Apple MacBook (13-inch, Early 2009) vs Apple MacBook Air (Mid 2009)

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MacBook (13-inch, Early 2009) compared with MacBook Air (Mid 2009)

	AppleMacBook (13-inch, Early 2009)	AppleMacBook Air (Mid 2009)
Overview
Released
Released	January 2009	June 2009
Display
Screen size
Screen size	13.3″	13.3″
Resolution
Resolution	1280 × 800	1280 × 800
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	Glossy TFT widescreen display with millions of colours; exact panel technology and refresh rate unpublished by Apple.	Glossy LED-backlit widescreen LCD, millions of colours; panel technology, refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo P7350	Intel Core 2 Duo SL9400 or Intel Core 2 Duo SL9600
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2
Graphics
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M (256 MB shared DDR2)	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
Memory
Memory	2 GB or 4 GB (better)	2 GB
Storage
Storage	120 GB to 320 GB (better)	120 GB to 128 GB
CPU
CPU	2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 with 3 MB shared L2 cache and 1066 MHz front-side bus. Notebookcheck’s aluminium MacBook review identifies the P7350 and explicitly notes that this white MacBook uses the same processor and graphics combination.	Dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo SL9400 at 1.86 GHz or SL9600 at 2.13 GHz, 6 MB shared L2 cache and 1066 MHz frontside bus. Exact identities confirmed by EveryMac and Notebookcheck.
GPU
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M (256 MB shared DDR2)	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M with 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory
Memory type
Memory type	Two SO-DIMM slots for 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300); 2 GB standard, configurable to 4 GB.	2 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 onboard memory, not upgradeable
Storage type
Storage type	120 GB 5400 rpm Serial ATA hard drive, configurable to 160 GB, 250 GB or 320 GB; slot-loading 8x SuperDrive.	The 1.86 GHz base has a 120 GB 4200-rpm Serial ATA hard drive; the 2.13 GHz base has a 128 GB solid-state drive. Configurations preserve these published combinations. Optional external USB MacBook Air SuperDrive; no built-in optical drive.
Battery and size
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	55 Wh (better)	40 Wh
Weight
Weight	2.27 kg	1.36 kg (better)
Thickness
Thickness	27.5 mm	19.4 mm (better)
Width × depth
Width × depth	325 × 227 mm	325 × 227 mm
Battery life detail
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 40 Wh lithium-polymer battery. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process; no runtime figure on the current maker technical sheet.
Charger
Charger	60 W MagSafe Power Adapter	45 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management
Materials
Materials	Polycarbonate enclosure	Aluminium enclosure; tapered thickness from 4 to 19.4 mm
Colours
Colours	White	Silver
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack, MagSafe	USB-A, MagSafe, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	AirPort Extreme draft 802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g	802.11n draft; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	2.1 + EDR	2.1 + EDR
Webcam
Webcam	iSight camera	Built-in iSight camera
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
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, Mini DisplayPort video output, headphone jack and MagSafe. USB Ethernet Adapter supplied; DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI video adapters sold separately.
External displays
External displays	One external display up to 1920 × 1200 alongside the built-in screen; Mini-DVI adapters support DVI and VGA.	Built-in screen plus one external display up to 2560 × 1600, both with millions of colours; dual display and video mirroring
Keyboard
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
Trackpad	Scrolling trackpad with a separate button; supports two-finger scrolling, tap, double-tap and drag.	Multi-Touch trackpad with two-finger scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger and four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap and drag gestures
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers	Mono speaker
Microphones
Microphones	Built-in omnidirectional microphone	Omnidirectional microphone
In the box
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. Archived specification lists Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and iLife ’09; this describes the archived bundle rather than confirming software shipped on the first sale day. January 2009 availability is confirmed by contemporary Macworld and The Register reviews; an exact maker first-sale date was not found..	MacBook Air, 45 W MagSafe power adapter, AC wall plug, power cord, USB Ethernet Adapter, install/restore DVDs, display cleaning cloth and documentation; Mac OS X Leopard and iLife ’09