MacBook Air First Impressions and Notes

[galapogosgill]

macrumors newbie: long time reader

I went to amazon to post a review of this new macbookair but i couldn't because the forums weren't open yet. i never post reviews but this product is SO $@#%!#$% amazing I couldn't resist.

a perfect blend of pro and macbook. responsive keyboard that lights up, crisp screen. sharp edges with beautiful details. no distractions. A pure portable with everything you need/ nothing you dont.

multi touch is genius, scroll through webpages with double touch, secondary click with double touch.... triple touch swipe through webpages... this is what i have figured thus far.

i dont feel like i need to carry an annoying mouse around with me anymore. quick responsive touch. @#$%@#$ clean mang!

doesnt get hot on your lap... a little but manageable

an engineering feat... i happy to have pioneered this purchase.... if you think you don't need it. like i did, go see it and think... hmm, i know i need a new PB but this ones too expensive, this one provincial, however all that crap you are used to... the cd drive.... OBSOLETE MANG! i just copy crap off my comp, and rip off my works puters. DVDs are out... i have enough already... it is the age of downloads...

anyway... i hope this explains the sheer giddyness of my experience thus far... a couple of hours... i bought it down on prince ST. GO GET YOURS

 

[clayj]

Well, I don't actually have my 1.8/SSD MBA yet (it's still en route from Shanghai), but I drove over to the Apple Store at SouthPark earlier this evening (they had 4 demo models out, but none available for sale). Here are my first impressions:

The 1.8/SSD seems a bit faster than my old 2.16 CD MBP, which also had 2 GB of RAM. Windows were snappier and apps launched very quickly. The multi-touch pad is really easy to use. The trackpad button could stand to be a hair taller, but otherwise worked well.

The machine is utterly silent, like an iPhone. The only warmth I detected was on the underside of the left side of the machine, where the CPU is.

Screen is glossy, but surprisingly not as annoying as I've found glossy screens in the past. Maybe it's because of the backlit LCD.

Ran a few 720p movie trailers off the QuickTime site (WALL-E, Dark Knight, and the new Star Trek trailer), and they were utterly smooth even in full-screen mode. I think as long as you don't throw 1080-line video at the MBA, it should be fine.

Keyboard felt identical to the Apple keyboards included with the new iMac and Mac Pro... throw is identical, as is spacing. Backlighting was not terribly bright when I blocked the light sensor (which is by the iSight camera), but then again we were in a well-lit store.

Looks like about 35 GB free on the SSD with the stock software config. Reinstalling OS X from the original disk and omitting language files, printer driver files, and unnecessary apps like iDVD, iMovie, iWeb, and GarageBand is definitely recommended.

The MBA is quite sturdy. I didn't try to flex it, but when it was closed, it felt like a solid slab of aluminum. Machine went from sleep mode to fully-awake in just a couple of seconds. Going to sleep was just as fast.

All-in-all, I was supremely impressed. Can't wait to get mine when it arrives next week.

One extra note: The manager I spoke to told me that they are being very careful with who they recommend the MBA to. They are quite conscious of the fact that the MBA is not for everyone and that they should err on the side of caution (e.g., MB or MBP) if a person isn't 100% sure the MBA is what they need... they don't want to make any customers upset by selling them a machine that doesn't do all of what they want or need.

 

[Hankster]

I decided that Apple's advertising claims needed some independent verification, so i got some 10x13 manila envelopes and headed to the local Apple Store. When I pulled the envelope out of my pocket, the employee guarding the table started laughing. As you can see, The MBA does indeed fit inside a manila envelope. I could have closed the envelope, but then you wouldn't know what was inside. For comparison purposes, I tried the envelope on a normal MacBook. The MacBook was certainly thin enough to fit inside, but the last picture shows it crammed in as far as it would go. I don't think I could have closed the envelope. It was a tight squeeze to begin with, though, and probably wouldn't have made a very good commercial.

One other thing I don't think I've seen anyone else mention is that the new multi-touch trackpads are a little screwy. The cursor seemed to jerk around a lot on all three of the store's display models. I made a point of only touching the trackpad with one finger at a time, with nothing else (shirt sleeves, etc.) touching it, and the cursor still jumped around. It made it difficult to open the Apple menu, and I had trouble launching applications from the dock. Hopefully it's something Apple can fix via Software Update soon. Other than that, I don't have anything new to contribute. I agree with most of the other first impressions.

Thanks for the photos.

 

[barefeats]

How's the keyboard?

I'm hoping to get my hands on the 1.8 w/SSD early next week. I realize compromises had to be made to keep the weight down and the thickness thin.

One concern I have is the keyboard. If it's like the MacBook Pro. I'm in. If it's like the MacBook's "chicklet" keyboard, I'm not going to be happy -- backlighting notwithstanding.

