Macworld | Mac Product Guide: MacBook Air/1.6GHz

MacBook Air/1.6GHz

Mac users now have a three-pound, thin laptop to call their own, but it comes with tradeoffs. The MacBook Air comes without an optical drive (though there's an optional USB SuperDrive you can buy for $99), so you'll have to install programs via the machine's Remote Disk software. There's also no Gigabit Ethernet (again, available as an optional add-on) and no FireWire port. In addition to accessories, users can also opt for a 1.8GHz processor or a 64GB solid-state drive.

	Reviewed	Full Review

Judged merely on the cold technological specifications, the MacBook Air can't measure up to Apple's other laptops. But for those who factor size, weight, and style into the equation, the MacBook Air begins to make more sense. Is losing several hundred megahertz, dozens of gigabytes of hard-drive space, an internal optical drive, and FireWire connectivity worth losing two pounds? Each laptop user will have to answer that question for themselves.

Pros: Weighs three pounds; bright LED-backlit 13.3-inch screen; full-size keyboard.

Cons: Slow processor; slow and small hard drive; limited configuration options; unswappable battery.

Basics

Reviewed Price: $1,799

Processor: 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

Information about this system on Apple's website

Price Comparison

Shop at:	Price
	$1739.94
	$1679.18
	$1749.00
	$1749.95
	$1794.00

Compare Prices for All Sellers

Lab Tests

Speedmark 5 Score	124
Cinema 4D XL XL 10.5	1:36
iMovie HD 6	1:21
iTunes 7.5	1:52
Photoshop CS3	1:43
Compressor	3:25
Unreal Tournament 2004	19.3fps
Tested Configuration	Mac OS X 10.5.1 with 2GB of RAM

Tested Configuration	Mac OS X 10.5.1 with 2GB of RAM
Display	flat-panel (glossy); 13.3 inches; 1,280-by-800 pixels
Processor	1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Cache	4MB shared L2
Frontside Bus Speed	800MHz
Memory	2GB of DDR2 SDRAM ; 2GB maximum - 667MHz
Graphics Card	Intel GMA X3100 with 144MB of DDR2 SDRAM (shared with main memory); Maximum resolution:1,920-by-1,200 pixels; Port(s):Micro-DVI port
Hard Drive	80GB Parallel ATA, 4,200 rpm
Optical Drive	None
Ethernet	None
Wireless	AirPort Extreme built-in Bluetooth 2.1+EDR built-in
Peripheral Ports	Firewire: None; USB: 1 USB 2.0 port
Audio	Inputs: Built-in omnidirectional microphone;Outputs: Analog audio output/headphone out, mono speaker
Expansion Slots	None
Dimensions	12.8 x 0.16-0.76 x 8.94 inches
Weight	3 pounds
Battery Life	5 hours