Macbook Air?

corpo3030

I've been thinking of getting one of these, it would only be for web surfing, iTunes, nothing too intensive. Has anybody here got one? If so, how do you find it, battery and use wise?

Kavrocks

I too am looking into buying one but before you do there is a rumoured refresh coming mid July for the Macbook Air. Note its only a rumour.

Samsung have also announced an update to their Series 9 laptops for an August release which depending on the Macbook Air's new specs could be the better choice for you.

Fol20

tbh, above is right, hold off until the update..

Secondly why not go for a 13" mb pro..More functionality,more powerful plus it has more connections..Something important to consider is a ethernet cable..You may not use much any more but if your traveling some places will only supply you a ethernet cable(no wireless)

Alanstrainor

Does it have to be a mac?

Dropping a grand on a machine for music and internet is nothing short of insane imo.

I'm not looking to start a mac/windows debate. But I had to make that point.

IrishHomer

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Kavrocks

Fol20 wrote: »

tbh, above is right, hold off until the update..

Secondly why not go for a 13" mb pro..More functionality,more powerful plus it has more connections..Something important to consider is a ethernet cable..You may not use much any more but if your traveling some places will only supply you a ethernet cable(no wireless)

Because of weight, size and portability.

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Does it have to be a mac?

Dropping a grand on a machine for music and internet is nothing short of insane imo.

I'm not looking to start a mac/windows debate. But I had to make that point.

Can you suggest a windows PC other than the Samsung Series 9 which competes on weight, size and portability? The only other one I've found is a lenovo but I don't think it is as good for the price and specs.

mordeith

Alternatives

Oafley Jones

corpo3030 wrote: »

I've been thinking of getting one of these, it would only be for web surfing, iTunes, nothing too intensive. Has anybody here got one? If so, how do you find it, battery and use wise?

The gf picked one up bout three months ago. Love it. The battery life is excellent, the speed advantages of the SSD eg instant on etc is very welcome and I find myself slightly irritated when i use the sluggish i5 MBP. Much prefer the MBA screen as well despite the smaller size - the pixel density and the lack of that awful gloss nail it for me. Only thing that i miss from the MBP is the backlit keyboard.

I knew that the ivy bridge rev wasn't far away, but got it anyway because I knew that it'd handle what was was going to be thrown at it, namely office. I've yet to see it stutter on any HD playback and the machine stays pretty cool with the fans rarely spinning up. Im slightly curious to see how the new MBA performs in this regard as that family tends towards the hot. Nor do I care for IG and thunderbolt means nothing to me. Also don't like what the rumours are saying they're doing with the flash memory.

testicle

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Does it have to be a mac?

Dropping a grand on a machine for music and internet is nothing short of insane imo.

I'm not looking to start a mac/windows debate. But I had to make that point.

You could always wipe OSX install Windows on it

Oafley Jones

If you do buy one makesure to get 4GB of ram.

corpo3030

Thanks for the input everyone, a lot of good points. It doesn't have to be a Mac at all, I'm glad I've been given some alternatives to check out. Mainly I'm looking for portability, battery life, and reliability. Any make will be considered. My main reason for considering the Air is because I had an old iBook G4, which I got second hand, and I liked it because it was pretty hassle free to use.

SaturnV

When it comes to portability, are ultrathins really that portable? I mean, I know they're lighter and everything, but two of the three dimensions will still be the same as the equivalent laptop. I've never used an ultrathin laptop, so I don't really know. They do look fantastic, but is the premium worth paying for the weight reduction?

I don't suppose any of the current generation of netbooks would fit the bill? Or even a tablet?

Sad Professor

Are you the considering the 13-inch or 11-inch, OP? Because I think the 13-inch Air is kinda pointless. For that price you are better off getting the MBP. But I love the 11-inch. It would be perfect for carrying around. The battery life is the only thing that puts me off. Hopefully there'll be some improvements to it in the next refresh.

Villain

Sad Professor wrote: »

Are you the considering the 13-inch or 11-inch, OP? Because I think the 13-inch Air is kinda pointless. For that price you are better off getting the MBP. But I love the 11-inch. It would be perfect for carrying around. The battery life is the only thing that puts me off. Hopefully there'll be some improvements to it in the next refresh.

I have a Samsung NC10 nearly 2 years now and the portability of it is great and the battery life was excellent but I did find the 10" screen a bit of a pain when doing a lof web surfing or trying to view large documents.

I looked at the 11" MacBook Air and while it is ultra portable the screen was still that little too small so I went for a 13" Air and I have to say I'm thrilled with it very portable good battery life and plenty of screen size. The price is a little hard to justify and the lack of upgrade options is a bit annoying but I still think its a great piece of kit.