MacBook Air 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

MacBook Air is the world's thinnest notebook computer: it's just 0.76 (back edge) to 0.16 (front edge) inches. The thickest end on the MacBook Air, at 0.76", is thinner than the thinnest point on Sony Vaio TZ (which is previously the world's thinnest notebook), with the unique combination of a compact exterior and a roomy interior. Built-in 802.11n provides MacBook Air customers the wireless freedom to work wherever they choose and still be connected. With an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, and an optional 64GB solid state hard disk drive, users will have the high technology features they need to accomplish their daily tasks at a surprisingly affordable price.

MacBook Air is nearly as thin as your index finger. Practically every detail that could be streamlined has been. Yet it still has a 13.3-inch widescreen LED display, full-size keyboard, and large multi-touch trackpad. It's incomparably portable without the usual ultraportable screen and keyboard compromises.

Its 13.3-inch widescreen LED backlit display delivers 1280-by-800 resolution which produces vibrant images and rich colors. The LED technology also conserves battery life.

Design

The Macbook Air is very light, at only 3.0 pounds. It has an all-aluminum enclosure, with four thin rubber feet at the bottom, each the size of a dime, that raise the unit just enough (on a hard surface of course) to keep airflow through the system. The bottom-back has slots for air circulation, and is warmer than the front as this is the location of the circuitry. The placement of the battery takes up over a third of the front of the computer, under the trackpad and back towards the 2nd row of keys on the keyboard. The product is well-balanced, from front to back.

The MacBook Air has a cooling system that consists of a very slim fan and plastics that direct airflow over the major components including the processor and the RAM. And to top it off, it runs whisper silent. If you order the Solid State drive option, we cannot think of a reason you will hear anything but a whisper from the unit.

The full-size keyboard has 78 keys, 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys, and of course is backlit. The ambient light sensor controls the keyboard back-lighting illumination and screen brightness, and is located to the left of the built in iSight camera.

Before we go into a breakout of some of the other features, you may want to know there is no audio-in port (other than the microphone near the iSight camera) but with the USB port, you can purchase third-party USB microphones. There is a flip-down panel on the right side that reveals the headphone jack (stereo audio out port) a USB 2.0 port and a Micro-DVI port we'll cover later in this article.

The MacBook Air sports an IR sensor which is located on the front right edge of the computer. The Apple Remote is not sold with the system, but is available for $19.00. There is no Kensington security slot on the MacBook Air.

The next most popular item of interest is the multi-touch TrackPad with support for advanced multi-touch gestures, which are similar to the iPhone, including tap, scroll, pinch, rotate and swipe. All of the gestures are actually presented interactively to the user via the Preferences Panel.

Processor and RAM

The standard configuration has a 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB L2 cache and a 800 MHz
front-side bus standard. This new chip was modified by Intel based upon Apple's ultra-compact space requirement, and is 60 percent smaller than the size of the original Core 2 Duo chip. The chip is the width of a dime and as thick as a nickel - with four million transistors embedded on it. You can upgrade to the 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor.

Hard Drive and Solid State Drive

The standard system comes with an 80GB 4200rpm PATA (Parallel) hard disk drive with Sudden Motion Sensor, which can reduce the risk of having a major hard drive incident, as it parks the hard drive read/write head if the sensor observes out of scope motion (i.e. falling or tilting fast). There is an optional 64GB Flash-based solid-state drive (a $999 option). The primary advantages of the 64GB Flash-based solid-state drive, vs. the standard drive is overall drive performance and drive durability / reliability. There is no noticeable change in battery life with either drive option.

Video, Display and Graphics

The 13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display offers 1280x800 resolution. It is instant-on, and instant bright. There is no waiting for the screen to "warm" like other display offerings. It uses the integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 graphics controller, which is embedded into the Core 2 Duo chip. It allocates and uses 144MB of the 2GB RAM that is included on the motherboard. It can take up to 160MB as needed. The micro-DVI video-out port is revealed in the right side flip-down panel, which we found was very stable in both the open and closed position, and the unit ships with both a Micro-DVI to VGA and Micro-DVI to DVI Adapter. The video-out port on the MacBook Air supports extended desktop and video mirroring, on an external display, up to 1920 by 1200 pixels, at millions of colors - this is the Apple 23" Cinema Display. It will not drive the 30" Display.

The MacBook Air also supports S-video, and composite video with the optional Apple Micro-DVI to Video Adapter.

All Things Wireless

The MacBook Air does not skimp when it comes to being connected. With built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking it supports all known 802.11 connections including a/b/g/n. The MacBook Air is Apple's first computer to support wireless Netboot and with the optional USB-to-Ethernet adapter supports wired Netboot. It does not support booting in Target Disk Mode

The MacBook Air also introduced support for "Remote Disc." With Remote Disc, a CD or DVD can be inserted into the optical drive in a Mac or Windows PC (a "partner computer") on the same wireless network, from which the MacBook Air can wirelessly install software applications, run Disk Utility or troubleshoot a MacBook Air hard disk. Remote Disc Setup software must be installed on the partner computer (a Mac or PC) FIRST, to provide Remote Disc CD/DVD sharing functionality. Please note that Remote Disc does not enable playing of DVD movies or audio CDs, remotely.

