• 13.3-inch backlit screen
• Ultra-slim design uses no hard drive, weighs 2.8 lbs
• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
• NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 RAM
• MSRP: $1299 base ($1799 as tested)

Pros:

• Amazingly thin and light
• Sharp screen
• Solid battery life

Cons:

• Underpowered for some tasks
• No Optical Drive
• Only two USB ports, few of the major I/O ports

You Can Never Be Too Thin Or Too Rich

Although we’ve already covered the MacBook Air on our sister site (oops, this is the link), I thought it would be fair to assess its merits in a more objective fashion. As it stands, anyone you show the new Air will agree that it is a handsome piece of kit. It works very well, as we know, and it contains no mechanical storage, which means everything excepting the small internal fan is completely silent. The solid-state drives (SSDs) inside allow this computer to boot in about ten seconds, or thirty on a bad day. Access to the filesystem is almost instantaneous although, in absolute truth, there is little performance difference between a standard laptop and this model especially considering the 1.86GHz processor. What you make up for in access speed makes the lack of processor speed seem less important.

In real terms, a bog standard MacBook Pro 13-inch hits about 3655 on GeekBench while the Air hits 3003. An above average 15-inch MBP with 4GB and 2.66GHz processor can top out at 5695 and a Sony gaming laptop with 4GB memory and a 1.73 GHz processor can hit 4978. One of my favorite laptops, the Envy 14, hits 4463. So we can be absolutely accurate in stating that the MacBook Air is quite low in terms of overall performance.

Battery life is about 4 hours in real terms and six in loosey goosey terms. I used the laptop for about four hours this morning and it hit about 10% before I recharged. Expect this to work on a long NY to LA flight but not on an LA to China flight. The wireless problems that plagued some old MacBook Airs are gone here and I was very impressed with the wireless speed and performance which has as much to do with the cache speed than the actual radio.

The real draw here is size and weight. This is probably the thinnest laptop you have ever seen. I’ve shown it to multiple people and they’re all amazed.

However, that thinness comes with a price. For example, you only have two USB ports, one on each side, which is a slight improvement over the original Air’s single USB port. You also have a Mini DisplayPort Adapter, but there is no Ethernet port — a problem if you end up in a hotel with Ethernet-only connectivity. No FireWire, of course. It has a headphone jack but no line-in. There is a webcam in the bezel and an omnidirectional microphone.

There is, most importantly, no optical drive. This could be an immediate dealbreaker for many people but I would recommend the DVD-lovers out there to start ripping, because optical drives, at least in the thin and light category, have been going the way of the Dodo for some time.

Don’t Call It a Netbook
Think of the MacBook Air as the distillation of everything that makes a MacBook great. It runs OS X, it is very handsome, and it runs almost everything you can throw at it with aplomb. Barring large video editing you’re not going to slow this thing down. However, the $1,199 model of the 11-inch Air comes with 64GB of storage, an amount that is laughably small. Even the 128GB on the $1299 13-inch model is going to be insufficient. If you’re going to be surfing the Internet and maybe watching kitten videos on the Air, than this should be fine. If you’re going to get any work done, then you have a problem.

Therein lies the problem with the Air. On the low end you risk running out of drive space and with 2GB of memory you face a potential shortage when performing larger tasks. Bump things up to usable numbers – 4GB and 250GB – and you’re talking $1,800 out the door. So much for the $999 price point.

So here you see my issue with this laptop. If I’m an average consumer who wants a Mac I’m going to get a MacBook Pro or MacBook with lots of space, ports, and size. If I’m a viewing the Internet on my couch I’m going to get a tablet or netbook. If I’m a pretentious Appletard who has to have the latest and greatest (guilty as charged) I have to spend 2 grand on this thing just to up the specs to acceptable levels.

But Who Is This For
This is for Mac lovers who want to travel with a light notebook. This isn’t a “coffee-table netbook” that should be relegated to browsing while on the can or couch. There are perfectly acceptable netbooks out there for much less than a grand, to say nothing of two grand.

Can it replace a MacBook Pro, as MG suggests? Sure if you use only a few major programs like iPhoto and iMovie. Final Cut is definitely a stretch on this and realtime weather simulations required multiple petaflops of power is right now. Luckily 90% of the audience interested in the Air is probably not running anything more processor intensive than Keynote.

I personally laid out $1,800 for my model with 4GB memory and 256GB of hard drive space. That’s quite a lot. Considering the Sony I mentioned above, the VPCF136FM/B, costs $1,299 and blows the pants off this machine and an EEE PC can be had for about $300, I’m hard-pressed to recommend this as either a full-bore laptop or a netbook. It is a special creature, like one of those plankton that live in the deepest, coldest parts of the ocean. Like the plankton, the MacBook Air serves a very specific purpose in a very specific ecosystem but, also like the plankton, the price of living within that ecosystem is very high.

