Macbook Air Durability and General Use

[bossxii]

Thanks, that helped a lot. I stream a lot but I never really use HD, will the MBA handle just standard definition? My internet connection isn't fast enough to stream HD well .

Well as much as I hate to say it, streaming video content such as movies, TV shows etc... like Netflix and Hulu which both are not HD. Hulu's "HD" is only 480p, standard is 360p, will heat it up, kick the fans on high and you will have alot of fan noise.

Usually the first 30m to an hour would go by fine then as temps rise basically you would get some stuttering, I never had it shut down due to heat but playback was not smooth overall. I moved to the 13" MBP and streaming is as it should be, low or no fan noise, rarely even notice. Much better speaker volume, with the latest screen improvements great picture and you an actually set it on something and not block the cooling ports which are in the hinge vs the bottom.

I tried three before giving up, I just use my MBP to watch alot of video content and the MBA simply doesn't deal with it well.

 

[Sothos]

Well as much as I hate to say it, streaming video content such as movies, TV shows etc... like Netflix and Hulu which both are not HD. Hulu's "HD" is only 480p, standard is 360p, will heat it up, kick the fans on high and you will have alot of fan noise.

Usually the first 30m to an hour would go by fine then as temps rise basically you would get some stuttering, I never had it shut down due to heat but playback was not smooth overall. I moved to the 13" MBP and streaming is as it should be, low or no fan noise, rarely even notice. Much better speaker volume, with the latest screen improvements great picture and you an actually set it on something and not block the cooling ports which are in the hinge vs the bottom.

I tried three before giving up, I just use my MBP to watch alot of video content and the MBA simply doesn't deal with it well.

Seriously? You mean my scholarship-issued HP Mini 1001TU can handle more video than the macbook air? I mean it's just 1.6GHz Atom and GMA950.

 

[ayeying]

I have decided to buy a rev C macbook air this christmas. I just have to consult on some potential issues about the overall user experience that my friends point out a lot.

1. How would you rate the durability of a macbook air? Do you need to be conscious of it or can you just treat it casually without fear of wrecking it?

2. Is the hinge problem resolved in rev C MBAs?

3. Does the gray line issue occur often and is it really disruptive?

4. Does the MBA heat up often when watching flash video/ movie files? Please compare it to a Macbook's heating up (my sister has one.)

Thank you. I would really appreciate your help.

1) I use it everywhere. Outside, inside, coffee shops, just throw it into the backpack, even take it on my motorcycle while punching over 240 kph (150 mph) with no problem. I don't fear it destroying it... I used to have a fear of "bending" it cause it's so thin but its not really realistic.

2) Never had a hinge problem in my former or current MBAs.

3) Never had that either.

4) It heats up while watching flash, but the fans, for me, seems to be a bit better at slowing down when temps drop. No matter what, macs will heat up under Flash videos. It's just a fact that Adobe created a poorly designed Flash plug in for the OSX platform.

 

[Sothos]

Are Authorized Resellers allowed to make warranty repairs? Especially the hinge?

 

[Vikz]

Are Authorized Resellers allowed to make warranty repairs? Especially the hinge?

yes all authorized resellers use the same system and internal service as apple stores.

In order to sell apple computers you must become a authorized reseller which means that you must have service and sales for all apple products except iphones

 

[Sothos]

yes all authorized resellers use the same system and internal service as apple stores.

In order to sell apple computers you must become a authorized reseller which means that you must have service and sales for all apple products except iphones

Thanks! I'm all set.

 

[bossxii]

Seriously? You mean my scholarship-issued HP Mini 1001TU can handle more video than the macbook air? I mean it's just 1.6GHz Atom and GMA950.

100% correct. Sad but true. Safari does not handle Flash video very well which compounds the problem and puts additional stress on the CPU/GPU and things heat up, stutter and make for a rather Unpleasant experience.

 

[ayeying]

100% correct. Sad but true. Safari does not handle Flash video very well which compounds the problem and puts additional stress on the CPU/GPU and things heat up, stutter and make for a rather Unpleasant experience.

It's not Safari. It's the actual Adobe Flash plug-in. It just sucks on OSX. However, I can easily play HD videos and hulu HD videos and other flash videos without any problems on my MacBook Air. Yeah it heats up, but it doesn't studder even watching an entire movie or two.

 

[Sothos]

I'm sure Apple and Adobe will come up with a solution in the next version(s) of Flash. From what I see in the thread, Rev Cs can handle it smoothly now anyway.