I can see why people are going Gaga!

[durangotang]

So I have had a few days to get used to my new 13.3" ultimate macbook air

I have owned virtually every model mac since the original iMac, and even before (I owned an Apple IIe as my first computer). In the portable department I have owned a 12" ibook, multiple 15" powerbooks going all the way back to the g4 (pismo) and most recently a 2.66 Ghz Core 2 Duo MBP, a 17" PowerBook, 13" Macbook, and even the iPad.

In fact, I earn my living as an Apple hardware technician for an independent Apple Specialist store. So in addition I have actually worked inside all of these machines, and many more.

In my humble opinion I have no doubt why Steve Jobs stated these machines are the future of notebooks. This is the most spectacular laptop experience I have ever seen. Unless you are editing HD video, doing 3d work or high end gaming, this model certainly isn't laking any power. Combine that with the portability, the elimination of hard drive data bottlenecks, and the battery life and this is basically perfection. I have been using it on and off (50% of the time) for 7 hours just surfing and reading with WIFI enabled and bluetooth turned off and I still am showing 3:50 minutes of battery remaining. It's a perception thing but the battery seems like it lasts forever. Of course, play some flash and watch it go to hell - but oh well. Install Click-to-Flash.

Connect it to a 27" Cinema Display - or an HDTV (my choice) - or both (even better) and you have as much desktop real-estate as you need.

I couldn't be happier and I highly recommend these notebooks - especially the 13" model as a primary computer as long as it has 4GB RAM. So, to all those on the fence I can only say go for it - and get a sleeve - you won't even need a bag to carry it.

Cheers.

 

[iBlue]

I thought this said "going ganja". I must admit, I am rather disappointed.

As you were...

 

[teaneedz]

yes indeed and true enough for the 11.6

no regrets here. the size is perfect for me along with the speed.

 

[netdog]

I agree with the OP here. If you don't do heavy lifting, this is the best notebook that I've ever used.

 

[OceanView]

I'll buy one as soon as they back light the keyboard.
I need it to type in the dark as I am doing now on my MBP 13"

 

[jawad7]

So I have had a few days to get used to my new 13.3" ultimate macbook air

I have owned virtually every model mac since the original iMac, and even before (I owned an Apple IIe as my first computer). In the portable department I have owned a 12" ibook, multiple 15" powerbooks going all the way back to the g4 (pismo) and most recently a 2.66 Ghz Core 2 Duo MBP, a 17" PowerBook, 13" Macbook, and even the iPad.

In fact, I earn my living as an Apple hardware technician for an independent Apple Specialist store. So in addition I have actually worked inside all of these machines, and many more.

In my humble opinion I have no doubt why Steve Jobs stated these machines are the future of notebooks. This is the most spectacular laptop experience I have ever seen. Unless you are editing HD video, doing 3d work or high end gaming, this model certainly isn't laking any power. Combine that with the portability, the elimination of hard drive data bottlenecks, and the battery life and this is basically perfection. I have been using it on and off (50% of the time) for 7 hours just surfing and reading with WIFI enabled and bluetooth turned off and I still am showing 3:50 minutes of battery remaining. It's a perception thing but the battery seems like it lasts forever. Of course, play some flash and watch it go to hell - but oh well. Install Click-to-Flash.

Connect it to a 27" Cinema Display - or an HDTV (my choice) - or both (even better) and you have as much desktop real-estate as you need.

I couldn't be happier and I highly recommend these notebooks - especially the 13" model as a primary computer as long as it has 4GB RAM. So, to all those on the fence I can only say go for it - and get a sleeve - you won't even need a bag to carry it.

Cheers.

I think I'm ready to take the plunge for the 13" 256gb. Do you think upgrading RAM to 4gb is essential?

 

[pfjellman]

OP please don't capitalize gaga. makes me think of lady gaga. ugh. ( just kidding =p )

the mba is an awesome machine. i'd recommend the 4gb ram because even if you don't need it now, it's good to futureproof your purchase. resale value goes up as well.

 

[Pipper99]

I really had to assess (actually, reassess) my needs honestly when I was considering a new Macbook. I was planning on getting the top of the line 17" MPB to "futureproof" my purchase, then the new Airs came out. I wasn't impressed when I saw them at the Apple store, but after I read the reviews and the experience of the people on this forum, I gave the Air a serious look. I don't know why it makes me feel a little inadequate to say that I don't do 3D rendering, Photoshop, work with computationally massive applications, etc, but I don't, and I likely never will. Photography is a hobby, and I like learning about editing photos, but Photoshop Elements is more than I will likely ever need, and in truth, iPhoto will probably be fine for me for years. I use Quicken to track my finances, use the internet to pay bills, prepare my tax return, shop, read news and entertainment, email, Facebook, listen to and watch podcasts, stream Netflix, light word processing, read pdfs, etc. I guess that I don't do much "real work" on my personal computer (all of my work related stuff is done on a laptop that's provided by my employer), so I found that the 13" MBA is just right for me. The screen looks tiny when the Air is off, but when I'm using it, it's quite spacious. I can take it comfortably everywhere, and for the first time I feel like I don't have to worry about the battery running out. When I pick up a Macbook Pro now, it feels like it will break my wrist (exaggeration). The MBA is a great machine for me.

