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The MacBook Air is a Macintosh notebook computer designed by Apple. It is positioned as the ultraportable in Apple's MacBook Family and was introduced at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 15, 2008.[1] It has been revised twice since the original release.
When the MacBook Air was introduced, Apple described it as the "world's thinnest notebook". In March 2009, Dell challenged that claim with the release of the Dell Adamo XPS.[2][note 1]
Several features were sacrificed to reduce the computer's size and weight. It is Apple's first notebook since the PowerBook 2400c without a built-in removable media drive.[3] It also omits a FireWire port, Ethernet port, line-in, media card slots and a Kensington Security Slot. The battery is internal and not user-removable, and the RAM is soldered onto the motherboard. A single speaker located under the keyboard is included for mono sound.
A flip-down hatch on the right side reveals the ports on the MacBook Air: a single USB port, a Mini DisplayPort, and a stereo earphone jack. The left side of the machine has a MagSafe adapter for power, and there is an iSight webcam and microphone above the 13.3" screen.
To regain the features of an optical drive, users can either use a separately-available external USB SuperDrive, or the bundled Remote Disc software to access the optical drive of another computer. However, this method only allows for disk browsing or software installation; DVD Movies or CD audio cannot be watched or listened to.[4]
With the 2008 revisions of the notebook, wired Ethernet connectivity required a separately available USB-to-Ethernet adapter. However, for the 2009 revision, the adapter is included in-the-box.
The MacBook Air was the first subcompact laptop offered by Apple since the full-featured 12" PowerBook G4 was discontinued in 2006. It was also Apple's first computer with an optional solid-state storage drive.[5]ArsTechnica found "moderate" performance improvements of the 64 GB[6] solid-state drive of the first generation Air over the standard 80 GB hard drive in tests. On October 14, 2008, new models were announced boasting improved capacities of 128 GB (solid-state) and 120 GB (hard drive).[7] The Air comes standard with 2 GB[8] non-upgradable RAM.[9]
The CPU on the original Air was an Intel Core 2 Duo chip especially designed to be 40% the size of the standard Core 2 Duo chip.[10] The current Air has a low voltage, small form factor Core 2 Duo "Penryn" with 6MB of cache, running on a 1066 MHz bus.[11]
The laptop has a unibody aluminum casing similar to the MacBook Pro. All models ship with a larger trackpad that responds to iPhone-like Multi-Touch gestures such as pinching, swiping, and rotating.[12] With the release of Mac OS X Snow Leopard, the Air's multi-touch trackpad now also supports handwriting recognition of Chinese characters.
The MacBook Air can wirelessly access the optical drive of another Mac or Windows PC that has the Remote Disc program installed, to allow installation of applications from optical media.[13][14] It can also be used to reinstall the system software from the included installation DVD.[15] Remote Disc supports netbooting, so the MacBook Air can boot from its installation DVD in another computer's drive.[16] This feature requires Remote Install Mac OS X to be running on the remote computer. The software does not allow the playback or information of DVDs or CDs, nor does it allow the installation of Microsoft Windows.[17] For these features, an external USB drive is required.
Unlike the rest of the MacBook family, the MacBook Air has no directly user-replaceable parts. The hard drive, memory, and battery are enclosed within the casing, with memory soldered directly to the motherboard. The MacBook Air's battery is enclosed within the case but can be replaced using normal screwdrivers, though it is unclear whether this process would void the notebook's warranty.[18][19] The hard drive is not soldered and can be replaced through a difficult disassembly procedure.[19] As part of the out-of-warranty service, Apple offers to replace the battery for a fee.[20]
Apple incorporated several features in the design of the MacBook Air to make it more environmentally friendly.[21][22]
Due to its lack of an optical drive and user replaceable RAM, the MacBook Air provides moderate protection against a cold boot attack when coupled with software-based disk encryption technologies, and a firmware password.
The MacBook Air has a price premium compared to other notebooks of similar or better specification.[24] The flip-down hatch is a tight fit for some headphone plugs and USB devices, requiring users to purchase either a powered USB hub or an extension cable.[25][26]
Lacking FireWire, the MacBook Air does not support Target Disk Mode, which would have enabled it to be used as an external hard drive for quick data transfers or operating system repairs.[27]
Several MacBook Air users[28] since the release of the first-generation product have complained of severe overheating causing CPU lockup. The effect can be seen at CPU temperatures as low as 66 degrees Celsius and worsens with higher temperatures. Apple released a software update in early March 2008 to fix the problem with mixed results: the deactivation of 1 CPU core appears to have been corrected; however, the runaway kernel problem remains for at least some users.[29] The problem is aggravated by system-intensive tasks such as video playback or video chatting.[30]
Turning the integrated fans to full speed by using third-party software or using USB-powered cool-pads does not cool down the notebook sufficiently to prevent core shutdowns. A downloadable application called Coolbook regulates the voltage of each of the six processing speeds of the Air, and has been said by users that it has worked better than the Apple update. Apple states that these softwares are unsupported, should be removed, and that users should rely on the update.
Some users of the first revision have found that the plastic holding the right hinge cracks under normal use, making the notebook nearly unusable.[31] Additionally, there has recently been a "blanket rule" sent out by Apple to its stores around the world which says that the hinge breaking is caused by "user damage", despite a number of cracked and snapped hinges on the Rev A laptop. Therefore, the expensive replacement of the hinge (ergo, the screen as well) is at the user's expense and is not covered by the warranty [32]. Apple has recently changed its policy however and is accepting damaged MacBook Airs for repair even when out of warranty[33]. Users who previously paid for these repairs can also request a refund. Some display distortions have appeared on some machines of the late 2008 version as well.[34]
The Mitsubishi Pedion, released in 1998, was the thinnest rectangular laptop at 0.72 inches (1.84 cm) until the release of the Dell Adamo in March 2009, which is a rectangular laptop 0.65 inches (1.65 cm) thick.[35][36] Although both these laptops are thinner than the MacBook Air's thickest point (0.76 inches/1.94 cm), MacBook Air tapers from 0.16–0.76 inches (0.4–1.94 cm), leading to some controversy over the "thinnest" laptop.[37]
The Sharp Actius MM10 Muramasas, a thin, tapered notebook, had a minimum height (thickness) of 0.54 inches (14 mm)[38] and a maximum height of 0.78 inches (20 mm).[39]. It was the thinnest tapered laptop until the release of the MacBook Air in 2008.
The MacBook Air launch was accompanied by a television commercial emphasizing its slender design. 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.[44][45]
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