Apple MacBook Air 13-Inch

Apple does not mess with success . While that statement could easily be applied to any product from Cupertino these days , this is especially true of the MacBook Air , which has not seen a significant change in design over the years. While the ultrabook market has become very popular , the 13 - inch MacBook Air will continue to be one of the best thin - and - light laptops around , and model year ( $ 1,099 , as tested ) gets a hardware updates kept it in front of the pack , making it our Editors Choice ' for mainstream ultraportable laptop .


design
In an industry where the radical design can shift between the spring and the holidays of a single year , slim design unibody MacBook Air is almost exactly how it has been since 2010 . Indeed , the only visible difference between the new MacBook Air and the previous model is ... nothing . No external change to the chassis , and if you set aside the MacBook Air last year , good luck remembering which is which .

The aluminum unibody design is still very slim - 0.68 - inch at the thickest point , a once - impressive feat to have lost some of its shine , because some competitors lost Windows slimmer , such as Acer aspire S7 - 392-6411 ( 0.51 inch ) and the Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus ( 0.54 inches ) . But oh - so - portable MacBook Air is not exactly look heavy , either, weighing only 2.91 pounds . Again , some competitors decreased the weight down , but the difference in millimeters and fractions of an ounce is almost imperceptible .

Open up the slim laptop , and you'll be greeted by a familiar 13.3 - inch , LED - backlit screen . The display has a 1,440 -by - 900 resolution , with bright colors and a glossy finish that is a tad reflective , but offers deep blacks and colors that pop . The screen looks just as good as the last time we saw it , but there are two more elements to consider . The first is the resolution ; Spurred by the Retina display MacBook Pro Apple , competitors leave full HD resolution back , and have ramped up higher. The Samsung Book 9 Plus is a 3,200 -by - 1 , 800 , Quad HD + display .

The second element is related . Since the introduction of Windows 8 , the number of touch enabled Windows laptop - has really exploded , and it became a must - have features that most ultraportables and Ultrabooks . The MacBook Air does not offer touch , but it does not have . While Windows 8 touch interface pushes hard , Apple has not yet brought touch - screen capabilities on top of the Mac OS , making it exclusive to the iPad and iPhone . If you are a Mac user , you will not miss touch because you had it ; If you are more familiar with Windows touch- friendly , however , you'll only find it on the PC .

Apple does not mess with success . While that statement could easily be applied to any product from Cupertino these days , this is especially true of the MacBook Air , which has not seen a significant change in design over the years. While the ultrabook market has become very popular , the 13 - inch MacBook Air will continue to be one of the best thin - and - light laptops around , and model year ( $ 1,099 , as tested ) gets a hardware updates kept it in front of the pack , making it our Editors Choice ' for mainstream ultraportable laptop .

design
In an industry where the radical design can shift between the spring and the holidays of a single year , slim design unibody MacBook Air is almost exactly how it has been since 2010 . Indeed , the only visible difference between the new MacBook Air and the previous model is ... nothing . No external change to the chassis , and if you set aside the MacBook Air last year , good luck remembering which is which .

The aluminum unibody design is still very slim - 0.68 - inch at the thickest point , a once - impressive feat to have lost some of its shine , because some competitors lost Windows slimmer , such as Acer aspire S7 - 392-6411 ( 0.51 inch ) and the Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus ( 0.54 inches ) . But oh - so - portable MacBook Air is not exactly look heavy , either, weighing only 2.91 pounds . Again , some competitors decreased the weight down , but the difference in millimeters and fractions of an ounce is almost imperceptible .

Open up the slim laptop , and you'll be greeted by a familiar 13.3 - inch , LED - backlit screen . The display has a 1,440 -by - 900 resolution , with bright colors and a glossy finish that is a tad reflective , but offers deep blacks and colors that pop . The screen looks just as good as the last time we saw it , but there are two more elements to consider . The first is the resolution ; Spurred by the Retina display MacBook Pro Apple , competitors leave full HD resolution back , and have ramped up higher. The Samsung Book 9 Plus is a 3,200 -by - 1 , 800 , Quad HD + display .

The second element is related . Since the introduction of Windows 8 , the number of touch enabled Windows laptop - has really exploded , and it became a must - have features that most ultraportables and Ultrabooks . The MacBook Air does not offer touch , but it does not have . While Windows 8 touch interface pushes hard , Apple has not yet brought touch - screen capabilities on top of the Mac OS , making it exclusive to the iPad and iPhone . If you are a Mac user , you will not miss touch because you had it ; If you are more familiar with Windows touch- friendly , however , you'll only find it on the PC .

Although there is no touch screen , supports MacBook Air still all kinds of intuitive touch and gesture controls , by means of large , glass - topped , multi - touch trackpad . Apple trackpad supports all the tapping and swiping might want , and the clickable surface is no better option right and left clickpad than any we've seen on a Windows machine . The keyboard is also very good , with well- spaced chiclet - style keys , backlit with ambient light sensor that turns up the glow in darker environments . Some competitors have tried to improve the chiclet - style design with sculpted keycaps and different finishes , but the MacBook Air keyboard is very , very still .

A pair of stereo speakers stashed inside , pumping up sound through the keyboard . While listening to our test tracks of bass , Silent cry , by the knife , I have heard a fair amount of low - end , which is good , because the lack of a subwoofer or true stereo separation . In some other songs , the sound offered good quality at most volumes , although it did sound a bit shrill at max .