Apple Macbook Air
Posted on Jan 15, 08 11:05 AM PDT
Yes, the rumors were true, Apple has launched the Macbook Air, an ultra-light 13.3” laptop that does not have an optical drive. This will give Sony much needed competition in the uber-thin laptop category. In this post, we will tell you if the SSD upgrade makes sense and we compare this laptop to the Sony Vaio TZ to see if Steve Jobs is overselling the MacBook Air, or not. Click on the title to see the full post.
Form Factor
- 0.16 to 0.76 x 12.8 x 8.94 inches (0.4 to 1.94 x 32.5 x 22.7 cm)
- 3lbs (1.36 kg)
The Specs
- 1.6 – 1.8Ghz Intel Core 2
- 1.3.3 widescreen LED 1280x800 pixel
- 2GB of RAM
- 80GB HDD or 64GB SSD
- Optional external optical drive
- Integrated Intel Graphics
Comparison with the Sony Vaio TZ
| MacBook Air | Sony Vaio TZ | |
| Display Size | 13.3 | 11.1 |
| Display Res. | 1280x800 | 1366x768 |
| CPU | Core D 1.6Ghz | Core D 1.2Ghz |
| RAM | 2GB | 2GB |
| HDD (4200rpm) | 80GB | 100GB |
| SSD | 64GB | No |
| Optical Drive | No | Multi-Format Burner |
| Graphics | Intel GMA X3100 | Intel GMA 950 |
| Weight | 3 lbs | 2.65 lbs |
Steve Job’s comparison with the Vaio TZ is not really fair because that one includes an optical drive. I like the better display on the Vaio, but the display size is a little detrimental to the keyboard ergonomics. It is pointless to argue on the details, both laptops will offer a similar experience, but I think that Apple wins on the cool factor and on the price. Honestly, at somewhat equal configuration, the Vaio TZ is just too expensive, by a large margin. The Macbook Air wins.
Should you get the SSD version?
Solid state drives (SSD) are cool these days, but should you get one? In theory, they do have some benefits:
- Battery life improvement
- Better shock resistance
- Faster handling of many small files (seek time)
However, I don't know anyone who “needs” to spend $1299 on a 64GB SSD (and a slightly faster CPU) to reach the grand price of $3100. Honestly, you won't even feel the CPU difference. Now, I do know a lot of people who “want” an SSD. You got it: “need” and “want” are two different things. I would not recommend this upgrade.
Design Compromises
I started by writing “design flaws”, but the points below aren’t flaws, they are compromises. I’m talking about the fact that the battery is sealed and about the concealed ports (USB, micro-DVI…). The sealed battery might be an issue in the long run, when it will hold less and less power or if it dies.
Update: The MacBook Air battery costs $129 and Apple will change it for you - hopefully right away, but I don't know for sure.
I don’t yet know what Apple’s policy about this (will they change it for you?), but this is something that buyers should look into.
Conclusion
I welcome the entry of Apple in the super-thin laptop category because it will put pressure on Sony to get their act together and stop the overpricing of their Vaio line of laptops. Even at $1800, it is difficult to find an equivalent sub-notebook that is cheaper, even from Asus (U1 Series, S6FM Series). For windows users, I bet that it’s possible to install XP or Vista, but we should see the first test pop up on the web soon. We will keep you posted.
Do you you want/need this laptop, why? What’s your take on it and what else would you like to know about it?
Your Comments
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Legacy Comments
By Launceston , 16/03/08 3:41 PM (CommentID #561406)
Hi there, I am having this project researching all the info about the new Macbook Air. I was wandering if you can email some info about this new macbook air laptop. Infomations about the desingning,new technology used,about the product and runnin and handling. This is my email please iose60@manukau.ac.nz
By t.kidd , 13/02/08 8:31 PM (CommentID #484291)
im a student, and this is the perfect laptop for me. It is ultra portable and with wifi all over my workplace and school, this one takes the cake!
By Lewak , 13/02/08 1:06 PM (CommentID #483894)
You forgot the thickness. Remember the thickest part of the Air is thinner then the thinnest part of the Vaio. I think I would get the Air mainly becuase it is a Mac with a Mac operating system which is better. I just have a hard time deciding between the Macbook and the Air¡¡¡!!!
