MacBook Air review
By Ryan Block 
posted January 25th 2008 4:44PM
posted January 25th 2008 4:44PM
Hardware
It's hard to take lightly (har) the purposeful design that went into the Air, it's simply and without a doubt the most beautiful laptop we've seen in a while. Sure, there have been thinner, lighter laptops that take up fewer cubic centimeters -- but that's not really on trial. The goal of the Air was clear: create a Mac that frequent fliers wouldn't be ashamed of, or in physical pain to lug around. But therein lies the rub. The Air simply doesn't have the power to be many users' primary machine, while also lacking many of the features considered necessity by business travelers. More on that in a minute, though.
There are a lot of things that the Air gets right, and a decent amount of horsepower is one of 'em. Apple didn't take the easy route and go with an etiolated Ultra Low Voltage (read: ultra low performance) chip, they actually pushed Intel to repackage a slower version of its full-on Core 2 Duo processor. We were a little disappointed when Steve announced this wasn't the new power-efficient, lower-heat 45nm Penryn chip design, but in the time we've played with the Air, it's still rarely managed to output enough heat to raise an eyebrow. This is actually a laptop that belongs on your lap -- without any fear of sterility. Of course, as our Mac-on-Mac benchmarks showed, the 1.6GHz chip is still a little on the slow side, but the Air is by no means unusable. It's not really one of Steve's "screamers" -- but ultraportables aren't really intended to be.
Where a lot of other machines might have ports and protrusions along their edges, the Air has none -- it swoops inward from the edge to the base with only two spots for plugs, a new, 90-degree angled MagSafe power connector on the left underside, and a clicky, extremely sturdy-feeling foldable door that is impossible to open while resting on the table, and basically requires picking the entire machine up. This exposes the Air's only three ports: one USB 2.0, one micro-DVI, and one headphone. But here we begin with the design sacrifices, and at the top of the list is the lack of a user replaceable battery.
For some this might be an issue, but for others -- especially those on the road for long periods of time without access to a power outlet -- a deal-breaker. The Air uses a 37 Watt/hour lithium polymer (compared to the MacBook Pro's 60WH lithium-ion), and using our normal tests -- full screen brightness, WiFi and Bluetooth on, no attached peripherals -- under medium usage (light browsing and watching a 1:20 h.264 movie) we got a mere 2 hours and 25 minutes. Under lighter usage (browsing, some audio playback, no movies) we got closer to 3 hours and 35 minutes. Not bad, but still nowhere near the 5 hours Apple promises (under ideal conditions, surely).
The micro-DVI port is also not physically compatible with the mini-DVI port on your MacBook and previous Apple laptops, so it requires some new connection accessories for VGA and DVI out, which are thankfully included in the box. Since the Air doesn't have a powerful (but space and power-consuming) discrete graphics adapter, you'll only be able to drive a 24-inch display, although for many that should probably be sufficient. (Games and movie watching also suffer because of the integrated graphics, since some of that visual load is taken on by the CPU.) Also integrated is the Air's 2GB of RAM, built directly into its insanely small motherboard; processors rarely need to be swapped in laptops, but are you willing to bank on a couple of years' use without having to upgrade your RAM? Perhaps a lot of people are, but we're not.
The Air also uses a slower 80GB 1.8-inch drive, the same kind that powers many portable media players. While probably sturdy enough to withstand normal use, it's nowhere near as fast as your average 2.5-inch laptop drive, and will always be behind in storage should you chose to upgrade later. If you can afford to spring for the 64GB SSD option, we highly suggest it -- your machine's reliability, performance, and battery life will all get a boost (at the expense of 16GB of space and a ton of cash, naturally). Oddly overlooked for inclusion is the Apple Remote; the Air certainly has the necessary sliver of an IR sensor for making use of one, but the remote isn't included, despite being found in the box of just about every other Apple machine. Oh, and for those wondering, the Air's built-in iSight is the VGA variety.
Despite its shortcomings on the hardware and specs side, though, it's hard to say enough about how well made the Air feels -- a particularly important point when you're taking your machine everywhere. Whereas most smaller laptops try to cut weight with inner metal frames and flimsy plastic bodies, the Air bulks up a bit with an all-metal enclosure that looks and feels like it was carved out of a single piece of aluminum. Only time will tell if metal in the Air's wrist rest area will pit out and blacken like MacBook Pros and PowerBooks of years past, but the machine definitely gets extremely high marks for its the physical engineering. And no, we're not at liberty to drop test Apple's review unit, sorry!
