New Macbook Air 13 Owner: Surprisingly Disappointed

[Psilocybin]

OK - today I surrendered.

I went to an Apple store to check how it is to type on the MBA keyboard. I also checked if the screen illuminates the keyboard enough to see the keys (like Psilocybin stated that it does). Surprisingly, it's far better to type on than the MBP, even. Therefore, the lack of backlit keyboard is no longer a reason for me to not get the MBA - I guess you all know what that narrows it down to.

Now I'm the happy owner of a MacBook Air 13" 256 GB / 4 GB / 2.13 GHz

That a boy!

 

[gwsat]

To each his own I suppose. I am in the opposite camp. I bought the Air because I needed a personal computer to take on business trips along with my work computer. I wanted something light but a netbook just wouldn't have been powerful enough. I am totally surprised with how fast the machine is. I guess my expectations are lower than the original poster, but for an everyday personal machine the 13" Air is truly wonderful.

I think your reaction is similar to that of the majority of those who have posted to this thread. Most of us, me included, seem to have thought the OP's negative conclusions about the 13 inch MBA were not supported by the facts.

 

[bobr1952]

OK - today I surrendered.

I went to an Apple store to check how it is to type on the MBA keyboard. I also checked if the screen illuminates the keyboard enough to see the keys (like Psilocybin stated that it does). Surprisingly, it's far better to type on than the MBP, even. Therefore, the lack of backlit keyboard is no longer a reason for me to not get the MBA - I guess you all know what that narrows it down to.

Now I'm the happy owner of a MacBook Air 13" 256 GB / 4 GB / 2.13 GHz

Nice--congratulations! I am getting closer but don't really want the faster processor or more capacity--so I think I'll play with them at Best Buy a bit more and then order mine online--I do want the 4GB RAM.

 

[size100]

I think mavis beacon is on the app store for those that need a backlit keyboard.

As far as battery life you can get a lot. I don't know many people that would use a full 10 hours of battery life. Battery life is comparable to the MBP13. As long as you don't use flash and have the screen at normal brightness it'll actually surpass the battery life.

Getting 9+ hours of battery life doing non-intensive tasks is far more than any one actually uses.

I use mine daily and almost all day and never 'run out' of battery and I NEVER bother bringing my power cable.

 

[size100]

Display of Macbook Pro 13" packs less pixels than MBA 13" but is no way pixelated. In fact, it looks better than my Eee PC 1201T which has 12.1" screen and has 1366x768 resolution.

my microwaves display looks better than netbook screens.

 

[SammySlim]

What's funny is that I bought an MBA 11 2GB and now use it as my desktop replacement (with a 27" ACD), and then grab it and go when I travel. I have not found any performance difference from my older 2.2 C2D MB; in fact, my 1.4/2 MBA is subjectively faster. Drives that ACD screen like a champ. Best of both worlds to me.

I fly over 100,000 miles a year and the weight difference makes a huge difference to me; 2.3 lbs vs. 4.5 lbs for a MBP13 is very substantial when you consider everything else. May not sound like much, but it adds up. Can I lift a heavier computer? Sure, traveled with one for years. But do I prefer a lighter one, that's a full-featured computer with a real OS? You bet I do.

When I'm home, I mostly use it for remote connection, office productivity, surfing, poker, music, watching video, etc. Perfect for me.

I can definitely see how some would find the compromises don't work for them - no problem there, completely understood. I don't take the OPs view (or the posts of those who share it) personally at all. If it doesn't work for you, great, buy something else. If it does, great, enjoy your MBA. That's why Apple has a lineup after all, and why there are lots of PC choices -- one size does not fit all for every application.

Will be nice when they put in the Sandy Bridge chips but honestly, I don't know how much of a real world difference that will make for what I do... maybe when Ivy Bridge puts a real GPU in there ... but I digress.

Cheers all!

 

[KPOM]

Now I'm the happy owner of a MacBook Air 13" 256 GB / 4 GB / 2.13 GHz

Nice. We should start an "ultimate" Air club for those of us with the 2.13GHz 4GB 13" or 1.6GHz 4GB 11" models. Maybe I'll get around to that after I start the "charter club" for those of us who purchased the original MacBook Air.

