5.0 out of 5 stars
By
Paul R. Thomas "Paul R." (Texas, USA)
(REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase
This review is from:
Apple MacBook Air MC503LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION) (Personal Computers)
I don't like to write reviews very often and I know I am late on the bandwagon here for writing reviews for the 2010 version of the MacBook Air 13.3" but I wanted to chime in anyway because I thought that this was a fantastic product and I wanted to help anyone else I could in deciding to pick one of these up.
To start; I decided I wanted the 2010 version of the 2011 version for a very specific reason, it had very little to do with the fact that it was older versus newer but more along the lines that I wanted the Nvidia 320M that the 2010 MacBook Air had over the Intel Graphics Processor that the 2011 MacBook Air had, it was a good decision for the light graphics intensive programs I wanted to use.
Up until now I have been a very dedicated PC user whose family was also a family of overly-dedicated Windows users. From a very young age, I was sort of raised on them and how they worked. I've built a number of Windows based desktop towers, purchased a number of Windows based laptops over the years by many different manufactures and am the current owner of an Dell/Alienware M17X R3 "Gaming" Laptop, of which I will discuss the contrasts between this, which is probably the "nicest" Windows computer I've ever owned.
I decided to purhase a MacBook Air, like many other adopters of Apple Computer goodies, because I was taken and fell in love with my iPhone 4S, which was a total impulse buy (I previously owned a simple flip phone.) and after how much I loved it, I decided to try a Macintosh computer. This was part because I loved how it functioned and part because I am a bit of a collector of gadgets. I also needed a computer to take to work, I have a very relaxed job, I used to bring the monster Alienware computer with me but it was just too much of a hassle, plus I had to bring a mouse because the trackpad was horribly uncomfortable to use.
So I looked into the MacBook Air because of it's portability, I almost purchased a MacBook Pro because I was unsure of if I wanted the optical drive and the added upgradeability that those machines have but as is indicated by my review (obviously) I do not regret making that decision at all.
So that's the "my story" if you will, now onto the more technical parts.
1. Memory/RAM - When I purchased the computer, this was probably what I was worried about the most next to the HDD, I was worried that with only 2GB, especially migrating off of a Windows laptop with 6GB that I would be very unimpressed. Not the case at all, many recommend you do the 4GB upgrade and perhaps if you are processing movie files in high-definition this would be an excellent choice. For me though, casual computing, playing some games, running Parallels for light Windows work I've not noticed any slow down at all. In fact, this may be just me being impressed, but I've noticed a lot less slowdown on this machine than on my Alienware when doing the same sort of activities; Internet, word processing, audio work, etc. So I think the word on this is, it depends what you're doing but I don't think you really need the RAM upgrade, I am perfectly happy with 2GB.
2. Hard Drive - The Hard Drive on this compared to most modern computers with spinning drives is of course, quite small. I have not had a problem with it at all, even with quite a few applications installed, larger ones I haven't even hit 70% yet and that's fine with me. This included my iTunes application library. I purchased the Air with the 128GB hard drive, for information's sake.
3. Processor - Another thing that worried me, but not as much as the others was that the processor might be slow, especially because I was used to the snappy performance of a quad-core processor on my Windows laptop. Impressed again by this, hardly an issue at all. Everything is responsive and quick to start and function.
For the longest time I switched the idea on and off in my head of buying a Macintosh computer because of a strange personal reason; I am a problem solver as most humans are and I kind of enjoy it in a mascohistic way, I love fixing my Windows computer when it messes up. Whether it's installing a new drive, graphics card, memory, etc whatever it is. I had a sort of wanting for it.
Mac is easier, that is for absolute sure and it's been a strange change in my life to not have any issues, to close the laptop and take it to work, open it and it still works the same. To close it for the night, open it in the morning and it still works the same. I don't know if I can really get used to how easy it actually is, but it is a good thing!
It's just a really nice thing to have in a computer to have it be so reliable and easy to use and not having to really worry about anything.
Of course the switch is not all easy, it's a little difficult to pick up the OSX but it's really not hard, a couple of hours is all you need.
Oh and I suppose I didn't mention this but the computer is physically impeccable and the nicest I've ever owned, just the feel of an aluminum computer is a really awesome experience and people who don't own or use one, that and I love the Magic Trackpad that all the newer models come with, that was one of the reasons I bought this as well, I love that I don't have to use a mouse in most situations.
In closing, I'll give this laptop the best compliment I can give it, in the time I have owned it, I have opened my Alienware, Windows based laptop (Which sadly cost twice the price of this one) perhaps six to seven times, in a span of weeks that is not a long time. The only thing it can do better than my MacBook Air is play some more graphically intensive games, I can't say for sure but I think that it will be being sold very soon.
