Introduction:
Coming from the 13" Macbook Pro, I had doubts about the performance of the Macbook Air, even if it is Apple's "most popular mac". I just felt that the price/power ratio is not justified. But this is about to change, when I bought my 15" Macbook Air 2011.
Design:
I ordered my Air directly from the Apple Online store with the Back-To-School promotion to get a free iPod Touch. My Air was promptly delivered just 8 hours after placing my order. It is neatly wrapped up in a white box with the thickness of an iPhone. With a box so thin, I wonder what is in store for me when I open the box. When I finally stopped admiring the box approximately 2 hours later, I got down to open up the box. To my surprise, Apple wasn't lying when they said that the 2011 15" Air was paper thin. Measuring only 7mm thin at it's thickest point, comparing my Air 2011 with my 2010 Macbook Pro is like comparing an iPad 2 to a Galaxy Tab. The Apple site states that it is the "world's lightest laptop yet". It is easy to see that this is true. Carrying it around isn't a hassle at all. If I had a pocket large enough to hold the Air, I would definitely carry it wherever I go. Truly, it is the first laptop of such elegance which weighs under 1kg. The liquid metal enclosure of the Air is revolutionary. When testing the Air outdoors, I ran into a few thugs with the intention of prizing my beloved Air away from me. I smashed my Air right into their faces. Result - Air without a scratch, Thugs with a bloody nose. Air 1 - 0 Thugs.
Screen:
I ordered the BTO option for 3200 x 2400 screen for my 15" Air. Needless to say, when I turned my Air on, the display was truly stunning. If not for the water resistant keyboard (another magical feature), my drool would have short-circuited the Air. People who are worried about the words being too small shouldn't if they have not seen it before. Everything is so crisp and clear that it becomes obvious that it is on par with the $6999 Sony TV sets which can play blu-ray. This "super retina" screen gives me so much screen estate that sometimes I do not know what to do with it. The colors were vibrant as usual displaying the pure awesomeness of the IPS display technology.
A special feature touted here is Apple's revolutionary "Clear-Glass" which allows, at the flick of a switch, the user to see through it. I thought that this feature is useless, but now I can so convinced of it's usefulness. I drove around my neighborhood while playing plants vs zombies, looking at the traffic through the new screen. Now, I can walk, work, drive, game all at the same time and not worry about bumping into others.
More on the technology here: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20005996-1.html
Performance:
Not much to say here, Apple have always been a little "different" from other manufacturers when it comes to computer specs. My 15" Air features a i7 processor which does everyday tasks like emails and web surfing, and an occasional movie editing just fine. I do not have the benchmarks, but I can assure you that it is as snappy as ever. People are worried about the Intel IGP HD3000, and I can relate to their fears. I could run Starcraft 2 and Crysis barely on the lowest settings. However, Apple comes to the rescue again. With it's new Thunderbolt port, I coupled it with an external "Apple-Certified" Radeon 6970M graphics card. I ordered this together with my Air. Now, I would say that the "2011 Air sucks vs the 320m" naysayers' fears are unfounded. The 6970M handled everything I can throw at it. So, for the average user, I would not worry too much.
Battery:
The Official Site says that the 15" Air would beat the 15" Pro in battery life. When I tested it, (70% brightness, 50% volume, wifi on, bluetooth off, looping youtube clips) it gave me a 11h 12min for a full charge. I would not say at Apple is lying here, but the battery life is still impressive.
Closing thoughts:
I am a happy convert! That is all I can say. Coming from a Macbook Pro, I am extremely pleased with the thinness, portability, performance, feature-set of my new Air. Not to mention the pure epicness of Lion. I have just discovered a new option under "Settings" which allows me to print money! If I were you now, I would stop reading this review and clicky-click on the "Apple" bookmark you have on your bookmarks bar and purchase an Air NOW!
*TLDR/Disclaimer* Obviously you know by now that I am too bored, please don't ban me
HYPE HYPE HYPE APPLE HURRY I WANT TO GIVE YOU $$ FOR THE 11" AIR
I'd do an iPad 3 and iPhone 5 review depending on the responses here
ciao
Coming from the 13" Macbook Pro, I had doubts about the performance of the Macbook Air, even if it is Apple's "most popular mac". I just felt that the price/power ratio is not justified. But this is about to change, when I bought my 15" Macbook Air 2011.