So what do you all think of the MacBook Air keyboard?

 

[aiongiant]

I'm hoping to get my hands on the 1.8 w/SSD early next week. I realize compromises had to be made to keep the weight down and the thickness thin.

One concern I have is the keyboard. If it's like the MacBook Pro. I'm in. If it's like the MacBook's "chicklet" keyboard, I'm not going to be happy -- backlighting notwithstanding.

So what do you all think of the MacBook Air keyboard?

i heard it looks and feels exactly like the macbook keyboard

 

[chp5592]

First Impressions

I have used the machine now for few hours and here are some thoughts.

The build quality is incredible. Everything lines up beautifully without any flex or bend. It feels solid but light.

The trackpad is wonderful to use. Nice texture and nice space for gestures (which work great). The trackpad button is quiet and broad. Good feedback without any of the cheap click feel (i.e. my Dell)

The keyboard is now lit while I type this. I didn't expect the light to shine through the edges of the keys. Is it this way with the MBP? It would be nice if only the key caps lit up. The key light seems too bright. I don't see an obvious way to lower the brightness on the preference panel. Help anyone?

Right now, I'm copying two large folders from a 120gb external Western Digital Passport powered only by the Air USB. The fan is audible right now (probably because the massive file transfer). It is a low whir type sound. When the fan is off, I don't hear anything. I don't hear the hard drive (alas, iPod).

All applications seem to launch within two bounces. Garage band did take a while to load initially (I read that somewhere). I have had very little beachball action (better than my 2.2ghz core 2 iMac actually for some reason)..... If you are a normal user like most are, I think the 1.6/80 works very well.

I am about to install Parallels now and I'll post my impressions soon.

Overall, the machine is a delight to use. Having used mostly Dell laptops before, I must say the difference is like comparing a Palm Smartphone versus the iPhone. Intelligent and elegant design does matter.

 

[clayj]

i heard it looks and feels exactly like the macbook keyboard

That's correct. MB keyboard = MBA keyboard = new Apple wireless keyboard.

 

[sushi]

<Review Snip>
One extra note: The manager I spoke to told me that they are being very careful with who they recommend the MBA to. They are quite conscious of the fact that the MBA is not for everyone and that they should err on the side of caution (e.g., MB or MBP) if a person isn't 100% sure the MBA is what they need... they don't want to make any customers upset by selling them a machine that doesn't do all of what they want or need.

Thanks for the review.

This policy sounds good. Glad to see Apple being proactive here.

 

[qpid]

The keyboard is now lit while I type this. I didn't expect the light to shine through the edges of the keys. Is it this way with the MBP? It would be nice if only the key caps lit up. The key light seems too bright. I don't see an obvious way to lower the brightness on the preference panel. Help anyone?

Try System Preferences, Keyboard & Mouse, and under the keyboard tab there should be a brightness level. At least this is how it works on the mbp

 

[gss7881]

My MBA en-route !!!!! Hoooraay!!!!

Did anybody install parallels yet? did you install vista or XP? I am trying to decide which way to go, specially now that MS said it is ok to install the basic. I just have two programs that need windows .... Argghhh

My MBA ETA 2/6!!!!

 

[chp5592]

Try System Preferences, Keyboard & Mouse, and under the keyboard tab there should be a brightness level. At least this is how it works on the mbp

Funny, the Air doesn't have that option. Just time to shut down key light for idle, and on and off function. Hmmmm.

 

[EDdoc]

Anyone here have the SSD drive that can say how much of the hard drive was left when you booted it up for the first time?

There was 38 GB left in the Apple store MBA 1.8 64 SSD

 

[mich73]

Try System Preferences, Keyboard & Mouse, and under the keyboard tab there should be a brightness level. At least this is how it works on the mbp

The F5 and F6 keys adjust the keyboard brightness.

 

[chp5592]

The F5 and F6 keys adjust the keyboard brightness.

Thanks!! That works..... I knew they didn't forget...

 

[desenso]

Standard configuration, 80GB hard drive.

THE NEGATIVES

• Mine isn't completely "even." If you press down the bottom left edge of the computer it "rocks" slightly. This has nothing to do with the Magsafe or anything else.. the computer just simply isn't even. There is no visible bending, and the feet seem to be the same height, but it tips over nonetheless. It has already gotten less severe after a day, though, so maybe it needs to just be worn in.
  
• My trackpad button clicks really loudly.

THE POSITIVES

• Opening and closing the lid on this thing is unlike any other Apple laptop ever. It's a pleasurable experience in and of itself. Closing it, in particular, is fun.
  
