The new MacBook Air comes preloaded with OS X Lion ( SlashGear review), Apple’s latest version of its Mac platform. When the new screen goes on sale, Air owners will be able to hook up with a single cable and get three more USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire 800, gigabit ethernet and another Thunderbolt for daisy-chaining, as well as 27-inches of monitor real-estate. Thanks to the port and Apple’s new Thunderbolt Display, though, the MacBook Air should come into its own as a mobile/desktop hybrid. Thunderbolt accessories are in short supply today, though that situation should improve as the year progresses. With the right adapter cable, you can use it as an ethernet port or FireWire 800. Using Intel’s “Light Peak” technology, the connection supports up to 10Gbps bi-directional data, and can be used not only as a Mini DisplayPort (with the same socket, meaning you won’t have any issues with your old LED Cinema Display) but as a high-speed way to attach external drives, RAID arrays and other peripherals.
Like the MacBook Pro and iMac (and the new Mac mini announced alongside this latest refresh) the MacBook Air gains Thunderbolt connectivity in 2011. Underneath is still the same large multitouch trackpad. The keys themselves have slightly shallower travel in comparison to those on the MacBook Pro, but are pleasantly clicky in use.
If you’ve ever angled your laptop screen so as to see which key is which, then the MacBook Air’s keyboard will appeal. There are dedicated keys to manually adjust it if you prefer.Īlthough it may seem a gimmick initially, the backlit ‘board can make a big difference when you’re working in low-light environments. Happily that has been rectified in the 2011 range, with the keys automatically lighting up and adjusting their illumination according to ambient levels. Viewing angles are very broad.īack when Apple redesigned the MacBook Air last year, one of the glaring omissions was the backlit keyboard. That makes it trickier to wipe away fingerprints, but less frustrating in direct sunlight. The panel itself is bright and crisp, and lacks the glossy glass panel laid over the top of MacBook Pro displays. The 1440 x 900 resolution on the 13.3-inch model may demand a subsequently larger chassis – an inch wider, at 12.8-inches, and 1.38-inches deeper, at 8.94-inches – but the extra pixels are very welcome whether you’re browsing, working on a Word document or watching video. Unlike on the MacBook Pro and iMac, however, this isn’t a 720p-capable FaceTime HD camera, so you’re limited to VGA-resolution video chat (just like the iPhone 4 and iPad 2) still, it was capable of decent video and still images, even in relatively low-light conditions.Īpple’s 11.6-inch MacBook Air split opinion, with some finding its compact display to be simply too small for everyday use, while others marveling at its portability.
Both versions have WiFi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0, along with stereo speakers, an omnidirectional microphone and a FaceTime webcam. The 13.3-inch MacBook Air has an SD card reader as well. Standard connectivity consists of two USB 2.0 ports – one on each side – along with a MagSafe charging port, headphone socket and Thunderbolt (more on which later).
Both sizes come with Intel HD Graphics 3000, sharing either 256MB or 384MB (model depending) of the main RAM.
The $1,599 version has 256GB of storage, and can be upgraded to the same dual-core 1.8GHz Core i7 of the smaller Air. The 13.3-inch MacBook Air, meanwhile, starts at $1,299 with a 1.7GHz dual-core Core i5, 128GB of flash storage and 4GB of RAM. It can also be upgraded to 256GB as well as boosting the processor to a dual-core 1.8GHz Core i7 and the RAM up to 4GB. The lowest price Air has 64GB of flash storage and 2GB of 1333MHz DDR3 RAM, while the $1,199 higher-spec version keeps the 11.6-inch display but increases storage to 128GB of flash. Apple still offers two sizes – an 11.6-inch with a 1366 x 768 display and a 13.3-inch with a 1440 x 900 display – starting from $999, but the entry-level processor is now Intel’s 1.6 GHz dual-core Core i5 rather than the older Core 2 Duo. Outwardly, there’s little to differentiate this year’s MacBook Air from its predecessor.