The Apple MacBook Air is the thinnest laptop ever made. At its fattest end it's still thinner than the nearest competitor's thinnest.The Apple MacBook Air is sturdy and doesn't feel like it's going to snap or bend. Also bear in mind that the 4mm-thick part is right at the edge. The rest of the system gets gradually thicker towards the 19mm edge at the rear. At its thickest edge (towards the rear) it's a mere 19.3mm, while at its thinnest its just 4mm. It's got a 13.3-inch glossy screen, a full-size backlit keyboard, built-in iSight Web camera, microphone and stereo speakers, and -- oh yes -- a multi-touch trackpad.
The most fun element is this multi-touch track pad. Zooming in and out of images was great fun and uses the 'pinch-and-stretch' technique adopted in the iPhone and iPod touch. If you can imagine rotating a physical photograph with two fingers on a table, you can have a pretty good guess at what it's like to rotate a photo on the Air, since it works in exactly the same way on the touch pad. You can even zoom into areas of the MacBook's desktop environment with multi-touch and navigate with two fingers -- again, just like on the iPhone.
Although it's an exceptionally thin laptop, it's not sized like an ultraportable. The keyboard is as large as the new iMac keyboard, so typing on it is instantly comfortable, with no need to adjust to tiny keys.
But not everything is positive. Jobs was probably correct in saying that most people in the market for this sort of laptop won't miss the optical drive, but few will be happy with a single USB socket. When it comes to ultraportable laptops, optical drives are rather cumbersome. So Apple got rid. Instead, a piece of software inside the Air -- along with a bundled app for Macs and PCs -- lets you connect to another computer's drive wirelessly. Or you could buy the MacBook Air SuperDrive -- a tiny USB-toting external DVD R/W drive. It costs £65.
Another thing missing is a microphone socket. It may not seem like a big deal, but it will be for some. Wired connectivity comes in the form of a single USB 2.0 socket, a single Micro-DVI socket and a headphone socket. Because the machine is so light and portable, it's great for podcasters on the go. Apple includes GarageBand and promotes the ease of podcasting with a Mac, but don't expect to use that slinky condenser mic, because you'll have nowhere to plug it in. You'll have to make do with the internal microphone. There's also no Ethernet port, although 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 are present.
So there are good points and bad. Obviously an external hard disk, DVD drive, USB microphone and USB hub will be essential tools for some people to carry around, somewhat defeating the object of having something so easily portable. If that's you, just get a MacBook or MacBook Pro. Relocate to the Moon if you want these heavier options to weigh the same as the Air. And don't forget the massive price tag: from £1,199 -- or more than five times as much as the Asus Eee PC.
Standard Specifications:
The most fun element is this multi-touch track pad. Zooming in and out of images was great fun and uses the 'pinch-and-stretch' technique adopted in the iPhone and iPod touch. If you can imagine rotating a physical photograph with two fingers on a table, you can have a pretty good guess at what it's like to rotate a photo on the Air, since it works in exactly the same way on the touch pad. You can even zoom into areas of the MacBook's desktop environment with multi-touch and navigate with two fingers -- again, just like on the iPhone.
Although it's an exceptionally thin laptop, it's not sized like an ultraportable. The keyboard is as large as the new iMac keyboard, so typing on it is instantly comfortable, with no need to adjust to tiny keys.
But not everything is positive. Jobs was probably correct in saying that most people in the market for this sort of laptop won't miss the optical drive, but few will be happy with a single USB socket. When it comes to ultraportable laptops, optical drives are rather cumbersome. So Apple got rid. Instead, a piece of software inside the Air -- along with a bundled app for Macs and PCs -- lets you connect to another computer's drive wirelessly. Or you could buy the MacBook Air SuperDrive -- a tiny USB-toting external DVD R/W drive. It costs £65.
Another thing missing is a microphone socket. It may not seem like a big deal, but it will be for some. Wired connectivity comes in the form of a single USB 2.0 socket, a single Micro-DVI socket and a headphone socket. Because the machine is so light and portable, it's great for podcasters on the go. Apple includes GarageBand and promotes the ease of podcasting with a Mac, but don't expect to use that slinky condenser mic, because you'll have nowhere to plug it in. You'll have to make do with the internal microphone. There's also no Ethernet port, although 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 are present.
So there are good points and bad. Obviously an external hard disk, DVD drive, USB microphone and USB hub will be essential tools for some people to carry around, somewhat defeating the object of having something so easily portable. If that's you, just get a MacBook or MacBook Pro. Relocate to the Moon if you want these heavier options to weigh the same as the Air. And don't forget the massive price tag: from £1,199 -- or more than five times as much as the Asus Eee PC.
Standard Specifications:
- 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU with 4MB of L2 cache
- 2GB 667MHz DDR2 RAM
- 80GB 1.8-inch hard disk with Sudden Motion Sensor
- Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
- Built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking
- Bluetooth 2.1
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