I have yet to test it on the road but from what I can tell it will be useful. I do quite a bit of image and video editing but I’m not Ansel Scorcese so I don’t need to open huge RAW files or edit HD video for PAL and NTSC.

Bottom Line
Can I whole-heartedly recommend this laptop? No. Here are my caveats:

If you are a MacBook Pro user who is tired of lugging around a 6lb notebook then this is the laptop for you. It offers most of the functionality of an MBP (though only a part of the actual power) without the weight or size. In fact, it could even feasibly replace your MBP if you rarely run anything worse than Microsoft Excel. Unfortunately, you won’t want to pay $1,199 for the lowest-end model. You’ll want to upgrade and that will cost you.

If you’re looking at a netbook, don’t spend $1,199 (or even $999 for the 11-inch) on this. This isn’t an entry-level MacBook, this is a device specifically oriented towards a certain type of consumer.

If you’re looking at a standard notebook, don’t look here. This isn’t for you. Get an original MacBook or a Windows PC of your choosing.

Users are all different and if you have the cash and the impetus to buy a very slim MacBook, then you should look into the Air. Otherwise, steer clear.

Product Page

Apple keeps giving Adobe the brush-off—what with the new MacBook Airs shipping without Flash and Apple’s prohibition (recently rescinded) on porting Flash apps to the iPhone. Without Apple, industry observers are asking “Where does Adobe go from here?” Apparently, right into the arms of Android.

On Monday, Adobe will be releasing AIR 2.5 at its Adobe MAX developer conference. The latest version of AIR, which up until now has been a platform for creating desktop apps, will extend the runtime to smartphones, tablets, and TVs running the Android operating system (as well as the Blackberry Tablet OS). For the most part, that means Android phones, Android tablets, and Android-powered Google TVs. Just last week, Adobe Connect Mobile became available for Android, and Adobe Reader X extended the ability to read PDFs to Android mobile phones, Windows Phone 7, and Blackberry tablets. SInce becoming available earlier this year, Flash 10.1 for Android has been downloaded 2 million times, and will be pre-installed in future Android phones.

When Apple shunned Adobe last April, it literally turned to Android. Its development efforts with Android took priority and are now bearing fruit. It will still work with Apple when Apple allows it, obviously, but it is making a much bigger bet on Android.

The plan all along was to make Adobe, and AIR in particular, a one-stop development shop. Write once, and your apps can appear on any device—desktops, mobile phones, tablets, TVs. That is still the plan, but the emphasis now seems to be on non-Apple devices (more because of Apple than Adobe). Android is a big opportunity, and not just mobile. TV apps are going to be popular. The selling point behind AIR is that it will figure out how to display the same app on various devices and platforms.

Adobe is also launching InMarket, which is supposed to be a single place from which to distribute apps built with Adobe’s tools to multiple app marketplaces. Developers will get 70 percent of any revenues. At launch, however, InMarket only supports app stores from Intel and Acer. I’d expect the Android Marketplace to be added soon, but not iTunes. Now with AIR 2.5, Adobe will have a runtime for apps on desktops (Windows, Mac, and Linux), mobile (Android phones and tablets, Blackberrry tablets), and smart TVs. Meanwhile, Apple just launched an app store for Macs, which is targeted at exactly those kinds of desktop apps that are now AIR apps.

Photo credit: Flickr/ Mark Sebastian

The AIR for Android runtime is now available in Android Market, enabling developers to push mobile AIR apps built with Adobe’s developer platform. You’ll need a handset equipped with Android 2.2 (Froyo) and obviously this doesn’t mean you’ll be able to run your native AIR desktop apps like you know them on your phone.

They’ll need to be specifically built for mobile devices, as Adobe evangelist Ryan Stewart points out.

There are only a couple of apps for AIR for Android so far, but another Adobe evangelist, Serge Jespers, has started a list of available applications on AppBrain and promises to keep it updated.

To be honest, that list needs to be filled with a lot more (and more robust) apps before one can actually thoroughly evaluate AIR for Android as a platform at face value, so for now consider this a soft launch.

The industry is all a buzz with the latest entry in the “I’m the thinnest laptop” competition. The latest Dell Adamo is definitely a strong contender, at 9.99 mm at some points. Of course, that’s just the official figure. I would have tested it myself but I forgot my calipers.

