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Product Information
Capacity: 256 GB Storage
| Screen Size | 13.3 inches |
| Processor | 1.8 GHz Intel Core i5 |
| RAM | 4 GB DDR3L SDRAM |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Intel HD Graphics 4000 |
| Brand Name | Apple |
| Series | MacBook Air |
| Item model number | MD232LL/A |
| Hardware Platform | Mac |
| Operating System | Mac OS X v10.8 Mountain Lion |
| Processor Brand | Intel |
| Processor Count | 1 |
| Computer Memory Type | DDR3 SDRAM |
| Flash Memory Size | 256 |
| Hard Drive Interface | Solid State |
Additional Information
| ASIN | B00746YD24 |
| Best Sellers Rank | #1,196 in Computers & Accessories (See top 100) |
| Shipping Weight | 6.5 pounds |
| Shipping | Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. |
| Date First Available | June 11, 2012 |
Warranty & Support
Amazon.com Return Policy: You may return any new computer purchased from Amazon.com that is "dead on arrival," arrives in damaged condition, or is still in unopened boxes, for a full refund within 30 days of purchase. Amazon.com reserves the right to test "dead on arrival" returns and impose a customer fee equal to 15 percent of the product sales price if the customer misrepresents the condition of the product. Any returned computer that is damaged through customer misuse, is missing parts, or is in unsellable… Read more condition due to customer tampering will result in the customer being charged a higher restocking fee based on the condition of the product. Amazon.com will not accept returns of any desktop or notebook computer more than 30 days after you receive the shipment. New, used, and refurbished products purchased from Marketplace vendors are subject to the returns policy of the individual vendor.
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Product Description
Capacity: 256 GB Storage
Amazon.com
The ultimate everyday notebook is better than ever. The Apple MacBook Air now features the latest Intel processors and graphics, faster flash storage, and a 720p FaceTime HD camera. All packed into a notebook that's incredibly thin and light. With up to 60 percent faster graphics performance, it makes everything you do feel quicker and more fluid than ever. And the latest flash storage is up to 4x faster than a traditional hard drive, making MacBook Air remarkably responsive.
The MacBook Air with 13.3-inch screen (view larger).
Now with two USB 3 ports, a Thunderbolt port, and an SD card slot (view larger).
The MacBook Air also now includes both a high-speed Thunderbolt port and two USB 3 ports, enabling you to easily connect to external displays and a wide variety of high performance peripherals.
This version of the MacBook Air (model MD232LL/A) sports a 13.3-inch high-resolution display, 1.8 GHz Intel Core i5 dual-core processor, 256 GB of flash memory storage, 4 GB of RAM, an SD card slot, and up to 7 hours of battery life (see full specifications below). It also comes with the iLife '11 software suite, which includes the latest versions of iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand.
Key Features
Intel Core i5 Dual-Core Processing
The MacBook Air packs plenty of power thanks to the latest Intel Core i5 processor, which features a faster processor, more powerful graphics, and a memory controller integrated into a single chip. The third-generation dual-core Intel Core i5 has a 1.8 GHz speed, which can dynamically accelerate up to 2.8 GHz to match your workload thanks to updated Intel Turbo Boost Technology.
And with the Intel HD Graphics 4000 processor, you get up to 60 percent faster graphics. So the video you watch, the FaceTime calls you make, and pretty much everything else you do is smoother and more detailed.
The spacious, full-sized keyboard (see larger image).
High-speed Thunderbolt and USB 3 Ports
A high-speed Thunderbolt port allows the MacBook Air to transfer data at lightning-fast speeds and connect displays like the Apple Thunderbolt Display, enabling you to turn this highly portable notebook into a highly versatile workstation. And with two USB 3 ports, you'll be able to connect the latest USB 3 devices and access a pipeline that's up to 10 times faster than USB 2.
Because Thunderbolt is based on DisplayPort technology, you'll be able to connect to a high-resolution display from the same port. Any Mini DisplayPort display plugs right into the Thunderbolt port, and you can also connect displays that use DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI, or VGA connections with an existing adapter. You'll also be able to include your display into a daisy-chained set of peripherals.
Flash Memory Storage
By replacing the standard spinning hard drive typically found in laptops (as well as desktop PCs) with flash memory, the MacBook Air delivers an almost instantaneous boot-up when you open the display, as well as faster application launches and snappier overall performance. Additionally, Apple has shed the enclosure that typically surrounds flash memory (usually about the same size as a standard hard drive), thus giving it a smaller footprint and helping to decrease the size of the MacBook Air.
Multi-Touch Trackpad
The Multi-Touch gestures in OS X make everything you do on MacBook Air more intuitive, direct, and fun. You can pinch, swipe or rotate images on the display screen with the brush of two fingers, or add more digits for a four-fingered vertical swipe to open Expose and quickly glance at all of your open windows.
