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The MacBook Air is a line of notebook computers that are ultraportable and is part of the Macintosh product line, created byApple Inc. The Air was designed to balance both performance and portability, consisting of a full-sized keyboard design, a machinedcasing made of aluminium, and a very light and thin structure. The MacBook Air is available in two sizes, with the length of the diagonal display determining the model size: 13.3-inch and 11.6-inch (or 33.78 cm and 29.46 cm, respectively).
A range of model choices with different specifications are produced by Apple, and as of 2013, all Air models use solid-state drive (SSD) storage and Intel Core i5 or i7 central processing units (CPUs).[2] In the Apple product line, the MacBook Air was previously positioned above the white MacBook(discontinued in 2011) and below the thicker and higher-performance MacBook Pro laptop line that remains in production.
HistoryEdit
Steve Jobs introduced the first MacBook Air during a speech at his keynote at the 2008Macworld Conference & Expo on January 15, 2008.[3] The first-generation MacBook Air was a 13.3"-only model, initially promoted as the world's thinnest notebook.[4] It featured a custom[5] Intel Merom CPU and Intel GMAgraphics. In late 2008, the CPU was updated to a faster, non-custom Penryn CPU and integrated Nvidia GeForce graphics while the hard drive capacity was increased and themicro-DVI video port was replaced by theMini DisplayPort.[6] A mid-2009 refresh, introduced alongside the MacBook Profamily, featured a slightly higher-capacity battery, and a faster Penryn CPU.[7]
On October 20, 2010, Apple released a redesigned 13.3" model, with improved enclosure, screen resolution, battery, and flash storage instead of a hard drive. In addition, a new 11.6" model was introduced, offering reduced cost, weight, battery life, and performance relative to the 13.3" model, but better performance than typical netbooks of the time.[8][9][10][11]
On July 20, 2011, Apple released an updated model in the same form factor as the prior model. The new model was powered by the new Sandy Bridge 1.6 or 1.7 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, or 1.8 GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processors, that came with an Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor, and with a backlit keyboard, two USB 2.0 ports, FaceTime camera, a standard of 2 gigabytes of RAM though configurable up to 4GB, Thunderboltwhich shares function with Mini DisplayPort and Bluetooth was upgraded to v4.0.[12][13]Maximum SSD flash memory storage options were increased up to 512 gigabytes. Both 11 and 13" models had an analog audio output/headphone minijack (that also supports an iPhone/iPod touch headset with microphone), but only the 13" model had an integrated SDXC-capable SD Card slot. These models use a less expensive "Eagle Ridge" Thunderbolt controller that provides two Thunderbolt channels (2 × 10 Gbit/s bidirectional), compared to the MacBook Pro which uses a "Light Ridge" controller that provides four Thunderbolt channels (4 × 10 Gbit/s bidirectional). A USB Ethernet adapter was immediately available upon release and a Thunderbolt-to-Firewire 800 adapter became available for the 11" model in mid-year 2012.
On June 11, 2012, Apple released an updated model in the same form factor as the prior model. The new model is powered by the newIvy Bridge dual-core Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, doubles the RAM and SSD speeds, has the new USB 3 ports (with USB 2 capability) in place of the USB 2 ports, a 720p FaceTime camera, and the new MagSafe 2 charging port.[14]
On June 10, 2013, Apple released another update in the same form factor as the 2012 model during the company's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC). The 11-inch and 13-inch models have a minimum standard 4GB RAM, with a maximum configuration of 8GB. Both models are powered by the Haswell ULT 1.3 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processors with Turbo Boost up to 2.6 GHz and 1.7 GHz Dual-Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 3.3 GHz option available. Each model has a 128GB configuration and a 256GB configuration available, with the 256GB model being upgradeable to 512GB SSD. It should be noted that Apple also touts its advanced battery, capable of surfing the internet for up to 9 hours on the 11 inch model and 12 hours on the 13 inch model. However, tech news and review site cNet has said on their video battery draining test, the MacBook Air lasted for around 14 1/2 hours, the first time the battery is more than the manufacturer claims.[citation needed]
While Apple's MacBook lines have not been immune to the consumer trend away from PCs and towards tablets and smartphones,[15] they still managed to ship 2.8 million MacBooks in Q2 2012 (the majority of which are the MacBook Air) compared to 500,000 total Ultrabooks,[16][17] despite there being dozens of Ultrabooks from various manufacturers on the market while Apple only offered 11-inch and 13-inch models of the Macbook Air.[18] It appeared that many OEMs were unable to offer an Ultrabook at a comparable spec and price to the MacBook Air,[19] and while some Ultrabooks were able to claim individual distinctions such as being the lightest or thinnest, the Air was still regarded by many reviewers as the best all-around Ultrabook. Furthermore the Air was among the first to receive Intel's latest CPUs before other PC manufacturers.
