Apple shipped a few MacBook Air units to its retail stores Friday, leaving the scant supply to mainly serve as in-store demo units. While our SSD model remains on order pending shipment, we managed to snag the one of the few available HDD-based units from one of the company's San Francisco outlets and have set to work on an in-depth review of its ins and outs.
The folks over at iFixIt are the first to issue an illustrated report after having completely torn-down their HDD-based MacBook Air. Some photos and notes from their efforts follow.
Apple Store customers who were amongst the first to pre-order the new MacBook Air following its debut earlier this month have informed AppleInsider that their notebooks are starting to arrive — a full day early. Meanwhile, there is now confirmation that the first SSD-based models have also shipped.
Tech enthusiasts like to argue about whether Apple is a really a software company or a hardware company. Its earnings reports make it clear the company generates its revenues through selling hardware, but its unique software adds much of the differentiated value to its products. The MacBook Air is no exception, leveraging new software assets such as Remote Disc, Remote Install, and a specialized Migration Assistant.
Without a built-in optical drive or a user-replaceable battery, the MacBook Air requires several unusual solutions that may stymie experienced Mac users — including special tricks for resetting the SMC and installing Boot Camp. Apple's new support documents reveal these and more.
Apple said Wednesday that it has started to ship the first batch of its new ultra-thin MacBook Air notebooks, but added that it will need a bit more time before rolling out its much-anticipate Apple TV "Take 2" software update.
Much to their excitement, several Apple Store customers are waking up this morning to find confirmation emails indicating that their hard disk drive-based MacBook Air notebooks have shipped.
With the first review units of the base configuration MacBook Air making their way to a handful of privy publications Thursday, several previously reported details — such as the ease in which the notebook's battery can be swapped out — are seeing further corroboration.
Apple has seeded journalists at three of the nation's most widespread publications — The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Newsweek — with early MacBook Air review units. The first reviews from these publications began cropping up earlier this morning. A detailed summary of each review, and some observations, follow.
At last year's Macworld Expo, Apple's dramatic unveiling of the iPhone divided the world into two camps: those who were excited about the state of the art being pushed, and those who were irritated that Apple was the one doing it. This year, the role of the iPhone is being played by Apple's new MacBook Air.
Apple is discussing bringing the iPhone to Thailand, local carrier Advanced Info Service says. Also, British carrier O2's iPhone sales may be low but have tripled store activity, while Japanese press got the world's first taste of unpacking the MacBook Air.
The exclusivity of Apple's new multi-touch trackpad to the company's MacBook Air family of notebooks won't last long, AppleInsider has learned.
Due to its ultra-thin profile, Apple's new MacBook Air was designed with an integrated 37-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery that is not user-replaceable. Though this has caused some initial concern amongst potential adopters, AppleInsider has learned that the replacement process is quite trivial.
Apple's new MacBook Air subnotebook raised eyebrows by using a mysterious new, ultra-compact Core 2 Duo processor. New research, however, reveals it to be a blend of old and new technology designed to make few sacrifices.
Taiwanese notebook manufacturer Quanta Computer has been awarded the contract to build Apple's new super-slim MacBook Air, a deal which will push the Mac maker's share of Quanta's yearly output beyond 20 percent, according to a published report.
After hoisting teaser Macworld Expo banners of "something in the air," it seemed likely that the slogan would be an allusion to wireless networking. Instead, Steve Jobs exhaled the MacBook Air, a new ultra light laptop widely rumored in advance to be the star of the show.
Wall Street's usual suspects have started to weigh in on Apple's Macworld announcements, with most speaking favorably of what company chief executive Steve Jobs laid out on Tuesday. However, at least one analyst was skeptical about the potential for the new MacBook Air.
In a pair of interviews following his Macworld keynote address on Tuesday, Apple chief executive spoke of his firm's two-year initiative to develop the world's thinnest notebook and also weighed in on the iPhone in China, Amazon's Kindle and Google's Android mobile platform.
As was first reported by AppleInsider last February, Apple's new MacBook Air lacks a built-in optical disc drive, meaning users will need to perform backups and software installs using two new wireless solutions or with the help of the company's new MacBook Air external Super Drive.
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Prince McLean
AppleInsider Staff
Katie Marsal
Kasper Jade
Daniel Eran Dilger
Slash Lane