The Adamo definately does the sleek, simplistic look well.  About two inches bigger in both directions than a sheet of paper and only 3.2 lbs, you could almost forget you were carrying this thing around. Although forgetting you have $1800 in your arms might not be the most desirable…

Dell replaced the usual manual cover latch with a heat-sensitive capacitor. Just swipe your finger across the front edge and the lock disengages. When you open the Adamo, the screen doesn’t so much fold up as the keyboard folds down. It rests in the crazy position you see below. And it’s not just for looks, kids. The open space under the unit allows for more effective airflow, meaning no more burning laps while you work. The keyboard has full sized, metal keys, and the angle didn’t interfere with my typing at all. The touchpad on the other hand, is a little on the small size. This thing has multitouch support, but even my small hands found trouble getting multiple fingers on there. Another thing I didn’t like was that when you adjust the angle of the screen, it moves the angle of the keyboard as well.

Now I’m sure the question you’re all wondering is how in the world does this thing sit on your lap? Its actually pretty comfortable, and you can type without fear of knocking it off your lap with each keystroke. However, it does only have two points of contact so its not as secure against people bumping into you as other laptops.

As for the device’s internals, nothing jumps out at the eye. The screen is 13.4″. Powered by a 1.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with integrated graphics and 4 GB of DDR3 RAM. You get 128 GB of SSD, no word on whether that is upgradable yet. Wireless comes in two flavors, 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1. The only ports on the laptop are 2 USB 2.0 jacks, audio, and a DisplayPort out. Ethernet, HDMI, and the like can connect through the use of an external dongle.

Another cool feature is the replaceable battery. But you’ll have to be replacing it every 2 and a half hours. Not very long for a laptop that is designed for maximum mobility, but at that size? Can’t beat it.

You can expect the Adamo sometime this holiday season. Windows 7 comes standard as well as the diamond-etched logo on the cover. If you’re into that sort of thing.

Sir James Dyson himself showed off the new device. I can only assume he was knighted for his vacuum cleaner innovations. Who would have thought?

The airstream is fully adjustable, and the device pans and tilts to deliver that soothing feeling wherever you need it. It comes in a 10 in and 12 in option at $299.99 and $329.99 respectively.

From blogs.adobe.com

Adobe AIR Marketplace is a central resource that allows developers to make their applications available to millions of potential users and makes it easy for consumers to find them.

The new AIR marketplace was launched a few days ago and features a brand new look and several new features. Do check it out!

Dell is hinting at a tiny laptop line called Adamo which might be some sort of boutique line or actually be the name of a new, ultrathin laptop that will give the MacBook Air a run for its money. Ashlee Vance at NYT writes:

But most telling of all might have been the reaction of Michael Tatelman, Dell’s vice president in charge of consumer sales and marketing, to my question about whether or not Dell had an Air-like product in store. Mr. Tatelman’s mouth gaped open and his eyes darted away from my face.

The expectation is that the new line will be sleeker and cheaper than the MacBook line and will inject a little class into a traditionally staid and boring Dell line-up. Here’s hoping.

It’s every Mac fanboys wet dream to embed an OS X touchscreen computer inside their ride. When RIDES does a mobile Mac workstation though, it’s more of an Apple Store on wheels with – get this – two Mac Mini’s, a MacBook Air, iPod Touch, iPhone 3G, 20-inch Cinema display, along with a bunch of car audio wares all within the surprisingly sexy Hyundai Genesis sedan. Words cannot do this car justice though. Even if you are on the PC side of things, head over and check out the car anyway; it’s a work of technology art.

Well stuff a finger up my nose and call me stupid. The Apple Store is selling the refurb MacBook Air with 64GB SSD drive for $1,799. Since the laptop once cost a ball-numbing $3,098, it’s pretty clear that the SSD option was pretty much a failure. I just bought the older 80GB Air for reasons I will not go into here, but let’s just say that I’m pissed especially since the refurb models are $1,399 and $1,499 for the 80GB 1.6 and 1.8GHz models, respectively.

It’s just tradition that when a new, hot gadget launches, someone has to tear the sucker apart thus producing what is affectionately called circuit board pr0n. Besides the pretty pictures though, sometimes hidden details are uncovered as is the case with these new Apple notebooks. 

• Users will be able to service their own keyboards, but requires 56 screws just on the keyboard.
• iFixit’s sources claim that the entire unibody is considered one part. Could get expensive if you break just the keyboard.
• Lots of similarities in the MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air internal construction.
• The new MacBook and MacBook Pro share the same Panasonic SATA optical drive.
• These laptops are as beautiful inside as they are on the outside – isn’t that what your mom told you to look for?

• SSD drive increased in capacity to 128GB
• Processor now up to 1.86GHz with a faster (1066MHz) FSB and 6MB L2 cache
• GeForce 9400M 256MB video card (thank god for that)
• Mini Displayport instead of Micro-DVI (probably a smart move)

Very nice. I think people buying the Air are probably pretty Apple-committed, so the new display connector will be just dandy for them. It’s still short on ports, but you knew that. You’ll be able to get them in November.