Integrated HD FaceTime Webcam
You'll be able to easily connect with friends, family, and business colleagues using the MacBook Air's HD 720p FaceTime camera, which is integrated into the thin bezel above the display and features three times the resolution of the previous FaceTime camera. And with Apple's FaceTime application, you're not limited to video chats with other Macs--you can now make video calls to iPhone and iPod touch users.
Backlit Keyboard
The MacBook Air manages to fit a full-size keyboard that makes typing as natural as it is comfortable. And the keyboard is backlit, so you can type with ease in even the dimmest light. A built-in ambient light sensor detects changes in lighting conditions and adjusts the display and keyboard brightness automatically.
Specifications
- 13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with a 1440 x 900-pixel resolution
- Up to 7 hours of wireless productivity plus up to 30 days of standby time
- 1.8 GHz Intel Core i5 dual-core processor (2.8 GHz with Turbo Boost Technology; 3 MB L3 cache)
- 256 GB flash memory storage
- 4 GB installed RAM (1600 MHz DDR3; supports up to 8 GB)
- Intel HD Graphics 4000 integrated graphics processor
- Built-in HD 720p FaceTime camera for video chatting
- Wi-Fi wireless networking (based on 802.11n specification; 802.11a/b/g compatible)
- Bluetooth 4.0 for connecting with peripherals such as keyboards, mice and cell phones
- Thunderbolt port (up to 10 Gbps) with native video output support for Mini DisplayPort plus DVI, VGA, dual-link DVI, and HDMI (requires adapters, sold separately)
- Two USB 3 ports (up to 5 Gbps; backwards compatibility with USB 2)
- Built-in stereo speakers along with omnidirectional microphone, headphone minijack
- Dimensions: 12.8 x 8.94 x 0.68 inches (WxDxH)
- Weight: 2.96 pounds
What's in the Box
13.3-inch MacBook Air, 45W MagSafe 2 power adapter, AC wall plug, and power cord, printed and electronic documentation
Limited Warranty And Service
The MacBook Air comes with 90 days of free telephone support and a 1-year limited warranty, which can be extended to 3 years with the AppleCare Protection Plan.
Installed Software
At the heart of every MacBook Air--and every Mac--is OS X Mountain Lion, the world's most advanced desktop operating system. Since the software built into every Mac is created by the same company that makes the Mac, you get a fully integrated system in which everything works together perfectly. OS X works with the processor in your Mac to deliver the best possible performance. Power Nap even takes advantage of the Mac hardware to keep the entire system up to date while it sleeps.
- OS X Mountain Lion (includes Mac App Store, Safari, Mail, Messages, Calendar, Contacts, Reminders, Notes, Time Machine, FaceTime, Photo Booth, Game Center, iTunes, and more)
iLife helps you do more with photos, movies, and music than you ever thought possible. In iPhoto, you can browse, edit, and share your photos in stunning new full-screen views. Create epic Hollywood-style movie trailers from your home video in iMovie. And GarageBand gives you everything you need to make a great-sounding song--including tools for keeping your song in perfect rhythm and guitar and piano lessons.
- iLife (includes iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand)
AppleCare Protection Plan
Because Apple makes the hardware, the operating system, and many applications, the Mac is a truly integrated system. And only the AppleCare Protection Plan gives you one-stop service and support from Apple experts, so most issues can be resolved in a single call. Extend the complimentary service and support on your Mac to 3 years from the original Mac purchase date with the AppleCare Protection Plan. You get direct telephone access to Apple experts for technical questions, and you get global repair coverage--including both parts and labor--for your Mac and select Apple peripherals.
Optional Accessories and Related Products
 | 45W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter |
 | Apple Thunderbolt Display |
 | Apple USB SuperDrive |
 | Time Capsule |
 | Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter |
 | Apple Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter |
 | Apple Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter |
 | Apple Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter |
Product Description
Apple MacBook Air (5,2) Core i5 1.80 GHz 13" 256GB SSD (2012)
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
616 of 642 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
New 13" MacBook Air vs. New 13" MacBook Pro: A side-by-side comparison
June 29, 2012
By Farb Dannon
Size Name:128 GB Storage
I purchased both the newly updated 13" MacBook Air and the updated 13" MacBook Pro the day they were announced at WWDC and released for sale in June 2012. After using the two machines side-by-side for a couple weeks now, I can say that the MacBook Air offers superior performance in virtually every respect to such a degree that I've pretty much stopped using my brand new MacBook Pro. Of course the Air (which I got factory upgraded to the 2.0 GHz i7 processor and 8GB of RAM) is lighter, slimmer, and sleeker than the Pro, and yes, it does have a much higher resolution display, but I was surprised just how much faster the MacBook Air is compared to the Pro is despite the Air's slower CPU clock speed. The SSD hard drive on the MacBook Air makes an enormous difference in everything from casual web browsing to video editing.
