Know Thyself | Apple MacBook Air MB003LL/A 13.3 Inch Laptop (1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM,...

Compromises? Not In My View. | 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) Apple Computer Apple Computer average customer review:based on 30 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Good PC, but portability is a question b/c of no optical drive

This laptop is a bit pricey, compared to laptop PCs, but it is comparably priced to the Mac Book Pro. The issue with this laptop is that it doesn't have a DVD drive, which questions its claim of being "portable." The laptop itself is about 0.76 inches thick, but if it included a DVD drive, it probably would have been 2-3 inches, which is about the same thickness as any other laptop! So, really, the only accomplishment in my opinion is removing the DVD drive!

I guess I don't see what makes the Air so much better than the Mac Book Pro, but I guess it's just a matter of perspective. I suppose some people "only" use the DVD drive to install programs and watch DVD movies, in which case portability might be more of an issue.

I didn't buy a Mac Air; I went with the Pro. Like I said, though, it's just a matter of perspective.

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Know Thyself

There are so many opinions floating around about this latest Apple innovation, my simple reply is to think what works best for yourself. The *plus* in one's views may be the *minus* in another's. The Macbook Air is the perfect answer for my way of using a notebook computer. Study the forums, learn the features, and decide if it works. When you read the negative reviews, remember it could just be the Air does not fit the user's needs. Just as most all other notebooks do not fit my needs. The Air is for the simple, uncluttered life. When you KNOW yourself, this removes much of the confusion. Apple has heavy-duty alternatives, while the Air simply does exactly as it was designed to do... keeping your life simple, uncluttered AND productive.

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Compromises? Not In My View.

I did a fair amount of soul-searching before pulling the trigger on this purchase, in large part because of all the "compromises" apparently required to make as thin as this one is. For me, the MBA replaced a ThinkPad T-40, which has been as sturdy, consistent, and feature-laden as it is unattractive. My worry was that, though I was sure I would like the size and appearance of the MBA, maybe I would miss the T-40's feature set. Worse, I might miss a particular feature while traveling. So, I almost didn't buy the MBA.

I needn't have worried -- the MBA is simply incredible. As others have mentioned, the case is quite sturdy. Apple's engineers ingeniously relied on some of the internal components themselves as part of the skeleton for the case. This sounds scary, except that they were designed to serve both functions. The keyboard is crisp and comfortable (and keep in mind that I'm coming from a very well-regarded keyboard in the ThinkPad). The trackpad gestures more than make up for all of the extra keys the ThinkPad has. Although it takes some getting used to, the three-finger swipe, the two finger "right-click", pinching/expanding, etc., are all intuitive, comfortable, and fairly addictive. I've even started missing them on my desktop. The screen is really impressive -- a *big* improvement from my previous laptop. And battery life has been just fine -- definitely not the advertised five hours, but consistently well over three.

What do I miss? Honestly, not much. I've started using downloaded movies when I travel, including iTunes rentals. They all look just as good as a DVD did (on a laptop, at least) and are better for battery life. When I use an external mouse, I use a Bluetooth wireless model, so it doesn't take up the USB port. I was never a battery-swapper anyway, so that's not an issue. (I'll probably gripe about the built-in battery every couple of years when I replace it, then forget it the rest of the time.) And I can't save everything I have on the hard drive, though it holds everything that I would ever need on-the-go. I don't even miss the Ethernet port, as I travel with an Airport Express, and have for years. For me, the only real downside is the speed of opening applications. Opening most apps is noticeably and annoyingly slower than with my desktop (or, presumably, than all of the other Apple notebooks). However, once open, they do just fine. I now leave them open, which Apple says is fine, and speed is more than adequate.

As a disclaimer, I should mention that I'm a lawyer, so my usage doesn't involve heavy graphic or media work. I tend to run the Microsoft Office suite, Safari, iTunes, iPhoto, watch movies, and use the internet. For those types of things, the MBA comfortably meets my needs. I've even added VM Ware's Fusion program (running Windows XP) and, once loaded, it does the job as well. A speed demon this computer isn't, but if you use general productivity software and Apple's consumer applications, you'll probably be very happy.