By james Braselton , 06/02/08 3:10 PM (CommentID #469637)
yes the macbook air has a 64 gb ssd drive also dose the sony tz with a 32 48 or 64 gb ssd drive from $3000 for the 32 gb ssd to $3700 for the 64 gb ssd drive dell have laptops with ssd option alien ware dell has a 128 gb ssd for about $4500 to $5400 you can get blue ray option too for dell and alienware laptops if you want to spend $3500 too $5300 dolars too but dell also has a $2000 dolar insiron or for $4000 get the XPS SYSTEM THE DELL $2000 HAS A 64 GB SSD DRIVE HAS WELL I HOPE THAT THERE BE SSD COMPUTERS COMING TO LOCAL COMPUTER STORE SO THAT YOU CAN SEE THE DIFERANCE BETWEEN THE SSD AND HDD COMPUTERS
By Tony Chung , 18/01/08 11:35 PM (CommentID #436666)
My first tablet pc didn't have an optical drive and I didn't think I'd miss it. A year later I bought another tablet with a burner because I couldn't bear to live without one.
If I had to choose between the Air or the Vaio I'd probably get the Vaio.
By Alpha , 18/01/08 9:13 PM (CommentID #436530)
I was getting a mac laptop for my birthday but couldn't decide ahead of time because I heard a new laptop was coming out. I waited for Macworld and then discovered their new product, the Macbook Air. I decided to get the original Macbook because I didn't mind a little extra weight, I prefered to have a disk drive, I wanted a computer with plug-in able internet instead of only wireless, and I wanted the 2.2 ghz over the 1.6. The Macbook Air still looks good if your doing a lot of traveling business but for my uses I prefer speed, and hard wired, over wireless capabilities and weight.
By RA , 16/01/08 8:39 AM (CommentID #432889)
Just to bring this to light, SSD hard drives are really new, and they have a limit in terms of how many times you can write or rewrite to it, rumors are that this will significantly reduce the life of SSD hard drives as of now. Consider waiting for the next gen SSDrives with better longterm performance. As for the Battery issue, I'm sure anyone getting this laptop will consider a extended warranty, although laptop batteries for me seem to degrade in performance after 3 yrs. I'm not sure what the author was talking about when he mentioned his battery died, especially when plugged in to power all the time? Can you elaborate? When you plug in your laptop doesn't it run on electric power not your battery? (not sure)
Reply from Hubert:
----------------------
Hello, RA, you make a good point about the lifespan of flash memory. Flash memory had a finite number of writes, but I think that a SSD can last for decades before hitting this limit. It should not be a problem in practice.
Battery: back in the days, leaving the laptop plugged all the time might run the battery through "charge cycles" and could prematurely deteriorates the battery performance (it was best to run the battery down to 8% then fully charge it). I'm not sure how smart the batteries are today, but I'm sure that my li-ion battery's performance degraded over time.
When you plug your laptop to AC, the battery enters "charge mode".
By OliverTwist , 16/01/08 3:16 AM (CommentID #432502)
you forgot the weight in your comparison. after all, that's the whole point: what are you ready to sacrifice from a MacBook to have a lighter machine?
For the optical drive, you can use the drive of another computer to install new programs, or even the OS, just as if it were an internal drive. This is not intended to be your main computer (as a "regular" MacBook do).
As for the screen size, am I the only one who wouldn't consider using anything smaller that 13 inches?
Reply from Hubert
----------------------
Hi Oliver, I forgot to include the weight and I have now added it - thank you for pointing this out. Interestingly enough, the Sony is lighter, with 2.65lbs when using a standard battery.
For the optical drive, I have to admit that I don't pop a CD in my laptop too often, but it has been very useful to read the press kits during CES - not all of them are on flash drives. The lack of optical drive would not prevent me from getting a MacBook Air, but it can be an annoyance from time to time.
As for the screen size, it's another personal preference. I'm OK with reading tiny fonts, but as a blogger, a good keyboard is important to me. that's where the overall size matters for me. I would be OK with a 12" for sure.
By Bertha , 16/01/08 2:33 AM (CommentID #432446)
And what about the Dell XPS 1330? It really competes with the Sony and Asus in terms of design and performance, and it's a lot cheaper... So should you buy Sony or Mac? Most certainly Mac. But between the Dell and the Mac? I would say the Dell one!
Reply from Hubert
--------------------
The Dell XPS 1330 is 30% heavier, so I would say that it falls into a different category. It competes with the Sony Vaio SZ and there's no Mac equivalent. If I had to get something of that weight (4lbs) again, I would ditch my SZ and get a 1330.
By steve , 15/01/08 10:03 PM (CommentID #432150)
anyone knows the price of the screen replacement ???? It should be important. Last time, I bought ASUS because it was the only company who offered screen replacement ( if I brake it)
By Aedri , 15/01/08 3:52 PM (CommentID #431750)
No optical drive? Sounds like a lot of work just to install something and who wants to carry around an optical drive extension. No Thanks, I'll stick with my regular MacBook. It's light enough for me (much lighter then my pc laptop).
Reply from Hubert
----------------------
That's inconvenient for sure and that's why you can have the software pre-installed at order time. I think that most people should get the external drive.... and take that into account when budgeting.
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