Yes, benchmark results are important, but the 11-inch MacBook Air just feels fast, especially when it comes to waking up from sleep mode. That $899 system's Core i7 CPU helped it notch a whopping 3,742 in GeekBench, better than even the 13-inch MacBook (3,685) and MacBook Pro (3,686). Still, other ultraportables have beefier processors, including the 11.6-inch Acer Aspire Timeline 1830T. In the GeekBench test, for example, the Air scored 2,159, which is nearly 900 points higher than the Asus Eee PC 1215N. Some might reasonably expect a low-voltage Core i5 or Core i7 CPU and more memory at this price, but these components-in combination with the 128 GB of all-flash storage and Nvidia graphics, give this ultraportable plenty of muscle for running Mac OS X Snow Leopard. The 11-inch MacBook Air features a 1.4-GHz Core 2 Duo processor and 2GB of RAM. Overall, this ultraportable offers a stellar ergonomic experience. A three-finger swipe let us zip through pictures in iPhoto. Pinch-to-zoom worked well in iPhoto and Safari, and it was a cinch to minimize all open apps with a four-finger swipe downward. It also integrates well with Mac OS X Snow Leopard, allowing users to execute all sorts of multitouch gestures.

The only bummer is that the keys aren't backlit that's the price you pay for such a slim profile.Īpple leverages its extra-large glass touchpad to full effect on the 11-inch MacBook Air, which provides pinpoint accuracy and a smooth navigation experience. The arrow keys are a bit small, but we had no trouble using them. You'll also find a power button in the upper right corner.

As per usual with Macs, the layout includes dedicated keys for adjusting the volume and brightness, playback controls, and both Expose and Dashboard. We typed this review, URLs, and other notes rapidly on the chiclet-style layout while enjoying crisp feedback.

The display hinge is designed so that it doesn't tilt all the way back, but we still found this movement annoying.Ī good ultraportable keyboard will make you forget that you're using a smaller notebook, and the 11-inch MacBook Air passes that test with flying colors. This also happened when in a moving vehicle, especially when we hit bumps in the road or if the vehiicle slowed down somewhat abruptly. Our biggest issue with the design is that the lid on this Air sometimes tilted backwards when we picked the machine up.

Macbook 11 inch 2011