UK Shopping Online

So gorgeous
I love this machine! When it arrived it was even smaller than I remembered it in the shop. Plug it into a 21" widescreen monitor and add the bluetooth keyboard and bluetooth mighty mouse, and it makes an excellent desktop machine. Quickly whip it off the desk and stick it in the bag, and it's the most beautiful sub-notebook I've ever seen.

We run a suite of five Macs, and bought this one for someone who needs to run Parallels Desktop + Windows for total connectivity with the IIS network, but also needs to be able to access QuarkXpress and Adobe applications transparently in the same way the Macs use them.

We made our buying decision based on our own business requirements, which are naturally different from everyone else's. What thrills me is that this machine is perfect for requirements, but is also so gorgeous!

consider an ultraportable alternative
I know the hardcore Mac fans love this machine, and I'm not saying it's bad by any means. However, for those not absolutely wedded to the Mac OS, and willing to consider Windows, a great alternative for the same price range is the Toshiba Portege R500. I've had the predecessor model (R100) for a while, and am planning to upgrade to the R500 asap. It's advantages over the Air:

* Ultra-thin and LIGHTER than the air - only 998 grams!
* Has a built-in (removable) DVD R/W drive - something people have been complining about on the Air
* Has good general specs (memory, HDD, WiLAN, ports, etc)
* Comes with either SATA or SSD drives - depends on whether high capacity or low power/mobile robustness is your priority

My R100 (lower spec that the new one) is a fabulous machine - built to the kinds of standards one would expect of Toshiba; has great battery life - also has optional extra batter that clips on the bottom of the unit, and gives up to 8 hours use! I use my machine a fair but while travelling, and it's perfect - size, weight, performance and reliability. I hope Tosh carry on producing this range for years to come - I'll never bother with anything else!

So, before plunging for the Air, why not consider an alternative?!

Brill! But a mistress not the master when it comes to Apple laptops
I have been a user of Apple for over 18 months having lost my cool with the endless crashes and poor launch of Vista proving to me Gates & Co were losing it. I started with the Mini Mac, buying a Mac Book and an i Mac in the short period afterwards and I cannot get my kids off them now at home!

All that kept me going with a Windows system was I needed an ultra-portable laptop given my travel by air a lot and the Sony Vaio I had was fine for this purpose. With the launch of the Air I at last had the missing piece.

After 6 weeks using with the 1.8 Ghz upgrade, I am very satisfied and suspect I will never be going back to Windows based laptops. I do not propose to repeat others comments on its features but would comment on a few aspects that any buyer should consider:

1. The item as with all Apple models is beautifully designed. Be prepared to invest in a safety sleeve for travel and avoid scratching the aluminum cover - I found the Huzzk range the best for the job with their "open up and zip around" and rubber stud design cover design perfect for this model.

2. The case being aluminum does get heated especially when resting on top of your knees! Another reason for buying a travel sleeve and investing in one which is thick enough to help on this point - again a reason why the Huzzk range was my choice.

3. The comments on battery replacement are lacking in understanding that when traveling a lot the key is being able to carry and insert a spare battery. However technology moves on and I have offset this problem by investing in the portable Power Monkey kit which is both small and light plus provides several hours power if a mains supply is not available.

4. On battery life the personal experience and many of the Apple magazine reviews are now also stating the same point, that the Apple batteries seem to take some time to build up to their maximum life/charge, so expect only just over a few hours in early days of portable usage. Whether it makes the 5 hours target remains to be seen but again the Power Monkey option addresses if needed.

5. However much people rave about the looks and the great Leopard OS, be prepared to accept this is an ultra portable and so speed, performance and storage will not be as great as larger Macs (including the Mac Books at cheaper prices) - that is not a criticism just the reality. The beautiful screen and excellent size and feel keyboard however leave all other ultra portables (including Sony Vaio range) in the shade.

Overall I am thus very satisfied and would strongly recommend this model long as you are happy with the above compromises - I just wish Apple in their publicity and claims would accept that in terms of comparability it cannot match the rest of their laptop range but as an ultra portable it is KIng versus the competition (hence my "mistress" title to this review!

More than I wanted, could not be happier
I got the MacBook Air as I needed a small laptop to take travelling. I have always used Mac and have always been very impressed by performance so knew this laptop would perform very well.

