Apple developers, as a rule, change something in new products only when it is necessary for better functionality. This circumstance can explain the incremental and very impressive upgrade of the 13-inch Apple MacBook Air (available at a price of $ 999). While the device uses the same design with a solid aluminum case and many of the same components as its predecessors, the new gadget is complemented by one of the latest Intel Core i5 CPUs.
However, even with this modest improvement (and with the cost of last year’s base model), the Apple MacBook Air 13 is ahead of the competition in terms of performance and impresses with 17-18 hours of battery life. Thus, this device is today the best choice for everyday tasks common among medium-sized ultraportable laptops.
Design and specifications
The 13-inch MacBook Air has the following dimensions: 22 cm long and 32 cm wide, and its weight is about 1300 grams. The case narrows in thickness from 1.7 cm in the back to 0.5 cm in front. Other 13.3-inch laptops (such as the Acer Aspire S7-393-7451 , LenovoYoga 3 Pro, and Asus Zenbook UX305FA-ASM1) are slightly thinner and lighter, but you won't have any difficulty if you intend to wear an Apple MacBook all the time. Air 13 with you. The ultrabook has not only small dimensions and weight, but also a compact streamlined shape. Thus, you can easily place it in any bag or backpack.
Screen Resolution and Properties
Compared to today's widespread 1920x1080 or even higher resolution, typical for medium-sized laptops on Windows, the 1440x10900 in the MacBook Air seems relatively small, but this is only in theory. In fact, the screen looks contrasting and bright when using the gadget. This permission should be enough for everyday tasks, such as creating and editing office documents and working in a web browser. If you need a higher screen resolution, but you prefer only Mac laptops, you should opt for more expensive devices - an Apple MacBook with screen settings of 2,304x1,400 or the latest 13-inch model of Apple MacBook Pro with 2560x1600. Unfortunately, there is currently no option to achieve high resolution Retina Display in the Apple MacBook Air 13 - this will increase the cost and weight of the device, as well as reduce battery life. At the same time, for viewing video and reading text documents, such an indicator is enough, because what is displayed on the screen looks very clear.
Possible connections and available connectors
The built-in ports are no different from those on the previous model. On the left side of the device is a headset jack, two microphones, a USB 3.0 port, as well as a MagSafe 2 power connector. On the right side there is a compact SDXC card slot, Thunderbolt 2 port and another USB 3.0 port. At first glance, such opportunities for connecting components seem small, but today it is quite typical for devices of the ultraportable category, and this will be enough for many users. You will have to use an adapter to connect an HDMI cable or other connectors, but the Thunderbolt port works at a high level with a mini-Display Port without an adapter. Wireless connection is carried out using 802.11ac Wi-Fi, as well as Bluetooth 4.0, and provides high-quality and uninterrupted communication with the Internet or other devices.
Keyboard Features
The keys on the keyboard are backlit, and the rubber finish gives it a great look and makes it easy to use. Thus, typing is carried out smoothly and gently, without causing fatigue of the fingers during long work. There is an easy trackpad for multi-touch capabilities. Nevertheless, the trackpad lacks additional mouse button options that are present in other Apple devices - the 12-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook laptops, but support for these settings can be seen in most third-party applications. Like all Mac gadgets, the Apple MacBook Air 13 lacks a touch screen.
Specifications
Many users will agree with the statement that the Apple MacBook Air 13 Early would not hurt the availability of more RAM, since 4 GB by default is a bit low for an ultrabook worth $ 1,000. You can only upgrade RAM to 8 GB during the initial purchase, so it is advisable to consider in advance whether you should spend an additional $ 100 to support multitasking or multimedia projects. Flash memory is also relatively low - 128 GB, but this is a less important problem these days - online cloud storage is quite inexpensive. Fortunately, the system is completely protected from viruses.
RAM is based on PCIe, which makes it faster than SATA solid-state drives (SSDs) and flash memory on older ultraportable laptops. This helps to boot the system and applications in just a few seconds. MacBookAir comes with a one-year warranty, which puts it on a par with competing devices equipped with Windows.
Performance and multitasking
The gadget is equipped with an Intel Core i5-5250U processor (1.6 GHz) with integrated Intel HD Graphics 6000. As testing shows, the Apple MacBook Air 13 works very well when opening multimedia programs. Ultimately, the device appears to be acting much faster when performing multimedia tasks when compared with the Apple MacBook.
The results for 3D tests are predictably mediocre, given the integrated graphics. The operating system should work fast enough for such simple games as Diablo III, but GrandTheftAuto V, which requires high power, cannot be launched in high quality settings.
Battery life
Another indicator of the great performance of the Apple MacBook Air 13 i5 is its battery. With continuous use of the ultrabook, the battery lasts for 17 hours and 36 minutes. This is almost two hours longer than in the previous generation model. Unlike the MacBook Air, the longest running portable laptop on Windows - the Acer Aspire S7-393-7451 - does not require a recharge of only about 10 hours. Thus, you can watch the full Lord of the Rings trilogy on this device, and the ultrabook will still have enough battery power to watch the first two films of the Dark Knight trilogy. This is just a crazy amount of energy for a traditional laptop.
Conclusions and Final Verdict
In 2015, the 13-inch Apple MacBook Air 13 laptop overtook its main rivals on both the Mac and Windows. This is primarily due to its long battery life. The classic design of its case and mounts is one of the components that manufacturers of other ultraportable devices have been trying to emulate for the past 5 years with varying degrees of success.
Despite this, the original design still looks fresh. Its characteristics far exceed the parameters of a standard laptop. Thus, its high cost is fully justified, especially if you need to work with various programs daily and surf the Internet.
It has only 4 GB of RAM, however, by paying an additional $ 100, you can double this figure. Therefore, if you plan to regularly work in multitasking mode, it is advisable for you to make additional costs.
Given the high performance and, especially, the impressive battery life, the 13-inch Apple MacBook Air 13 MD760ru can be considered a gadget that offers more than enough features that are quite capable of driving its predecessor out of the market. Today it is the best choice among ultraportable laptops, despite its not at all low cost. In this case, it can be argued that you pay for excellent product quality.