Apple’s MacBook Air Is Beautiful and Thin, but Omits Features
January 24, 2008
by Walter S. Mossberg
Apple finally has entered the subnotebook market, introducing a lightweight laptop meant to please road warriors. But, typical of Apple, the company took a different approach from its competitors. The result is a beautiful, amazingly thin computer, but one whose unusual trade-offs may turn off some frequent travelers.
The new aluminum-clad MacBook Air, which I’ve been testing for several days, is billed as the world’s thinnest notebook computer. Its thickest point measures just three-quarters of an inch, which is slimmer than the thinnest point on some other subnotebooks. And it employs some innovative software features, such as fingertip gestures for its touchpad that are similar to those on Apple’s iPhone.
Apple refused to make the most common compromise computer makers employ to create their littlest laptops. Other subnotebooks — a category generally defined as weighing three pounds or less — have screens of just 10 to 12 inches and compressed keyboards. The three-pound MacBook Air, by contrast, features a 13.3-inch display and a full-size keyboard.
It’s impossible to convey in words just how pleasing and surprising this computer feels in the hand. It’s so svelte when closed that it’s a real shock to discover the big screen and keyboard inside.
But there’s a price for this laptop’s daring design: Apple had to give up some features road warriors consider standard in a subnotebook, and certain of these omissions are radical. Chief among them is the lack of a removable battery. So, while the MacBook Air will be a perfect choice for some travelers, I can’t recommend it for all. It really depends on your style of working on the road and what features you value most.
The MacBook Air, which will be available next week, costs $1,800 with an 80-gigabyte hard drive and a generous two gigabytes of memory. A second model, with a faster, cutting-edge, 64-gigabyte, solid-state drive and a slightly speedier processor, costs a whopping $3,100. The $1,800 price for the main model isn’t unusual in subnotebooks, which can easily top $2,000, although some competitors cost less.
In my tests, the MacBook Air’s screen and keyboard were a pleasure to use. The machine felt speedy, even with multiple programs running. And the laptop has the same Leopard operating system, superior built-in software, and paucity of viruses and spyware that I believe generally give the Mac an edge. I was able to install and run Windows XP using the third-party Parallels software.
But then there are those trade-offs. The sealed-in battery means you can’t carry a spare in case you run out of juice, and you have to bring it to a dealer when you need a new one. There’s no built-in DVD drive. The thin case can’t accommodate a larger internal hard disk. And the machine omits many common ports and connectors.
The MacBook Air
There’s no Ethernet jack for wired broadband Internet connections and no dedicated slot for the most common types of external cellphone modems. That means that out of the box, the MacBook Air has only one way to get on the Internet — through its fast, built-in Wi-Fi connection. If you’re out of Wi-Fi range, you’re out of luck, unless you buy an optional, $30 add-on Ethernet connector or a cellphone modem that connects via USB.
In fact, the MacBook Air has only three connectors: a headphone jack, a single USB port and a port for connecting an external monitor.
That single USB port is a problem, because so many peripherals use USB. You can buy a tiny, cheap USB hub that adds three more ports, but that’s yet another item to carry.
The lack of a DVD drive is partly solved by some clever software Apple included that lets you “borrow” the DVD drive on any other Mac or Windows PC on your network, so you can transfer files or install new software from a CD or DVD. This worked fine in my tests, in which I installed several new programs from CDs on remote computers, but it requires disabling third-party firewalls on Windows machines. It also doesn’t work for installing Windows on your Mac, for watching DVDs, or for playing or importing music. For those tasks, you need an external DVD drive. Apple sells one for $99.
In my standard battery test, where I disable all power-saving features, set the screen brightness at maximum, turn on the Wi-Fi and play an endless loop of music, the MacBook Air’s battery lasted 3 hours, 24 minutes. That means you could likely get 4.5 hours in a normal work pattern, almost the five hours Apple claims.
But the MacBook Air has another downside: its screen height. Because of the larger screen, the lid stands higher when opened than on most other subnotebooks. So it isn’t as usable as some competitors when the seat in front of you in coach on a plane is reclined.
If you value thinness, and a large screen and keyboard in a subnotebook, and don’t watch DVDs on planes or require spare batteries, the MacBook Air might be just the ticket. But if you rely on spare batteries, expect the usual array of ports, or like to play DVDs on planes, this isn’t the computer to buy.
- Email me at mossberg@wsj.com. Find all my columns and videos online, free, at the new All Things Digital Web site, http://walt.allthingsd.com.
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Comments
I have had an Apple iBook for six years and it is still ticking.
My Apple laptop is a G3 model with 256Mb RAM upgraded with OSX 10.4. It looks cheap (white plastic toy-like appearance) but has travelled to Europe and Mexico, and has taken a pounding from my two young children.
