28.10.2010

The 2010 11 and 13 inch MacBook Airs

Steve jobs was, as ever, passionate and ebullient about the latest MacBook Airs when he introduced them during Apple's 'Back to the Mac' event recently. But behind the evangelical showmanship, what's the real story?

Well, the 13 inch model is an improved version of the previous MacBook Air; the 11 inch model takes the 'portability' concept a step further.

What's New?

Whereas the previous MacBook Air had completely curved edges, the new models have flatter sides with a small curve right at the bottom.

This means that the drop down door that hid the headphone, display and USB ports has gone - a very welcome change, considering that this has made the addition of a MagSafe port and a second USB port possible, plus an SD card slot (13 inch model only).

However there are still no FireWire or Ethernet ports (although a USB Ethernet adaptor is available).

Thanks to a new hinge design, the display can be opened to a wider angle. The glass trackpad that made its debut in the 2008 MacBook Pro has made its way to the new Airs, and feels exactly like those in the Pro. The graphics processor is the nVidia GeForce 320M (previously used in the 13-inch MacBook Pro) and offers greatly improved performance. Another big improvement is the presence of stereo speakers, vastly improving sound quality. Video streaming is also noticeably improved thanks to the graphics processor, and the fan is barely audible.

What's Not?

The display build is unchanged, with an ultra-thin layer of glass instead of the MacBook Pro's thicker glass screen. Opinions are divided on this; you'll either find it less likely to be subject to glare, or too flimsy and cheap feeling. The 'iSight' camera is still present, as on all Apple laptops. The Mini DisplayPort on both models will power Apple's largest external displays at resolutions up to 2560 x 1600 pixels.

Same size keyboard - but no longer backlit

The keyboard on even the 11 inch model is the full-size one from Apple's other laptops (or external keyboards) and typing feels exactly the same. The only concession to space is the top row of keys, which are shorter. However the backlit keyboard has been done away with.

Flash / Solid State Drives - the future?

These are fixed chips instead of spinning disks. They offer faster performance (especially when it comes to reading data) and as they have no moving parts they are tougher and more impact-resistant, quieter, more energy-efficient, and take up less space. The main drawback at present is price; although analysts estimate that the price per Gb will fall by half over the next twelve months this will still leave them up to ten times the price of 'traditional' hard drives. There also remain questions about performance over time, with certain SSD drive types degrading drastically after a a few months of heavy use.

It's clear that Apple see this as the future; the new Airs have their OS backup on a thumb drive instead of a DVD.

Now let's take a look at the difference between the two sizes.

The 13-inch model

There is very little size-wise to differentiate this from its predecessor; in fact it's only the smallest fraction of an inch thinner or lighter. However, although the screen is the same size, the resolution has increased from 1280 x 800 to 1440 x 900 pixels.

The entry level specification (1.86GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 128GB of flash storage) is cheaper than the older model, but offers better graphics performance. The storage is upgrade to 256Gb (unlike its predecessor) and, as before, a processor upgrade to 2.13GHz is available. RAM can be doubled from the standard 2Gb to 4Gb. Be aware though that you CANNOT upgrade after purchase; these are factory-only options.

Whereas the MacBook Air was always a bit of a lightweight compared to other laptops, the new model isn't. Independent tests have found that in memory or graphics-related tests, the new model's entry level spec outperformed a current 13-inch 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro in all but processor-intensive tests (where obviously 2.4GHz would offer significant advantages over 1.86Ghz).

The 11-inch model

Actually it's closer to 12 inches, but it's a seriously small machine. Just over 7.5 inches deep and weighing just 2.3 pounds, it is truly tiny. The screen is 11.6 inches diagonally and will support 16:9 aspect ratio (1366 x 768 pixels)

The entry level spec is a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 64GB of flash storage and 2Gb RAM. Upgrades to a 1.6GHz processor, 128Gb flash storage and 4Gb of RAM are available. It's worth bearing in mind that the full spec 11 inch model is no cheaper than the 13 inch with equivalent RAM and flash storage but a 1.8GHz processor instead.

All the savings on space and weight come at the expense of speed, but nonetheless it's faster than previous generation MacBook Airs thanks mainly to the new nVidia GeForce 320M graphics processor. You won't be able to use it for pro-standard audio or video projects, but it will happily cope with most office use and 2D graphics editing software such as Photoshop.

More Power to your Elbow?

Battery life was always a problem with the MacBook Air. Common to both models is a battery-saving automatic standby, and Apple claim that the batteries will last up to 30 days in standby mode. They also claim that the improved batteries will last up to 5 hours (11 inch) and 7 hours (13 inch). Independent, and perhaps more realistic, battery tests indicate that even the 11 inch model lasts over 30% longer than the 2009 MacBook air. Whilst that's still not enough to last you all day, the 13 inch model may well cope with an average office day as long as you put it to sleep when not in use.

The verdict

The 13 inch model offers longer battery life and better graphics than the 2009 model, with performance specs not far off the MacBook Pro line. Yet, when all is said and done, it still on the whole does less for more money. As before, weight and size are the key considerations.

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