extremely limiting.

Overall Evaluation: I would have to say that I don't think Apple did very well with this laptop. I wouldn't recommend it to someone who is looking for power for work or play. It is very thin, almost too thin, but that doesn't make up for everything it is missing. For now I will go back to my Dell laptop (17 inch screen, 250 GB HDD, 2.4 Duo Core CPU, and 2 GB RAM).

Reviewed by: MBA4EVA

02-24-08

Duration of ownership: 3 Days

Strengths: The perfect ultraportable laptop for the majority of users. OS X and Vista capable. Solid performance.

Weaknesses: Relatively slow HDD only an issue for heavy duty read-write duties - upgrade is a possibility down the road though.

Overall Evaluation: I had been unsure as to which of the three Macbook ranges to buy. If you want graphics performance get the Macbook Pro. If you want price vs performance get the Macbook. If you want a slick ultraportable with more-than-adequate performance for the majority of users, get the Macbook Air. I recommend it without hesitation. This is especially so if you get the external ODD, which works a treat when needed, and if you get the latest Airport Extreme and whack a big external HDD on it. The disk space issues become irrelevant as you can connect iTunes and iPhoto to your preexisting libraries without difficulty. You can also stream and media without any dramas whatsoever. Another winner from Apple.

Reviewed by: totallyworfless

Updated: 19-Apr-08

Strengths: Size, Weight, Look and coolness factor

Weaknesses: underpowered, only 1 usb port

Overall Evaluation: Again, I am blown away by another apple product. This is one of the coolest laptops to hold in your hand. It's amazing how much a few pounds off the weight and the slimness of design makes such a big difference. I was a little disappointed by the battery power (only about 3 hours) though I've heard that other people have had varying amounts of battery life. All in all, I'm very happy about my purchase as a business traveler.

Reviewed by: mfauls

Updated: 19-Apr-08

Strengths: Size, look, well integrated package

Weaknesses: Connectivity options, battery life, no CD/DVD

Overall Evaluation: I have been an MS user for like 20 years. Vista: they should really be ashamed of themselves! Time for a new PC for couch surfing and decided I would give it a try. Glad I did. Very light, people all want to try it out when they see it. The learning curve from Windows took like an hour. People complain about Safari but I think it performs pretty well. I did download FireFox as a comparison, but like Safari on the Mac better. Biggest drawback: no DVD/CD and only one USB. Performance is quite OK.

Reviewed by: JoeJames55

Updated: 30-Mar-08

Strengths: Great looking, ultra thin design.

Weaknesses: No cd/dvd drive, 1.6 Intel Core 2 Duo

Overall Evaluation: Hmm, gotta give it to Apple again for making a light weight, good looking machine. Same as the I-pod, a first. Again, same as the i-pod, lacking in MAJOR functionality. No cd/dvd drive is a real killer! Battery life is pretty average but for what this doesn't have, I would expect better. Plus, that 1.6 gig Intel... boring. If you are going to spend that much money on a laptop, you might as well get something with some real power and it only weighs in at 5-6 lbs? Just as easy to tote around, does 3 lbs really make a difference or are we all that lazy?

Reviewed by: psmile4me

Updated: 21-Mar-08

Strengths: Dimensions, weight, visuals and style

Weaknesses: Security (no place for a laptop lock), not enough ports, particularly ethernet port (but a mini hub can be purchased, as well as a usb ethernet adapter), lack of cd drive

Overall Evaluation: I received my MBA 2 days ago and once again Apple has made an impressive statement in the form of presentation. The packaging alone was a thing of beauty. Once I got to the actual product all I could do was smile and thank the Lord that my PowerBook G4 12-inch died a week ago. Up until that point my 12-inch was attached to my hip. Compared to the current lineup of Apple laptops, the MacBook Air is lacking in a few key areas like hard drive space, internal CD drive, ports and speed. But for a traveler who needs a laptop when I'm on the go, losing the load is so worth it and this dawn thing can fit into the slimmest of places and not wear me down when I'm running for a plane. Note: I remedied the hard drive problem with the purchase of a Maxtor OneTouch 4 Mini 250GB portable hard drive, almost the size of a deck of cards. Final note: I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE my new MBA and could care less about the cons...BUT I better NOT hear about an upgrade 2 months from now:-)

Reviewed by: devilot

Updated: 28-Feb-08

Strengths: Lightweight, solidly built, full-sized backlit keyboard, gorgeous 13.3" LED display, large multi-touch touchpad

Weaknesses: Faster than other ultra portables, but still a bit laggy, 1 USB port, remote/ ethernet dongle/ external SuperDrive are extra

Overall Evaluation: Yes, this is NOT a _cheap_ notebook. Nor should it be if you take into account the little extras that Apple throws in such as the built-in iSight, lovely aluminum casing, magnetic latch, MagSafe adapter, backlit KB, "huge" multi-touch touchpad with all new gestures, and even the chipset had to be custom-built-- minimized to fit in this super thin notebook. Some complain, "Who's so weak that they'd pay a premium to lighten their load by 2 measly pounds?" But that's not really the way to look at it at all. If given a choice, would you rather tote around a magazine or a hardcover college textbook? I know which I'd prefer. And truly, the three pounds in day-to-day computing is very noticeable. It is very noticeably light! A true joy to bring out and about and just when moving around the house. For the user who doesn't use "power" apps (such as video/ music editing, or intensive graphics work), this is a superb notebook. NOT a des...