Speed and Performance: Advantage MacBook Air
Apart from the hard drives and port configurations, the technology inside the machines is virtually identical in both the newly refreshed MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Both Pros and Airs come with either i5 or i7 Intel "Ivy Bridge" processors, Intel HD Graphics 4000, USB 3.0, and lightning-fast Thunderbolt ports. While the MacBook Air models are at a disadvantage to the MacBook Pro models in terms of CPU clock speeds, any performance disadvantage from the processor speed is more than made up for by the lightning fast performance of the Air's SSD hard drive, which Apple markets as "Flash" storage. In everyday tasks from gaming to web browsing to watching Flash movies and editing video, the MacBook Air is faster significantly faster in virtually every task. The Air boots up in less than 12 seconds while the Pro takes upwards of one minute.
Screen: Advantage MacBook Air
Once you get used to the super high resolution 1440 x 900 LED display on the MacBook Air, the 1280 x 800 back-lit LED display on the MacBook Pro looks downright grainy and primitive. Simply put, once you get used to a higher resolution display, the 1280 x 800 display on the 13" MacBook Pro just isn't acceptable. Even for simple tasks like email or word processing where you wouldn't think the resolution would matter, the graphics look grainy and pixelated, which just isn't acceptable for a pro-level laptop in 2012.
Upgradability: Advantage MacBook Pro
One major difference that's important to consider between the Air and the Pro is that the Pro is more flexible and adaptable in terms of upgradability. With only a screw driver and about 10 minutes of your time, you can add more memory to the Pro, replace the hard drive, and even add a second hard drive in place of the optical disc drive. The Air, on the other hand, is stuck in the configuration you purchase it in except that you can opt to replace the SSD "Flash" hard drive with a higher capacity drive. However, both the Air and Pro have USB 3.0 (which is five times faster than USB 2.0 and backward compatible) and Thunderbolt (which is ten times faster than USB 2.0), I see no reason to replace the Air's hard drive any time soon given how cheap external hard drives are and how fast the connection has become.
Design, Weight, Portability, Battery Life, and Form Factor: Advantage MacBook Air
The MacBook Air is the most beautiful computer ever produced by man. The aluminum case is impeccably designed, almost tailored to accommodate the necessary internal components, while maintaining practical ergonomics. It's an incredibly thin, svelte, sexy little notebook. The aluminum case seems sturdy and durable, and its mechanics are very similar to the time-test unibody construction of the MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pro, on the other hand, is a bit of a dinosaur in its bulky circa 2006 unibody. The Pro is heavier than a half gallon of milk at 4.5 lbs, while the MacBook Air weighs in at less than 2.9 lbs. Battery life is roughly even on both machines at anywhere from 4 to 7 hours depending on workload and settings.
Summary Judgement: Buy the MacBook Air
Simply put, the guts of the two machines are basically the same, but the Air's SSD hard drive gives it a tremendously significant boost in performance. Sadly, the MacBook Pro's 5400-rpm hard drive leaves the machine unable to capitalize on the newest, most expensive Intel "Ivy Bridge" i5 and i7 processors that you're paying a $300 premium for in the newly updated Pros. If you are going to buy a Pro, invest the extra money and get it upgraded with a SSD hard drive and get an extra external hard drive if you need additional cheap storage space for multimedia files. When you also consider the superior display, lighter weight, increased portability, and lower price of the MacBook Air, it's hard to find a reason to justify purchasing the current 13" MacBook Pro, which to me looks like a dinosaur rapidly headed for extinction.
Specs on the models compared:
13" MacBook Air (mid 2012) factory upgraded to the 2.0 GHz dual core i7 processor and factory upgraded to 8 GB RAM (1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM) with standard 256 GB SSD ("Flash") hard drive
13" MacBook Pro (mid 2012) with 2.9 GHz dual core i7 processor, 8 GB RAM (1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM), and 750GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
Both feature Intel HD 4000 Graphics, 3.0 USB, Thunderbolt, 802.11n, etc.
Speed and Performance: Advantage MacBook Air
Apart from the hard drives and port configurations, the technology inside the machines is virtually identical in both the newly refreshed MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Both Pros and Airs come with either i5 or i7 Intel "Ivy Bridge" processors, Intel HD Graphics 4000, USB 3.0, and lightning-fast Thunderbolt ports. While the MacBook Air models are at a disadvantage to the MacBook Pro models in terms of CPU clock speeds, any performance disadvantage from the processor speed is more than made up for by the lightning fast performance of the Air's SSD hard drive, which Apple markets as "Flash" storage. In everyday tasks from gaming to web browsing to watching Flash movies and editing video, the MacBook Air is faster significantly faster in virtually every task. The Air boots up in less than 12 seconds while the Pro takes upwards of one minute.