• It's gorgeous. And thin. And light. What others have said is true: you need to see this thing in person to understand just how glorious it is.
  
• The black keyboard / Aluminum body looks way better in person than it did on any of the pictures I found.
  
• The screen is extremely vibrant.
  
• It feels plenty zippy. I haven't done anything intensive yet, nor do I plan to, but as far as using Safari and Pages goes, this thing is fine. It's faster than I thought it would be. Would I want to run Photoshop and Parallels at the same time while encoding a video with Visualhub? Hells no. But that's not what this thing was designed to do. And frankly, if it really had to, it probably could do it.. but I have a feeling that when the ram on this thing gets filled up it will grind to an absolute halt.

 

[jameskohn]

Anyone here have the SSD drive that can say how much of the hard drive was left when you booted it up for the first time?

Picked up an SSD at the SoHo NYC store earlier this evening. I had already sync'd contacts and calendars when I saw your post, but I haven't added any applications, other data, etc.

Right now the SSD:
Capacity: 55.58GB
Available: 38.11 GB
Used: 17.47 GB on disk

These seem like the very same numbers I saw when I first turned it on.

 

[aiongiant]

you can prob get rid of the extra languages and extra printer drivers that you prob will never use those take alot of space

 

[chp5592]

Parallels performance on 1.6/80

Just transferred my virtual machine from my iMac. I really don't see any difference between the two. Parallels/Windows XP runs fairly snappy. Processor utilization seems on par with my iMac.

So bottom line, no problems running Parallels/Windows XP.

 

[JosephEsquivel]

Picked up an SSD at the SoHo NYC store earlier this evening. I had already sync'd contacts and calendars when I saw your post, but I haven't added any applications, other data, etc.

Right now the SSD:
Capacity: 55.58GB
Available: 38.11 GB
Used: 17.47 GB on disk

These seem like the very same numbers I saw when I first turned it on.

so on a 64 GB flash drive only 55 is usable? that sounds crappy to me

 

[chp5592]

Few early problems noticed.

The keyboard lighting intensity seems to reset to maximum for no good reason. Any one else?

Also, because the bottom edges are so thin (thus relatively sharp), if you have your wrist resting on the edges, it is somewhat irritating.

 

[steve31]

There was 38 GB left in the Apple store MBA 1.8 64 SSD

thank you. Should be able to get 40ish with removing printer drivers and languages.

 

[larryj]

Also, because the bottom edges are so thin (thus relatively sharp), if you have your wrist resting on the edges, it is somewhat irritating.

This is my only complaint so far. I'm not sure if I'll get used to it or learn to pick up my wrists a bit.

 

[profiteor]

so on a 64 GB flash drive only 55 is usable? that sounds crappy to me

I wonder if there's some diagnostic software loaded on the drive itself in a partition, like the Apple Hardware Test. Does anyone with one of these see what Disk Utility says in terms of partitions?

 

[nagromme]

Thanks for the reviews, all! I hope to see one tomorrow and then make my decision.

you can prob get rid of the extra languages and extra printer drivers that you prob will never use those take alot of space

Yes--there are utilities for that (and even 3rd-party apps can be slimmed down by extracting their extra languages). I probably won't mess with shareware utilities though--I intend to simply re-install the OS fresh as soon as I get my Air, and at that time deselect the unwanted printers and languages.

The keyboard lighting intensity seems to reset to maximum for no good reason. Any one else?

Does it respond to the ambient light sensor pref--the same pref you choose under Displays for auto-dimming? Maybe try turning that off and it will stop auto-adjusting the key brightness?

• Opening and closing the lid on this thing is unlike any other Apple laptop ever. It's a pleasurable experience in and of itself. Closing it, in particular, is fun.

However, opening it offers a broader range of capabilities

I read this great article, where the author compared the Air and one of the TZ series side by side, and from an objective point of view, the TZ is alot better in so many ways (of course the key is the OS, which tilts the picture) as a portable device.

Let me guess: those TZ advantages did not include speed, screen size, or keyboard It has lots o' ports and extras though (I think it even comes with an external HD). If what you want from an ultraportable is to carry a lot of peripherals with it--or if you use optical discs a lot and don't mind a slower CPU/GPU and tiny screen, then the TZ is indeed tempting (other than the OS). It was certainly the model to beat in my mind. I was hoping for narrower-but-thick like the TZ, actually, but the Air's volume is smaller than the TZ, and with the bags I have, thin will work better anyway.

 

[boy52]

weird keyboard backlight activity

Lovin the Air. Although, mine is acting very strange with the keyboard backlight. It seems that when I have the lights in the room turned ON, that's when the keyboard backlight activates. When I turn the room lights OFF, the keyboard backlight goes away! Anyone else experiencing the same problem..?