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MACBOOK AIR BUILD
For our report today, we are going to examine only the 13″ model that we have on hand. The 13″ MBA measures 11.8″ wide by 7.56″ deep by .68″ in height. This decreases when measuring from the front where its height is only .11″ thick. The exterior is of a very solid silver aluminum build with a semi-smooth finish and, unlike the Samsung Series 9, it is not a fingerprint magnet. It has the Apple branding on top which lights when the system is turned on, stereo speakers, two stereo mics, and, as we stated earlier, the Apple 45W MagSafe 2 power adapter is held to the system magnetically and cannot be accidentally damaged while in ones lap.
In these photos, we compare the size of the 2013 MacBook Air to that of the Toshiba Portege Z830 Ultra that we reviewed some time ago. The Z830 has been a mainstay of the site since its arrival and probably seen more use than most systems will in a lifetime.
DISPLAY AND KEYBOARD
The 13″ MBA has a 1440 x 900 native resolution with a maximum 16:10 aspect ration and, although this is not a retina screen, it is still very appealing. There is a rubber gasket on the lid that we think has been a long time in the making, and has yet to be adapted elsewhere. This gasket prevents the inevitable damage seen on most laptops after opening and closing the unit for any length of time. Intel HD5000 graphics enable a maximum resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels on an external monitor and there is also a 720p Facetime camera at the top front of the screen.
The keyboard is of a raised island style and completely silent. It is full size and back lit and refreshing to see that many of the keys can be configured as we might see them in a Windows system. The trackpad, as well is very large and has a nice feel when using it.
PORTS
On the left side of the MBA, we have the MagSafe 2 power port, USB 3.0, headphone port and, if you look really closely, you will see two holes. these are the dual microphones.
On the right side, there are ports for ThunderBolt, USB 3.0 and a SDXC card.
BATTERY LIFE AND WIFI CONCERNS
Battery life is the cream of the crop for Haswell chipsets and the 2013 MacBook Air is rated for 12 hours web use, 10 hours video or 30 days stand-by. It contains a built-in 54-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery. We tested the 2013 MBA and started early this morning. Our use consisted of typical activities which included internet surfing, e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, watching videos on YouTube and, different than a typical users experience, we edited and compiled articles throughout the day. The battery of our 2013 MBA lasted 12 hours and 14 minutes before shutting down.
The 2013 uses a brand new wireless card and is capable of 802.11ac Wi-Fi networking as well as being IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible. It also has Bluetooth 4.0. 802.11 ac is a new standard and, when connected to a compatible base station, can render wi-fi signals three times faster and significantly further. At the time of this report, we had heard complaints of new users having their signal drop sporadically and for no reason. For this reason, we ventured away from the office and used it on three external sources for a decent length of time, none of which displayed any problems whatsoever.
Where did you buy this from? The price listed on Apple is $2100 dollars? DId you buy it from retail or Apple, are you from Australia or America?
We have links in the article that lead right to sales. Do they not help?
Cheers 🙂
“The 13″ MBA has a 1440 x 900 native resolution with a 4:3 aspect ratio”
I think you might find it’s closer to 16:10 🙂
Right you are…corrected and thanks!