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love it now, but afraid i won't as much after the newness wears off

The good: I thought it wouldn't be as sturdy as it is, but it is! The screen is great. very thin and truly ultraportable, though not quite as light as you might think. overall, a truly beautiful laptop. i also think the price is excellent--a very fair price for such a nice ultraportable computer. most any serious computer user can afford this beauty. the power chord is great.

the bad: no optical drive, means no dvds, not cd installs, unless using another computer, by which it can use file sharing to transfer the data over wireless, which is FAR from ideal. this is a big downer, as everyone will want to watch a dvd sometime, expecially on the plane or on a trip... you should definitely buy a usb thumb drive or two, a usb hub, a usb ethernet device, and a nice case to go along with the purchase. u can buy an external cd/dvd player/burner, but lugging that along kills the form factor and portability of the unit. battery life is about 3-4 hours, for me, per charge, which is OK, not great considering i'm just surfing and using imail 3/4 of the time. throwing in a neoprene case or something should have been included for an 1800 dollar laptop. i have no problem buying one seperately, but throwing in a 5-10 dollar case would have been considerate, and other high-end laptop mfgrs throw this in.

the ugly: video capabilities are weak, just sufficient enough to get by. i can't edit movies with imovie nearly as well as i can with my macbook pro (1.8 ghz). and i'm afraid as more programs become more graphics intensive, this may be a big problem after a few years. harddrive speed is noticably inferior--the read access time and write performance are palpably slower than my other notebooks. harddrive space is limited as well, and considering there's no dvd/cd player, it magnifies the problem.

I could easily give this 4 stars, but will give it a 3 because it simply can't serve all my needs, no way. it's terrific as a primary laptop used for email and other light tasks, but if you're a serious computer user, it alone is nowhere near enough. it's probably worthy of 4 stars for it's overwhelming pro's, and 5 stars as a secondary/special use laptop, but the con's i mentioned earlier are legitimate and wonder how it's going to to fare with the next generation OS and programs, considering it's pathetic integrated video card. whereas, i know my macbook pro will be ready for whatever i throw at it for 5 more years.

on a side note, i also own a Dell M1330, and it's just 1.5 lbs heavier, but gives me alot more (cpu, hd, ram, and video!) power for almost half the price. also a sleek, pretty machine, but definitely not on my MBA's level aestheticly, and is not quite "ultraportable." still, if you're a pc user, i'd recc'd it. i have goen through a dozen notebooks over the past 6 years, handing them down to friends and family, and i now down to three (macbook pro, air, m1330, plus a desktop imac, and 1 desktop pc). don't get me wrong though, i currently adore my macbook air, it serves it's purpose very well. that said, my dell m1330 and my macbook pro are more indispensable and "important" to me.

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Super laptop, if you are looking for a true portable, not sole computer

Let me start with a simple disclaimer, first I worked for Apple (a long time ago) for 11 years, I also worked for Microsoft for 6 years and I'm pretty comfortable in both camps but I truly love Apple for it's design and combined hardware/software implementations. I go through laptops pretty frequently and have owned UMPC's and full heavyweight desktop replacements. Having said all that, I think the MacBook Air is a home run IF you fit the right profile. The profile is that you want a device that you can carry around easily every day from meeting to meeting, home to work, travel, etc. This is not the laptop for your sole machine, instead it's truly the best device I've every owned for taking notes, staying on top of email, doing some on the fly spreadsheet or database creation, watch ripped or downloaded movies, and generally working through a "normal" business day. If you're looking for a game machine, power photo processing or video processing laptop, or 1 PC to suit all your needs this isn't the right product. But for me, it's close to 100% perfect, the battery life is good enough to get me through more than a couple of meetings, I can watch a movie that I rented on iTunes or ripped on a flight, I can easily do all my email on a week long trip, and basically take the machine with me wherever I go without a big penalty in weight or size. The display is super, the keyboard is wonderful, and I'm personally fine with not having a user replaceable battery. Bottom line is that, if you are clear about what you need, and understand the trade off's, the MacBook Air is a winner of a portable device.

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, page 4, 5, 6

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