Talk:MacBook Air

3.5mm jack has surround sound?

I think the 3.5mm audio-out jack is capable of running some sort of surround sound 4.0 4.1 5.1? I do not know. The evidence? I was playing a DVD video and inserted headphones with a 4-connector plug instead of the normal 3-connector plug. This gave me (to my surprise) only the rear channels through the headphones. Could anybody find out?

Yours Jan Marius Evang email redacted 217.77.32.229 (talk) 22:28, 31 May 2008 (UTC)

This is not a forum- read the template at the top. --Airplaneman (talk) 15:42, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

Future

The MacBook Air has been criticized for its small screen, therefore a 17-inch MacBook air is in the works which will be more environment friendly, lighter (~4.5 lbs), easier to carry around the house or at work, and it will be superior to the current unibody 17-inch Macbook Pro. Currently Apple is conducting consumer surveys and has received strong feedback to develop the 17-inch Macbook air. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Samstayton (talk • contribs) 03:02, 22 April 2009 (UTC)

new model already announced http://www.apple.com/macbookair/ Dreammaker182 (talk) 22:45, 20 October 2010 (UTC)

The Screen

Not much discussion about the screen on the air. It's just it's quite a fantastic screen compared to all the other Mac notebooks.

No, it's not. pretty much the same as any MacBook screen, and lower resolution than any MacBook Pro. LED backlighting might be the only thing of note. Lloyd Wood (talk) 20:41, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

FWIW: Its significantly brighter than the MacBook screens, and reaches full brightness as soon as it is powered on, thanks to the LED backlighting. – ɜɿøɾɪɹℲ _{( тɐʟк • ¢ʘи†ʀ¡βs )} 20:51, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Lloyd, any documentation I could look over showing them to be lower quality? Resolution is one thing, I was speaking of quality (clarity, colours, brightness) - which is best I've seen on the Air which is noteworthy in my opinion. Nja247 (talk • contribs) 21:49, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

When choosing an Apple notebook I compared identical photographs on the Macbook, Macbook Air, and Macbook Pro. The Macbook Air screen does have noticeably colour advantages over the Pro, which uses the exact same screen technology and backlighting; and the Macbook, which understandably is behind the others as it uses older backlighting technology. The only explanation I have for the difference between the Air and the Pro is that the Air's integrated graphics card does a better job of representing colours than the Pro's dedicated one. 4a4a (talk) 13:30, 22 August 2008 (UTC)

I think any conclusions from comparing heavily retouched or even non-photographic PR stills isn't going to really accurately reflect differences in specific screen quality. I have a hard time believing that the Air's integrated video card handles anything better than the dedicated GPUs in the MacBook Pros. – ɜɿøɾɪɹℲ _{( тɐʟк • ¢ʘи†ʀ¡βs )} 18:49, 22 August 2008 (UTC)

Pixel density of the screens according to Computer World is 135 ppi and 128 ppi for the 11" and 13" Airs, respectively.

USB?

The article says: "Because of tight clearance, some devices, including some headphone jacks and 3G USB cellular modems will not fit, requiring users to purchase either a powered USB hub or an extension cable in order to use their devices.[35][36]"

But the USB spec requires A plugs to have 27.0mm of no wider than 15.7mm -- see figure 6.3 of the USB 2.0 spec. I would say these devices aren't actually USB compliant. Is that true?

The USB article even remarks about this: "Unlike most other connector standards, the USB specification also defines limits to the size of a connecting device in the area around its plug. This was done to avoid circumstances where a device complies with the connector specification but its large size blocks adjacent ports. Compliant devices must either fit within the size restrictions or support a compliant extension cable which does."