Software
Apple also hasn't released any information for third party developers on how to integrated touch gestures into their apps, so until they do, only Apple apps will be able to take advantage of the new input methods. It's obvious that, with time, Apple will be rolling out multi-touch on their other machines, but for now they claim that current hardware cannot support this input, so don't expect to see any (official) software updates to enable multi-touch.
Another feature rolled out is Remote Disc, Apple's new system for sharing the optical drives of networked Macs and PCs with the drive-less Air. As we quickly learned, you should be prepared to have as much bandwidth as possible between the Air and your host machine, -- and don't be disappointed when you can't do everything with Remote Disc that you can do with a regular drive. There's no commercial media playback, no HD support, no ripping, no burning -- it's really only meant for installing apps, downloading data, or reinstalling the OS (more on that in a second). On the upshot, it did work seamlessly when we tried it.
Wrap-up
The Air is a tough call. On the one hand it proposes to be a no-compromises ultraportable, but on the other hand it compromises many (but not all) the things road warriors want. We're all about removing unnecessary frills and drives (we rejoiced the day the original iMac bucked the floppy), but laptops are increasingly becoming many users' primary -- often only -- machines, which is why the Air's price doesn't do it any favors, either. It's hard to justify almost two grand for a second laptop (or a third machine) just for travel needs -- and even then, that's only easily done if all your data lives in the cloud. Given those sacrifices and that higher-end sticker, it's more than likely not going to replace most peoples' current workhorse laptop.
This all might look a bit different if the Air was a little closer to MacBook price range, though. We're thinking $1500 could be a sweet spot, especially if bundled with the wired Ethernet dongle and SuperDrive. But we're not going to kid ourselves, either; the Air isn't supposed to be everything for everyone. For those in need of a machine that masters basics in a super thin, light form-factor, and who have the coin to pay for that ultraportability, the Air absolutely nails it like few others.
Given its stripped down, one-piece design, some are calling the Air the iPod of laptops. The point is debatable as to whether this machine could have the same appeal to computer users, but if there is one clear upshot to the Air, it's that Apple's learned to take the next step in miniaturizing their portable computers. While not all Mac users are going to stand in line to get this latest machine, Apple is doubtless welcomed back into the ultraportable laptop market by the technology world. Perhaps the largest side-effect of the Air won't be ditching optical drives, though; for the rest of Apple's consumer base it's now just a matter of time before other Mac laptop lines benefit from the technical and engineering advances that made this thing so thin and light. Give us the lovechild of the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro, and it's all over.
Further reading
MacBook Air: plenty more details
Apple MacBook Air and MacBook Pro size showdown
MacBook Air processor situation gets explained
Switched On: Apple bets that to Air is human
Wow, what an amazing stench I've discovered! Could it be from a foul miasma of hatred, coming from a concentrated posting of ignorant anti-Apple ranting and raving?
I love it though, please continue to pour your hate all over the MBA, that makes it strong. Thats why the Cube failed; it didn't garner nearly enough rage from Apple haters, it was much more difficult to hate on from a price/performance standpoint (it lacked only GPU options, really), and Apple was still not doing as well as it is today. So please, if this post can incite just a bit more bile in your dark little PC fanboy hearts, pour it forth, so that the karmic backlash might sell another few thousand MBAs.
Apple's computers will always cost a bit more and have a certain set of options and features that they control, deal with it, nobody is forcing you to buy them. Its pathetic to post your hatred and bile here, if you love your PC so much why aren't you using it to play Crysis, or something else cool, instead of posting here about how much you hate this particular laptop?
I'm someone who pushes their machine constantly, so this probably couldn't ever be my primary machine, but then I've never owned an ultralight or a subnotebook PC of any type, no interest in an iPhone, etc. Obviously there is a market for this though, look at this comparison article (http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/01/22/how-the-macbook-air-stacks-up-against-other-ultra-light-notebooks/) and you see the MBA is actually pretty competitive. Yes the single USB port is an issue, but expect to see some pretty nifty docking products from 3rd parties shortly, and if you needed to plug in more than one thing aren't you at your desk/worktable/etc anyway? The Battery is hidden behind one screw, a tad more complicated to remove than say, a Nintendo DS battery, but not by much. There will be plenty of third party batteries, and Apple's battery exchange service is a simple drop off and pick up at your local Apple Store.
