I've gone through more Apple computers--desktop, laptop, Power Macbooks, iBooks, iPads--since 1990 than I care to count. Out of all of them my favorite was easily the previous Macbook Air (the flash memory model). Forget about the specs. Once you get your hands on one of these, the specs on paper mean nothing. Suddenly every other Mac product seems clunky, overly hot and heavy. The Air is the only model I want to use, and actually do use--day after day. And in no time at all I discover how little use I actually make of a built-in CD/DVD drive or an extra USB port. (Granted, there are times you'll want to insert or burn a disc. I've had better success with $40 non-Apple external drives--currently, a Samsung--than with the Superdrive that Apple makes available for the Air at twice that price. Discs have a tendency to get stuck, and Apple leaves you no provision for mechanically ejecting a jammed disc.) As for a single USB port, a seven-buck 4-port Belkin hub solved that occasional limitation in an instant, though that may no longer be necessary since Apple has provided 2 USB ports, one on each side (the 11" model lacks the 13" model's SD card slot, which makes sense since those preferring the smaller model are less likely to be attracted to it for video/audio storage and editing).
The only product I was awaiting from Apple was a quality "netbook," so what did they do? They produced the wildly popular iPad, which I barely use at all (for the grandkids' visit is about it). Why, I thought to myself, couldn't Apple at least include a keyboard with it and put a cover on it? Well, they did--and they have delivered in spades with this most recent MacBook Air. If you want all of the features of a conventional Macbook minus the weight, look at the 13", slightly more expensive, model. If you want the lightest, most practical machine available (for a writer--not a film editor or audio engineer), stick to the 11.6" model--and be sure to ignore the specs that suggest the common entry-level Macbook is faster, more powerful, etc. When it comes to the "unmeasurable" qualities, the immense satisfaction of writing with a full-sized keyboard on a featherweight machine, the Air is in a league of its own. (I tried a couple of non-Apple "netbooks" and sent them back because they felt like plastic toys made for munchkins.)
The one thing I didn't like about the previous Air--and it cost me in time and money--was the ill-conceived design of the hinges attaching the two halves of the machine. If you knicked one, the entire mechanism began a slow process of erosion, eventually affecting the entire internal circuitry of the machine and leading to repair costs practically equal to the price of the new Airs (the original flash drive models cost over 2 G's). Thank goodness Apple has re-designed the hinge mechanism, making it possible to open the cover some extra inches and without fear of damage to the hinge, the machine, or the user's wallet.
Battery life on the previous model was noticeably limited, especially to someone like me who likes to run a bright screen. The extended battery life of the new Airs (again, the 13" model's is "more" extended) makes it practical to leave the AC adapter at home--maybe for the entire day. Also, speed and graphics resolution, which I thought could not be improved upon, are better than the first model, both seemingly as good as it can possibly get. (Admittedly, the extra time is due, at least in part, to my not using an Air for storing photos, audio and video files and messing with gizmos like "Face Time.") The onboard sound is 50% better, with greater frequency range and authentic stereo sound rather than a single tiny speaker.
The concessions Apple has made for an improved Air are almost too insignificant to be worth mentioning. The machine no longer has the curved edges, which required a cute little trap door that you flipped open in order to connect a USB item, external audio device, or video display. Also, the keyboard itself no longer has backlighting, which was marginally useful at best (since the light could not shine through opaque keys).
Since I've made a couple of references to advantages of the 13" model, I'd better insert here that, as lightweight as it is, it still feels like a tank compared to the 11.6" model. Or to put it another way, the 13" Air is to the 11.6" Air what a conventional Macbook is to the Macbook Air. If I needed a 13" Air, I could probably still live with the first model if the price were right. The excitement, the break-through, the most desirable model, it seems obvious to me, lies with the new 11.6" Air, which is even priced lower than its bigger brother.
Finally, configuration and price. Even with the educational discount from Apple Store, Amazon's is overall the better deal. I probably would be happy with the Mac Air's most basic, least expensive configuration (which brings the machine in at under a G-note). For some reason, Amazon has chosen not to offer through Prime the several different configurations available for this model, but it makes sense that most users are likely to order the pictured version with 128 gigs of memory rather than the standard 64-gig model. Because of my last bad experience with breaking an Air hinge (and, even before that, the previous Air that I received from Amazon arrived DOA) I know I "should" order the warranty. But if Americans did that for every item they purchased, we'd all be in deeper hock than is already the case. Besides, as a second release of what was formerly a new model, the Mac Air has by now had time to work out the bugs. If not, I've never had any problems returning a defective product purchased from Amazon.
They say that the time of the "Netbook" has come and gone. Maybe so, but that's just quibbling about names. I predict the current "iPad" and computer tablet craze will turn out to be the real fad. (You can watch videos on a TV, for Pete's sake, and as clever as some of the thousands of "apps" are, unless you're a committed, 24/7, life-time gamer, they soon lose their allure not to mention actual "use" value.) The Mac Air, which was so maligned upon its first appearance, is one of the most useful, well thought-out, carefully designed and assembled products Apple has come to market with. It's here to stay--and for good reason. Don't wait for Steve Jobs to convince you that you need one, as was pretty much the case with the iPad. This is one machine that makes its own case, and if you've read this far, you probably deserve to have it under your fingers the sooner the better.
[2nd thought re: the Apple warranty. There's no getting around the fact that the Macbook Air is more about convenience than savings. In fact, the necessity of having Apple replace a worn-out battery (it'll happen sooner or later) may be sufficient reason to purchase the warranty (Apple gives you a time-frame for doing so, should you have ordered the machine without the warranty.)]
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