Screen: Advantage MacBook Air
Once you get used to the super high resolution 1440 x 900 LED display on the MacBook Air, the 1280 x 800 back-lit LED display on the MacBook Pro looks downright grainy and primitive. Simply put, once you get used to a higher resolution display, the 1280 x 800 display on the 13" MacBook Pro just isn't acceptable. Even for simple tasks like email or word processing where you wouldn't think the resolution would matter, the graphics look grainy and pixelated, which just isn't acceptable for a pro-level laptop in 2012.
Upgradability: Advantage MacBook Pro
One major difference that's important to consider between the Air and the Pro is that the Pro is more flexible and adaptable in terms of upgradability. With only a screw driver and about 10 minutes of your time, you can add more memory to the Pro, replace the hard drive, and even add a second hard drive in place of the optical disc drive. The Air, on the other hand, is stuck in the configuration you purchase it in except that you can opt to replace the SSD "Flash" hard drive with a higher capacity drive. However, both the Air and Pro have USB 3.0 (which is five times faster than USB 2.0 and backward compatible) and Thunderbolt (which is ten times faster than USB 2.0), I see no reason to replace the Air's hard drive any time soon given how cheap external hard drives are and how fast the connection has become.
Design, Weight, Portability, Battery Life, and Form Factor: Advantage MacBook Air
The MacBook Air is the most beautiful computer ever produced by man. The aluminum case is impeccably designed, almost tailored to accommodate the necessary internal components, while maintaining practical ergonomics. It's an incredibly thin, svelte, sexy little notebook. The aluminum case seems sturdy and durable, and its mechanics are very similar to the time-test unibody construction of the MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pro, on the other hand, is a bit of a dinosaur in its bulky circa 2006 unibody. The Pro is heavier than a half gallon of milk at 4.5 lbs, while the MacBook Air weighs in at less than 2.9 lbs. Battery life is roughly even on both machines at anywhere from 4 to 7 hours depending on workload and settings.
Summary Judgement: Buy the MacBook Air
Simply put, the guts of the two machines are basically the same, but the Air's SSD hard drive gives it a tremendously significant boost in performance. Sadly, the MacBook Pro's 5400-rpm hard drive leaves the machine unable to capitalize on the newest, most expensive Intel "Ivy Bridge" i5 and i7 processors that you're paying a $300 premium for in the newly updated Pros. If you are going to buy a Pro, invest the extra money and get it upgraded with a SSD hard drive and get an extra external hard drive if you need additional cheap storage space for multimedia files. When you also consider the superior display, lighter weight, increased portability, and lower price of the MacBook Air, it's hard to find a reason to justify purchasing the current 13" MacBook Pro, which to me looks like a dinosaur rapidly headed for extinction.
Specs on the models compared:
13" MacBook Air (mid 2012) factory upgraded to the 2.0 GHz dual core i7 processor and factory upgraded to 8 GB RAM (1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM) with standard 256 GB SSD ("Flash") hard drive
13" MacBook Pro (mid 2012) with 2.9 GHz dual core i7 processor, 8 GB RAM (1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM), and 750GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
Both feature Intel HD 4000 Graphics, 3.0 USB, Thunderbolt, 802.11n, etc.
199 of 211 people found the following review helpful
By Noah
Size Name:128 GB Storage|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am a professional photographer, and recently purchased the Macbook Air 13" base model as an addition to my desktop workstation. It replaced a 2010 13" Macbook Pro as the machine I'll use when away from the office. After a few days of testing, here are my thoughts:
Processor: The one word response would be "sufficient." Overall, the beauty of this laptop is that it gets out to the way and simply lets you do what you need to do. The processor isn't the fastest on the market, but I have never been left waiting for any processing tasks to date. As an email access point, word processor, and internet browser there is more than enough processing power to have a boatload of applications and multiple tabs open without a stutter. Web pages scroll nicely, new programs open in a second or two and when it comes to productivity tasks this is night and day better than my iPad since I can actually use the keyboard, Microsoft Office etc. The processor doesn't need to be all that powerful in large part due to the flash memory storage, upgraded in this generation to the faster 6 Gb/s connection so that read/write processes don't drag the computer down at all. While I use my desktop for all of my heavy duty processing of images and HD video, I will occasionally need to process an image or two on the road. So far I have found that Photoshop CS5 runs very nicely on this model, with nearly instant effects utilizing simple layer/curves adjustments. Processor intensive tasks such a gaussian blur related filters have a slight lag, taking approximately 30% longer than they do on my i7 920 desktop processor that is a few years old. It all gets done though, is far faster than my previous laptop, and nothing I regularly do has taken more than 2-3 seconds of processing time for an image, totally acceptable. It's the 30-40 second drags from my prior laptop that made me ready to throw it out the window. However, the few seconds of slowing is enough that I wouldn't want to process thousands of photos on this laptop, but for the casual edit it is more than sufficient. Lightroom runs smoothly as well, in large part due to the cache being on SSD storage, so even my 5D MkIII raw files at 30MB each are rendered to a smaller jpeg preview that the lighter processor can handle and render quickly off the SSD. Imports/export rendering take longer on this machine to be sure, but by that time I'm off doing other errands so I don't mind this lag. Video editing is functional as well and would likely work for most casual users, but massive projects simply wouldn't be possible on this machine for a multitude of reasons ranging from storage space to video card, screen size, processor etc. Overall, it does handle all casual productivity tasks that I need faster than any laptop I've owned, and can handle more processor intensive image applications acceptably for a laptop, though not fast enough that I'd consider using this as a full time professional machine.
