Apple’s New MacBook “Air”

Mouth-watering – this is the adjective that first popped into my head the first time I saw Apple’s new MacBook Air – currently world’s thinnest, at three-quarters of an inch at its thickest point, in its category. Sure, it has its share of downsides, such as the need for an external disk drive, but no matter. I’ve never been a fan of leviathan notebooks, anyway. They look like flatbed scanners which you have to lug to a conference and open with nary an iota of elegance.

The MacBook Air has a silver-and-black body, weighing all of 3 pounds. The MagSafe power connection is at the left, while the retractable port hatch is at the right. What are these ports? 1. a USB 2.0 port; 2. a headphone jack; and a micro-DVI port that supports S-video, VGA, DVI, and composite output. In layman’s terms, that’s where you’ll connect your “projectors and stuff.”



Their sales pitch is that despite its impressive size (in the IT world, bigger is not always better), its features have not been compromised. The LED screen is still a respectable 13.3 inches, with a built-in camera and mic above it. It has a full-sized keyboard for Alf fingers, which is also backlit when the MacBook Air detects a decrease in ambient light – a feature that was long overdue. With it, you don’t have to pester your airplane seatmate or squint to see the keys inside a darkened conference room or lecture hall.

The trackpad, too, improves on what the MacBook Pro already has. It’s bigger and enables pinching (using thumb and forefinger in zooming in or out), swiping (swiping three fingers across the trackpad to navigate between pages), and rotating (rotating a photo, of course).

It boasts wireless use for a full 5 hours. By the way, their “wireless” feature keeps Apple on top of the game by enticing you to support its other products, such as its DVD rental service. But no matter. A notebook this size would have to bring hardsell with it one way or another.

Now, the question on everyone’s mind is: How much does the MacBook Air cost? It retails at $1,799. That’s EUR 1,224, Yen 192,477, SGD 2,579, or PHP73,760. I hope “me not desire it a long time.”