I really think that switching that computer for this one, at the very least is a totally different experience in computing for me, it's a whole new world and I love that.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Very Worthy Investment, December 2, 2010
This review is from: Apple MacBook Air MC503LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION) (Personal Computers)
I have owned many Apple laptops and computers over the years, and
without a doubt think that the 2010 13" Macbook Air is one of the
strongest offerings the company has ever had. I am a 'power user' and
use my laptop for heavy photo and video editing. I frequently have
Photoshop running simultaneously with many other memory-intensive
programs, including Windows 7 (through Parallels), and use my laptop for
hours every day.
I purchased the 13" Macbook Air (which I'll
refer to as 'MBA' for simplicity) directly from Apple, and added 2GB of
RAM to make the set-up 4GB total. I do not know if Amazon allows you to
customize it this way, so if it doesn't consider buying it directly from
Apple or another store which does allow this upgrade. From what I
understood, due to the MBA's construction - the RAM is soldered onto the
motherboard - you won't be able to add RAM yourself later. If you're a
light user, you should probably be fine with just 2 GB of RAM, but if
you plan to intensively multi-task, consider upgrading the RAM.
This
laptop is expensive, but is worth every penny if you can afford it.
While it lacks an optical drive and certain ports - which can at times
be inconvenient - it makes up for that by offering great performance and
a stunning design.
DESIGN
I thought my 2010 13" Macbook Pro
(which I'll refer to as 'MBP') was sleek and stylish, but this is just
amazing. The MBP looks sleeker in some ways since its keyboard is
backlit and its display has a nicer black trim to it, but in overall
design, the MBA just can't be beat. You won't truly appreciate the
Macbook Air's portability and stylish design until you physically play
with it in person. The Macbook Air is very thin, but because it employs a
tapered unique design it's not uniformly thin throughout the device.
The
13" model features 2 USB ports and an SD card reader (the 11" model
doesn't have the SD card reader). The USB ports are cleverly located on
opposite sides of the laptop so that you can have even bulky peripherals
plugged in simultaneously. The built-in SD card reader is incredibly
convenient (more on that below). What's more important to read here is
not what connections it does have, but what it doesn't. The most
important things missing on the Macbook Airs, in my opinion, are the
optical disc drive and an Ethernet port. While I don't necessarily use -
and therefore, miss - either of those too much, there are times when
Wi-Fi is problematic or when you need to use a disc for something.
Still, the Macbook Air has a great portable design that should offer
more than enough for most people's daily use.
PERFORMANCE
Even
with my heavy use, this has been very reliable for my daily
multitasking. While some of that speed might result from my expanded RAM
(mentioned above), the bulk of it comes from the Air's use of a Solid
State Drive (SSD). While SSD technology is relatively expensivewhen
compared to traditional hard drives on a per-Gigabyte basis, it is worth
the money! You can find many comparison videos on YouTube showing how
much faster Solid State Drives are when compared to traditional hard
drives. The SSD really shines when cutting down the time when launching a
program, or when turning the system on or off.
DISPLAY
The
high-resolution display of the Macbook Air is great. The 13" Air
features a 1440x900 resolution (like that of the 15" Macbook Pro), which
is better than the 1,280x800 resolution of my 13" 2010 Macbook Pro. It
is very sharp and crisp!
LIFE WITHOUT AN OPTICAL DRIVE
Some
people have argued that the lack of an optical drive makes the Macbook
Air impractical for daily use. Honestly, I have for the past several
years used my optical drive very rarely, and knew I wouldn't miss it too
much on the Air. That being said, you usually don't appreciate
something until you no longer have it, and I have since noticed that
there are times when having a built-in optical drive is convenient.
Since
thumb drives and external hard drives are becoming very affordable,
digital distribution of software and games is rapidly growing, and many
videos are now available through streaming services as opposed to hard
copy DVD forms, a lot of the inconveniences associated with lacking an
optical drive can be worked around. That being said, there are times
when an optical drive is necessary, especially when it comes to
installing software (i.e. Windows).
While the MBA doesn't have
one built in, you can 'Share' the optical drive of another computer
wirelessly. That is understandably less convenient than having an
optical drive physically connected to the same computer, so you can
instead plug in an external CD/DVD drive through the USB port. The major
inconvenience of doing this is that you have to buy an external drive.
That being said, you do not need the Apple brand 'Superdrive', and can
instead get a 3rd party external optical drive for a considerably
cheaper price.
HAVING A BUILT-IN SD CARD READER IS VERY CONVENIENT
The
SD card reader is very convenient, and helps compensate for the
relatively small hard drive found on the Macbook Air. While my largest
SD card is only 16GB, I find SD cards to be even more convenient than
using a thumb drive. Without the built-in SD card reader you could
always plug in an external SD card reader, but having it built into the
system frees up a USB port.
