Apple revamps MacBook Air, adds new 11.6" model

@captaincranky,

what if it doesnt have an apple logo and runs windows 7 but still priced at $999. Will you say BS things about this laptop? enough of the apple and windows fanboyism BS youre saying. Be a grown up, appreciate things and good things will come to you my friend.

- windows user for 15years

PS: damn i saw the hands-on by laptopmag at youtube. this notebook is a beauty.

Okay, I'll make the hatred easier for you to deal with, I'll take a netbook(choose your brand)which belongs to me with same specs as the macbook air, which belongs to you and I'll stand on them both. At least I still have money to blow at the bar tonight.

That's because other than the people that buy apple for production reasons the rest might as well be considered the lost cause. I have a few apple fanboy friends and I love when they get a new product and read off the cool specs bro. That's when I proceed to my box of oldies but goodies. They look in and see nothing but old pc parts. So I walk away and they're confused. THE END.

^ another tech guy who cant appreciate technology saying BS and starting windows vs osx, macs vs pc war.

you cant even design a chip or a motherboard to justify your statements, yeah its pricey but macs are sold as a system not an individual parts that you can buy at your local store and then build it yourself putting windows into it. apple is an exclusive store and seller. asus, msi, gigabyte wont build apple's motherboard for the masses that is why its pricey. sometimes take yourself to break.

its funny everytime i read in the morning and go to this website, it is always you guys commenting BS at every articles. be positive dude.

It is pretty rampant regardless of the maker. 6 years ago I got my Thinkpad with a 15", 1600x1200 screen. A few years after that, you have the Dell e6500 that has an option for a 15.4", 1920x1200 screen. Now I understand both systems are business platforms where screen real estate is important, but I am tired of seeing 15" screens only 1280x800/1440x900, "high end 15.4" " and 17" screens at 1680x1050 (16" often at 1600x900)... I prefer the 15/15.4 size, but it is almost impossible to find a decently spec'd laptop that has both the internals and the pixel density I want.

@fwilliams: I'm not sure if that was a joke or not, but engineering/science heavy universities still rely heavily on software that is Windows based, so yes, students these days still use windows. Even Comm students at my old Alma Mater are not required to use Macs and a considerable number don't, though the iPhone has driven a number to get a Mac so they can "match". I'm not even gonna get into gaming (since the world does not necessarily revolve around Blizzard and Steam/Valve) lol.

I just wonder why they are promoting this with a "Facetime Camera" instead of what its really is, a regular old webcam. I wonder how many people are going to fall for that marketing trick.

Because....!

Oh well, if that explanation doesn't satisfy you, you're not a prime candidate for the "Apple Corps". For shame.

The technical explanation is this; it's "Aphole Speak".

When you buy an Apple product, you begin to, "walk the walk". When you begin to conceptualilze an ordinary webcam as a supremely technologically advanced, "Facetime Camera", your indoctrination is complete, as you are now, "talking the talk", in a manner of speaking. (Sorry, I just couldn't resist slapping in one more bad pun).

Just don't get the lid of yours all sticky "drooling" on it, that might void the warranty. Is this something else you have to send back to China to have the batteries replaced?

Actually, I'm not a Windows fanboi, I just find the BS that comes out of Cupertino so repugnant, that Windows is where I am, and Windows is where I'm staying.

Keep flogging the styling though, maybe you'll meet an Apple groupie-ette, and just the sight of the shiny white case will get you laid. Hey, could happen, and if it does, more power to you. :wave:

Your're right. Its just like their "PC vs MAC" commercials. A Mac is still a personal computer (PC), but they have others thinking otherwise.

To me Apples computers really arent anything different than Window machines other than OS, but I guess paying that premium price is all for that OS and a white or silver shell.

One more thing. Have you ever held a notebook HDD? They weigh next to nothing.

Seriously, why the hate?
I'm no Apple lover, but if you compare the new 11" macbook air to the only laptop you can really compare it to, the 11" alienware m11x, this is what you get:

macbook air 11":
1.4GHz Core 2 Duo +
2GB DDR3 RAM
Geforce GT 320M (1366x768) -
128GB FLASH storage +
iLife included +
~5 Hours battery life +
Bluetooth included
Runs Windows and Mac natively +
0,68" 2,3 pounds +
PRICE: 1,199$

alienware m11x:
1.3GHz Core 2 Duo -
2GB DDR3 RAM
Geforce GT 335M (1366x768) +
160GB SATA HDD -
~3 Hours battery life -
Bluetooth not included (20$) -
Windows 7 Home Premium -
1,27" 4,39 pounds -
PRICE: 819$
If we want an SSD like macbook air, we need to subtract the 160GB HDD and add an 128GB SSD
160GB HDD: ~40$ 128GB SSD: ~220$
PRICE w/ SSD: 999$

That's the only fair comparing you really can do, and as you can see the air outperforms the m11x in nearly all fields. It's 2x thinner, 2x lighter, better battery life, faster CPU, bluetooth, mac and windows and it isn't plastic.
Pricing looks pretty fair to me, it isn't just the good ol' apple tax.

