The 13.3" MacBook Air Notebook Computer from Apple is an ultraportable notebook computer with a thin and lightweight design. Apple's engineers have leveraged the lessons they learned in designing the miniaturized iPad and applied them to the design of this 2.96-pound computer.
To say that the Air is svelte is all at once stating the obvious and understating the truth. The system is defined by its unibody aluminum enclosure. At its thickest point the computer is only 0.68" -- it tapers down to 0.11" at its thinnest.
The system is loaded with 256GB of flash storage rather than an old-fashioned hard drive. Flash storage doesn't just give you a lighter, thinner computer. It also allows for impressive battery life -- up to 12 hours of web browsing and 30 days of standby time.
The MacBook Air is housed in an aluminum unibody enclosure, which is as strong as it is light. Because it is cut from a solid block of aluminum, the housing is stronger than those found on laptops built via traditional means.
At 13.3" in size, the 16:9 display features a native resolution of 1440 x 900. It features a glossy finish and LED backlight technology for enhanced image quality and energy efficiency.
Computers in the MacBook Air's weight class are most often classified in the "netbook" category. Netbooks typically feature less-than-full-size keyboards, cramped trackpads, and low-powered CPUs. Not so with the MacBook Air. This computer features a standard-size backlit chiclet keyboard, the same as on the larger computers in the MacBook line. It also has a large multi-touch glass trackpad, giving you full control over your computer -- without sacrificing ergonomics.
The computer is powered by a dual-core 4th-gen, low-voltage Haswell 1.3GHz Intel Core i5 processor and has 4GB of onboard 1600MHz LPDDR3 RAM. Graphics are provided by integrated Intel HD Graphics 5000. The computer features all the amenities you expect on a Mac -- a FaceTime HD webcam, dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi (also compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0 and built-in stereo speakers.
iLife, a complete suite of digital creativity applications, is installed on the system. Easy enough for anyone to use, iLife will help you edit your home movies, organize digital photos, and compose original music.
This MacBook Air comes with a Mac OS X operating system preinstalled, which features a user-friendly interface. The Mac OS X features Time Machine backup, which automatically backs up system data to an external hard drive. It also features natural scrolling, the Launchpad application launcher and support for full screen applications. Mission Control combines the functionality of Dashboard, Exposé, and Spaces -- giving you a bird's eye view of everything that is happening on your computer.
The Auto Save feature on the MacBook Air ensures that you won't lose data, even when you forget to save a file. The OS tracks different versions of your documents, so you can go back to a previous draft of a document with ease. AirDrop makes it easy to transmit files wirelessly between computers, even if there is no central Wi-Fi network available. The revamped Mail application takes full advantage of modern widescreen displays.
And of course, you can expand the functionality of your computer system by browsing through the multitude of productivity applications, games, and other software that is available for purchase from the Mac App Store. Because the software in the store is curated by Apple, you can be sure that it is free of malware and safe to use. And, like the iOS App Store, you'll automatically be notified when updated versions of your favorite programs are available for download.
Design
Thin, Light, Durable. Thank You, Flash Storage
Flash storage helps make MacBook Air incredibly thin and light - under an inch and as little as 2.96 pounds. Flash storage uses solid state technology, meaning there are no moving parts. No moving parts means flash storage is more reliable, durable and quiet than traditional hard drives. And it takes up much less space than a traditional hard drive - about 90 percent less, in fact. That creates room for other important things, like a bigger battery. So you have a notebook that weighs almost nothing and runs all day long. Now that's mobility mastered
The Best Way to Multi Touch on a Notebook
Multi-touch technology is an essential part of Apple products. It's an immersive way to interact with your devices. And the optimal way to experience Multi-Touch on a notebook is through a trackpad. That's precisely the case with MacBook Air. The trackpad's spacious, all-glass surface doesn't have a button because the whole thing is the button. And with multi-touch gestures in Mac OS X, you can interact with MacBook Air in ways that feel more intuitive and realistic than ever before
See Your QWERTY in Lights
Anyone can try to make a notebook that's thin and light, but success comes in doing it without cutting corners. That's why MacBook Air features a fully featured keyboard that's just as comfortable to type on as a desktop keyboard. And the keyboard is backlit, so you can type in low-light conditions with ease. A built-in sensor detects changes in the ambient lighting and adjusts the keyboard and display brightness automatically, giving you the perfect illumination in any environment
