“Apple’s latest MacBook Air may look virtually identical to the previous model, but it’s under the hood that most of its improvements lie,” Ross Catanzariti reports for ARN. “Faster Intel Core i5 and optional Core i7 processors gives Apple’s ultra portable notebook a huge performance boost.”
“Like the MacBook Pro, the Air is made from a ‘precision aluminium unibody enclosure’ crafted from a single block of aluminum,” Catanzariti reports. “The result is a lightweight notebook that feels well constructed despite its tiny footprint. Particularly impressive is the screen, which exhibits minimal flex when twisted, and the sturdy feeling hinge.”
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Catanzariti reports, “Our review model was the top of the range 13in model, which comes with 4GB RAM, an Intel HD Graphics processor with 384MB of memory and a 256GB SSD hard drive. The SSD makes the Air a speedy machine, with Apple’s “instant on” feature particularly impressive. While it is not exactly instant, the Air wakes up from sleep in less than three seconds, and boots up from power-off in just over 10, giving it immense appeal as a grab-and-go computing device.”
Read more in the full review here.
I thought Macbooks had an all aluminum ‘block’ body, not just the Macbook Air. Am I wrong?
They do now. The just discontinued MacBook was plastic.
Why did they have to discontinue the MacBooks?=(
You know what? I asked the same question too. MacBook was the best entry level machine. But then I realised it’s not just about how good it was, but what the future should be. Without MacBook around, the MBA will sell like candy. And since there’s no competition in this market, Apple will lead for a long time.
“While it is not exactly instant, the Air wakes up from sleep in less than three seconds, and boots up from power-off in just over 10”
Anything under 5 minutes is impressive to most PC owners. 10 seconds from power up to surfing the net is more than the Holy Grail, it’s Magical!
And I’ve never seen any Mac take 3 seconds to wake from sleep. 1 to 2 is more like it. But even 3 would impress most users.
I thought that the integrated Intel HD Graphics processor used 384MB of system memory.
I am LOVING this MacBook Air. Light, fast, convenient…incredible! The SSD makes a huge difference.