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User experience appreciated for 11" MBA:)

A

AJ.G

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 26, 2010
99
0
Beijing.
Ive come to the conclusion that im gonna start saving up for an 11" Macbook Air, and ive had all my previous questions answered. Now all i would like to see is if my setup would be adequate, based on your experiences...

Im a high school student, so i need a portable laptop as im constantly taking my laptop to school and back home for work, hence the HP Mini 210 im typing this on, which to be honest, isnt all that bad, just gets a bit slow sometimes, and anywayz, i want a mac!:D

I found that when im running photoshop alone its actually really snappy, but when i have photoshop on the external monitor with a tutorial on the laptop screen, or with itunes playing, it starts to slow down, and when i have all three open, it just gets ubearably laggy (if thats the word).

So if anybody has had experience running safari/chrome, with itunes, and photoshop/ illustrator (or both:eek:) all at the same time, could you comment, maybe slow down? no problems? monitor lag? im asking because its a bit hard to test this at an apple store hehe...

and also, as a side note, i know there must be loads of threads about this already, but couldnt find anything on MROOGLE, could anybody send me a few informative articles, or MR threads, about those really sweet little Mac apps that people have, for instance the ones that add functionality to the trackpad/magic mouse, or geektool, or candy bar i think its cool... or if anybody has favourites theyd like to share.

Also i forgot to mention ill be getting the base model 11" with 4GB RAM, as i hope should suffice, and i have external hard drive with my files anywayz.

all the best, and thank you for reading the long post, i type a lot i know,,,

AJ--
 
AJ.G said:
Ive come to the conclusion that im gonna start saving up for an 11" Macbook Air, and ive had all my previous questions answered. Now all i would like to see is if my setup would be adequate, based on your experiences...

Im a high school student, so i need a portable laptop as im constantly taking my laptop to school and back home for work, hence the HP Mini 210 im typing this on, which to be honest, isnt all that bad, just gets a bit slow sometimes, and anywayz, i want a mac!:D

I found that when im running photoshop alone its actually really snappy, but when i have photoshop on the external monitor with a tutorial on the laptop screen, or with itunes playing, it starts to slow down, and when i have all three open, it just gets ubearably laggy (if thats the word).

So if anybody has had experience running safari/chrome, with itunes, and photoshop/ illustrator (or both:eek:) all at the same time, could you comment, maybe slow down? no problems? monitor lag? im asking because its a bit hard to test this at an apple store hehe...

and also, as a side note, i know there must be loads of threads about this already, but couldnt find anything on MROOGLE, could anybody send me a few informative articles, or MR threads, about those really sweet little Mac apps that people have, for instance the ones that add functionality to the trackpad/magic mouse, or geektool, or candy bar i think its cool... or if anybody has favourites theyd like to share.

Also i forgot to mention ill be getting the base model 11" with 4GB RAM, as i hope should suffice, and i have external hard drive with my files anywayz.

all the best, and thank you for reading the long post, i type a lot i know,,,

AJ--
Click to expand...

I am of the opinion that:

  1. The SSD selected in the Air is of a low quality. Its performance is quite piddly compared to the aftermarket models out there.
  2. The version of Core 2 Duo used with its lower clock...I mean I know people keep saying it just doesn't matter, but guess what - it does. I would dare say it's the one thing holding the machine's power back at this point.
  3. Coming out of sleep there is a noticeable, and annoying, delay. The mouse won't move, and it's just not very responsive. Passes after a bit, but it's extremely annoying.

IF you have to have an Air, I would suggest opting for the 13" instead of the 11". But it's up to you.
 
revelated said:
I am of the opinion that:

  1. The SSD selected in the Air is of a low quality. Its performance is quite piddly compared to the aftermarket models out there.

    The SSD is not that low of quality, I'd say it's average, but for most users, it will be lightning fast, and if you're coming from a laptop/PC that uses an HDD, you'll be completely blown away by the MacBook Air's SSD.

