Rev A veterans(& virgins!): What's your set-up?

[AIRniloc]

other physical mods to the MBAir? white keys inside...

just started a new thread which might help ya

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/638011/

 

[jimboutilier]

i removed the file /private/var/sleepimage (which is where your settings are stored in your RAM) and disabled the 'smartsleep' status using the method below...instant sleep AND 2 more GBs of space on your SSD

http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20070302210328928

One caution - if you go into system preferences and change any of your power saving settings to anything but "custom" your sleep file will come back and your mac will start to safesleep again. Thats why I like the SMARTSLEEP pref panel utility (makes it easier to customize)

 

[SFStateStudent]

.
The Air Has Landed!

Congrats OP, take your time setting it up then get some pics out to all of us...

 

[Carl Abudephane]

.

 

[AIRniloc]

One caution - if you go into system preferences and change any of your power saving settings to anything but "custom" your sleep file will come back and your mac will start to safesleep again. Thats why I like the SMARTSLEEP pref panel utility (makes it easier to customize)

i have never seen this occurance..just to be sure i went ahead and set my sleep preferences to 15 / 15...the sleepimage did not re-appear...

if hibernation is set to 0, i don't see any reason for it to re-appear

 

[AIRniloc]

Thanks. Let's hope everything is tickety-boo once it's software-updated. Opening it was of course an absolute pleasure, possibly(ironically)heightened by extreme trepidation on my part concerning the screen, after all of my experiences and worry with the whole(to me)Rev B screen issues thing.
Well, the screen is thankfully gorgeous. The google page appearing as it should - pure white & no lines.

The battery is now fully charging before I then do the re-install-&-dump-everything-I-won't-use process, before then doing a software update, which I hope will leave me nice 'n stable and then possibly look into getting coolbook on it.
I say this because it has been plugged into the mains for the past seven hours and is still only at 75% charged. I do however remember this happening for a lot of people early on in the Rev A's life, which I believe was cured? And, when first turned on & going through set-up, within 2 minutes the fans were going hell-for-leather and the underside of the machine(sat on my wooden desk)was already getting pretty warm!

For all I know, this unit could be an A from way back at the start of 2008, and still have the very first firmware in situ. I'll post back and give further details when I have them. Nice to know however that we have, going by this threads responses, some resident 'A' genius' on-hand to help us along if needed!

Keep your diary free jimboutilier!!

congrats on the new machine

you'll dig it...

 

[jimboutilier]

i have never seen this occurance..just to be sure i went ahead and set my sleep preferences to 15 / 15...the sleepimage did not re-appear...

if hibernation is set to 0, i don't see any reason for it to re-appear

You can change settings all you want within "custom" and you are fine. But if you go back to "better battery" or "better performance" etc (any preset profile except custom) you will see this issue as the other profiles will reset your hibernation settings.

 

[SFStateStudent]

CoconutBattery/CoconutIdentityCard will help, as will iStatsPro with regards to Battery Cycles/Fully Charged and How Old Your MBAir is and where it was manufactured. SMCFanControl is also a plus...

 

[spaceballl]

Very useful thread!!

 

[AIRniloc]

You can change settings all you want within "custom" and you are fine. But if you go back to "better battery" or "better performance" etc (any preset profile except custom) you will see this issue as the other profiles will reset your hibernation settings.

i'm on rev b 10.5.6...the old defaults are gone and have been for awhile..

what build are you on? in my 10.5.6 partition i'm on build 9G55, i'm on build 10A222 on my 10.6 partition..

basically, does your energy saver NOT have the new icon?

i think you're running an old OS

 

[jimboutilier]

You know this thread is about RevA MBA's right?

i'm on rev b 10.5.6...the old defaults are gone and have been for awhile..

what build are you on? in my 10.5.6 partition i'm on build 9G55, i'm on build 10A222 on my 10.6 partition..

basically, does your energy saver NOT have the new icon?

i think you're running an old OS

Of course I am - we are trying to help RevA owners in this thread so I am talking about the latest version of OS X 10.5.6 that runs on RevA MBA's (The OS is different on RevB versions to support the different hardware even though its versioning says 10.5.6 9G55).

For you RevA owners running OS X 10.5.6 my advice still holds true. Once you change your sleep settings (through SUDU or a utility like SMARTSLEEP) these changes will be undone if you choose an Optimization profile other than Custom in your Energy saving preference panel.