A Battery That Can Get You Through the Day And the Month
Thanks to smaller components such as flash storage, Apple is able to allocate space for a bigger battery. And when the goal is to design the perfect notebook for everyday use, giving priority to the battery just makes sense. With the MacBook Air, you'll get up to 12 hours of battery life or up to 10 hours when watching iTunes movies. Put MacBook Air to sleep for more than 3 hours and it enters standby mode. That means you can come back to MacBook Air up to an entire month later and it wakes in an instant. Please note that battery life may vary depending on use
A Thing of Beauty and Durability
The MacBook Air features a unibody design for both the main enclosure and the display. Unibody construction means a higher-precision, less complex design with fewer parts. That translates to a notebook that's exceptionally thin and light, yet durable enough to handle the rigors of everyday use. In addition, MacBook Air offers innovations like the MagSafe 2 power connector, which breaks cleanly away from the notebook if you accidentally trip over the power cord
Features
4th Generation Haswell Intel Core Processors
MacBook Air is powered by the fourth-generation Haswell Intel Core i5 processor. This ultra-efficient architecture was designed to use less power and still deliver high performance. This means not only can you do whatever you want - you can keep doing it for longer than before. In addition, the new Intel HD Graphics 5000 offers up to 40 percent faster graphics - performance you'll especially notice with games and other graphics-intensive tasks
802.11ac Wi-Fi: Three Times Faster
MacBook Air now supports ultrafast 802.11ac Wi-Fi. When connected to an 802.11ac base station - including the new AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule - wireless performance is up to 3x faster than with the previous generation of MacBook Air. And your Wi-Fi range improves as well. With Bluetooth technology, you can connect MacBook Air to Bluetooth-enabled devices like speakers and headphones
A Display of Excellence
Corner to corner and pixel by pixel, the MacBook Air display is both an engineering feat and a design breakthrough. The display measures a mere 4.86 millimeters (0.19 inch) thin, yet its resolution makes you feel like you're looking at a larger screen. The 13.3" MacBook Air features a resolution of 1440 x 900 pixels. And LED backlighting makes colors bright and vibrant from edge to edge
720p FaceTime HD Camera
Let your friends and family see more of you with the 720p FaceTime HD camera. And the widescreen format means everyone can fit into the picture without having to crowd around the display
Dual Mics
The dual microphones in MacBook Air are great for when you want to be heard. If you're making a FaceTime call, for example, the mics reduce background noise from behind the notebook. And when you use Dictation, they create an adaptive audio beam that intelligently adjusts to detect your voice
Multi-Touch Trackpad
The Multi-Touch gestures in Mac OS X make everything you do on MacBook Air more intuitive, direct, and fun. And the spacious Multi-Touch trackpad is perfectly designed for them, whether it's a three-finger swipe to activate Mission Control or a four-finger pinch to see all your apps in Launchpad. Gesture responses are smooth and realistic. So when you're scrolling up and down a web page or swiping from one full-screen app to another
Performance
Dual-Core Haswell Intel Core i5 Performance
Fourth-generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors - based on the groundbreaking Haswell ULT architecture - give MacBook Air the power you need to finish the task at hand. The dual-core 1.3GHz Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.6GHz comes standard. In addition, the Haswell chips are much more power efficient, which means you're able to do all the things you love to do on a computer for longer than ever - up to 12 hours between battery charges. And with the Intel HD Graphics 5000 processor, you get up to 40 percent faster graphics performance
Faster Flash Storage
Part of what makes MacBook Air so responsive is that it's designed entirely around flash storage. Not only does this make MacBook Air much lighter and more portable than traditional notebooks, it also provides faster access to data. This next-generation flash storage is up to 9x faster than a traditional 5400-rpm notebook hard drive. And it's up to 45 percent faster than the flash storage in the previous-generation MacBook Air. So when you flip open MacBook Air, it's ready to go right away. Even after a month in standby mode, the screen springs to life
Thunderbolt and USB 3.0
With the lightning-fast Thunderbolt port, you can connect your MacBook Air to the latest devices and displays, like the Apple Thunderbolt Display. MacBook Air also comes equipped with two USB 3.0 ports so you can connect the latest USB 3.0 devices and all your USB 2.0 devices as well. With just a few connections, MacBook Air transforms from an ultraportable notebook to a complete workstation
Fast Memory
