My Extensive Macbook Air Review

My first experience with Apple came in summer 2004 when I got my first MP3 player and iPod, the iPod Mini. It held all of my music in one sleek (at least for the time), strong and pocketable device, and it made listening to music fun rather than a chore, like it used to be with carrying CDs around.

Background

Before then, my music was contained in a host of poorly labeled and structured files, a confusing mess of almost arbitrary audio files. Listening to music was a pain. The iPod Mini and iTunes changed that. Rather than fumble through a folder structure, the iPod Mini and iTunes allowed me to find it in a simple to use graphic interface. I began organizing my music into playlists, and really took advantage of it.

Even better, though, because the iPod and iTunes combination was nothing I had seen before, utterly revolutionary in its ease of use and functionality, I was inspired. I was inspired to find new music and appreciate it on a greater scale than I could or would before. That powerful integration of the two, excellent software and hardware, became an indispensable part of my music experience.

Before the iPod Mini, I considered myself a "Windows guy." My conception of Macs were the candy-colored iMacs running OS9, weak relics of the past. The Mini did not necessarily change that, but it turned me toward considering Apple a bit more. As time went on, and I paid a bit more attention to what Apple was doing, and as I became more aware of OS X and current Macs, I began to realize just how powerful they were.

One and a half years later, in December 2005, I got my first Mac -- a last revision 15" Powerbook, with 1GB of RAM and a 7,200 RPM 100GB hard drive. Driving home from the newly-opened Apple store, I was overflowing with excitement. I wasn't excited, though, because the Powerbook's hardware was, well, powerful. By then I knew that by June 2006 Apple would release Intel Macs. Indeed, the Powerbook's G4 processor was even outdated within the PowerPC line, with G5s out then.

I was giddy because I realized that Macs' true strength was their design, both hardware and software. By then, after re-installing Windows XP and dealing with the kitchen sink that is a Windows computer, I realized that Macs were powerful because everything was thought out and was there for a reason.

I was excited because of "little" things, like that OS X's address book integrated with iCal, Mail and iChat, and could integrate with other apps as well. I was excited because the Powerbook's hardware design was wonderfully minimalist, nothing superfluous, just an excellent design that follows its function. (And to someone influenced by Objectivism, this is exciting indeed). Basically, I was excited to be getting a computer where the hardware designers and software designers all cared and put their lives into what they were making.

Getting some Air

Usually the high associated with new things wears off after a while, the youthful exuberance fades into the knowing stillness of adult wisdom, but I never lost that excitement. The reason is because as I delved deeper into the Mac community, I found even more great people, passionately doing work that they love, and I saw many more new Apple products with that same kind of integrity I saw in the Powerbook.

As dumb as it may sound to some of you, my beliefs in regard to work and, indeed, life, have been changed. By seeing people so dedicated to their work that they put everything they have into designing something they think is perfect, I have been motivated that much more to do the same for everything I do. I know that makes me sound like an Apple cultist, but I really could care less. It's true.

Now almost two and a half years later after getting my first Mac, it was time to get another Mac. When the Macbook Air was announced, although I was thoroughly impressed by the engineering and design work that Apple did, I wanted a Macbook Pro. I thought its compromises -- no firewire, optical drive, only one USB port, and a comparatively slow processor -- were too much to give up. But after thinking about it for a while, and actually holding one in my hands, I realized I don't need any of those things. I rarely, if ever, use more than one USB port at a time, and a simple USB hub solves that nicely for the rare occasions I do. And most importantly, the 1.6 GHz dual-core processor may be slow compared to what current Macbooks and Macbook Pros have, but it is much faster than what I was used to and is more than ample for the work I do -- documents and web design.

And so I made the decision to buy the Air rather than a Pro. Here is my review.

Case Design

The Powerbook is a finely-designed notebook, but the Macbook Air quite simply puts it to shame. Despite its petite frame, the Air feels like one solid piece of aluminum holding it, an expertly-carved teardrop.

The magnetic latch is perfect. It holds firmly, but it is not difficult to lift up the lid. To keep the screen off of the keyboard, the Powerbook had two rubber pieces at the top center on the latching system. Unfortunately, over time these can fall off. The Macbook Air simply and effectively solves this. The top half's edges are lipped with the same rubber material, which distributes the force of putting the screen down over the entire lid rather than at two points, meaning the lid is evenly held off of the keyboard, and the rubber piece is less likely to fall off.

