Does the Macbook Air have a legitimate competitor?**UPDATE** Bought MBA

[vi edit]

In the market for a new laptop and I'm rather impressed with the 13" MBA. It's combination of size, weight, blisteringly fast "feel" navigating around, and battery life seem to be in total class all it's own.

And price wise, compared to others, I can't find *anything* that offers the combination of processor, battery life, screen size, weight, and ships with an SSD.

Trying to do my due dilligence before making a snap decision, but I can't find anything that even matches up on half the things it does well.

It'd be my first OSX based device ever, so that's a bit intimidating, especially since my wife will be a primary user most of the time. But as long as she can open Safari and upload photos from her Iphone 4s that will be shipping next week I think she'll be happy.

**UPDATE**

Bought a 13" Air today. Initial thoughts below.

 

[alent1234]

From what I've read it's the cheapest in it's class. Sony as possible competitor. They have been making small and thin for years

 

[vi edit]

From what I've read it's the cheapest in it's class. Sony as possible competitor. They have been making small and thin for years

It's the integrated SSD that really makes it hard to compare to others. Sony has a few but it looks like they are in the $1500-$1800 range. I can get the 128gig, 4GB Ram version of the 13" MBA for $1230 at Best Buy.

I know you can always buy a cheaper laptop and then buy an SSD to slap in there, but once you do the pricing isn't all that different again either.

 

[Ns1]

anything in the same class as an MBA costs as least as much as the MBA

 

[zerogear]

MBA can't compare with my Vaio Z. :]

 

[alent1234]

Thinking about surprising my wife with MBA this holiday season. Apple usually has a small sale on bf.

 

[postaled]

I think the closest thing is this
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4947/acer-aspire-s3-available-this-week-for-899

I haven't read the review yet though.

Also, i think it is priced at $899.

 

[MagickMan]

I think the closest thing is this
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4947/acer-aspire-s3-available-this-week-for-899

I haven't read the review yet though.

Also, i think it is priced at $899.

Tiny SSD, only 20GB, and a pokey 320GB spindle drive. Ugh.

 

[vi edit]

MBA can't compare with my Vaio Z. :]

Yeah I know. I could buy two MBA's for the price of one Vaio Z. Can't compare at all.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

I just bought a 13" MBA for my stepmother's birthday. I find it a really exciting machine. It's almost unbelievably thin, elegant and quick. I know I sound like a fanboy but the features, design and build quality are so amazing that it feels like it should cost ten times what it does - it just feels special, if that makes sense. Compared to a Windows machine (or, to a lesser extent, an OSX machine with a conventional hard drive), the boot and shutdown times seem cartoonishly fast - the machine cold-boots to a working desktop in just a few seconds - and the sensation of speed is always there. The ergonomics (especially the touchpad and beautiful screen) are excellent, and for me the 13" form factor is just the perfect balance, especially with the higher-res screen on the MBA relative to my 13" MBP.

My stepmom is not at all a tech-savvy person but OSX is generally (with a few exceptions) so intuitive and simple that there isn't much of a learning curve. She has been thrilled with it thus far.

 

[vi edit]

Yep, I initially poo-pooed the MBA in favor of the Pro. I was initially convinced I needed an optical drive, the larger space, and didn't think the size/weight was that much different. Then I gave the Air a look over. Holy crap that thing was zippy...for a lack of better terms. I can't beleive how much of a difference the SSD made in general navigation and use of the device. Then when you compare the two the MBP just felt like a clunky brick. And when I started considering the actual use of the device, the optical drive and extra storage space would be almost unused.

It really is a very slick, polished, and fast little device. I want to love the 11" version but the screen is just too small and the lack of SD reader is a major downer. The missing SD is a major issue and I'm scratching my head at the decision to dump it in that model. It really can't be a price thing as there is very little markup from one to the next given the screen size, RAM, and battery increase in the 13”.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Honestly, the perfect device is the 11" with a stand, an LCD monitor, keyboard/mouse/touchpad, external storage, external DVDR/RW, and an external sd card reader.

Gives you serious portability, and doubles as a desktop.

I almost regret getting a 13" MBA.

 

[TheStu]

Yep, I initially poo-pooed the MBA in favor of the Pro. I was initially convinced I needed an optical drive, the larger space, and didn't think the size/weight was that much different. Then I gave the Air a look over. Holy crap that thing was zippy...for a lack of better terms. I can't beleive how much of a difference the SSD made in general navigation and use of the device. Then when you compare the two the MBP just felt like a clunky brick. And when I started considering the actual use of the device, the optical drive and extra storage space would be almost unused.

