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February 3, 2008

Apple MacBook Air review

In many ways the story of the MacBook Air is the story of a series of compromises, all made in order to fit an entire Mac in a 1.3kg package that's 4mm thick at its thinnest point.

Apple MacBook Air - full technical review

Updated: 31 January 2008

There was no mention of Steve Jobs' favourite "one more thing" keynote sign-off at Macworld Expo in January, but the biggest product launch at the annual Mac event could still have a major impact on the Windows-based laptop market - the Apple MacBook Air.

Macworld Expo in San Francisco has become the most highly anticipated event in the IT calendar in recent years, with techies desperate to learn what Steve Jobs has lined up as Apple's biggest product launch of the year.

In 2007, the Apple iPhone (reviewed here) captured the imagination of those in the audience and millions of people around the world who monitored Jobs keynote via the web, while the event has previously been used to launch iTunes, the Mac mini and various versions of the iPod.

This year, rather than introducing a completely new product category, Apple chose to launch a variation on a theme, but what a variation it was. The MacBook Air has arrived, a third MacBook model that brings incredibly small size to Apple's laptop line at a premium price, and a model Apple claims to be the world's thinnest laptop.

However, in many ways, the story of this laptop is the story of a series of compromises, all made in order to fit an entire Mac in a 1.3kg package that's 4mm thick at its thinnest point.

MacBook Air front

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Independent customer reviews from

Apple MacBook Air scored:
7.9 out of 10 100% real reviews

The 2 most helpful reviews based on 7 reviews:

02 Mar 2008 Anonymous verified purchaser

8

Good Points

Without a doubt the good points are design, weight/portability and, usability. Considering the technical specs, the MacBook Air performs surprisingly well and fares well against my 2.16GHz MacBook Pro. Everyday tasks even seem quicker on the Air. Overall, the user-experience is fantastic - I can't stop using it!

Bad Points

Small hard drive. However, portable USB storage is so cheap now it's a simple task to store all data externally, leaving the Air free of congestion to keep it running as it should. Battery life could be better. Great for everyday tasks but run a Quicktime stream or movie full-screen and you'll soon see the battery go down.

22 Feb 2008 Anonymous verified purchaser

6

Good Points

Reviewer left no comment

Bad Points

not extra battery all is internal

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  • www.apple.com/uk
  • Apple
  • £1,199 inc VAT for 1.6GHz model
  • £2,028 inc VAT for 1.8GHz model

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