MacBook Air owners gather here and share your experience with the latest from Apple.

I just got mine from Machines, Sunway this evening. Only manage to play with it at 10pm due to horrendous traffic jams and have not been doing much except for installing some stuff so not much to say but here are some...

...First Impressions
1.0 RM6299. Ouch. No 2% rebate from Machines due to low margins, they say. Grrr. No free gifts. How about a manila envelope? Now that would be a nice gimmick.
1.1 Saw at least 2 other people buying the MBA in the one hour I was at Machines.
1.2 Didn't buy ACPP RM899 but will get it later. External Superdrive RM389. No other MBA accesories yet.
2. The packaging is small. A lot more iPhone-like than MacBook style. Black in colour.
3. It's light! It makes a lot of difference carrying my bag with an MBA instead of an iBook G4 inside. My shoulders have been aching lately due to carrying a heavy bag so hopefully this will help. This is my main reason for getting it.
4. It's fast(coming from an iBook G4). Well, as fast as a 1.6Ghz C2D can be. OK it's slow compared to my quad-core but I think it'll be good enough.
5. It's beautiful. You can always rely on Apple's industrial designers.
6. Remote Disk works. Well, only installed MS Office so far. Everything else were from disk images or downloaded from the net.
7. Wireless-N is not too bad. I got about 70-80 mbps copying large files.
8. Fits in MacBook 13.3in sleeves albeit loosely.
9. Cannot open the MBA with one hand.
10. Very solid construction. Made in China.
11. Speaker is loud. Sound quality is oklah.
12. The touchpad button is really narrow. I keep missing it. The huge multi-touch touchpad is well, a touchpad. Multi finger gestures are useful.
13. Screen is very bright and nice but viewing angle not so good. I think it's the same type of screen as a MacBook.
14. I can only open it about 3/4 way before the the bottom part starts lifting up. Maybe because it's new and the hinges are still tight.
15. Really tight around the USB port. Not much space at all.
16. No sleeves yet so I'm using a manila card folder to hold it. I gave it to a friend to hold onto while I unlocked the office door this morning and she didn't realise at all that she had a notebook in her hands.
17. I had it charged fully and will see how long it lasts throughout today.
18. So far only had to a use DVD or CD once so I guess the exclusion of DVD drive isn't too bad. Now going to install WinXP onto VMWare Fusion using Remote Disk. Will it work?
19. Just had a thought. RM6299 for the slowest Mac in the Applestore. Hmmm.

Loving it so far. Will have to see how much of a difference it makes once I start carrying it around.

Here some pictures of it. Will try to snap some better ones when there's more light.







This post has been edited by soonwai: Mar 29 2008, 01:35 PM

OMG!!

WOW!!

SPEECHLESS!!

ur a real mac lover

Soon Wai...Andrew here...When can I come over and play with it?? I haven't get my Macbook yet!!!

a pure iMan ... hahaha ...
nice macbook there .

There's already a MBA for your information. And I can open they MBA with one finger.

I can only open it about 3/4 way before the the bottom part starts lifting up. Maybe because it's new and the hinges are still tight. I'm sure it'll be smoother in time.

One thing I discovered, my USB thumbdrive can't plug in directly to the USB port. It's really tight there. Not much space at all.

No sleeves for it yet so I'm using a manila card folder to hold it for now. I gave it to a friend to hold onto while I unlocked the office door this morning and she didn't realise at all that she had a notebook in her hands.

I had it charged fully and will see how long it lasts throughout today. Not a typical day since it's Sat but it'll be a good indication.

WoW one finger dude

Wah... so much poison here... hahaha, congrats for your purchase. I will wait for 2nd gen

Thanks, wei, I couldn't wait anymore lah. Hope the 2nd gen don't come out too fast.

I predicted 2nd generation would not have significant power boost over the current one so I already been one of the MBA early birds. Yah ONE FINGER =D

For an alternate view on the air, check out thePowerPage's Jason O'Grady's take on the MacBook Air here:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=1467#more-1467

Have to agree with his assessment. But since I also have a maxed-out MacBookPro I can't complain.... I just like the (lack of) weight....

moonflown, which one did you get? 1.6 or 1.8? or SSD?

Just got back from work. What a world of difference the weight(or lack thereof) of the MBA makes? I feel a lot less tired carrying it around.

Just got my Macbook Air today and used the remote disc to install Mac Office. Took me around 13 mins or so and have no qualms for me. Pro stays home Air for travel.