From the photos on the linked pages, these devices are *way* over the 15.7mm limit. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.112.106.53 (talk) 22:12, 24 June 2008 (UTC)

removal of "environmental impact"

Bproman removed the "environmental impact" section "because it failed to mention how the environment was impacted." Greenpeace is a well-known and politically significant organization, and their statements on certain measures Apple took with regard to the design of the MacBook Air is notable. The section may have been poorly titled, but I don't think that was a good reason to remove it. Ruminate over that a bit, Bproman, and then let us know what you think. Unless somebody posts a reason to the contrary, I plan to revert the edit in a few days. Capedia (talk) 05:32, 10 August 2008 (UTC)

while i agree that greenpeace does lend some notability to the claims, they still seemed pretty specious and suspect to me, and really, don't need to be linked to. its just them trolling for attention, not meaningful research or information. – ɜɿøɾɪɹℲ _{( тɐʟк • ¢ʘи†ʀ¡βs )} 07:34, 10 August 2008 (UTC)

I'll say that the section shouldn't be reinserted as-is. The Greenpeace angle is better taken care of at Apple Inc.#Environmental Record. At best, this deserves a one- or two-sentence mention here, with a link to the Apple reference included from the removed section. Something to the effect of "Following complaints by Greenpeace, Apple released the MBA, whose design includes more environmentally-friendly components..." Probably rephrased a bit, but that's the gist of all that needs to be here. — The Hand That Feeds You:^Bite 16:07, 10 August 2008 (UTC)

OK, I'll do it the way Hand suggests. That seems like a reasonable compromise. Capedia (talk) 17:25, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

Despite Hand's statement that "The Greenpeace angle is better taken care of at Apple Inc.#Environmental Record," I included a Greenpeace quote because it was a response specifically to the MacBook Air. The section now consists of two brief sentences plus the link Hand suggested. Capedia (talk) 18:06, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

thinner models

Balenman modified the article with the claim that http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/notebooks/0,1000000333,39165287,00.htm describes a thinner notebook model than the MacBook Air. However, a careful reading of the ZDNet review reveals that this is not the case. According to the review, "the VAIO X505 is a remarkable 2.1cm thick at its widest point and 0.97cm at its thinnest." The MacBook Air, at it thickest point, is 0.76 inches, which is 1.93cm, which is thinner than the VAIO. I'm reverting. Capedia (talk) 19:39, 20 August 2008 (UTC)

--yes, the Vaio x505 wasn't thinner, but the Mitsubishi Pedion from ~1998 was. Following are URLs from Wired and CNet indicating as such. The Pedion was a full-featured Petntium-MMX notebook w/ hard drive, etc. Someone want to put this up in "criticism," as Apple was clearly wrong in their assertion? Here are the links: http://news.cnet.com/Mitsubishi-unveils-notebook/2100-1001_3-205190.html and http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/01/mitsubishi-pedi.html macadamiaman —Preceding undated comment added 04:02, 2 March 2009 (UTC).

I've just added a note about the thickness controversy between the Adamo and Air due to tapering. I'll add the Pedion as well. twilsonb (talk) 01:53, 28 August 2009 (UTC)

After looking over it, the Adamo is thinner than the Pedion, so it's out of the running as they're both rectangular. Perhaps that belongs in the controversy section? twilsonb (talk) 01:57, 28 August 2009 (UTC)

I've added it to the controversy section as it has been reported in reliable sources.twilsonb (talk) 02:04, 28 August 2009 (UTC)

New version coming?

Are there rumours of a new version coming out soonish? I think I read something along those lines but can't remember where. Malick78 (talk) 14:16, 17 September 2008 (UTC)

• Yep, I was right, here are the new specs. Malick78 (talk) 20:13, 14 October 2008 (UTC)

There should be a new new version coming soonish. Based on what has been done, the refresh should come with intel core i3, i5, and/or i7 in it. See iMac, Macbook Pro, and Macbook. joe1997 16:51, 19 May 2010 (EST)

"Criticism" Section Seems Biased

Title says it all. Discuss. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.21.170.130 (talk) 22:25, 20 November 2008 (UTC)

