[breadhg]

The Teeth Whiting gives impressive result but the cost can be high, perhaps $500 or higher- we can certainly count on getting what we pay for. The teeth whitening with carbamide peroxide does not increase risk of developing cavities.

[macgyverh]

I've had the original 1.86MHz MBA since it shipped. For MS Office applications, Safari, email, and QuickBooks, there are no "speed issues" of concern. I find the 80GB HD a bit constraining and look forward to affordable aftermarket larger capacity HDs that might work in my MBA. It still has lots of useable life in it, and without a more compelling form factor, there's nothing on the market in the PC world or Mac world that will entice me to switch.

[oz3litre]

I have the previous model 1.86 gb Air and I love it. I bought it on ebay for half the retail price, complete with the superdrive and two and a half years of Apple warranty on it. I bought it specifically to use at Uni because I wanted to be able to log on to the wireless network and work when and wherever I wanted and not have to wander around looking for a spare, (PC), computer. Weight was also a major factor because when you have a backpack full of text books the weight saving with the Air makes a huge difference. In addition its thinness and smooth contours make it much easier to slide in and out of my bag than a normal laptop. I don't take the superdrive with me because I don't need it at Uni. One time it saved me from embarrassment in a tutorial when I pulled it out and surreptitiously searched the net for a poem to present to the class which I hadn't prepared beforehand for homework. At home my son has a MacPro quad Intel, 2.66, my daughter has a MacBook Pro and my wife uses the G4 PowerBook, so we have no shortage of high end machines if I really need the extra grunt. So far however, the Air does everything I want beautifully, so I use it all the time. Every time I pick it up, tuck it under my arm and carry it around and it feels lighter than a lot of books, I know it was a great choice.

[oz3litre]

By the way, I got four and a half hours out of a full charge, with the screen dimmed a little, surfing the web via Airport and doing word processing.

[asiafish]

I bought my late 2008 MacBook Air with 1.86 GHz and 128GB SSD the day after these new ones were announced and got it for the same $1499 that Apple charges for the new hard drive model with the same processor speed. At that price, I consider it a screaming bargain.

Of course the Air is compromised compared to regular machines like the 13" MacBook Pro, but that is not the point. Anyone who's owned an ultraportable before already knows the trade-offs, and such compromises as deleting the optical drive are actually considered as benefits to many in this class.

Even the shape has a purpose. Sure, it won't fit in a pocket with a 13" screen, but the tapered profile makes it very easy to slip the Air between just about anything, and very rarely if ever is an actual computer bag required.

Personally, I think that the Air is the most powerful machine in Apple's lineup precisely because it is so portable. I actually traded down from a 15" unibody MacBook Pro (Oct 08) to get my Air, and I wouldn't think of going back.

[spinoza2]

You really need to compare the MacBook Air with a Sony Vaio Ultralight, rather than a MacBook Pro, to gain a sense of what you're getting for under $1500. If you look at the specs of a Sony TT Series ultralight, you'll see that for $2200 there's really no comparison with a MacBook Air. For about the same weight, not only are you getting a more powerful and capable ultra-mobile computer with the MacBook Air (a 13" display on the Air with a full keyboard, for example, compared to an 11" display and a mini keyboard on the Vaio), but you're also getting an imcomparably more powerful and stable operating system with the Apple computer. At this point in time I really can't imagine any discriminating computer user deciding that such a Sony Vaio is a better deal than a MacBook Air, they're really not even close any more. To bring the Vaio back to a reasonable comparison, Sony would have to drop the price of their machine a thousand dollars, and even then the MacBook Air would be a better deal.

[asiafish]

spinoza2 said:

You really need to compare the MacBook Air with a Sony Vaio Ultralight, rather than a MacBook Pro, to gain a sense of what you're getting for under $1500. If you look at the specs of a Sony TT Series ultralight, you'll see that for $2200 there's really no comparison with a MacBook Air. For about the same weight, not only are you getting a more powerful and capable ultra-mobile computer with the MacBook Air (a 13" display on the Air with a full keyboard, for example, compared to an 11" display and a mini keyboard on the Vaio), but you're also getting an imcomparably more powerful and stable operating system with the Apple computer. At this point in time I really can't imagine any discriminating computer user deciding that such a Sony Vaio is a better deal than a MacBook Air, they're really not even close any more. To bring the Vaio back to a reasonable comparison, Sony would have to drop the price of their machine a thousand dollars, and even then the MacBook Air would be a better deal.

The Sony (or Lenovo, or Toshiba) isn't better or worse, its different. Ultraportables are far more personal than other types of computers, with different models offering different compromises. FOr instance, the Air would be terrible for a user who needs a much smaller footprint than a conventional computer, while a 10" netbook would be terrible for someone wanting full power and a large screen. The question is how and WHERE you will use it.

These things aren't often bought on price or specs, but on size, weight, and in the Air's case, OS, look and feel. I could have bought a $300 netbook for travel, but I just found the Air impossible to resist. Perhaps not the wisest computer purchase I've ever made, but certainly my favorite.