Was hoping to get a nice sleeve but non available at Machines in KLCC so may go one online like the one String showed in another post. So bought one of the small bags which is like a messenger bag works perfect for now and very useful since I am on crutches right now. Can't imagine carrying my pro with crutches

gagagga

long time no see soonwai
bye2 ibook, hello mba for u
hahaha

how;s the guitar?

ooo... i agree with that article. i felt the same as the writer, i want to make it WORK with the mba despite all its limitations. however, i'm finding myself using the mba less & less. especially during work 'crunch-time', i just NEED the powerhouse that is the mbp, even if i have to carry a few extra weight all through airport hell.

though i'm far from regretting my purchase of the mba. it never failed to make me smile everytime i use it, and useful for moments when i'm free from work related tasks. it's the perfect secondary laptop for me, i just wish that i'm able to use it more instead of opting for the mbp everytime.

does it really worth it?Maybe for people who always travel then i think its really worth it..The spec is not so good compare too MBP but u pay for the lightest book in the world...WIsh i have lots of money like u...

http://www.informationweek.com/software/sh...cleID=207000434

MacBook Air Hacked In Two Minutes

Security researchers from Independent Security Evaluators managed to hack a MacBook Air using a zero-day vulnerability in Apple's Safari 3.1 Web browser.

antnine, feel free to come over anytime. Have you got your MacBook yet?

kazasho, iBook still around, wanna buy? :-) Thanks so much for the guitar. The kids love it.

As for sleeves for the MBA, I'm using a Cock Brand Pocket File Model No. 101. It offers fair protection(more against scratches than bumps) for the MBA and is designed with security(through obscurity) in mind in that it is camouflaged for the urban work environment. Once the MBA is installed in it, it remains very inconspicuous almost invisible.

I tested the manufacturer's claims by bringing the MBA(in the sleeve) to the local mamak stall. Not a single glance nor reaction towards my direction. No-one realised the presence of the MBA at all. In the second test, I asked a friend to hold on to the MBA and he had no inkling of what was actually in his hands. Quite effective.

The material used is recyclable and is very light. It is also absorbent and therefore even offers minimal protection against water though I do not know if this was by design.

For the discerning, it comes in a variety of colours. Mine's a light blue. And in 2 designs, new or aged. I chose the aged version as I thought it would be more effective.

I'll post some pictures of it if anyone is interested. I'm even thinking of marketing it to fellow MBA owners if there's a demand. How does RM39.95 sound?





This post has been edited by soonwai: Mar 30 2008, 12:32 AM

haha..welcome..naah.im looking for mbp or xps for my graphic needs.. nak pinjam charger?mines burnout already..where can I buy ha?

I bought 1.6 HDD version and swapped to SSD myself. I was a MBP user previously and I bought it to compose songs and stuff. Now I stopped working as composer to I changed to MBA so I won't feel lazy to bring my laptop around in college. Light really makes a different... It's like a weight of a textbook..

haha all the poison must resist. wait for 2nd gen

I will wait for the 3rd Gen Macbook Air.

I will wait for the Macbook Space

and I will just buy when I want the damn thing.... ;-)

That's what I did. Im a proud owner of MBA now.

hear hear!!!

i cum in hear jz to check the pics out haha

do post more pics r MBA lurvers

To all Macbook Air user, i have a question

are you satisfied with the performance of the Macbook air? i probably end up on Air in the future

Depend what application you use. All my productivity softwares run fine in MBA. I can even play DotA with friends at college =)

Just want to do basic stuff

normal things i want to do

iTunes (music) + IM + Web Browsing + iwork 08' at the same time.

will it lag?

i doubt it wil lag Those app, even an old machine (G4 ibook with sufficient ram) can run nicely. Air equipped 2GB ram. So?

Yea. Dont forget that MBA is equipped with Core2Duo. Most of us here have not even utilized 70% of the performance so far.

i just feel like 1.6GHz is abit slow

But when i saw my friend use it Macbook Air is not so slow after all

now still think to get now or wait 2nd gen

i think the mba can handle everything fine except gaming/graphics intensive tasks & probably video encoding. video editing will be lagged, audio editing is fine. so unless you're planning to do any of those stuff, the air can do pretty much anything you want it to.

