MacBook Air
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 A MacBook Air on display after the 2008 Macworld Keynote | |
| Developer | Apple Inc. |
|---|---|
| Type | Laptop/Notebook |
| Release date | January 29, 2008 |
| CPU | Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6 / 1.86 GHz |
| Web site | Apple MacBook Air |
The MacBook Air is a Macintosh notebook computer designed by Apple. It is positioned as the ultraportable in Apple's MacBook Familyand was introduced at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 15, 2008. Although originally described by Apple as the "world's thinnest notebook", the Dell Adamo is also claimed to be the "world's thinnest notebook", although this is up for interpretation, since the Macbook Air is actually thinner than the Adamo's 0.65-inch thickness at some points[1].
Contents[show] |
[edit]Overview
To reduce the computer's size and weight, Apple omitted certain features long standard on laptops. It is Apple's first notebook since the PowerBook 2400c without a built-in removable media drive.[2] Users may purchase an external USB SuperDrive, or use bundled Remote Disc software to access the optical drive of another computer.[3] It is the first subcompact laptop offered by Apple since the full-featured 12" PowerBook G4 was discontinued in 2006.
Similarly to the PowerBook Duo series which preceded it, it lacks many features of the larger MacBooks, including a security slot[4] and an Ethernet port,[5] (although a USB-to-Ethernet adapter may be purchased separately).[6] The MacBook Air has a single USB port. Like the entry-level MacBook, the MacBook Air lacks Cardbus and ExpressCard slots, and does not have a FireWire port.[7]
The Air is Apple's first laptop computer to be offered with an optional solid-state hard drive.[8] ArsTechnicafound "moderate" performance improvements of the 64 GB[9] solid-state drive over the standard 80 GB hard drive in tests. On October 14, 2008, new models were announced boasting improved capacities of 128 GB (solid-state) and 120 GB (hard drive).[10] The Air comes with 2 GB[11] non-upgradable RAM as standard.[12]
The CPU on the original Air was a specially designed Intel Core 2 Duo chip, which reduced the chip's packaging size by 60 percent.[13] The processor found on the current Air is a low voltage, small form factor Core 2 Duo "Penryn" with 6MB of cache, running on a 1066 MHz bus.[14]
The laptop is constructed from an aluminum casing similar to the MacBook and MacBook Pro, however it lacks the visible magnetic latch system. The oversized trackpad offers iPhone-likeMulti-Touch gestures, an improvement[citation needed] over previous MacBook trackpads. Among the gestures are pinching, swiping, and rotating.[15]
The MacBook Air is pre-loaded with Mac OS X v10.5 and iLife '09.
[edit]Remote Disc
The MacBook Air can wirelessly access the optical drive of another Mac or Windows PC that has the Remote Disc program installed, allowing the installation of applications from a CD or DVD.[16][17] It can also reinstall the system software from the included installation DVD.[18] Remote Disc supports netbooting, so the MacBook Air can boot from its installation DVD in another computer's drive.[19] This feature requires Remote Install Mac OS X to be running on the remote computer. The software does not allow the playback of DVDs or CDs, nor does it allow the installation of Microsoft Windows. In addition, the importation and playback of music is not made possible from CDs.[20] For these features, an external USB drive is necessary.
