The 13.3" MacBook Air Notebook Computer from Apple is a portable laptop computer with a thin and lightweight design. Apple's engineers have leveraged the lessons they learned in designing the miniaturized iPad and applied them to the design of this 3-pound computer.
To say that the Air is svelte is all at once stating the obvious and understating the truth. The system is defined by its unibody aluminum enclosure. At its thickest point the computer is only 0.68" - it tapers down to 0.11" at its thinnest.
The system is loaded with 256GB of flash storage rather than an old-fashioned hard drive. Flash storage doesn't just give you a lighter, thinner computer. It also allows for impressive battery life - up to 7 hours of web browsing and 30 days of standby time.
The MacBook Air is housed in an aluminum unibody enclosure, which is as strong as it is light. Because it is cut from a solid block of aluminum, the housing is stronger than those found on laptops built via traditional means.
At 13.3" in size, the 16:10 display features a native resolution of 1440 x 900. It features a glossy finish and LED backlight technology for enhanced image quality and energy efficiency.
Computers in the MacBook Air's weight class are most often classified in the "netbook" category. Netbooks typically feature less-than-full-size keyboards, cramped trackpads, and low-powered CPUs. Not so with the MacBook Air. This computer features a standard-size backlit chiclet keyboard, the same as on the larger computers in the MacBook line. It also has a large multi-touch glass trackpad, giving you full control over your computer - without sacrificing ergonomics.
The computer is powered by a dual-core 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 processor and has 4GB of RAM. Graphics are provided by integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000. The computer features all the amenities you expect on a Mac - a FaceTime webcam, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and built-in stereo speakers.
iLife '11, a complete suite of digital creativity applications, is installed on the system. Easy enough for anyone to use, iLife will help you edit your home movies, organize digital photos, and compose original music.
The 64-bit OS features Time Machine backup, which automatically backs up system data to an external hard drive. It also features natural scrolling, the Launchpad application launcher and support for full screen applications. Mission Control combines the functionality of Dashboard, Expos?, and Spaces - giving you a bird's eye view of everything that is happening on your computer.
The Auto Save feature on the MacBook Air ensures that you won't lose data, even when you forget to save a file. The OS tracks different versions of your documents, so you can go back to a previous draft of a document with ease. AirDrop makes it easy to transmit files wirelessly between computers, even if there is no central Wi-Fi network available. The revamped Mail application takes full advantage of modern widescreen displays.
And of course, you can expand the functionality of your computer system by browsing through the multitude of productivity applications, games, and other software that is available for purchase from the Mac App Store. Because the software in the store is curated by Apple, you can be sure that it is free of malware and safe to use. And, like the iOS App Store, you'll automatically be notified when updated versions of your favorite programs are available for download.
Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 Ports
With the lightning-fast Thunderbolt port, you can connect your MacBook Air to the latest devices and displays, like the Apple Thunderbolt Display. But that's not the whole story. MacBook Air also comes equipped with two USB 3.0 ports, so you can connect the latest USB 3.0 devices and access a pipeline that's up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0 With just a few connections, MacBook Air transforms from an ultraportable notebook to a complete workstation
All-Flash Storage
Devices like iPhone and iPad have already demonstrated the advantages of flash storage: reliability, speed, and efficiency. So the decision to use flash storage in an ultracompact notebook like MacBook Air made perfect sense. With flash, your computer starts up in almost no time and accesses data quickly. Flash also gives MacBook Air the astonishing ability to remain in standby mode for up to 30 days. Which means your MacBook Air snaps to in an instant, whether you open it tomorrow, next week, or next month
Backlit Keyboard
As incredibly compact as MacBook Air is, it still manages to fit a full-size keyboard that makes typing as natural as it is comfortable. And now 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. From a seat in a sunny caf?, to a seat on a cross-country red-eye, you'll always have the perfect lighting for any environment
Multi-Touch Trackpad
The Multi-Touch gestures in OS X make everything you do on MacBook Air more intuitive, direct, and fun. And the spacious Multi-Touch trackpad is perfectly designed for them, whether it's a three-finger swipe to activate Mission Control or a four-finger pinch to see all your apps in Launchpad. Gesture responses are smooth and realistic. So when you're scrolling up and down a web page or swiping from one full-screen app to another, it's almost like you're touching what you're seeing
High-Resolution Display. Millions of Pixels. Millimeters Thin
Corner to corner and pixel by pixel, the MacBook Air display is both an engineering feat and a design breakthrough. The display measures a mere 0.19" (4.86mm) thin, yet the resolution is so high, you'll feel like you're looking at a much larger screen. And with good reason
FaceTime Camera. Your Smile Goes for Miles
The wafer-thin MacBook Air display houses something pretty huge: the FaceTime camera. It's so thin - even thinner than the camera on iPhone 4 - you barely notice it, but it's incredibly capable. Using the FaceTime for Mac app, you can make video calls with anyone who has a Mac, iPad 2, iPhone 4, or a camera-equipped iPod touch
Stereo Speakers. Heard but Not Seen
Despite its compact form, MacBook Air delivers full stereo sound. Space-efficient design inside the enclosure allows for the placement of left and right speakers that project sound through the keyboard. So you're able to enjoy a richer audio experience while chatting online, watching TV shows, listening to music, or playing games
Long-Lasting Battery
Since space-saving flash storage leaves room for a bigger battery, you can devote more time to the things you enjoy most. Things like browsing the web, editing photos, and watching videos. You'll get up to 7 hours of battery life on a single charge. Put MacBook Air to sleep, and it enters standby mode to conserve battery life for up to 30 days. When you come back to your MacBook Air and open it up, it's on in an instant
Connectivity
When you're wireless, you're truly mobile. That's why MacBook Air features 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 technology. Wireless connectivity allows you to browse the web, send e-mail, and print documents no matter where you are. MacBook Air weighs almost nothing, so you can go from room to room, dorm to dorm, or cubicle to cubicle and stay connected. Being wireless also means you can download apps from the Mac App Store anytime you want. With thousands of Mac apps available for download with just a few clicks, you don't have to bother with going to the store to buy software on disc or worry about a growing pile of CDs and DVDs. Apps download instantly right on your Mac. If plugged in is what you want to be, MacBook Air has you covered there, too. Two USB 3.0 ports, an SD card slot, and a headphone port give you plenty of options. And the Thunderbolt port connects to the Apple Thunderbolt Display and high-speed Thunderbolt peripherals such as external hard drives.
