MacBook Air Basic Questions

[yourdream]

I am thinking of exchanging the defective MacBook for the MacBook Air.

I have some basic questions about the MacBook Air:

1) Can I plug in the MacBook Air for recharging the battery and using the power from the electricity outlet while at home?
2) Does it come with a eternet port and a cd/dvd drive?
3) Will the new MacBook Air have any issues from the first generation MacBook Air?
4) Can the MacBook Air use wired internet or just wireless internet?
5) Are there any build quality issues with the new MacBook Air? In comparison, are they're qualities better then the MacBook/MacBook Pro?

Also, please post your user experiences with the new MacBook Air if you can please, thank you.

 

[richard.mac]

1. im not sure what you mean? if you mean can you charge the battery up to full and still use it safely? if so then yes.
2. no just a headphone jack, USB port and display port. thats why its called the "Air"
3. what issues?
4. its mainly targeted at wireless use hence "Air". but you can buy a USB to ethernet adapter from Apple.
5. same aluminium build qualities. lighter and thinner than its brothers. has a better display than the MacBook.

sounds like the MacBook is better for you.

 

[yourdream]

1. im not sure what you mean? if you mean can you charge the battery up to full and still use it safely? if so then yes.
2. no just a headphone jack, USB port and display port. thats why its called the "Air"
3. what issues?
4. its mainly targeted at wireless use hence "Air". but you can buy a USB to ethernet adapter from Apple.
5. same aluminium build qualities. lighter and thinner than its brothers. has a better display than the MacBook.

sounds like the MacBook is better for you.

I meant plugging the MacBook Air in the charger and being able to use it without using it's battery. (For home use.)
Issues such as the notebook overheating and cpu locking up.

 

[AlecEdworthy]

I meant plugging the MacBook Air in the charger and being able to use it without using it's battery. (For home use.)

Erm... It depends on what you mean The MacBook Air has an internal, non-user serviceable (i.e. for warranty purposes an engineer must replace it if ever needed) battery. You cannot take the battery out and power the laptop from *just* the mains (as would be possible with the MacBook and MacBook Pro). You can plug the laptop into the mains, charge the battery while using the laptop and when the battery is full you will effectively be using the laptop from the mains with the battery sat out of the equation.

In general more power comes from the charger than is needed to charge the battery so whenever you are using the mains you will not be using the battery. Although in high demand situations I suppose it is possible that the battery will come into play again seeing how without a battery in a MacBook or MacBook Pro you get a CPU speed reduction. But in general - mains power means the battery charges or sits unused.

Alec

 

[yourdream]

Erm... It depends on what you mean The MacBook Air has an internal, non-user serviceable (i.e. for warranty purposes an engineer must replace it if ever needed) battery. You cannot take the battery out and power the laptop from *just* the mains (as would be possible with the MacBook and MacBook Pro). You can plug the laptop into the mains, charge the battery while using the laptop and when the battery is full you will effectively be using the laptop from the mains with the battery sat out of the equation.

In general more power comes from the charger than is needed to charge the battery so whenever you are using the mains you will not be using the battery. Although in high demand situations I suppose it is possible that the battery will come into play again seeing how without a battery in a MacBook or MacBook Pro you get a CPU speed reduction. But in general - mains power means the battery charges or sits unused.

Alec

How many charges can the new MacBook Air handle? I think it is inconvenient to not be able to get the battery out, while the other models can, and this model costs more then the MacBook.

 

[six.four]

How many charges can the new MacBook Air handle? I think it is inconvenient to not be able to get the battery out, while the other models can, and this model costs more then the MacBook.

Honestly, from everything you're asking, it doesn't seem like the Macbook Air is right for you.

If you're asking if the battery overcharges while plugged in - I believe not.
When the battery is at 80% charge, it goes into a "trickle" charge - slowly charging all the way to 100%. This helps to maintain the integrity of the battery.

How many charge cycles can the Macbook Air battery take?

From the apple site:

A properly maintained Apple notebook battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at 300 full charge and discharge cycles.

Obviously that varies depending on how well the battery is maintained.