Apple MacBook Air MB003LL/A 13.3 Inch Laptop (1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive)

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Apple MacBook Air MB003LL/A 13.3 Inch Laptop (1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive)

Thinnovation. Apple MacBook Air the thinnest notebook in the world.
At 0.16 inch at its thinnest point, just 0.76 inch at its thickest point, and a mere 3.0 pounds, MacBook Air is so compact and light that you can take it everywhere. But unlike other ultraportable designs, it doesn't compromise on features and performance. MacBook Air includes a bright 13.3-inch widescreen LED display, built-in iSight camera, 2GB of RAM, 80GB hard drive, and a powerful Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB L2 Cache. Enjoy also a full-size backlit keyboard with keys that automatically illuminates from behind in low-light conditions, and a spacious solid-state trackpad with multi-touch gesture that lets you zoom, rotate, swipe, and scroll with just a flick or a pinch. Engineered for the wireless world, MacBook Air also comes with 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, and Remote Disc to deliver unparalleled wireless versatility to use any Mac or PC storage drive. The MacBook Air battery is our thinnest ever, yet it doesn't compromise power. You can access the web wirelessly for five full hours. With MacBook Air, mobile computing is a sensible reality. 13.3 diagonal Glossy WXGA (1280 x 800) TFT LED backlit Display Built-in iSight camera and Microphone Built-in full-size keyboard with 78 (U.S.) keys, including 12 function keys; Solid-state trackpad Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 with up to 144MB Shared Video Memory Built-in AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi wireless networking (802.11a/b/g/n) Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR 1 USB 2.0 port, 1 Audio out, 1 Micro- DVI Pure digital video output -DVI output using micro-DVI to DVI adapter (included); VGA output using micro-DVI to VGA adapter (included) Approximate Unit Dimensions/Weight - 12.8 (W) x 0.16-0.76 (H) x 8.94 (D); 3 lbs MacBook Air SuperDrive (MB397G/A) optional

With the MacBook Air, Apple has created the world's thinnest laptop--measuring an unprecedented 0.16-inches at its thinnest point (and 0.76 inches thick overall). Apple also introduces its vaunted multi-touch technology, found on the iPhone, to its laptops with the MacBook Air, enabling you to pinch, swipe, or rotate to zoom in on text, advance through a photo album, or adjust an image via the oversized trackpad.

Despite the its slender shell, the MacBook Air doesn't skimp on the specifications. It includes a 13.3-inch LED-backlit widescreen display, full-size and backlit keyboard, and a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing. The MacBook Air is powered by a custom-built 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, which provides an optimized, multithreaded architecture for improved multitasking performance. Other features include 2 GB of RAM, an 80 GB hard disk drive, Wi-Fi connectivity via 802.11a/b/g/n standards, a micro-DVI video output (with included adapters), and up to a 5-hour battery life.

It comes pre-loaded with Apple's Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system, which adds over 300 new features including easy backup of your most important data via Time Machine, a redesigned desktop that helps eliminate clutter, and the newest version of the fast-loading Safari web browser. It also comes with the iLife '08 suite of applications, including iPhoto, iMovie, Garageband, and iTunes.

Amazingly thin at just 0.16 inches at its thinnest and 0.76 inches at its thickest point, the MacBook Air weighs just 3 pounds.

Apple's Thinnest Laptop Is Also Its Greenest
The MacBook Air embodies Apple's continuing environmental progress with its aluminum enclosure, a material highly desired by recyclers; Apple's first mercury-free LCD display with arsenic-free glass; and brominated flame retardant-free material for the majority of circuit boards as well as PVC-free internal cables. In addition, the MacBook Air consumes the least amount of power of any Mac, and its retail box, made primarily from 100 percent post-consumer recycled material, is 56 percent smaller by volume than the previously smallest MacBook packaging.

Design
The thinness of MacBook Air is impressive, but even more impressive is that fact that there's a full-size notebook encased in the 0.16 to 0.76 inch of sleek, sturdy anodized aluminum. This svelte, 3-pound laptop has a vibrant, energy efficient 13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, and its spacious trackpad offers multi-touch gesture support for pinch, rotate and swipe--making it more intuitive than ever to browse and rotate photos or zoom into web pages in Safari. It also features a full-size keyboard that's backlit, making it ideal for dimly lit environments such as airplanes, studios or conference halls. It includes a built-in ambient light sensor automatically adjusts the brightness of the keys as well as the display brightness for optimal visibility.