  2. The version of Core 2 Duo used with its lower clock...I mean I know people keep saying it just doesn't matter, but guess what - it does. I would dare say it's the one thing holding the machine's power back at this point.

    The Core 2 Duo in the MacBook Air's do have a low clock speed, but that does not mean that it is not plenty fast. The SSD makes up for the low clock speed, so in the end, you don't even notice the lower speed on the Core 2 Duo processor.

  3. Coming out of sleep there is a noticeable, and annoying, delay. The mouse won't move, and it's just not very responsive. Passes after a bit, but it's extremely annoying.

    I do not yet own a MacBook Air, but in the many times I've used my cousins, there is no delay when coming out of sleep on his, so I'd say that this is an issue with your MacBook Air.

IF you have to have an Air, I would suggest opting for the 13" instead of the 11". But it's up to you.

I'd agree with this. The 13.3" model seems like a much better buy for most people, but this depends on user preference.
Click to expand...

My replies are in red.
 
If you already have a primary computer with a larger screen, I would definately go for a MBA 11.6' ultimate. I haven't regretted this purchase for a second. I totally disagree with the first replier. The MBA 11.6' is plenty fast, and the SSD is more than enough. There's no delay in waking up from sleep, and it is extremely portable. The screen is enough for shorter tasks, but for extended work - like writing long essays and thesis, I would go for no less than 15'. You could always have an external screen at home for that as well..
 
SR71 said:
My replies are in red.
Click to expand...
Quote:
Originally Posted by revelated
I am of the opinion that:
"1-The SSD selected in the Air is of a low quality. Its performance is quite piddly compared to the aftermarket models out there.

The SSD is not that low of quality, I'd say it's average, but for most users, it will be lightning fast, and if you're coming from a laptop/PC that uses an HDD, you'll be completely blown away by the MacBook Air's SSD.

2-The version of Core 2 Duo used with its lower clock...I mean I know people keep saying it just doesn't matter, but guess what - it does. I would dare say it's the one thing holding the machine's power back at this point.

The Core 2 Duo in the MacBook Air's do have a low clock speed, but that does not mean that it is not plenty fast. The SSD makes up for the low clock speed, so in the end, you don't even notice the lower speed on the Core 2 Duo processor.

3-Coming out of sleep there is a noticeable, and annoying, delay. The mouse won't move, and it's just not very responsive. Passes after a bit, but it's extremely annoying.

I do not yet own a MacBook Air, but in the many times I've used my cousins, there is no delay when coming out of sleep on his, so I'd say that this is an issue with your MacBook Air.

IF you have to have an Air, I would suggest opting for the 13" instead of the 11". But it's up to you.

I'd agree with this. The 13.3" model seems like a much better buy for most people, but this depends on user preference."

1- I concur... for someone who has never used a SSD before it's an eye opening experience...

2- Bear in mind that the C2D in the MBA is a low voltage version to improve battery life... FYI they are quite a bit more expensive Intel parts than the standard voltage versions, plus keep in mind that latter steppings of the C2D contain improvements that make then significantly faster clock for clock than earlier versions...

3- ?????? I honestly don't know what you are talking about, I marvel at the instantaneous way my MBA comes out of sleep... it takes a split second for my "lock screen" password input to come on and as soon as I hit "enter" the desktop is before me. If you are experiencing a delay there may be something running or attempting to run that is causing it (Bluetooth is a common culprit).
In-fact when using my wife's MB unibody (with a faster CPU) I grow impatient at times waiting for it to wake up.
 
Last edited:
...

the SSD is actually very fast, read anandtech and they tested it, not the fastest out there but not far off. Also it feels faster than a macbook pro with an OWC mercury extreme...I have owned both and the air booted and did things faster, its not all about benchmarks. The core2duo is fine for most people, but with many tasks running including photoshop you may notice its going to slow down alot. You would probobly be better off with the 13" just because its got a 30% higher clock
 
SR71 said:
My replies are in red.
Click to expand...

