Apple MacBook (13-inch, Early 2008) vs Apple MacBook Air (Original)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleMacBook (13-inch, Early 2008) | AppleMacBook Air (Original) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | February 2008 | January 2008 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 13.3″ | 13.3″ |
| Resolution | 1280 × 800 | 1280 × 800 |
| Panel | – | TN LCD |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Display type | Glossy TFT widescreen display with millions of colours; exact panel technology and refresh rate unpublished by Apple. | Glossy LED-backlit widescreen TFT LCD, millions of colours. TN panel identified in Notebookcheck’s exact-model review; refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple. |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 or Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 | Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6 GHz (MacBook Air, Original, 2008) or Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz (MacBook Air, Original, 2008) |
| CPU cores | 2 | 2 |
| Graphics | Intel GMA X3100 (144 MB shared DDR2) | Intel GMA X3100 |
| Memory | 1 GB, 2 GB or 4 GB (better) | 2 GB |
| Storage | 120 GB to 250 GB (better) | 64 GB to 80 GB |
| CPU | 2.1 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 or 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo T8300, with 3 MB shared L2 cache and 800 MHz front-side bus. Exact chip identities are established by Geekbench’s contemporary tested-machine configurations. | Custom dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo at 1.6 GHz or optional 1.8 GHz, 4 MB shared L2 cache and 800 MHz frontside bus. Chip records retain the maker’s clock and model description because exact Intel part numbers are not maker-confirmed. |
| GPU | Intel GMA X3100 (144 MB shared DDR2) | Intel GMA X3100 with 144 MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory |
| Memory type | Two SO-DIMM slots for 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300); 1 GB standard at 2.1 GHz, 2 GB at 2.4 GHz, configurable to 4 GB. | 2 GB of 667 MHz DDR2 onboard memory, not upgradeable |
| Storage type | White 2.1 GHz starts at 120 GB with a DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo drive; white 2.4 GHz starts at 160 GB and black 2.4 GHz at 250 GB with an 8x SuperDrive. Build-to-order 160 GB and 250 GB drives run at 5400 rpm. Configurations follow the Early 2008 launch models rather than the different Late 2008 white model on the combined archived sheet. | 80 GB 4200-rpm Parallel ATA hard drive or optional 64 GB solid-state drive, available with either processor. No built-in optical drive; optional external USB MacBook Air SuperDrive. |
| Battery and size | ||
| Battery capacity | 55 Wh (better) | 37 Wh |
| Weight | 2.27 kg | 1.36 kg (better) |
| Thickness | 27.5 mm | 19.4 mm (better) |
| Width × depth | 325 × 227 mm | 325 × 227 mm |
| Battery life detail | Removable 55 Wh lithium-polymer battery. Maker reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. Battery-life hours omitted because the archived maker specification does not publish them. | Built-in 37 Wh lithium-polymer battery. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process; no runtime figure on the current maker technical sheet. |
| Charger | 60 W MagSafe Power Adapter | 45 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management |
| Materials | Polycarbonate enclosure | Aluminium enclosure; tapered thickness from 4 to 19.4 mm |
| Colours | White and black; base storage and optical drive vary by colour as described above. The configurations table combines colour variants with matching processor, memory and storage. | Silver |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe | USB-A, MagSafe, headphone jack |
| Wi-Fi | AirPort Extreme draft 802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g | 802.11n draft; compatible with 802.11a/b/g |
| Bluetooth | 2.0 + EDR | 2.1 + EDR |
| Webcam | iSight camera | Built-in iSight camera |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Port detail | Two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 400 port, Gigabit Ethernet, MagSafe, Mini-DVI, separate combined optical digital audio input/line input and combined optical digital audio output/headphone output. Display adapters sold separately. | One USB 2.0 port up to 480 Mb/s, Micro-DVI video output, headphone jack and MagSafe. Micro-DVI to DVI and VGA adapters supplied; Ethernet requires an optional USB adapter. |
| External displays | One external display up to 1920 × 1200 alongside the built-in screen; Mini-DVI adapters support DVI, VGA, S-video and composite video. | Built-in screen plus one external display up to 1920 × 1200, both with millions of colours; dual display and video mirroring |
| Keyboard | Full-size keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function/media keys and four arrow keys | Full-size backlit keyboard with ambient light sensor |
| Trackpad | Scrolling trackpad with a separate button; supports two-finger scrolling, tap, double-tap and drag. | Multi-Touch trackpad with scroll, pinch, rotate, swipe, tap, double-tap and drag gestures |
| Speakers | Built-in stereo speakers | Mono speaker |
| Microphones | Built-in omnidirectional microphone | Omnidirectional microphone |
| In the box | MacBook, display cleaning cloth, removable battery, 60 W MagSafe Power Adapter with AC wall plug and power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation. Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and iLife ’08; Apple Remote sold separately. | MacBook Air, MagSafe power adapter, Micro-DVI to DVI and VGA adapters, cleaning cloth, install/restore DVDs and printed documentation; Mac OS X Leopard and iLife ’08 |
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