I can't get over how easy it is to carry round. I'm a small girl and can carry it round open on the palm of one hand and not feel the weight of it. So if I want to go to another room to get something and continue reading whats on the screen, I can do so and still have a free hand to open doors and carry other things! Another plus is I don't have to get some ugly laptop case. I have one of the neoprene cases that protects it when I shuv it in my handbag, fantastic until small handbags come into fashion again! When I go travelling it will be easy to carry in bags and not take up excess baggage weight so another bonus there.

Some people have commented about the lack of optical drive.I purchased the external superdrive which is simple to use and just as tiny so easily portable. If you don't want this you can link it through the wireless to a computer which does have an optical drive which is really simple. I did it with ease and I am rubbish at computers so i'm sure anyone can do it. I find I rarely have the need for an optical drive these days. I download most things and everything else can be transferred from my external harddrive or ipod.

Apples design has been a bit of a lifesaver too. This is the first time i have experienced the magsafe system and am amazed by it. It has saved my laptop from nasty falls many a time! Then there's the pretty major issue with viruses. I know from my previous experience that macs don't get viruses but still put them in stealth mode anyway incase someone trys to hack into it. I was recently targeted by internet fraudsters trying to obtain my bank details. Normally a painful process but one call to the specialist team at my bank and as soon as they heard the word Mac they told me not to worry. The systems these people tried to use didn't work because they do not work on Macs!

Some people have commented on price. I will never complain about the price of apple computers because it's money well spent. I bought my first Mac nearly 4 years ago and it still works to the same standard. It has never had any gliches or faults and is still worth a lot of money. I have always had exceptional service from apple in the stores. No matter where you buy the computer from you can take it in there and they will advise you on anything you want, whether it be adding something to your computer or a lesson on using a program.

When I put the experience I have had with mac against the experience I have had with windows pcs at home (my family have several windows pcs mainly from dell all of which have gone wrong several times and have recieved very poor service once leading to my mum nearly being electrocuted) and at work (daily calls to the IT dept for ongoing systems errors, the most recent of which on a computer which was rebuilt a month ago), I would chose mac everytime.

If you want a laptop which is easy to carry around and light on your lap, that performs to a high standard, this is the one for you.

Thin, but still a beast.
Consumer goods tend to be either functional or have the aesthetic wow factor, Apple are one of the few manufacturers who manage to achieve both.

Some people seem to focus on the fact that this has no optical drive, or just the one USB port, but this is a machine designed for someone who needs (or wants) an ultra-slim accompaniment to an existing set up. To be honest, with most data/software these days being transferred/downloaded over the net, and with the plethora of wireless options (well, WiFi and Bluetooth anyway!) transfer between machines can easily bypass the need for an optical drive. A card reader and a few memory cards are easier and quicker than CR-ROMs/DVDs any day! Also, instead of using third party software or complex virtual drive mapping, Leopard has "Back to My Mac" a simple remote desktop application built in so that if you're on a train (for example) - you can still access your home/office Mac. Yet another reason to not worry about the lack of optical drive, and speaking of Leopard...

Leopard is the best Operating System around, I'm a Tiger (OSX 10.4.x) user myself, and Leopard on this feels very much like an upgrade but retains the familiarity of the OSX range of OS's. This results in what was an already intuitive range of computers becoming even more user friendly.

The large multi-touch trackpad means that you'll get by without a mouse quite easily. Once you get used to the way you can use two fingers to zoom in and out and navigate in ways never dreamt of before using just a touchpad, you'll be comfortable leaving the mouse at home.

This is a fantastic computer, well designed and perfectly engineered - but unless an ultra-slim laptop is what you absolutely need, you'd probably be better off spending less on a MacBook, or even a MacBook Pro. That way you get more machine for your money, and although they aren't quite as slim - they are still incredibly thin machines and very nice looking.

In a nutshell - this is a nice machine, although you can get more for less money, if you specifically want a slimline laptop then this is probably the first thin laptop which is a solid performer. Normally ultra-thin laptops have poor specs, which is a shame as often such laptops are used on the move for work related activities - and a poor processor shows the strain when several applications are open at once, but you won't get that with the Mac Book Air. This is tiny but mighty. Leopard and it's components mean that you'll be good to go from day one. Macs are a joy to use, and this is no exception.