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The MacBook Air is a Macintosh notebook computer designed by Apple, described as the "world's thinnest notebook." It is positioned as the ultraportable in Apple's MacBook family and was introduced at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 15, 2008.[5] The MacBook Air was the first laptop to implement Apple's precision aluminum unibody enclosure.[6]
The MacBook Air has been revised twice since the original release. The first revision introduced faster performance, a larger hard drive, and a Mini DisplayPort.[7][8] The second revision, introduced with the MacBook Pro family, featured a lower price, faster performance, and longer battery life.[9]
MacBook Air is designed prominently for thinness, the first MacBook produced using a single sheet of aluminum with Apple's unibody technique.[10][6] Weighing 3 pounds,[note 1] MacBook Air features a glossy LED backlit display and a backlit keyboard, as well as a larger trackpad that responds to iPhone-like Multi-Touch gestures such as pinching, swiping, and rotating.[11] With the release of Mac OS X Snow Leopard, the Air's multi-touch trackpad now also supports handwriting recognition of Chinese characters.[12]
A flip-down hatch on the right side reveals the ports on MacBook Air: a USB port, a Mini DisplayPort, and a stereo earphone jack.[2][11] The left side of the machine has a MagSafe adapter for power, and there is an iSight webcam and microphone above the screen.[2]
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.[13]ArsTechnica found "moderate" performance improvements of the 64 GB[note 2] 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).[14] The Air comes standard with 2 GB[note 3] non-upgradable RAM.[14] 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.[15] The current model has a low voltage, small form factor Core 2 Duo "Penryn" with 6 MB of cache, running on a 1066 MHz bus.[16]
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.[17] It also omits a FireWire port, Ethernet port, line-in, media card slots, and a Kensington Security Slot.[18] 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.[2]
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 CDs cannot be watched or listened to.[2][19] The Remote Disc capability is achieved by the computer wirelessly accessing the optical drive of another Mac or Windows PC that has the Remote Disc program installed.[20][21] It can also be used to reinstall the system software from the included installation DVD.[22] Remote Disc supports netbooting, so MacBook Air can boot from its installation DVD in another computer's drive. 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.[19] For these features, an external USB drive is required.[19]
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.[4]
MacBook Air has no user-replaceable parts. The hard drive, memory, and battery are enclosed within the casing, with memory soldered directly to the motherboard.[23] 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.[24][25] As part of the out-of-warranty service, Apple offers to replace the battery for a fee.[26]
Apple incorporated several features in the design of MacBook Air, such as the reduction of toxic chemicals like lead, to make it more environmentally friendly. MacBook Air contains no BFRs, PVC wiring, meets Energy Star Version 5.0 requirements, has a recyclable enclosure, and is rated EPEAT Gold; its display is made from arsenic-free glass and does not contain mercury.[27][28][2]
The MacBook Air was greeted with both positive and negative reception when it was introduced. The portability of the MacBook Air was praised in reviews, however, the compromise in features was criticized.[29][30][31] The full-sized keyboard, weight of three pounds, thinness, and Multi-Touch trackpad were appreciated in reviews, while the limited configuration options, slow speed, non-user-replaceable battery, small hard drive, and price were criticized.[29][30]
Dan Ackerman of CNET commented on the original models, "the design and engineering that went into MacBook Air is extraordinary, but it's certainly a much more specialized product than the standard 13-inch MacBook."[31]Macworld's Jason Snell praised the portability, however commented that "the decision about whether the MacBook Air is a product worth having can be answered by 1 question: How much are you willing to compromise?"
MacBook Air's 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.[32]
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.[33][34] Although both these laptops are thinner than 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.[35]
The Sharp Actius MM10 Muramasas, a thin, tapered notebook, had a minimum height (thickness) of 0.54 inches (14 mm)[36] and a maximum height of 0.78 inches (20 mm).[37] It was the thinnest tapered laptop until the release of MacBook Air in 2008.[38] In March 2009, Dell challenged that claim with the release of the Dell Adamo XPS.[35][note 4]
The flip-down hatch on the side of MacBook Air is a tight fit for some headphone plugs and USB devices, requiring users to purchase an extension cable.[39][40] Since the release of the first-generation product, some MacBook Air users have complained of overheating that caused CPU lockup. The effect can be seen at CPU temperatures as low as 66 degrees Celsius (150 degrees fahrenheit) 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.[41][42] The problem is aggravated by system-intensive tasks such as video playback or video chatting.[43]
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