It comes with 2GB but we had them add a stick to bring it to 4GB of RAM. The RAM inside this computer is DDR3 SDRAM.
As a result the computer feels very responsive, mostly because of the SSD, but the processor is not a bottleneck slowing the system down. So they Intel came up with a special chip that is both smaller than a typical Intel Core 2 Duo and runs on less power making it cooler and offering better battery life while giving the machine more power than a netbook. While it is complicated, the simple reason is Apple needed a fast chip that could run at lower temperatures and inside the extremely confined space of the MacBook Air. But there is a good reason for it.ĪnandTech is one of those very technical sites that specializes in this kind of thing and they have a great explanation for Apple’s choice. We were a little disappointed to learn that Apple did not put an Intel Core i3 processor in this machine. A 2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo is also available.
Of the two possible configurations, the MacBook Air we tested has the slower one with a 1.86GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. I usually have to pick up the mouse and replace it to finish the motion. I cannot move the pointer from once side of the screen to the other in one motion. The only thing negative I have to say about the mouse on this computer is that the mousing speed even cranked all the way to the maximum is not fast enough for me. The MacBook Air doesn’t come with a mouse, but I did review Apple’s Magic Mouse used with this computer. As someone who doesn’t like track pads, I find this one is easily the best I have ever used on any computer. Even large hands like mine could perform a four-finger swipe to bring up the application switching feature in the OS. Apple gives the user plenty of room to perform the OS X gestures. It is huge especially when compared to most PCs out there. I had no problems, once I got used to the keystrokes of OS X.Īnother really noticeable feature of this notebooks is the track pad. I am really picky about the keyboards that I use and this one is impressive.
While I struggled as a Windows user to adjust to the Mac keyboard layout and the lack of my memorized Windows shortcuts, typing on it was not a problem at all. The keyboard of the MacBook Air is the typical Apple island keyboard. Video looks rich and while I didn’t really play any games on it, because that is not what this is for, I am sure simple games able to run on integrated graphics cards would look good. I could position myself almost 90 degrees to the right or left and still read the contents of the screen.
For others using Mac OS X’s tweaking tools text can be enlarged and it will be quite readable on the sharp display. While I recognize that people with sight problems might struggle – with healthy eyes, everything looks crisp and sharp. At that level you would think that text would be hard to read. The MacBook Air display has a beautiful 13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with a really high resolution of 1440×900.