MacBook Air: Is It for You?

By Lindsay Moore

Published in the Fall 2009 issue of MyTekLife Magazine

The MacBook Air is ultra-thin and ultra-portable, but is this 0.76-inch, three-pound notebook right for you? The product has been a top seller for Apple. Its thin-form factor has made it popular among those who are always “on the go” and need something portable that can perform most common computer tasks. It does, however, have some limitations when compared to thicker notebooks. Apple has recently released a few revisions of the MacBook Air, which included some improvements on CPU speeds and a surprising new price drop of $300.

The biggest question you need to ask yourself is, what will I be using the MacBook Air for? Your expectations should be realistic. You need to think about balancing portability versus usability.

It is very apparent that Apple’s main objective was to create one of the thinnest notebooks on the market that could run a “full” operating system. When a company embarks on such an endeavor, it becomes obvious at the drawing board that many features found in bigger devices may not be possible and will most likely not be included.

The MacBook Air is currently offered in two basic configurations. One has a 1.86GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM and is priced at $1,499. The higher-end model comes with a 2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM and an optional 128GB solid-state drive. It is priced at $1,799. Both models have a native resolution of 1280 by 800 and a 13.3-inch LED backlit TFT glossy screen. They can support up to 1920 by 1200 through an external monitor. We are wondering why a matte screen option was not offered. Glossy screens are popular among consumers, but there are those who prefer a matte screen. Perhaps a future revision or refresh will have this option.

The MacBook Air comes equipped with a built-in camera, Bluetooth 2.1, a 802.11n wireless card, an audio out connector, one USB 2.1 port and a Micro-DVI connector. As you can see, there are several components that were left out. No Ethernet port, additional USB ports, firewire or CD/DVD drive. It does come with a USB-Ethernet adapter and an optional external USB DVD SuperDrive.

Now comes the part where we ask, what do you intend to use the MacBook Air for? To help in determining if this machine is right for you, we have broken this up into typical user activities. This will help you avoid disappointment and set up realistic expectations.

If you are a gamer, this device is most definitely not for you. The video card is about average, and it’s not meant to render complex graphics at fast frame rates. The integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics card also uses 256MB of system memory, since it is shared. Not to mention the CPU is not fast enough for most new games. But, if the only types of games you play are chess or solitaire, you should be fine.

If you design graphics for a living and need to quickly develop or manipulate graphics on the go that do not require heavy processing or rendering, you should be able to use this notebook. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator CS4 versions have no issues on the MacBook Air; however, working with these applications in a 13.3-inch screen may be challenging for some. Your work may have to wait until you are back at your workstation on your large monitor. In addition, if you have large files, you could run into disk space issues and some bottlenecks reading them, as well. The standard internal drive maximum capacity is 120GB at 4200 rpm. An optional 128GB solid-state drive is also available. The multi-touch trackpad that ships with the Air functions similar to the iPhone’s multi-touch and that of other MacBooks. It’s wider than most notebooks, at 5 inches diagonal. Its features will come in handy when working with graphics. You can rotate an image by rotating fingers. You can zoom in and out using “pinch” and spread gestures. You can perform a three-finger swipe up and down or side to side, which works much like the next and previous arrow keys. This means you can switch between images and web pages. The touchpad bar is unusually thin and takes a bit of getting used to.

If you are away from your office and require remote access to your company’s network, the MacBook Air is perfect. You can take it with you fully loaded with your Microsoft Office applications, such as Word, Entourage or Outlook (if you are running Windows), check your email and stay in touch with your peers. The CPU is more than adequate for multi-tasking, but the lack of a built-in 3G wireless chip could be a problem if you are not near a Wi-Fi hotspot. As an alternative, you can plug in an external 3G modem to the USB port, but you will need a USB extension cord. The port is located in a fold-down compartment, which is somewhat difficult to get to.

If you are a blogger and like to write, the MacBook Air is right for you. You may find yourself at a local Starbucks enjoying a cup of java and writing articles on a frequent basis. This is a good scenario for this notebook. If all you are doing is using a word processor such as Microsoft Word and occasionally browsing the web for references, the average battery life is about three hours. You can get over four hours by lowering the brightness setting to about midpoint. One of the biggest complaints about the MacBook Air is that the battery is not user-replaceable. Apple does have the MacBook Air Out-of-Warranty Replacement Program. It will cost $129 to replace and can be done at a local Apple store; same-day repair is available with an appointment. Apple also offers mail-in repair with a 5 to 7 business day average turn-around time.

The MacBook Air is a dream come true for a student. The thin-form factor makes it extremely attractive for students who want to bundle it with their books inside their backpacks. It is excellent for taking notes in classrooms, and since most universities have Wi-Fi available, you can connect easily connect to the Internet. The price tag of $1,599 may make it impossible for most students to purchase, though.

If you do a lot of web surfing, it will work great. Animated graphics found on the web, such as flash animation, are smooth, and you can even play back high-quality video. QuickTime trailers play smoothly at resolutions of 1920 by 1080. The MacBook Air has a single speaker, which appears to be louder than a MacBook’s but not louder than a MacBook Pro’s. It is located just under the arrow keys on the keyboard. The built-in camera can be used for video chatting with friends and family.

The lack of a firewire port and the notebook’s processing speed does not make the Air feasible for video editing. Of course, if you have a smaller digital camera and want to quickly import video or pictures via USB 2.0 port, you can.

As you can see, the MacBook Air is not for some, but it’s great for others. We believe that this technological innovation will serve as a second computer for those who are always “on the go” and need quick access to their information. Since it is so thin and appears to be well constructed, we can see it being used more regularly than a Blackberry or iPhone. The screen size is more than enough to perform basic office-related tasks. Not to mention, the brightness of the LED backlit LCD screen is absolutely gorgeous.