One of Apple's most celebrated innovations is the MagSafe power adapter connector, which offers a magnetic connection instead of a physical one. So, if you happen to trip over a power cord, you won't send the MacBook Air flying off a table or desk--the cord simply disconnects, without damage to either the cord or the system.

Optical Drive
Because of the amazingly thin design of the MacBook Air, an optical (DVD/CD) drive was not included. To install software from a disc, you can wirelessly use or "borrow" optical drives on remote PCs or Macs using the Remote Disk feature. This allows you full access to an optical drive without having to haul one around. If you want to have an optical drive for burning CDs and DVDs, you can purchase the optional MacBook Air SuperDrive (sold separately). This multi-format CD/DVD read/write drive is powered by the MacBook Air's USB port, eliminating the need to carry a separate power adapter.

Networking
The MacBook Air doesn't include wired Ethernet networking, and instead relies solely on Wi-Fi to connect to your home network as well as wireless hotspots. The built-in 802.11n wireless networking provides up to five times the performance and twice the range of 802.11g, but it's also backward-compatible with 802.11a/b/g routers, enabling you to communicate with the a wide variety of Wi-Fi resources. It works seamlessly with the optional AirPort Extreme base station as well as Apple's Time Capsule Wi-Fi base station/hard drive--both of which include 802.11n capabilities. If you don't have access to a wireless network, you can use an optional USB Ethernet Adapter (sold separately)

Use the built-in Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) wireless technology to connect to your PDA or cell phone, synchronize addresses, or download pictures from your cell phone. You can also use a wireless headset for iChat audio chats and VoIP calls as well as quickly share files with a colleague.

Video Conferencing with Built-in iSight
Artfully placed in the display bezel is an iSight camera, which enables easy video conferencing as well as allows you to snap pictures of yourself and create video podcasts. Using the iChat AV application, video conferencing is integrated into your iChat buddy list, so initiating a video conference is a breeze. iChat also lets you hold audio chats with up to 10 people and provides high-quality audio compression and full-duplex sound so conversation can flow naturally. For video podcasting, you can record a short clip using the iSight camera, then use iWeb to create a video blog entry or post your GarageBand-recorded podcast.

Display and Graphics

The MacBook Air includes a vibrant 13.3-inch LED-backlit display and a full-sized keyboard.

Whether you're working on a Keynote presentation or watching a movie before you catch a flight, every document, video, and photo on your MacBook Air will look sharp on the glossy 13.3-inch widescreen display. With pixel-perfect 1280-by-800 resolution, it's great for viewing and working with media. Video is powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100, which provides 144 MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory. It features Intel Clear Video Technology, which delivers outstanding video playback with sharper image quality, increased clarity, and enhanced visual quality of interlaced content on progressive displays.

Hard Drive and Memory
For storage, this MacBook Air comes with an 80 GB Parallel ATA hard disk drive (4200 RPM). The 2 GB of PC5300 DDR2 RAM (two SO-DIMMs of 1024 MB) has an industry-leading 667 MHz speed, and it maximizes the capacity for this laptop.

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
Custom-built to fit within the compact dimensions of the laptop, the MacBook Air is powered by a 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with a super-fast 800 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and an enormous 4 MB of Smart Cache, an L2 cache that can be shared between the cores as needed. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)

The innovative now-you-see-it, now-you-don't port hatch flips down to reveal (and closes to hide) all the ports you really need: a USB 2.0 port, a headphone jack, and a micro-DVI port.

The Intel Core 2 Duo's 128-bit SSE3 vector engine handles 128-bit computations in a single clock cycle, accelerating data manipulation by simultaneously applying a single instruction to multiple data. And its two execution cores are designed to share resources and conserve power, helping it to achieve higher levels of performance since it uses fewer watts. And with 4MB of shared L2 cache, the MacBook Air is a multi-tasking monster. With such substantial L2 cache, data and instructions can be kept close to the two processor cores, greatly increasing performance and allowing the entire system to work more efficiently. And, because the processor cores share the L2 cache, either can use the entire amount if the other happens to be idle.

Other Features

• DVI output using micro-DVI to DVI adapter (included)
• VGA output using micro-DVI to VGA adapter (included)
• Composite output using micro-DVI to video adapter (optional)
• S-video output using micro-DVI to video adapter (optional)
• Analog audio output/headphone out (minijack)
• Built-in mono speaker and omnidirectional microphone
• Integrated 37-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery provides up to 5 hours of battery life
• Built-in full-size keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys, 4 arrow keys (inverted "T" arrangement), and embedded numeric keypad
• Supported resolutions: 1280 by 800 (native), 1152 by 720, 1024 by 768, 800 by 600, 800 by 500, 720 by 480, and 640 by 480 pixels at 16:10 aspect ratio; 1024 by 768, 800 by 600, and 640 by 480 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio; 720 by 480 pixels at 3:2 aspect ratio

Preloaded with Leopard, you'll enjoy enhanced productivity and a clutter-free desktop (thanks to the redesigned 3D Dock with Stacks).

