Apple Macbook Air 2008 Review

Apple Macbook Air, the product that turned heads and was termed a ‘luxury’ has undergone some configuration change but no changes to the cosmetics or its much debated limitations. Apple Macbook Air did not sell in large numbers due to its extremely high price and low performance compared to Macbook Pros. Apple has completely changed the internals of the Macbook Air making it a more productive machine.

Apple Macbook Air specifications :

• Dimensions : 32.5 x 22.7 x 1.94 cm
• Processor : Intel Core 2 Duo 1.83 GHz
• RAM : 2GB DDR3 SDRAM
• Display : 13.3″ TFT widescreen
• Display resolution : 1280 x 800
• Hard Drive : 128GB (Flash based)
• Ports : USB 2.0, MiniDisplay Port
• Graphics : Nvidia Geforce 9400M
• Webcam : Built-in iSight camera
• Battery : 37-Watt Li-polymer battery
• Weight : 1.37 Kg
• Approx. price : $2499

There have been no cosmetic changes to the Macbook Air apart from the addition of the MiniDisplay Port which has made its way to the updated Macbooks and Macbook Pros. It still does not have an optical drive, Ethernet port, single USB port and non-removable battery. But its as slim as its gets for a notebook and it now comes with updated configuration adding to the goodness.

Apple has kept its price point similar to the Macbook Pros, though both cater to different markets. Macbook Air is for someone who needs to have a laptop on the move without having to carry around bulky stuff but still not lose out on productivity, thanks to the Mac OS X operating system. The MiniDisplay Port makes it way in place of the micro-DVI port that it earlier had. MiniDisplay Port is currently supported mainly by the Apple Cinema LED display but is sure to make its way to other displays sooner than later. Until then you have to spend extra to get those converters from Apple. There is no option for 3G or Express Card slot either.

The earlier had a lot of issues due to a slow processor which could not cope up with even small tasks such as multiple Youtube videos playback. This led of a slow system with even occasional shutdowns/freezes. The firmware updates did not seem to help much. Apple has definitely taken care of those issues with the new Macbook Air. The updated processor is certainly capable of much more than the original. It can handle high definition playback making it capable of many more tasks. First gen Macbook Air owners will kick themselves having invested their hard earned money in to Macbook Air.

The SSD drive has become a bit more affordable and is now available in 128GB capacity too. It certainly gives your boot times a bit boost alongwith making a big hole in your pocket. The no Ethernet policy by Apple for Macbook Air continues and you need to buy an adapter which converts USB port to an Ethernet port. The USB port, headphone jack and the MiniDisplay port are hidden in a flap that pops out. There are no adapters bundled with the Macbook Air this time unlike the last time when it shipped with both DVI and VGA adapters.

There is still no optical drive inbuilt in to the Macbook Air. You can buy the Super Drive as an external drive especially made for the Macbook Air has a hefty price tag of $99. The battery is non-removable limiting its portability. You ca not stay away from power port for a long time. This was one of the biggest drawbacks but Apple has overlooked it completely. The battery life of the new Macbook Air is almost identical to the old one.

The earlier Macbook Air used a specially designed processor by Intel that was smaller in size and used less power. That has been replaced by a smaller Intel Core 2 Duo processor having more L2 cache memory and is power efficient. The front bus frequency has been jacked up and the memory used is DDR3 instead of DDR2. Apple has managed to  completely change the internals of the Macbook Air even though it had small space to work with.

The biggest change however is the new Macbook Air featuring Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics that are found in the newly updated Macbook line too. The updated graphics are a big big improvement over the Intel GMA X3100 graphics which barely managed to run the OS X. The new graphics can be used for casual gaming too. It manages to run games with playable frame rates unlike the older integrated Intel graphics.

The multitouch glass trackpad supporting gestures was already introduced when the Macbook Air was launched so nothing new on that front. It was also the first unibody Macbook to be launched by Apple. But the Air still has the disappointing mono speaker which is pretty much useless. Also the headphone jack due to its limited space does not insert all headphones properly leading to distorted sound.

The new configuration is certainly much more worth of the price tag and a 1.8GHz processor, 2GB RAM coupled with 128GB flash drive does much better than previous versions. The improved graphics help you spend time with casual gaming. The over heating problem seems to have been solved due to a faster processor which is not pushed to the limit easily. Battery life is impressive at close to 4 hours on normal usage.

Pros :

• Lightweight
• Extremely thin
• Flash drive
• Multi-touch trackpad
• Improved graphics and overall config.

Cons :

• No optical drive, ethernet port
• Non-removable battery
• MiniDisplay port
• Expensive

Final Thoughts

The Macbook Air 2008 has changed for the better but still has lot of room for improvement. The updated configuration will surely attract a few buyers but still it is extremely expensive to be considered as a ’second laptop’ for people on the move. The new processor gives the Macbook a new life and moves away from the older processor which has incapable to handle menial tasks. The MiniDisplay Port reduces external display options with no adapters bundled. The integrated graphics are the best part of the new Macbook Air allowing you to do casual gaming and paving the way for Snow Leopard.

Rating : 3/5