It really is a very slick, polished, and fast little device. I want to love the 11" version but the screen is just too small and the lack of SD reader is a major downer. The missing SD is a major issue and I'm scratching my head at the decision to dump it in that model. It really can't be a price thing as there is very little markup from one to the next given the screen size, RAM, and battery increase in the 13”.

I think it has to do with size constraints.

 

[postaled]

Also, the ux21 and ux31 from Asus tomorrow could be interesting against it.

 

[JackBurton]

MBA can't compare with my Vaio Z. :]

I'd take a MBA over a Vaio Z and day of the week. My brother had one, and I wouldn't recommend him buying another one (I actually speced out and recommended the laptop he had).

 

[vi edit]

I'm actually posting this from a shiny new 13" MBA. Love it so far. Keyboard is awesome and backlighting is one of those things that seems gimmicky but the first time you use it you realize you'll never have another one without it. Even in a dimly lit office I found it helpful.

The trackpad gestures are awesome for navigating apps and I love using my employers Outlook Web Access and the scrolling function the trackpad provides. I also love how absolutely silent the thing is and cool it has remained in my limited use. Sound is also surprisingly good for such a slender format.

I almost was tempted by an open box MBP. It was a 13" i7 setup that was being sold for $1210. I almost went with the higher specs and more robust platform. But once I got the MBA home I realized I made the right choice. One thing that is really hard to explain is that it's so thin that it sits almost flat on the table/counter surface for typing. It's much more comfortable than the kicked up angle that most other laptops provide.

I paid $1225 at Best Buy with 18 months 0% to leave some extra cash for Christmas season coming up.

Now the question is to Apple Care or not to care...

 

[runawayprisoner]

You can go a full year without care, then if you feel like the machine wouldn't hold, then you'd be able to "care"... as long as you purchase it while the device is still within coverage.

 

[vi edit]

Interesting. Apple care on a $1700 iMac is $169. A $1200 MBA is $250. Yeh. Not seeing the value there. Guess I had only priced out the iMac's Apple Care without looking into the laptops.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

You can get AppleCare at a significant discount on eBay.

 

[mshan]

Any complaints about the screen on the 13 inch Macbook Air?

 

[vi edit]

Any complaints about the screen on the 13 inch Macbook Air?

Such as? So far, not many. It does have a glossy screen but it doesn't seem to be near as affected by glare as my iPad or large LCD TV does. It's got some sort of coating that tries to cut done on reflections.

Brightness feels a bit over boosted and a tad washed out. Dimming the screen doesn't help it. I'm sure there's some setting I can tweak to adjust that. Off axis starts to dim out a a tad at angles, but it's a laptop and I don't care that much. It's better than many LCD's on other laptops. Resolution feels almost perfect for the form factor. Not too big...not too small. Just right. I wouldn't want the standard website fonts any smaller or any bigger.

 

[disports]

nice, glad you like it! I have the 2010 13" MBA and I'm actually itching for the 13" MBP as I like that form factor better :X

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

nice, glad you like it! I have the 2010 13" MBA and I'm actually itching for the 13" MBP as I like that form factor better :X

I LOVE my 13" MBP - see my thread at http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2170868 - but I crave an MBA and will certainly order one as my next machine.

 

[vi edit]

nice, glad you like it! I have the 2010 13" MBA and I'm actually itching for the 13" MBP as I like that form factor better :X

I think the Pro is a better value and does offer a more appropriate spec sheet for the price. Plus I'm sure it will wear better over the years. But the SSD in the Air sealed the deal for me. They are just silent, cool, and blisteringly fast machines in general use.

 

[disports]

I LOVE my 13" MBP - see my thread at http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2170868 - but I crave an MBA and will certainly order one as my next machine.

Haha I actually read your thread a little while back, it's good stuff. The MBAs sure are enticing though which is probably why I got the MBA in the first place when I was waiting for the refreshed MBPs.

I think the Pro is a better value and does offer a more appropriate spec sheet for the price. Plus I'm sure it will wear better over the years. But the SSD in the Air sealed the deal for me. They are just silent, cool, and blisteringly fast machines in general use.

Yeah the MBAs sure are sweet, especially the new ones. I'm jealous! If I did get a 13" MBP, I do have a Seagate Momentus xT 500gb that I could use to make it somewhat comparable speed wise.