At the time of his announcement, Air MacBook had an ultraportable 12 “display, the choice to use a 13″ has enabled us to offer superior ergonomics thanks to the improved readability of the monitor and keyboard wider. Last but not least, an adequate battery that can allow its use for 3-4 hours away from the electrical outlet. These in brief the merits of the series MacBook Air, among the flaws is definitely the price claimed, justified by the technology and manufacturing processes used, but out of reach of all budgets. The original model also suffered from poor performance rather low and expandability.
At the end of 2010, Apple introduced the first major upgrade of the Air, by introducing a new hardware platform based on Nvidia’s 9400M chipset, which has significantly increased graphics performance, the processors were then updated, always-class Intel Core 2 Duo low power, as well as storage devices.
On July 20, 2011 it raised the curtain on the new family: the MacBook Air 13 “has been further improved and was introduced a brand new 11-inch model, yet smaller and lighter. This last has aroused the greatest curiosity in the shape of a cheap netbook but has the same hardware platform in the big brother. It is the smallest notebook Apple has ever made, and takes her place among the iPad and Air 13″.
The similarities and differences
The MacBook Air 11 “looks like a scaled-down copy of the model 13″: are the classic aluminum unibody frame, the keyboard island and all the typical elements of the family, Air. The renewed internal platform is identical for the two models, based on Nvidia MCP89 chipset. This component integrates a GPU Geforce 320M class, which represents a substantial improvement over the previous GeForce 9400M. In any case it’s a compatible chip DirectX 10.1 (not the newer version 11) and has no dedicated memory, but uses 256 Mbytes of System RAM. Despite being faster than Intel’s integrated solutions, can not be compared to the Geforce GT 330M, which equips the MacBook Pro: they are two very different solutions from architectural point of view, plus the GT 330M Ram can count on dedicated, much more faster than shared. The specifications of the graphics chip are identical for the two MacBook Air: 48 CUDA cores, clocked at 450 MHz for the GPU and 950 MHz for the shaders, while the Ram is the frequency of 1,066 MHz base memory is 2 GB , DDR-3 type, with the chips soldered directly on the motherboard and not expandable by the user. When ordering, you can double the amount to 4 GB, adding 90 euros.
One obvious difference between the two models is the processor used. The MacBook Air 11 “board has a Core 2 Duo SU9400 1.4 GHz, the 13″ but has a 1.86 GHz SL9400 from the first type is ultra low voltage and has a value of TDP (Thermal Design Power) of just 10 W while the SL9400 is a simple low voltage and consumes more, with a TDP of 17 watts. On the other hand is much faster, not only for the highest clock frequency but also doubled the amount of L2 cache, 6 MB instead of 3. Both processors are manufactured at 45 nanometers and the package measures 22 x 22 mm.
As an option you can have a faster processor, but only on high-end configurations: the model 11 “is available with a Core 2 Duo SU9600 1.6 GHz, while the 13″ there is an SL9600 from 2.13 GHz The table highlights the various possible combinations. The MacBook Air is only available with solid state disk, with capacities ranging between 64 and 256 GB depending on configuration. There is no more physical space for a traditional disk inside the chassis and the connector is not in standard format. Among other things, opening the case has become much more difficult: the Torx screws are five points instead of six, and its screwdriver is difficult to find. In reality there is no reason why the user needs access to internal components, since it is impossible to upgrade the RAM and the disk very complicated. The comparison between the size of the MacBook Air 11 “(left) and model 13″.
A new feature will surely be appreciated the presence of the second USB port, which allows you to connect multiple devices without resorting to force to an external hub, the MacBook Air 13 “also has an SD card reader. The connector for external monitor is of type mini DisplayPort, there are adapters for DVI or VGA format sold at $ 29 each. The USB-Ethernet adapter for wired networks has the same price. The thickness of the two models is comparable. Because the Air is no integrated optical drive, Apple has seen fit to provide a tool supplied restore the operating system on USB stick, a smart, simple solution that we appreciate and share. Another shared feature is the keyboard, unfortunately not backlit, virtually identical for both models. The multi-touch glass pad is the latest generation, already seen on the MacBook Pro, and is spacious and functional.
The MacBook Air 13″
Apart from the change of hardware platform, an interesting aspect for the renewed Air 13 “is in the display. The resolution passed by the old 1,280 – 800 points to 1,440 x 900 model, with the same diagonal screen. A slight change that expands the desktop area and does not compromise the readability of characters, which is always very good. The panel used with LED backlighting and glossy front filter type (glossy or if you prefer), has made a very good, higher than the monitor used on the model 11 “. Crisp, bright and well contrasted, is one of the best monitors ever seen on an ultraportable. The drawbacks are a viewing angle is not particularly high, especially in the vertical, and a color range lower than that of the panels used on the MacBook Pro, the gamut is a small inconvenience, however, typical of small displays.
The weight is 1.32 kg, equivalent to that of a netbook with monitor 10 “. The thickness varies between 3 mm and 1.7 cm at the front of the rear area. Compared to the MacBook Air of 2008 is less an inch at each end, but the weight remains essentially unchanged. The Core 2 Duo the latest generation is much more powerful compared to the original model, as well as the graphical interface. However, it remains a low-power CPUs that can not even begin to offer performance comparable to those used on the MacBook Pro Core i5 The use of these processors, perhaps in ultra low voltage version, it would be theoretically possible on the MacBook Air, but would require a radical change of the entire hardware platform, which should be redesigned from scratch and tailored for Apple, since Nvidia does not have a solution can be used with the i5. The model that consumes less, Core i5 430UM 1.2 GHz, has a TDP of 18 watts, or only one more than the Core 2 Duo SL9400 currently used. Unfortunately the problem is elsewhere, if Apple does not plan to use the (slow) in the Intel integrated graphics subsystem, for the moment there are no cheap solutions.
