MacBook Air
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| MacBook Air | |
|---|---|
 A MacBook Air on display after the 2008 Macworld Keynote |
|
| Type | Laptop or Notebook |
| Developer | Apple Inc. |
| Released | January 29, 2008 |
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6 or 1.8 GHz |
| Base price | US$1,799, CA$1,899, EU€1,699, GB£1,199, JP¥229,800, AU$2,499, NZ$2,988, HK$14,900, INR 87,900, MXN$ 22,999, SGD$ 4,500 |
| Website | apple.com/macbookair |
The MacBook Air is a thin, lightweight, Apple Macintosh MacBook notebook computer featuring an optional solid-state hard drive. The Air has a 13.3-inch, widescreen LED backlit display, with 1280 x 800 screen resolution. The Air weighs 3.0 pounds (1.36 kg), and is 0.76 inches (1.93 cm) at its thickest point and 0.16 inches (0.4 cm) at its thinnest.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the MacBook Air at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 15, 2008. Apple describes it as the "world's thinnest notebook",[1] although there have been thinner models in the past[2] and newer, thinner, laptops have been announced.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Overview
To reduce the computer's size and weight, Apple omitted certain features long standard on its laptops. It is Apple's first notebook since the PowerBook 2400c without a built-in removable media drive.[4] Users may purchase an external USB SuperDrive, or use bundled Remote Disc software to access the optical drive of another computer, but only for installing software.[5] It is the first subcompact laptop offered by Apple since the full-featured 12" PowerBook G4 was discontinued in 2006.
Similarly to the PowerBook Duo series which preceded it, it lacks many features of the larger MacBooks, including a security slot[6] and an Ethernet port,[7] (although a USB-to-Ethernet adapter may be purchased separately).[8] The MacBook Air offers a single USB port and, unlike the Duo, it provides for no other means of expansion or port replication. Like the entry-level MacBook, The MacBook Air lacks Cardbus and ExpressCard slots, both standard features in older and newer laptops.[9] The device lacks a FireWire port, and as such OS X 10.5 Leopard does not require a FireWire port.
The Air is Apple's first laptop computer to be offered with an optional solid-state hard drive.[10] ArsTechnica found "moderate" performance improvements of the 64 GB solid-state drive over the standard 80 GB hard drive in tests. The Air comes with 2 GB (2 GiB) RAM memory as standard.[11]
The CPU is an Intel Core 2 Duo chip, which was specially redesigned for the MacBook Air, reducing the physical chip packaging's size by 60 percent.[12] While the processor is unique, it has been criticized for being under-powered and older-generation technology.[13][14]
The laptop has the magnetic latch system of the MacBook and an aluminum casing like the MacBook Pro. The oversized trackpad offers iPhone-like Multi-Touch gestures, an improvement over previous MacBook trackpads. Among the gestures are pinching, swiping, and rotating.[15]
The MacBook Air is pre-loaded with Mac OS X v10.5 and iLife '08.