Design:
I ordered my Air directly from the Apple Online store with the Back-To-School promotion to get a free iPod Touch. My Air was promptly delivered just 8 hours after placing my order. It is neatly wrapped up in a white box with the thickness of an iPhone. With a box so thin, I wonder what is in store for me when I open the box. When I finally stopped admiring the box approximately 2 hours later, I got down to open up the box. To my surprise, Apple wasn't lying when they said that the 2011 15" Air was paper thin. Measuring only 7mm thin at it's thickest point, comparing my Air 2011 with my 2010 Macbook Pro is like comparing an iPad 2 to a Galaxy Tab. The Apple site states that it is the "world's lightest laptop yet". It is easy to see that this is true. Carrying it around isn't a hassle at all. If I had a pocket large enough to hold the Air, I would definitely carry it wherever I go. Truly, it is the first laptop of such elegance which weighs under 1kg. The liquid metal enclosure of the Air is revolutionary. When testing the Air outdoors, I ran into a few thugs with the intention of prizing my beloved Air away from me. I smashed my Air right into their faces. Result - Air without a scratch, Thugs with a bloody nose. Air 1 - 0 Thugs.
Screen:
I ordered the BTO option for 3200 x 2400 screen for my 15" Air. Needless to say, when I turned my Air on, the display was truly stunning. If not for the water resistant keyboard (another magical feature), my drool would have short-circuited the Air. People who are worried about the words being too small shouldn't if they have not seen it before. Everything is so crisp and clear that it becomes obvious that it is on par with the $6999 Sony TV sets which can play blu-ray. This "super retina" screen gives me so much screen estate that sometimes I do not know what to do with it. The colors were vibrant as usual displaying the pure awesomeness of the IPS display technology.
A special feature touted here is Apple's revolutionary "Clear-Glass" which allows, at the flick of a switch, the user to see through it. I thought that this feature is useless, but now I can so convinced of it's usefulness. I drove around my neighborhood while playing plants vs zombies, looking at the traffic through the new screen. Now, I can walk, work, drive, game all at the same time and not worry about bumping into others.
More on the technology here: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20005996-1.html
Performance:
Not much to say here, Apple have always been a little "different" from other manufacturers when it comes to computer specs. My 15" Air features a i7 processor which does everyday tasks like emails and web surfing, and an occasional movie editing just fine. I do not have the benchmarks, but I can assure you that it is as snappy as ever. People are worried about the Intel IGP HD3000, and I can relate to their fears. I could run Starcraft 2 and Crysis barely on the lowest settings. However, Apple comes to the rescue again. With it's new Thunderbolt port, I coupled it with an external "Apple-Certified" Radeon 6970M graphics card. I ordered this together with my Air. Now, I would say that the "2011 Air sucks vs the 320m" naysayers' fears are unfounded. The 6970M handled everything I can throw at it. So, for the average user, I would not worry too much.
Battery:
The Official Site says that the 15" Air would beat the 15" Pro in battery life. When I tested it, (70% brightness, 50% volume, wifi on, bluetooth off, looping youtube clips) it gave me a 11h 12min for a full charge. I would not say at Apple is lying here, but the battery life is still impressive.
Closing thoughts:
I am a happy convert! That is all I can say. Coming from a Macbook Pro, I am extremely pleased with the thinness, portability, performance, feature-set of my new Air. Not to mention the pure epicness of Lion. I have just discovered a new option under "Settings" which allows me to print money! If I were you now, I would stop reading this review and clicky-click on the "Apple" bookmark you have on your bookmarks bar and purchase an Air NOW!
*TLDR/Disclaimer* Obviously you know by now that I am too bored, please don't ban me
HYPE HYPE HYPE APPLE HURRY I WANT TO GIVE YOU $$ FOR THE 11" AIR
I'd do an iPad 3 and iPhone 5 review depending on the responses here
ciao