We have already mentioned in the introduction to the second USB port, the pad of glass and the slot for SD cards, among other notable features is the battery, which now reaches a capacity of 50 watts / hour against 40 of model previous year. This translates into a range of about five and a half hours in the field, leaving on the Wi-Fi card, and using office applications or surfing the Web browser . An interesting result, also considering the average ultraportable with Windows. Also, note that Apple says a shelf life of at least 1,000 consecutive cycles of charging if the battery is used properly.
MacBook Air 11″
If the model 13 ” is an update, although substantial, an existing model, the MacBook Air 11″ is rather a novelty for Apple. Slightly larger than an iPad, has a low weight to a minimum and maneuverability unmatched. The dimensions are similar to those of various netbook with Atom CPU on the market, but here we face a real laptop, both in materials and internal components. The presence of the disc 64 or 128 GB SSD, and consequently the price, removes any doubt about the market segment in which to place this ultraportable is. We start from the display, one of the most distinctive features: it has a diagonal of 11.6 inches and an accurate resolution of 1,366 x 768 dots, obviously with LED backlighting and glossy front filter. Diagonal part, the different form factor is very obvious: here the ratio is 16:9, while that on the 13 “is 16:10. The difference is the two laptops side by side note, when the form is clear overview of the model to 11 “.
Let’s say that the quality of the panel is well above average compared to that of common netbooks, though slightly lower when compared to the display of the MacBook Air 13 “. The difference is barely noticeable to the naked eye, mostly with regard to the different color rendering, but what you notice most is the very small font size. The readability of small fonts is inevitably lower than the display from 13 “; the desk is also less extensive, especially in the vertical, a fact that is known well with Web pages or documents. Finally, we note that the monitor tends to fluctuate during the move; support hinges a little ‘tighter certainly would not have spoiled.
The keyboard is very comfortable, one of the best in this band and not comparable to that usually offered on netbooks, on the other hand is the same as that used on Air 13 “. Too bad that there missing the backlight. The pad is very large compared to the keyboard, and is comfortable to use. Apart from the lack of memory card slots, ports and interfaces are similar between the two models, we find an interface Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11n AirPort Extreme Network Card Broadcom front and webcam now be used with FaceTime, the ‘application that allows users to make video calls between Apple. The stereo speakers have a quality far beyond the average for notebooks so small, the microphone is integrated but there is no jack for audio input, there is only one for the headphones. The 35-Wh battery is small but it is appropriate to the size of the display and processor undemanding: the duration is estimated at five hours of battery life with Wi-Fi turned on, considering the work of the office and surfing the Web About half an hour less than his older brother.
The field test
After the construction, and ergonomic considerations we arrive at the performance. In addition to the usual tests, carried out with both Mac OS X 10.6 on both Windows 7 Professional 64 bit (installed via BootCamp), we compared the two Air with the MacBook Pro 15 “Core i5 features, so you understand what is now offering a Core 2 Duo processor class.
Let’s say that the difference between the MacBook Air and there is also clearly visible, especially as regards the sheer computing power of the processor, to a lesser extent also for graphics performance. The Core 2 Duo SL9400 1.86 GHz to about 35% faster than all’SU9400M 1.4 GHz MacBook Air 11 “. To illustrate the idea, the encoding of the test movie in H.264 format and in full HD resolution took 38 minutes on the model 11 “and 27 minutes on Air 13″; in more than one third of the time. It is interesting to see how these values “”¹””¹are then pulverized by i5 MacBook Pro, in some cases more than twice as fast. The two MacBook, however, recover a lot of ground when the disc comes into play: in fact, a SSD can change the lives of every day thanks to its high-speed data transfer. The results of synthetic benchmarks, analyzing the performance of the notebook as a whole, the end is very close to those of the MacBook Pro The cold boot the operating system takes about 15 seconds, while exit from hibernate mode requires only two seconds. Applications will open in a surprisingly quick and easy desk job also shows a marked improvement. As for the temperatures involved, we found that the Core 2 Duo SU9400 Air 11 “are significantly lower: 40 degrees at rest and 70 at full load, compared to respectively 40 and 80 degrees for the model of the SL9400 13 “. Indeed, none of the two heats in a noticeable during light use, but when the CPU is fully loaded chassis Air temperature 13 “higher and the heat becomes more evident, though without becoming annoying. It is also demonstrated by the increased fan speed, which becomes louder.
The results of the tests show that, as expected, the MacBook Air 11″ pays its extreme portability with modest performance, is an excellent solution for those who travel often and use office applications, browsing the Internet or manage the mail, multimedia processing for small or editing video editing software like iPhoto and iMovie, but we would like to advise those who use Photoshop or Final Cut routinely. In addition to the processor limited period, also the small display that makes it harder to use complex application. The model 13″ from this point of view is better, though not yet rappreenta the ideal choice for these areas of use.
Disclaimer:
This article is based on my knowledge and experience as Electronics and Software Tester.