DesignEdit
The MacBook Air is designed for thinness; it is also lighter than most competing models.[20] The computer features a glossyLED backlit display and a full-size keyboard, as well as a large trackpad that responds toMulti-Touch gestures such as pinching, swiping, and rotating.[21] With the release ofMac OS X Snow Leopard, the Air's multi-touch trackpad also supports handwriting recognition of Chinese characters.[22]
On the 11-inch MacBook Air, the left side of the computer has a MagSafe power connector, a USB port, a headphone jack, and a microphone.[21] The right side of the computer has a USB port and a Mini DisplayPort, now sharing Thunderboltfunction in the 2011 version. On top of the screen bezel there is a webcam, first dubbediSight and now the FaceTime camera.
The MacBook Air was the first subcompact laptop offered by Apple since the full-featured 12" PowerBook G4 was discontinued in 2006. It was also Apple's first computer with an optional solid-state storage drive.[23]ArsTechnica found "moderate" performance improvements of the 64 GB[note 1] solid-state drive of the first generation Air over the standard 80 GB hard drive in tests. On October 14, 2008, new models were announced with improved capacities of 128 GB (solid-state) and 120 GB (hard drive). For the late 2010 MacBook Air, only flash storage is available, in 64 or 128 GB capacities on the 11" model, and 128 or 256 GB on the 13".
The CPU in the first-generation MacBook Air was a custom engineered Intel Core 2 DuoMerom that was 40 percent of the size of the standard chip package.[24] For models of late-2008, the CPU was replaced with a low-voltage Core 2 Duo Penryn chip with 6 MB of cache, running on a 1066 MHz bus.[25]
The MacBook Air officially has no user-replaceable parts, though 3rd parties such asOther World Computing do sell upgrade kits for the SSDs. The flash memory and battery are enclosed within the casing, with RAM soldered onto the motherboard. The flash memory, which is difficult to access, has a 128MB cache[26] and a mSATA connection to the motherboard.[27] The battery can be replaced using normal screwdrivers, though it is unclear whether this process would void the computer's warranty.[28][29] As part of the out-of-warranty service, Apple offers to replace the battery for a fee.[30]
Apple incorporated several features in the design of the MacBook Air, such as the reduction of toxic chemicals like lead, to make it more environmentally friendly. The MacBook Air contains no BFRs and PVCwiring, meets Energy Star Version 5.0 requirements, has a recyclable enclosure, and is rated EPEAT Gold; its display is made fromarsenic-free glass and does not containmercury.[4][31] To reduce the computer's size and weight, several features were sacrificed. It was Apple's first notebook since thePowerBook 2400c without a built-inremovable media drive.[32] It also omits aFireWire port, Ethernet port, line-in, media card slots (except the 13" 2010, 2011 and 2012 models, which has an SD card slot), and a Kensington Security Slot.[33]
To gain the features of an optical drive, users can either purchase an external USBSuperDrive (or other brand of DVD drive) or the bundled Remote Disc software, only for disk browsing or software installation, to access the optical drive of another computer wirelessly[34] that has the Remote Disc program installed.[35][36] It can also be used to reinstall the system software from the included installation DVD. Remote Disc supports NetBooting, so the MacBook Air can boot from its installation DVD in another computer's drive, which requires Remote Install Mac OS X to be running on the remote computer. The software does not allow playback or information of DVDs or CDs, nor installing MS Windows.[34] For these features, an external USB drive is required.[34] More recent versions of OS X replaced the installation DVD with a USB flash drive containing the system software, eliminating the need for the remote install.
The 2010 revision includes two speakers for stereo sound while earlier versions have one speaker located under the keyboard. The 2012 update has a 1280×720 FaceTime HD Camera, replacing the previous 640×480 iSight camera.
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