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Nabaza.net-The MarketPlace - Apple MacBook Air MB003LL/A 13.3 Inch Laptop (1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive)
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List Price: $1,799.00
Our Price: $1,719.00
Your Save: $ 80.00 ( 4% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Apple Computer
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Personal Computers
Brand: Apple
CPU Manufacturer: Intel
CPU Speed: 1.6
CPU Type: Intel Core Duo
Display Size: 13.3
EAN: 0885909166312
Feature: 1.6 Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4 MB shared L2 cache; Intel GMA X3100 video processor with 144 MB shared memory
Floppy Disk Drive Description: None
Hard Disk Size: 80
Is Autographed: 0
Is Memorabilia: 0
Label: Apple Computer
Manufacturer: Apple Computer
Model: MB003LL/A
Modem Description: None
Native Resolution: 13.3
Processor Count: 1
Publisher: Apple Computer
Size: 80 GB ATA Hard Drive
Studio: Apple Computer
System Bus Speed: 800
System Memory Size: 2000
System Memory Type: DDR2 SDRAM
Warranty: 1 year warranty
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Features
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1.6 Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4 MB shared L2 cache; Intel GMA X3100 video processor with 144 MB shared memory
Thinnest, lightest MacBook ever includes multi-touch trackpad, built-in iSight webcam, and up to 5-hour battery life
One USB 2.0, built-in Wi-Fi (802.11n draft plus 802.11b/g), Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, Micro-DVI video output with adapters
Preloaded with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system and iLife '08 suite of applications
13.3-inch glossy LED-backlit screen; 80 GB hard disk drive; 2 GB of RAM (maximum capacity)
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Editorial Reviews:
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Thinnovation. Apple MacBook Air the thinnest notebook in the world.
At 0.16 inch at its thinnest point, just 0.76 inch at its thickest point, and a mere 3.0 pounds, MacBook Air is so compact and light that you can take it everywhere. But unlike other ultraportable designs, it doesn't compromise on features and performance. MacBook Air includes a bright 13.3-inch widescreen LED display, built-in iSight camera, 2GB of RAM, 80GB hard drive, and a powerful Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB L2 Cache. Enjoy also a full-size backlit keyboard with keys that automatically illuminates from behind in low-light conditions, and a spacious solid-state trackpad with multi-touch gesture that lets you zoom, rotate, swipe, and scroll with just a flick or a pinch. Engineered for the wireless world, MacBook Air also comes with 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, and Remote Disc to deliver unparalleled wireless versatility to use any Mac or PC storage drive. The MacBook Air battery is our thinnest ever, yet it doesn't compromise power. You can access the web wirelessly for five full hours. With MacBook Air, mobile computing is a sensible reality. 13.3 diagonal Glossy WXGA (1280 x 800) TFT LED backlit Display Built-in iSight camera and Microphone Built-in full-size keyboard with 78 (U.S.) keys, including 12 function keys; Solid-state trackpad Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 with up to 144MB Shared Video Memory Built-in AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi wireless networking (802.11a/b/g/n) Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR 1 USB 2.0 port, 1 Audio out, 1 Micro- DVI Pure digital video output -DVI output using micro-DVI to DVI adapter (included); VGA output using micro-DVI to VGA adapter (included) Approximate Unit Dimensions/Weight - 12.8 (W) x 0.16-0.76 (H) x 8.94 (D); 3 lbs MacBook Air SuperDrive (MB397G/A) optional
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Follows in the footprints of the iMac
Comment: I remember when my dad bought an iMac. a 333Mhz Graphite DV. The thing it was missing was unbelievable! How could you possibly function without a floppy drive! This computer will never make it. Fast forward 9 years. The MBA comes out with no optical drive. Sure, not the first laptop, but neither was the iMac without a floppy. Now we see, no laptop or desktop comes with a floppy of any kind. I do believe the MBA will do the same with the optical drive. It is really the one thing limiting designs of computers. Sure, you can be thin, but have to be at least six inches wide, to hold an optical drive. Flash should fix this problem. I can fit twice as much on a thumb drive as a DL DVD at a tenth the space. so on to the MBA. Any software or movie I want, I download over the internet. I have rarely needed the optical drive with this computer.