[edit]User-serviceability
Unlike the rest of the MacBook family, the MacBook Air has no directly user-replaceable parts. Its hard drive, memory, and battery are enclosed within the casing, with memory soldered directly to the motherboard. The MacBook Air's battery is enclosed within the case but unlike the iPod and iPhone only requires normal screwdrivers to replace[21] The hard drive is not soldered and can be replaced through a non-trivial disassembly procedure.[21] Solid-state drives (SSDs) are commercially available. As part of the out-of-warranty service, Apple offers to replace the battery for a fee.[22] It may be possible for the end user to replace the battery, though it is unclear whether this process would void the notebook's warranty.[23] Users looking to replace batteries through third-party vendors will need to wait until replacement batteries are made available for this model.[24]
[edit]Environmental considerations
Apple incorporated several features in the design of the MacBook Air intended to make it more friendly to the environment.[25][26] In response, Greenpeace stated, "We can say that Apple is getting greener, but it's still not green enough."[27]
[edit]Criticism
The MacBook Air has been criticized for its high price compared to other notebooks of similar or better specification, with Engadget suggesting that a premium is being paid for its form factor.[28] The MacBook Air has also been criticized for the difficulty in accessing the headphone and USB port, which are embedded in a small flip-down hatch. Because of tight clearance, some devices, including some headphone plugs and 3G USB cellular modems, will not fit, requiring users to purchase either a powered USB hub or an extension cable.[29][30]
Due to its lack of FireWire, the MacBook Air does not support Target Disk Mode, which would have enabled it to be used as an external hard drive for quick data transfers or operating system repairs. [31]
Several MacBook Air users[32] since the release of the first-generation product have complained of problems with severe overheating, causing CPU lockup. This effect appears to be correlated with temperature; however, the effect can be seen at CPU temperatures as low as 66 degrees Celsius. A software update released by Apple in early March 2008 attempted to fix the problem but had mixed results; the deactivation of 1 CPU core appears to have been corrected; however, the runaway kernel problem remains for at least some users.[33] The problem seems to appear during system-intensive tasks such as video playback or video chatting.[34]
Turning the integrated fans to full speed by using third-party software or using USB-powered cool-pads does not cool down the notebook sufficiently to prevent core shutdowns however an application called Coolbook can be downloaded which regulates the voltage of each of the six processing speeds of the Air. It has been said by users that it has worked better than the Apple update for the heating issue although Apple has stated that these software are unsupported, should be removed and that users should rely on the update.
Users of the first revision are encountering issues where the plastic holding the right hinge cracks under normal use, making the notebook nearly unusable.[35]
Very subtle lines are appearing on the Displays of rev. B machines, causing a source of annoyance for users who are experiencing them.[36]
[edit]Specifications
| Discontinued | Current |
| Model | Early 2008[37] | Late 2008[38] |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 13.3-inch glossy LED backlight TFT LCD widescreen display, 1280 x 800 pixel resolution | |
| Graphics | Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor with 144MB[11] of DDR2 SDRAMshared with main memory | nVidia GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 256MB[11] of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory |
| Storage | 80GB[9] ATA 1.8" 4200-rpm HDD or 64GB SSD | 120GB[9] Serial ATA 1.8" 4200-rpm HDD or 128GB SSD |
| Front side bus | 800MHz | 1066MHz |
| Processor | 1.6GHz or 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Merom,[39][40] | 1.6GHz or 1.86GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Penryn[14] (SL9300/9400) |
| Memory | 2GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM soldered to the logicboard | 2GB[11] of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM soldered to the logicboard |
| Wireless networking | Integrated AirPort Extreme supports 802.11a/b/g and draft-n | |
| WiredEthernet | none, Optional USB Ethernet Adapter | |
| Optical storage | none, Optional External USB SuperDrive 4x DVD+/-R DL writes, 8x DVD+/-R read/write, 8x DVD+RW writes, 6x DVD-RW writes, 24x CD-R writes, and 16x CD-RW recording, 8x DVD read, 24x CD read | |
| Camera | Built-in iSight, 640×480 pixel resolution | |
| Battery | 37 W-Hr Lithium-ion polymer battery | |
| Physicaldimensions | 22.7 cm D × 32.5 cm W × 0.4–1.94 cm H 8.94 in D × 12.8 in W × 0.16–0.76 in H 3.0 lb (1.36 kg) | |
| Bluetooth | Built-in (2.1+Enhanced Data Rate) | |
| Port connections | 1× USB 2.0 1× Micro-DVI video port (adapters are included for VGA or DVI monitors up to 1920 by 1200 pixels) 1× Headphone jack (3.5 mm) | 1× USB 2.0 1× Mini DisplayPort video port with HDCP[41](adapters are optional for VGA or DVI monitors up to 2560 by 1600 pixels) 1× Headphone jack (3.5 mm) |
| Audio | Built-in microphone and mono speaker Stereo headphone output jack | |
| Keyboard | Backlit full-size keyboard with ambient light sensor | |
| Trackpad | Multi-Touch gestures like the iPhone, iPod Touch, MacBook, and MacBook Pro | |
| K-slot | None | |
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