MacBook Air Review

From The Crawfords in AZ Blog Photos

Like so many other people, I had to clean the drool off of my desk after watching Steve-O’s MacWorld Keynote and seeing the introduction of the MacBook Air.

Knowing that I was going to be moving and that I would need to be mobile for a while, I felt that this was the perfect computer for me to get. I also knew that I was not going to be doing any heavy processing such as compiling code or rendering lots of video (just some); therefore, I felt that this would be a great little computer for me.

I did not want to risk ordering one online since I did not want it to show up after I moved. So I patiently waited two weeks after the Keynote before harassing my friendly neighborhood Apple Store. Yes, I called daily as net rumors of the MBA being shipped and some stores were setting up their displays made their rounds through the blogs. The store had them on Friday for display only, and they received their units to sale on Monday (2/4). I was there at 5pm that evening to purchase one.

The keyboard size is perfect for me and is comfortable to use. The battery life is good enough. The video is crisp. The iSight camera looks great when using Skype. I bought the external optical drive so that I could transfer files from my archive CDs. I also felt that I had to have the drive since I did not know if I would have access to a drive using the remote control software over the next couple of months, plus by having the drive I can watch DVDs on the MBA. Having only one USB port has only slightly been inconvenient, but not enough for me to consider buying a USB hub. I have pretty much been able to do everything I want so far on the MBA.

It did not come with one of the remote controls, but I already had an extra one from my iPod AV kit. I had been using Aperture to manage my photos, but it would not work on the MBA; however, this problem went away when I upgraded Leopard to 10.5.2 last night. I was pleased to find that it did come with a video adaptor for both VGA and DVI, but I have not used them yet. I did not get the USB to ethernet adapter since I expect to have access to a wireless network in most places that I go.

I also picked up a .Mac account and as you can tell, I am getting the hang of iWeb :-) I plan on digging through the other features .Mac soon. I also picked up MS Office 2008 for Mac and like it so far, I just wish that a good version of OpenOffice would become available soon.

I had joked that the computer you own makes a statement about who you are. I then said that the MBA says “I am mobile and connected, catch me if you can”

Bottom line, if you are going to be mobile, wireless, and want something small to use, this is a good box. If you need more horsepower, go Pro.

BTW, it does fit in a standard interoffice envelope.