(+) I went from a Blackbook to this. All I do on my computer is surf the internet, check email, listen to music, watch movies/TV shows. This does it all. This thing is holding 15 gigs of music, 10 gigs of pictures, Spore, and I have 29.29 gigs free. Did I mention Spore? This thing runs Spore quite well. Someone said this thing is underpowered, have they actually tried doing anything on it, or are they just looking at the specs? Weight. This thing is light, but unlike an x300 or Sony TT/TZ, looks good doing it. Backlight. Beautiful screen, very clear and bright. Keyboard. Didn't think they could improve from the iBook keyboard, but they did with the Macbook, put it in the air and added backlighting. Perfect. Case. Sturdy, easy to clean, doesn't pick up fingerprints, though like the MBP, hurts Wifi. I can hook it up to my 1080p LCD, this thing will output 1920x1080 while watching Hulu, couldn't ask for more.
(-) No optical drive, one usb port, no ethernet, no firewire, non-replaceable battery, small HDD, poor graphics. If you put these under negative, than you are missing the point. Apple makes it pretty clear before you drop your hard-earned cheddar that it has none of these things. It is like saying you bought a new convertible, but you are disappointed it won't haul your dining room table. You know it is 4" off the ground and 2WD but still make a point that it can't go off-road. No sht. On to the real negatives. I cannot install boot camp without a Superdrive. I tried using an LG usb powered DVD burner that I bought with my EEE. Work great for everything on the air except Boot camp. Probably no firmware in the BIOS to run it. Hinge. Seems delicate, I have seen many a cracked in half MBA because people think this thing can lay flat. Ambient sensor. Too sensitive. In low light conditions, it constantly adjusts the brightness of the screen and keyboard. I realize I can turn it off, but it does work well in light and dark situations.
Other than that, excellent machine. I would recommend it to anyone who understands its capabilities as well as its limitations.
Customer Rating:
Summary: my mac book
Comment: I bought the mac book air for my son who started college this September . He is excited and very pleased with it . The only concern he has is that there is no internal CD/dvd drive so he had to buy an external one . That is perhaps due to the thinness of the machine.
The thing I like best about the machine is the weight ,esay to carry around and very thin . I will be buying one for myself very soon. To any one who carries a laptop this is the one for you and in the night or dark areas ,perfect with the lighted keyboard .
I cannot comment on its performance but based on looks and what my son says , this is the laptop to get .
Customer Rating:
Summary: Thin and amazing
Comment: I bought this laptop shortly after it was launched. I'm a college student and this was my first mac. I've always used windows since elementary. Let my start by saying that this laptop is amazingly portable. For years, I've waited for apple to release an ultraportable laptop. I was so eager to leave windows because of the crappy operating system and I always find myself waiting impatiently for my old sony vaio sz to boot because of all the antivirus programs that open before I can do anything further. However I've held back in buying a mac because the smallest laptop at that time is macbook which is an inch thick 5 lb notebook and that is not portable enough for me. After hearing the release of MBA, Immediately bought it. After 6 months of owning this laptop, I would say that it is the best computer I've ever owned.
Although the specs is not that impressive. I find my laptop fast enough to handle my needs. Also, its sexiness and thinness is always a plus. it's so light and thin that I don't notice much difference when I lug it around campus in my backpack. Also,the battery life is very good. I take notes with my laptop during school days and my friends are always amazed that my macbook air can last all day w/o me ever plugging it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Comment: I have been a mac laptop user for years and year, most recently with a Macbook Pro. In fact, I had switched to the macbook pro as my all-in-one computer for several years for work, home, and travel.