MacBook Air features 4GB of superfast, power-efficient 1600MHz LPDDR3 memory. Combine that with powerful processors and faster flash storage and you get a notebook that can run more memory-intensive applications at the same time - without compromising performance
Mac OS X
Hardware and Software Made for Each Other
Since the software on every Mac is created by the same company that makes the Mac, you get a fully integrated system in which everything works together perfectly. OS X works with the processor in your Mac to deliver the best possible performance. The Multi-Touch trackpad on every Mac notebook gives you more than enough space to pinch, swipe, and tap your way around most of the apps on your system. OS X gives you long battery life by dimming the screen in low-light conditions and even regulating processor activity between keystrokes
Interact with Your Computer in a Whole New Way
Tap, scroll, pinch, and swipe using Multi-Touch gestures, directly controlling what's on your screen in a more fluid, natural, and intuitive way. When you scroll down on your trackpad or Magic Mouse, your document scrolls down. When you scroll up, your web page scrolls up. When you swipe left, your photos move left. And there are many more gestures that make all you do on your Mac the best experience you can have on a computer
Easy to Use and Incredibly Powerful
From the desktop you see when you start up your Mac to the applications you use every day, everything is designed to be simple and intuitive. Of course, making amazing things simple requires some seriously advanced technologies, and OS X is loaded with them. Not only is it built on a rock-solid, time-tested UNIX foundation that provides unparalleled stability, it also delivers incredible performance, stunning graphics, and industry-leading support for Internet standards
Easy Access to All of Your Apps
Working and playing on a Mac is all about apps, so OS X makes it simple to find and open those apps fast. The Dock is a handy place on your desktop for storing and launching your favorite apps, and it makes switching between them a breeze. The Dock also includes Stacks, folders that give you quick access to documents, files, and downloads. Launchpad is a full-screen home for all the apps on your Mac. It lets you arrange them the way you want, group them in folders, and delete them with ease. And apps purchased from the Mac App Store automatically appear in Launchpad, so you can browse thousands of apps and start using the ones you buy right away
Find, Organize, and Share Files Fast
The Finder gives you easy access to all the files on your system. It lets you find, organize, and access practically everything on your Mac -- including applications, files, folders, discs, and shared computers on your network. You can sort files by kind, application, date modified, date added, or size. But with so many files on your computer, finding a specific one can be a challenge. Not on a Mac. Features like Spotlight and Quick Look make locating the file you're looking for effortless -- even if you don't know the filename. Say you're searching for a document, and the only thing you recall about it is the phrase "surrealist painters." Open Spotlight, start typing "surrealist painters," and your Mac generates a list of files that contain those words. And with Quick Look, you don't need to open an application to verify that you've found the right file - view a full-screen preview by hitting the space bar. Want to share a file with someone nearby? Just drag and drop to send it to the person wirelessly with AirDrop
See Everything Running on Your Mac. In an Instant
OS X offers system wide support for gorgeous, full-screen apps that use every inch of your Mac display. You can have multiple full-screen apps open at once -- along with multiple apps in windows. And it's easy to switch between full-screen and desktop views. Mission Control gives you a bird's-eye view of all your windows and full-screen apps, and allows you to instantly navigate among them
It Does the Saving for You
Say goodbye to the worry and the hassle of manually saving your work. Auto Save automatically saves your work, while you work, without you having to do a thing. Versions creates a new version of a document each time you open it and every hour while you're working. It saves only the differences between successive versions, so the impact on your disk drive is minimal. Just open Versions to see the current document next to a cascade of previous versions. You can copy and paste between versions or revert to an earlier version. And when you share a document, you share only the most recent copy
Highly Secure by Design
OS X doesn't get PC viruses. And with virtually no effort on your part, the operating system protects itself from other malicious applications. Because every Mac ships with a secure configuration, you don't have to worry about changing complex settings in order to stay safe. Even better, OS X won't slow you down with constant security alerts and sweeps. Apple responds quickly to online threats and automatically delivers security updates. And with FileVault 2 in OS X, all the data on your Mac is protected by powerful encryption
Built for Compatibility