NetBooting over the USB/Ethernet adaptor is what we are all used to. We'll call it traditional NetBoot. The USB port is 480Mbps, and it works. While you can "netboot" over wireless with MacBook Air, it's not traditional netboot. Instead, it's a 1-to-1 boot process with another Mac running specific software. This software is part of the software you install on the Partner Computer that also supports a Wireless Setup Assistant and the Optical Drive Sharing. It allows you to "netboot" from the install DVD (mounted on the host machine) and install software just like you would if you were using a local optical drive. So a restore should work via this methodology. Netbooting supports WPA/WPA2 Personal

The MacBook Air also introduced "Wireless Migration Assistant", to transfer files from an old Mac to a new MacBook Air, wirelessly. In the past, you could do this over FireWire when setting up a new Mac for the first time. Wireless Migration Assistant provides this same functionality, over wireless. Please note that the older Mac must be on the same wireless network for this to work.

About the Magsafe Power Adapter

The unit ships with a 45W MagSafe adapter made just for MacBook Air. The MagSafe power adapter on the MacBook Air connects under bottom lip of the left edge of the MacBook Air, on a 90 degree angle. Although MagSafe power adapters from the MacBook and the MacBook Pro are pin-compatible with the MacBook Air and will, technically, work with it, doing so will result in the back left corner being ackwardly lifted off of the table surface, due to the port being on the bottom edge. It is for this reason we would not recommend using the 45W MagSafe power adapter with a MacBook or a MacBook Pro. Side note: The MagSafe power adapter MUST be plugged in when using Time Machine backup features, or the backup will not kick in.

The OS and Boot Camp

Mac OS X v.10.5 Leopard ships on MacBook Air. No older version of Mac OS X can be installed on a MacBook Air. Boot Camp can be used on this machine, but you must have the optional Superdrive to install Windows XP or Vista on the unit. There is a tech article explaining this procedure, but it's simple enough to understand, if you have ever installed Windows you will understand, due to reboots.

Options

A very slim external , (8X speed) connects via USB ($99.00). The drive is only available for the MacBook Air and will not work on other machines at the time of this writing, but we have not tested that. It will likely work on a USB 2.0 port on other Macs, but this is unsupported at best. You can also get a USB-to-Ethernet adapter which should work fine on any Mac. There is also a USB Modem and the Apple Remote control.

Service

There are no parts of the MacBook Air that are user serviceable. The lithium-polymer battery in the MacBook Air is "integrated" and cannot be replaced by the user. Apple covers the battery with the purchase of , and will be offering a "MacBook Air Out-of-Warranty Battery Replacement Program" for battery replacement. The cost for the battery and the replacement service is $129, which is the same price for a replacement battery alone on the MacBook or MacBook Pro. The integrated 37-watt-hour provides up to 5 hours of use when surfing the Web and communicating with email. These features use both the screen and wi-fi, two technologies that traditionally are used to measure this specification, due to their power needs.

Full-size keyboard

The full-size, illuminated keyboard is perfect for staying productive on a plane or in a conference hall.

The genius of multi-touch

The MacBook Air trackpad adopts many of the innovative multi-touch gestures from the Apple iPhone, so you can pinch, swipe or rotate by simply moving your fingers.

Get more out of MacBook Air

Out of the box, your MacBook Air can have all the software you need preinstalled. Mac OS X Leopard and iLife '08 come standard, and iWork '08 is available as an option.

Flat-out stunning

Between 0.16 to 0.76 inch thin and weighing only 3.0 pounds, MacBook Air sets new standards for ultra-portable computing without the usual ultra-portable compromises.

Next-generation wireless

With blazing-fast 802.11n2 and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR wireless technologies built in, MacBook Air takes full advantage of the increasingly wireless world.

Remote Disc

An innovative feature that allows you to access the DVD or CD drive of a nearby Mac or Windows PC. It's perfect for installing software and retrieving files.

Latest Intel mobile architecture

MacBook Air features an Intel Core 2 Duo processor up to 1.8GHz custom-built to fit within its compact dimensions.

Included Software

Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard

The world's most advanced operating system offers hundreds of breakthrough innovations and applications, including:

• Cover Flow
  
• Quick Look
  
• Stacks
  
• Time Machine
  
• Mail
  
• iChat
  
• Safari
  
• Spaces

Included Applications

iLife '08 suite for creating photo projects, making movies, designing DVDs, building websites, and composing music

• Front Row
• Photo Booth

• MacBook Air
• 45W MagSafe Power Adapter, AC wall plug, and power cord
• Micro-DVI to DVI adapter
• Micro-DVI to VGA adapter
• Display polishing cloth
• Install/restore DVDs
• Printed and electronic documentation