There is another effect, though, and that is how pushing the lid down feels. I can't quite describe it, but it feels soft and complete, like two identical pieces are interlocking together into one piece.

And as you all know, it's incredibly thin. But what no one has mentioned, I think, is how it feels in your hands when it is closed. Let's remember its name: Macbook Air. Apple's goal is to make it feel almost like a notebook would in your hands, not too heavy, and not too thick -- easily portable and versatile. The Macbook Air simply nails this, better than any notebook has, period. Its thin and lightweight design engenders a feeling that you can take it anywhere with you, and more importantly, that you should take it everywhere with you. You lug it around as much as you do a 250-page notebook. It's effortless.

There are no unsightly ports on the sides to ruin its flow and integrity. Ayn Rand said that form should follow function, that a design's integrity comes from how well it fulfills its function. When you look at the Macbook Air, its function is evident. Apple has received criticism for not including more ports and for making them inaccessible, but this criticism overlooks that the Air is made to be held in one hand, walking from place to place, and not to be a desktop-replacement. From that perspective, loading it with ports (which Apple possibly could have done; its hardware supports more USB ports), which increases thickness and makes holding it more difficult, violates its very reason for existing, so congratulations to Apple for not being willing to compromise its function.

Keyboard and Trackpad

I have been spoiled for two and a half years. The Powerbook's (and now the Macbook Pro's) keyboard is the best notebook keyboard on the market, and it is absolutely wonderful to type on. The keys are firm and have good depth, and, I think, is nicer than even the best desktop keyboards.

The Macbook Air's keyboard, then, has big shoes to fill.

It measures up quite nicely to the Powerbook's keyboard. The sound and depth of keys is not quite as satisfying as the Powerbook's, and because its keys are not concave keys it "grips" your fingers slightly less, but compared to any other notebook's keyboard, it outclasses them all. Writing papers and Newsvine articles on this keyboard is going to be great.

The keyboard backlighting is one of the reasons I loved the Powerbook so much, and so I was quite happy to see the Macbook Air with it. Pictures give its backlight a somewhat bluish tinge, but as far as I can tell, it is as white as the Powerbook's. I have had a problem, though, with the ambient light sensor. For some reason, when it goes dark, it isn't turning on the backlight. I am sure I'll figure that out soon, though.

The function keys are nice, but their new positioning is taking some time to get used to. I will move my hand out of muscle memory to the left-enter of the keys to turn the volume up or down, and then I remember that they are all the way to the right-hand side now. No big deal. What I like a lot are the play/pause, forward-backward controls now built in to the function keys. Very useful for iTunes.

The trackpad is nice. Some have said its button is too small, but I have had no problem with it. I love how large it is -- it makes scrolling great.

Multi-touch is excellent, even if in its infancy. I like multi-touch in Safari the most. Swiping to move backward and forward between websites is excellent, and it will become second-nature just as two-finger scrolling has. It just makes sense!

I can't wait to see multi-touch spread to other apps. It's a powerful new advancement, and it makes using the Air that much easier and enjoyable.

Screen

The screen is brilliant. Literally brilliant. I can't believe how bright it is on full brightness. Even in a well-lit room, at full brightness it almost hurts. I usually have it at between two to four notches above off, and it is more than bright enough.

The glossy-finish is great. The Powerbook's matte screen disperses glare quite well, and I was a bit worried about the glossy screen on the Air, because of past experiences with PCs whose glossy screens are more like mirrors and finger-print traps. The Air's finish, though, is more muted than I expected, which is good. It does not reflect lights behind it much, and its viewing angle, the single-biggest victim of glossy screens, is at least as wide as my Powerbook's. Leopard already looked great, but this is how Leopard was meant to be used.

I also love how the screen is literally instantly on the second you wake it from sleep. I woke up this morning and opened my computer in the drowsiness of early mornings, and expected it to take a few seconds like my Powerbook to show the desktop and get up to peak brightness. I was shocked when the screen just turned on when I opened it, at full brightness and ready to use. Although this seems minor, it makes the computer feel that much more usable, because it just works. Fancy that.

Battery Life

I could not be happier with its battery life so far. You are not going to find any scientific testing here (there has been enough of that already), just my anecdotal experience so far. Take it as you will.