I've seen a lot of questions about "Why did my sleep file come back" and "Why did my sleep mode change" so I was just letting people know how this can inadvertently happen. Changing the Optimization profile to anything but "Custom" will change all the sleep settings back to the way your mac originally worked.

This may or may not be true for RevB MBA's.

Hope this clears up any confusion.

 

[AIRniloc]

Of course I am - we are trying to help RevA owners in this thread so I am talking about the latest version of OS X 10.5.6 that runs on RevA MBA's (The OS is different on RevB versions to support the different hardware even though its versioning says 10.5.6 9G55).

For you RevA owners running OS X 10.5.6 my advice still holds true. Once you change your sleep settings (through SUDU or a utility like SMARTSLEEP) these changes will be undone if you choose an Optimization profile other than Custom in your Energy saving preference panel.

I've seen a lot of questions about "Why did my sleep file come back" and "Why did my sleep mode change" so I was just letting people know how this can inadvertently happen. Changing the Optimization profile to anything but "Custom" will change all the sleep settings back to the way your mac originally worked.

This may or may not be true for RevB MBA's.

Hope this clears up any confusion.

sorry for creating the confusion, jim..

your assessments are 100% correct ( i verified them on a friends' rev a this afternoon)..the sleepimage definitely returns if using anything other than custom settings..

however...
after putitng the four finger gestures on my friends' rev a, I was VERY surprised to find that the 'new' energy saver preference panes popped up in system preferences!!

in other words,if you update the multitouch.kext and put the 'new' four finger gestures on your Rev A, you get the new 'trackpad' feature in sys prefs AND you also get the 'new' energy saver prefpane in system preferences...

to be more clear: the sleepimage WILL NOT RETURN if you install the new multitoch.kext (four finger gestures) on your rev a MBAir

 

[jimboutilier]

sorry for creating the confusion, jim..

your assessments are 100% correct ( i verified them on a friends' rev a this afternoon)..the sleepimage definitely returns if using anything other than custom settings..

however...
after putitng the four finger gestures on my friends' rev a, I was VERY surprised to find that the 'new' energy saver preference panes popped up in system preferences!!

in other words,if you update the multitouch.kext and put the 'new' four finger gestures on your Rev A, you get the new 'trackpad' feature in sys prefs AND you also get the 'new' energy saver prefpane in system preferences...

to be more clear: the sleepimage WILL NOT RETURN if you install the new multitoch.kext (four finger gestures) on your rev a MBAir

No worries. This may be a bit off topic (and I vaguely remember other threads on this) but does the four finger stuff work reliably on the RevA and is it easy to configure?

 

[AIRniloc]

No worries. This may be a bit off topic (and I vaguely remember other threads on this) but does the four finger stuff work reliably on the RevA and is it easy to configure?

very reliable, and super-easy to configure

 

[Halon X]

AT HOME
-----------------
I use a 24" iMac as my primary workstation and mothership with 2x MBA's and 2x Dell netbooks for portability depending on my needs. One of the Dell's is running OSX and does it very well!

I upgraded the internal disk in my iMac to an SSD and use a FW800 attached Drobo for data storage.

I use a 1GB Time Capsule for wireless connectivity and have another Drobo attached via USB to it for Time Machine backups. All data is backup up one additional time to a central file server where it is then also replicated off-site. My printers are also on the network and allow wireless printing from anyplace in the house.

All my Photo's, Video & MP3's are stored and shared through the file server and I keep local MP3 libraries on each of the laptops for traveling.


TRAVELING
-----------------
I like to travel light so usually only travel with a laptop, charger, usb broadband card for wireless. If I have need for more space, I'll bring a portable USB Hard Drive or two.

I don't use a laptop case or sleeve, everything just gets tossed into my leather messenger bag (work) or backpack (personal). Quick and easy to pull out when needed or when going through security at the airports.

The OSX netbook spends most of its time in the glovebox of my car, perfect for quickly checking email or the web while on the road or stuck waiting for someone/something. The Windows netbook I use for the times I need a dedicated windows machine or am dealing with a Windows centric customer in place of a VM on the Air.

I do 100% of my traveling with the Air but have used the OSX netbook in it's place a couple times and it is equally as capable, especially for general email, office, itunes type tasks. If Apple came out with a 10" netbook with a decent resolution screen, I'd purchase it in a heartbeat!

I use .Mac to keep everything in sync.