Apple has replaced the motherboard twice in six years at no cost to me (even though I don’t have AppleCare). Oh, and the power cord got yanked out and bent, so I had to replace that myself. A great product, albeit cheap-looking. Also got a family Apple mini for $599 and three years later it works like a champ, no problems at all.
Unlike my Thinkpad T41 which I have had to replace the motherboard twice in two years, the battery twice, the DVD drive once, and the wireless card twice. If it weren’t for my corporate IT department, I would have paid lots of money out of pocket to keep that thing running.
I have also owned NEC, Toshiba, and Compaq laptops, and find the Thinkpad T-series to be the best of a sad lot. If you are a corporate road warrior and have to use standard Windows gear, go with the Thinkpad. If you have any kind of choice in the matter, go with Apple.
Posted by Deja Vidor at January 23rd, 2008 at 10:11 pmMost people really won’t care about the fact that the battery isn’t [easily] field changeable. Witness the close to 100MM iPods and the relatively small number that require battery changes. Will “road warriors” require multiple batteries? Hard to say. This thing should last an entire cross country trip and if you’re traveling to Europe or Asia you should be able to plug in at your seat. If the fit and finish are as nice as Walt suggests, I’m guessing this will be a huge hit.
Posted by David Geller at January 23rd, 2008 at 11:11 pmDon’t you just love anecdotal posts on Apple – Windows experiences when the subject matter is entirely different.
From my perspective, The Macbook Air’s shortcomings (Lack of a DVD drive, smallish harddrive, lack of ports, relatively slower processor etc.) outweigh its pluses. For a couple of pounds and about a $400 savings, a Macbook is a much better deal. However, I think Apple has made a decent first step with the Air.
Posted by Tom Stephenson at January 24th, 2008 at 5:39 amPersonally it seems like a good laptop for my usage.
I would just like to know if you are able to install windows on it via boot camp?, My experiences with parallels have been somewhat negative so would be good to know if there was an alternative way to get windows running on this machine.
Posted by Per Hansen at January 24th, 2008 at 7:18 amThe MacBook Air does have Bluetooth… so you can use a Bluetooth phone to access the Internet. Something I do regularly on my MBP.
A neat thing to do, although you need to carry an extra item, is to bring an Airport Express with you. You can use it to give your MBAir WiFi access to a wired Ethernet network… something I also do constantly with my MBP.
Posted by Renaud Boisjoly at January 24th, 2008 at 7:47 amI think one of the hard things to get around for people who have been in the “computer” industry ( users and work related ) is that …… there are no more rules !
You might ask, what do I mean by this. Well, looking at the year 2004, one may have argued that smart phones are supposed to be big so they can do all they can do. One may have argued that they are only meant for the “business people” , so the average cellphone user should not point out flaws of weight, price and size. Fast forward to 2008, and everyone wants a smart phone, like an iPhone ! There is no reason why one should have or use a smart phone vs. why one should not . The idea that the smart phone is only for business people is dead . Mothers, fathers and bratty kids all want a smart phone ( like the iPhone ) .
So, here we are with the MacBook Air . It is the first generation of the “air” family in Apple portables, but note that just because it is a sub-note book does not mean it is only for people on the go ! And yes, it can be owned by every one and it can be the only computer a person has. The perceptions that this is a device for the few does not and will not apply with each passing second . That argument is as old as the PowerBook 100 ( I have one and love it !!!! )
Welcome to tomorrow today . Apple always does it , it is nothing new. All laptops will be sub-note books in the future and most of them should have a nice big screen and comfortable keyboard to type on. This is a great start.
Posted by farbod nabizadeh at January 24th, 2008 at 8:12 amThe solid-state memory in the top model represents the beginning of the end of rotating magnetic memory – a development of enormous historic significance. It’s not a first, but Apple is rarely first with any technology. Instead, it serves as the Great Legitimizer of the industry. For most users the up-charge for this model is too high and the disk capacity is too low, but we will look back on this as the demarcation of the fourth era of persistent computer storage, relegating disk to the museums where punched paper and magnetic tape now reside.
Posted by Charlie Brenner at January 24th, 2008 at 12:37 pmSome years ago Apple decided to go without the 3 -1/2″ floppy drive and I’m sure there were a lot of critics back then too.
But besides skating to where the puck will be, Apple’s got another equally important reason to brag about a machine such as this one.
That is the Apple stores.
By getting people interested in test driving the MacBook Air Apple gets more people into the stores and that means they’ll sell more of everything.
This weekend I was at the Apple Store in Freehold, NJ and I can tell that it was packed. There were more people in the Apple Store than 10 other stores combined. And while I was there, all of 10 minutes, at least 5 people came in asking about the MacBook Air.