The versatility and power of OS X help a Mac fit in just about anywhere -- including Windows networks. Want to transfer your files, photos, and other data from a Windows PC? OS X lets you do that easily. If you want to run Windows on your Mac, you can do that, too. OS X has built-in support for the latest version of Microsoft Exchange Server, so you can use your Mac at home and at work and keep all your messages, meetings, and contacts in one place. OS X works with virtually all of today's digital cameras, printers, and other peripherals without the need to manually download separate drivers. And it opens popular file types such as JPG, MP3, and PDF, as well as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents
Accessible Innovation
OS X comes standard with a wide range of assistive technologies that help people with disabilities experience what the Mac has to offer, including many features you won't find in other operating systems -- at any price. For example, built-in VoiceOver screen-reading technology, available in over 20 languages, makes it possible for those who are blind or have low vision to control their computers using key commands or gestures on a Multi-Touch trackpad. OS X also offers out-of-the-box support for more than 40 Braille displays (including Bluetooth displays) and many other accessibility features, such as dynamic full-screen magnification, playback of closed captions, and a scalable screen
Reliable from the Very Start
Just about everything you do on a Mac -- even upgrading to the latest version of the OS -- is safe and reliable. OS X checks your applications to make sure they're compatible and sets aside any programs known to be incompatible. If a power outage interrupts your installation, OS X can start again without losing any data. Best of all, upgrading doesn't require reformatting your drive -- you keep all your compatible applications, files, and settings. And if something goes wrong when you're using your Mac, Time Machine is there to restore your data if needed
Built-In Apps
iPhoto
iPhoto is an easy-to-use photo application that makes it fast and fun to organize and find your pictures, as well as make them look their absolute best. With features like Faces, Places, and Events, iPhoto helps you keep track of your photos by who's in them and when and where you took them -- all in an immersive full-screen view. Use quick and simple editing tools to make so-so shots picture perfect with just a few clicks. iPhoto even lets you share your photos with the world with beautiful photo books and letterpress cards or online via Facebook and Flickr
iMovie
Don't settle for boring home movies. With iMovie, you can transform the videos you shoot into your very own indie flicks. Create a Hollywood-style trailer that'll make your audience laugh, cry, and cheer for more. If you know how to drag and drop, you can make a movie in iMovie. It comes with Apple-designed themes that look fun and professional. Just choose one and iMovie does the rest, adding animated titles and sophisticated transitions automatically. Customize your screen gem further with your own words and audio
GarageBand
Whether you're musically gifted or mostly curious, GarageBand is the application for you. Plug in your electric guitar or USB music keyboard and get ready to rock with virtual replicas of the most revered amps and stompboxes in the world, as well as over 100 software instruments. Just because you didn't grow up learning your A, B, and C sharp doesn't mean you can't. Basic Lessons teach you just that: the basics. Choose from 40 lessons that cover blues guitar, rock guitar, classical piano, pop piano, and more. Or get a private lesson from one of your musical heroes, like Sting or Death Cab for Cutie, with Artist Lessons. GarageBand even tells you how well you're playing in real time with a feature called "How Did I Play?"
Mac App Store
Just like shopping the App Store on iPad, the Mac App Store offers endless possibilities to browse and purchase apps. Apps install in one step right to Launchpad. And the Mac App Store lets you know when app updates are available, so you always have the latest versions
Safari
Designed with the Mac in mind, Safari emphasizes browsing, not the browser. In full-screen view, the browser frame is only a pixel wide, and you can hide almost the entire interface if you choose. So there's nothing to distract you from an article, video, or photo album. Navigating web pages is easy with trackpad gestures -- flip through web pages with a swipe, and double tap or pinch the trackpad to zoom in on text or images. Safari also features Reader, which lets you peruse articles sans annoying ads. Or save articles for later with Reading List. And since pages render fast in Safari, you won't miss a minute of the web
Mail
Mail makes it easy to manage all your e-mail from a single, ad-free inbox. It features powerful search capabilities, with search suggestions and tokens built in. It works with most e-mail standards -- including POP3 and IMAP -- and popular e-mail services such as Gmail, Comcast, Time Warner, Charter, Cox, Yahoo! Mail, and AOL Mail. Mail supports Microsoft Exchange 2010, too. If you have more than one e-mail account, no problem. Add your accounts to Mail and you'll be able to access all your e-mail from one place.
