Gadgetell Roundup: MacBook Air Reviews

Posted January 24, 2008 at 06:28 PM by Robert Nelson

Section: Apple, Computers, Laptops, Originals

Apple has certainly gotten a lot of buzz with their latest offering, the MacBook Air. There are a few Air’s out in the wild now, including John Mayer who was showing his off on a recent trip. The Air still is a little bit away from hitting the hands of us regular folk, however the reviews from the big guys are starting to trickle in. Lets see what they have to say:

Walt Mossberg; All Things Digital

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.

Edward C.Baig; USA Today

Given the compromises, I don’t expect anyone to use Air as their only computer. But it is a yummy machine for people who spend a lot of time traveling.

Steven Levy; Newsweek

These omissions are troubling--especially to someone in a down-turning economy deciding whether to spend a premium sum for a computer with subpremium storage. Still, simply using the MacBook Air, as I’m doing right now in writing this review, is rather copasetic. Though I can quibble with a few of Apple’s choices of what to take off, the product’s dimensions and design make the case that the losses were not in vain. The things that Apple left on were the ingredients for a quality computer. And did I mention how thin it is?

David Pogue; The New York Times

The new MacBook also runs cool, can use Windows and wakes from sleep in one second. Finally, of course, it’s free from viruses and spyware, and comes without any installed junk heap of trialware.

Even so, the Air isn’t for everyone. Bargain hunters, feature counters and people who don’t see the value of elegance — in general, the same people who despised the iPhone before it came out — would be better off with a bigger, less expensive, more complete laptop. Thanks to the small drive capacity, limited connectors and missing DVD drive, the Air doesn’t make a great primary computer, either.

But as a satellite machine for travelers, executives and presenters, it’s spectacular. Full-size screen, full-size keyboard and five-hour battery in three-quarters of an inch? Get psyched; this laptop is a razor-thin slice of heaven.

Overall it seems fairly safe to say that this should be more of a companion than a main computer. Some of the common complaints were the lack or available ports, and more importantly the lack of battery life. Most reporting closer to a 3.5 hours of life as compared to the estimated 5 hours. A good thing to note was that some reported the MacBook Air will run cooler than other Apple laptops, which for anyone who has used a Powerbook or MacBook Pro, that will be welcome news.

Image [John Mayer]