Is your cubicle located on top of a pile of garbage? If so, you might want this USB-powered air purifier. The product’s manufacturer, Brando, says “We are surrounded by polluted air every day. Wherever you may be, you will be breathing in the nasty polluted air.” Gee, that’s inspiring. So what should I do, Brando? Got any bright ideas?

“This USB Ionizer Fan with Aroma Diffuser is designed to refresh your environment by purifying the air, eliminating odors, particles and pollutants. Just plug it into your computer via the USB port to get fresh air all the day. It can refresh the air at home, office, car, etc.”

Ah, perfect. Thank you. Surely this device costs hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars, right? Wrong again. It’s $19 and can be powered by three AA batteries or via USB.

Product Page [Brando]

Release

Yeah, fine. I’m a sucker for parody.

via CH

Pretentious? Have $29.95 lying about? You’re in luck!

Product Page

“All thin notebooks have compromises,” says Mr. Mossberg and we have to agree. Clearly the Air isn’t for all of us, but folks with a huge, nasty IT-department Dell will think of this as a breath of fresh “air.” Ha! Willie!

Back on June 20, I reported that there’d be new, slimmer MacBooks coming in October that along with being made from new materials would also feature some “speeds and feeds” updates to the internal components. Today, another “trusted source” told us this was correct and added that the iPhone’s multi-touch technology is theoretically supposed to roll out with all the new laptops, including those coming out in October. The feature will be built into the touchpads, allowing you to navigate through your notebook’s files, applications, etc. the same way you can on the iPhone. (Yes, I know you can already scroll with them, that’s nothing new. I’m talking about all the other finger gestures that can be done on the iPhone’s screen.)

There’s no reason to believe that Apple isn’t capable of adding this functionality and it would definitely be a sweet addition. Just having it for flipping though your iTunes Library and for zooming in on photos or docs or sites would be great. Here’s hoping this comes true.

Multi-Touch On MacBooks In October [CrunchGear]

Let’s start with the obvious: no optical drive. I don’t think I need to list the many things that are available in spinning disc format exclusively, and the idea that you should pack around an extra drive (however compact) or piggyback on someone else’s kind of defeats the purpose of having an “ultraportable” notebook. I don’t use my drive that much, but in fact it’s indispensable even when I have enough USB drives to fill all my pockets.

Next, the processor. It’s fantastic that they’ve managed to micro-size the Core2 Duo, but for any kind of serious work — video and audio editing, watching HD video, playing games or emulating Vista for work — even my MacBook Pro is barely pulling it, and it’s got the Air under its thumb processor-wise. Not to mention that RAM is totally un-expandable; serious Photoshoppers will spend a lot of time waiting while they use that nifty multi-touch to zoom into their 400MB uncompressed PSDs.

And the inputs. One USB, one Franken-DVI. Hope you like plugging and unplugging things! It says it’s built for the wireless world – yeah, okay, but that world is make-believe right now. Sure, you could bring a hub along, but this goes along with the earlier complaint: what’s the point of a mega-portable laptop if you have to bring along a whole support team? It’s like a ditzy model-actress’s entourage: you just want to take the girl out, but she has to have her make-up guy, her photographer, her PA, and she’s totally incapable of doing anything on her own.

And lastly, let’s be honest: did we really need things to get that much thinner? My MBP is a great size, not too heavy, and it’s thin enough that there’s quite a lot of leftover room in the laptop compartment of my bag. The Air is whisper-thin but it does still weigh three pounds and its not like you can fold it up and put it in your pocket. What is losing that last half an inch doing aside from attracting stares?

There’s no doubt in my mind that a lot of people will buy this laptop, but its capabilities are really more in line with the Eee PC than a MacBook, and the Eee costs thousands less and actually is ultraportable. The price point is so far removed from this machine’s potential that it makes the iPhone look like a bargain. I’m glad Apple is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with current PC tech, but right now this computer looks like a bit of a lemon. A sexy lemon, though.

Edit: Apparently I’ve stirred up the hive, so I guess I need to address this one point more clearly. (I already did in a comment but who reads ‘em?)

The MacBook Air is not a subnotebook. The Eee and Everex, and Redfly are subnotebooks. They are tiny, basic, and are designed from the ground up to be micro-sized and limited. The Air is trying to be a regular notebook but failing – what Apple has done is take a regular notebook and flatten it (very well I might add), while simultaneously crippling it. Everything about it is a compromise except the width, and even the width doesn’t make it small; a real subnotebook is more than thin, it’s small in the other ways too. It may be thin, but with a 13.3-in. screen it’s not going in any cargo pockets. Look, it’s a sexy little thing but at that price it’s an atrocity and it is not a subnotebook or ultraportable. Sorry, but size, price, and hardware put it in budget laptop territory, and it’s simply not competitive there except in sex appeel. (Sexy lemon — get it)