| Article Index |
|---|
| MacBook Air Rev. B |
| Specifications |
| Package contents |
| Build & Design |
| Build & Design continued |
| Benchmark |
| Benchmark continued |
| Conclusion |
| All Pages |
Apple is a one-of-a-kind manufacturer, and in 2008 the company created a most unique machine. We’re talking about, of course, the MacBook Air (henceforth abbreviated as MBA). It impressed right off the bat as Steve Jobs pulled it out from an ordinary envelope.
Since then a lot has happened technology-wise, and Apple has thus decided to launch a new edition of the MBA. The design remains the same, but the hardware has received a major overhaul. Furthermore, rumour has it the cooling system – combined with a more power efficient CPU – in the revised notebook results in greatly reduced noise emissions.
All these upgrades look great on paper, but is there something to it or is the MBA revision B merely the same product in a different packaging?
www.apple.com
Specifications
Category
Office, Business
Processor
2.13 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo – 1066 MHz FSB – 6 MB Cache – 45 nm
1.86 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo – 1066 MHz FSB – 6 MB Cache – 45 nm
1.60 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo – 1066 MHz FSB – 6 MB Cache – 45 nm
Chipset
nVidia MCP79
RAM
2 x 1024 MB DDR3 RAM – 1066 MHz
GPU
Geforce 9400M – 512 MB DDR3 RAM (shared) – Windows
Geforce 9400M – 256 MB DDR3 RAM (shared) – OSX
HDD
1.8” – 128 GB HD – SATA300 – SSD
1.8” – 120 GB HD – SATA300 – 16 MB – 4200 RPM
Display
13.3” LED – 1280 x 800 Pixels
Sound card
Intel High Definition Audio
Optical Drive
None
Battery
4900 mAh – 6 cells
Connectivity
Airport Extreme (Broadcom BCM43xx)
IR
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Inputs/outputs
1 x Power
1 x USB
1 x Mini Display Port
1 x Minijack
Operating system
Leopard OSX
Windows 7
Windows XP
Windows Vista
Price
Starts at £1,149.00
Package contents
The MBA includes only a small amount of accessories. Besides the mandatory charger there are a couple of manuals, polishing cloth, recovery discs – which can also be used to install a program on your primary PC, allowing the MBA to utilize its optical drive – and last but not least, a couple of stickers. Not a whole lot, but everything you need to get started is there.
Build & Design
First impression
The first thing you notice is naturally how amazingly thin the notebook is. It’s barely believable, and the perfectly shaped aluminium creates the illusion the machine is even thinner than it actually is.
Looking at it from a different angle it’s obvious the MBA is clearly one of the slimmest laptops on the market.
This picture gives an overview of the machine, and a picture says more than a thousand words as they say. If I had to comment on the design though, it would have to be something like: stylish, perfectionist, minimalistic and accomplished. Apple states the weight is 1.36kg, but a short trip to my scale revealed the machine is actually 5 grams lighter! It may just be my scale, but I have never before obtained a weight lower than the manufacturer stated.
Lastly a small snapshot of Apple’s trademark: the white apple.
The lid
The lid is void of any bling-bling; all you can see is the brushed aluminium, only broken by the white Apple logo located square in the middle.
Once the machine is powered up the white apple (like on other Apple laptops) shines with a comfortable, dim light. Here is a picture in the dark.
The front
The front is kept thin and minimalistic. The silver-grey aluminium is beautiful, only broken by the discreet IR port at the right.
The rear
Not much to see at the rear either except for brushed aluminium. All that breaks the clean lines are the hinges, which are of course made of aluminium and belong in the more robust category.
The bottom
The bottom similarly sports the same material: brushed aluminium. At the far left you can see the small compartment with ports, at the right the DC-in jack, and a large number of small holes for ventilation at the top. Besides this the machine has four black rubber feet, and if you look really closely you might notice the ten screws along the edges (these are the ones you have to loosen if you want to access the hardware).
The right side
At the right side the machine’s small compartment with ports. As mentioned above, these amount to USB, Mini Display Port and Minijack.
The left side
At the left we have the previously discussed magnetic power connector.