I've replied to your concerns on your talk page. Nja247 (talk • contribs) 22:34, 20 November 2008 (UTC)

Overheating issue is not solved

The "Using your Macbook Air" forum on discussions.apple.com reveals several current threads of people complaining about the kernel_task problem (runaway kernel). The article text implies that this problem has been solved, and it is not at all clear that it has been.69.196.169.169 (talk) 00:55, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

You'd need to find a reliable source as forum discussions are not considered to be one. Nja247 (talk • contribs) 07:14, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

I have degrees in electrical engineering and computer science and I can confirm that these complaints are legitimate. I am experiencing them myself. Am I and the tens of others who are posting about this considered reliable sources? I think the article text should be amended.20.137.52.231 (talk) 18:59, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

Again, see the link above about verifiable sources as this is an encyclopaedia, not a blog. Further what you propose is original research which runs contrary to the whole verifiability policy. I'm sure if this is a prevalent issue you will not be hard pressed to find good sources. Nja247 (talk • contribs) 19:17, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

Look, Mr. Lawyer, you do not understand this problem and neither do the bloggers (I thought citing bloggers was not on?) you cite. Please leave the factually correct statement I wrote alone. I am simply pointing out that there are a significant number of people still complaining about this problem.69.196.169.169 (talk) 00:08, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

Update required

Seems to me that the page is lacking information regarding the newer generation rigs. The specs section appears up to date but some of the article (for example the secion on hard drives) seems to refer to the original units only. Of course the information is still relevant, but does not reflect the currently available models with complete accuracy. Likewise certain design flaws (eg overheating) are alleged to be fixed by many third-party tests and reviews. 194.73.131.50 (talk) 12:35, 23 February 2009 (UTC)

Advertising

In the "Advertising Section," it says that "The MacBook Air launch was accompanied by a television commercial emphasizing its PC like qualities." The only qualities I saw it emphasize were the fact that it would turn on (or wake from sleep mode), and the fact that it could fit into a manila envelope. Am I wrong? Are there other qualities that it featured that I just missed?~~john. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.207.207.237 (talk) 14:59, 14 March 2009 (UTC)

This entire section seems completely redundant. I would be inclined to delete the whole thing. Any other opinions? Electrosaurus (talk) 13:36, 3 May 2009 (UTC)

"The MacBook Air has a price premium compared to other notebooks of similar or better specification.[23]" This link is from a review dated 2008/01/25/. The MacBook Air has been updated since then and the price reduced. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 17.64.111.230 (talk) 11:45, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Add to table

I was thinking, just to mirror the MacBook article, that we could add the section Minimum operating system required. I would do it myself, except that I don't know the min. OS required. I would appreciate your input on this matter (below). If you can, please add the relevant info with at least 1 ref. I'm going to do some research myself, too. Thanks, Airplaneman (talk) 15:48, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

Apple takes responsibility for broken hinge issues

I'm writing this on the talk page because I'm not good at wiki editing yet; if someone more experienced could properly add it to the main article page that would be nice.

In the criticisms section, it says: Some users of the first revision have found that the plastic holding the right hinge cracks under normal use, making the notebook nearly unusable.[30] Additionally, there has recently been a "blanket rule" sent out by Apple to its stores around the world which says that the hinge breaking is caused by "user damage", despite a number of cracked and snapped hinges on the Rev A laptop. Therefore, the expensive replacement of the hinge (ergo, the screen as well) is at the user's expense and is not covered by the warranty [31]

However this problem is described in the following knowledge base article: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2948 and says :You can take your MacBook Air to an Apple-Authorized Service Provider or Apple Retail Store for evaluation and repair if necessary, even if your product is out of warranty.

If you previously paid for a repair for hinge-related issues that were not caused by accidental damage, you may be eligible for a refund. Contact Apple for more information.