Tuesday's are a grueling class schedule for me. I have an hour and twenty minute class at 8 AM, another at 9:30 AM, another at 1:30 PM, and a two hour and fifty minute class at 7PM.

I fully charged the Macbook Air over night and went to class at 8AM. With WiFi on for both morning classes (2 hours and forty minutes combined), and the screen varying between the lowest setting and four bars, I not only got through both classes, but when I got back to my dorm it said it had another two hours and twenty minutes left. Some of you may be smirking and saying, so what? The so what is this: even though I bought a new battery for my Powerbook this last summer, to get through those two classes, I had to keep its screen at the lowest brightness (which was too low), keep WiFi off for one class period, and periodically shut the backlight off altogether. By the end of the classes it registered somewhere between forty minutes and an hour left. That is a huge step up for me.

My final class of the day, from 7PM to 9:50 PM, was another test. With WiFi on, brightness set to the lowest level, and periodic use, it lasted the entire class. Not bad. Even better, I began writing this article at 10:20 PM, with WiFi on and three bars of brightness, and currently, at 11:50 PM, it is registering 1:12 remaining. Incredible.

Considering I used it off and on throughout the class period, I'd estimate while browsing the web and typing an article like I am now that I could consistently get three and a half to four hours of battery life. I think that's a fair estimate, and while that isn't Apple's 5 hour estimate, it's more than acceptable for me.

Speed

I am not a "power user." I only edit video when making fun little family things, and use Garageband mostly to make ringtones or play with cool audio effects. (I particularly like reading selections from Jonathan Edward sermons and putting it through the deep voice sound effect. I figure that's how Edwards must have sounded.) I am primarily a student, and do web design as well, so my needs are: to run the iWork suite and Coda quickly. If a computer can do those two things, my needs are met.

That isn't exactly taxing, but my Powerbook struggled a bit with them, especially opening them. So far, these apps are much more responsive than on my Powerbook. One good indicator for me is in Coda. When you open Coda, it presents you with a nice graphical representation of your website projects. When you click on one, it simultaneously spins around and grows larger, until it fills the window, revealing your website documents.

My Powerbook choked on the animation, and would either hack it, or not show it at all. On the Air, though, it's smooth as a baby's ass. That's an anecdotal test, but it's what matters to me -- speed and ease of use.

Here's another example. Spotlight searches routinely took a second or a second and a half to populate on my Powerbook. On the Air, it's instant.

So I am really not too concerned with the processor being slow compared to current Macbook Pros. Because of the work I do, I really don't need a 2.4 GHz processor. A 1.6 GHz is more power than I need. Combined with 2GB of RAM, this thing is speedy.

Portability

Walking to class or the library with three books, papers, a five and a half pound computer and its power cord isn't precisely my idea of fun. The books and papers are heavy enough; the computer just makes it worse.

The Air is 2.5 pounds lighter, and while that might not sound like much, it is. Walking to class yesterday, I realized my backpack felt like there wasn't a computer in there at all, which is how it should feel.

I am tempted to forget my backpack altogether and just grab the Air and textbook to head to class. That's a big change -- taking my computer places is no longer a decision of "do I really want to carry it on my back for so long?" because it feels like there isn't much there anyway.

And that's how notebook computers should be. There should be no long consideration of whether you really want to bring it because of its weight -- taking it should be effortless.

Apple has managed to make a full-sized laptop as portable as a notebook.

Conclusion

The Macbook Air is not an all-purposes computer. It was not designed to be. Its designers decided that they wanted to create a great notebook, and that's what they did. It serves its function better than I could even believe before owning it.

Because it is dedicated to one function, and it makes breaks traditional assumptions to do so, you must decide whether you fit the Air's ideal user. If you find yourself importing and editing video a lot, using more than one USB port at a time, or you edit and compose music all while at a desk, the Air is not for you, and you should not even try buying one.

If, however, like most computer users, you only really use one USB port at any given time and your work centers on email, the web, and doing documents work, the Air is absolutely perfect for you. It will excel at the work you do, and will open up new opportunities with its mobility.

Its sleek design is a turning point, I think, in notebook design. It is the first time a notebook truly deserves to be called a "notebook," because it really is easy just to carry around in your hand or bag, just like a real notebook.

I certainly know one thing: even after owning the Macbook Air for only two days, it will be difficult to ever go back to a normal notebook form factor. I hope I never have to.

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First Look at my new Macbook Air

Kyle Baxter

Mon Mar 24

33