And Mail looks as great as it works. It makes full use of your display with a gorgeous widescreen view featuring a full-height message and a message list that includes snippets. With Conversations, messages from the same thread appear in an elegant timeline showing each communication as it was sent while hiding redundant text
And Mail looks as great as it works. It makes full use of your display with a gorgeous widescreen view featuring a full-height message and a message list that includes snippets. With Conversations, messages from the same thread appear in an elegant timeline showing each communication as it was sent while hiding redundant text
Address Book
With Address Book you have a flexible and convenient place to store contact information for everyone you know. You can import names, numbers, addresses, and photos from other applications, create smart groups for clubs, activities, and business purposes, print address labels and envelopes, and more. It syncs to iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch so there's no need for duplication. And since Address Book is built on vCard, an industry standard for storing contact information, your friends can send you cards that you can add simply by dropping them in -- no typing required
Time Machine
Time Machine works with your Mac and an external hard drive or Time Capsule. Connect the drive, assign it to Time Machine, and start enjoying some peace of mind. Time Machine automatically backs up your entire Mac, including system files, applications, accounts, preferences, music, photos, movies, and documents. But what makes Time Machine different from other backup applications is that it not only keeps a spare copy of every file, it remembers how your system looked on any given day -- so you can revisit your Mac as it appeared in the past
FaceTime
FaceTime for Mac makes it possible to talk, smile, and laugh with anyone on an iPad 2, iPhone 4, iPod touch, or another Mac from your Mac. So you can catch up, hang out, joke around, and stay in touch with just a click. And when someone tries to reach you, the call rings through on every Mac you own, even if FaceTime isn't running. So you never have to worry about making yourself available. If you don't want to receive calls, just turn FaceTime off in preferences. FaceTime is integrated with your Address Book so you can initiate chats easily
Photo Booth
Take photo snapshots and video clips with your Mac using Photo Booth. Send them to your friends, use one as an iChat icon, add them to your Address Book, or organize and edit them in iPhoto. The real fun starts when you use the effects and backdrops in Photo Booth. Snap a photo of yourself at the Eiffel Tower or in outer space. Choose from nine effects that use facial tracking technology so effects look great whether you're front and center -- or left of center. Snap single photos or shoot multiples in a four-photo burst. You can even shoot video clips, complete with effects, then trim them right in Photo Booth and send them to friends and family. And since Photo Booth can be viewed full screen, you'll enjoy every detail down to the last pixel
The Mac Experience
Every Day Use
Every Mac is designed to make your life easier, not more difficult. The system ships with all the tools you need for e-mail, personal organization, Internet browsing, watching movies, and more. Its software and hardware are designed work to together seamlessly, eliminating the compatibility nightmares that often plague PC users. What's more, the MacBook Air can run Windows via Boot Camp, perfect for users who have a Windows-only application that they absolutely need to use
iLife
The included iLife suite is a suite of applications that help you organize your digital life. It includes iPhoto for photo management and editing, iMovie for HD video editing, iDVD to burn your movies to disc, GarageBand for music production, and iWeb for web publishing.
Secure and Reliable
Worried about viruses and malware? Don't be. The MacBook Air isn't plagued by constant attacks from the outside world. It is designed to be secure out of the box, eliminating the need for additional software to protect your system from danger. OS X will warn you if a downloaded file is potentially dangerous, ensuring that you don't accidentally open a malicious application. Apple responds quickly to any security threats, prompting you to download updates that keep your Mac up to date and safe
Environmentally Friendly Design
Apple understands that the Earth is our most precious resource. They've worked to create a computer that is energy efficient, free of many toxins, and highly recyclable. Because Apple designs both hardware and software, the MacBook Air is able to use a highly efficient power supply that reduces wasted power. The computer is free of mercury and arsenic, and its internal components are free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs). When the computer reaches the end of its long life, you can rest assured that it can be recycled. It is constructed from materials that are highly desirable to recyclers. The MacBook Air has been awarded EPEAT Gold status for responsible manufacture, energy efficiency, and recyclability
Tech Support
Have a problem with your Mac? Get support and advice at the Genius Bar, located at every Apple Retail Store. Apple also provides online tutorials, troubleshooting forums, and 90 days of phone support for users who aren't able to make it to an Apple store
Optional AppleCare
Apple provides 90 days of free phone support and a 1-year limited hardware warranty on the computer. You can opt to add an AppleCare Protection Plan, at additional cost, which covers support and repairs for 3 years from the date of purchase. AppleCare can be purchased at any time within the first year of ownership of the computer