Preloaded with Leopard and iLife '08
The biggest Mac OS X upgrade ever, the Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system features over 300 new features, including:

• Time Machine, an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac
• A redesigned Finder that lets users quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs
• Quick Look, a new way to instantly see files without opening an application
• Spaces, an intuitive new feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them
• A brand new desktop with Stacks, a new way to easily access files from the Dock
• Major enhancements to Mail and iChat

Time Machine lets you easily back up all of the data on your Mac, find lost files and even restore all of the software on their Mac. With just a one-click setup, Time Machine automatically keeps an up-to-date copy of everything on the Mac. In the event a file is lost, you can search back through time to find deleted files, applications, photos and other digital media and then instantly restore the file.

The MacBook Air also comes with the iLife '08 suite of applications that make it easy to live the digital life. Use iPhoto to share entire high-res photo albums with anyone who's got an email address. Record your own songs and podcasts with GarageBand. Break into indie filmmaking with iMovie and iDVD. Then take all the stuff you made on your Mac and share it on the Web in one click with iWeb.

What's in the Box
MacBook Air, MagSafe power adapter, Micro-DVI to DVI adapter, Micro-DVI to VGA adapter, cleaning/polishing cloth, install/restore DVDs, printed documentation

Apple MacBook Air MB003LL/A 13.3 Inch Laptop (1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive) Accessories

Apple Macbook Air SuperDrive (MB397G/A)
Apple USB Ethernet Adapter - Network adapter - Hi-Speed USB - EN, Fast EN - 10Base-T, 100Base-TX
Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Home & Student Edition
Apple Mighty Mouse Wireless Kit
AppleCare Protection Plan MA519LL/A for MacBook Air / MacBook
Apple Time Capsule MB276LL/A 802.11n 500 GB Network Backup Hard Drive
Apple MacBook MB403LL/A 13.3-inch Laptop (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive) White
VMware Fusion
Apple Time Capsule MB277LL/A 802.11n 1 TB Network Backup Hard Drive
Apple iPod touch 8 GB

Apple MacBook Air MB003LL/A 13.3 Inch Laptop (1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive) Reviews

It is so small and light, it makes no noticable difference in my carryon or work messenger bag. Boy, was that a mistake, and one that the Macbook Air has readily filled I now own an iMac at home, and use the Macbook AIr for travel and work. I read a lot of reviews before buying, and I have to tell you, I have experienced zero of the problems that some write about. I have been a mac laptop user for years and year, most recently with a Macbook Pro. I did break down and buy the external superdrive, because it is just so much faster than using the Remote Disk feature on the MBA. Still, the speed it good, I don't notice any major slowness, programs open zippily, run well, and everything just plain old works. In addition, I found that I use the ethernet USB adapter more ofter than not, since it is suprising how many hotels in the US and Europe are NOT wireless order one with your MBA and spare the hassle. In fact, I had switched to the macbook pro as my all-in-one computer for several years for work, home, and travel.

Even after many months of use, it still has the "wow" factor when people see it, something us Apple geeks truly thrive on.and it has all the features i need on the road. I just love it. I am very happy with this purchase. I think Cupertino must run on a different system, since wireless is an amazing idea that might work there, but does not work in 90 percent of the rest of america.

I have been the informal tech guy for two Airs. Except for the wireless reception, the problems of the Air are problems for the tech person, not so much for the day-to-day user. (11) It is easy to connect the Air to another computer to use the other computer's CD or DVD drive. None would go back to a MacBook. After the reboot, the Air could not see the DVD drive in the other computer. Consider wrapping it in bubble wrap in your backpack or briefcase.

The whole process (including the restore from Time Machine) takes many hours, but it works great and you do NOT need a powered external DVD drive; the SuperDrive works fine for this. Then when it is thrown into a backpack or briefcase, it will be safer. (9) Wireless reception does not seem to be a strength of the two Airs that I use. (4) If you ever do a full "restore and erase" from the two discs that come with the Air, you need to know this: At the end of first disc, about 1.5 hours into the process, it flashes "Get ready to insert Disc 2." Then it reboots and eventually says "Installing. The SuperDrive that you can buy for the Air (and you should buy it, it is small and light) does not work from a USB hub. Not very brilliant programming.