 

[kahkityoong]

Nice. We should start an "ultimate" Air club for those of us with the 2.13GHz 4GB 13" or 1.6GHz 4GB 11" models. Maybe I'll get around to that after I start the "charter club" for those of us who purchased the original MacBook Air.

Sounds good. I've got a fully specked out 15" MBP and recently acquired the 13" Ultimate edition. It's been no great hardship to go the the MBA and I do some photo-editing with large layered 21MP image files. A hands-on review is to follow.

 

[timeslip]

I'd take the 13" MBA with the higher res (1449x900) same as a 15" non-high res any day.

I've never owned the 13" MBA or MB simply because the resolution is just too low. Now I have the resolution of a 15", yet the weight of a magazine.

I am convinced that people who continue to knock the 13" MBA simply leave their 13" MBP sitting on a desk 90% of the time. Which I suppose, why have a laptop then? Just get an iMAC.

 

[torbjoern]

The only thing I find a little annoying this far is that the CD/DVD-sharing from other Macs (the MBA uses an iMac's ODD when in the same network) doesn't work for audio CDs or video DVDs. Apple blames it on copyright issues. Oh well, I can always download anything I want from the Internet anyway.

 

[credia]

Valuable information and excellent design you got here! I would like to thank you for sharing your thoughts into the stuff you post!!

 

[marzxbarz]

Just received my MBA Ultimate 13" this afternoon, and have mixed feelings so far.
Pros:
+ I really enjoy the size. It is perfect for carrying around.
+ Super light compared to my 15" MBP
+ USB ports on BOTH sides instead of being next to each other (phew!)
+ Sleeps/wakes instantly
+ Screen isn't as glossy

Cons:
- I can immediately tell that my MBP screen is of higher quality. My background doesn't look nearly as smooth..
- No backlit keyboard. I knew I would miss it, why Apple!?!?
- Performance. This thing runs like a champ, don't get me wrong. But I do miss the power of the 15" MBP. I ran XBench to compare the two, and the 15" MBP had it beat by about 40 pts. The fan seems to run more on the MBA than the MBP.
- I didn't notice this until now, but there is NO optical-out for the headphone jack. I had naively assumed that every MacBook had the optical out. I tried to plug my speakers in, only to find out that the Toslink cable wouldn't fit all the way in.

For now, the biggest peeve is the last one I mentioned. I'm sure they make a USB adapter for the optical-out, so it's not the end of the world.

I'm going to keep it for a week, as I haven't been able to test out the main purpose of why I got the laptop: to take notes. Judging by what I've seen so far, I'm beginning to think the (hopefully) up and coming 13" MBP will suit me better.

Hope everyone else is enjoying their MBA's!

 

[deadlystriker]

Just received my MBA Ultimate 13" this afternoon, and have mixed feelings so far.
Pros:
+ I really enjoy the size. It is perfect for carrying around.
+ Super light compared to my 15" MBP
+ USB ports on BOTH sides instead of being next to each other (phew!)
+ Sleeps/wakes instantly
+ Screen isn't as glossy

Cons:
- I can immediately tell that my MBP screen is of higher quality. My background doesn't look nearly as smooth..
- No backlit keyboard. I knew I would miss it, why Apple!?!?
- Performance. This thing runs like a champ, don't get me wrong. But I do miss the power of the 15" MBP. I ran XBench to compare the two, and the 15" MBP had it beat by about 40 pts. The fan seems to run more on the MBA than the MBP.
- I didn't notice this until now, but there is NO optical-out for the headphone jack. I had naively assumed that every MacBook had the optical out. I tried to plug my speakers in, only to find out that the Toslink cable wouldn't fit all the way in.

For now, the biggest peeve is the last one I mentioned. I'm sure they make a USB adapter for the optical-out, so it's not the end of the world.

