Part II: MacBook Air: Initial impressions

Physical Properties

Weighing in at 3 lbs (which sounds heavier than it feels), the MBA can be picked up, held and maneuvered in a single hand with ease. And despite a lightness and thinness that might imply fragility, in person the MBA gives the impression of being as solidly built as its larger MacBook and MacBook Pro siblings. Both the screen and keyboard areas are completely rigid and show no signs of flexing upon applying pressure, alleviating any initial concerns that this subnotebook might be more prone to damage than others.

At its thinnest the MBA is 0.16-inches when closed, although towards the rear it gets to be 0.76-inches in height, a little less than the thickness of the MacBook. In terms of width and depth, the MBA is of comparable size to the MacBook, allowing Apple to retain the full size keyboard. The keyboard itself is somewhat of a hybrid between two of Apple’s existing styles – the layout and spacing of the keys resembles the MacBook but also has backlighting feature found on the high end MacBook Pros.

The screen is a beautiful 13.3-inches glossy LED display, also the same size as found in the MacBook. Compared to a Dell Latitude notebook (standard issue for corporate road warriors these days), the brightness and sharpness of the screen were outstanding. In fact, the MBA has one of the best portable screens I’ve come across. The MBA’s track pad is large and roomy although the click button is narrower than I was used to. It will take more time to see if the button’s narrowness inhibits its usability, or whether there is simply a learning curve to adapt to its exact position.

The track pad also employs some of the same multi-touch gesturing capabilities as the new iPhone and iPod Touch. While not yet intuitive, over time these gestures are likely to become as familiar and useful as one’s favorite shortcuts. The MBA also features a magsafe power cord and a magnetic closing mechanism.

Filed under: Apple
Other story tags: MacBook Air, review, benchmark