[spinoza2]

No, I'd have to disagree with you on this. I've owned all those computers and, if you set aside the price, they are all trying to accomplish the same basic thing: to provide as much computing as possible for as light a weight as possible. The netbooks attempt to accomplish this by compromising--seriously--on the design quality, keyboard and display size. These ergonomic factors, along with the fact that their cheapness leads to equally serious technical flaws (and even failures), make it impossible to compare them with a MacBook Air or other, better quality, ultralights. The Lenovo, Dell, Toshiba, and Sony ultralights are comparable in both price (around $2000, give or take), quality and feature set, but I've always given the nod to the Sonys for design and general build quality. That's why I think the only serious comparison to a MacBook Air is the Vaio TT (with the Toshiba Porteges bringing up the rear). And as I said, they are both trying to accomplish the same thing, to get as much computing as possible into as portable a machine as possible. Even when setting the operating systems aside for purposes of comparison, I think Apple has made the better design decisions hands down over Sony, in particular in not compromising on display size and quality, and on the keyboard. This, along with the unsurpassed build quality of the MacBook Air (not to mention the operating system), makes the comparison rather moot in the end.

[Brettcamp]

The new MacBook pros have received a lot of praise for their displays. Does the MBA use the same screen? Did last generation's (with the 120 HD/128 SSD)? If not, how does it compare to the new MPB displays?
Also is the performance difference with the SSD worth the price premium?

[asiafish]

Brettcamp said:

The new MacBook pros have received a lot of praise for their displays. Does the MBA use the same screen? Did last generation's (with the 120 HD/128 SSD)? If not, how does it compare to the new MPB displays?
Also is the performance difference with the SSD worth the price premium?

The screen on the Air was always better than the regular MacBooks, including the unibody and widely praised. I had a 15" unibody MacBook Pro (Oct 08) and the Air had a better display (imo) that that as well.

The new screens claim an improved color gamut, so perhaps the 13" models finally match the Air's display quality, or perhaps not, but display more colors.

The display on the Air is by far the nicest I've ever used in terms of evenness of illumination, contrast and color quality, though I honestly don't know if it is true 24 bit as the new ones are.

As for SSD, the 128 GB SSD is very fast on read, so-so on write. I'm extremely happy with the performance of mine (1.86 GHz, 128 GB SSD).

[Brettcamp]

Thanks, Asiafish. My wife has the 1st gen Air and my MacBook screen pales (literally) in comparison to hers. A lot of the reviews that said the MBA was poor value compared to the MacBooks neglected this aspect -- the display was MUCH better and almost worth the price difference. I'm glad to hear the Pros have improved in this respect, so much that I'm torn between getting an MBA myself and a 13" MBP.

[asiafish]

spinoza2 said:

No, I'd have to disagree with you on this. I've owned all those computers and, if you set aside the price, they are all trying to accomplish the same basic thing: to provide as much computing as possible for as light a weight as possible. The netbooks attempt to accomplish this by compromising--seriously--on the design quality, keyboard and display size. These ergonomic factors, along with the fact that their cheapness leads to equally serious technical flaws (and even failures), make it impossible to compare them with a MacBook Air or other, better quality, ultralights. The Lenovo, Dell, Toshiba, and Sony ultralights are comparable in both price (around $2000, give or take), quality and feature set, but I've always given the nod to the Sonys for design and general build quality. That's why I think the only serious comparison to a MacBook Air is the Vaio TT (with the Toshiba Porteges bringing up the rear). And as I said, they are both trying to accomplish the same thing, to get as much computing as possible into as portable a machine as possible. Even when setting the operating systems aside for purposes of comparison, I think Apple has made the better design decisions hands down over Sony, in particular in not compromising on display size and quality, and on the keyboard. This, along with the unsurpassed build quality of the MacBook Air (not to mention the operating system), makes the comparison rather moot in the end.

Funny, when I bought my Air, the only competitors I considered to be in the same league were the Lenovo X200s and X301.

[asiafish]

Brettcamp said:

Thanks, Asiafish. My wife has the 1st gen Air and my MacBook screen pales (literally) in comparison to hers. A lot of the reviews that said the MBA was poor value compared to the MacBooks neglected this aspect -- the display was MUCH better and almost worth the price difference. I'm glad to hear the Pros have improved in this respect, so much that I'm torn between getting an MBA myself and a 13" MBP.

If the new 13" Pro is as nice as the old 15" Pro then it will still not (quite) match the Air. If, on the other hand, the new 13" matches the 17" for display quality then it will be slightly better than the Air.

Either way, the Air has a GORGEOUS display.

[lhill11]

I really enjoyed reading the this information about the MBA. I recently purchased a new 17" MacBook Pro and I love it, this is my third 17" from Apple as I replace every two years. But now with my digital SLR always by my side not to mention the portable Bose speakers which i connect to the laptop or iPod for presentations, my projector and portable printer, I am longing for a more light weight option. I have been considering a refurbished MBA as I already have a powerhouse laptop and felt I would not miss my beloved 17". The article and comments help a lot. I seldom safe things for long periods of time on my laptops anyway; generally I save to a portable external hard drive. I am very pleased to hear that the MBA is well received, usable and liked.