I can't deny that I am an Apple fanboy. However, what that does disguise is the fact that I truly believe that Apple makes the best hardware. I am not a casual user but one who uses their products all day everyday so push these products quite hard. If they were not well and truly of a high quality, I would surely find this out through my everyday "testing". So, while you should read this with a pinch of salt, as you would do any other article from any other source, including Apple's harshest critics, I would say I am going to say the following with as much impartiality as I possibly can.
The first time I laid eyes on Apple's MacBook Air line, you know the first iteration that started the "I can put this in a vanilla envelope and mail it away" fad, I have to say I had mixed emotions. On the one hand, you could not deny that was one of the most beautiful notebook computer designs ever. On the other, considering the price point it was awfully difficult to think of it in anyway other than a "millionaire's toy": devoid of an optical drive, with severely limited hard disk space (because it was of the expensive SSD variety) and sporting some less than stellar processors, partly due to the cramped space inside the chassis that made heat ventilation an issue. For me, these issues were important and won out in the end.
When it came time to upgrade my trusty 12-inch PowerPC PowerBook, I went with the first generation unibody all-aluminum MacBook, and then quickly to the 13-inch MacBook Pro when that was released about a year later. The beefier processors and optical drive, as well as graphics processor gave me a bit more confidence that it would last a while (whatever for I don't know, LOL). However, EVERYTIME I saw someone working on a MacBook Air, I just couldn't but help to stop and stare for a few fleeting seconds. It really, really is a beautifully designed machine. Oh, one other thing I neglected to mention, the backlit keyboards on the MacBook Pro's was also a big thing for me.
So, when Apple released the latest iteration of their Airs (13 and 11.6-inch models) with faster i5 and i7 processors, thunderbolt port and backlit keyboards, I was sold. So I sold my 13-inch MacBook Pro (was surprised at how quickly I was able to do that, and ironically the person who bought it just sold their MacBook Air, ouch!), and custom ordered through Apple's website the fully spec'd out 11.6-inch MacBook Air (core i7 with 256 GB SSD HDD). Now, how has it performed over the past 2 weeks?
Look, everyone has their own needs and I have to say that many people's use scenarios are not going to match my own. However, for me personally, I could not be happier. I simply love the portability of this machine, and with the external USB Superdrive safely tucked away until needed, I am not missing anything from my 13-inch MacBook Pro. Surprisingly, I am not even feeling that there is a significant reduction in screen real estate. The machine does not run hot, and neither have the fans come on blaring loud. The machine absolutely breezes through common tasks. I have to say I am sold on the SSD HDD. I can't say anything about longevity, we'll have to see about that, but in terms of performance opening applications and OS start-up is just so fast I cannot believe it. I'm just loving that aspect of it. So, in terms of machine speed for everyday tasks, this one gets a full 10/10.
I have not used applications that I would think would tax the processors too hard, so real power users would need to look at "benchmarks" elsewhere. I have heard the fan once, when I was encoding some video using HandBreak but that was the only time and it wasn't that loud either.
Mac OS X Lion has been a mixed bag in most of the mainstream reviews. For me, it has been awesome. The combination of the portability of the 11.6 inch machine and the gesture-rific OS X Lion has made this MacBook Air a hybrid between the MacBook Pro and iPad lines of products. I could even see a scenario where a first time Mac user coming from the Windows platform would see the experience of using this machine as something "magical". Seriously (ha-ha, fanboy alert!).
OK, now to some negatives: the only negative for me is the battery life, but then I am coming from a machine that regularly gave me 6+ hours of battery life (which I consider to be above average). This one gives me, I would estimate, about 4-5 hours, depending on the task. Listening to music on iTunes, some web browsing and document editing would be my typical use scenario. At the moment, I cannot think of any other negatives.
In short, I am enjoying the experience of using this machine immensely. I cannot say anything about longevity at the moment; this is based only on 2 weeks of using it, and compared to 10 years of using the PC and another 10 using previous iterations of Mac hardware and software. If anyone is considering the 11.6-inch MacBook Air, all I can say is "go for it". You obviously have already taken into consideration all the pros and cons. If you are still interested, then I'd say you won't be disappointed. Rather, I bet you'd be pleasantly surprised.
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