Apple MacBook Air user reviews (13-inch, Summer 2012)

Pros Fast SSD
Quick performance
Build quality
Backlit keybaord
Thin and light

Cons Lacks raw power
Soldered parts
Pricey for some options
Weird big box store options

Summary I sold my recent iMac because I never used and I decided between three computers.

Macbook Pro 13" Retina
2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
8GB
128GB
Intel 4000
$1700

Macbook Pro 13" i7 Edition
2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i7
8GB
750GB
Intel 4000
$1500 ($1240 open box)

Macbook Air 13"
1.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor
4GB
256GB
Intel 4000
$1500

Macbook Air 13" i7 Edition
2.0GHz Intel Dual-Core Core i7
8GB
256GB
Intel 4000
$1700 ($1450 refurbished)

First got the MBP open box for $1240 and just hated the size and weight. Went to Best Buy and got the MBA 13" i5 edition but was hesitant on the 4GB. Saw the i7 8GB 256GB MBA 13" refurbished and was sold!

I highly recommend refurbished. Same great 1 year warranty. Comes in perfect condition besides original box. Save hundreds of dollars!

I thought of Macbook Pro but for $250 more, I would be loosing 128 in memory and gaining half a pound in weight. The Retina is a great computer and wows but is un needed for the most part. I would have rather scene a MBP slim but with quad core.

Overall 13" has right balance of speed/quickness,durability and etc. If you need raw power go with the MBP line but if you just doing streaming video and basic stuff the MBA is perfect.

Pros 1.Sexy, Thin and Portable
2.Ultra high performance, yet still has a great battery life ( I am not joking, this machine is very capable)
3.Great OSX

Cons Value, at the same price, I could have the macbook pro with more horsepower, more Ram, more space for entertainment, and more ports.

Pros These are obvious
- light
- easy to carry
- sleek and simple

Cons First one is obvious
- way overpriced
- overheats

Summary This is great engineering. It generally works great and is ultra-portable. However, I would never buy it for myself, as this one was a gift. The price is just not justifiable, and the rating I gave it takes that into account, since price is important to me (but may not be for others).

One minor problem is that it overheats somewhat easily (opening lots of tabs. or just opening itunes, another app, and watching a video).

Pros None that offset the price of this model compared with equivalent or superior Windows products selling for a fraction of the price.

Cons Extravagant price tag
Oversimplified hardware design
Mac OS X Mountain Lion has grown long in the tooth both from a usability and features perspective.

Summary Let's admit it - some folks are hooked on Apple products. Who can explain it? I'll not judge. If you're a user that HAS to have Apple, this review isn't for you (why are you reading reviews?). If you're like me though and once considered switching from another platform, then read on and I'll tell you why I've had a bad experience and feel taken advantage of.

I use this model for work and I've owned an older MacBook Pro for six years. I also have a Sony Vaio running Windows 7 and an Android Nexus 7. I've got exposure to multiple platforms let's say :) My beef with the MacBook Pro is that for a product that costs FOUR TIMES as much as my Sony Vaio it has a fraction of the features.

My $700 Sony Vaio may only impress my friends who can do feature and financial match, but has TONs of useful features I wish my MacBook Pro had. Let's list them:

1. Windows 7: I could go on at length why I prefer Windows 7 to Mac OS X. Each Mac OS X upgrade seems to remove features such a the 'rename file' menu option or the ability to auto-size columns in the finder. Windows just keeps getting better. I really dig how in Windows I can actually do things like usefully stack or tile my open windows. That 'Maximize' actually makes a window fill my desktop reliably (Mac OS X's 'Zoom' is very unpredictable), and that the task bar lets me access both open applications and their individual windows.

2. Display: For a fraction of the price, my Vaio's display is just as bright an crisp an my MacBook Pro's

3. A two-button trackpad: I've really tried to like Apple's new trackpads. I have! But in the end they just don't help me do what I want to do better. Instead of a right click button that just works, the 'two finger tap' or 'CTRL-Tap' just make it hard to access content menus in Mac OS X. And having the trackpad and click button integrated makes it almost impossible to repeatedly tap the same place twice. On my $600 Sony Vaio, these tasks are a breeze and I was able to afford plane tickets to Hawaii :)

That's just a start of a very long list of reasons why you'd get so much more for you money than by throwing it away on Apple's out-of-date brand name.

Be open-minded and really do some hand-on comparison. Don't let your friends pressure you into getting gypped!