BATTERY LIFE
If you've ever felt
that your cell phone, laptop, or other battery-based device doesn't hold
nearly as long a charge as it should, it's not just you. Battery life
is something that a lot of electronics manufacturers frequently distort
the truth about. Amazon often omits external links from reviews and
replace it with a [...] so I can't paste the link, but on the Apple
website's section on Macbook Pros, for example, they state in the fine
text: 'The wireless productivity test measures battery life by
wirelessly browsing various websites and editing text in a word
processing document with display brightness set to 50%.' In other words,
their battery life claims are based on situations many more intensive
users don't find themselves in...
For the 2010 Macbook Air, Apple
has supposedly changed their battery testing method from the
aforementioned Pro testing, and used improved technology to prolong the
battery life. The Macbook Air's battery is rated to last for around 7
hours, but you might get less than that with heavy use. I have been
pleased with the battery life so far, but I have had less than 7 hours
of battery life when I was using the computer intensively. While the
battery life isn't the strongest of all of Apple's offerings, the 30-day
standby time is very impressive. I believe that the impressive standby
time is a result of the SSD drawing less power in sleep mode than a
traditional hard drive.
COMPARED TO PREVIOUS AIRS
I was really
intrigued by the Macbook Air when it was first announced in 2008, but
couldn't justify the high price tag. Since with this generation prices
have gone down considerably, all models employ Solid State Drives, and
there are 2 USB connections (instead of just one), now is a much better
time to buy a Macbook Air than ever before. The only thing changed for
the worse is that this model does not have backlit keys - not such a big
deal for fast typers, but probably inconvenient for people who 'hunt
and peck'.
COMPARED TO THE 2010 11-INCH MACBOOK AIR
Prior to
deciding on the 13" Macbook Air I considered the 11-inch model. While
the 11-incher is lighter and smaller than the 13-inch model, I decided
against it because I felt that the screen was too small to be reasonably
effective for my intended use. Additionally, the 11-inch model lacks a
built-in SD card reader - not a huge deal since external USB-based SD
card readers are cheap - and also employs a weaker 1.4 GHz processor (as
opposed to the 13-inch model's 1.86 GHz processor). You lose half a
pound in weight going from the 13" and 11" models, but I decided a
slightly heavier laptop was more worth it for the screen real estate.
You will have to play with the models in store to see what works best
for you, but if you like opening multiple windows side-by-side, you will
more likely than not also prefer the 13" model.
COMPARED TO THE 13-INCH MACBOOK PRO
Due
to the similar price points between this and the 13" Macbook Pro, the
two computers naturally lend themselves to head-to-head comparison,
which I'll focus the rest of the review on.
Comparing a 2010 13"
128GB 1.86 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Macbook Air with 4 GB of RAM (again,
upgraded, the default configuration is 2 GB) with my 2010 13" 250 GB 2.4
GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Macbook Pro with 4 GB of RAM, I definitely felt
the Macbook Air was faster. This is not an official comparison with
benchmark tests - official benchmarks actually rated the Pro to be a
faster machine - but for my use I felt things were noticeably faster
with the Air's SSD in spite of its weaker processor.
Advantages Compared to Base Configuration 2010 13" Macbook Pro
Lighter (2.9 pounds vs 4.5 pounds)
Thinner (0.11 inches at its thinnest point and 0.68 inches at its thickest vs 0.95 inches)
Considerably faster in spite of a weaker processor (see below) due to its use of a Solid State Drive (SSD)
Higher resolution display (1440x900 vs 1280x800)
Disadvantages Compared to Base Configuration 2010 13" MacBook Pro
Slower Processor (1.86 GHz vs 2.4 GHz)
Smaller Hard Drive (128 GB vs 250 GB)
No backlit keys (Not a big deal for most, but some might find this inconvenient)
Fewer ports (the lack of an Ethernet jack can be a big inconvenience if you don't have secure Wi-Fi available)
No optical drive
FINAL THOUGHTS
The
speed of a Solid State Drive is one of the selling points of the
Macbook Air, but its ultra-portability is its stronger selling point
(keep in mind prior to 2010 only the higher-end Air models featured
SSDs). That being said, think of what's important to you. For students
and business professionals who travel frequently, I think the Air is an
ideal solution.
To those for whom speed is more important than
portability, consider purchasing a Macbook Pro and upgrading its hard
drive to a SSD yourself. You can also upgrade the Pro's RAM on your own,
up to 8 GB (Air maxes out at 4GB, and you can't upgrade it yourself).
Think
about what your primary use for the machine will be. If you don't have
reliable access to Wi-Fi networks or need a CD/DVD drive regularly, you
might find the Air constraining. For most people, however, the 13" 2010
Macbook Air is a great purchase that will offer a very powerful computer
in an incredibly portable and sleek package.
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