First Look: MacBook Air

After weeks–months if you consider the rumors–of anticipation the MacBook Air is finally out in the wild. According to Apple, orders made today are shipping in two to three weeks but people who pre-ordered the Air right after the keynote should be getting their units quite soon. Even if you didn’t buy one you can finally stop by your local Apple store and check one out.

I had a chance to do just that over the weekend. I got to the Apple Store early, slapped on some hand-sanitizer, and gave the MBA a test run. I didn’t bother to take a lot of pictures because there are lots of great galleries online already, but I did spend enough time to get some impressions about the notebook.

When you first see and touch this notebook there is an understanding that it is different than everything else on the market. As a reviewer, I get to play with a lot of different notebooks and I very rarely get the feeling that I am using something truly different than the rest of the field. The MBA may be just a slimmed down MacBook but when you first handle it there is definitely a “wow” factor that even something like the Sony TZ lacks. This is due mainly to the slim profile, but it also felt lighter than I expected, probably because it is larger than most ultraportables, but still comes in at just 3lbs. The aluminum shell is also quite impressive and I found no flex at all, so despite the added size (thanks to that 13″ LCD) it would be ideal for carrying in a messenger bag. I did feel a good bit of heat coming from the underside of the Air, though the keyboard area seemed to stay comfortable. What is more impressive than the aluminum exterior is the interior, which is such an improvement from the plastic found on so many systems.

After that initial feeling of lust, which, based on people around me at the Apple store, is unavoidable, the MBA managed to impress me in a number of other ways. The first was the keyboard. Much has been made about the fact that the Air is not an ultraportable–the use of a 13.3″ screen means that no matter how slim it may be, it is still about 9″ x 12.75″. The upshot of this is that Apple gets to put out a notebook with a usable screen (1280×800) and a full-sized keyboard. In fact the keyboard is very similar to that on the MacBook, though the length of each keystroke does not feel as deep. The screen is not Apple’s best and when compared to something like a MacBook Pro it is clear that sacrifices were made, but putting a screen this large and thin on a notebook is still an impressive feat. As much as I wanted to hate the keyboard for pumping up the size of the notebook, it was actually great to use. My testing was limited but I was typing on this as quickly as on any ultraportable, except for maybe the ThinkPad X series, which I have a lot of experience using. The spaced out keys look cool and do the job nicely, plus the use of black was a nice touch.

The MBA also has a relatively huge touchpad. This is certainly a sign of things to come for Apple, as it increases usability and makes gestures extremely easy to put into effect. I did notice myself accidentally hitting it more than usual, but I am sure that with a few days of practice it would be a great tool, especially considering the poor cursor controls on most sub-3lb notebooks. Do the gestures make a huge difference? Definitely not. That is, at least not yet–a few improvements to this area can go a long way and Apple is already the leader in this area.

The major shortcoming with the MBA is the lack of external connections. It has just one USB slot, a headphone jack, and a video-out port… that’s it. Also, the optical drive was dropped from the system, something which is not nearly as big a deal as it would have been a few years ago, or as some people are making it out to be. The problem with the Air is not so much that it has just one USB slot so much as it is that it also dropped (or left out) all the other features that now have to use a USB slot, such as a card reader, ExpressCard slot, and on-board mobile broadband. So now you may have a super lightweight notebook, but you have to carry around an ethernet dongle, a video-out converter, a USB hub, and your USB mobile broadband card with you. What this comes down to is that the Air has serious limitations and it is not a general purpose computer or even a very capable travel system unless you only need something for checking your email, taking notes, and transporting data.

Users have been noting some serious issues with the MBA, but from what I have seen it is quite usable. Most slim systems have to give up features in order to get the weight and size down, and the Air had to give up more than most, but the two big features–the keyboard and display– were not hurt in the name of portability. This is not going to be great for everyone, as some people want something like a P1610 or U810, so it ultimately comes down to preference. The Air could be an amazing secondary computer or something great to take to a meeting or overnight trip if you can deal with its limitations.

I did not get to examine the battery life, so the last detail to look into is the price. There are two SKUs, at about $1800 and $3100, depending on if you want the 64GB SSD or not. The SSD completes the Air package and will bring better battery life, drive performance, and impact protection, but at an astronomical price. Given the price of the SSD, this is not going to be a viable option for most people, even for big spending MacBook Pro owners. But the good news is that it should be dropping as time goes on. Right now, it’s overpriced, but highly desirable, just like all new technologies. As for $300 for the processor upgrade on the base model, I’d skip that as well.

So what’s the verdict? It’s too early to decide but I like the MacBook Air more than I originally expected. I wanted to hate it for its missing features and endless hype, but in person it’s impressive. We should not let its slimness let us overlook larger problems, but it’s an interesting addition to the existing array of notebooks and it should have a major impact on the competition.

Tags: gadgets, buyers guides, gear, DVD