This post has been edited by dawn152: Apr 6 2008, 07:31 PM

Since i have 2.4GHz iMac to do heavy stuff, i think of using portable Macs for light use and traveling

i am now eyeing macbook and macbook air

Macbook is uh... heavy for its size.

today went to mid valley apple store, served by a pretty lady, ask her abt mac book air.. she show me, very very NIPIS

macbook air very2 cool...now in front of my eye only..:-)

@Balok,

MBA serves my purpose well. Its light easy to bring around for trips. It really depends on the application you want to use. Serves me well since I do presentations, spreadsheets and word documents with the surfing. Between a 1.6 and 1.8 I really see no need for going to 1.8.

All the heavy stuff I do on my Macbook Pro which sits at home as lugging around a 17" can really be a chore

actually how is the perofrmance of the macbook air? battery?
im coming from a sony vaio tx user, 6 hours of battery life span( 3 moons nia) down to 50 minutes (the 7 moon) and now 8 minutes

is there a microsoft outlok for mac?

Performance for MBA already mentioned a lot of times so you better check back before you ask again.

Been using for 2 weeks.

Yes, it's slow. I think more due to the hard disk speed than CPU. I'm so used to quad core desktop so maybe it's just me. Compared to my previous notebook, iBook G4, it's very fast lah. If you don't have anything running in the background, it can play 720p movies no problem. If something accesess the HD during playback, then movie will start skipping. Looks like HD speed bottleneck.

Gotta change my habits a bit. Try not to open too many apps at the same time. Because if you do, it'll be beachball time.

The best thing about the Air is the weight. I feel better already, my shoulder not so painful from lugging around a heavy notebook. Sometimes I gotta check inside my bag to make sure the Air is in there.

Of course, very stylo, take out MBA in Starbucks and you feel an Air of superiority. :-) So cool. Very nice to show off, just make sure none of them follow you back to the car. :-)

Girls like it. So for those who are single, be creative.

Haven't had the need to use a DVD since I got it so I guess Apple's decision to exclude the drive is spot on.

Battery life is just so-so. I've been pampered by the 5hr battery life of my iBook G4. With the same usage pattern, I'm maybe getting 3-3.5 out of the MBA.

MBA Cool Factor = 10/10

Well I brought that to my college and those who dont even know me came to ask about the MBA.

After googling around and read user opinion, now i get it

Macbook Air is now back on my Buying List TQ guys


BTW got 1 Question,

Where should i buy Macbook Air?

1. Garage Sales

ajul sell Macbook Air below RM6k, which is really really really cheap

2. Machines

RM 6.3k, but get Rebate butnot sure how many RM

which one is the best option?

This post has been edited by Balok: Apr 7 2008, 08:36 PM

go machines see the item...meet me also see the item..check the different..if no different why pay more?:-)
mybe i dont have good after sale service..but why got apple store?bcoz they will serve all apple customer..then wats problem anymore?
warranty?just check the serial no valid or not?then wat in ur mind will close up...

I prefer Epicentre =)

Machines is refusing to give 2% rebate for the MBA. I know cause I bought it from there while expecting the rebate. The reason they gave was that the margins are too low. They do have other promos but unfortunately I bought mine on the day the stocks came in and a few days before their promos were announced.

I like Epicentre too but I usually get my Mac stuff from Machines because of the rebate.

so there is no rebates in epicenter?? I heard they have rebates in epicenter!? or maybe my friend is pulling my leg~ haihz......

but service good n also they give freebies together with it!!

i wanna buy macbook..
got any recoomend for me..

nope, no rebate for machines & no discount for epicentre... trust me, i've asked.

oh, and to share another one of my delightful experiences with the mba, i was on my 'photography hunt' today & for the first time, my shoulders doesn't hurt all that much. the lightness of the mba is very useful when you're carrying around a big dslr & a couple of lenses. usually i opt to left the lappie at home & do my post-editing later, or painfully carry around my 2.5kg mbp, but with the mba, snap! snap! snap! at the park, few moments later i was transferring the pics to aperture, right on the park bench. awesome!

This post has been edited by dawn152: Apr 8 2008, 10:51 PM

Same to me. Last time I was too lazy o carry my Macbook Pro around then end up using friend's laptop that they brought to college. Now I'll bring even I dont need it since it makes not much difference.

just got e-mail from Machines people

they said got 2% rebate for Macbook Air

which means i get RM 125.98 for rebate

but pay RM 500 more to get that rebate is ridiculous

so ajul, wait for me

balok, what did Machines say in their email to you? How about rebates for those who already bought the MBA from them? Such as poor me. I'm looking to buy another one since my wife has more or less taken over the MBA that we have now and ajul is looking like a very good deal.