[edit] Remote Disc
The MacBook Air can wirelessly access the optical drive of another Mac or Windows PC that has the Remote Disc program installed, allowing the installation of applications from a CD or DVD.[16][17] It can also reinstall the system software from the included installation DVD.[18] Remote Disc supports netbooting, so the MacBook Air can boot from its installation DVD in another computer's drive.[19]
[edit] User-serviceability
Unlike the rest of the MacBook family, the MacBook Air has no directly user-replaceable parts. Its hard drive, memory, and battery are enclosed within the casing, with memory soldered directly to the motherboard. The MacBook Air's battery is not easily replaceable, enclosed in a manner similar to the iPod and related Apple product lines.[14][13][20] The hard drive is not soldered and can be replaced through a non-trivial disassembly procedure.[21] Relatively expensive solid-state drives (SSDs) are commercially available. As part of out-of-warranty service, Apple offers to replace the battery for a fee.[22] It may be possible for the end user to replace the battery, though it is unclear whether this process would void the notebook's warranty.[23] Users looking to replace batteries through third-party vendors will need to wait until replacement batteries are made available for this model.[24]
[edit] Environmental impact
The MacBook Air has an all-aluminum case, a mercury- and arsenic-free LCD glass substrate, PVC-free internal cables, and the majority of circuit boards free of brominated flame retardants.[25][26] Greenpeace, which had previously criticized Apple for its ecological practices, stated that the "greener" MacBook Air is a step towards what it considers necessary improvements.[27]
[edit] Concerns about overheating
Several MacBook Air users[28] since the release of the first generation product have complained of problems with severe overheating, causing CPU lockup. This effect appears to be exacerbated in warmer climates, such as northern Australia. A software update released by Apple in early March which attempted to fix the problem had mixed results.[29] The problem seems to appear when undergoing system-intensive tasks such as video playback, video chatting, or playing games.[30]
[edit] Criticism
The MacBook Air has been criticized by Ryan Block of Engadget for its high price compared to other notebooks of similar specification, with him suggesting that a premium is being paid for its form factor.[31]
The Macbook Air has also been criticized for the difficulty in accessing the headphone and USB ports. Because of tight clearance, some devices, including some headphone jacks and 3G USB cellular modems will not fit, requiring users to purchase either a powered USB hub or an extension cable in order to use their devices.[32][33]
As seen in the specification section, the Macbook Air lacks a Firewire port. It does not support Target Disk Mode of any kind, which would have enabled it to be used as an external hard drive for quick data transfers. [34]
[edit] Specifications
| Component | Early 2008[35] |
|---|---|
| Display | 13.3-inch glossy LED-backlit TFT LCD widescreen display, 1280×800 pixel resolution |
| Graphics | Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor with 144 MB (144 MiB) of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory |
| Storage | 80 GB ATA 1.8" 4200 rpm hard disk drive 64 GB SSD optional |
| Processor | 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Merom,[36][37] with 800 MHz FSB 1.8 GHz Core 2 Duo optional |
| Memory | 2 GB (2 GiB) PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM soldered to the logicboard |
| Wireless networking | Integrated AirPort Extreme supports 802.11a/b/g/draft n |
| Wired Ethernet | none, Optional USB Ethernet Adapter |
| Optical storage | none, Optional External USB SuperDrive |
| Camera | Built-in iSight, 640×480 pixel resolution |
| Battery | 37 W-Hr Lithium-ion polymer battery |
| Physical dimensions | 22.7 cm D × 32.4 cm W × 0.4–1.94 cm H 8.9 in D × 12.74 in W × 0.16–0.76 in H 3.0 lb (1.36 kg) |
| Bluetooth | Built-in (2.1+Enhanced Data Rate) |
| Port connections | 1× USB 2.0 1× Micro-DVI video port (adapters are included for VGA or DVI monitors up to 1920×1200 pixels) 1× Headphone jack (3.5 mm) |
| Audio | 1× microphone 1× mono loudspeaker |
| Keyboard | Backlit full-size keyboard with ambient light sensor |
| Trackpad | Supports Multi-Touch gestures like the iPhone, iPod touch, and MacBook Pro |
| K-slot | None |
[edit] Advertising
The MacBook Air launch was accompanied by a television commercial emphasizing its thin form factor. In the commercial a hand unthreads a manila envelope and slides out a MacBook Air, then opens it to wake it from sleep. The music playing is "New Soul" by Yael Naïm.[38] This advertisement has often been parodied and comically reproduced, often depicting much thicker models being pulled out of manila envelopes in the same fashion, sometimes with difficulty. One such parody, purportedly from market rival Lenovo, depicts a failed attempt to return a Macbook Air to its envelope with a variety of accessories, before removing that manufacturer's ThinkPad X300 notebook from a similar envelope.[39] A few of these video parodies are featured on YouTube.
Timeline of the MacBook family
- See also: Timeline of Macintosh models
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Apple MacBook Air advertising
- ^ Michael Kanellos (2008-01-15). MacBook Air: Not the thinnest notebook ever. CNET. Retrieved on 2008-02-26.
