At yesterday’s “Back to the Mac” keynote event, Apple announced a new version of the MacBook Air, the company’s popular lightweight laptop (Apple calls it “world’s thinnest notebook”). The MacBook Air was due for a refresh, as the old model had become a bit out of date. The new Air comes in 11.6-inch and 13.3 inch models, with 64GB to 256 GB of solid state storage.
How does the new MacBook Air stack up against the netbooks it will be competing against? Let’s take a look.
The new MacBook Air may be competing with netbooks in terms of size and weight, but it’s not exactly on a level playing field when it comes to price and specs. The cheapest model of the new MacBook Air (the 11.6-inch model with 64 GB of storage) will retail for $999. On the other hand, it’s easy to find netbooks that sell for under $500. If price is the primary determining factor in what laptop you buy, you probably won’t be getting an Air.
That said, the new Airs feature Core 2 Duo processors and high-res display screens (Apple claims they display more pixels than the 15-inch MacBook Pro). Run-of-the-mill netbooks simply can’t compete with these specs.In this case, a better comparison might be the Thinkpad X201 series.
We would have preferred to see more than the 2 GB of RAM that the Air has, but there’s limited space inside and it’s a nice trade-off to get a long-lasting battery instead.
The new MacBook Air also features a camera (which can be used for FaceTime chat with other Mac owners, as well as iPhone 4 owners) and two USB 2.0 ports (this is a huge improvement over the previous Air, which only had one USB port).
What are your thoughts on the new MacBook Air?
Comments
Lucas
October 21st, 2010 - 7:35:39 AM
You can add 2 more gb of RAM on apples website for about $94.
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Daniel See
October 21st, 2010 - 8:26:04 AM
Simply awesome & unresistable. I've never encounter Macs before, but not now. I just order an 11.6" online with 1.6Mhz & 4Gb ram.
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Jamala
October 21st, 2010 - 1:59:29 PM
Yeah... the Air is in a league of its own, it can't be compared to any other netbook in terms of price. It should have been embedded with 4G though since that's coming out and way better than 3G. Netbooks should all have internet with them. I can't wait to use my Rover Puck with it. It's a prepaid internet hotspot that allows unlimited downloading.. perfect for catching up with Hulu episodes on the bus on my netbook. The Puck is really small too, plus you can share your connection with other devices like a router. Anyway you should check it out. Jamala at Rover.com
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Kayla
November 15th, 2010 - 8:08:52 PM
I love Macs, though I have an Asus Eeepc netbook. I went to check this new netbook out right away. The resolution is awesome. BUT...no SD card slot. Really, without the disc drive, the SD slot is almost mandatory. It's so easy to upload pics and videos when you're out of town with the SD card. I really love the idea of this netbook, but it may be too limited. My current netbook has 3 USB ports and an SD slot. I know it's not a Mac, but still. Anyone else check it out yet? Maybe I just missed the SD slot?
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Kayla
November 15th, 2010 - 8:34:27 PM
Of course, now that I've complained about the lack of an SD slot (which would be nice), I realize that one can simply use one of those usb/SD adapters (and I even have one, LOL). Okay, may end up getting this laptop!
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Larry
November 21st, 2010 - 2:42:15 PM
If you compare it to the Thinkpad x201, there is no comparison. I just ordered the x201 with a fast processor, 320 gb hard drive, 4gb ram, 3 USB ports, ethernet, card reader, 6.5 hour battery life, all for $850.00. Typical Apple hype.
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Apc
November 27th, 2010 - 8:53:11 AM
I got the 11.6 version with 128g and couldn't be happier. I have a 15 inch MacBook Pro and 15 inch Dell latitude laptop. Price wise it's not too bad considering you're getting a really well made product without the plastic body. If you want a cheap laptop this is certainly not for you :-)
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SHOP A LAPTOP
January 16th, 2011 - 2:53:13 AM
One thing i love about MacBook....so TINY!!! SHOP A LAPTOP
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