Also I probably missed it somewhere if anybody mentioned it, but this is also the "Greenest" laptop Apple has ever made, uses much less toxic chemicals in its construction (though of course Greenpeace is still not fully satisfied :roll: ) than older models.
Finally, I did think this review was fair, it missed a couple of points and didn't really compare it to other laptops like the article I link in this post, but still not too bad.
I need to design some type of crawler program to gather up the comments from here, cNet, a few other places and then do a statistical analysis on the resulting data, get a better idea of just how much time you all waste hating like this, how much time people like me waste refuting and/or mocking you, etc. Might be interesting ;)
I Don't care about the macbook air, i am not paying 1700 for a lighter slimed down computer when i can get a current production refurbished macbook pro 15" for the same price, apple thats where i draw the line. (can also get a current production refurbished 17" macbook pro for $2300 which still beats the 3000 top line edition of the MBA)
It's amazing to me how easily Microsoft fanboys are offended by Apple products. It'll probably be gone in a couple of years anyway. It's just a computer, guys. Chill. :)
Does the Ethernet adapter work through a USB hub? I could see using this in the office if I could use that one USB port to connect to a hub with keyboard, mouse and Ethernet.
Jesus Christ people. You are not grasping the way Apple releases products.
Release a 'sexy' attention grabbing product that is under represented in the market. No one remembers the big RCA hard drive MP3 players that existed before iPod. Apple USED the rights from RCA to make the iPod. Then they add features that people were looking for. Expect Apple to try and get the technology for OLED displays, bigger solid state drives, and an obviously smarter port system.
Example; the iPod touch. A retarted product that pretty much exists to tempt people. Then release it with twice as much features and space and function.
It's called "Teasing and Hooking"
I am a Mac user professionaly, but I actually use a PC at home.
OF COURSE THE MBA IS CRAPPY! Its engineered to be. Apple hasn't made their money in making brand spanking new innovative products. They have made their money in re-engineering bland products that exist and making them slick attractive. And MS, Adobe, Sony, are realizing that. Why do you think the new office for Mac looks nothing like office 2007? Because it gives MS a testing ground to test out the psychology of their ideas while maintaining their flagship product. Idealy office 2007 for the PC.
Why do you think windows was so popular in its earlier days. Because B.Gates took the mac os and made his version look slicker. ie. Win 95, 98,
I'd rather have a souped up iPhone than a diluted MacBook Pro. This puppy is just too short on necessities and too hard on the pocketbook. Like the reviewer said, many folks are making their MacBook Pro their only computer now (like me), with just a 20" LCD at home and another at work to make it a suitable desktop machine.
I'm hoping iPhone 2.0 (i.e., 3G wireless, more RAM) will be my ultra-lite portable in the future.
I am perfectly happy sticking with my 3-month-old Toshiba 13.3 inch 5-lb. laptop, which has 160gb drive, 2gb memory and core 2 duo. It works great, and I can turn off the vista image crap if I choose. Also the wireless program it uses seems more sensitive than the previous microsoft-made program I had on my old Dell. Plus the Toshiba only cost me $950.
I must protest, voltage has nothing to do with performance. 0 nothing nada.
I chip running the same architecture with the same clock speed etc. Will have the same results. As any overclocker knows increasing the core voltage often buys you more clock headroom. This does mean low voltage parts tend to be clocked lower.
But the statement that low voltage means low performance simply isn't true.
Other than that, I just have to put forward I see nothing I really like in the Air other than looks. If I were going to get an ultraportable I guess I'd wait for the X300 from Lenovo.
"Why do you build me up, build me up, Buttercup baby, just to let me down, let me down, and spin me around......"
"Give us the lovechild of the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro, and it's all over."
^^^ exactly
Thanks for the review. I've enjoyed reading it.
But what about the value? I think, that the price is not matches the overall hardware of the product.
Alya,
SuTree.com - Learn Anything.On Video.
The MBA looks like another typical Apple product. More show than go, and priced twice as high as better products from other makers.