Inputs/outputs
Diodes
The only status diode located on the machine itself is a very small, very discreet white diode at the front. When the lid is closed, this diode indicates whether the machine is powered on/in standby.
On the keyboard – more precisely the caps lock key – is a small diode for caps lock. When caps lock is enabled, the diode shines with a green light.
Buttons
The power button is at the far right and is like the rest of the chassis cast in aluminium. The integration has almost been completed to perfection.
Keyboard
The keyboard is amazing to type with, definitely one of the best I have ever worked with. The only other keyboards that can match up are those from Lenovo’s IBM ThinkPad series. The keyboard reacts swiftly and has just the right softness.
As an added bonus the keyboard is backlit by a light which – like the display – automatically adjusts its brightness according to surrounding illumination.
Touchpad
The touchpad is nice and big; it works flawlessly, as does the button. The button makes little noise (considerably less than the MacBook Unibody), which is quite advantageous when traveling via public transport or when attending a meeting/lecture. In terms of design, the integration of the touchpad is perfect.
Noise & Heat
The machine makes little noise and does not get very hot. I have only experienced it lukewarm and the fans noticeable after having used the machine for a couple of hours (and resting it on a soft surface no less). In other words, the machine is incredibly silent – probably the most silent I have ever reviewed. There is clearly an improvement here compared to the predecessor.
The display
The display is, put simply, absolutely amazing. It’s glossy but does not suffer from glare. The display is of the LED-kind, making it capable of achieving very high brightness. Add to this some very sharp colours and homogenous distribution of light and you have the best display I have ever worked with.
Webcam
Just like the other MacBooks the MBA has an integrated webcam. The quality is decent and it is beautifully integrated. You can spot the two light detectors at the side, which automatically adjust the brightness of the display and keyboard. Note that the resolution is a standard VGA (640 x 480 = 0.3 MP).
Benchmark
Benchmarks are run at factory settings under Windows 7 unless otherwise is specified.
Basis of comparison:
Samsung X360
Processor
Intel Core 2 Duo SU9300 – 1.20 GHz – 800 MHz FSB – 3 MB Cache
Chipset
Intel GS45 + ICH9MS
RAM
1 x 1024 + 1 x 2048 MB DDR3 RAM – 800 MHz
GPU
Intel GMA 4500M HD – 32 MB (dedicated) + 1164 MB (shared)
HDD
1.8” – 120 GB HD – SATA300 – 16 MB – 5400 RPM
Battery
6200 mAh – 6 cells
Boot and out of standby times
Boot and out of standby times are measured from when the power button is pressed and the desktop appears. Measurements made in Leopard OS X.
As shown by the graphs the Samsung boots up the quickest. Whether this is because the MBA has two operating systems installed I cannot say, but the Samsung is the clear winner when it comes to battery. Matters are entirely different for out of standby; the machines are so even the difference might as well be attributed to a measurement error. Both are quick in any case.
Battery life
Battery-eater Pro 2,70 is used to measure the longevity of the batteries. Measurements made in Leopard OS X.
Stated battery life: 5 hours (with wireless)
Idle test settings: CPU load approaching 0%, brightness minimum, all power saving functions activated.
Load test settings: CPU load approaching 100%, brightness 100%, no power saving functions activated.
The MBA cannot compete with the rival Samsung when it comes to idle, but during load the two machines last about equally long. The five hours Apple state as maximum with wireless activated seems very optimistic, but possible nonetheless. All in all the battery life can be described as good but not impressing in any way.
The processor
SuperPI
SuperPI tests the speed of the CPU but uses only one core. The result is a time in seconds, hence the lower the better.
Since the MBA has the more powerful CPU it is only natural it is the victor.
wPrime v2.00
wPrime calculates the number PI with 32 million decimals. wPrime is capable of utilizing multi-core processors and will thus give a better picture of the CPU’s performance than for example SuperPI. The result is a time in seconds, hence the lower the better.
The picture is painted in wPrime, though the difference here is not quite as large.