This is what i get

Hi there,

Regarding the MacBook Air, yes you do get rebates if you were to purchase at
Machines. You're entitle for a membership which gives you

-2% Rebates for desktops, laptops, and softwares
-5% Rebates for iPods
-10% Rebates for accessories

I assume that you're interested in getting the 1.6GHz MacBook Air which will
cost you RM 6,299, so the rebates will be RM 125.98 which is 2% from RM
6,299. You can redeem the rebates on your next purchase with any products.

Yes we have ready stocks for the MacBook Air 1.6GHz at The Gardens outlet at
the moment.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any doubts or enquires.
Thank You.







If want cheap cheap buy from ajul la

Yes I've been in contact with ajul. I'm back to my iBook G4 at the moment unless my wife gives me back my MBA. Grrr. Looks like I will most likely have to buy another one. At first I was looking at getting the 1.8 with HD(not SSD) but ajul can't get that one as I think it's BTO. However Machines do have them. Still thinking about it.

i think Machines sell it around RM 7.4k

This post has been edited by Balok: Apr 9 2008, 11:14 PM

RM7399 to be precise. I find 1.6 a bit too slow but RM1100 extra for that 200MHz. Hmmm. I think just get 1.6 from ajul, good enuff.

I just got mine today...not sure if anyone else experienced this ....when u graze the aluminium surface with your fingers while the power cord is attached, do you guys get any vibrating sensation? It dissappears when I unplug the power.

what do graze mean?

BTW do you mean when you touch it when plug to the power cord you got shocked with electric?

Maybe your wall socket or extension not properly grounded. I don't have such sensation. I even tried licking the MBA cos if got current leakage your tongue will surely feel it.

btw bratzz, where did you from? If you don't mind me asking.

i think ur the only one own the macbook air here , haha
anyway nice mac !

do you mean you get "electric-shock"? It's quite normal i think. I not sure about air. I know that macbook pro, i have few "good experience" with it since sometimes my hands area sweating

When googling around, i goind out many people got problem with Macbook Pro and the Air

BTW does iMac also can get shocked? iMac is an aluminium too

It's definitely not static shock...kindly tingly but with no 'bite'...best way I could describe it is being "bergetar".. If I lift it up, the vibration goes away. Seems to me like a grounding issue or perhaps a rather minute current is passed on thru the casing ..somehow? Being a lazy owner, I'm just hoping it would just auto-magically goes away in a few days.
btw..graze ermm...like 'touch+move' at the same time.

That's the first thing that crossed my mind I've tried switching to different wall sockets, with/without my UPS. I'll test it again at the office tomorrow.
I got mine frm my local dealer..I was tempted to get it frm Ajul but decided not to wait for my KL trip next week.. scepticism and the thought of lugging the box back on a plane home turned me off.

It's a VERY small box dude...

(edited to add content)


In any case, updated with the EFI 1.0 update for the Air. The earlier one released inexplicably announced that it was "not required" by my computer. Oddly, this version (which bears the same number) installed without a hitch. No difference noted but then again, there were no stability issues prior to the update. So I guess it fixes what wasn't broken in the first place.

Since buying my SuperDriveAir: I've used it exactly ONCE. That is to test if my version of Command and Conquer will play on my Air (it will but after playing on my 30" ACD, it hardly is worth playing on the little guy). Since then it has sat quiet and lonely in my bag. I do feel assured that it is there should I need it, together with my USB-Ethernet dongle (which gets some play in the various hotel room broadband jacks) although I must confess the AirportExpress seems to be faster.

In the weeks that I've had the Air it has travelled with me everywhere. Places where I'd normally have not brought my laptop. It's size and heft also makes typing on the lap amazingly easy. The lack of flex and weight makes it a completely different computing experience. I've also used the Asus EEPC. That while small is excruciatingly slow and because it's narrow and wide, is not suited to typing on a lap.

Besides, it runs on a strange version of Windows which does not even sit on the same league as OS9.

This post has been edited by MacDaNife: Apr 10 2008, 09:08 AM

If anyone goes to PC fair this weekend, please post Apple Malaysia's offers for PC fair. Is there any website we can check for the offers? Thanks.

cgcomputer.com ie Switch got some PC Fair promo. Check their website.