MY OPINION
---------------------
Despite a lot of peoples negative comments and experiences with the Rev A MBA, I find it to be a very capable machine and am very happy with it. I don't see it as having any short comings or limitations. I think the $999 refurb is an amazing deal and would pick up the air over the new MacBook (based on my needs and preferences) any day! Given the choice to purchase a Rev B or Refurb A at current prices, I would also still go for the Refurb A!

 

[TheRiseofTheFal]

that looks like a great setup!!

 

[RayK]

I just got my 1.8/64SSD refurb and love it. I ended up getting the incase zipperless sleeve and the superdrive just in case. XSlimmer because I wanted to recover the space as well. I didn't get coolbook as I have not had an issue with core shutdowns, even when I stress it at 75-80C. How about Applecare? Anyone have an opinion as to whether its worth it for the air? My battery capacity seems to keep falling. That, to me, seems like the best reason to get it. Yes I know it can fluctuate, but two cycles and its at 96% already! Anything else I should consider? Any opinion on the invisible shield?

 

[jimboutilier]

I just got my 1.8/64SSD refurb and love it. I ended up getting the incase zipperless sleeve and the superdrive just in case. XSlimmer because I wanted to recover the space as well. I didn't get coolbook as I have not had an issue with core shutdowns, even when I stress it at 75-80C. How about Applecare? Anyone have an opinion as to whether its worth it for the air? My battery capacity seems to keep falling. That, to me, seems like the best reason to get it. Yes I know it can fluctuate, but two cycles and its at 96% already! Anything else I should consider? Any opinion on the invisible shield?

Applecare would extend both your hardware warranty and tech support to 3 years. With machines that portable and proprietary its great piece of mind to have that warranty. Apples tech support is first rate and also well worth it. You can usually pick it up discounted on Amazon or eBay as well.

 

[RayK]

Applecare would extend both your hardware warranty and tech support to 3 years. With machines that portable and proprietary its great piece of mind to have that warranty. Apples tech support is first rate and also well worth it. You can usually pick it up discounted on Amazon or eBay as well.

That's exactly what I as thinking. I guess I'll go ahead and start lookingon eBay for some care for my apple.

 

[mikey28]

Although I have a Rev B, I really like this thread.

The set up

1 Invisible Shield. It really, really protects from scratches, especially on the bottom.

2. Screen Protector. I have anti-glare. But really I just wanted something to protect the screen from scratches. I may switch to crystal clear, when it comes in.

3. Moshi keyboard cover. I am a serious coffee drinker. This is the THINNEST cover out there. You cannot even tell its on. I have tried the silicon ones and they interfere with my typing, so I took it off. But I need something to protect from spills. And to keep the keyboard from getting that "worn-in" look

4. Brenthaven sleeve with convertable handles. Love that for traveling.

 

[Carl Abudephane]

.

 

[mikey28]

I agree with you, that it's ok for the AIR to age gently. However coffee spilled on the keyboard could be very costly. And usually when I'm on the the computer I'm drinking coffee. Also, the invisible shield is (for me) necessary on the bottom, because I travel with it and put in on all kinds of surfaces, and I don't necessarily always check first.

The thing is: all of my "precautions are pretty much invisible. So I don't feel like I am covering up the actual beauty of the thing.

Enjoy your air. I, for one, LOVE it!!!

 

[clayj]

Well...

... I've had an MBA perhaps longer than anyone here, excepting of course any Apple employees who might be lurking. I've got a 1.8 GHz with 64 GB SSD, and I still love it one year on. My setup as far as the MBA is concerned is pretty vanilla: Nothing on the MBA itself, but I do have the SuperDrive, the USB Ethernet adapter for when I am in a no-WiFi zone, and the USB modem for when I am really in a lo-tech computing zone. I've got an AirMail case (you know, the manila-envelope case) and a Vaja case for when I feel a bit upscale. I've also got an extra AC adapter, so I can leave one permanently at my desk and keep one in my backpack.

You should definitely take a look at the two Guides I wrote concerning how to do a "clean" install of OS X on your MacBook Air and how to remotely access data stored on another machine from your MBA. From a perspective of maximizing your available disk space and access to the data you need, they're pretty good.

The MBA is an excellent notebook, but as I am sure you already know, it's a somewhat specialized tool designed with a specific audience in mind.

 

[justit]

You should definitely take a look at the two Guides I wrote concerning how to do a "clean" install of OS X on your MacBook Air and how to remotely access data stored on another machine from your MBA.

Great sticky