I'm going to chime in here, albeit late but better than never. The MBA is pretty and I'm sure will make many happy but I doubt it will be copied. I mean, others (read: Toshiba and Sony) have tried the thin laptop approach and it didn't sell well. Why would other manufacturers waste their time and money on thin again? I don't think thin necessarily sells in the ultra-portable category. Well, let me rephrase that: thin and expensive (over $1200.00) sells in the ultra-portable category. Tiny, light, and cheap sells. Take a look at the eee PC. I'm hoping to see an updated eee PC, or improved copy of it, with a better screen (much, much thinner bezel), and more storage (like 16 or 32gb SSD storage), or even one of those 1.8" HDDs. I'd be willing to part with up to a grand of my hard-earned cash for one. That, in my personal opinion, will be the direction that laptop builders will be heading. The MBA is a pretty notebook but I just can't see how people that respect their money would part with $1900 of it (you have to include the $99 for the optical drive or else how useful will it really be?) in order to get one of these.
I just picked up an "early edition" notebook. Let me tell you. It is a fabulous machine. Does everything thing I need it to do and more.
I just need someone to tell me how to turn it on. It's turning me on. Yeah baby!
I have to ask Notafanboy: what's an "early edition" notebook?
i want to have sex on the macbook air... how innovative is that huh? hahahaha
"if you threw it hard enough you could probably chop someone in half with the thing"
Do I sense upcoming Bond movie product placement?
these laptops come at such a premium, including the Sony TZ series which are really smart laptops but I couldn't justify spending $AUS 3k+ on a laptop. I recently punted for a Dell XPS1330, which for $AUS 1600 I'm able to get 2.2Ghz, 250GB, 2GB RAM and hopefully reasonable performance (and reasonably portable and light). Wait another 2 years and we'll all probably have true ultraportables.
I agree with the previous comments about this being a stripped down VAIO. Take off the optical drives, attached battery and USB slots and you could have a VAIO that would fit in your regular ID badge card holder.
You have a Mac thin note book that doesn't intergarte well with other Macs, no built in drives and 1 lousy USB drive. I am going back to using my paper diary and calculator till Apples come up with a USEABLE device and not a fancy flashy peice of expensive junk!
I think everyone's way too optimistic about the price of SSD dropping.
Only military-style applications really exploit SSD's main advantage - shock resistance - and that market isn't price sensitive.
Right now there is no upgrade path for the MBA's storage other than the 64GB SSD Apple offers.
At the earliest, this summer may bring a 1.8" 128GB SSD, but considering 2.5" 128GB SSD currently costs over $3,000 retail, expect to pay more for a 1.8" 128GB SSD.
Everyone has really high standards these days. Seriously, is people really going to use this computer as a desktop replacement? No. This computer was created for people to just surf the internet and maybe do some basics in their home or at a cafe.
If you want a computer that is slim and performs very well, then you'll have to wait. Why make obnoxious comments about the MBA if it wasn't designed to have top end performance? If you're looking for top end performance, why don't you just look at a computer made for top end performance?
Apple is currently the company that is leading the industry by creating products that are new and looks great. Look at what the iPhone did, it made everyone else creating touchscreen phones. Apple deserves some credit, compared to other companies copying their design ideas and just adding new hardwares.
If I may put my two cents in here...
the MBA is a very niche product. Most of the people complaining about it in comments, and bloggers/reviewers ranting about it fail to understand that the MBA is not meant to complete with the macbook or macbook pro. To use an automotive analogy, this is like giving a mazda miata a bad review because you can't tow your boat, or it has a cramped back seat.... The mazda miata analogy is a good one, as the car is nowhere near "fast" compared to other cars, doesn't have a lot of features, like a tow package, etc... its appeal is in its body/shape etc. Similarly the MBA is not the machine to buy if you want to import HD video, do 3D gaming, etc.
That being said, if *ALL* you want is a machine to check mail, load websites, maybe stream video to in a small package, the MBA is a reasonable choice.
Now to everyone who points out machines like the Toshiba R series or Lenovo Thinkpad X series etc. I say this... to me, and many people who are considering apple hardware, there is a distinct advantage to running OSX over Vista or XP....
From that perspective the MBA is not the BEST choice, it is the ONLY choice for some one who wants to run OSX in a subnotebook form factor.
All of this is not to defend the MBA, it is not without its faults, I think inclusion of a cellular broadband device, or a cardslot would ahve been great. I would have liked a faster hard drive in it, I would have loved to see a firewire port and/or a 2nd USB port.... but honestly none of these are deal breakers.
The sealable battery is only an issue for people who carry a spare battery, apple will install a replacement battery (and its pretty easy to do on your own anyway).
