Been using my MacBook Air 11.6″ as a workhorse for about a month now and I think we owe you, our readers, a review of this latest notebook by Apple.
But before I go any further let me caution you that I’m a first time user of a Macbook, so there’s a 180-degree turnaround as far as computing is concerned for me. I have been a Windows user all my life until the MacBook Air 11.6″ was born this October and one fell into my lap.
The new MBA 11.6″ to start with is the thinnest notebook I have ever seen – its only .68″ thick. It is also the lightest probably among 11.6″ notebooks at only 1.06kg. And take this, it has also the fastest cold boot at more or less 9 seconds; and from sleep mode – 1 second. How can you beat that? That’s how MBA will impress you immediately.
Alright let’s discuss the available flavors first. The new MBA comes in 13″ and 11.6″; the baby MBA is available in 64G and 128G SSD storage capacity and both are loaded with 2GB RAM and 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor.
The Specs
With the current Intel processors in the 11.6″ category of notebooks, I had an impression that the MBA 11.6″ is under-powered with only a Core 2 Duo. But I guess Apple made it just right otherwise, it would not be as thin as it is now. Also the 64GB & 128GB storage is also under sized especially when current notebooks already has a minimum of 320G HDD, but the MBA’s storage is SSD. SSD’s has no moving parts hence it is faster than regular HDD’s.
The keyboard is a full-sized chiclet-type with a totally different key arrangement compared to that of a Windows-powered notebooks. Another feature that I like about this MBA is the track pad. It is big and performs flawlessly especially the scroll function.
The MBA 11.6″ at a starting price of Php 51k+ is not bad at all. Actually this is the most expensive notebook that I have owned but comparing it with my former 11.6″ Acer, the MBA still wins overall because of its excellent engineering design, the OS and performance too.
Conclusion
Okay, shall we at PTB recommend MBA 11.6″ or not? I think that’s debatable. After all, not all are born to love Mac. Here’s my take and hopefully you can pick up some points in deciding to buy your next 11.6″ notebook:
- Worry not about viruses – Mac does not recognize it. Well not as prevalent as that of Windows.
- It’s fast! 9-second boot up time, and 1 second from sleep mode. Very handy when you’re always on the go.
- It’s very light and thin plus battery life lasts up to five hours.
- Magsafe power adapter – your power cord is held in place magnetically. It connects and detaches without a hitch.
- You can still install Windows OS via Boot Camp so you can enjoy the best of both world.
- One more thing we would like to point out is the Facetime feature which allows you to chat with iPhone 4 and iPod Touch 4G users via the internet.
The Kensington security lock is missing though, they should have included it because you just can’t leave your MBA in your table in the coffee shop, a bad guy can just put it inside a brown envelope and leave you crying. Take note that there’s also no LAN port, a VGA or HDMI port nor a card reader. You need to buy accessories for those separately. Bad Apple.
And who says Mac does not hang up? Yes it does but you don’t get as irritated as compared to Windows-powered notebooks since it boots up fast. Missing the right keys in the track pad and the mouse? You can configure it in the System Preferences, yes its somewhere there. 🙂
So, if your work includes Internet browsing, Facebook, Twitter, a little Photo editing, Microsoft Office jobs, and blogging? The MBA 11.6″ is a wonderful choice. The current SRP for the 64GB is Php51k+ but you can get it at a much lower price, just be patient in shopping around.
We have the unboxing photos in case you like to take a second look before deciding to buy.
Apple MacBook Air 11.6-inch Specs:
- 11.6″³ display @ 1366×768 pixels
- Intel Core 2 Duo 1.4GHz
- NVidia GeForce 320M
- 2GB DDR3 RAM
- 64GB and 128GB SSD storage
- WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
- Bluetooth
- webcam
- 2 x USB 2.0 ports
- 1 x mini display port
- Weight: 2.3lbs or 1.05kg
