Apple Macbook Air Notebooks

[Drew Aitch]

Hi Forum

I've always had Windows OS along with Microsoft Office products, yet I've also been interested in Apple Macs too but have never taken the plunge. One of the reasons is because they've always had certain limitations for the uses I need. However, it seems that these days (from what I've read), that most of what you can do on a PC, you can also do on a Mac. Is this correct?

For example, I need access to all popular browsers because I build my own websites and have to cross-browser check new pages in IE, FF, Google Chrome, and Safari. I have access to all of these with Windows.

It's really hard to get an Apple geek to find fault with their machines, especially when making comparisons to Windows. So I'm just wondering if there are any Apple lovers here that dare to report on any disadvantages of owning apple computers ,or is it really nothing less than seamless computing in your eyes?

I'm not quite ready for a new notebook, but I have to say I'm becoming increasingly more interested in the new range of Apple MacBook Air notebooks. Most reports I've read online are glowing, but a few common dislikes are that there is no replaceable battery, the machines get incredibly hot, are slow to charge, and lacking in ports.

Other than the above, are there any folks here that own one of these ultra slim technological marvels who can give some impartial feedback on it?

Thanks in advance

Aitch

[mistakurtz]

They are great; sexy and powerful. But they don't have a built in optical drive. I woudn't care about that, but you might.

[VerbalKint]

no more IE for mac, but you can check your pages on http://browsershots.org/ or run the windows version on parallels (http://www.parallels.com)

[Jebhead]

I've recently made the switch, got an iMac about 6 months ago - love it so also bought myself a MBP 13" for when i travel - also love it...

Takes a little getting use to but not long...

I'd never go back to windows although i do have to use one at work!!! switching between both OS's is no big deal...

iMac runs a bit hot / no problems with recharging battery on MBP ( very long battery life )

JH

[boney]

I got a macbook pro about a year ago and never looked back. I got an 1mac 27" 6 months ago, awesome

I have windows 7 installed on my MBP 15" and run (when rarely needed) seamlessly without having to reboot. I would save a little longer and get a MacBook pro if I were you.

As with any apple stuff, its quality, you will get a longer life out of it. There are video tutorials on apples web site for how to run and get the best out of your mac.

I can use firefox, chrome, and of course Safari, if I have to use IE i can run windows. If you ever do go with parallels then do not go with bootcamp or you will have to reboot overtime.

But that is depending on what you want.

So save your pennies and for the MBP not the Airbook due to the port limitation and lack of HD. (thats just my recommendation) Nothing wrong with the Airbook depending on your needs. You may wan to consider an IPAD when the new one comes out with a usb port. if you really want to go that way.

[nikster]

I think MacBook Air getting hot is a thing of the past, BTW. The old ones did get super hot, but newer ones run with cooler CPUs?!

My MacBook Pro doesn't even get warm under normal use - and it's silent. Fans kick in and things warm up only when either playing games that are CPU intensive, or re-encoding videos.

[Jebhead]

Boney,

How hot does you iMac get? mine is normally runs pretty hot all the time. I mentioned it to the people in the iStudio store and they said not to worry about it but a second opinion is always good....

Thanks

JH

[Drew Aitch]

Thanks for all the replies guys

I actually thought no one had responded to my post because i ticked the box for instant email notification, but none came through. Good job i decided to pass through regardless

As i was reading through the thread, i had a bit of a think of my normal usage, and it is as follows:

# Using Normal MS Office Applications

# Using FlashFXP to FTP files

# Various SW programs to do Internet Marketing (will have to check those for compatibility)

# Regular work with Dreamweaver

That's about it off the top of my head. I'm sure there's a bit more, but for now, that's all i can think of regarding main usage. As for ports, i currently use 2. One for the the notebook cooler pad, and the other for cordless mouse. I also have an external hard drive that plugs into a USB port, but as it's not constantly connected, it would be no problem to unplug one of the others while backing up the drive.

Btw, on the subject of backing up, can Apple notebooks be backed up to standard external drives the same as Windows, or is there a special compatible drive that would need to be purchased to clone the internal disk of a Mac?

Thanks once again.

Aitch

[mr3cho]

I've been using the 13" macbook air here for 3-4 months now and no issues of overheating. batt life is great. with wifi turned off and brightness turned down a bit, I get an estimated 9+ hours.

As stated earlier, you can install parallels and windows of your choice to test in IE.

As for backup...macbooks can backup to an external HD via usb using timemachine which comes with the OS without a problem. you may need to reformat the drive as OSX uses a different filesystem than windows.

I was a windows user for 8-10 years and then switched to macs about 4-5 years ago. I like mac/osx better. less problems, less crashes and the design seems well thought out. not to mention that the hardware and operating system is designed and developed by the same company.

[Rastaputin]

Bought a MacBook Air 13 Inch late last Year, latest Model.

I am more than pleased with the Hardware, but I still can't get used to the Mac OSX System.

After some tinkering I decided to go Windows with the Book.

I have now done the complete transition, only Windows 7 (64 Bit) is installed on the SSD Disc, I still have a macOSX 10.6 Installation on an external HD, which I use for evaluation and the occasional Firmware Updates.

With the Bootcamp Windows 7 Drivers installed, I can happily state that everything works as it should!

Negatives: Not really, but a few glitches:

* SSD Super Fast, but only 120 GB, and you can't replace with larger one.

* I am missing the LEDs showing me operational status, HD activity, and status of Wireless.

* Only 2 USB 2.0 connections, and no fast Data connectors at all: No USB 3.0, no Firewire, no ESATA, no Gigabyte Ethernet, nada nada.

* No wired Ethernet, and I can't get the (800 Bt) Ethernet to USB Adapter from Apple to run under Windows 7 64.

But, it is fast enough for me (including some Lightroom 3.0 RAW editing, and some Photoshop CS 5).

The Battery lasts 4 to 5 Hours

It is small and lightweight.

The screen is fantastic, bright, with good color response, and useful resolution (1440x900 or so ...)

The touch pad is really usable, after some getting to know it. Two fingers for scrolling, one finger for pointer movement, tap for left-click, two-finger-tap for right-click ... The first Windows Laptop i have had that does not require an external mouse!

[negreanu]

SSD Super Fast, but only 120 GB, and you can't replace with larger one.

You can check macsales.com SSD section. Upto 360GB SSD upgrades.