On a different note, Machines is so kelam-kabut.

As you may know I'm considering getting a 2nd MBA. Balok mentioned to us that Machines Gardens is honoring the 2% rebate that comes with their loyalty card. So I decided to call up all of their stores and this is what I get.

No rebate
-----------
Sunway
Lot 10
KLCC

Got 2% rebate
-----------------
MidValley
Gardens

Duh. Of course, with my luck I got my first one from Sunway.

I don't mind that there is no rebate but at least be consistent lah. Not some store got rebate, some don't have. What is this man.

no need loyalty card or bla2 item..i give u all more than 10% rebate on the spot for ready stock item..cash n carry back ur lovely lappy..:-)

speechless side of me..nice item..dream to own it..can anybody post pic their own macbook and its specs?? how's the performance?

sokmo86, see first post, got pictures and mini review. Hope you like my custom MacBook Air sleeve. In a nutshell, loving the MBA so far.

today want to go to PC Fair

want to see Macbook Air also

do you think there's any Macbook Air there?

Has anyone encountered the core shutdown problem on their MacBook Air?

I bought myself a MBA Superdrive. Only cost me RM50 so why not. So far only used it twice.

Almost 3 weeks into my first MacBook Air and still loving it. It might be my imagination but it seems the battery life is significantly better than when I first got it. I can get almost 4hrs out of it.

Now that I'm used to the weight, it's starting to feel not that light. And then I go and pick up my old Acer P4 15" notebook, I could hardly lift it up.

One thing is bad about ultraportable laptops. It makes you feel every laptops out there darn heavy.

Why so cheap? where did you bought with that price?

I knew someone would ask me that. I bought from Machines. RM50 because I used up all my accumulated rebates.

People, I'm joining the club

Won the bid for a used 1.8GHz MBA, 80GB HDD+plenty of accessories on eBay! The MBA is just 2.5 months old, and the price was just too good to resist... All the following items for AU$2351 (about RM6915):
- MacBook Air 1.8ghz, 80gb HDD, 2gb RAM, 13.3" Screen
- 2x Power Supplies
- Apple Remote
- USB Ethernet Adapter
- Apple External SuperDrive
- Micro-DVI to DVI Adapter
- Micro-DVI to VGA Adapter
- Micro-DVI to TV adapter

Decided to get it after finally being able to spend some quality time testing out & fiddling with my mum's Air.. Now I realize how much additional weight I've been carrying to uni every day, and I'm definitely lookin forward to days with less pain on the shoulders

Congrats on your MBA. I'm sure you will love it as much as I do.=)

Congrats dude. Damn cheap you won the bid, got superdrive summore

---

Added on April 26, 2008, 7:24 pmGuys, Do you think Apple will bump the spec of Macbook Air this WWDC? because planing to get one soon but someone said that Apple will bump MBA.

do you think there is a chance for Apple to bump MBA?


damn. another waiting game for me

This post has been edited by Balok: Apr 26 2008, 07:24 PM

lalala

MBA still win on OS

one of the prob of this laptop is lack of USB cable slot in.. correct me if i wrong..

feels like to early for the future but giving a sight what the future brings. waiting for all devices become non cable devices.

Macbook only got 1 extra USB right?

macbook got 2 usb port...

just use wireless accesories..no need to much usb port..

And one firewire 400 port....

I mean Macbook got 1 extra USB port than MBA

got a macbook air yesterday. still in the box. will try it out tonight.

bravo..hope u happy with it..

haha.. sorry for my poor understanding.. yeah macbook got 2 usb port and 1 firewire port. but who need usb port when there is build in bluetooth?

guys, wat are the casing avaialble for the macbook air?
my wife shows deep interest in the air after bringin her to see on actual unit

i also want to know is there any Keyboard Protector available for the air

the silver kaler is spray on? or aluminium ori kaler?
is it scratcahble?

Sorry I cannot agree that, I use my USB port for Pendrive and External HDD. Bluetooth cannot replace USB Port.

Bluetooth is painstakingly slow. And you can't charge your iphone with it.

just buy expansion usb slot for just rm20..u can get 4 port together..
when we talk about air , mean we talk about less "wired"...thats why this model become macbook air, not macbook land..

This post has been edited by ajul: May 8 2008, 03:31 PM

alamak, no body can answer me?