I'm going to keep it for a week, as I haven't been able to test out the main purpose of why I got the laptop: to take notes. Judging by what I've seen so far, I'm beginning to think the (hopefully) up and coming 13" MBP will suit me better.

Hope everyone else is enjoying their MBA's!

I was also quite pissed when my toslink didn't work, and then realised that there was no optical out. Fortunately I have a desktop to satisfy my audiophile needs.

 

[Hoxer]

I think it's fair that some people maybe get a bit disappointed when they buy a new computer.

With that said I also think that people should invest more time in doing research about what computer that will fit your needs. If you already know that you will get angry with the lack of a backlit keyboard then maybe you should just buy a MBP. If you are worried about pefomance then buy a freaking MBP instead so you won't get so sad when you buy a MBA.

While I'm typing the guys in the factory in Shanghai are making my 13" MBA "Ultimate". Currently I use a MB White 2,2 C2D - 2GB ram from 07' and it has been more than fine for my needs. So I figured that I would rather have a more portable computer then a big chunky MBP. The MBA will do a even better job then my good old MB White did. I'm just going to use it for typing, youtube, light video & photoediting, and thats that. I have a windows desktop for gaming, and with the upcoming MBA for school that mix will work great for me. I tried the MBA in a store and instantly fell in love with it. I'm SO sick of people saying the MBA can't be used as your primary machine... ************.

Like many other have said if you know that you'll be using your laptop for heavy stuff then get the MBP, end of story. But deep inside your heart you know that the cool guys own a MBA...

 

[leowyatt]

I am also sick of people saying the MBA can't be used a primary machine. I entirely depends on what you plan to use it for. My Ultimate is the best machine I've ever used.

I won't be playing any games on mine as I have both next-gen consoles and I also have a mac mini which is used solely for Plex. My air will be used for email, internet, itunes and photo editing.

 

[newdeal]

...

I agree fully with the OP, I returned my MBA 13 to get a MBP 13. The laptop is better in every way than the air except thinness and lack of SSD...of course the SSD can be added easily enough although to be honest with my personal tasks it makes almost no differance. C2D is not a huge deal, I have an i3 iMac and the differance between the two speed wise is negligable

 

[wakemed2L]

I am considering buying one but I will just go with the MBP 13 inch and put an SSD in there. Thanks for the review.

 

[bobr1952]

I am considering buying one but I will just go with the MBP 13 inch and put an SSD in there. Thanks for the review.

What a review? Try this on for size.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1090824/

 

[dmelgar]

I agree with some what the OP said. I returned by 13" MBA and bought the 11" MBA, sold my 13" MBP and couldn't be happier. The 11" is my primary machine used for business and personal. Heavily used. Very capable.

 

[bobr1952]

I agree with some what the OP said. I returned by 13" MBA and bought the 11" MBA, sold my 13" MBP and couldn't be happier. The 11" is my primary machine used for business and personal. Heavily used. Very capable.

Why did you decide to move down to the 11 inch MBA? I am still pondering that point for my next purchase.

 

[chrismacguy]

Nice. We should start an "ultimate" Air club for those of us with the 2.13GHz 4GB 13" or 1.6GHz 4GB 11" models. Maybe I'll get around to that after I start the "charter club" for those of us who purchased the original MacBook Air.

I hope Ill be let in when I get a ultimate-next-gen-11"-air with an aftermarket upgrade to 256/320/whateverthemaxisthen to replace my current 1.4 11" (I love the formfactor, and this one will be going to as much aftermarket storage as I can jam in the case).

I bought my 11" Air to replace a 13" MacBook (One of the Last Early 2008s sold, as it was bought the day before announcement of the Late 2008s), and got it over the 13" Air just because I fly and like to be able to use my Mac on the plane (Even 13"ers cant fit properly on the tiny tables on some planes), and because it is small enough it can be taken absolutely anywhere

 

[foulmouthedleon]

Just traded my 15” i5 MBP for a 13” MBA this weekend. LOVE IT! So much lighter, the screen is amazing (much better than the MBP) and I thought the lack of a backlit keyboard would be an issue, but it’s really not.