 

[Corax]

Piper99,
The logic is explained in the experience .

Also I have to say,
only better CPU, RAM, specs isn't always the best for our specific use.
And I have to say, although the specs of a computer show higher clockspeeds, it isn't always faster than a lower clockspeed computer.

The new MBA 13" has truly been my best Mac purchase ever. With best I don't mean best spec'd, but the experience in working with it. It's really amazing for my use, especially in combination with my iPad.

 

[Rob.G]

I'll buy one as soon as they back light the keyboard.
I need it to type in the dark as I am doing now on my MBP 13"

No offense, but learn to touch-type. I love the backlit keyboard, and am also disappointed that it isn't, but as I sit here typing this, I'm not looking at the keyboard at all. It's all done by feel and muscle memory. Keep practicing and it will happen.

Rob

 

[durangotang]

I think I'm ready to take the plunge for the 13" 256gb. Do you think upgrading RAM to 4gb is essential?

Go ahead and instead and install iStat Pro http://www.islayer.com/apps/istatpro/ and change the preferences in the memory section to advanced. You can find all this data in Activity Monitor, but I like iStat Pro quite a bit.

Wired memory is memory taken by the operating system. Active memory is memory currently being used by running applications. Inactive memory is memory recently used by closed applications (incase you relaunch them). Free memory is just that - memory readily available. Swap memory allows you to use mass storage as virtual memory instead of RAM.

Now, having said all that what you want to keep an eye on is how much free memory you have, and most importantly Page-ins/Page-outs. Memory is broken up into "pages" and page-ins means you are using RAM for memory, page-outs means you are using mass-storage (your hard drive or SSD) for memory. Simply put, page-outs kill your performance. There is nothing more to say other than a hard drive is obviously far worse in this regard than the new SSD's.

Right now I have 2.95GB of memory free, as I am only using Safari and about four other light weight programs in the background (Delibar, Sparrow, Adium, & Tweetie). Pretty simple. I have ~389,000 page-ins, and zero page-outs. In fact, the only time I have seen a page-out is when I launched every app simultaneously on the MBA just for fun - because it has an SSD.

For my normal usage I have dropped below 1GB of free memory a few times, so I need 4GB. My mom would probably only need 2GB. I suggest you open the most amount of apps you normally would and see how much memory you use. Plan on each app using more memory in the next couple of years, as well as the operating system (wired memory). It almost always happens.

OP please don't capitalize gaga. makes me think of lady gaga. ugh....

Yeah, I typed that at around 1:00 am so I was tired and I think that was a subconscious mistake - probably from 2 years of hearing her marketing everywhere.

 

[ciaran00]

I thought this thread was about Lady Gaga Grr.

 

[eyespii]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8B117 Safari/6531.22.7)

So I have had a few days to get used to my new 13.3" ultimate macbook air

I have owned virtually every model mac since the original iMac, and even before (I owned an Apple IIe as my first computer). In the portable department I have owned a 12" ibook, multiple 15" powerbooks going all the way back to the g4 (pismo) and most recently a 2.66 Ghz Core 2 Duo MBP, a 17" PowerBook, 13" Macbook, and even the iPad.

In fact, I earn my living as an Apple hardware technician for an independent Apple Specialist store. So in addition I have actually worked inside all of these machines, and many more.

In my humble opinion I have no doubt why Steve Jobs stated these machines are the future of notebooks. This is the most spectacular laptop experience I have ever seen. Unless you are editing HD video, doing 3d work or high end gaming, this model certainly isn't laking any power. Combine that with the portability, the elimination of hard drive data bottlenecks, and the battery life and this is basically perfection. I have been using it on and off (50% of the time) for 7 hours just surfing and reading with WIFI enabled and bluetooth turned off and I still am showing 3:50 minutes of battery remaining. It's a perception thing but the battery seems like it lasts forever. Of course, play some flash and watch it go to hell - but oh well. Install Click-to-Flash.

Connect it to a 27" Cinema Display - or an HDTV (my choice) - or both (even better) and you have as much desktop real-estate as you need.

I couldn't be happier and I highly recommend these notebooks - especially the 13" model as a primary computer as long as it has 4GB RAM. So, to all those on the fence I can only say go for it - and get a sleeve - you won't even need a bag to carry it.

Cheers.