Mac32 said:
I totally disagree with the first replier. The MBA 11.6' is plenty fast, and the SSD is more than enough. There's no delay in waking up from sleep, and it is extremely portable.
Click to expand...

acron1 said:
1- I concur... for someone who has never used a SSD before it's an eye opening experience...

2- Bear in mind that the C2D in the MBA is a low voltage version to improve battery life... FYI they are quite a bit more expensive Intel parts than the standard voltage versions, plus keep in mind that latter steppings of the C2D contain improvements that make then significantly faster clock for clock than earlier versions...

3- ?????? I honestly don't know what you are talking about, I marvel at the instantaneous way my MBA comes out of sleep... it takes a split second for my "lock screen" password input to come on and as soon as I hit "enter" the desktop is before me. If you are experiencing a delay there may be something running or attempting to run that is causing it (Bluetooth is a common culprit).
In-fact when using my wife's MB unibody (with a faster CPU) I grow impatient at times waiting for it to wake up.
Click to expand...

newdeal said:
the SSD is actually very fast, read anandtech and they tested it, not the fastest out there but not far off. Also it feels faster than a macbook pro with an OWC mercury extreme...I have owned both and the air booted and did things faster, its not all about benchmarks. The core2duo is fine for most people, but with many tasks running including photoshop you may notice its going to slow down alot.
Click to expand...

Wow. You guys really must have been living in an HDD world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BraqTSUtf0U

I actually took the liberty of comparing the MacBook Air's boot speed against the Eee Slate. The Asus smoked the Air something fierce. Even the ExoPC was faster and that's just pathetic. My MacBook Pro 17", which has an Intel SSD, runs circles around the Air, booting in a third of the time.

For someone who's used to solid state drives, the Air's drive is subpar.
 
I don't know what you did to junk up that MBA. I watched your video from another computer and turned my MBA on the same time you did, and OSX was up in the same amount of time as the Asus. As you noted, a VERY unscientific test.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BraqTSUtf0U

I actually took the liberty of comparing the MacBook Air's boot speed against the Eee Slate. The Asus smoked the Air something fierce. Even the ExoPC was faster and that's just pathetic. My MacBook Pro 17", which has an Intel SSD, runs circles around the Air, booting in a third of the time.

For someone who's used to solid state drives, the Air's drive is subpar.[/QUOTE]
 
revelated said:
I am of the opinion that:

  1. The SSD selected in the Air is of a low quality. Its performance is quite piddly compared to the aftermarket models out there.
  2. The version of Core 2 Duo used with its lower clock...I mean I know people keep saying it just doesn't matter, but guess what - it does. I would dare say it's the one thing holding the machine's power back at this point.
  3. Coming out of sleep there is a noticeable, and annoying, delay. The mouse won't move, and it's just not very responsive. Passes after a bit, but it's extremely annoying.

IF you have to have an Air, I would suggest opting for the 13" instead of the 11". But it's up to you.
Click to expand...

no shortage of misinformation there :rolleyes:
 
I love the air but I fail to see the misinformation you refer to. Please explain. All that he states is fact is it not?
 
Alfieg said:
I love the air but I fail to see the misinformation you refer to. Please explain. All that he states is fact is it not?
Click to expand...

It should be obvious.

1 is overstated.

2 is overstated.

3 doesn't exist on any of the ones I've ever used, so that sounds like an individual problem.
 
My 11.6" 1.4GHz 2GB base model has actually been able to replace my iMac 20" 2.4GHz 4GB as my primary computer.

With it...
  • I'm developing full-blown iOS apps using the Corona SDK.
  • I usually have Photoshop open full-time, as well as Google Chrome for watching YouTube and Vimeo videos.
  • I'm logged on simultaneously with apps such as Skype, FaceTime, Adium, Mail.
  • I have icons strewn across the top, from LogMeIn, Dropbox, Cloud, Awaken, and Pastebot.
  • I've tested Parallels on it to open up a Windows XP session and VPN into work.
  • I've made songs with it using GarageBand.
  • I haven't rebooted for weeks at a time.