Please, by all means, I am no Apple fan, I don't own any Apple products (well an old, nasty ipod, that's it) and all my computers are Windows/Linux based. But, really, the hate for Apple now is just ridiculous, I think the air is one of the most solid products they have put out in a loooong time.

I'm hating on Apple, but I do think that they could be a little more reasonable price wise with what they have instead of giving certain parts a new name and "taxing" it.

As for Alienware, since Dell bought them out they havent been that great. I had one of their desktops that didnt work properly for the year I had it, and they never fixed it. They're overpriced as well IMO.

Well, I would ask you to consider this, "Alienware" is also marketed as a high end product. Therefore, there's probably a fair amount of "status padding", in their pricing structure as well.

As to the thinness and whatnot of any product, that adds to a general lack of serviceability to any item. We've moved to modular electronics for many years, since bench work on most pieces of electronics is impractical. That said, dealing with a desktop is an easy prospect, pop out an old module, pop in a new one.

The packing density of these new products is ridiculous. It forces the throw away nature of electronics forward to a whole new level. Given Apple's repair pricing structure, it's not overly critical to suggest that the, "point of no return", with respect to repair costs vs depreciation will be reached very rapidly. Thus rendering your new $1000.00 (or more) status toy into Chinese landfill.

Aldous Huxley saw this coming in 1937, when he coined this little slogan, "ending is better than mending".

I meant 'not' hating on Apple. My bad. I shouldnt be doing this from work. lol

That's the case with practically all laptops anyway, repairs and service for them has always been tough because they're not modular. Saying that thinness goes hand in hand with general lack of serviceability is not a good mindset, should the development of laptops and electronics just stop as big, clunky hogs? If there's anything that's natural in electronics development it's that stuff shrinks more and more every year.

I know Alienware isn't exactly a budget label, but it's the only fair comparing you can do. There's no budget company that can deliver an 11" with those specs, it's as simple as that.

Apple computers aren't the most prone to fail on the market, their lifespan is pretty good compared to other companys and they strive to make their products environmentally friendly and "green" (even though I really don't care about stuff like that).

Just saying, plastic brakes easier than aluminum.

I think the price is wrong. For the money, if I really wanted an Apple based computer, why wouldn't I just get a MacBook Pro 13" with all the features?

Putting them side-by-side:

MackBook Air 13"
* 1.86GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
* 2GB memory
* 128GB flash storage
* Built-in battery (7 hours)
* NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics
* 802.11N with Bluetooth 2.1
$1,299

MacBook Pro 13"
* 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 4GB Memory
* 250GB hard drive
* SD card slot
* Built-in battery (10 hours)
* NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics
* 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet
* One FireWire 800 port
* 802.11N with Bluetooth 2.1
* 8x slot-loading SuperDrive
$1,199

The one glaring omission is a $350 upgrade to swap the MacBook Pro's SATA with a SDD 128 GB drive. But all things considered, I'm getting a better computer for less money if I pick the Pro. Others could contest that HP, Asus, Dell or Toshiba can get me a similar computer for even less money, and they're probably right.

And in the case of these new notebooks with an SSD in lieu of a HDD, that's even more true.

With that being said, it really does seem to be in Apple's favor to NOT be the manufacturer with the highest failure rate. With their entry price point average being one of, if not the highest in the industry, along with their extravagant repair and or upgrade charges, it behooves then to not have s** that breaks. So then, this is sort of a chicken or the egg conundrum.

And with THAT said, in certain product arenas, Apple does seem to be narrowing the gap with respect to hardware specs in relation to price. At the end of the day, perhaps they got tired of having their a**es handed to them by Windows based machines.

This brouhaha about notebooks is at least partially misplaced at this site. Most of the active members are "enthusiasts", and as such, they are much more disposed to building their own desktops, with the choice of notebook or netbook being based on need, rather than a more "ethereal" or "status based" sensibility.

Can't argue with that!

Although perhaps I have oodles of money and can still get a drink with you...

I said this before, but here it is again: How much faster is this really than nVidia's ION 2? Just judging by their raw specs, it does not look like there is too much of a diifference.

OR, you could get the 950$ mx11 with a corei5, and add your own SSD, and actually have a comparison at the same price. Note how now the MX11 has a significantly faster CPU than the air. I'd like to see some benchmarks on apple's SSD's as well. My guess is that they are not exactly top of the line.

Ya know, this Mac Book thingy doesn't actually have an SSD. The "drive" is integrated directly onto the motherboard. Good Lord, I hope this thing has TRIM support.

It's not exactly integrated, it just uses it's own special interface.

http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook-Air-11-Inch-Model-A1370-Teardown/3745/2

The controller is a Toshiba T6UG1XBG, so I think the hardware supports TRIM. Whether this can actually be used or not is a different question altogether but I'm pretty sure OS X can not use it.