Screen: The 13 inch model seems to be the perfect blend of portability and functionality for me. This particular screen is vibrant, and has the capability to professionally render the images that I need with a few caveats. Firstly, the factory set color profile for the screen looked good enough for basic use, but to my sensitive eyes had a bluish hue to it. Apple laptops are notoriously inaccurate for color rendition (increased contrast, saturation in reds and blues) so I would highly recommend that users who do much imaging work create a custom color profile their monitor. Even casual users are likely to be disappointed when actually printing images that look great on this screen (i.e. pumped up colors and contrast with a flat and lifeless print in real life). Also, for all of us that send files over the internet to Facebook/email etc, I would think it would be nice to know what your photos would look like "on average" to most of the users out there without a similar Mac screen. The "profile" utility built into OS X is worthless, and I'd recommend a software solution such as ColorEyes Display Pro, combined with a sensor such as the Spyder 4. I wish I could have assessed the default profile to find out how much it was off at baseline, but my software can only analyze custom profiles that it creates. Needless to say, things look a lot different after the profiling, and at 75% brightness I was able to get the monitor down to an average dE of 0.51 with a max dE of 2.99 in the greys (less than 1 is great accuracy, less than 5 is sort of standard to start professional work for me). I also notice that the edges of the screen on all sides have a very slight dark tinge/wave that extends for about half an inch. It is only faintly noticeable, shows up most against white backgrounds, and decreases with increased screen brightness. This isn't a defect unique to my unit, as it seems to affect all of the models at the Apple store that I went to see, as well as a few friends with Airs from years past. It would be nice if this screen were perfect, but it works and the minor screen variation doesn't effect the center working space of the image...so I think of it sort of like a built in vignette. This is a well documented complaint you can find on many forums with a quick internet search. If it's persisted into the 3rd generation of modern Air I don't see it going away soon. The resolution is also acceptable and a noted improvement over the 13" standard Macbook pro. Not retina, but the graphics on this model couldn't handle that resolution anyways. Retina display on the Macbook air will be a welcome addition in the years to come when the technology to scale everything down at a reasonable cost becomes feasible. Till then, this does the trick.
Battery life: one of my most important considerations for a laptop. This computer consistently achieves 7hrs of battery life as advertised. Screen brightness can be set to a custom level for increased battery life but I have yet to beat 7.5hrs. Surprisingly, Wifi intensive tasks such as downloading large files seem to have the biggest impact on battery life. I'd love to have a 10hr laptop at some point, but this model can get me through a busy work day every time so long as I start with a fully charged battery before.
Value/Upgrades: I am happy with the 128GB base model with 4GB ram, and made that decision mainly based on the value offered by the Apple upgrades. First off, with the base processor, all of my tasks seem to fly along with the exception of major processing such as photo or video exporting after edits. The i7 2.0 GHz upgrade would only be of marginal help, with the advantage of the "turbo boost" performance at 3.2 GHz versus 2.8 or a 11-14% increase for $100 (but requiring the $300 memory upgrade as well). I seriously considered the 8GB of ram as well, as the $100 upgrade would help to future proof the computer's performance. The problem with this, or any other upgrade over the stock base model is that you need to purchase the custom Air models directly from Apple, without the Amazon discount, with the added sales tax and recycling fee. That's an additional $150 or so in immediate outlay for privilege of even beginning to customize the computer at an additional price (or about $250 extra for 8GB of ram rather than the initially apparent $100 which would have been worth it). I have found that most Mac laptops depreciate at about 10-15% per year from the base price (any additional cost to tax etc is thrown out immediately), so selling this computer in a year or two to stay current with technology is by far the better value for me.