Sisoft Sandra CPU Arithmetic
SiSoft Sandra’s Whetstone and Drystone benchmark tests the processor’s ability to do pure number crunching, which occurs during gaming or different forms of picture editing. The measure is in Mflops (Millions Floating Point Operations Per Second) – the higher, the better.
Again the MBA emerges as the sharpest tool in the shed.
Sisoft Sandra CPU Multimedia
The multimedia test in Sisoft Sandra is calculated on a 2D figure. The output (it/s) is Mandelbrot iterations per second, i.e. the bigger the better.
And naturally the MBA wins in the multimedia test as well.
RAM – Sisoft Sandra Memory Bandwidth
Sisoft Sandra’s Memory Bandwidth benchmark is used to measure the speed of the RAM – the higher the value, the better.
The result of the memory test is rather interesting. Even though both machines are equipped with DDR3 RAM, the MBA performs about 100% better than the reference. The difference is presumably due to the MBA’s CPU allowing for a higher FSB.
HDD – Sisoft Sandra HD Read
Sisoft Sandra’s HD benchmark is used to measure the speed of the hard drive.
The HDD test yields a VERY surprising result. Even though the reference – with its 5400 RPM – should be much faster than the MBA – which only has 4200 RPM – the MBA takes a convincing victory. I ran the test several times with the same result.
GPU – 3DMark
The 3Dmark tests show the performance in DirectX 9, and paint a picture of the performance in newer games and applications. 3DMark 2005 and 2006 are based on DirectX 9 and show the performance under contemporary games and 3D applications.
In 3DMark, focus is on 3D performance and here the MBA’s GeForce 9400M takes a comfortable lead. The reference is practically blown away, and it’s obvious the nVIDIA MCP79 has raised the bar in terms of what you can expect from an integrated graphics solution.
Overall performance
The PCMark program’s results can be compared directly with other laptops that have run the same PCMark version. The programs test all the important parts in the computer such as hard drive, processor, GPU, RAM, etc.
The MBA has a faster GPU, CPU, RAM and hard drive. Therefore it’s hardly a surprise to see the MBA winning in the overall performance test. It’s rather odd the difference between the two machines is so low in PCMark Vantage compared to PCMark 05. My experience with PCMark Vantage is limited to an extent I dare not speculate as to what causes the difference.
Conclusion
Apple has done it once again. They have created a truly magnificent machine that only compromises in terms of inputs/outputs and a middling battery life. To compensate the machine offers one of the most exquisite designs to date: timeless, stylish, and elegant.
The machine is no longer the thinnest on the market as Dell has launched an even slimmer competitor. Still, judging by the pictures I have seen, the MBA is far superior. It’s thin no matter what you compare it to, and the fantastic quality and low weight makes it a sheer delight to have along.
The fine keyboard and touchpad, the low noise level and the amazing display makes using the netbook easy as pie, and the substantial hardware upgrade means it has plenty of power. One might wish for 4GB RAM on a future version, but the kind of work the MBA is designed for hardly requires it. Last but not least – whether you want to admit it or not – the MBA is an icon of style, in the same manner as the hyped iPhone.
This is also reflected in the price, but with the latest price reductions from Apple I’d say the price is fair. Don’t forget you’re also getting a faster processor and the promise of a 30 minute longer battery life compared to the predecessor. MSI has launched plenty of MUCH cheaper rival products, but the MBA is vastly superior in terms of hardware, quality, and design. Samsung’s alternative, the very exquisite X360 we reviewed earlier, cannot quite stand up to the MBA.
The conclusion is thus clear: the MBA gets our heartiest recommendation. If you don’t need to run heavier applications and price is not an issue, the MBA is definitely the right choice.
Pros:
Low weight
Very high quality
Unbelievably thin
Uncompromising design
Razor sharp display
Extensive hardware upgrade
Silent
Fashion statement / icon of style
Good keyboard (great keyboard backlight)
Decent touchpad
Cons:
Middling battery life
High price
Few inputs/outputs
Slightly more susceptible to scratches than a plastic laptop
3.5 / 5 3.5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5Add your comments
in Hardware & Accessories by MaryTenderLOS, 01-12-11 09:20