The Apple MacBook Air started somewhat of a revolution in laptops. It’s not a netbook per se (the spec and price will testify to to that), but at just 19mm slim, it does have netbook proportions. And now it’s spawned a whole new world of thin, ultra-portable lappies.
Make no mistake, though. It’s that impossibly thin look that’s the MacBok Air’s appeal. This will have no problem fitting in even the tiniest handbags and manbags where space is at a premium. But with great svelteness comes great corner-cutting. And Apple has been single-minded in what it’s cut: optical drive, removable battery, Ethernet, and there’s only one USB port!
How can Apple justify the wallet-battering starting price of £1,271 for the MacBook Air then, when it’s lacking so many features? Well, just because it’s trimmed the fat doesn’t mean it’s done away with the muscle, leaving it still more specced-out than most netbooks out there.
The Air has a custom-built 1.8GHz Core 2 Duo processor that dumps on regular netbook processors from a height. The storage space is decent if nothing special (you get a choice of 120GB hard drive or 128 solid state drive) and battery life comes in at around 4.5 hours. Then there’s the blisteringly bright 13.3-inch, 1280×800 pixel widescreen LED backlit display that looks the absolute business. And of course the trackpad has the lovely multitouch system.
But for all the MacBook Air’s lovely litheness, you can’t help but feeling a bit cheated. Yes the fully kitted out £2,000 MacBook Air is a show-off’s dream, but it’s never going to replace your family’s computer. Especially at that price.