Regarding space, I have all of my programs (Lightroom, Office, Photoshop and a few others) on the 128GB drive with 95GB to spare. That's a lot of extra space for working files so long as they aren't media based. For that, you would need an external drive either way, as a day of photography can produce 60-70GB, and video can get into the hundreds of GB quickly, nothing that the minor 128GB upgrade would cover. The USB3 connection and a 7200RPM external drive does a great job, and ensuring that Photoshop etc are using the onboard flash storage as a scratch disk makes for great performance without compromise. Also, for storage in a pinch, the SD card slot provides an opportunity for a cheap upgrade. A 64GB SD card just barely sticks out of the side and can be had for $50 or so, while a 128GB SD card costs ~$150 with prices dropping fast. These won't have anywhere near the same read write speeds as built in memory, but would be more than sufficient for music, document, image storage etc when needed.
Overall, I'm thrilled with this machine and would recommend it without hesitation. I thought briefly about the new Retina Macbook Pro, since I could find many uses for the extra resolution and processing power. However, I ultimately decided to use this machine for its exceptional value and extra portability. The rMBP is a beautiful machine, but even with its performance it isn't close to a modern desktop machine of similar pricing equipped an i7 3770 processor, SSD boot and scratch drive, GTX 670 or similar, 16GB ram and a nice 24" dual monitor setup all for the same 2k price tag. So I'll take this with me on the road or the coffee shop, and save the serious work for my desktop with multiple monitors etc. No computer can be everything for everybody, but this Air is surprisingly versatile and ranges between best in class and acceptable for everything I've thrown at it. I'm a big fan.
Processor: The one word response would be "sufficient." Overall, the beauty of this laptop is that it gets out to the way and simply lets you do what you need to do. The processor isn't the fastest on the market, but I have never been left waiting for any processing tasks to date. As an email access point, word processor, and internet browser there is more than enough processing power to have a boatload of applications and multiple tabs open without a stutter. Web pages scroll nicely, new programs open in a second or two and when it comes to productivity tasks this is night and day better than my iPad since I can actually use the keyboard, Microsoft Office etc. The processor doesn't need to be all that powerful in large part due to the flash memory storage, upgraded in this generation to the faster 6 Gb/s connection so that read/write processes don't drag the computer down at all. While I use my desktop for all of my heavy duty processing of images and HD video, I will occasionally need to process an image or two on the road. So far I have found that Photoshop CS5 runs very nicely on this model, with nearly instant effects utilizing simple layer/curves adjustments. Processor intensive tasks such a gaussian blur related filters have a slight lag, taking approximately 30% longer than they do on my i7 920 desktop processor that is a few years old. It all gets done though, is far faster than my previous laptop, and nothing I regularly do has taken more than 2-3 seconds of processing time for an image, totally acceptable. It's the 30-40 second drags from my prior laptop that made me ready to throw it out the window. However, the few seconds of slowing is enough that I wouldn't want to process thousands of photos on this laptop, but for the casual edit it is more than sufficient. Lightroom runs smoothly as well, in large part due to the cache being on SSD storage, so even my 5D MkIII raw files at 30MB each are rendered to a smaller jpeg preview that the lighter processor can handle and render quickly off the SSD. Imports/export rendering take longer on this machine to be sure, but by that time I'm off doing other errands so I don't mind this lag. Video editing is functional as well and would likely work for most casual users, but massive projects simply wouldn't be possible on this machine for a multitude of reasons ranging from storage space to video card, screen size, processor etc. Overall, it does handle all casual productivity tasks that I need faster than any laptop I've owned, and can handle more processor intensive image applications acceptably for a laptop, though not fast enough that I'd consider using this as a full time professional machine.
Screen: The 13 inch model seems to be the perfect blend of portability and functionality for me. This particular screen is vibrant, and has the capability to professionally render the images that I need with a few caveats. Firstly, the factory set color profile for the screen looked good enough for basic use, but to my sensitive eyes had a bluish hue to it. Apple laptops are notoriously inaccurate for color rendition (increased contrast, saturation in reds and blues) so I would highly recommend that users who do much imaging work create a custom color profile their monitor. Even casual users are likely to be disappointed when actually printing images that look great on this screen (i.e. pumped up colors and contrast with a flat and lifeless print in real life). Also, for all of us that send files over the internet to Facebook/email etc, I would think it would be nice to know what your photos would look like "on average" to most of the users out there without a similar Mac screen. The "profile" utility built into OS X is worthless, and I'd recommend a software solution such as ColorEyes Display Pro, combined with a sensor such as the Spyder 4. I wish I could have assessed the default profile to find out how much it was off at baseline, but my software can only analyze custom profiles that it creates. Needless to say, things look a lot different after the profiling, and at 75% brightness I was able to get the monitor down to an average dE of 0.51 with a max dE of 2.99 in the greys (less than 1 is great accuracy, less than 5 is sort of standard to start professional work for me). I also notice that the edges of the screen on all sides have a very slight dark tinge/wave that extends for about half an inch. It is only faintly noticeable, shows up most against white backgrounds, and decreases with increased screen brightness. This isn't a defect unique to my unit, as it seems to affect all of the models at the Apple store that I went to see, as well as a few friends with Airs from years past. It would be nice if this screen were perfect, but it works and the minor screen variation doesn't effect the center working space of the image...so I think of it sort of like a built in vignette. This is a well documented complaint you can find on many forums with a quick internet search. If it's persisted into the 3rd generation of modern Air I don't see it going away soon. The resolution is also acceptable and a noted improvement over the 13" standard Macbook pro. Not retina, but the graphics on this model couldn't handle that resolution anyways. Retina display on the Macbook air will be a welcome addition in the years to come when the technology to scale everything down at a reasonable cost becomes feasible. Till then, this does the trick.