The SuperDrive will not share that port on a USB hub (nor will it work on any computer but an Air). In future generations of the Air I hope that Apple finds a way to get the best possible wireless reception for the Air. But you only have one USB port and no firewire ports. You can check the packet flow in the Activity Monitor in Utilities to see what works best. To backup the stuff on this drive, you will need another solution, which might be Time Machine on the Time Capsule.

This waste of two hours (for the erase and restore) is the cost of a small, light computer, I guess. But consider using a Time Capsule or an external hard drive that has its own power supply. They are generally wonderful, especially if the weight is a big factor. (3) The Genius Bar geniuses know a lot more about the MacBook than the Air because the Air is still relatively new. (We used a Western Digital Passport). I connected to another Air and could use the SuperDrive on the second Air. You need a good wireless connection for both computers. The Apple Genius Bar might not have these.

For a student whose life is on the Air, I would definitely consider the Time Capsule an essential accessory to the Air. It was a special moment in my life. Be sure to have the printer plugged into the Time Capsule and turned on before you install the Time Capsule. Also, in its sleeve on a desk it is less of an object of desire for thieves (in my humble opinion). (At that point the restore process is finished with the DVD and you can unplug the SuperDrive and plug in your external hard drive, whether powered or not.

Two hours later, when this is DONE and you have a fresh computer, it asks if you want to restore from a hard drive using Time Machine. I heard of someone throwing out their Air with the Sunday paper. A powered DVD drive from another manufacturer (ours is from Toshiba) works on a powered USB hub. (10) The 80 GB hard drive in the Air is not big enough for a student's life if the student likes to store music and videos on it. (I liked the WD Passport for this, since it does not need external power and it is small, reliable and travels well. After all these months, the Air is still eye candy (as you well know if you got this far in this review).

I experienced. Might be an urban legend, but we lost a SuperDrive, possibly the same way. Which is a good design choice. All other laptops seem heavy and inelegant. Given all that, every Air owner I know would buy another one if they lost theirs. (6) Backups to Time Machine are more likely to happen if you use a Time Capsule as a wireless router + external hard drive. Note: See (11) and (12) below for alternate methods for a full restore, in one of which the WD Passport worked fine.

(8) I understand that the wireless antenna is in the hinge that attaches the screen to the body of the Air. I have heard of people using this as a way to access the OSX DVD when they do a quick full restore from Time Machine to the Air. (7) Get a neoprene sleeve for the Air. (12) Update: To do a full restore from Time Machine to the Air: Do an Erase and Restore with the start up disc or an OSX disc.

You will want to travel with this and an ethernet cable, in case your hotel room has an ethernet connection and no (or poor) wireless reception. It does NOT say "Insert Disc 2". For example, to check your office email at a Kinko's. Now you know, too. But a powered WD MyBook external hard drive did connect to the Air via the powered hub.

I wish the backup was not in the same room as the backed-up drives, but it is a lot better than no backup). So use a powered external hard drive for your Time Machine backups, and if you need to do a full restore, get a powered USB hub and a powered external DVD drive with a USB output. He went to lunch and I watched the computer for two hours (this is what I want you to avoid), so I happened to see the message at the end of disc one. (2) To do a quick full restore from Time Machine, you need BOTH an OSX disc (either Disc 1 that comes with the Air or an off-the-shelf OSX disc) and the back-up hard drive. Calculating time remaining" and ejects the disc. For someone who uses the Air as an occasional computer for travel and has her life on an iMac with an ethernet connection to the internet, the Time Capsule is nice but not necessary. The 4 MacBooks that preceded the two Airs in our lives seemed to get more consistently good wireless reception.

Definitely buy it. Try sliding it around to get better reception. Every two-disc Windows program and game says "Insert Disc 2 and press Enter." Not these install discs. The Air asks the other computer for permission each time, and the other computer has to give permission each time. So it is somewhat directional. (1) If you ever want to use an ethernet connection to the internet (as opposed to wireless), then you have to bring the dongle that converts the one USB port to ethernet. An outboard hard drive is a distant second-best solution. The problem was that the both the OSX disc and the original Disc 1 that comes with the Air cause a reboot.

I have also traveled with them. (5) Be careful where you put the Air and the SuperDrive. I hope this saves you from the frustration that. They are happy with their MacBooks as their main computers). One for 8 months, one for 6 months. End of quick restore process.