- ^ Matt Buchanan (2008-06-10). Thinnest Notebook Showdown: Voodoo Envy 133 vs. MacBook Air. Gizmodo. Retrieved on 2008-06-10.
- ^ Apple Macintosh 2400c/180 specs, EveryMac, retrieved January 2008.
- ^ MacBook wireless specifications,Apple Inc. retrieved Jan2008
- ^ Frakes, Dan (2008-01-16). MacBook Air's Tradeoffs. Macworld. Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
- ^ MacBook Air specifications, Apple Inc., retrieved Jan2008
- ^ Apple USB Ethernet Adapter, Apple Inc., retrieved Feb2008
- ^ Mossberg, Walt (2008-01-24). Apple's MacBook Air Is Beautiful and Thin, But Omits Features. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on 2008-01-25.
- ^ Choney, Suzanne (2008-01-24). Lighter laptops move to flash-based drives. Newsweek. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
- ^ What does $1,300 extra really get you?, Jacqui Cheng ArsTechnica, 5 Feb 2008
- ^ Cohen, Peter (2008-01-15). Apple introduces MacBook Air. Macworld. Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
- ^ a b Ackeman, Dan (2008-01-29). Apple MacBook Air (1.6GHz). ZDNet Australia. Retrieved on 2008-03-29.
- ^ a b MacBook Air: top 10 things wrong with it
- ^ MacBook Air features, Apple Inc., retrieved January 2008.
- ^ Yager, Tom. MacBook Air, a detailed preview. Infoworld. Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
- ^ MacBook Air. Apple Inc.. Retrieved on 2008-01-15.
- ^ MacBook Air - Guided Tour. Apple Inc.. Retrieved on 2008-01-15.
- ^ Gruber, John (2008-01-15). = 2008-01-15 The MacBook Air. Daring Fireball.
- ^ MacBook Air's Fatal Flaw: Battery, RAM, HD Sealed Like an iPod. Gizmodo (2008-01-15). Retrieved on 2008-01-15.
- ^ First Look at the MacBook Air. iFixIt (2008-02-01). Retrieved on 2008-02-01.
- ^ MacBook Air Out-of-Warranty Battery Replacement Program. Apple Inc.. Retrieved on 2008-01-15.
- ^ Sources: MacBook Air battery replacements take only minutes. AppleInsider (2008-01-18). Retrieved on 2008-01-19.
- ^ MacBook Air Battery Easy to Replace. Wired (2008-01-22). Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
- ^ Apple Introduces MacBook Air—The World’s Thinnest Notebook. Retrieved on 2008-01-16.
- ^ A Greener Apple, Steve Jobs, Apple.
- ^ Apple Unveils Green Ultrathin Laptop (2008-01-15). Retrieved on 2008-02-01.
- ^ The MacBook Air: when cool becomes [ouch! Hot!] Bleeding Edge blog, 13 March 2008.
- ^ Apple’s MacBook (hot) Air problem, Philip Elmer-DeWitt, CNN Fortune Apple 2.0 blog, 13 March 2008.
- ^ Apple fans burned by hot Airs, Asher Moses, The Age, 13 March 2008.
- ^ MacBook Air review
- ^ Adding insult to injury: USB 3G modems and even some thumb drive and mp3 players will not fit in the MacBook Air flip down USB port
- ^ Thin is in: Ars Technica reviews the MacBook Air: Page 2
- ^ [1]
- ^ MacBook Air - Technical Specifications. Apple Inc.. Retrieved on 2008-01-15.
- ^ Lal Shimpi, Anand (2008-01-15). Apple's MacBook Air: Uncovering Intel's Custom CPU for Apple. AnandTech. Retrieved on 2008-01-15.
- ^ Anand Lal Shimpi (2008-01-17). The MacBook Air CPU Mystery: More Details Revealed. Anandtech.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-19.
- ^ Hey, Let's Write A Song Called "Steve Jobs Is Dreamy" 100 And Single, Idolator. Accessed 12 February 2008
- ^ Not funny, Lenovo, The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs, Daniel Lyons, 29 April 2008.
[edit] External links
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