I'm no fanboy, but I do intend to buy a MBA mainly because I travle a lot and would like to access my slingbox from home, surf/email from a machine I can type comfortably on and won't take up precious room in my bags. Oh yeah, and I am willing to pay extra to have all of this and run OSX.... I was all set to buy a windows or linux based subnotebook, ... and still am considering it, but OSX is the deciding factor for me.
poo on poonanny - i hope you fall on your scissors - first of all if you have to lug around an extra battery its not an ultraportable - second: have you ever flown on an airplane? they have power ports. - third: don't you have a real job? I have three and can connect wirelessly to my servers at any one. and with microsoft exchange and netsuite anywhere I am is as good as being at my offices. the speaker does sound like crap but everything else is cool, except for spoilsports like you. boo hoo go cry in your poo loser
I am looking forward to buy this laptop..
check out http://www.mymacbookair.org for more information about the thinnest laptop in the world.
http://www.macbookair.org
Hmmm, Why Didn't Apple Resolve the ports ? by building a Docking Cable like the OQO. Or is that too simple???
Fret not. Homo erectus had to be suffered through to reach Homo sapiens. And while shitty it was subsisting as Homo e. -- to the chimps, it was Homo e. wrecked us.
Just a thought, will the mba accommodate a powered usb hub to add some usb connectivity.
Well, it's good enough as a nice toy)
it could be better for many people if it looked more like this
http://www.maconair.com/content/lacking-some-useful-stuff-macbook-air%3F
but... apple's engineers are no magicans. If you don't understand it's just a pretty accesorie, not a serious machine, just calm down and wait for something better.
In my opinion the IBM/Lenovo x series has been and still is the only ultraportable laptop being sold. No other system can come close to duplicating the design, durability, reliability, weight, battery life...blah blah blah...btw - it also runs Windows and any application that runs on Windows. I've been using the x series for years and have always been satisfied, never had to call support and have not had the hard drive fail. You can actually drop the laptop, while it's in use and it still works...
Sony's support is the worst in the world, the mac airbook is useless and the dell is a plastic piece of crap...
I always will need and buy the most dependable ultraportable machine on the market, and I have had an x series for at least 5 years.
lastly, the lenovo x60 a great looking system, with every port you could need and an option for a very nice docking station that makes it the only machine most people would ever need...
people the mac is great! I just purchased it last week and it is awesome. stop complaining about the one USB just buy a USB hub yes, your right for 1800 dollars they should include one but they didn't! I bought mine for 13 dollars and comes with 7 usb's... so its not too bad. and did you forget unlike PC's macs are almost impossible to catch a virus that's why I love Macs! one more thing the air is for wireless users... u wont need a dvd or a cd slot if you download your things from itunes. and for memory honestly my ipod has more memory so you can buy a time capusle from apple. for 299 comes with 500G thats sweet!
iEdsel is this damn thing...hammered together for MacWorld and Jobsing us, it forgets APPLE's roots. It's a yuppie executive fashion accessory...slow, did not wait for the cooler better chips, iPod HD, small SSD, iPhone touch pad....about all I like is the decent screen and keyboard. The battery thing is a major fubar, eliminating long flights, and the ability to tweak problems by popping out the batt for a few seconds. iBomb,, like the cube and the first AppleTV....and I really wanted one, but refuse to be used. Don't be Jobsed
liar!the sony x505 was 0.75" and was released in 2003, and the new mac ultralight macbook air that's claiming to be the world's thinnest is 0.76". sony beat mac to be the thinnest, and mac, flase advertisement. i wouldn't buy mac products as it's overrated. the only cool thing about mac is the simple design to it.
liar!the sony x505 was 0.75" and was released in 2003, and the new mac ultralight macbook air that's claiming to be the world's thinnest is 0.76". sony beat mac to be the thinnest, and mac, flase advertisement. i wouldn't buy mac products as it's overrated. the only cool thing about mac is the simple design to it.
I Think Its Great! Everything I have is wireless anyway, Wireless Printer etc.. And I don't use CD's Or DVD's anymore Everything goes on my ipod, and All my new movies have been on bluray. Its def Perfect for me
If you think that the communication device you have is the best then you are yet to see the ........ Its great and amazing .
the features and functions are outstanding , it is better seen and than ANY . the MacBook Air is Apple's newest 13.3" ultra-thin notebook offering cutting edge design in a remarkably thin package. models now available with Intel's newest generation of Core 2 Duo processors.
