Posts tagged with "macbook air"

New MacBook Air Owners Experiencing Graphic Issues, Kernel Panics

According to a report bu Cult of Mac, and confirmed by further analysis on Macworld, a pretty large number of MacBook Air early adopters are experiencing screen issues such as “weird colors in vertical lines”, freezes, crashes and “horizontal sparkling bands”.

Additional reports about the video problem have been posted to Apple’s discussion forums and for the people reporting it the symptoms can vary. I’ve even encountered the problem myself on my 13-inch MacBook Air.

The problem with kernel panics has been experienced by Cult of Mac staff that purchased 11-inch or 13-inch models. Users on Apple forums haven’t complained about this specifically yet, but they have been complaining about their new MacBook Airs crashing.

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Mac Portable Vs. MacBook Air - 21 Years of Apple Computing

Times change. Gadgets grow old fast. Look at your original iPhone from 2007, then look at the iPhone 4’s sexy metal band. Things in this industry have a short lifespan, and it’s up to great engineers and designers to make a device last in time and leave a permanent sign in the minds of people who used it, loved it.

In the picture above, you can see a Mac Portable from 1989 compared to a 2010 MacBook Air. Generation of Macs sitting next to each other, a visual representation of the progress that’s been made in science and computer engineering. But it was “only” 21 years ago. The first Game Boy came out the same year. The U2 were a great band. Yet, for as much as we remember those events as if it was yesterday and we struggle to keep that Mac Portable in perfect mint condition, things change. Fast.

So welcome, MacBook Air. We look forward to comparing you to another Mac in 21 years.

If Macs will still be around. [TUAW via Patrick McCarron]

You’re Too Stupid To Review The MacBook Air If…→

You’re Too Stupid To Review The MacBook Air If…

It’s important for reviewers to remember that they are supposed to be offering readers valuable information. Putting out some false bravado and this feeling of superiority that comes with many reviews really doesn’t help anyone. The fact you can knock a product — any product — because it doesn’t measure up to a higher-end product really doesn’t take much skill.

Jim Dalrymple knows what’s wrong with hardware reviews on the internet.

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AnandTech’s Epic MacBook Air Review→

AnandTech’s Epic MacBook Air Review

While both models are extremely light, the 11-inch MacBook Air is portable perfection. It’s the closest thing to an iPad with a keyboard (short of an iPad with an actual keyboard). I’m afraid that’s where the comparison ends. Despite what Apple would have you feel, the new MacBook Air is no more an iPad than its predecessor.

If you need to read another review about the new Airs, make sure it’s this one. Insightful and unbiased. [tip: print the page as .PDF and read it on your iPad]

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A Peek Inside The New MacBook Air

That was fast, iFixit. As usual when a new Apple product comes out, these have taken a look at what’s inside the new beast from Cupertino, and here some interesting notes:

Apple apparently doesn’t want you inside this thing. They decided to use 5-point Security Torx to attach the lower case.

This battery is 35 watt-hours. Previous revisions of 13” MacBook Air machines have included 37 or 40 watt-hour battery packs. Since this Air has a smaller screen and lacks a spinning hard drive, we’d expect run time to be somewhat better than earlier Airs.

Although in a different form factor, the new MacBook Air uses the same Broadcom Wi-Fi/Bluetooth chip as the current lineup of MacBook Pros.

The Air’s Place In An iPad World→

The Air’s Place In An iPad World

In fact, the MacBook Air’s biggest competition is the iPad. Both can be used as a standalone product, but really shine when used as a secondary device. Both have great battery life and are thin and light. The smaller Air is even close to the size of the iPad.

The difference of course is all about software. For some people, iOS just doesn’t meet their needs. The new 11.6″ MacBook Air offers all of the features of Mac OS X in the smallest package ever. For people who need a full-blown computer that can go just about anywhere, the Air is an obvious choice. For everyone else, though, the iPad is really, really hard to ignore.

The iPad is similar in size to the new Air, and it’s cheaper. But don’t forget and don’t underestimate the importance of a small device running OS X at an acceptable form factor. For some people working in certain conditions with very few space available and frequent travelers, the 11.6-inch Air is a God-send.

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Marco Arment On The New MacBook Air→

Marco Arment On The New MacBook Air

Insightful analysis by Arment:

The 11” looks impressively tiny, but realistically, most people are unlikely to see significant benefits in portability or practicality from the 11” over the 13”. There are very few situations in which you’d be able to comfortably carry or use the 11” but not the 13”.

The 11” screen resolution of 1366x768 is great for its size, but it’s going to bevery cramped, especially vertically. Screen size is very important and noticeable in everyday use, and it’s often the limiting factor for how much work advanced users can comfortably get done on a laptop.

The 11” is also significantly slower and with less battery life, although these are less important factors.

The whole post is a must-read. Although in my opinion, that 11-inch model is damn tempting.

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Leaked Picture Of The New MacBook Air?

Engadget just posted a picture of what appears to be the inside of the new MacBook Air, the one Apple is going to announce on Wednesday at the “Back to the Mac” event. The picture doesn’t show a 11.6-inch chassis, but a regular 13-inch one with extra room for battery cells and no hard drive. Does this confirm that Apple managed to stuff a SSD somewhere else in the unibody structure?

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