Battery life: one of my most important considerations for a laptop. This computer consistently achieves 7hrs of battery life as advertised. Screen brightness can be set to a custom level for increased battery life but I have yet to beat 7.5hrs. Surprisingly, Wifi intensive tasks such as downloading large files seem to have the biggest impact on battery life. I'd love to have a 10hr laptop at some point, but this model can get me through a busy work day every time so long as I start with a fully charged battery before.
Value/Upgrades: I am happy with the 128GB base model with 4GB ram, and made that decision mainly based on the value offered by the Apple upgrades. First off, with the base processor, all of my tasks seem to fly along with the exception of major processing such as photo or video exporting after edits. The i7 2.0 GHz upgrade would only be of marginal help, with the advantage of the "turbo boost" performance at 3.2 GHz versus 2.8 or a 11-14% increase for $100 (but requiring the $300 memory upgrade as well). I seriously considered the 8GB of ram as well, as the $100 upgrade would help to future proof the computer's performance. The problem with this, or any other upgrade over the stock base model is that you need to purchase the custom Air models directly from Apple, without the Amazon discount, with the added sales tax and recycling fee. That's an additional $150 or so in immediate outlay for privilege of even beginning to customize the computer at an additional price (or about $250 extra for 8GB of ram rather than the initially apparent $100 which would have been worth it). I have found that most Mac laptops depreciate at about 10-15% per year from the base price (any additional cost to tax etc is thrown out immediately), so selling this computer in a year or two to stay current with technology is by far the better value for me.
Regarding space, I have all of my programs (Lightroom, Office, Photoshop and a few others) on the 128GB drive with 95GB to spare. That's a lot of extra space for working files so long as they aren't media based. For that, you would need an external drive either way, as a day of photography can produce 60-70GB, and video can get into the hundreds of GB quickly, nothing that the minor 128GB upgrade would cover. The USB3 connection and a 7200RPM external drive does a great job, and ensuring that Photoshop etc are using the onboard flash storage as a scratch disk makes for great performance without compromise. Also, for storage in a pinch, the SD card slot provides an opportunity for a cheap upgrade. A 64GB SD card just barely sticks out of the side and can be had for $50 or so, while a 128GB SD card costs ~$150 with prices dropping fast. These won't have anywhere near the same read write speeds as built in memory, but would be more than sufficient for music, document, image storage etc when needed.
Overall, I'm thrilled with this machine and would recommend it without hesitation. I thought briefly about the new Retina Macbook Pro, since I could find many uses for the extra resolution and processing power. However, I ultimately decided to use this machine for its exceptional value and extra portability. The rMBP is a beautiful machine, but even with its performance it isn't close to a modern desktop machine of similar pricing equipped an i7 3770 processor, SSD boot and scratch drive, GTX 670 or similar, 16GB ram and a nice 24" dual monitor setup all for the same 2k price tag. So I'll take this with me on the road or the coffee shop, and save the serious work for my desktop with multiple monitors etc. No computer can be everything for everybody, but this Air is surprisingly versatile and ranges between best in class and acceptable for everything I've thrown at it. I'm a big fan.
150 of 166 people found the following review helpful
Size Name:256 GB Storage|Amazon Verified Purchase
Going from a White Macbook circa 2008 to the 2012 Macbook Air is a massive leap forward in technology for me. The big question is deciding which one will be best for you: The 13" Macbook Pro or the 13" Macbook Air.
Things I like:
It's fast! I plan on using this when I travel for Office, Adobe Lightroom and other photography applications. I'm able to move quickly, even when shuffling around hundreds of photos in Lightroom. This is remarkably different from my old Macbook.
The SSD. Absolutely fast. Bootup/shutdown/restart times are in seconds. Yes, it's pricy, but I love it.
Solid build. It feels much like other Macbook Pros, despite the thinness. Yes, it feels like it'll be a magnet for scratches, so I'm off to find a case/skin.
