MacBooks

11″ MacBook Air (Mid 2011)

Tweet this! Digg it! Reddit Del.icio.us Short link: http://bit.ly/plDvoI

2011 11 inch MacBook Air

Overview

Same small size, same small price, same SSD options, but a whole new CPU - and Thunderbolt to round things out. That pretty much summarizes the July 2011 update to the MacBook Air.

At its heart is a 1.6 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 CPU, with a 1.8 GHz i7 version for those who need more power. Apple claims the new CPUs "do everything twice as fast" - we'll know more when we see benchmarks for the upgraded models. That means also integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000, so say good-bye to the Nvidia GPU used in last year's version.

A backlit keyboard is back, making it much easier to use the MacBook Air in poor lighting. Solid-state drives (SSD) are standard across the board - and they're built right onto the motherboard. Apple claims this makes its SSDs twice as fast as conventional ones. Battery life is rated at "up to" 5 hours.

Two USB 2.0 ports (one on each side) remain standard, and the native screen resolution of 1366 x 768 is also the same as last year.

2010 11 inch MacBook Air

You can expand RAM from the stock 2 GB, with 4 GB as the 11.6" MBA's maximum (a $100 build-to-order option), and for the first time you can have Apple install a 256 GB SSD in the entry-level model.

For those who need or want a faster CPU, a 1.8 GHz i7 is a build-to-order option for the 128 GB SSD model.

The MBA has no built-in optical drive, but you can add an external USB 2.0 SuperDrive for US$79. Rather than include an install disc or flash drive, OS X 10.7 Lion includes a recovery partition.

A few things are missing. There is no FireWire port. There's no built-in ethernet port; if you need ethernet, Apple sells a USB 2.0 ethenet adapter for $29.

The MacBook Air is available only with an 18-bit glossy display (not the 24 bits you might expect). Like the iPod and iPhone, it does not have an easily replaceabled battery. Cost to have Apple replace the 37 Watt-hour battery out of warranty is $129.

Closed Lid Mode: All Intel 'Books support "lid closed" (or clamshell) mode, which leaves the built-in display off and dedicates all video RAM to an external display. To used closed lid mode, your 'Book must be plugged into the AC adapter and connected to an external display and a USB or Bluetooth mouse and keyboard (you might also want to consider external speakers). Power up your 'Book until the desktop appears on the external display and then close the lid. Your 'Book will go to sleep, but you can wake it by moving the mouse or using the keyboard. The built-in display will remain off, and the external monitor will become your only display. Since all video RAM is now dedicated to the external monitor, you may have more colors available at higher resolutions. The TiBook is designed to run safely in closed lid mode, but if yours runs hot (perhaps due to overclocking or high ambient temperatures), you may want to open the lid when in closed lid mode: The screen will remain off and the computer will more readily vent heat from the CPU.

To resume use of the internal display, you need to disconnect the external display, put the computer to sleep, and then open the lid. This will wake up your 'Book and restore use of the built-in display.

Details

Expansion

Power

Physical

Online Resources

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2012 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Low End Mac, LowEndMac, and lowendmac.com are trademarks of Cobweb Publishing Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
  Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.

Custom Search

Share

Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook

Low End Mac Reader Specials

Quantcast

Quantcast

Quantcast

Quantcast

Mac Poker Online Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Macpokeronline.com will show you how to download and play Poker on a Mac natively on your Mac in just minutes.

Quantcast

Quantcast

Quantcast

Quantcast

Favorite Sites

MacSurfer
Cult of Mac
Shrine of Apple
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac Museum
Deal Brothers
DealMac
Mac2Sell
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End Mac FAQ

Affiliates

Amazon.com
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay

Low End Mac's Amazon.com store

Advertise

All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For price quotes and advertising information, please contact at BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.

Open Link