I think Apple has now a complete state-of-art line of computers for all of us and that they’re going to sell and make a lot of money.
PS: Just today I read that HP is introducing a slim-line notebook PC for the business class. Mmmmm.. where did they get that idea??? In the PC World- that’s innovation- copy Apple.
Posted by Luis Diaz at January 24th, 2008 at 2:10 pmOne thing I would have liked to see from the review was more detail on performance, which is the area where a reviewer can really add value (all the other stuff is just a matter of looking at feature lists). For example, how long does this machine take to boot compared to a standard Macbook, given its 4200 RPM drive on a PATA interface? I was also surprised that Walt let Apple off so easily on the extrapolated battery life (4.5 instead of 5 hours).
Posted by Judd Volino at January 24th, 2008 at 6:32 pmI don’t think this notebook would go any where, it will be just for a few people and most of them will regret it.
No DVD rom, so I will be under the mercy of Itunes if I want to watch a movie, apple is doing good job emptying your pockets, and I really admire apple in the way they use their user.
I understand that the notebook is sexy, but what satisfaction you got from a sexy notebook? There is only one reason for having a sexy notebook, which is showing off.
Posted by Mohamed Emira at January 25th, 2008 at 12:17 amAs a frequent on the road consultant, I often take an extra battery with me for flights. Yes, most single leg flights in the US are no more than 5 hours but then there is waiting time at the airport, flight delays, the fact that you often have connections, etc. The iPod comparison for me is not that fair as my iPod lasts a lot longer than five hours (and if it didn’t I’d just charge it in my laptop).
In terms of using on-seat power plugs – unless you are always in business class they are few and far between…you can’t depend on getting access to one.
However, there are plenty of third party slimline batteries that I believe that you can buy so it shouldn’t be that big a deal.
For me one of the Macbook Air turn-offs is the lack of built-in EVDO. I depend a lot on my built-in EVDO in my laptop – it is so much more convenient than plugging something in or just hoping that wifi exists. Also, it’s really useful for trains (I take the Acela a lot).
Posted by michael sid at January 25th, 2008 at 8:40 amThere are more drawbacks to the battery not being user replaceable than have been mentioned here so far. See my CNET blog on this:
Posted by Michael Horowitz at January 27th, 2008 at 12:58 pmA defensive look at the MacBook Air battery
http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13554_1-9854399-33.html
It is amusing that that it appears that so often details of the Mac computers are nit-picked. You don’t find to any major extent with other major manufacturers. I guess that is good for Apple because it shows that many are interested and EXPECT the Apple product to give them what the want. With other manufacturers you take what you get?
Of course this product will not be for everyone. No computer is. Too far away from an Apple store to replace battery? Like to play DVD’s on the road? Want this to be your only computer? Need to run off battery for 6+ hours? ………. Maybe this computer isn’t for you. I’m sure it will find its niche, however. I would imagine Apple will LISTEN and major complaints that span many users will be ironed out.
Side note – When Apple dropped the 3 1/2 floppy they made the mistake of not including any option for easy backup and file transfer. At the time you needed expensive add ons and for many of the computers no internal option. It appears that Apple has learned that lesson. They are stating up front their understanding how lacking a DVD drive could be an issue, but offering workarounds. Take it or leave it.
Posted by Bob Sing at January 29th, 2008 at 4:03 amI ordered one and expect to run it through it’s paces. Being a minimalist, I think the mix of ports and features sounds about right. It IS going to be a wireless world…at home..at the office..and on the go.
Since I am an early adopter, I expect to push the limits and pay the price for doing so, but then it’s changed my daily life, and in mostly good ways. Having no DVD drive and sharing one of the 3 -4 drives already in the house is brilliant. Seriously, how many people actually put in a DVD in their sub-notebook and watch a movie? Are you really going to pack a hand full of DVDs with cases onto the plane? It’s a trivial affair to make (legal reductions of your own stuff) and load dozens in just a few Gb on the hard drive.
The EVDO is easy, just use your modem cable that comes with your phone (which of course you already have) and plug into that usb port (been doing this for years on trains, planes, and automobiles). The big picture is – give me a big screen and real keyboard, make it fast enough and that’s my sandbox island with an easy portal into the real world…. I’ll post again next week when I have run mine through it’s paces.
Posted by Rich Murray at January 31st, 2008 at 4:54 pmMy wife, who is a consultant, who’s used MS laptops for years, just bought and started using her Apple Air computer yesterday. Its perfect for what is it; a wirless appliance that works, does not break, is sturdy, is easy to set up, easy to use, has power to spare.
Posted by Peter Levitt at February 6th, 2008 at 1:03 pmIt is not everything for everyone. When you need an appliance, which is what computers should be, it works. Oh yes, the Sony is replaced was crapware and spyware infected after 2 years.