MacBook Air 13-inch Review

Apple products; love them or hate them. I used to hate Apple products, always think that they were overpriced and incompatible to just about everything. When I was seriously in search of my next laptop, somehow MacBook Air was in my list. Honestly, the first MacBook Air was too expensive for me. Why ‘for me’? Well, I wouldn’t think it is expensive if I can afford it simply because MacBook Air was worth the price. Think about other manufacturers. Did they produce laptops as thin as MacBook Air or laptops that utilise Solid State Disk as storage in the year 2008?

Two years later, new MacBook Air arrives. It is now more affordable not because of the lack of quality. It’s because Solid State Disk can be found everywhere and Apple does not have to do much about the exterior of MacBook Air since the 2008 MacBook Air was almost perfect in its way.

I thought long and hard when selecting my next laptop and here I am, typing this hub using my very own MacBook Air 13-inch. The basic configuration of a MacBook Air 13-inch is as follow:

1.86 GHz or 2.13 GHz Core 2 Duo Processor
2GB RAM or 4GB RAM
128GB or 256GB SSD Storage
SD Card Reader
2 X USB Slot
1 X Mini Display Port
1 X Headphone
Built-in Webcam
Multi-touch Pad

Hardware

As you can see, the hardware is pretty standard and any IT guy would say that it has an old processor. Indeed, the new type of Intel processor is called the SandyBridge and this Core 2 Duo is older by two generations. Well, in computer terms, anything can become out-dated so quickly and you can only do so much to follow up with those ever-changing IT world. RAM is always a myth. As usual, the more the better. 2GB is enough for day-to-day work and casual gaming. In my opinion, Solid State Disk (SSD) storage is suitable for laptops due to its durability and size. In my opinion, it is more stable than traditional 2.5” hard disk and takes the knock better. I am sure that a normal 2.5” hard disk would not fit into a MacBook Air.

2 USB slots are enough for me. I do not need those fancy firewire ports or HDMI. Ethernet and VGA port would be useful but not essential. Anyway, you can still have these luxuries by purchasing additional accessories that utilises the mini display port and USB port.

The keyboard is pleasant to type and the touch pad is splendid. I have always thought that a laptop should come with a mouse. It’s a bit difficult to do thing with touch pad especially when it comes to photo editing. Ever try to click and drag a window from one corner of the screen to another corner? Well, I have to say that I have not missed the mouse since using multi touch pad.

One thing that might annoy some users is the absent of the bar of illuminating lights that shows the hard drive activity, wireless on/off Bluetooth and the likes. MacBook Air has only the caps lock light while the charging light is on the MagSafe power adapter itself. This however, is not really a problem to me, as I didn’t miss those indicators. On normal operation, the fan is quiet. The MacBook Air does not emit a sound at all except when you are typing. Annoyingly, the sound of the fan can go quite loud when the system in performing intensive stuffs, especially games.

Software

Naturally, MacBook comes with its own Mac OS X. A lot of people have failed to understand the real difference between Windows and Mac OS X. I am using MacBook Air currently but I still like Windows products. Users always like to say how unstable Windows can be but bear in mind that Windows is an operating system that is trying to accommodate any hardware and system available on the market. Apple on the other hand, is developing Mac OS X only for MacBooks.

Have you tried to make your Windows to look like Mac OS X? Yeah, I have done it before by installing docking software and minimise windows taskbar or move windows taskbar to the top of the screen. I have even installed Mac OS X Leopard on my Samsung NC10 netbook once. It was not exactly stable on Samsung NC10 due to the wireless card compatibility and the occasion system hung. Well, I get the perfect OS and dock with MacBook Air; simple and easy to use. The system preferences or control panel is tidy and not full with links to different settings of the system. Deleting a program is as easy as removing the icon in the application folder. Most importantly, you do not get updates so often like the never ending Windows update.

A recent update of Mac OS X Snow Leopard has seen the inclusion of App Store. The concept of the App Store is more or less like the app store that you get in your iPhone. Using the App Store, you can buy programs and download it straightaway. I still prefer Ubuntu Software Package as it is more comprehensive. However, I am sure that Mac OS X will improve from time to time especially Mac OS X Lion is coming soon. There is still plenty of free software that allows you to work on MacBook Air. I always make sure that I have NeoOffice, Gimp and VLC player installed.

Performance

Old processor but the performance is unbelievable. The system boot up in about 5 seconds while it takes around 2 seconds from sleep. A lot of reviews give the credit to the SSD and the stability of Mac OS X Snow Leopard. I have played a few games and I have to say that it is not quite a gaming machine. Grand Theft Auto San Andreas runs smoothly while Sims City 3 lags a bit but still playable. Needless to say, the fan kicks in after a few minutes of gameplay. If you think that MacBook Air is just a laptop with a netbook specification, you are so wrong. I can have several programs running altogether without any loss of performance.

Pros

Good performance
Stable operating system
Huge multi touch pad
No indicators – Hard drive, power, wifi, bluetooth
Good battery life

Verdict

You can never fail to find a review about each Apple products. In the old days, people were waiting anxiously for new Apple products. Nowadays, people are finding ways and means to try to get a glimpse of Apple prototypes or unfinished products. Most even start to predict the dates when new Apple products will be available. MacBook Air is not difference. Some people were disappointed when they thought the new MacBook Air had the new SandyBridge processor. Still, millions of people are using MacBook Air right now. When millions are using a product, it’s hard to find an excuse that it is a bad one. Even without the new SandyBridge processor, it still performs above average laptops. You may decide to wait for the next in line of MacBook Air with the hope of getting the new SandyBridge processor. However, I am already a MacBook Air user and I have used one for nearly a year before you even got one.