Opposite side USB ports! The most annoying thing about my Macbook (old White, new MBP as my office computer) is that there's not enough spacing between the USB ports, so a chunkier flashdrive and another USB device won't fit. Now I don't feel like I have to choose what gets plugged in.
USB 3.0. I've got enough USB 3.0 flash drives and the speed increase will be noticeable. Thunderbolt technology is supposed to be a lot faster, but a lot more expensive and quite frankly, cost-prohibitive.
Weight: I've gotten used to heavier laptops so this feels downright thin. Thin enough that I don't notice it in my bag.
Screen resolution: 1440x900 gives me more real estate than the 1280x800 of the 13" Macbook Pro. The screen was bright and vivid.
---
Things I don't like:
Non-upgradeable: So much for adding more RAM down the road.
New Magsafe power connector: This might cause an issue with places that have older Macbooks as well and determining which is which. That's what labels are for.
Aluminum case: It's beautiful but I'm feeling worried that I'm going to scratch it.
Software update: 350MB worth of fixes out of the box. Ugh.
---
Sound. It's decent enough - it seems like any other laptop's audio that I've ever used. If you're serious about audio, you'll have external speakers (or even pair it up with Airplay speakers.)
Battery: I got about 6 hours in a torture test of watching video while surfing the web on WiFi. It's pretty decent and within the 5-7 range that Apple stated.
DVD drive: I don't miss it. I thought I would, but I don't. It just adds weight and bulk to the computer.
The webcam is also a higher resolution 720p camera. It's quite nice, but now the downside is that during Facetime, my friends and family can see my ugly self more clearly. Also, early adopters won't have the computer come with the newest version of OS X - Mountain Lion. That will come in mid/late July. It's nice that this will come gratis to those who bought early.
The big question is Macbook Air or Macbook Pro? It comes down town a number of issues. If this will be your primary computer, then Macbook Pro is the way to go. The MBP is a faster computer with more storage and an optical drive. If you plan on doing any high-end computing, you'll notice the difference. If this is going to be a secondary computer or if weight is the deciding factor, then the Macbook Air is for you. Either way, you can't go wrong.
Things I like:
It's fast! I plan on using this when I travel for Office, Adobe Lightroom and other photography applications. I'm able to move quickly, even when shuffling around hundreds of photos in Lightroom. This is remarkably different from my old Macbook.
The SSD. Absolutely fast. Bootup/shutdown/restart times are in seconds. Yes, it's pricy, but I love it.
Solid build. It feels much like other Macbook Pros, despite the thinness. Yes, it feels like it'll be a magnet for scratches, so I'm off to find a case/skin.
Opposite side USB ports! The most annoying thing about my Macbook (old White, new MBP as my office computer) is that there's not enough spacing between the USB ports, so a chunkier flashdrive and another USB device won't fit. Now I don't feel like I have to choose what gets plugged in.
USB 3.0. I've got enough USB 3.0 flash drives and the speed increase will be noticeable. Thunderbolt technology is supposed to be a lot faster, but a lot more expensive and quite frankly, cost-prohibitive.
Weight: I've gotten used to heavier laptops so this feels downright thin. Thin enough that I don't notice it in my bag.
Screen resolution: 1440x900 gives me more real estate than the 1280x800 of the 13" Macbook Pro. The screen was bright and vivid.
---
Things I don't like:
Non-upgradeable: So much for adding more RAM down the road.
New Magsafe power connector: This might cause an issue with places that have older Macbooks as well and determining which is which. That's what labels are for.
Aluminum case: It's beautiful but I'm feeling worried that I'm going to scratch it.
Software update: 350MB worth of fixes out of the box. Ugh.
---
Sound. It's decent enough - it seems like any other laptop's audio that I've ever used. If you're serious about audio, you'll have external speakers (or even pair it up with Airplay speakers.)
Battery: I got about 6 hours in a torture test of watching video while surfing the web on WiFi. It's pretty decent and within the 5-7 range that Apple stated.
DVD drive: I don't miss it. I thought I would, but I don't. It just adds weight and bulk to the computer.
The webcam is also a higher resolution 720p camera. It's quite nice, but now the downside is that during Facetime, my friends and family can see my ugly self more clearly. Also, early adopters won't have the computer come with the newest version of OS X - Mountain Lion. That will come in mid/late July. It's nice that this will come gratis to those who bought early.
The big question is Macbook Air or Macbook Pro? It comes down town a number of issues. If this will be your primary computer, then Macbook Pro is the way to go. The MBP is a faster computer with more storage and an optical drive. If you plan on doing any high-end computing, you'll notice the difference. If this is going to be a secondary computer or if weight is the deciding factor, then the Macbook Air is for you. Either way, you can't go wrong.
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