Boy, was that a mistake, and one that the Macbook Air has readily filled -- I now own an iMac at home, and use the Macbook AIr for travel and work. I just love it. It is so small and light, it makes no noticable difference in my carryon or work messenger bag. Even after many months of use, it still has the "wow" factor when people see it, something us Apple geeks truly thrive on...and it has all the features i need on the road.
I did break down and buy the external superdrive, because it is just so much faster than using the Remote Disk feature on the MBA. In addition, I found that I use the ethernet USB adapter more ofter than not, since it is suprising how many hotels in the US and Europe are NOT wireless -- order one with your MBA and spare the hassle. I think Cupertino must run on a different system, since wireless is an amazing idea that might work there, but does not work in 90 percent of the rest of america.
Still, the speed it good, I don't notice any major slowness, programs open zippily, run well, and everything just plain old works.
I read a lot of reviews before buying, and I have to tell you, I have experienced zero of the problems that some write about. I am very happy with this purchase.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Great until you need to restore from Time Machine
Comment: I have been the informal tech guy for two Airs. One for 8 months, one for 6 months. I have also traveled with them. They are generally wonderful, especially if the weight is a big factor. All other laptops seem heavy and inelegant. But ...
(1) If you ever want to use an ethernet connection to the internet (as opposed to wireless), then you have to bring the dongle that converts the one USB port to ethernet. For example, to check your office email at a Kinko's. Definitely buy it. You will want to travel with this and an ethernet cable, in case your hotel room has an ethernet connection and no (or poor) wireless reception.
(2) To do a quick full restore from Time Machine, you need BOTH an OSX disc (either Disc 1 that comes with the Air or an off-the-shelf OSX disc) and the back-up hard drive. But you only have one USB port and no firewire ports. The SuperDrive will not share that port on a USB hub (nor will it work on any computer but an Air). It is easy to back up with Time Machine to a small external drive. (We used a Western Digital Passport.) But consider using a Time Capsule or an external hard drive that has its own power supply. The powered external drive is not elegant, but if you ever need to do a full restore (and you might because your Air will lead a hard life, especially if it is a student's life), it will save you a couple of hours if you use a powered external hard drive. The SuperDrive that you can buy for the Air (and you should buy it, it is small and light) does not work from a USB hub. A powered DVD drive from another manufacturer (ours is from Toshiba) works on a powered USB hub. The WD Passport would not connect to the Air via a powered USB hub (at least through the hub I used, and that hub has had problems). But a powered WD MyBook external hard drive did connect to the Air via the powered hub. So use a powered external hard drive for your Time Machine backups, and if you need to do a full restore, get a powered USB hub and a powered external DVD drive with a USB output. The Apple Genius Bar might not have these. Note: See (11) and (12) below for alternate methods for a full restore, in one of which the WD Passport worked fine.
(3) The Genius Bar geniuses know a lot more about the MacBook than the Air because the Air is still relatively new.
(4) If you ever do a full "restore and erase" from the two discs that come with the Air, you need to know this: At the end of first disc, about 1.5 hours into the process, it flashes "Get ready to insert Disc 2." Then it reboots and eventually says "Installing. Calculating time remaining" and ejects the disc. It does NOT say "Insert Disc 2". If maybe you were not watching it for the entire first 1.5 hours, you would not have seen the message at the end of Disc 1 before the reboot. What it wants when it ejects Disc 1 is for you to insert Disc 2. Not very brilliant programming. Every two-disc Windows program and game says "Insert Disc 2 and press Enter." Not these install discs. I found out when I went to the Genius bar and the Genius restarted the install process. He went to lunch and I watched the computer for two hours (this is what I want you to avoid), so I happened to see the message at the end of disc one. It was a special moment in my life.
(5) Be careful where you put the Air and the SuperDrive. I heard of someone throwing out their Air with the Sunday paper. Might be an urban legend, but we lost a SuperDrive, possibly the same way.