If you are serious and need to lay your hand on it then feel free to inform via ........wagnerk13@yahoo.com at $740
i luv it it is sooo sexi
I have been buying Apple stock from 37.00 for the innovation that they have shown over the years. The main selling point on MACAir from what I can see is the the finger control which came from the guys he hired away from Finger Works or took over the company. Like on the Iphone
I have an IBM Think Pad which is ultra light & a durable protected hard drive & has a strong processor I also an Sony Vaio Z series which is also ultra thin & very durable.
I am afraid the greed factor has taken over Jobs , I will continue to hold the stock but this product is a disservice to APPLE.
Give the customers a rebate & start over Steve, Ou have enough money dude
I purchased an Air in January (early adopter) and have been using it for past two months. I like some of the features, but on balance am unhappy and regret making the purchase. Here's why:
1. The battery life is low, and recharges slowly. I leave it plugged in all the time I'm able, but in a 12 day (normal for me) working, I can't get the power up to more than about 50%. I tried an experiment today to leave it plugged in all day, never unplugged it, and it only charged to 80% by end of the day. there is some kind of power drain going all the time, maybe related to the solid state hard drive (I have the 64 gig memory instead of a hard disk). If you get the battery full up (very long charge time), but leave it on (case closed, but not shutdown) over night, the battery drops to about half or lower. So while sleeping it loses a lot of power from the already too small battery. This means you have to shut down every time you disconnect from power, to save the battery (my experience anyway).
2. The power / battery issue is bad. but the next one is also bad, for me. For some reason, which I can't yet solve, the Airport WiFi link to hot spots 'disappears' randomly, and stops communicating - you have to go to Airport and reselect the hotspot, and hit 'join' even though the network has been saved. This never happens on my other computers, but happens on the Air, at work, at home, and travelling with it. It is an aggravation.
3. Ergonomics is the third thing. I loved the 12" G4 PowerBook, and have purchased four of these so far. The keyboard location from the palm wrest is just right for me, and I can use the keyboard easily, typing very fast, error free, and with no pain to my hands. There is something badly wrong with the ergonomics of the Air, that have affected me - my wrists and hands hurt, after using it for a while - I have to stop typing and recover. This means I cannot use it to work. So I have to drag my old G4 powerbook along to meetings - I then resume typing on the G4 and it isn't a problem. Back to the Air, my wrists hurt. I am not sure why, but for me I think the size of my hands and the distance of the palm wrest (larger on the Air than on the G4 PB) is such that my natural position to address the keyboard while resting the wrist on the palm rest stretches my hands forward to reach the keys on the Air. Only thing I've been able to figure out about it, or why my hands hurt when using the Air. Beyond the pain, there is another annoyance factor with the palm wrest - the sharpness of the thin design cause the edge of the Air to kind of bite into the wrist, when typing, and dig at my watch. On my G4 PB, this isn't an issue, and I can wear my watch. With the Air, I have to take off the watch. Another annoyance.
4. The larger size of the screen is a negative for me. I'd rather have the smaller size of the 12" G4 or even smaller. I like the screen quality on Air, it is just too large. I could tolerate it however, if the other stuff above were resolved.
5. I miss the firewire port, agree there needs to be a built in G3 capability, and didn't find the 'porting over from my G4 to the Air' acceptable. It was too slow - took > 12 hrs, and in the end somehow failed to go forward properly. I ended up migrating via copying files to a USD hard disk, and then from the hard disk to the Air, instead of migrating via the WiFi link. The remote disk feature works well, but isn't any good for watching a movie on a plane, unless you rip it to disk and put it on an external USB drive, to connect to the one and only USB port on the Air.
6. The inability to change batteries is the real killer, for a road warrior. Most of the planes I fly on are long haul (Alaska to Seattle or Minneapolis, then to Houston and back) and there are no power ports on any of these planes, even in First Class. So the inability to change batteries mid flight is a deal breaker. I only got 1.5 hours out of the battery, just doing normal stuff on it, and then next 12 hrs it was dead.
Bottom line: I would not recommend this for a road warrior. If you can stay plugged into a wall socket all the time, and can accept these other negatives, then more power to you. I'm going to get rid of mine. It just isn't working for me.
Bummer.
The Air just seems like too much of a gimmick at the moment - like they made it just to see if they could actually do it. It reminds me of the virtual boy that nintendo put out in the 90's. The idea was almost kinda cool, but I knew only one kid who owned one and I could see the look of bitter disappointment in his eyes - and what lurked beneath that was something so ruthlessly impregnable and dark...A sense of betrayal and pain so visceral and intense, that I started doing anything I could to never have to look at the kid again.