Mention of Dell Adamo in article intro

The Dell Adamo comment reads to me as more like trivia and seems out of place in the MacBook Air article. It's interesting no doubt, but I didn't get the impression it really belonged. I believe the phrasing, "At the time of release, Apple described…" is enough to imply that there will be obvious future contesters for 'thinnest laptop' status. If you specifically mention Dell Adamo, does that mean any thinner laptops in the future will also need to be listed there too? EssentialParadox (talk) 00:49, 27 November 2009 (UTC)

In my view, though, I don't think every laptop has to be listed. The way I think of it is that one could benefit from knowing that the Apple's claim that the Air is the thinnest laptop was, and will be, contested. In this case, the Adamo was used as an example. Regards, Airplaneman ^talk 03:05, 27 November 2009 (UTC)

I think it's OK to have Adamo mentioned; it was the primary right-after competitor to the original Macbook Air, thus distinct from future thin laptops. bayonetblaha 06:24, 03 November 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Bayonetblaha (talk • contribs)

Review

I was asked to review this article some time ago, and was hoping for it to be expanded before I did so. So my main complaint is lack of content.

• Lead is too short, it should summarise the article (include updates), see MacBook Pro.

•  Done Added update summary —mono 20:26, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

• Still too short - needs to summarize article. Airplaneman ✈ 02:14, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

• Yep, again try to model the lead on MacBook Pro, i.e. the Air is a product that was new to Apple with no direct predecessor, uses Core 2 Duo, years and months (not day though) of updates. Maybe mention it is the first Mac with an optional solid-state drive. OSX (talk • contributions) 06:48, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

•  Not done  ℳono  21:49, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

• Mention that the Air was the first model to utilise the "precision aluminum unibody enclosure" construction, the current wording suggests otherwise.

•  Done Clarified —mono 20:26, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

• It's "precision aluminum unibody enclosure" or "unibody for short. Not 100 percent done. Also, "carved from a solid sheet of aluminum". Mmmm, sounds like Apple's own work; try "produced using a single sheet...". OSX (talk • contributions) 06:48, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

•  Done  ℳono  21:42, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

• Features section seems okay, but the late 2008 and mid 2009 updates are not mentioned in the prose, again see MacBook Pro.
•  Done.  ℳono  21:49, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

• Reception could be expanded, with reviews added á la MacBook Pro.

•  Done Expanded —mono 20:26, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

• Not really, can you include the criticisms that I listed below? OSX (talk • contributions) 06:48, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

•  Not done  ℳono  21:49, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

• Criticism: well one USB port is probably a major criticism, as is the poor battery life. Another major hurdle is the excruciatingly slow boot-up times of the models with the 4200 rpm hard drive. The solid-state models seem okay. Also 80 and 120 GB hard drives are unacceptable in a computer of the Air's price—it's not as if larger sizes aren't available.

• Not sure I see your point as a reviewer, but if I put that in an article, it would be considered quite POV. —mono 20:26, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

• Try finding these issues in the reviews you looked at; I'm sure they cropped up somewhere. Airplaneman ✈ 02:14, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

• I'm no reviewer and I noticed these from testing a machine out for a few minutes at the shops (with the bootup taking about half of that time). I am sure all this has been mentioned elsewhere as Airplaneman stated. OSX (talk • contributions) 06:48, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

•  Expanded, will do more.  ℳono  21:49, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

I look forward to seeing these changes implemented. Will review further when complete. OSX (talk • contributions) 11:16, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

• You've linked "unibody" to MBP, but the Air debuted the concept not the MBP. OSX (talk • contributions) 06:35, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

•  Delinked  ℳono  18:50, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

• "The current model [.. runs] on a 1066 MHz bus." What about the original? OSX (talk • contributions) 06:35, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

• Merge "User serviceability" with the sentence, "The battery is internal and not user-removable, and the RAM is soldered onto the motherboard. OSX (talk • contributions) 06:35, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