(6) Backups to Time Machine are more likely to happen if you use a Time Capsule as a wireless router + external hard drive. You can also print through Time Capsule, instead of plugging the printer into the Air when you need to print. Be sure to have the printer plugged into the Time Capsule and turned on before you install the Time Capsule. Otherwise, you will probably need to call Apple Care to walk you through the re-install with the printer. Don't get off the phone until the printer works and Time Machine works, not just the wireless internet. For a student whose life is on the Air, I would definitely consider the Time Capsule an essential accessory to the Air. For someone who uses the Air as an occasional computer for travel and has her life on an iMac with an ethernet connection to the internet, the Time Capsule is nice but not necessary.
(7) Get a neoprene sleeve for the Air. Then when it is thrown into a backpack or briefcase, it will be safer. Also, in its sleeve on a desk it is less of an object of desire for thieves (in my humble opinion). After all these months, the Air is still eye candy (as you well know if you got this far in this review). Consider a color other than black, which is harder to see and find.
(8) I understand that the wireless antenna is in the hinge that attaches the screen to the body of the Air. So it is somewhat directional. Try sliding it around to get better reception. You can check the packet flow in the Activity Monitor in Utilities to see what works best.
(9) Wireless reception does not seem to be a strength of the two Airs that I use. The 4 MacBooks that preceded the two Airs in our lives seemed to get more consistently good wireless reception. This is a shame, because the Air depends more on its wireless than the MacBooks, which have real ports. In future generations of the Air I hope that Apple finds a way to get the best possible wireless reception for the Air.
(10) The 80 GB hard drive in the Air is not big enough for a student's life if the student likes to store music and videos on it. An outboard hard drive is a distant second-best solution. (I liked the WD Passport for this, since it does not need external power and it is small, reliable and travels well. Consider wrapping it in bubble wrap in your backpack or briefcase. USB power is enough for this drive since you will not be doing a full Time Machine restore from this drive. To backup the stuff on this drive, you will need another solution, which might be Time Machine on the Time Capsule. Update: I attach the WD Passport and the printer to the USB port on the Time Capsule with a USB mini hub (not a powered hub), store videos on the Passport and back up the Air and Passport with Time Machine to the Time Capsule's hard drive. I wish the backup was not in the same room as the backed-up drives, but it is a lot better than no backup.)
(11) It is easy to connect the Air to another computer to use the other computer's CD or DVD drive. You need a good wireless connection for both computers. The Air asks the other computer for permission each time, and the other computer has to give permission each time. I connected to another Air and could use the SuperDrive on the second Air. I have heard of people using this as a way to access the OSX DVD when they do a quick full restore from Time Machine to the Air. I tried, could connect, but could not do a quick restore this way. The problem was that the both the OSX disc and the original Disc 1 that comes with the Air cause a reboot. After the reboot, the Air could not see the DVD drive in the other computer. End of quick restore process.
(12) Update: To do a full restore from Time Machine to the Air: Do an Erase and Restore with the start up disc or an OSX disc. Two hours later, when this is DONE and you have a fresh computer, it asks if you want to restore from a hard drive using Time Machine. THEN you start the restore. (At that point the restore process is finished with the DVD and you can unplug the SuperDrive and plug in your external hard drive, whether powered or not. The WD Passport worked fine to restore at this point in the process.) The whole process (including the restore from Time Machine) takes many hours, but it works great and you do NOT need a powered external DVD drive; the SuperDrive works fine for this. This waste of two hours (for the erase and restore) is the cost of a small, light computer, I guess. Now you know, too. I hope this saves you from the frustration that
I experienced.
Given all that, every Air owner I know would buy another one if they lost theirs. None would go back to a MacBook. (I do know people for whom the weight is not a big issue and who want more horsepower and ports and sometimes screen size, especially for games. They are happy with their MacBooks as their main computers.) Except for the wireless reception, the problems of the Air are problems for the tech person, not so much for the day-to-day user. Which is a good design choice.
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