The lack of an optical disk could be a major problem for some users. Apple offers an external DVD drive ($99) that plugs into the USB port. I didn't bother ordering one because the MacBook Air also ships with software that allows the Air to use the optical drive on either a Mac or Windows system as a native device. I've found that I rarely use the optical drive on my laptops anyway, so this wasn't an issue for me.

The Bottom Line Apple MacBook Air Apple, apple.com Very Good  8.5 criteria score weight Configuration 7 20% Ease-of-use 9 20% Portability 10 20% Battery life 8 15% Performance 8 15% Value 9 10% Cost: $2,028 as tested with 80GB PATA drive, 2GB of RAM, 1.8GHz Core 2 Duo CPU Platforms: Mac OS X, Windows XP/Vista Bottom Line: There's really nothing like the MacBook Air on the market today. It’s ultrathin, ultralight, and ultrasmall, yet provides solid performance and usability. There are sacrifices, to be sure, such as the single USB port and the lack of an internal optical drive, but they're minor when the Air's size and weight are taken into consideration. You might not choose the Air as your only computer, but as a traveling companion, it's simply stellar. About our Reviews and Scoring Methodology

Although I opted for the 80GB PATA drive and the 1.8GHz Core 2 Duo CPU, application launching and overall speed of the MacBook Air is perfectly reasonable. It's not a powerhouse, to be sure, but that's the trade-off for the size and portability. I wouldn't use it as a primary video or audio editing platform, but for normal use with my stable of apps, including Microsoft Word, iChat, Apple Mail, CoRD for Windows Remote Desktop sessions, X11, and Firefox, it's more than adequate.

Interestingly, there’s only one onboard speaker, and it’s located right under the right-hand Shift and Return keys. It’s perfectly adequate for system sounds, but it gets tinny with tunes. The stereo headphone jack is the best bet there. On the subject of noise, the Air is very quiet, even with the single exhaust fan running at over 6,000rpm. My MacBook Pro can get loud occasionally when it’s running hard and hot, but the Air doesn’t get above a whisper.

Into the wild
I figured the best place to work with the Air would be a coffee shop, which is essentially its native environment. Within five minutes of sitting down and joining the free Wi-Fi network, one of the three people that had been eyeing me came over and said, simply, "Wow." The other two then came over and after five minutes of the Air being passed around, hefted, and turned over and over, the general consensus was still "Wow." One woman brandished a Dell Latitude like a dirty diaper and announced that it was time for a change.

So I sat, writing this review while enjoying a moment of celebrity among the coffee beans and blueberry muffins, watching the battery meter telling me that five hours of battery life might be possible if I kept the screen brightness low. (Four to four-and-a-half hours is a more reasonable estimate.)

The Air's battery is not user-replaceable. This is a definite negative, considering long-distance travel is made easier with the ability to carry multiple batteries to swap out. However, the battery can be replaced relatively easily by certified Apple techs at a computer store (it’s plugged, not soldered to the mainboard). I predict that several third-party batteries for the Air will be on the market in a few months.

The MacBook Air is not perfect, but it sure is attractive and functional. If you're looking for a desktop replacement system, get a MacBook Pro. If you're looking for a basic laptop, get a MacBook. If you're looking for supreme portability and more than reasonable performance, definitely get a MacBook Air.