I say that even the base model performs beyond my expectations. I believe you'll be thrilled with it.
 
My base 11" Air feels much faster than my 2.4 Ghz MBP with 4GB of ram. That's the magic of the amazing flash drive I guess. Ignore the naysayers. This machine is amazing on every single level.
 
A base 11" with 4GB RAM is on its way to me :) looking forward to it. My only concern right now is battery life. 11"-owners, how satisfied are you with it? 5 hours is decent, IF the Air actually achieves that in everyday usage (for me: Word, Mail, Safari without flash, Wifi).
 
5 second delay when unused for an hour plus, 1 second max otherwise. Know a couple of people with mba's, their experience is identical, seems the same for most on these forums.
 
I got an MBA 11 for pure portability, but the SSD and C2D are plenty fast to allow my MBA to do iOS Xcode builds faster on the MBA 11 than on last years top-end MacBook Pro 13. Mongo Photoshop filtering will take a bit longer, noticeable, but not 2X.

If you let it sleep for less than an hour, instant-on is pretty much instant; but let it sleep for more than an hour and "instant on" really takes 5 or 10 seconds before it reloads, unlike an iPad.
 
I'm coming from a 13" MPB with the Intel X SSD and honestly speaking, I think the SSD is as fast. Yes, CPU tasks take a while but I can live with that as I mostly use the 11" for browsing, writing, emailing etc. The portability on the 11" is so much better than the 13" MPB or the 13" MBA that I owned before that.
 
PeterKG said:
I don't know what you did to junk up that MBA. I watched your video from another computer and turned my MBA on the same time you did, and OSX was up in the same amount of time as the Asus. As you noted, a VERY unscientific test.
Click to expand...


There's nothing on the Air. Nothing. I use it to write up TextEdit docs, browse the web and do an occasional GoToAssist or GoToMeeting session. That's it. If anything the Big Apple has been through hell and back since it's technically three computers rolled into one - it's based off of an image of the 13" MacBook Pro I owned in 2009 that I have constantly restored to newer drives, but it does EVERYTHING, yet manages to smoke every other device I've got. That's what I expected of the Air and I was let down. I even reinstalled Snow Leopard fresh - still slow compared to my other stuff.


Again, you guys must be coming from HDDs where this performance seems fast to you. Get an X-25M, throw it in a higher end MacBook Pro and watch the rest feel inadequate.
 
revelated said:
Again, you guys must be coming from HDDs where this performance seems fast to you. Get an X-25M, throw it in a higher end MacBook Pro and watch the rest feel inadequate.
Click to expand...

Well, at $350 for an 80 gig X-25M + about $2100 for the Macbook Pro, of course it should have better performance than an $1199 Macbook Air. You're comparing apples and oranges. One buys the Air for extreme portability, not performance.
 
sishaw said:
Well, at $350 for an 80 gig X-25M + about $2100 for the Macbook Pro, of course it should have better performance than an $1199 Macbook Air. You're comparing apples and oranges. One buys the Air for extreme portability, not performance.
Click to expand...

I'm going to assume you mean a 160 gb x-25m, as the 80 gb only $180 at newegg :)
 
sishaw said:
Well, at $350 for an 80 gig X-25M + about $2100 for the Macbook Pro, of course it should have better performance than an $1199 Macbook Air. You're comparing apples and oranges. One buys the Air for extreme portability, not performance.
Click to expand...

Bottom line is, the OP asked for user experience. I shared it. The 11" MBA is extremely insufficient compared to pretty much every other MacBook Pro, 2010 OR 2011, and I'm sure the 13" MacBook Air is even superior. If I were a simple user then it's fine - but at that point it's overpriced and might as well get an iPad.
 
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