I think I'm ready to take the plunge for the 13" 256gb. Do you think upgrading RAM to 4gb is essential?

Get the 4gb ram. Seriously. Don't get stuck in a situation where you find yourself limiting your usage because you got 2gb instead of 4gb. Chrome eats memory for breakfast lunch and dinner. The 13" is $1299, double ram adds $100. Pretend the 2gb model doesn't exist.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

So I have had a few days to get used to my new 13.3" ultimate macbook air

I have owned virtually every model mac since the original iMac, and even before (I owned an Apple IIe as my first computer). In the portable department I have owned a 12" ibook, multiple 15" powerbooks going all the way back to the g4 (pismo) and most recently a 2.66 Ghz Core 2 Duo MBP, a 17" PowerBook, 13" Macbook, and even the iPad.

In fact, I earn my living as an Apple hardware technician for an independent Apple Specialist store. So in addition I have actually worked inside all of these machines, and many more.

Pismo was the last G3 notebook. The Titanium PowerBook G4 was the first G4 notebook (and my first Mac). Just thought I'd clarify, unless as part of your Apple tech job you're installing G4 upgrades into Pismo PowerBooks.

 

[durangotang]

Pismo was the last G3 notebook. The Titanium PowerBook G4 was the first G4 notebook (and my first Mac). Just thought I'd clarify, unless as part of your Apple tech job you're installing G4 upgrades into Pismo PowerBooks.

Sorry it was late last night and that computer was over a decade ago and countless Macs ago It's not possible to update them to g4. Yeah I spent $3800 on a fully loaded 500mhz G3, but man that thing was cool back then. Good memory BTW.

There is actually a website that calculates if you were to spend the retail value of a computer on apple stock instead of the product, how much money you would according to todays stock price. I am too lazy to find it, but that is one depressing website.

 

[BENJMNS]

Piper99,
The logic is explained in the experience .

Also I have to say,
only better CPU, RAM, specs isn't always the best for our specific use.
And I have to say, although the specs of a computer show higher clockspeeds, it isn't always faster than a lower clockspeed computer.

The new MBA 13" has truly been my best Mac purchase ever. With best I don't mean best spec'd, but the experience in working with it. It's really amazing for my use, especially in combination with my iPad.
[***]

it's like to all the naysayers, non-believers, skeptics... just try it out for a few days. you'll be quite satisfied if not amazed at what apple delivered.

p.s. love your wallpaper man - classy

 

[Corax]

it's like to all the naysayers, non-believers, skeptics... just try it out for a few days. you'll be quite satisfied if not amazed at what apple delivered.

p.s. love your wallpaper man - classy

Thnx, I'll tell my wife, she's in charge in that department, it's grey-tones and silver.

 

[OceanView]

No offense, but learn to touch-type. I love the backlit keyboard, and am also disappointed that it isn't, but as I sit here typing this, I'm not looking at the keyboard at all. It's all done by feel and muscle memory. Keep practicing and it will happen.

Rob

I know how to touch type.
I need the lighted keyboard when I'm laying down on my bed at night and using 1 hand to type and the other to hold the laptop.

Just because you don't need it does not mean others don't need it either.
It's better to have and not need than to not have and need.

 

[durangotang]

Last night it was completely dark and I had the screen down to 1 or 2 notches of brightness and it lit up almost the entire keyboard visibly. Of course it is not as nice as a fiber optic backlit, but hey, to me it's like finally laying a supermodel and complaining that her toes don't look as nice as my older, fatter ex-girlfriend. Not a problem.

 

[ufkdo]

Last night it was completely dark and I had the screen down to 1 or 2 notches of brightness and it lit up almost the entire keyboard visibly. Of course it is not as nice as a fiber optic backlit, but hey, to me it's like finally laying a supermodel and complaining that her toes don't look as nice as my older, fatter ex-girlfriend. Not a problem.

An excellent similitude.

 

[MacRuler]

I thought this said "going ganja". I must admit, I am rather disappointed.

As you were...

LMFAO! but i cant wait for my 11 inch to come in. hope its not too small

 

[neteng101]

Just because you don't need it does not mean others don't need it either.

There's a difference between need and want - is the backlit keyboard nice, yes. Do you really need it? No. Its just that you're too plain lazy to turn on the light or to sit in proper position to touch type in bed.

 

[Pipper99]

Thnx, I'll tell my wife, she's in charge in that department, it's grey-tones and silver.

And your iPad and MBA go nicely with the wallpaper and black table.

 

[Corax]

And your iPad and MBA go nicely with the wallpaper and black table.

Thnx, compliment passed on.

 

[foiden]

Thnx, compliment passed on.

Now all that's needed is for you both to be in the room wearing that silver and black themed clothing, alice and wonderland style. That is, if people are to be included in the motif. Gotta love imagery where even the clothes match the scene.