Otherwise, you will probably need to call Apple Care to walk you through the re-install with the printer. This is a shame, because the Air depends more on its wireless than the MacBooks, which have real ports. USB power is enough for this drive since you will not be doing a full Time Machine restore from this drive. I found out when I went to the Genius bar and the Genius restarted the install process. Don't get off the phone until the printer works and Time Machine works, not just the wireless internet. The powered external drive is not elegant, but if you ever need to do a full restore (and you might because your Air will lead a hard life, especially if it is a student's life), it will save you a couple of hours if you use a powered external hard drive. It is easy to back up with Time Machine to a small external drive. What it wants when it ejects Disc 1 is for you to insert Disc 2.

Consider a color other than black, which is harder to see and find. Update: I attach the WD Passport and the printer to the USB port on the Time Capsule with a USB mini hub (not a powered hub), store videos on the Passport and back up the Air and Passport with Time Machine to the Time Capsule's hard drive. (I do know people for whom the weight is not a big issue and who want more horsepower and ports and sometimes screen size, especially for games.

I tried, could connect, but could not do a quick restore this way. The WD Passport would not connect to the Air via a powered USB hub (at least through the hub I used, and that hub has had problems). If maybe you were not watching it for the entire first 1.5 hours, you would not have seen the message at the end of Disc 1 before the reboot. THEN you start the restore.

You can also print through Time Capsule, instead of plugging the printer into the Air when you need to print. The WD Passport worked fine to restore at this point in the process). But.

A terrific screen and keyboard that are a pleasure during all day use. For me the size and weight reduction is definitely worth the performance reduction. I'm honestly not sure I would make any different design choices, and technology progress will take care of the only thing I've found to be occasionally very limiting (disk size and performance).

Yes I would like a bigger, faster hard drive, but next year 120gb 5400rpm single platter units should be available. So under normal use I was very pleasantly surprised how useable the AIR felt after being used to a PRO. Extremely thin but very sturdy feeling. This is a beautiful machine. Yes I would like 2-3 USB ports, but Targus makes some really tiny 4 port hubs for now. Good processor and graphics power for mainstream business applications. Barest minumum of ports requires dongles and a usb hub.

While its slower than my Macbook pro, the only times I really notice a difference are:. - Starting some applications takes longer (but once started I can still run a LOT of apps in 2gb even including Parallels). Wonderfully light even with required accessories. Good battery life (about 4 hours in my case).

- True multitasking is limited to one intensive disk or cpu operation at a time (don't try and use the machine for anything significant while doing a backup, or while ripping a DVD). Adequate disk space but limited disk performance. After being used to traveling with a MacBook Pro I wondered if the MacBook Air would have enough performance and capacity to satisfy my needs. - Booting the machine takes longer (but I usually only do that a couple times a week). Yes I would like a built in ethernet port, but I'm not willing to pay a big form factor price to avoid the $29 dongle.

However, all in all I am very happy and could not have imagined a more perfect computer. I dont have to worry about viruses or other nonsense like that like I use to have to deal with all the time with my old Dell laptop. This computer is the best laptop I have ever owned (the first Mac), and I am in love with the operating system. I am using this as a replacement for my iMac which I moved to the office. Plus its so light I can take it anywhere. The only thing I don't like about it is that it doesn't have a firewire port.

The other thing is that the screen hinge design doesn't allow the screen to go very far back. i just purchased this computer a week ago so i suppose things could change but at this point the computer has been great. Speed has not been an issue - something i wasn't sure about as i almost purchased the SSD option. I ordered the superdrive just in case though i havn't used it yet. The portability was a huge factor for me as it should be for anybody contemplating the purchase of this laptop. Fortunately i didn't and this has been fine. I did order the ethernet dongle just in case.

So far my two nitpicks are that the battery isn't great - 4+ hours of internet/itunes if the screen brightness is down all the way. An ethernet cable and maybe one more usb (tho that too isn't too big of a deal for me) would be nice, but still, i'm totally happy with my purchase :) but i like to keep the brightness at at least 50%. For installing microsoft office i used the remote disc drive and that worked absolutely fine. As a student i don't really need this computer for much more than word documents, internet, email, itunes, and the occasional movie/youtube video. As far as the port limitations go the only thing i use is audio jack, usb, and ethernet at school but there's wifi too. So far the fan/overheating problem that other people were talking about hasn't been an issue and the temp does get warm, but not hot enough to get laggy or be uncomfortable.