•  Merged  ℳono  18:50, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

• "The MacBook Air was greeted with both positive and negative reception when it was introduced." --> "The MacBook Air was greeted with mixed reception when it was introduced." OSX (talk • contributions) 06:35, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

 Reworded  ℳono  18:51, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

• The "slow speed" mentioned under "Launch and reception" relates to the non-SSD models. Another criticism is the maximum of only 2 GB RAM. OSX (talk • contributions) 06:35, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

• Some more reviews would be good if they add new content. OSX (talk • contributions) 06:35, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

•  Doing... I'll look for some more, however, most reviews say the same thing.  ℳono  18:50, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

• Some decent reviews:  ℳono  19:05, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

• http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/02/04/macbook_air_hdd_model_an_in_depth_review.html
• http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120113632301711881.html?mod=hpp_us_inside_today
• http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/edwardbaig/2008-01-23-macbook-air-review_N.htm
• http://www.newsweek.com/2008/01/22/the-skinny-on-the-macbook-air.html

• http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/apple-macbook-air/4505-3121_7-32818756.html Airplaneman ✈ 12:24, 14 August 2010 (UTC)

• "CPU temperatures as low as 66 degrees Celsius (150 degrees fahrenheit)", Americans use imperial units, so shouldn't those be listed first? OSX (talk • contributions) 06:35, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

•  Using {{convert}} template.  ℳono  17:45, 13 August 2010 (UTC)

• I would like the specifications table to model the table at MBP. OSX (talk • contributions) 06:35, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

 Not done How is it different?  ℳono  18:51, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Delete, Included operating system, K-slot, Trackpad, Keyboard, and Audio. OSX (talk • contributions) 03:15, 12 August 2010 (UTC)

•  Done  ℳono  16:48, 13 August 2010 (UTC)

Rename "Port connections" to "Connections". Combine Bluetooth, Wireless networking, and Wired Ethernet with "connections". OSX (talk • contributions) 03:15, 12 August 2010 (UTC)

•  Done  ℳono  16:48, 13 August 2010 (UTC)

Rename "Physical dimensions" to "Dimensions" and create a new section for weight (weight is not a dimension). Units should be imperial first, metric second. OSX (talk • contributions) 03:15, 12 August 2010 (UTC)

 Done  ℳono  16:48, 13 August 2010 (UTC)

Add a section with the model numbers, for example, "MB466*/A".

• The section "Launch and reception" does not say anything about the launch of the product. Are you planning to add it? Airplaneman ✈ 00:55, 13 August 2010 (UTC)

•  Will add Macworld launch,("something's in the air")...  ℳono  17:41, 13 August 2010 (UTC)

• It would be nice to have a section detailing software and operating systems. Airplaneman ✈ 01:00, 13 August 2010 (UTC)

• Not sure Like iLife and stuff?  ℳono  17:41, 13 August 2010 (UTC)

Yes. OSX (talk • contributions) 23:04, 13 August 2010 (UTC)

The Next Generation of Macbook Air

Apple just released that they are producing new Macbook Air computers in 13 and 11 inch models. They will also be cheaper than the first generation. Here's some info from Apple's website: http://www.apple.com/macbookair/ Dreammaker182 (talk) 22:44, 20 October 2010 (UTC)

And they are both thinner and lighter so the Thinnest Laptop controversy should be updated —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.230.236.161 (talk) 19:16, 24 October 2010 (UTC)

'World's Thinnest Laptop'

This refers to the 2008 Macbook Air, not the current model.

Cf.:

• 2008 Press release
• 2010 Press release

They are plainly no longer making this claim, so I will greatly reduce the prominence of this. Sumbuddi (talk) 17:53, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

2010 Air issues

Reports of display issues here: http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=20055 = You, Me and Everyone Else ; { ^talk = 03:20, 3 November 2010 (UTC)

Did an Apple employee write this?

This article is a blatant advertisement. Either it was written by someone working for apple or someone who needs to wash the rose tinting off their glasses.